Living With Your Psychic Gifts

No More Readings ...

2009-08-28T14:14:00.001-07:00

As I currently don't have time to update my blog posts, and I am unable to fix a persistent login problem at Blogger/Google and as I have recently discovered the joys of Wordpress ... :-) ... I will be closing this blog and eventually will move it onto my own site at PsychicProtection.net. I appreciate the kind and thoughtful comments many of you have shared, and I hope you will look me up on PsychicProtection.net, Astrology.ca and on Facebook ( http://www.facebook.com/bjasmine and http://www.facebook.com/pages/Living-With-Your-Psychic-Gifts-Brandi-Jasmine/116049331761018 ).

I've decided to suspend the readings I've been doing on my blogs (http://astrologyca.blogspot.com/ and http://lwypg.blogspot.com/). My reasons are largely personal - I'm too busy with too many irons in the fire right now. I'll leave these blogs up though, and you can follow me at the following Twitter pages:

@bjasmine
@astrology_ca
@lwypg

You can also find me at these web sites:

www.bjasmine.com - www.astrology.ca
www.jasminecats.com - www.psychicprotection.net
www.niagaraspirit.com - www.onequestseminars.com

Dreams, premonitions and chills

2009-06-05T15:11:00.000-07:00

Many of my dreams have been premonitions that come true. They are not very direct. No talking or words, just images that seem significant enough for me to piece together when I wake up. They typically do not make sense until the event has happened. However, I've gotten better at interpreting dream symbols and have been able to anticipate events. It seems at this point that these images and ideas can only freely flow through my mind when relaxed in sleep. I wonder if there's a way to become relaxed enough while awake to have similar experiences?

I also have a question about chills... sometimes while contemplating these dreams I have a sensation of energy driving through my body in the form of chills. It often happens when I am praying... Anyone else ever experienced chills? What's your take on this? For me, they seem to affirm that I am on a positive path in life or sometimes that I need to seriously change.

LAC

Dear LAC,

Yes, I have experienced these chills, I think they are quite common. I think they can be something physical at times, but when the coincide with strong psychic impressions that says to me a strong spiritual power, a guide or angel, may be behind their origin.

The best way to be relaxed while awake to trigger psychic impressions is through meditation. There are all kinds of different teachers of meditation available online - go to YouTube and type in "meditation", there are loads of guided visualizations available free of charge. I particularly recommend Ross Quinn's "Centering" CD. His Centering process is very similar to the Rainbow Meditation that is in Living With Your Psychic Gifts. One day I will get around to offering my own CD (laugh), but for now, give Ross's CD a try.

As for the dreams and premonitions, I know I sound like a broken record here (or a Napster Fart for you young whippersnappers), but journaling is the best way to to really nail down your progress with both dream interpretation and getting more accurate premonitions. I also highly recommend you join the Dream Catcher discussion group. I'm one of the moderators there.

Brandi

Response to Farmer Jane re: Ed Dames

2009-04-28T20:55:00.000-07:00

I decided to make this reply a whole new blog posting because of the length of the reply. To see the post I am responding to see Farmer Jane's comment under my last blog post about Ed Dames.

Jane started off with some comments about Dame's timing protocols. I'm familiar with Dames' timing protocols. That's what he was using to time the "kill shot" event. He said the shuttle event would take place first, then within days the kill shot. How he claims to time events is to veiw prior events. So when you see "Event A" you will know that "Event B" will follow close behind.

I would argue that the protocols were about 80-90% fulfilled a year or two ago. It's just he doesn't accept them because the earth wasn't in fact destroyed. Almost everything else he predicted though *did* indeed happen. But if Dames were to admit that 1) he wouldn't have a nice juicy apocalypse to keep getting back on Coast to hype and 2) he would have to admit he was only partly right.

I don't think it's so bad to admit you got it 80-90% right!

I don't see anything helpful in scaring the crap out of people over events you say they cannot change (which Dames does quite often). He's adamant that he's always right, something that would trouble me even if 1) he was always right, which he hasn't been, 2) he wasn't taking a dime and 3) everything that he said was sunshine and Kumbaya.

If he was truly avoiding the "doom" label he wouldn't go on Coast every six months like clockwork with another horrific prediction then tell people there is no avoiding it, I'm sorry. I don't buy the victim act he puts on when he's pressed about that. He has a choice whether or not to keep pushing this time line back. I can say I avoid chocolate, that don't make it so.

True, fear motivates people ... for good or ill, and overwhelmingly mostly for ill. I don't know what he's supposed to be motivating us to do since he's said the "kill shot" will wipe out 90% of the population and there is nowhere you can go to avoid it. Seems to me he wants to motivate us to buy his CDs. I would have no issue with that if he wasn't using fear to do it. And last I checked. he was still charging $199.00 for his remote viewing CDs: https://www.remoteviewingproducts.com/lrv/order.cfm .

I've edited a book that deals with the human reactions. Fight and Flight are two of four primary human reactions and they mostly get us into trouble, but that's another discussion.

As for Tarot, I am sorry that was your experience, it's not universal.

If you are pulling information directly from Source, then no, you cannot be influenced. But who is to say Dames and his students are doing so? They have a record, no better than any other group of remote viewers. And they see things the other groups do not. The one common factor is these people train with Dames. It seems obvious to me that teacher influence can account for the homogenized results he's claiming, especially with regards to the "kill shot". I have worked in similar groups, and it becomes obvious that the groups are psychically tuning into each other or to the leader of the group. Double-blind isn't applicable to psychics! (laugh) I remember one "informal" survey I did where no less than a dozen psychics told me I would marry the same guy and they were all adamant he was not gay. Darlin' he was as gay as it gets. They were tuning into a zeitgeist of their own making. I'm comfortable assuming that's what's happening with Dames' students.

As for the Bible, Dames himself has a very contradictory view of prophecy in the Bible to the Bible's take on prophecy. The prophets were all quite clear that prophecy could be changed if behavior was altered. If people came back to God, then the disasters could be averted. Dames on the other hand has been adamant that everything he sees *will* come to play no matter what anyone does. In my experience no one can make such guarantees. And in fact Dames has had some spectacular misses along with his hits.

I am not one who believes people must be spiritually pure to be accurate psychically. I have known too many dysfunctional, alcoholic, side-show psychics who could nonetheless blow you away with their accuracy. And like Caroline Myss, I know plenty who don't "OM", eat meat and live very secular lives yet have terrific intuition. Nor does having this ability automatically make one spiritual. It's a normal human talent, like art or music. Some folks are better at it than others, but it's a gift God offers us all, regardless of our spiritual intent. There are lots of people getting away with abusing it, unfortunately. Of course if you are out of harmony with yourself, that may affect your judgment, but that's a psychological process, not necessarily a psychic one, imnsho.

Finally - any public figure is fair game for criticism. The only time I say "If you don't like it hit the end transmission button" is when someone is calling for censorship. I'm not calling for that. What I have been calling for is for people to do their homework and use their common sense before they follow anyone's teaching - and I include my own teaching in that statement.

How to Drop Anger

2009-04-16T19:43:00.000-07:00

In my work in personal growth classes and as an intuitive consultant, I often come across people who ask me how to get rid of anger. What I say is that you will only change when you recognize 1) What anger is costing you and 2) What the "Prize" is for hanging onto it.

What is it costing you? Nelson Mandela once said "Resentment is like taking poison and hoping your enemy will die". But even though we may know our collection of stored resentment may be killing us, we still hang onto our outrage. How can that be?

As my good friend Ross Quinn says, we don't do these things to ourselves because we are stupid. We do them because they make sense to us, at some level. As painful as stored anger can be, there is a reason you are hanging onto it. It may be a big part of your identity. It may bring you attention, it may allow you to control certain conversations (and if that makes anyone here mad and are tempted to say "but you can't understand my pain ..." ... then you are busted, my dear). In your heart somewhere you may have magical thinking happening ("If I stay mad, that will hurt the perpetrator"). You could be stuck on "Why". Caroline Myss says people don't really want to forgive, what they want is the perpetrator to grovel at their feet (preferably in public) begging for forgiveness while they sit back and say "I'll think about it" ... C'mon admit it, we've all wanted that from someone, and in our hearts all know how silly and impossible it is. Any one of these reasons may apply to you, and none may. But somewhere inside the prize is hiding, and you need to recognize and relinquish its hold on you if you don't want to be a victim of it for the rest of your life.

My personal experience ... as a bullied kid, I found it very hard to forgive the teachers and the bullies until I recognized that while they were long gone out of my life, clinging to my resentment was kind of like dragging them along with me everywhere I went! Energetically, that is exactly what we're doing - our solar plexus is plugged back into the past, and into our abusers. It's as though we make a decision to carry on their dirty work for them. We become our own abusers! If you want to stop it ... then let it go. Take your solar plexus back. It's as easy as making the decision. I don't think about or talk about the abuse I went through, except to show how I've overcome it. When it comes up as an issue or reaction for me, I remind myself that's over now. I won't give my abusers one more second of my time or one droplet of energy that they don't deserve! Getting well was the best revenge. I will leave the justice part to God. Karma always takes care of itself in the long run.

Brandi

Ed Dames and Secular Apocalypses

2009-04-14T09:56:00.000-07:00

Over on Twitter, @farmerjaneusa and I were having this conversation about Ed Dames, and I couldn't answer her there.

This won’t be an exhaustive list of what concerns me about folks like Ed Dames ... just a couple examples. Anyone who wants detail can Google Dames’ record. Before I get into my examples though, I want to say that I think Ed Dames, and some of the other well-known “modern prophets” actually do have an interesting track record and some pretty amazing “hits”. I believe Dames may have some ability in remote viewing, and I have heard positive feedback from students of his classes. But I’m ambivalent about prediction work in general and Ed Dames has a special place in the “toxic” category of psychics whose work I’ve followed.

I categorize “predictions” into the following categories:

“Horoscopes” are purely for entertainment value, imnsho. Yes, I do write horoscopes for my site Astrology.ca. I wanted to do a site where I taught people astrology, and it was all very serious, and when I finally let my business-savvy boss back at TUCOWS talk me into adding horoscopes, it finally started paying for itself, traffic went up by 5000% (not kidding). I do say though on that site that all horoscopes are purely for entertainment value. I want no one to take them seriously – the only reason I still offer them is it brings in enough traffic to pay for itself, and that gives me the ability to promote real astrology.

“Forecasts” can be visions, dreams, astrological or Tarot interpretations that focus on the future and stick mainly to a description of the vision or the energies involved. Forecasts avoid rigid interpretation. Interpretation is left up to the listener, or it is made clear that there can be alternate possibilities for the way a forecast may manifest (See “Forecasting versus Prediction”). I see forecasts as potentially useful, depending on how they are approached, and I have used them in my psychic work.

“Disaster Predictions” and “Apocalypse Predictions” are the two categories that trouble me the most. They seem similar, but the main difference is that a “disaster” prediction only focuses on a given event: an earthquake, terrorist attack, another peccadillo in the life of a troubled celebrity. The argument for making disaster predictions public is that a disaster could possibly be averted or modified in some way if the affected parties were made aware of it. I personally prefer a forecast mindset to the prediction, but I take no issue with disaster predictions in and of themselves. It’s only when there is an endless stream of them, or they seem to carry an agenda that I begin to question them. Apocalypse predictions however, I look at as toxic. Apocalypse predictions end in global disaster, the “end times” or the destruction of civilization. There are sub-sets within apocalypse predictions, the Christian Biblical Apocalypse being the most popular variant, however the Islamic faith also has a strain of Apocalypse prophecy that few in the West are aware of. What I call “Secular Apocalypse” is the variety favored by Ed Dames. He does not to my knowledge have a Biblical or religious tie-in to his “Kill Shot” Apocalypse.

Dames has been predicting his “Kill Shot” Apocalypse since back in the mid 1990s in appearances with Art Bell on Coast to Coast AM and on his web site. As I recall the course of events, he said that this “Kill Shot” would take the form of a gigantic solar flare aimed directly at the earth that would wipe out most if not all life on the planet. His school of remote viewing has (according to Dames) perfected a method of timing such events by looking at events immediately preceding the “main event” and in the case of the “kill shot”, he foresaw a Space Shuttle being forced down by a meteor storm, followed by the massive solar flare.

I actually give Dames credit for a “hit” on the “Kill Shot”. But I believe the “Kill Shot” has already taken place. I recall an appearance with George Noory during a Shuttle mission where the shuttle was brought back early and immediately afterward one of the largest solar flares in history was indeed recorded. I believe, as is often the case with psychic ability, that Dames and his team were affected by his own interpretation of the events they viewed. They “hit” on the Shuttle issues and the solar flare, but missed on it actually hitting the earth. Dames claims to be so certain of this prediction because many of his team see the same events, but he’s failed to account for the possibility that his students are “following the leader” so to speak. It’s a well-known psychic phenomena that sometimes a group of psychics will all be strongly influenced by their perceived leader. They may all get the same vision because it is the one strongly held by Dames.

Regardless, Dames must now insist that the event which has past is not the “real” “kill shot”, and that it is soon to come in the future. The “Kill Shot” web site continues to say “within ten years”, a very long predictive cycle that keeps getting pushed forward as it fails to materialize. That’s tremendously important for Dames, who makes a good deal of money selling “survival” CDs. In the meantime, the people who take this prediction seriously continue to live in fear of something that has already passed harmlessly.

Why I would call that toxic and irresponsible should be obvious. If you believe in the Law of Attraction, then you know that to focus on a negative, fearful event is to give energy to it and to risk creating it. While I think the momentum of thought is on the side of those of us who trust in the continued health of our solar system, I think it’s unhealthy to promote such an idea. First off, if it were to actually happen, there is absolutely nothing anyone could do to prevent it. It’s healthier to let people live out their lives without that burden of fear. I think it’s also unhealthy on an individual level. What kind of lives do people have when they live in this kind of fear? What kind of lives do they give their children? As a child of a parent steeped in fearful Biblical prophecy I can testify that it can have a profoundly stunting effect on a child’s psyche. Why strive for a better life when you are convinced you are going to die horribly anyway?

Not long ago, Dames predicted that Steven Fossett would be found in a specific location and as I recall that broadcast, he told Noory that if Fossett wasn’t within a certain radius, it wouldn’t be a hit. The searchers were covering a huge area, and (again if I recall correctly) that very evening that he was on Coast, they had found Fossett’s ID card. Dames’ location was considerably outside that radius and he stated quite emphatically that Fossett would not be found near the documents, and that if that did happen, he would count it as a “miss”. The next day though, some bones later confirmed to be Fossett's were indeed found near the documents. That night, Noory had Dames back on ... and while I listened with incredulity Dames claimed it as a “hit” and Noory verbally patted him on the back for his incredible powers. This last visit to Coast (what little of it I could bring myself to listen to), Noory again used this event as one of Ed Dames “major hits”! I’m flabbergasted by this revision of history. It’s almost as bad as what Sylvia Browne pulled on the Coast show, yet Noory is letting Dames get away with it. Then there is the history of his legal and PR problems with PSITech. I love Coast, but Noory is doing a lot of damage to his own credibility when he not only doesn’t question claims like this, he becomes a cheerleader for them.

As an intuitive myself, I believe in the power of what Dames calls “Remote Viewing”. It’s nothing new, it’s been done for centuries, and it can be effective to a certain degree. I also think notoriety for this ability can be abused for profit, political or religious gain. I think the true power lies in the now, not in the future or the past.

I also believe there will be disasters and challenges in our future, that’s part of life. No matter how good their disaster predictions, the big-name famous psychics cannot tell you or me individually who will be effected and who will not. So their predictions are interesting, entertaining and irrelevant. It makes sense to be informed and prepared for disaster no matter where you live (if you only store water you are ahead of 90% of people out there). Before you give any psychic prediction credibility, make sure to look at their overall record. Have a look at the skeptic sites. If our media interviewers won’t challenge the self-proclaimed prophets who appear on their shows, it’s up to you to do your own homework before you decide who and what to believe.

Ghosts and Psychic Ability

2009-04-06T17:38:00.000-07:00

lately i've had some problems. See i knew i was psychic since i was 7 yrs old. But i had some issues with it because it goes off and on. I'm really proud of having this gift but i have this problem that i will only see bad things coming in my dreams. Also i saw a spirit once. And i believe my house is haunted even though i would like to know why it's haunted i don't know how to. Anyways i need help from you to tell me how i can expand my visions and see positive things too. Thank you for time, and please answer me soon,

CR

Dear CR,

I wouldn't worry about it going on and off like that, that's common. It happens to all of us. A couple things jumped out at me when I read your post. Did you notice how you don't say "I", you say "i"? It's a way of making yourself small. That is out of harmony or coherence with the pride you take in your psychic gift. Is there a part of you that doesn't feel you deserve to have "good" visions too? Do you spend a lot of your time worrying or fearful in general? The important thing regardless is to stay positive. When I first had my experiences, they were mostly negative too. I was terrified of them, and my fear drew even more negative experiences my way. Doreen Virtue tells people to ask their angels for help and I think that's a terrific idea - ask your angels or pray that you be given only those visions that are in your best and highest good, and when you get the odd negative one, don't dwell on it, just journal it and let it go. Over time you will find the visions change.

As for the haunting, they usually happen when something bad happens in a given place. They are very rarely actual spirits. I've made a video reply for you to explain this in greater detail. In the meantime, the best thing to do is to meditate every day, to regularly ground yourself, and to keep a regular journal of these kinds of experiences so that you can look back on them with more clarity in the future.

Brandi

More on Curses

2009-03-12T09:12:00.000-07:00

I am a Ugandan born minister but ministering in Bungoma-Kenya. My main call in the the ministry is prophetic and I surely deal with curses. Please I want to get more on this.

F

Hi F,

In my experience with curses, the main mechanism of transfer is fear. Sometimes the person who thinks they are cursed has experienced something negative, fears it will happen again, and starts looking around for a reason why that happened. They may assume they have been cursed when in reality, either their own reactions have brought on their troubles, or sometimes they have simply had some bad luck. Other times, there is someone out to get them, and in many different cultures there are different rituals people can do, but again, the mechanism that is most effective is to simply tell the victim they are cursed (or drop some hints about it that they are sure to catch), and let their own fears take over.

I firmly believe that no one can curse someone who is walking in the Light. If I am firm and confident in my faith, I raise my energy to the point where their negativity simply can't reach me. We need to convince people that the most effective thing they can do to avoid or change a curse is to be happy, joyful and courageous. It's possible that through their faith in you or me that people could have their curses lifted for a time. If we do some kind of ritual, this could boost their confidence. If they have faith in our abilities, then maybe the curse can be lifted. But all we are doing is handing over a temporary fix. The next time bad times come along, they will come running to us for relief.

Personally, I feel it is important that people take responsibility for their own happiness, and I choose to empower them by insisting that they can take care of curses on their own. Everything that you can do to empower people to have self-confidence and courage will not only lift their curses, but will bring more joy into their lives and the lives of their loved ones, and I strongly believe that's what life is all about.

---

Brandi Jasmine

All of my life I have experienced visions

2009-03-11T10:33:00.000-07:00

All of my life I have experienced visions, most of which became eerily true. A couple years ago I started seeing and hearing ghost like images that follow people and some are hanging on or just touching the host. Recently I've concluded that there must be a purpose for my sight and started to investigate it. could you please give me your take on this. I would really appreciate it..thank you

SL

Dear SL,

I absolutely agree you will greatly benefit from investigating your gifts. The question you may want to ask yourself is "How may I be of service?" I guarantee the answer of that question will be rewarding beyond your wildest dreams.

Of course I recommend my book, but I also recommend you join our discussion group, and see what psychic books are available in the Library. Read, study, and journal everything you possibly can. You may find it a pain now but ten years from now it will be worth its weight in gold.

Brandi

A moderator's comment

2009-02-10T15:41:00.000-08:00

I said I was going to fill in a little more of my philosophy on moderating my PsychicGifts discussion group, and told the members there that I would make this comment here on the LWYPG blog. I am hoping some blog readers may be motivated to join the group and some of the group members may find some good reading on the blog, and this will keep this off the group itself.

The Yahoo PsychicGifts group was initially started to give people with psychic ability a place to discuss their abilities. In time, that grew to include personal and spiritual growth as well. As moderator, I strive to balance the need for honesty with the need to keep the peace. I'm not perfect, I have made mistakes. I'm a human being with my own thoughts, opinions and issues. The participants have no idea how many times I just bite my tongue and move on ... well, my co-moderator Sarita knows (laugh). But when I feel strongly, I will jump in with questions and opinions. If anything I spend too much time trying to be respectful with those opinions - I have been known to spend more than two hours on a reply when I know it will be controversial. In the end, some people will react regardless of what I say. I can't please everyone.

I'm not running PsychicGifts to try to see how many people like me or agree with me. I'm not there to hold hands. We're all "sensitives" but PsychicGifts is not and will not become a victim support group, where the point is to always be "nice" and "agreeable", and to support one another in remaining victims. If that's part of your definition of "safe", this is not the group for you. To me, "safe" means no name calling or abuse, and everyone is allowed to have an opinion. Tell me not to question or challenge you ... and the way I see it, you are asking me to lie to you. Is that support? Not in my books. While I do not tolerate abuse, I do not expect participants to "agree or stay silent". I expect respectful discourse, but I do not expect unconditional agreement.

My intention is to motivate our members to step into their leadership, build their confidence, and provide a place where all views can be heard and considered. Argument and disagreement is not an indication of lack of respect. If someone takes the time to argue with you, then assume they are interested and engaged. Argue with passion and enthusiasm! Quote facts, give your impressions, but do not call people names or accuse them of abuse, regardless of the perceived justification. Do not imply you are smarter, more psychic, or spiritually superior - that is not only insulting, it will destroy your credibility. An insult is no substitute for an argument, and an argument is not cause for insult.

If you feel abused or attacked on any discussion group the only legitimate way to complain is to the moderator via private email. I'll consider a complaint, but if a post makes it to the list, I've already decided it's okay (especially if I've authored it). Be prepared to make a good case for it. In the open, stick to the facts of the argument, or expect to have your posts edited or declined.

Other people are not going to always be "nice" and always agree, even in a moderated group where we all share some common interests. That's just reality. No one can reasonably expect others to consistently agree. What we all need to learn is how to tolerate disagreement! Until that is so, we will always run away, pretend to be "nice", hide in the shadows afraid to express our opinions, or will jump down the throats of innocent people who are just expressing another opinion. We will hide, walk away, freeze or attack, and we will always wonder why we never feel "safe". I didn't set up this space so that you could never spread your wings, never stretch your comfort zone. If you feel upset right now, then make something valuable of it. Ask yourself "What is it that is being triggered in me and why?". At least then you have a shot at learning something. It's not that I have triggered you, it's that you are triggerable. If even one person gets this, then our small challenges will be worth every word.

What should I do about this spell?

2009-01-28T12:24:00.000-08:00

This was posted by a person that has made my life hell for the last 3 months. I didn't read it because I was told not too. What should I do now?

(Binding spell deleted)

Anonymous

As far as the spell is concerned I wouldn't be worried in the least. Assume for a moment it is real and has power. So what? All it is supposed to do is keep the recipient from gossiping, lying and sending negative energy. So it won't have any serious negative effect on you. It does not call for any sort of harm. It is a protection from harm spell. If you are doing any of those things, the worst thing that will happen is you may find yourself frustrated. Metaphysically there is nothing to do, aside from the standard protection exercises everyone should be doing on a daily basis. A little "Love Bombing" couldn't hurt either.

Assuming it is not for real, and you are doing none of the things specified in the spell, then the problem is psychological and not spiritual. This spell would suggest then that this individual is mentally unstable if not outright paranoid. It's possible this person could be dangerous, and you want to keep them away from you and out of your life. I have some experience with bullies as well as psychic matters, and if you know this individual, and possess an address, if they are in your area, then I would get a restraining order preventing them from having any contact with you (including any electronic contact). Do not engage them! That almost never works. It may feel good to tell someone off if they are acting crazy or miserable, but nobody responds well to that. They only see your defending yourself as an attack on them, which they use to justify continued abuse.

If this is a cyberbullying situation, don't respond. Work on ignoring them completely. I would unsubscribe from any unmoderated (or poorly moderated) discussion groups you may share. Do everything within your power to actively avoid them. No matter how tempting they may make it to respond, don't. Use an email filter to automatically delete anything they email you. Un-friend them on your Facebook or MySpace page(s). Block them every way you can to keep them from contacting you. Cyberbullies thrive on attention. They will move off in 99% of cases within a week if they realize they are not getting through. For the remaining 1% further action may be needed. Contact moderators, ISPs, social networking sites and ask them to assist you in blocking this person. If they continue to attempt to get in touch with you, contact your local police or a good lawyer and ask their assistance in obtaining a restraining order to prevent this individual from contacting you via email or through any electronic means.

If none of this works, email me again privately with the details and I will see if there is something else you might be able to do.

Brandi

I think too much!

2009-01-21T09:26:00.000-08:00

I have been reading all the posts and learning a great deal. I guess I would probably describe myself as being really overwhelmed right now! I almost feel unhealthy right now from constant headaches and light headed spells. Been told so many times that it is because of caffeine, even took all caffeine out of my diet...didn't change a thing. Friends and family can't understand my mood swings (I can't either for that matter, just thought I'm so intense cause I a Scorpio) I'm told I overthink things... I will get these sick, nervous feelings in the pit of my stomach and can't figure out why. Prime example 2 days ago, I was so nervous, felt something was wrong, didn't know what or why so I just dismissed it. The next day, felt I needed to call my mom, turns out she was at my sister's house. My sister's house had just burned to the ground, she lost everything.

There is so much i want to say and so many questions, but my mind is racing a majority of the time so it can be difficult for me to even complete some thoughts fully. I just want to learn how to get hold of this. I need balance in my life, I try to meditate...can't turn my brain off long enough, so you can imagine what tryin to get to sleep is like. So how do channel it? Will I ever have a clear mind? Will my moods be even?...

J

Dear J,

The prime problem here isn't your psychic ability. You nailed it yourself when you said "I can't turn my brain off". My best suggestion would be to get into a LifeStream class. It will take some time and money, and could involve some travel, but of all the things I know, it's the best option, works the quickest and is the most effective way to get at the root of how we all get in our own way. If that is truly impossible, one of their facilitators, James Roswell Quinn has written a fabulous book called "Controlling Others for Love and Profit" ("If you believe that, then you better wake up. Controlling others is not the solution - It is the problem."). Don't be thrown off by the title ... it was originally going to be called "The Love-Based Leader". I helped edit the first edition. The book is currently out of print, he's working on a second edition. But there is an eBook version available.

In a nutshell, there are four basic reactions, Fight, Flight, Freeze and Facade. We all use them all at different times, but we each elevate one of them to an art form. From what you've said here, your primary reaction right now is Flight. What you need to do is spend more time in Evaluation. Force yourself to stop, think, and get your thoughts together. Celebrate yourself when you do so. It's like a muscle, if you keep exercising it, you'll get better at it. One really good way to do this is to start journaling. Do it every day, whether you have something to say or not. If you can think of nothing else, write an intention statement for the day. For example: My intention for today is to be focused. Then, at the end of the day, evaluate how focused you were, and why you were not focused. You will start to see a pattern. Journaling is the single best thing you can do to improve your psychic ability as well.

The best way to learn to meditate may be by doing guided visualizations. Quinn has a centering CD on his site. You may find many other guided visualizations online. Just Google "Meditation CDs". Try a few for different purposes. With someone's voice to keep you focused on the task, it may be easier to quiet your mind. Another idea is to simply sit still and pay attention to your breathing. Count your in and out breaths ... and notice that over a period of time you are able to maintain your focus for longer and longer periods. I am not one of these people who believes it is necessary to meditate for hours each day - I think 5-10 minutes twice a day is all most people need to start seeing benefits. It needs to be done every day, but you don't have to spend hours at it. Once you start to make a habit of it, and celebrate yourself for each victory, you will find that it gets much easier to hold your focus. Be patient with yourself, give yourself time. Don't expect to master it in days or weeks. For now, just enjoy it like a game. Let it be okay if you don't see progress right away, and you will progress a lot faster.

By the way I'm just reading a nifty book called "Women Who Think Too Much", I think it could be helpful in your case as well.

Green Lights

2009-01-04T21:13:00.000-08:00

Not sure, but been having lots of flashes of light. Been seeing orbs, green ones. Maybe I just lack sleep, feels like lightning strikes.

J

Dear J,

Do you have any pain or discomfort at or around the time of these flashes? If so, it may be possible that the lights are physical/medical in origin, not psychic. Green is an unusual colour, psychic orbs are usually blue or white. I have had "migraine lights" and these are very different from psychic or angelic lights. If it is a very strong light, changes color and slides around your vision in writhing "w" shapes ... that's a migraine light. The pain may come before after or with the light. If it is light sparkles (like the kind you get after rubbing your eyes), chances are more likely that it's something psychic, in this case most likely a spirit who thinks you may associate them with the colour green perhaps? In any case, if there is any discomfort, please don't hesitate to see your doctor.

Get me out of this demonic attack

2008-12-23T18:45:00.000-08:00

Dear Brandi,

I experience unexplained headaches, dizzy spells, sleeping disorders and mood swings and sees flashes of light. I am anxious of crowded places and see strange visions (etc) I would like you to shut it all off and make it go away and turn my volume up.

SM

Dear SM,

What makes you think this is a demonic attack? What you describe here sounds like a lot of other psychics I know when their abilities first came out. I still experience many of these things myself. But unless there is blood dripping down the walls and plates flying out of cupboards or there is some other nasty phenomena happening (and that is incredibly rare), then maybe there are demons involved. If so, even though I am not religious myself, I would not want to try to handle something like that on my own. I'd call the Catholic Church, they have the most experienced exorcists. Otherwise, I kind of doubt what you are experiencing is a demonic attack. I hope that gives you some measure of comfort.

There is no simple way to turn it all off. If you want to get better control you
first have to accept that this is happening, and let go of some of your fear
about it. I recommend that you get a copy of Living With Your Psychic Gifts ...
The detailed advice that I would give you is actually already in the book. Some
of it is online at the web site. In the meantime, the best thing to do is to meditate every day, to regularly ground yourself, and to keep a regular journal of these kinds of experiences so that you can look back on them with more clarity in the future. If you don't know anything about meditation, your local Buddhist temple may teach it or there could be a meditation group in your area. My friend Ross Quinn has a wonderful "Centering" CD available to order online, and I highly recommend it. He also teaches a class I have found tremendously helpful. It's not about psychic ability, it's about being happier, more effective and centered in life, which can have a profoundly positive effect on psychic experiences. Once you accept it, let go of the fear and stop fighting the experiences, they start to smooth out and get a lot more positive. In other words, turn your volume up!

Journal-keeping is vital to your personal and psychic growth. You can go back over time and check the details. You'll find that you remember some things differently a week, month or year down the line. It is really helpful in so many ways. It will prove to you that you are seeing something "real", and where your blind-spots are. It keeps things grounded.

Of course I recommend you read the full text of Living With Your Psychic Gifts:
http://www.psychicprotection.net/ - especially the parts on psychic protection, and I invite you to join us in our discussion group. You will find there are a lot of other people out there with similar experiences. Just knowing I wasn't on my own with this thing made it a lot easier to bear.

Brandi

Entity with a message

2008-12-14T20:48:00.000-08:00

Thank you for taking the time to view my email.
I feel crazy and hopeless.

For the past year, there has been an entity around me. He says he has something to tell me. I too fearful and want him to go away. Who is he? What does he have to tell me? If feels like he's wrestling with me at least 3 nights a week. Why is he bothering me? What must I do to rid of my fears? Maybe I'm creating this energy in my mind, but why. Please help me. Thank you and be blessed.

Sincerely, L

Dear L,

He doesn't say what it is he wants to tell you? Honestly, why ask me when you could ask him? I get impressions and feelings and I am right more often than not, but no better source than the horse's mouth. Normally a spirit with good intentions will leave you alone if they know you are fearful, so this spirit does trouble me. But I don't see the harm in letting him speak his message. I would respond very clearly and say "If you agree to leave in the name of light and love, and never return then I will hear your message." Then hear him out. Whatever he has to say can't be any worse than what you are already going through. You'll at least know why he's bothering you then, and the chances are good he will leave you alone after that. If he doesn't, he would have been a bother anyway. We can address that if that happens, but for now, I think the best thing is to listen to the message. If he can't or won't tell you, then get back to me and we'll discuss the next steps.

Brandi

Strange Repeating Numbers

2008-11-20T11:47:00.000-08:00

I have a question about an experience with numbers I've been having. You see, there's this number that a long time ago I studied in relation to something and I learned it's multiples. Now I see this number a lot. Obviously, we'd expect this to happen through random chance except that I think I see it more than chance and what really bothers me is that it shows up a lot of times when I'm thinking in my head "It is absurd to think that this is psychic". I don't know why it would happen this way and it's very disturbing to me - the number is almost mocking me.

K

Dear K,

A lot of people have this experience, in particular in reference to the number 1111. There are actually web sites and discussion groups about it. Some people think it's a message from the other side ... I think it's mostly that we notice it, so we are more likely to notice it, and it's a function of how our number system works in some way that no skeptical mathematician has been able to come up with yet.

I wouldn't call this kind of thing psychic. It's a form of synchronicity. I believe that sometimes synchronicity does indicate the working of some form of higher consciousness, but I don't spend a lot of time worrying about it. It's nothing to worry about.

The question you need to be asking is about your reaction to these events. Why such harsh self-judgment about your thought process here? If it's absurd, there are far stranger thoughts out there in the world. Have some fun with it, turn it into a game. What is the number by the way? Maybe we can learn something from you about that?

Brandi

Am I crazy?

2008-09-05T10:14:00.000-07:00

As someone who talks and writes about psychic phenomena I often see or hear the words in conversations, "nuts" and "crazy" online and off. To me, "insanity" and "nuts/crazy" are different concepts. I won't use dictionary definitions but more what I see as common parlance. "Insanity" is a legal term. To me, I understand it as "dysfunctional and incapable of understanding right/wrong, incapable of living within legally accepted norms". On the other hand "nuts/crazy" are words we use to describe those who simply don't fit in.

I have a t-shirt on one of my stores that reads "Everyone is someone else's weirdo".

Everyone is odd or different from someone else's point of view. So are we psychics "nuts/crazy"? Yeah. If you are uptight, anal, overly obsessed with fitting in (laugh) ... which makes you "nuts/crazy" from my point of view. There is no such thing as "nuts/crazy". It's a value/ego judgment with little real meaning. In my opinion most of us are afraid of being "nuts/crazy" because we don't want to be different. We're not so much afraid that we might be mad, we're afraid that we'll get bullied.

No one can bully you with the "nuts/crazy" label unless you choose to own it. A long time ago I made myself comfortable with the idea that some people would doubt my experiences. I let go of needing to "prove" anything. If you doubt yourself, start keeping a journal. If your insights, visions or dreams are right more than 50% of the time, there is some objective evidence that your experiences are psychic. You won't be infallible, but you can learn to use your intuition to improve your life.

A little skepticism is a healthy thing. It doesn't have to carry the "nuts/crazy" stigma if you are wrong on occasion though. I think we all do this to ourselves during the occasional fallow times where our intuition seems to dry up. After a while you get used to the fact that sometimes psychic ability waxes and wanes. That's normal.

Somewhere in between "nuts/crazy" and "insanity" is mental illness. To me this is a wide range of both physical brain disorders and assorted thinking dysfunctions. No doubt some of us have suffered from mental illness at times. Most of us have. Depression is a mental illness. I've suffered from depression in the past. Quite serious, long-term depression. I've gone through trauma and suffered PTSD. I wager that just about everyone has some form of mental illness at some point in their life. We have to get rid of the stigma here, or we won't be able to address it when it really is a factor. Mental illness isn't always permanent, it is often easily treated. There are both cognitive and medical treatments that are effective. What is "crazy" is refusing to seek help because you are afraid you might be "nuts".

Any time you have strong psychic experiences, voices in the head or strange compulsions, and physical sensations or symptoms like headaches or dizziness, your first step must be to rule out a physical cause. So I'll often recommend that you see a doctor. I'm not a physician, and it is legally and ethically required that I refer you to a doctor, even when I don't really feel that's necessary. I will suggest you be discrete what you decide to share. Find out your doctor's attitudes towards psychic experiences before you share any "voice" experiences. If you are leery, there may be good reason. If their attitude is hostile, see another doctor. Don't see a doctor you don't trust.

Generally speaking, if you hear voices and they are positive and you find that the information they give you is accurate more often than not, you are probably a channel. If they are hostile, there is pain, they persist even after being told to leave, or the experiences are causing havoc in your life, then get to a doctor and be fully honest with them. Even if it is something psychic, and not true mental illness, you need a counsellor who can help you sort out some boundary issues. Healthy, balanced people don't pick up negative entities as easily as those who have emotional or mental challenges. You may be fully sane in the clinical sense of the word, that doesn't mean you won't benefit from some professional guidance.

Having a diagnosis of mental illness doesn't mean that your experiences aren't objectively "real" either. I think this is another big fear I commonly see. People become attached to their entities, to their experiences, and even when they are scared silly, to the drama of being in the middle of this kind of experience. They don't want to be told that it's not real. I've learned that just because one may be mentally ill, it doesn't mean they aren't also psychic. In fact it is a common observation that schizophrenics are often strongly psychic.

In the end, if you are afraid, you have to drill down deeper. What is it you are truly afraid of? Is the fear even an issue? Are you addicted to the drama? That's what's really "crazy" in people for the most part. Accept your abilities, make a resolution to step past your fears, and you will find in 99.99999% of cases, that very quickly things calm down and you will find that what used to scare you is a source of great value and insight.

How does sister learn about her gifts?

2008-09-04T20:41:00.000-07:00

Hi Brandi, I am emailing you hopefully to get some answers about mine and my sisters psychic abilities. My sister is the more gifted one and lately has had several frightening encounters with the most recent one she had the aid of my deceased father helping her fight off a spirit attacking her in her home. She has known about the death of every family member before anyone was notified since she was about 3 years old. Lately the spirits have been more persistent and she has no clue how to communicate back with ones other than my father. If you could help or direct us to someone who can please let me know.

Thanks ... JA

Dear JA

I think I can help, but the first thing I say may sound a little odd at first. If you want these experiences to be less frightening, you and your sister first have to stop being afraid.

I know that sounds like I've got the cart before the horse, but hear me out.

When I first started having my psychic experiences, I was afraid of everything that happened to me. I was raised in a family with no tolerance for anything outside of their rigid belief systems. They weren't a lot of help. Their fearful reactions just drove me deeper into fear-based thinking. And the experiences grew ever more frightening. Like a snowball that goes downhill in a cartoon, growing larger and swallowing everything in its path, my fear grew and grew until I could barely stand to go to sleep at night.

Then one day I had a breakthrough, and I began to accept that what was happening to me wasn't evil. Looked at dispassionately it really wasn't all that scary. It was my own reactions that brought about the fear. There was really nothing inherently scary in anything that I was sensing or seeing. Even when I sensed a death, nothing bad happened to me - and I was often comforted by the presence of spirits during the times of transition. The more I have grown to accept this gift, the less frightening experiences I have attracted.

As for techniques to communicate, it really is just as easy as thinking or visualizing. I hold a picture in my head, and think the words I'd like to say to the spirit. Sometimes I speak them aloud.

I welcome you and your sister to join our discussion group - there are a lot of wonderful people there with similar experiences who are eager to teach, learn and share.

How do I get a curse removed?

2008-08-07T22:48:00.000-07:00

Over the years I have had some bad things happen to me and this year from March on has been terrible. I have had my Tarot read a few times and each time it has said basically the same thing. That there are people working against me. I believe I have been cursed. I don't know if you believe in this but if you do can you help me to lift or break this? If you do not can you direct me to the proper place or people? Sometimes I can feel like there is some kind of force stopping or barring me from getting thing that are to be mine, I do not necessarily mean material things but they are included also. I am so frustrated and discouraged by this. Thank you for listening and ANY help or insight you can give.

LR

I do believe curses are possible. As much as I love Tarot, one of the dangers is that at times it seems to reflect back more clearly what we believe to be true, rather than what is actually true. If you sincerely believe you are cursed, the cards may reflect that, whether it's true or not. The same is true of many psychics. If you set up a strong enough thought, the majority of psychics will not be able to distinguish that thought from reality.

Other than a string of bad luck and the readings, is there an indication you have been cursed? Did someone tell you they were cursing you? Does your family have a history of metaphysical trouble of this kind? If not, it's extremely unlikely that someone has deliberately cursed you. Such people tell their victims, because telling the victim gets their fear working towards the intended goal. That's how curses work - they trigger your fears which sets up waves of negativity, emanating from you, which bounce back to you. You end up powering your own destruction. In the end, it does not matter whether the original source of your troubles comes from inside or outside, the only way to turn things around is to change the way you look at life. The answer is to get your mental powerhouse working for you instead of against you, and that part is 100% within your own control.

Let's start on the assumption that you actually have been cursed, though, because my advice will be the same, regardless. I'll start with what not to do. Don't pay anyone anything to remove the curse. It's commonly used to relieve you of money and personal responsibility, but rarely provides any relief from your troubles.It's illegal in most cities. The "psychics" who do this are experts at manipulating your emotions, and they won't stop until they suck you dry.

Even if you are able to find a witch or psychic who will volunteer to wave her wand over you, it will be meaningless unless you are willing to do whatever you can to get and stay clear and positive. I believe you have every bit as much power as any psychic. More so, because it's your life. You can put emotional energy into your recovery that no one else can match.

The first thing you have to do is detach from negative people and ideas in your life, and start focusing on the positive. When you feel that you are being drawn to something negative, when you feel deprived of something that should be yours, when people don't treat you as you feel they should, refocus your energy away from the resentment and onto something positive. There may indeed be people working against you, but there must be some people you love, trust and count on. Focus your thoughts on those people instead. They actually deserve your attention. If you have a hard time detaching, try the uncording exercise. Sometimes it works right away, sometimes it takes a couple dozen attempts before you start to feel free of the cording. I used to feel the need to do this twice daily. I now know when I've been corded and uncord only when I feel an energy drain.

In addition, try "Love Bombing". You don't even need to know who is cursing you. Just focus your thoughts on the best feelings you can remember. Pull up feelings of love, compassion, and forgiveness. Pull them together into a big ball of golden light in your heart. When you are ready, imagine that you see anyone who wishes you ill, and shrink them backwards in age until you see them as a little child. Then hand them the ball of energy, which surrounds them, and dissolves them. Then let the image go, and focus your thoughts on something positive. If you find that hard to do, then find someone to help. Start writing a list of your blessings. Watch a funny movie. Every time your mind goes back to the idea that you have suffered or that you are cursed, bring positive thoughts to mind instead. Don't leave any room for someone else's negativity to take you over.

These books are based on ideas that I believe will be helpful to you even though neither of them mentions curses:

"Why People Don't Heal" by Caroline Myss
"Controlling Others for Love and Profit" by James Roswell Quinn ("If you believe that, then you better wake up. Controlling others is not the solution - It is the problem."). Don't be thrown off by the title ... it was originally going to be called "The Love-Based Leader". I helped edit the first edition.

Confused about my gifts

2008-08-04T23:40:00.000-07:00

I don't know where to start to educate myself with what I have. Not even sure what gift it is. I did try to ignore it by keeping busy but sometimes it's so strong I have to find the person. I just want to understand it and do good by it.

Rose

Dear Rose,

I don't recommend that you try to contact people who feature in your psychic visions or dreams. I've got more than 20 years experience with this and I still make mistakes at times. People are not always receptive to the idea that you have a psychic impression about them, either. For now, the best thing to do is to document your impressions. Keep a journal of your experiences. That will give you a good start on understanding which ones are important to act on, and which ones you should leave alone.

Please come join our discussion group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/psychicgifts

We're a growing group of people, most of whom have the same concerns and questions you have. I recommend you read the back archives of the group before posting, there is a huge amount of information there. Then, if you still have some questions, tell us a bit about yourself and what you want to know. There are a lot of good people there willing to share and help out.

Brandi

Video: How to have "Psychic Protection"

2008-08-04T22:11:00.000-07:00

Learn how to seal your energy field so you don’t absorb other people’s anxieties, fears, and pain. Learn some new techniques and avoid unwanted psychic intrusion with Rebecca Marina "The Prosperity Queen". I haven't tested all these techniques myself, but they do make sense to me and they could be useful. Please leave your comments if you have tried them out, I would love to have some feedback, especially on the posture technique.

What is the value of fear?

2008-06-17T17:56:00.000-07:00

Recently in the Living With Your Psychic Gifts discussion group I noticed that the subject of fear was coming up in a few places, and I decided to try an interesting experiment with you. I'd like to give everyone the opportunity to participate through the "Comments" feature of the blog. There are two questions, and I would like everyone to try to contribute at least one unique answer to each of them. If you can't think of something someone else has said, then please let us know which one of the fears you resonate with most strongly.

I decided to use this format so you can remain absolutely anonymous if you wish. I'll go first to give you all an idea where I am headed. All replies will be moderated. Later, I'll address the fears that come up, but for now, just let fly! Get creative. If you aren't afraid, then imagine what someone else might be afraid of, but write it in "I" language.

One: What am I afraid of?

I'm no longer afraid of my psychic experiences, but in the beginning I had a lot of fear.

My biggest fear: I feared that I might be going insane, that I was making it all up or worse.

Two: What do I get out of staying in fear?

I got attention. A lot of people came to my rescue and showed me compassion.

Let's hear from you! Let's make this list as scary as we can!

Dutch empath is too sensitive

2008-06-12T23:03:00.000-07:00

Lately I’m having troubles with my gifts and I was hoping that you might be able to give me some pointers.

You see, I have been blessed/cursed with a number of gifts and as I grew so did my abilities. However, while I got stronger empathy turned out to be my greatest gift and curse. For example, I’ve had my final exams just now and I nearly passed out from the amount of stress that the other students felt and I kept having a major headache while I was around them.

Another problem is the fact that I transmit a lot of energy leaving me drained and tired before the day is fully over. Some people cling to me for that reason and like leeches they drain my energy so they can make themselves feel better. One girl almost went too far and she drained so much of my energy that she left me feeling empty, hollow and depressed while I am not suffering from any depressions. I don’t really care for taking a swan dive into the pavement because people keep stealing my energy but I can’t fight it. I don’t know how.

I have been warned for the amount of energy and light that is radiating from me but non could offer any help because they weren’t experienced with it.

Could you please give me some advise on how to close and protect myself? I need to learn how to do so before it spins completely out of control for I already often feel like I can’t control my gift. That it is too powerful for me to handle without droning in and losing my own emotions to other peoples emotions. I don’t want to close myself entirely for my gift for I have been helping people with it.

Maybe this problem isn’t as serious as an Ouijabord releasing evil spirits but for me it is a problem nonetheless.

Please excuse me if my English isn’t all that good but I am Dutch… which is also the reason why I can’t find help. Most Dutch people too sober to believe in paranormal gifts such as mine. How can you get help if people don’t believe that you can ‘see dead people?’

Love, R.

First of all your English is excellent. If you are this good at expressing yourself in English, you must be an awesome communicator in Dutch!

Secondly, this is an incredibly important question. It's not as "scary" a question as evil spirits and Ouija boards, true, but far more people out there have this problem, and it goes a lot deeper into the spirit.

Now, to answer your question ... Have you noticed a pattern in how you put yourself down? How you put yourself "second"? Believe it or not, this is a big part of the answer to why you are so sensitive, and resolving it is key to the solution. You see I believe at a deep soul level you decided you "had to" be this sensitive, and belive it or not, you have chosen to allow others to affect you this way.

Five years ago if someone said such a thing to me, I'd have howled objections at them, so I know you are probably sitting back and shaking your head "NO way!" ... "I didn't chose this, is she nuts?" ... but please, bear with me here. I've walked a lot of miles in the same shoes.

Just under five years ago, I attended the LifeStream seminar. I didn't go there because my empathic abilities were running amok (they were, but that was the least of my woes). A friend sent me because I was miserable. I was at my wit's end, and willing to try anything. The class wasn't about psychic ability, it was more basic than that - how to be happier, more confident, have better self-esteem. After I attended the first class, I immediately noticed a boost in my mood, but as the weeks went on (and I attended the advanced class, IPI), I noticed something else. I wasn't "sponging up" other people's emotions anymore!

I haven't changed any of my metaphysical practices, with one exception - I meditate regularly now. If you don't do this, I recommend Ross Quinn's "Centering" CD. Do the exercise twice a day, morning and night. This alone will make a huge difference. If, like most people who write me, you want faster results, I highly recommend you get yourself into a LifeStream class. I can't guarantee you the spectacular results I had, but if you get one tenth of the value out of it that I did (and that I have seen dozens of others get as well), you won't regret going.

If you can't get to a LifeStream class, I highly recommend Ross' book, "Controlling Others for Love and Profit" http://www.globalkeynote.com ("If you believe that, then you better wake up. Controlling others is not the solution - It is the problem."). Don't be thrown off by the title ... it was originally going to be called "The Love-Based Leader". I helped edit the first edition. Get into any classes or seminars you can, get on Ross's mailing list (he's a LifeStream facilitator, and he travels a fair bit, never know when he might be in your area), do everything possible to strengthen your self esteem. Remind yourself daily that you have the right to your own happiness, and that you are responsible for no one's life but your own. Read my book. Do the uncording, grounding and white light exercises, make them part of your psychic hygiene. They will help ... but what really has to happen is you have to learn how to love yourself with as much passion as you love humanity. When that happens, the uncontrolled empathy will simply take care of itself.

As to your friend, she's what we call a psychic vampire. It doesn't make her evil or bad, but it's possible she's seriously depressed. She'd greatly benefit from the LifeStream class as well, but if she's not open to changing herself, then you may have to limit your time with her.

Vision of Terrorist Attack in China

2008-05-14T12:52:00.000-07:00

Last night I had a lot of interesting dreams ... one thing stood out. I had a highly realistic vision in the middle of one dream that the Chinese Olympic Stadium was in flames. It was absolutely horrific, and I felt a lot like 9-11 deja vu with it. Hundreds of people if not thousands were hurt and killed. The entire stadium was burning like a torch.

I don't know if this is a vision of the future or a symbolic reflection of something else. It could be a metaphor of some kind for the earthquake they recently experienced, but the details were quite specific.

I have a profound feeling of foreboding for future events in China right now, in particular for the Olympic Games. Normally I do not post "predictions" on my blog, because I don't get many visions of this type, and I tend to stay focused on the now. This particular image though was very strong and I wanted to make a public record of it. This is one vision I certainly hope does not come to pass.

Depression or psychic abilities?

2008-05-05T21:04:00.000-07:00

I've always had encounters but through the years I've been diagnosed with bi polar depression a sleeping disorder when I read your summary on the first page a lot of it made sense and I really just want answers. I mean I don't know what to do. I know I'm not depressed or bi polar but I cant really sleep that much and when I do I feel terrible or have terrible nightmares so if you could please get back to me I would greatly appreciate it.

C

Dear C,

You mention your challenges right now but you haven't really mentioned anything psychic going on. What sort of psychic symptoms do you have? Do the dreams or nightmares (heaven forbid) come true?

Remember that while you may be psychic, that does not mean you are not also depressed or bipolar. People with bipolar are among the most sensitive psychics I know. Bipolar disorder seems to come along with great psychic and creative talent. There is no shame in being depressed, either. I was depressed for over 30 years of my life before I found a class that helped me change things for the better. I too have sleeping disorders - more than one! And they can contribute to depression.

I have to make the obligatory disclaimers first before I tell you anything about being psychic: Listen to your parents and doctor. Don't go off any medications.

Now that that's out of the way ... the next step for you is to learn some sort of grounding mediation. See the meditations on the Living With Your Psychic Gifts web page. Do these exercises twice a day, in addition to whatever medical treatments you are taking. It will take a while for the meditations to make a difference.

Look for books by Caroline Myss - my favorite is "Why People Don't Heal". I recommend an amazing book by James Roswell Quinn called "Controlling Others for Love and Profit" ("If you believe that, then you better wake up. Controlling others is not the solution - It is the problem."). Don't be thrown off by the title ... it was originally going to be called "The Love-Based Leader". I edited the first edition. If you want faster results, I often recommend a class to people who approach me as you have - the cost may seem prohibitive, but for me, it completely changed my life, and was worth a thousand times what it cost. If your parents like the idea, contact these people: http://www.lifestreamrochester.com/ and ask them when the next "Basic" is being held. The class is not about psychic development - it's a "life skills" class, all the things they should teach you in school, but don't.

Please help my daughter

2008-04-09T23:55:00.000-07:00

My 12 year old daughter is suffering as she has the vision of those that have not moved on. The spirits are becoming more visible and calling her name. She is afraid she's losing her mind and I know she's not. I dont know how else to help her, someone has to help. She is so confused and frustrated. Please help us.

IC

Mental illness is rare in these cases, but I do normally like to rule out mental illness before I offer spiritual solutions. In this case I doubt that. Just be aware that if the voices are hostile or demand action from her, those aren't likely to spirits. With a child who is already sensitive about her mental state though you don't want to rush her off to the doctor as she's likely to take it the wrong way, such action could be more harmful than helpful. Just assure her that if for one minute you thought she was mentally ill, you would be the first to take her to the doctor, and that there is no shame in that, regardless.

As long as the spirits are simply trying to communicate with her, they are of no harm, tell her to tell them that she is too young and it isn't fair for them to try to communicate with her before she is ready. If they persist, tell her to tell them that they are dead, they have crossed over, and to seek out the light. If they still won't leave, tell them to seek out a funeral home, that eventually a portal will open and they can get to the light from there. Try some protective exercises first - try the White Light Exercise. If she is too uncomfortable with the idea, you can also speak to the spirits for her, even if you don't have the gift. You may not be able to hear them, but they can hear you. I doubt they mean to scare her, most of them are scared and confused themselves.

It's tough being 12 years old and feeling "different" (I should know!), it is hard enough at that age without seeing spirits. The most reassuring thing I can say to her is that everyone feels awkward at her age, and many people see spirits. I would ask her why she feels as though she is losing her mind? Would she think someone else was crazy if they heard or saw such things? Why is that? Then I would just listen. My wager is you find out she's told some friends who have teased her about it, or she's seen some skeptic on television who has put her thinking on that track. I would assure her that plenty of sane people see and talk to spirits all the time.

The more she resists, the more confusing and frustrating this is likely to be for her. The more she accepts it and sees it as no big deal, the easier it will get. Encourage her to seek your ear. Just listen - don't try to "solve" it for her or make it go away. Understand that she's going through a challenging period in her life - show interest, but don't make a big deal about it. The more "normal" you make it sound, the easier it will be for her to relax and feel more comfortable learning about her gift.

Find some stories about famous people who have visited mediums. Princess Diana was very fond of visiting psychics and mediums. Nancy Reagan had her own astrologer. Shirley MacLean is an Academy Award winning actress whose interest in these topics is well known - she's written books about it.

Psychic Tools Demand Respect - Guest Blog

2008-04-04T14:00:00.000-07:00

Guest Blog by Danielle Doust of GlobalPsychics.com

Experiencing the Tools

Most psychics will prefer that you not touch their cards, for example, except perhaps to draw cards or to cut them. We will not leave a reading open… Because we respect the energy that is activated with the Tarot. If we must leave a reading for a time, we will typically cover the cards until we can get back to them. Over time, the tools we work with psychically acquire their own energy. Therefore Tarot cards, pendulums and other divining tools are usually wrapped in special cloths and kept in special places.

Respect comes from understanding the nature of the tools and the energy that we work with, and since I have witnessed their power time and again, perhaps respect comes from experience. It is through experience and testing that I recognized each tool attracts its own energy, the runes and the I Ching for example, are very different in feeling tone and offer a different perspective than the Tarot - yet all three will come up with similar, often related answers to the same question.

I experienced also that some Tarot decks and divining tools can work at much lower vibrational frequencies. For example, the Ouija Board attracts a great deal of lower astral energy and can wreak havoc if not carefully managed. I was shocked therefore, the first time I saw a Ouija Board on the shelf with toys and games in the kids' section of a local department store.

We have written a number of articles over the years about ouija boards, (search ouija boards on our site) but this next story is probably the best example of how talent and inexperience can make life very scary for budding psychics.

I was hoping I would get some help here as to what is going on. Ok, awhile back, my friends and I got together at my house to have a little fun with my brand new Ouija Board. The session started out fine, and we came across a spirit supposedly named "Evan". He appeared really enraged and we asked him if we should go, but he forbade us from leaving. We asked him if we could help him and if he could tell us what was wrong, and he said he was mad, of course. We asked him who he was mad at, and he spelled out "A". So we asked him if he was mad at Amanda, and the pointer immediately went to yes. Evan wouldn’t tell us why he was mad at her, he just said it was HER and not anyone else. He asked Skylar, myself, and Kaylee to remove our hands from the board because he wanted to talk to Amanda. He began threatening us and saying, "You All Need to Die" and such. Finally, after a long time of begging, he let us go. My friend Amanda called me in a panic as she was walking back to her house at 11 pm with Kaylee saying that there was someone following them. Of course, it was creepy and we didn't know what to do.

Later, my friend, Amanda, called me in a panic and told me that she saw a dark shadow go by her room when she was the only one home. I mean, at first, we both thought it was just a figment of her imagination, but then the next day at school, she told me that when she walked into her room, she saw a little boy (about 9 or 10) with black hair and pure black eyes with the faintest blue skin sitting next to her bed by a chair that had her Ouija Board in it. We didn't know what was going on. She told me that she’s tried to talk to him and he’s answered her, telling her his name was Eric. They had talked a lot since.

Soon, Amanda invited myself and Skylar over to her house because we wanted to just hang out. Before long, we started to all get this weird feeling that someone was watching us. And we walked downstairs then came back up. Right on the wall, there was a sticker that said "X4" on it and we had no idea what it meant because it wasn't there before and we were the only ones home besides her dad, he was outside. Then when we were downstairs again, Skylar and I heard someone sigh angrily, "Ughhhhh" and it was whispered in an angry male voice and her dad was still outside. We were freaked out, and so we ran back upstairs. Amanda suddenly got a really sharp pain in her side and when she looked down at her stomach, there was a long burnt mark/scratch shaped like "/". Later, Skylar got the same thing, except in an opposite direction. I, being the brains, put it together and noticed that the stickers meant something… The scratches, when put together, formed an “X”. We were all beginning to get really scared, wondering what the "4" meant. I convinced Amanda to try to contact Eric and ask him what was going on, and he told her that it was his father, Evan. He hated Amanda and wanted her out of "his" house. Evan wouldn't let me see him, but he let Skylar see him. Amanda asked him later on and he said he thought Skylar was me. But anyways, we came up with the idea to try to talk to Evan and find out what he wanted, so instead of using the Board, we closed off the stairwell and set Amanda's cellphone to record. We asked the spirit questions, and when we got the recording back, we heard in a deep man’s voice that sounded like it was underwater and choppy, "X4, X4, X4, X4 ... Get out... [some random stomping] ... Get back here ... [in a little boy voice] Hurry." And then the phone turned off. We were so scared and didn't know what to do, so we called my mom and asked her to pick us up immediately. Later, we found out what the 4 meant ... We stayed at Amanda’s house for 4 hours before we knew we had to leave.

Amanda hasn’t heard much from Evan or Eric since, but I was wondering, what happened? Did we cause something to happen by communicating through the Board? Or our imagination?

Michelle

Thank you for your question, I want to start by saying yes, what you have done is opened the door to the spirit world through the board. This is not a game, it does work and you do invite spirits into your home by using this tool. Thnk of it this way. Open the door to the front of your house, put out an All are Welcome sign. That's what has happened. Now you must throw the board out and then say a prayer in each and every room of the house. Something simple as the Lords Prayer would work wonderfully. Make sure the board is tossed out.

Blessings, Jody

Jody makes a very good point - the trouble is that it is usually the lower frequencies, the troubled souls who decide they want to respond to the All are Welcome sign, they want a chance to play and kind of feed off the energy they can trigger in those who invite them in, since young people are naturally frightened of the unknown and will attract a lot of dark energy through their fear, spirits like this Evan will come through to take advantage of the opportunity to make trouble.
Ouija Boards are not toys, like every other psychic tool, our approach must be respectful in order to get useful insights and stay with the light.

Note from Brandi ... I personally recommend returning the Ouija Board back to the manufacturer Hasbro/Parker Brothers, with a note about your negative experiences. Don't just throw it out. Don't include a return address (you don't want it coming back to you). Let the company know that they are responsible and can accept the energies they are encouraging people to raise.

Hasbro, Inc., P.O. Box 200, Pawtucket, RI 02862.

Opening the Psychic Channels - Guest Blog

2008-04-02T21:17:00.000-07:00

Guest Blog by Danielle Doust of GlobalPsychics.com

Psychic awakenings are exciting, energizing - and sometimes fearful. In order to move forward with our abilities, aspiring psychics and energy workers are challenged to confront their fears and learn how to protect themselves.

Following the path to psychic development requires some real study, as well as deep inner work, even for those who are naturally gifted. Because the work can be a bit scary, we often try to avoid playing with and learning about our abilities. Although, we can choose to ignore the signals that we need to learn about what is going on, and start practicing, as I and many others have discovered, eventually your abilities come and get you.

An opening may be forced upon you, as in this next story:

For as long as I can remember, I have been told by people with abilities of their own that I have psychic abilities. I never tried to cultivate my powers, but they began making their presence known on their own, I suppose. I began to have precognitive dreams. They would usually be nothing extraordinary ... just a conversation I was going to have or a page in a book I was going to read, just enough to make me do a double-take. A few years ago, I went to my first visit to a psychic with some friends. Again, the psychic informed me that I have abilities, and I told her about my dreams. She advised me that I have more than just dreams, but I was not willing to open myself up at that time. I laughed it off, because I was always unsure and afraid of whether I should open myself up (I was always told in church growing up that these kinds of things were evil ... something I came to learn that my family did not actually believe later on).

After a few more visits with a few more psychics telling me the same thing and also after learning from my mother that she had family growing up that were involved in white magic (healing), I decided to at least try some things. I decided to concentrate on the tarot, as I still did not have much faith in my own abilites. After months of working with books and reading the history and practicing, one night, on a lark, I decided to open myself up rather than rely on anything else and gave a friend a reading. I felt almost electrical and completely different, but also under that on my way home, I felt something else that I couldn’t describe. Once I had calmed down, I was going to bed and when I closed my eyes, all I could see were these swirly, shadowy shapes everywhere. I became scared and opened my eyes, but they were still there. The negativity I could feel was unbelievably oppressive and I was extremely frightened and didn't know what to do. I just knew that it was not something I wanted to be involved in, and as I had no one else to help me, all I could do was wait it out with the lights on in complete and utter fear, trying to block everything as best as I could. The books I had read and studied had no information on anything like what I had experienced. The next day, I gathered everything up and discarded it. I wanted nothing to do with what I had just experienced. I closed myself back up as well as I could and tried to go on with my life.

I am now feeling, though, a big push from within to reconnect with my abilities and I don't know what to do or how I can avoid something like that again. I, in fact, still have no idea what it was that I experienced. I was really hoping any of you could shed some light on this and maybe help me decide what to do now. I apologize for this being so long-winded, but I didn't know what would be pertinent information for you. Thank you in advance for any help you can give.

Carrie

To Stay Open Requires That We Stay Clear

The charge Carrie felt while doing the reading is an indication that she had made a strong connection and had opened the channels to other dimensions ... but with those openings also come other entities that can travel down and attach themselves to any places in us that are functioning at a lower vibration ... what she missed in her research was the need for some ritual before and after the reading to protect against such events. The dark energy may have been energy she picked up from the person she was reading for. For natural healers, this is normal as part of the reading, for us to take away any dark energy we are exposed to in a reading.

That is why it is important to set the reading up properly with a prayer to call the highest and best energy to you in the moment, and then after the reading, to clear the energy. I go and wash my hands and go to the bathroom as my way of clearing, and I burn a candle throughout the reading to keep the energy moving off.

I suggested that Carrie follow that inner call, but first to take a class in meditation and even Reiki, read about psychic protection and learn how to keep herself clear in the work… to stay open, we must simply be aware, to set ourselves up properly for the work and then to be responsive to the need to regularly clear through meditation, energy work and prayer.

Click here to book your reading with any of the GlobalPsychics.

Is this a scam?

2008-02-16T22:06:00.001-08:00

I went to see a psychic for the first time and she shared with me a lot of accurate facts about myself and my family. She also told me that my dad's side of the family has an ancestrial curse from many generations past and that I was the Chosen one to break it. She said that I would have to give her my full name and birthdate to carve into specially made candles and that would cost me $500. I'm torn..Is this a scam or is this a true family curse? If it is a scam, how could she get most of the information correct? $500 is a lot of money and I don't want to do certain things that would bring me further from God. Please help me. Thank you for your time.

S

It's absolutely, positively 100% a scam. I have no doubt of that whatsoever, and I am so glad you asked this question. This is a common scam, and usually what happens next is the problems you were having continue, so you keep going back for more blessed candles until the psychic drains you dry.

Psychic ability isn't a sign of advanced spiritual growth. It's not a guarantee of even basic human goodness. It's a talent, like any other creative talent, and can be used for good or ill.

Are there family curses? Maybe. It may be there is a thread of dysfunctional energy running through your family and you may be the Chosen One to break that cycle (hint: the "Chooser" is YOU). I recommend you take the $500 you would have spend on the candles, and put it towards some kind of personal growth class. Learn about the reaction cycle, about forgiveness, and how to break the patterns of abuse. I have recommended one class here many times, The QuinnTessential Experience - there are others out there as well. I have recently discovered the work of Caroline Myss, and highly recommend her books and workshops. Study self esteem, build your confidence. All these things will bring you blessings and power that you can't begin to imagine now. All the "blessed candles" will do is make the bank balance of this "psychic" a bit bigger. How you break the cycle is to learn to love and respect yourself ... and doing that will also bring you closer to God.

Brandi

I really don't what to do

2008-01-28T01:29:00.000-08:00

Dear Brandi,

I'm 15, and I'm not sure what going on with me. I think I may be psychic but I'm not sure. I started noticing this bizarre change 2 years ago, when I was working in my Mom's store. I would sometimes fall asleep and then when I'd wake up the lights were off, the door was locked, and the sign was turned around. Then sometimes I would see thing out of the corner my eye, like a person, but then I'd would turn to look and it or she or he was gone. Other time I would hear something, a voice, someone fiddling through merchandise, but every time I'd to see what was up or answer no one was there.

One day when I was working with a friend of mine, I was able to pin point where they were. I was able to see the building we were in before I was working in there and I saw 3 or four boys standing against the back wall. She heard them as well, and we also were able to feel them. One of the tables actually moved or shock. Also we kept placing things on the table and going back to get them only to find that somebody or thing moved them.

She asked me if anyone else in my family could do and I know my mom has had experience with demons and ghost, as well she can tell just by looking at an animal if something wrong and 9 times out of 10 she's right. Then was another time around the same time I was working at the store, and something bad happened to me at school, but before it happen I got this really bad feeling in my stomach and I just felt like I want to leave, to lay down, and I got really nervous and anxious, before it happened. Also I still get that feeling every now and then only every time it seems to get worse and I really would like to know how to maybe stop, not completely but to where I can function, and not feel so I don't know sick.

I don't dream and when I do it's very rare, and lately I've been looking for something and then I would go to bed I'd wake up from a dream in that dream I would find it was I was looking for, and then I would go look for and it wasn't in the exact spot it was in my dream but was within a foot of where I found it in the dream. I really don't what to do, I just don't how to process this and really just kinda want it to stop, or not feel so weird, and maybe feel more normal if at all possible?

N

Dear N,

It sounds to me like the gift runs in your family. What does your Mom say about it? Can you talk to her about your experiences? Sometimes being able to talk to others is all the comfort we need to realize that we're not crazy or really all that different. "Normal" is really just a cycle on the washing machine - it's not a real state of being human. Everyone is someone else's weirdo. What makes you different is what makes you wonderful, in my opinion. If other people won't accept you for who you truly are, then there is something wrong with them not with you. I know none of that is much comfort right now, but one day you'll wake up like I did and realize the truth in this: you can't be anyone but who you are.

As for stopping the psychic stuff, you can slow it down somewhat sure. You might be able to stop it altogether in some cases, but that may have the side effect of damaging you emotionally and physically. It may cut off your creativity. What you really need to do is accept it. Your dream abilities are helpful to you ... why would you not want to have that advantage?

It also sounds to me like there is a ghost in your Mom's store. My advice would be to befriend the spirit. When you are alone there, or together with your Mom, if she is open to the idea, sit down and have a chat with your spectral friend. Tell him or her (or them, there may be more than one) that they are dead, and the dead don't go shopping.

Seriously! ... I really mean that. As silly as it may sound, most ghosts simply don't realize that they are dead. Most of them don't want to cause a disturbance. They just don't know how to move on. Tell them they are dead and to move on into the light. Picture a vortex of light outside the shop where they can go to contact their loved ones and angelic guides. Wish them well on their way. The more comfortable you get with this stuff, the less this sort of thing will bother you.

Brandi

Glynis McCants, the Numbers Lady, On C2C

2008-01-11T23:12:00.000-08:00

I always enjoy listening to Glynis McCants, the Numbers Lady, when she comes on Coast to Coast. She's so positive and upbeat, it's easy to listen to her. No doom and gloom, like so many of George's other "predictive" guests. Of all the numerologists I have listened to, or whose work I have read, I like her the best, because she makes things sound so simple and straightforward, but when you listen to her, there is actually a lot of detail in the readings she offers. She doesn't pull any punches though, you can count on her to say what she thinks, what she's sure about, and what she's not so sure about. And her style is more one of forecasting rather than prediction, which I respect. I've studied numerology for a few years, but listening to her, I wonder if I will every grasp it as clearly. One day I want a reading from this lady.

According to Glynis McCants:

2008 is a "1" year. Clearing your space for new beginnings. The year of winning, competition, ambition, goal setting and high energy. Much focus on global warming. This will not be a peaceful time.

Bush, a 6, went into personal year of 5. Feels toxic, out of control, do things they regret. Britney Spears has the same number, and imploded under her 5 year. Bush may be overly impulsive and agressive, and that is highly dangerous in a year 1.

In the election at this point in time, she cannot predict clear winners, but claims she has predicted the past 5 elections accurately once the nominations are finalized.

Clintons are very tight, intellectual relationship, he would enjoy being "first man". Both are in a personal year one, a team effort. In Hillary's case, a 3 life path, 8 day birth, appears cold and aloof. It's a personal one year, the interview where she nearly came to tears was a turning point. She's in the race for her life though, it won't be easy for her. McCants picks Clinton as the winner on the Democratic side, she'd like to see her with Obama.

Edwards is a 7 life path. This is a personal 8 year, learning the hard way. Learning the hard way. He could lose a lot of money.

Obama is a 2 life path in a 4 year year. It's all about learning as he goes. Cycle 4 is not compatible with a 1, but works with his life path.

Guiliani is a 6 life path. Does well in a crisis. He is in a cycle of 7, could come off as pompous.

Huckabee, 7 born on a 6 day, may come across as confused and unsure.

McCain was born on a 2 day, life path 2, and personal year 2, this is his year. He has a 1 attitude, he knows how to win. McCain is the strongest Republican pick, but the Republican field is more chaotic than the Democrats. She can see Guiliani and McCain if the field doesn't change, but this was not a firm prediction.

Romney 3 day, 9 lifepath, good communicator, his cycle of 7 is toxic.

Thompson 7 in a personal year of 1, it could get stronger for him, but maybe not the winner.

Duncan Hunter, don't count him out. He is a double 4, knows what he's talking about.

Ron Paul can take votes from others, with several ones in his chart. He could go third party if he does not win. He will find a way to make others support him.

2012 is a whole year 5, a time of new beginnings. She does not foresee disaster.

McCants' book, "Glynis Has Your Number" is well-written, entertaining and easy to read. It's one of the better books for the new student of numerology. I started out with Eileen Connolly's epic tome, The Connolly Book of Numbers, which I have read more times than I can count, and I am still trying to figure out in places. By contrast, "Glynis Has Your Number" is far more up to date. She has simplified and structured a numerological system that almost anyone can come to master.

New Yahoo Group For LWYPG Readers

2008-01-08T22:52:00.000-08:00

I invite you to join my new Yahoo Group, Living With Your Psychic Gifts. Do you have unexplained headaches, dizzy spells, sleeping disorders, mood swings? Have you suffered from depression? Do you see flashes of light? Are you anxious in crowded places? Have you had strange visions, or unexplained psychic experiences? Would you like to "Just shut it all off" and "Make it go away"?

Have you had psychic experiences? Precognitive dreams? Do you see spirits? Would you like to enhance your psychic ability and start listening to your intuition?

The Living With Your Psychic Gifts discussion group is dedicated to exploring your psychic potential, whether you are looking to turn the volume up, or turn the volume down. We are open to all different kinds of psychics and psychic experiences, and will explore many different kinds of consciousness experience, including trance, dreams, Law of Attraction and creation through intention. This group will be moderated to reduce spam and abuse. Please sign up here: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/psychicgifts/

I don't get it

2008-01-04T17:00:00.000-08:00

I don't get it. I'm sorry, how can you call "more fires" a prediction? That's like saying "another earthquake in California" that shows nothing but she's paying attention to history. And when she was on Coast making these predictions didn't she say fires in California AND the midwest? I don't recall huge fires in Michigan.

I want to be blown away...tell me when the next earthquake will hit in Maine. When will fires sweep across the everglades? I want to know when there will be a shark attack on the coast of Lake Erie. Tell me something unexpected and I will admit psychic ability.

From Comments, Anonymous

I don't recall Evelyn Paglini's exact words. The gist of it was "much worse than usual", and much of the reporting was along the line of "worst fires in history" ... so I'm willing to give her a hit on that one. I don't see that it is necessary for her to get every prediction correct to be given credit for the ones she does get right. You're right a couple of them seem obvious. They weren't all obvious, nor were all the details necessarily obvious. You didn't seem to take notice of her hit on the stock market correction ... or some of the other big misses.

From the way you talk, I don't think you'd settle for "something unexpected" ... you want everything to be something unexpected, and they all have to be hits before you'll admit psychic ability. Well that isn't what is being claimed by predictive psychics, not even close. It doesn't work that way. They all admit a range of error. None of them claim to be omniscient. Clearly that is not the case, or there would be no argument, would there?

If physicians and psychiatrists were judged the way certain skeptics want to judge psychics, we would have no medical profession. We sure as heck wouldn't have any pharmaceuticals (whether that might be a good idea or not, given the abominable tragedies in that business of late, must be argued elsewhere). We don't expect 100% efficacy and accuracy from the medical sciences. Why do some expect that level of exactitude from media psychics, whose work is arguably far less critical to our well being?

I've made my own position on these predictions clear ... they are for entertainment only, nobody should take them seriously. In fact, I started tracking them from the perspective as a truly skeptical observer. I'm told the word skeptic comes from Greek skeptikos "look about, consider, observe". I noticed that the media darlings of the psychic world didn't have anyone truly tracking their predictions. And they were far more negative and apocalyptic than I felt was either likely to be accurate, or ultimately healthy. So I decided to have a closer look at them. It's fun, entertaining, and hopefully people read past them to what really matters here. I hope people will have another look at what lies behind the predictions of their favorite psychics. That doesn't mean I don't think they each have some measure of talent. I just want to see where it shakes out, and it makes interesting reading.

When I look at the future, I'm forecasting, not predicting. I make it clear that subsequent events can (and often do) alter outcomes. That's the point of looking forward. Can I go to a better position than I might have reached if I hadn't stopped and had that forecast? What can I change? So like most working psychics (as opposed to some of the media darlings), I'm not in it to "blow you away" (though I have occasionally been known to do that). If you were one of my clients, that would be your job! You're supposed to blow me away. You're the one who does the hard work of bringing your potential into the world. All I can see is your potential. I can't always see if you will have the stones to bring it about, or exactly how you'll get there.

One thing I think we can agree on. I don't believe it is healthy to spend too much time dwelling on what might happen in the future. It's definitely not healthy to believe that the future is set in stone. If we carry any spark of personal responsibility, we have to believe that our actions can change the path of destiny. The here and now is what really matters most.

Predictions Worth Remembering - Coast To Coast Annual "Professional Psychic Prediction" Show

2008-01-02T22:09:00.000-08:00

George Noory took a vacation this week, and the irrepressible Ian Punnett took over his annual Professional Psychic Prediction show. I love Ian's sense of humor and his fearlessness in questioning his guests. He says he was taking notes too (hey Ian, you can borrow mine if you want). None of the following predictions are verbatim. I wasn't transcribing, rather, I tried to get the general gist of what they meant, rather than the exact words. Overall, they mostly offered a lot of doom and gloom this year, very few bright spots. For those of you who missed it, here are some "highlights" from the pros:

Gerald Celente – Trends Research Institute

We are in a recession now. An economic 911 is in play, big major companies are going to collapse. He doesn’t know the bank, business, or spark it will be, but he knows it is going to happen. This greed and corruption is being seeped out of the system, it will be a great opportunity for entrepreneurs. Tax revolt will start on the local level. The biggest field he see growing are "conservation engineers". To save, conserve, not waste, producing alternative energy products. Small is big. Giants will topple. More local development in self-sustaining communities. Micro farms, clean local food. Heal yourself healthcare, self responsibility.

George Ure

Catastrophic collapse of the dollar is not just possible, but likely. Corporate layoffs, slowdown in commercial real estate, a global meltdown of paper assets. A natural disaster will occur in the winter or spring, along the magnitude of Karina. Wind-related disasters, an out of season hurricane. There may be calls for early elections – secrets revealed in January. A couple well-placed insiders or candidates may pull out of positions or the elections. In late March, female leader will come out of South or Central America. Cities will be a mess. September, people will have some optimism that corporations can be changed. Have food, water, self-sufficiency. Power outages in October. A global coastal event in 2009. Glaciers fall into ocean causing flooding.

Paul Guercio – Merlin Project

Edwards and Obama are the two most likely candidates. Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primaries will go to Edwards and Obama. McCain slowly gaining for last few months. Bloomberg could win it all in a third-party candidacy. Some serious looking into what is actually going on behind the scenes from what has been happening in Washington in the last few years. A lot of hard looking at what is going on politically.

Glynis McCants – Numerology Lady

The political group Bhutto represented will shift forever. Her death will shift the country forever. The truth will be revealed. There will be tremendous feedback from her death. Looking at the US election, she sees a lot of "dirty pool" happening. Those who take the cheap shots won't be the winners. John Edwards could make a verbal mistake that affects his chances. Giuliani does well under crisis because he was a six. The current year is not compatible to his natal numbers. Ron Paul is someone to keep an eye on. He won't be the primary guy, but he could take votes from someone else. Bush is feeling out of control and may do spontaneous things that don’t make sense. This was the year of revealing the truth about the economy. People are playing things closer to the vest. The year of competition. Cycle of 1 moves quickly. The Olympics 8:8:08 ... she is very concerned about the political aspects of the Olympics. It could be terrorism, she can't say what, only that she fears it could be big, there will be some major controversy.

Sean David Morton – Remote Viewer

Everything we are about to do is about our own will, our own regeneration and imagination, and a complete absence of fear. Feels a lot of excitement. What can I do to recreate myself, regain my own personal power? A demand for "real" property, fold, metals, the housing market will remain in the news. Strengthening in the dollar will slowly collapse the stock market. It will bring the movie business back to the US. April – end of the writer's strike, pleasing no one. People will turn their attention to politics, as there will not be much on TV. Fears if Ron Paul gets too successful, he could face physical danger. He does not think Paul will be elected, but he could make it to governor of Texas.

Major Ed Dames "emails it in" ...

Global pandemic and financial system collapse. Gold at $2,000 an ounce.

Mark Lerner – Astrologer and Intuitive

Pluto will cross the life force of the Federal Reserve. The dollar will crumble. People need to invest in gold, silver, commodities, but not the dollar. End of April, beginning of May, there will be something of a gold rush. Gold could double. Secrecy and mystery around Bhutto may never be solved. Olympics will put the number 8 on the map. There could be a calamity during the Olympics. Juno – the rising up of the dispossessed and disenfranchised.

Censorship of Psychic Fraud Story?

2008-01-01T00:53:00.000-08:00

I was surfing and Stumbling the other day when I stumbled across this story:

Fortune Teller Becomes Fortune Stealer ... with the notation that this particular story was being censored in blogs.

I decided to test that by writing my own story on it. It's relevant here, because it shows how easy it is to defraud even the wealthy and well-educated. In this particular case the former wife of the Sultan of Brunei, Mariam Aziz, was allegedly taken for $4.7 million dollars by a psychic who also allegedly tried to blackmail her, among other things.

As a professional psychic, I am appauled by this story, and stories like this one. I feel it is vital to get these stories out as warnings to the vulnerable, who are unfortunately drawn to psychics at the lowest times in their lives. I sincerely hope this story is not being censored. While the average fraudulent psychic is usally caught long before they can cause this kind of damage, I have had numerous stories of ordinary people being taken for their life's savings. Legitimate psychics charge between $30-$300 for a reading. We don't charge $10,000 for "blessed" candles (if we sell them at all, the going price should be in range of any scented candle, IMNSHO). We don't take "curses" off your love life in exchange for steep fees. If you love your psychic and he or she has been helpful to you, I have no objection if you make a financial gift of appreciation ... but that's a different thing altogether. Use your common sense. If the service offered seems too good to be true, at too high a price, chances are excellent you are dealing with a fraud artist.

Art Bell Predictions Show, Part One December 31, 2007

2007-12-31T02:55:00.000-08:00

Art Bell has once again kicked off his annual prediction show, with ... uhm ... somewhat "predictable" results. The overwhelming bulk of caller predictions were negative at best, downright horrific at worst.

Art doesn't publish caller predictions to my knowledge, though he keeps track of them from year to year. I tried to keep up with last year's predictions but he went through them too quickly. I estimate that only 10% of the predictions from last year panned out, though the ones that did were pretty stunning, like the owner of a baseball team handing over ownership to his sons.

Why so few accurate predictions? Luck of the draw? Very few of the people calling have any psychic experience. Some don't understand the difference between a vision and a wish. Some of the callers seem to be making predictions that they want to see happen, rather than from any real sense of psychic vision. A couple callers seemed to be using the annual event as a sneaky way to promote their businesses or political agendas, all of which is a staple of this event of course.

Why so many negative ones? Yes, negativity "sells", and I sometimes think the Coast audience is drawn to the more scary content.

I did make a list of this year's predictions, but I don't feel comfortable using them all. So I decided to pick a few of my favorites, and if I am able to next year, I'll publish those that come true.

Tornados in the Midwest – big breakout to get weather channel hopping.

Asteroid WD-5 headed for Mars will hit an reveal a pre-civilization as per Richard Hoagland.

May of 08, oil prices will drop back down to $50 a barrel.

Dow will fall below 11,000.

C2C guest Bugs will lead investigators to Big Foot. Art Bell will be in on the arrangements.

Campion and Ramos will be released when the president leaves office.

Gitmo will be handed over to Cuba.

A major train crash will happen in the US.

Air Force One disappears or crashes.

Mount Etna will explode and have an earthquake revealing an old city.

The US and Canada will put forth a currency for the Americas.

I have posted some of my own predictions on the Astrology.ca blog if you are interested. Like many callers, I see expanding war in the Middle East, and I do fear upheaval in Western economies this year.

By the way, if any of you want to register your predictions here, make them on the comments for this blog entry (please don't email them to me though). My rules will be a little like Art's rules. Predictions will have to be short, one prediction only. A line or two at most. No predictions of domestic political assassinations, no predictions containing inflammatory accusations against public figures (I don't want a visit from the Men in Black or Hollywood lawyers any more than Art Bell does). If predictions look too much like wishes, self-promotion, political promotion, bullying or skeptical sarcasm in disguise, they will be trashed. I’m looking only for sincere psychic predictions for the New Year.

I reserve the right to decide to approve or not approve any prediction without giving a reason. All comments to this blog are moderated.

Tell me if I will be able to survive on $1,000

2007-12-28T19:59:00.000-08:00

71 just divorced, serious cardiac problems, only have $1,000 per month to live on. Tell me if I will be able to survive on $1,000

BG

Dear BG,

I'm sorry to hear of your hardships. I know this isn't an easy time for you. I've survived on $1,000 and much less in fact, many years of my life. And I have faced many serious health problems.

But I don't think that's what you wanted to hear, was it? You see, as an intuitive I can only tell you one of three things ... either the situation will change, for better, or for worse, or it will not change at all. My experience, when people frame the question as you have, is that they are looking for one of two things: Tell me it will get better, so I have hope, or tell me it won't (or will stay the same), in which case I can give up and stop trying anymore.

Neither of those answers produces any change in the clients I have seen - which is one reason I stopped doing readings full time. It never accomplished anything. Most often, nothing changed at all, which was what I saw most of the time, in fact.

So the way I look at it now, the real question is for you and not for me.

Do you want to change the situation? If you do, then no one but you can change it. I know it may seem hard, even impossible to you right now, but you can do that. I've done it. I was in a place not all that different from yours. I finally figured out that my unhappiness was mostly a result of my own attitude towards my life, it had little to do with my circumstances. I can say that with integrity, it was not long ago I was living on virtually no income, with huge debts, and was within a week of having no money left at all. Granted, I'm younger than you, but I still have health challenges, and no partner to support me. The difference is that now I can see how blessed I have been. If I can turn things around, I believe anyone can.

I highly recommend you watch the movie "The Secret", and look up "Law of Attraction" on Google. Absorb everything you can on personal growth, Study Silva - there are free classes and tutorials online. Count the blessings you have every day. Start by recognizing what you have, and you will attract more of what you want. It really works! If you turn your thoughts around, you can turn your life around (yes, even at your age!). I don't know what you will do, but I do know it is your choice, and I am rooting for you to decide that your life is worth living, you have gifts for the world, and you can be an inspiration to everyone who knows you.

Help me!

2007-12-06T01:15:00.000-08:00

Hi, I wrote you the other day I need help. I have been dealing with all kinds of things. I feel pulling and tugging when I go out in the stores or places to eat. I feel cold wind and I seem things some time on people I feel hands on me. Sometimes I see darkness or light around people I see colors I feel things all the time. I feel other peoples stuff all the time. I’m in battles all the time. I feel sick but docs never find anything.

I had 2 near death experiences and I have been to heaven and seen darkness I also know I was to sing and heal. Also I don’t now what happened but my life has gone upside down, no jobs cant get one anywhere, no money, I don’t know what is going on. I feel angels and see angels but I also see bad things. I feel as if I’m going crazy and I can’t live with anyone or there spirits. I feel as if I’m a magnet.

Help me.

T

Dear T,

The truth is that we are all magnets. Our thinking determines what we pull to us. If you believe you are a magnet for bad experiences, then that is what you'll tend to see and that's what you will create more of. This process is called the "Law of Attraction". Many, many books have been written about the LOA, including "The Secret" which is a huge hit as a movie right now as well. You may be able to find a copy online somewhere. I also recommend "What the Bleep Do We Know".

Think about the positive things you are seeing. You see angels ... that's an awesome thing! There are people who have prayed all their lives for just one experience like that. You have had a near death experience and have seen Heaven. You have healing abilities, musical talent! Celebrate your gifts, and accept that with great power comes responsibility, and sometimes challenges. As you change your feelings about these experiences, they will seem less stressful and dramatic to you. Eventually, you will find that they truly are gifts and not the curse you imagine them to be right now.

If you want to bring things down to a manageable level quickly, you have to learn how to ground your energy. See this excerpt from my book, Living With Your Psychic Gifts: http://www.psychicprotection.net/articles/grounding.html

If you want to get in touch with your emotions quickly, I highly recommend a class called The QuinnTessential Experience. It's only available in Toronto at the moment, but there is a similar class in Rochester NY called LifeStream and in Florida called LifeWorks. This class literally saved my life, at a time when I felt very much as you say you feel now. It's not about being psychic - it's about dealing with the emotional baggage we all carry as human beings. I found that once I got in control of that, my psychic experiences just fell into place in a positive and healing way.

Chiron Aspects Making Me Crazy!

2007-11-01T12:10:00.000-07:00

I saw an article you wrote on Chiron in the Natal Chart. With Uranus conjunct my natal Sun/Chiron/Mercury/Mars stellium in Pisces in the 11th House, triggering a Natal Opposition between those planets and a Pluto/Uranus conjunction in the 5th House, I feel like I'm going crazy. (I also have Saturn currently Conjunct that Pluto/Uranus 5th house configuration adding to the pressure of the Uranus transit.)

Can you recommend some books I could read to gain insight into these transits? Your words are helpful but I need to know more.

RO

Dear RO,

The best book on the subject of Chiron that I have read so far remains Barbara Hand Clow's Chiron. It's extremely detailed, and virtually everything else I have read really seems to take it's cues from that work (including what I have written, apart from my own observations). But with aspects like yours, maybe once you get to the other side of these transits, it will be you that is writing a book on Chiron - or perhaps on some other spiritual healing process or idea.

I think you need a creative outlet for all the energy you are processing right now, something physical that feels healing to you. You might consider trying something like Yoga or Pilates, or learning some kind of physical healing modality like therapeutic massage. Let Uranus do his work, don't fight the changes so much. You'll find that you are a new person once the pressure eases up. Not all your friends and associates may appreciate the changes though. I know your collection of people are important to you, but the worst thing you can do right now is cling to any of them. Think of this as a winnowing process. You are really separating the wheat from the chaff.

---

Little Star Lights

2007-10-13T17:30:00.000-07:00

Brandi,

I keep seeing little star lights out the corner of my eyes and then they are gone. What are they I also see like white mist sometimes.

Love Janet

Dear Janet,

Well, first things first, the practical stuff ... have you had this checked out with your doctor or eye doctor? What you describe here are common symptoms of migraine and eye problems, and you need to have these ruled out first. If you see your doctor, there is no problem with your eyesight, and you are not having severe headaches, then most likely these lights are the attempt of your guides or angels to catch your attention. Sometimes these little "twinkle-stars" are a spirit's way of saying "I'm here, and you are not paying attention!" I sometimes get white sparkles, and sometimes blue. I think the blue ones are angels, the white ones are more likely human spirits. If there are no emotional sensations one way or other, I would not be concerned about them.

Whenever I get these kinds of things, I stop what I am doing (if practical), and meditate for a while. Sometimes I do get important insights during these times, and sometimes I don't, but I always thank whoever is saying "Hello" for dropping in.

Brandi

Minou the Ghostbusting Cat

2007-09-25T01:23:00.000-07:00

My beloved Minou is in spirit now, but during the 20 years of her life, she showed me many times how a cat can be an invaluable companion for a hypersensitive medium. She had a great and gentle spirit.

There were only two times in that whole 20 years when Minou got angry to the point where she frightened me. One time, she spotted a workman installing an awning on our apartment window, and decided that his intrusion demanded a strong response. Lucky for the poor fellow, there was a strong window in her way. She gave him a fright though, and all of us were lucky he had a good strong grip on the awning!

Many years later, we moved into another “store-front” apartment, this time, on the ground floor of an old office, which I discovered quickly was thoroughly haunted. Our spooky roommate was a cranky old man in grubby overalls, whose unpleasant attitude and grimy appearance was a perfect match to the basement we almost never entered. I was aware he did not want me going in what he saw as “his” space, but after many attempts at trying to get him to move on, I decided to give up on using the basement. Still, I stored a few nick-nacks in the basement, and went to get them one afternoon. As I reached the top of the stairs, I felt the spirit moving himself at me in anger.

I immediately threw up my protective shields, but between one step and the next, Minou launched herself at me. She attached herself to my leg, howling, hissing and screeching, and as I hopped around in pain and shock (nick-nacks flying around the room), I could not shake or pull her off. Finally, the spirit retreated, terrified and confused, into the comfort of his dark basement.

As soon as he was gone, Minou dropped off neatly and calmly off my leg, and flipped over into her “rub my tummy” pose. There was no sign that anything was ever wrong. I was bleeding quite profusely, though no stitches were needed. At first I was distressed that she had attacked me, but I quickly realized it was not me she had attacked. It was our nasty spirit roommate!

After I calmed down, I once again tried to persuade the spirit to go into the light, but he was adamant that he was going to stay. So I made him a deal. I would not go into the basement, if he would not come upstairs. His response? “Keep that damned cat up there with you!”

From that day to the end of her very long life, Minou never so much as hissed at me. I remain convinced that she drove this spirit away from me. I don’t know what he might have been able to do, if anything, but I am grateful for her love and protection. Years after she passed, she would often come back for visits. One time, she walked across my bed, and I could see the indentations where her little spirit-paws had passed.

I need your help

2007-09-13T16:02:00.000-07:00

Dear Brandi,

I need your help. I'm 18, in Australia and for the last year, I've been experiencing momentary visions, along with a strange feeling of deja vu, even though I know I haven't seen these things before. Also, when these visions hit me, I feel dizzy, and nauseous, and certain places on my body feel very hot.

Am I crazy? Or sick? Or is it something else?

I'm sorry to bother you, but I don't know who to ask. I just need some clarification because its starting to scare me.

Thank you so much for your time,

Sincerely,
JR

Dear JR,

Dizziness, nausea, and hot flashes are all common side-effects of certain kinds of psychic experiences. I am not a psychiatrist, nor am I a doctor ... but I will say you don't sound crazy at all on the basis of what you have told me here, just a little stressed out, which is totally understandible. I do think you should have both these possibilities ruled out, if for no other reason than to ease your mind and turn the anxiety down. I might not mention the "Deja Vu" feelings to the family doctor, and if you are not depressed or having panic attacks, I wouldn't worry about your mental health at this point.

On the other hand, I do think the content of the visions has some bearing on your well being, honestly. If they are scary, hostile, or depressing, even if they are absolutely verified as involving a psychic experience, they do reflect your mental state. If you are feeling depressed or anxious, do talk to your doctor about these feelings! These can be symptoms of physical illnesses, and you need to be sure to rule these out or have them treated. The healthier you are overall, the stronger, more useful and more positive your visions will get.

The best advice on the psychic side that I have is to meditate every day, to regularly ground yourself, and to keep a regular journal of these kinds of experiences so that you can look back on them with more clarity in the future. Pay strong attention to those Deja Vu experiences - in my personal experience, they are often connected to past lives, and what you can learn from them is invaluable!

Journal-keeping is vital to your personal and psychic growth. You can go back over time and check the details. You'll find that you remember some things differently a week, month or year down the line. It is really helpful in so many ways. It will prove to you that you are seeing something "real", and where your blind-spots are. It keeps things grounded.

Ghost Story ... The Haunted B&B

2007-09-12T19:53:00.000-07:00

It wasn't stormy, but it was dark, cold and late, and we were tired from a long day of exploring Ontario just north of Toronto. Normally we would drive the extra hour or two back to Toronto, but when we finally saw a vacancy sign, we decided to spend a night at a charming bed and breakfast at the side of the road.

Fortunately there were lights on inside the quaint old house as we pulled into the parking lot. We paid for our stay and trudged up the carefully maintained stairs to our quiet room. My companion, who is blessed with absolutely no skill in detecting spirits, quickly drifted off to sleep. As soon as my head hit the pillow however, I was immediately treated to a Technicolor slideshow of images from the old house throughout it's colorful history. I sensed a strong spirit, who immediately noticed that I was aware of her. She was delighted that I could communicate with her, and immediately started nattering away in a charming accent how happy she was to find someone to chat with!

Needless to say I didn't get much sleep that night as she regaled me with tales about the old house. She was delighted with the current owners, "That nice man and his lovely family!" but she had been unhappy for many long years before, when a series of thugs and bootleggers had used the place to run drugs and alcohol during prohibition times. I had a mental picture of her in a Victorian-era dress and hat (purple if I recall correctly), sipping tea in a sunny parlor that I was told I'd have breakfast in the next day. I tried a number of times to convince the old woman to go into the light, but she was adamant that she was happy where she was, and wanted to stay and help the current owner. I finally drifted off to sleep just before a knock on the door let me know it was time for breakfast.

Bleary-eyed, I dragged myself down the stairs. My traveling companion, usually entirely immune to psychic interference, actually asked if I'd been speaking to someone that night. "Not out loud," I replied. She lifted an eyebrow (which for this Taurus, used to hearing about my psychic adventures, spoke volumes). I explained what had happened as the proprietor brought in breakfast.

"Is this place haunted?" I asked him. He smiled.

"If it wasn't, I'd have to make up a story," he said amicably. "That's good for business."

I began to tell the story of the Victorian lady, and shared her history of the house, which he confirmed. I told her she stayed to protect the house, and that she was fond of him and his family because he was such a nice man, and they took such good care of the place. When I described her, he pointed over my shoulder to a picture behind me on the wall. "That's her," he said.

I looked back, and there was the old woman in her Victorian dress and hat who had kept me awake all night with tales of the bed and breakfast where I had gotten no sleep.

Joseph Jacobs on Coast

2007-09-03T22:58:00.000-07:00

Joseph Jacobs is a kind, gentle spirit, in his own words, the "antidote" to the "Doctor Doom" psychics and remote viewers that Coast to Coast AM so often features. Jacobs started of saying that previously he had said this would be a difficult year, and rattled off a list of tragedies and disasters from 2007. September and October will still have some harshness. There are some harsh realities to go through but he sees things clearing up a bit in October-November. Expect serious weather conditions in the coming weeks. He sees diseases coming in from China. September could be a good month for ufology.

If you have had a bad year, use meditation and affirmations to stay in a positive mind frame. Look for how we get in our own way, how we are negative or stuck in life. Move on, don't cling to the past. Live in the now. All good advice, but for the most part, he didn't have any specific advice for how to accomplish this. One cool thing he suggested that I really liked, especially for empaths and sensitives, is to remember to be the audience instead of a participant when you see something negative going down. Don't let yourself get sucked into dramas and negativity.

Jacobs says that next year will be better, good for new beginnings, with lots of breakthroughs and inventions. It will be a great year for communications. A whole new beginning. We need to be realigning ourselves in the next few months. The downside is we will see dictators making lots of news.

On a humorous note, Jacobs recommended that medical students get into orthopedics, psychology and ear medicines because of the impact of technology on our lives in the future.

He said that he noticed that a law involving emminent domain was passed just after Dick Cheney went hunting with one of the Supreme Court justices and he is now worried that some of the lands in New Orleans could be taken over by the oil companies.

Notes on Finding Your Soul Mate - Guest Blog by Danielle Daost of Global Psychics

2007-08-31T13:49:00.000-07:00

Is it something in our DNA that pushes us to search for a partner in life, a soul mate? Certainly, it is a simple physical drive, rooted in the need to procreate the species. But I believe that a good part of this need for a loving partner is a result of our conditioning... an expectation implanted in us in early childhood. By the time we're in our late teens, we're keeping one eye out for a soul mate.... and if s/he hasn't appeared by the time we're 30, many of us begin to panic... is there someone out there for me? Will I ever find the right one for me? Maybe not... so what then?

From my early teens, I had funny feeling that I was going to be one of those who wouldn't find a life partner... interesting though, while that inbred force to find a partner drove me to make some mistakes here and there, to settle for relationships that weren't quite right, by the time I was in my early 30's, I didn't care so much about finding "the one". By then, I had a son who needed a lot of my attention, a very demanding career that presented a lot of fun and interesting challenges along with opportunities to travel and meet new people, and I had developed many warm relationships with friends and colleagues... my life was full. I didn't feel like I really needed a partner anymore, in fact a partner might just get in the way.

At one point my next brother became a little concerned, "Danielle, over the years you've brought home some very interesting men. I've liked every one of them. But none of them were into settling down?" My response was simple - "doesn't that tell you something?" The Law of Attraction at work here... I didn't want to settle with anyone, so I attracted lovers who also wished to preserve their own independence in life.

Over the years, I have had the great good fortune of connecting with, loving and learning with many different soul mates - lovers, friends, family members... Now past 60, I am one of those rare folks who says I am "happily single". If I have a twin flame, a soul mate life partner, he is probably not present on the planet right now, or he's busy pursuing his own independent path... and that's OK by me. There has been real purpose in my remaining single for this lifetime, I don't feel like I've missed anything. Especially not soul mate connections.

With the shift in consciousness that the end of the Mayan calandar indicates, I believe we are moving to an androgynous cycle which demands a relationship with self... each of my soul mates have in one way or another enabled this relationship with self. When I saw this next paragraph in one of Phil's responses to a recent inquiry, it struck a chord, and I was prompted to ask for more... the times are changing and I think it is important that we explore these ideas.

Where Has My Soul-Mate Been Hiding?

By Phil Rechard, Astrologer

"the seeming necessity to be in a relationship is an intellectually lazy way to go about living, and is an essentially outmoded paradigm. Don't get me wrong, we can learn a lot about life through being in an intimate relationship with an other person, but nothing beats the relationship we can have with ourselves - nothing. It's a difficult work, but it's really the only thing we're ever born with and can completely rely upon - our selves. Getting to know our selves first is free of charge, and is really essential if we can begin to pretend to love an other human being." Peace, Phil the astrologer

Where has my soul-mate been hiding? I'm sure that most of us have asked this question at some point in our lives, and we've all probably spent some considerable time desperately hoping for the day when that "perfect someone" would magickally appear at our doorstep. Instead of finding Mr or Mrs Right, we'd find ourselves stuck with Mr or Mrs Right-Now, or pining for the one that got away. This has left us baffled, bewildered and confused, and in the end, disappointed and miserable.

I've been no exception to this condition, but after decades of searches and researching, I have become increasingly convinced that everyone I have ever met and known has been (or still is) a soul-mate of mine on some level. The concept of having only one "true" soul-mate should be given a long overdue funeral, burial, and eulogy.

See the complete article here
Get a Relationship Reading Here

Confused and Upset

2007-08-10T15:50:00.000-07:00

I have seen spirits at a very young age, but no one in my family believed me and in fact my mother told me I was evil and going to go to hell for seeing them, so I think I tried so hard not to see them, that I no longer do. I do have dreams where I see them and they tell me things, also I hear them at times, and I sense them always. What I am bothered with is this, last week a teenager drown not far from me, the day before he drown I suddenly, and for no reason at all, thought to myself that there would be a body floating down the river, I go out back everyday and look at the river, I find peace there, it's in the back of the house, I have never had that thought before though, then the next day I heard about the boy, he would have floated right past my house at exactly the same time I had that thought the day before. This happens to me all the time, what good is having this knowledge if I don't know who this will happen to or when, or even how to prevent such things? If I happen to see a spirit now, I am so scared I must pass out or something cause I fall right to sleep. I also get severe migraines, I don't know how to control this "gift", can you help me?

Confused and Upset

Dear Confused,

First let me address your mother's reaction to your seeing spirits. That's not an uncommon belief amongst some Christians, but it is not supported by the Bible!

From 1 Corinthians 12:

There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men.

Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines.

Clearly, what you have experienced is okay with Saint Paul. I think he's a greater authority than your mom (or mine, who had the same reaction initially), or me for that matter. Simple logic says that a loving God would not give you this ability, which is hard to control for the best of us, then condemn you to eternal damnation for things you can't help! It's not your fault, or even hers, that your mother is afraid. For generations, people have been selectively reading the Bible to support their own prejudices. This is one area where they have absolutely no justification for it. Saint Paul is absolutely adamant - what is happening with you is an outgrowth of the Holy Spirit. It is a blessing, not a curse.

It can be a mixed blessing though. I have also asked why am I given this knowledge if I don't know who this will happen to or when, or even how to prevent such things, many times. I don't have a satisfactory answer, and I've been studying for over twenty years. I have come to terms with that however. That is just the way it is. I don't know what God's greater plan might be. I try to help when I can, but when it is not possible or practical for me to make use of it, I simply make a note of it in my journal, or here in the blog. Maybe each individual moment of insight is not the important thing. Maybe it is more generally how I let my intuition guide me. I don't get attached to finding meaning in each case so much anymore. I do what I can, and take pleasure in that. Otherwise I just accept that there are things I can't know. I don't beat on myself or feel guilty when I can't use it to help others. Sometimes they don't want this kind of help. Sometimes it is risky to speak out. Sometimes I am not sure of my own insights. I feel my responsibility is to develop this gift to the best of my ability and to share what I know where it is welcome. Aside from that, I don't know what it is for. I figure one day it will make more sense to us all.

I think you are scared of spirits because of what your mother said, and not because they are inherently scary things. They are simply people without bodies. People are mostly good. So are spirits. Yes, now and then you will stumble across a frightened, confused, or even very rarely, a negative spirit. But they can't really harm you, can they? Other than being frightened, have you been harmed in any way? And you have control over that. You can decide to accept what is happening to you. When you do, you will find that the experience gets more and more positive. It's funny how that works, but fear is your enemy, it is not your friend. Once you get that, your life will change for the better in ways you can't begin to comprehend. For example, I still occasionally have migraines, but they are far less frequent than when I was in "flight/fight" mode.

I do recommend you get the book or the eBook and study the meditations and visualizations in it. I do daily morning and evening meditations. You can find other meditations online. Your local Buddhist temple or new age shop may offer a meditation class - almost any kind of meditation will be helpful to you. Just sitting by the river may help calm your mind. I also keep a journal of my insights.

What do you do to balance?

2007-08-07T18:13:00.000-07:00

I have a question for you regarding your sensitivites to the realm and people's emotions? I also suffer from that and depression I talk to the other side for people and I do angel readings. I am so unsure of my profession in the healthcare field I am exhausted from the eneregies. At home I have a special daughter and I am exhausted and then the emotional needs of others exhausts me. What do you do to balance yourself? I know I pray, walk and try not to delve into all my addictions I have had to hide this sensitivity.

C

Dear C

Well you did not give me your time or place of birth, but with what I can read of your chart, it's no wonder this is a challenge for you. You have a T-Square with the Moon, Jupiter and Neptune. The addiction issue is clear from Jupiter Square Neptune. You feel everything "big". It can be difficult for you to discipline yourself, and find an outlet for your talents, because emotionally you are swinging from one extreme to the other. Top it off with your sensitivity and the slightest thing seems to tip the pendulum from one extreme to the other.

I can relate, I have been through a lot of what you have. There is hope. I learned that I had a choice what energies I permit in my space. I have learned where the boundaries need to be for my emotional health. It was a simple matter to decide to do this - I just needed to learn how to do it.

I found some of the answers I was seeking though The QuinnTessential Experience (TQE), an experiential personal growth class. If you can't afford to go to the classes, I recommend a book written by James Roswell ("Ross") Quinn, one of their facilitators, called "Controlling Others for Love and Profit" ("If you believe that, then you better wake up. Controlling others is not the solution - It is the problem."). Don't be thrown off by the title ... it was originally going to be called "The Love-Based Leader". I edited the first edition. Another option may be to keep your eyes open for classes taught by some of the folks involved in the movie "The Secret". I think these classes are sometimes over-priced, and I don't know if they are as good as TQE, honestly. But some of what they are teaching is on a similar vein (I like what I have heard Lisa Nichols say so far). The bottom line is that you can simply decide not to let other people wear you out, and still be an effective healer. The best way I have found, the way that really "sticks" with people is in group experiential classes like TQE. I have seen people get a lot out of Ross's books, but it is like a glass of water. In the classes, people really jump in the pool.

Other ways I balance things out? I meditate every day, both morning and evening. I use the concepts in Ross's Centering CD. I journal about my experiences, I keep track of my emotions and what triggers them. I set my personal boundaries, and stick to them. I suspect that you feel an awful lot of responsibility for others, and this is the reason you feel so exhausted all the time. I don't take responsibility for other people's happiness anymore. I still want to help others, but the funny thing is, when I am able to release my attachment to the outcome, not only am I more effective, I am a lot happier.

Astrological Predictions from Mark Lerner

2007-08-04T00:40:00.000-07:00

I'm afraid I missed parts of Astrologer Mark Lerner's appearance on Coast to Coast last night, but he did say Hillary Clinton "stands out" in his "election night charting".

He pointed out that the Minneapolis bridge tragedy took place just as Pluto was on the horizon. Israel has to be careful in January and February, due to the stationing of Mars.

Jupiter goes direct Monday, and Lerner says that the stationary period could bring big scale tremors.

Mars goes stationary on a critical point in the US chart mid november, and there could be a downturn in the markets because of problems in the housing market. Between now and September 8th, women and artists should take advantage of Venus retrograde to retool our creativity.

He believes that 2012 will bring a massive spiritual transformation.

Am I Psychic?

2007-07-30T21:13:00.000-07:00

I think it was last summer that I went to go see a psychic with my mom. The psychic told me that I was psychic and that I knew what people were thinking. I have anxiety disorder and hate crowds, I can hardly get to sleep at night, and I get really bad headaches out of nowhere that come and then just leave. This has really been bothering me, it would be great if I could hear what you have to say for me.

Thank you so much for your time.

SB

Dear SB,

You haven't mentioned whether or not you have had any psychic experiences, though the kinds of symptoms you have described are common with many psychics. In the end though, you are the only one who can ultimately decide if you are psychic or not, and you need to figure that out by keeping careful track of your intuitive experiences and dreams.

Journal-keeping is vital to your personal and psychic growth. You can go back over time and check the details. You'll find that you remember some things differently a week, month or year down the line. It is really helpful in so many ways. It will prove to you that you are seeing something "real", and where your blind-spots are. It keeps things grounded.

If you rule out any physical causes, and you have had visions or dreams that have come true, I recommend that you get a copy of Living With Your Psychic Gifts ... All the best advice that I would give you is actually already in the book. In the meantime, the best thing to do is to meditate every day, to regularly ground yourself, and to keep a regular journal of these kinds of experiences so that you can look back on them with more clarity in the future.

I do have a lower-cost eBook version available for $9.99, which contains the core material. If you don't know of any meditations that may help, and can't afford my book or eBook, I suggest starting at your local Library – they may have some good books available there. Your local Buddhist temple may also offer free meditation classes. There is nothing better for your peace of mind than meditation, and it will be helpful to you, no matter what is causing the anxiety attacks. One of the best guided meditations I know is on Ross Quinn's "Centering CD". You can buy a CD on his web site.

Brandi

Sean David Morton Predictions on Coast

2007-07-26T23:15:00.000-07:00

Intuitive futurist psychic Sean David Morton appeared on Coast to Coast AM tonight, spending much of the first hour going over past predictions, predictably (pun intended) focusing on past predictions that have come to pass, particularly in the stock and financial markets. Past hits include Katrina, the rise of the Euro, Catepillar Tractor, and the recent housing-related correction.

Sean is mostly concerned about massive hyper-inflation of the economy in November. He says that the current market situation will improve in the short term. He says the Fed will print more money, a lot of it, to keep the blue-chip stocks high. There will be huge mergers and more consolidation. Major shakeup involving Cheney and Bush.

He thinks that the progressed US Sun in Pisces will bring ocean-based developments such as an engine based on burning seawater, submarines, boating. He likes Crocs shoes and Sketchers. Pisces has to do with dream states, spirits, shows like Coast, and The Secret. There will be great water-related catastrophes, economic collapses between November of this year and the end of 2009. People will come together to help each other and will turn their back on our materialistic lifestyles. He is recommending buying and holding copper, silver, gold and platinum, up to 25% of your portfolio. He says silver may double.

He sees a "big red boil" of energy under Seattle and cannot predict how it will manifest. He suggested that residents there meditate and pray, and visualize a golden acupuncture needle of light and love to puncture the earth and relieve the pressure before there is a disaster. In Japan, there will be another very substantial quake in Japan that will result in a cloud of white gas or steam that will kill and sicken a large portion of a city, sometime within the next 2-3 weeks or so. He is not seeing a lot of hurricanes hitting the US. There will be a lot of rain, flooding and a record number of tornados. August 26 to September16, one large hurricane will come out of the Atlantic into South Carolina, and will buzz-saw up the coast. There will be a series of 4.5 - 5.0 quakes up along the New Madrid fault in Ohio. There could be massive destruction there in 2011-2012. He sees genetically-engineered diseases wiping out much of Africa.

One thing I like about Sean David Morton is with all the disasters he sees, he's not as fatalistic as some others in this field. On May 26-28 2010 there will be a new harmonic convergence that will "cement the energy from 1987". He believes that humanity can mediate or lessen the impact of negative events in the future through focused positive intentions.

Ron Paul may sweep the ballots in New Nampshire. He could end up being a third-party candidate. There will be shocking changes to Bush-Cheney in November. He cannot predict at this time who the candidates will be.

Brandi

Ouija? NonNien! Not on Coast to Coast!

2007-07-26T02:24:00.000-07:00

Tonight was George Noory's infamous Coast to Coast Ouija Board experiment. It went down more or less exactly like I expected. George opted out at the last minute in a deluge of negative feedback and recriminations from one side, and applause from the other. The feedback was almost evenly split.

I respected the ultimate decision. I was against the idea from the start. My only gripe is with the way it was drawn out over a period of weeks. Noory is too shrewd and experienced a talk show host not to know the impact on the audience of drawing out the decision for that long, and the controversy can only be good for ratings. I can understand why some members of the audience expressed anger and disappointment at his decision. I can understand they might feel misled. But Noory sounded sincere to me. I'll take it just as I heard it. I do think he struggled with this, right up to the end, and it probably wasn't easy for him to walk away from it. I found his personal story of a near-death experience compelling and interesting.

My beef with the folks who are angry at him is that they seem to have no empathy for his struggle over the moral decision to expose potentially millions of people to spiritual and psychic forces they might not be ready to deal with. That's my beef with the makers of the Ouija board itself. The argument was made that we all have personal responsibility, and on one level this is absolutely true. But on the other hand, you don't give a handgun to a child and tell them to go out and play. Many of the listeners of Coast simply aren't ready to deal with exposure to psychic forces of this kind. They simply have no idea what they are opening themselves up to.

I'll take this a step or two beyond the Ouija board ... one theme in my own thinking, since I wrote Living With Your Psychic Gifts, is the idea that far too many people approach psychic experiences as "dabblers", and that's the core of the problems I end up seeing for large numbers of my readers. They started playing with something as a lark or a toy, but they opened Aladdin's Lamp and the Genie won't go back inside (nor is he cute cuddly and blue with Robin William's voice or sense of humor, for that matter).

I do discourage "dabbling". If you get involved in psychic development, you should understand that you will be making a lifetime commitment to your personal growth, and there will be effects you won't like at times. I will never forget one email from a reader who asked me a dozen questions, all of which were answered on my site. When I told her to go read it first and I'd answer any questions not answered later, she responded rather huffily that she didn't have time to do that! My response, with all due respect, was to tell her that if she did not have time to read it, then chances were good she wouldn't have the time to follow my advice, either. Prozac can shut down some psychic ability (if you can tolerate the side effects, costs and danger), but there is really no "magic pill" that can stuff the Genie back into the lamp entirely. Don't dabble in any of this stuff unless you are prepared to take the time to deal with the issues it will bring up. As Noory's guests said many times tonight, whether it is Ouija in particular or psychic experimentation in general, the baggage you bring with you is going to make a huge difference to the kind of experience you will have. There is no faster way to discover that you have hidden issues than to start opening up to your psychic ability.

I specifically discourage neophytes from dabbling with Ouija because of the way it is marketed. This is not a game, it is a heavy duty psychological experiment wrapped up in a metaphysical box, IMNSHO. It is a direct and immediate connection to the subconscious. On top of that, it opens the spiritual doors to any and all entities who may want to drop in. It's psychic Russian Roulette. You don't know who you are gonna get, and there is absolutely no spiritual or psychic protection guidance offered by the makers of the Ouija.

I am sure I'll get letters from experienced psychics who have had nothing but wonderful experiences, and the odd dabbler who got lucky - but the warning here is not for you. Sure, I grant you, some people have had positive experiences, but the majority of stories I have heard have been terrifying. And like George Noory, I am not sure that possibility is worth the risk.

If you have played with a Ouija board and are having negative experiences, my suggestion for disposal is simple. Send it back to the manufacturer, without a return address. Let them dispose of it in whatever manner they see fit. Maybe if they get enough of these "toys" back in the mail, they will rethink the way they have marketed this "game".

Brandi

Child Senses Spirit of Loved One

2007-07-23T22:24:00.000-07:00

Hi Brandi - can you please help with this question? I have a 2 year-old daughter who appears to have psychic abilities as she can see and hear a recent loved one who has recently passed away. The strange thing is when he is present she hear a sort of humming/buzzing sound which sometimes scares her as well as (sometimes) getting a sore neck (the deceased loved one hung himself). I would really appreciate a response to help me deal with this.

CF
Dear CF

The humming/buzzing sound may be coming from the loved one, but it may also be coming from the distinct probability that your daughter also has out of body experiences on a regular basis. This symptom is common with psychics of many different kinds. My suggestion is to have her hearing checked, just in case, to rule out any physical causes. Whenever she hears it, be as comforting as you can. If it becomes uncomfortable, or she seems to be ungrounded, wash her feet and hands in cold water (not too cold mind you).

I would tell her lots of people have these experiences. I wouldn't tell her "there is nothing to be afraid of", unless she actually mentions being fearful. One thing I have discovered is that most children are not afraid of spirits until they find out that it is something their elders are fearful of. Think of the typical first haircut or dentist appointment. How do children react when we tell them "Don't worry, it won't hurt?" ... almost always with tears, because all they hear is "worry" and "hurt" at that age. "Spirits are not to be feared" puts the concepts of "fear" and "spirits" together in the same sentence. You may not have done this, but chances are someone has. It's well-meaning, but it doesn't work.

If she is truly fearful at this point, the best you can do is reassure her that this is someone who loved you and her and all he is trying to do is communicate with her, to let you know he is okay. Ask leading questions like, "How do you feel about this?" and "Did he say anything?" ... keep it age-appropriate of course, and back off if this upsets her. The idea though is to give her the idea that this is something perfectly normal and natural. She will have questions about how he died, and that may be better addressed by a child psychologist than myself, but my 2 cents is that honesty is always best (again at age appropriate levels, and without revealing facts that might distress her further).

As for this loved one, the way he died is a challenge for you. He's likely earthbound, and may be confused and disoriented. He needs some help crossing over. Then there is the profound impact on your family emotionally, never mind psychically, which may also need to be addressed. There is an excellent book by Edith Fiore called "The Unquiet Dead", that I highly recommend. In a nutshell though, tell him he was successful in ending his life, and that now he must cross over into the Light. His activities are upsetting and harmful to your child, and as much as you love and miss him, damaging to himself. It's not fair for him to keep coming back to her when he is causing fear and neck pains to her. I would do this while she is asleep, after the next time she reports him being present (not in the same room, children hear a lot more than we think when they are asleep). If you sense resistance, and/or she reports continued visits, let me know, and I will make some further recommendations ... but 90% of the time, these spirits leave on their own accord, once they realize that their presence is causing disruption.

Brandi

Dr. Turi - Coast to Coast AM July 07

2007-07-06T22:45:00.000-07:00

Dr. Turi made only a brief appearance on Coast to Coast AM this evening, but he did make one specific forecast ... on July 30 he expects a serious surpise, could be a large explosion of some kind. Turi was declared right about last space station prediction by George Noory and Richard C. Hoagland, as they did indeed experience a lot of computer problems in the last mission.

Update: Early July 31, Mount Bulusan explodedin the Philippines. I'm calling this a "hit".

George Ure and "Cliff", Coast to Coast Live July 5, 2007

2007-07-05T21:46:00.000-07:00

Last night on Coast to Coast, George Ure and "Cliff" were guests who use a proprietary web bot technology. They study language patterns in Internet discussions to forecast indicators for future events.

I find this process intriguing. Basically the premise is that the Internet forms a reflection of global consciousness. Since the advent of the Internet, I have been forecasting that the Internet is the formative stage of a true global consciousness that may eventually become self-aware. So I am fascinated to see the possibility that this infant consciousness may also be psychic. At the same time, this type of forecasting has the same limits as any form of psychic ability. George and Cliff admit that they tend to focus on negative keywords, as they have the strongest emotional impact. As a result, so most of the forecasts are negative and frightening. They also admit that at times what they pick up has more to do with global fears than actual outcomes. And they admit that sometimes the pattern only becomes clear after the event.

Some of their forecasts:

The US dollar could collapse.

The International Space Station may have to be abandoned.

Millions of people could be scattered in a "diaspora" by a severe weather event around the end of September 2007.

During the first three months of 2008 there could be a pandemic, possibly the bird flu.

In Fall 2007, they see some kind of fungus that will impact crops and human health.

Three earthquakes could occur in California sometime between September to December 2007. A prominent wedding may be disrupted.

They believe that Greenland's glacier will melt, causing a global coastal catastrophe within the next five years. Millions of people will be killed in a huge tidal wave.

I am a tad ambivalent about this particular set of forecasts, even though they are heavily disclaimered as "For Entertainment Value Only". These two fellows are selling a newsletter based entirely on fear-based values. I can see the demand for this, it's canny marketing. Fear sells. I just wonder if that is the best use of their talents and technology. I would love to see the same process applied to some positive values as well.

Clairsentience - Turn it off? (2)

2007-06-29T14:20:00.000-07:00

I don't want this, it's made my life hell, I have been ostracized by my peers, no one believes me, or they believe me and just believe I'm nuts. I can't control it. It won't just appear on command, so it makes me look even more nuts. Depression seems to play a factor in this, so does stress. I will give you that. It seems to hit hardest when I feel like crap or I'm really stressed.

I have studied meditation, the tarot, and even astrology, a friend of mine recommended them because of the feelings I was having, they aren't really visions, they are more like feelings. They only seemed to make the stupors last longer and become audible, they make them worse. I have no control what so ever.

I'm so ashamed, my priest says im going crazy too, he thinks I should see a dr.

I am alone...

You are not alone. I went through the exact same thing, and I have gotten many many letters over the years, just like yours. It's heartbreaking to me to read your pain and know I cannot provide the answer you are hoping for, but I don't believe you are crazy, either. You are just a hyper-sensitive empath living in an unsympathetic situation.

I don't have any real control over my visions or impressions either. I have come to accept that too. They come when they do. The more journaling I have done though, the more the evidence has mounted up that what I sense is real, and the more I am able to tell the difference between fearful thoughts, wishful thinking and a real intuition.

One thing that has made a huge difference to my happiness is that I don't try to convince anyone else that it is real anymore ... not even you. I don't care if you believe me that my gift is real or not. What matters is that I believe it. If you are still doubting yourself, it is no wonder you are unhappy. Start journaling and meditating. You will benefit from it in ways you can't begin to imagine.

Some of my friends are doubters too ... but you know what? I don't care! Those who truly love me, love me anyway, and those who are mean about it ... well, I weeded them out of my life a long time ago. Life is too short to have closed-minded, fear-based people around me. That includes family in my case. The only one I really talk to much is my mother. That may sound sad, but the truth is I never had much in common with the rest of them anyway. I have a new circle of friends now who are the most loving and supporting people I could hope for, and I am the happiest I have ever been. When I look back, the truth is I am better off without some of those people in my life.

I felt strongly from the beginning that depression is a factor in your situation, and the best thing I did for depression was taking The QuinnTessential Experience classes. If you don't feel that is for you, and you cannot get to Toronto, then the next best thing is to go see your doctor and see if you can get a referral to a cognitive therapist. That's the closest thing in traditional medicine to what they teach at The QuinnTessential Experience. Watch the movie "The Secret". There are some clues in there as well. I think you are not "crazy" if you are just depressed. I think your priest is probably trying to get you to get help for your depression, but unless he actually used that word, then you are projecting your judgments onto him. I'd like to give him the benefit of the doubt.

I don't understand why you feel ashamed. What have you done to be ashamed of? If in the rare event you do have some sort of mental illness (I am not a psychiatrist but you sound sane to me), then that is not your fault. Talk it over with your doctor, he or she will be able to see if you need intervention. If you don't have a mental illness, then all you are guilty of being is sensitive and gifted! Cut yourself a break. It's bad enough that other people have been unsupportive, you don't need to put yourself down as well.

I do think you should avoid Tarot or astrology for now. It will open you up more, when what you need to do is ground yourself. Focus your energy on physical activity. Meditate, learn how to ground yourself. Pray. Once you get to the stage where you can accept this, that is the time to broaden your studies.

Brandi

Clairsentience - Turn it off?

2007-06-28T22:41:00.000-07:00

How do you turn it off and forget about the ability?

OSO

The truth of the matter is you can't simply turn it off and forget it. The simplest analogy I can think of is if you wanted to stop eating, because you want to lose weight. You can certainly cut down on eating, or eat more wisely - but stop eating altogether, and you won't be around too much longer.

Your psychic ability is tied to your intuition, creativity and intelligence. The only way to totally turn it off is to stop thinking. I can think of a few blonde exceptions to the rule ... but most of us need every advantage we can get, and by totally turning your back on this gift, you will deny yourself and the rest of the world many valuable insights along with the challenges. not only that, but in my experience, the harder you fight to stuff it down, the more intense it will get until it breaks through, usually in chaotic ways.

You can learn to accept it, to learn from it, to control it better over time, though. If you have frightening visions, the more accepting you are of the experience, the more positive they will become over time. If you fight, resist and deny it, it will find other ways to express itself in your life. You are far better off working with it than fighting against it.

I wonder though if "how do you turn it off and forget about the ability?" is the real question. I suspect the real question is deeper than that. If you are unhappy with your psychic experiences, chances are good you are unhappy with other experiences in your life. I find that depression is all too common amongst hyper-sensitives.

I did find that Prozac helped me "shut down" my psychic abilities during one particularly difficult period of my life, but if I could go back into that time, I would change many things I did, including taking a dangerous, expensive, potentially addictive drug to escape my feelings. What I have learned since then is that my attitude towards life has a huge impact on the quality of my psychic experiences. As I have become a more happy, joyful, fulfilled and confident woman, I have also developed more control over my psychic abilities.

What happened was that I took The QuinnTessential Experience class, and it totally changed my outlook in life. I have now lived without depression for more than four years. It also had the side effect of giving me a set of growth skills I needed to finally get real control over my psychic abilities. When I began to develop a happy, confident, effective mental outlook, everything else fell into place naturally. The class costs less than a year's supply of Prozac, even accounting for travel costs from most places in the US and Canada. Even though this class has absolutely no content strictly related to psychic ability, if you are unhappy with your experiences, it is the fastest way I can think of to turn your life around.

If you can't get to The QuinnTessential Experience, the next best thing is to read my book. Study everything you can get your hands on about meditation, grounding, and psychic protection. When you have a frightening vision, write it down. Go back to it later on and look at what you wrote. You will have insights that will help you better accept and understand your visions. Reach out to others, though the discussion groups here and at other psychic protection sites online. Knowing you are not alone is a huge step towards acceptance, and that is the thing that will help you the most.

Brandi

The Circle Meditation

2007-06-14T19:33:00.000-07:00

When I did readings, people often used to ask me what their Life's Purpose was. I came to realize that the point of coming to incarnate life on Earth is not to discover a purpose that God has hidden from us like some silly game of emotional hide and seek, but is instead to create meaning out of whatever circumstances come our way. If we do have a purpose, then it is up to us to create it out of what we have, not find it hidden in the subconscious of some psychic we happen to meet.

I believe the best guidance to our true purpose is to follow what brings us joy. Unfortunately, too many people are stuck in an unending angst brought on by contrary values that insist on the one hand that work must be "hard" and on the other that we must follow the path of least resistance to find our true place in life.

The other big mistake people make is in assuming that one's career is the ultimate or only reflection of our purpose in life. I've found it hugely rewarding to participate in The QuinnTessential Experience, yet I make no money from that. I really do feel that The QuinnTessential Experience or something very much like it is my true purpose in life. Maybe I will become a facilitator one day, maybe not, but regardless, that is where I find the deepest, most profound meaning in my life. Your purpose does not have to be your career.

Still, for most people, career ends up being their purpose, and many people are stuck when it comes to making career decisions. While seeing a good psychic or astrologer may help clarify things, in the end, you are the one who makes the choice. If you are finding yourself stuck with any choice, I highly recommend the following clarifying meditation to open your heart and mind to your highest joy. I would dearly love to have your feedback on this ...

Mentally prepare yourself. Center, meditate, if you use the Silva Method, go to Alpha, or simply relax in whatever method works best for you.

When you are mentally ready, imagine yourself at the beach. As you walk along, you will notice things. Pay attention to anything that draws your attention. While you are walking, gently ponder the circumstances that have brought you to this decision. Symbols of your circumstances will float up to mind. Does something get in your way? What kind of people approach you as you walk further down the beach? Do animals or obstacles enter your path?

When you feel you have gone through all the circumstances in your life that are relevant to the question, stop and draw a circle around yourself in the sand. Now, imagine that you are inside a magic circle that protects you from any harm, and brings to you all your needs. The circle magically transports any people from your life whose expectations, demands or desires may be affected by this decision, but somehow, they are all unconditionally loving and supportive in this new environment.

You can do anything you want to inside the circle. You are happy, prosperous, productive and fulfilled, though you are totally alone inside the circle. Mom, Dad, brothers, sisters, your best friends, “The Joneses”, peers and people you barely know, but care about, all are outside the circle, offering their total, unconditional support. Sit inside that feeling for a time.

Now, think ... what are you doing inside the circle? You may find yourself doing a lot of things, perhaps just one, but whatever you find yourself doing in that circle is a clue to your purpose. If nothing immediately comes to mind, thank everyone and let them float away. Now, an angel floats down from heaven. Pay attention to the appearance of this angel. It isn't the typical greeting card angel, it is a being of light, but a very unique one. This angel bears a gift for you. Make a note of what the angel is wearing, what the angel looks like. The angel will give you a gift. Thank the angel and let it float away. Now, look down at the gift ... what is the gift the angel left for you?

Most often the gift will be something symbolic. If the symbol isn't obvious to you, just keep that gift in mind for a while. Eventually it will break through and make sense to you.

Ground yourself and come back to reality.

Many people have had remarkable breakthroughs using this meditation, but it is only the first step. Now that you have an idea of the direction to take in your path, "reality" really starts to matter.

If you choose to move to another city, or to study certain topics in school, your parents may be hurt or confused. You may have to deal with loneliness and will probably experience money problems. The path won't always be easy, but at least you will have a goal, and an idea of what you want to achieve in life.

Some people are so confused by the demands of other people and of society that they cannot block out the needs of loved-ones, and may find that absolutely nothing comes to them inside the circle. Others may find that something outrageous occurs to them that they cannot accept as a practical alternative. This is when a qualified astrologer or psychic counselor might be helpful.

The Circle Meditation is featured in my Book Living With Your Psychic Gifts - Chapter 12. This meditation can be adapted to almost any major life decision, not just career decisions. Whenever you are stuck, not knowing what you really want to do, give it a try and see what comes up for you!

June 13 2007 - Louis Turi with George Noory

2007-06-13T01:59:00.000-07:00

Dr. Louis Turi has a lot to teach people about the ancient art of astrology, I’d like to take one of his classes, especially since he holds them in places I am drawn to. He’s an entertaining, lively guest, it always makes for good radio whenever he’s on the Coast to Coast show.

Turi says he has faith in humanity and technology. "God did not create the earth to end up in a miserable way."

"We are not doomed George, we are not," adding that we can shape our future and bring peace, love and respect to the world.

I applaud his positive attitude about the future of the world, especially coming on the Coast to Coast show where so many psychics and seers seems to see nothing but disasters.

The tail and head of dragon are still in Virgo-Pisces axis. Middle East oil continues to be strongly affected by the nodes. With the Dragon moving into the Aquarius-Leo axis at end of year, expect incredible, surprising shocking news, nature has not yet spoken. He mentioned serious tragedies, earthquakes, and tornadoes but offered no specifics on dates or locations.

His strongest forecast this time around was that NASA will be forced to be entirely restructured. He sees devastating events coming at the space agency, including possible deaths of astronauts. When speaking with Richard Hoagland at the end of the show, he says he sees millions of tax dollars wasted, and more computer problems ahead . I find Hoagland’s tortion (sp?) and hyper-dimensional physics as an explanation for astrology an intriguing possibility. I hope the two of them can follow up on it together when they are not under the constraints of a show like Coast.

Turi rattled off a quick list of dates I could not write down quickly enough, though Lex Lonehood will be posting a summary in the usual place on the Coast site (in the past show summaries). He also posts these in his mailing list and web site. His Moon Power Star Guide for the year 2007 is available on the web site.

Turi said June 16 will be the beginning of an ending, a cycle of destructive weather. The same energy that produced Katrina will return. He says to check CNN on that date for earth-change disasters, earthquakes, hurricanes, etc. On June 16, the Moon is moving into Cancer. Beginning or ending of important phases of life. France and Italy will make news, the Ring of Fire will become active. Real estate in the US will be turned upside down. [As of June 30, I feel this is a "miss" - there was no major storm to my knowledge in this time frame]

I'll give Turi a hit though for "Famous Death/Dramatic News/Police/FBI/CIA/Mob/Secrets/Scandals/Wake Up Call/Terrorism/Finances/Sex/Serial Killers." - I don't recall him saying this on the show - he may have provided it to Lex after the show. There are definitely news stories right now relating to these themes, some of them quite surprising and unexpected.

The economy, stock market does not look good this year, but gold looks good.

It seemed to me that Turi was trying to focus on explaining his craft while George Noory was looking for more “wowie-zowie” predictions for his prediction-hungry audience (as usual). He did a pretty good job of doing just that. This time around we got to see him in action with questions from callers, impressive, as I know as an astrologer myself it is not easy to quickly whip off readings in such short time frames. He’s blunt, straightforward, and doesn’t hold back what he sees to spare anyone’s feelings.

I do have a couple minor quibbles about Dr. Turi, the primary one being a semantic argument over how he uses the word "predictions" on the one hand to describe his craft … but at the same time he says "I don't predict anything". Actually, I agree with him – what he does, and he does extremely well, is forecast (see my article "Forecasting versus Prediction" for an explanation of the difference between forecasts and predictions). I fear his confusing of this word is doing his credibility a disservice with skeptics who might latch onto an apparent contradiction that he does not intend.

I do subscribe to his mailing list, and highly recommend it. He pulls no punches though – he doesn't have any patience for fools and religion, and he finds them together on not infrequent occasions. Some say they see him as overbearing and egotistical. I see him as blunt and a bit impatient with his critics, but he is as entertaining and informative on the Internet as he is on radio

Dr. Evelyn Paglini Makes More Psychic Hits

2007-05-12T22:59:00.000-07:00

May 13 2007 - Dr. Evelyn Paglini was on with Art Bell on Coast to Coast again tonight, as a number of her previous forecasts have come to pass. See my previous blog on April 21.

Two major hurricanes that will hit the gulf coast, tornados and storms that will make history [there have been heavier than normal storms and tornados, though no major hurricanes as of late October] . She would put FIMA along the Gulf Coast and the Central Plains. She does not like the look of the dams and levies she has seen. She says she sees "other people killing children"[there have been two school shooting events] . She says there may be riots or civil unrest in major cities. This is "not a done deal yet", but is "still in the planning stage". It could happen in the "heat of the summer" [summer is over and this did not occur] . She remains worried about a virus with flu-like symptoms that will be deadly. It will be released "by man's hand" in the United States, and will take a long time before they will find treatments. She foresees financial troubles ahead, a slow-down this fall, with a major stock correction in September-October [she was correct on this one, this is a solid hit] . There will be another oil interruption, which will not be caused by weather. She recommends communities and individuals put away food and water for possible disasters between now and 2012. There will be a rash of contaminants in our food, both accidental and deliberate. There will be a lot of solar flares between now and 2012, and a possible nuclear exchange.

She seems to think that the Northern Midwest will be more safe than the coastal areas.

Dr. Paglini is impressive. She says she does not want to call her statements "predictions", she wants to call them "warnings". She says she doesn't have all the answers, and seems concerned about the primarily negative quality of most of the predictions that come to her. I give her extra kudos for that, and for saying that future events can be changed.

She told one caller not to worry about the warnings and visions he was getting, to write them down. She also has a Mind Dynamics Course that will teach people to shut down or improve their psychic abilities. I haven't got a copy of this course to review it, but if it is as direct and straight-forward as she is on Coast, it should be worth a try.

Discovery Network is looking for a Psychic Family

2007-05-02T15:29:00.000-07:00

Authentic Entertainment is searching for a psychic family for an upcoming episode of "MY UNIQUE FAMILY", a series for The Learning Channel (TLC) which is part of the Discovery Network. The first three episodes of MY UNIQUE FAMILY aired in February and were very well received. Each of the families profiled felt that their story was accurately portrayed and ratings were high.

The goal of the MY UNIQUE FAMILY series is to show how families work together to overcome challenges. The psychic family we profile must have abilities that have been passed down from one generation to the next, and must have children. Ideally, one of the children would have issues with his families psychic abilities, and would be struggling to fit into the mainstream. Through the course of the show, however, the child would come to a new appreciation of his/her family.

If you know any families that might be interested, please have them email me 1-2 paragraphs:

Katrina Drabkin
Producer
Authentic Entertainment
Email: katrina@authentictv.com
Cell: 323-842-2445

Thanks!
Katrina

Psychic Children

2007-05-01T19:45:00.000-07:00

My niece foresaw the Virginia Tech Tragedy. We always new she was going to have a much stronger Psychic ability that the rest of the family but it's all coming to a head at an amazing rate and it's scaring the crap out of her. She see's orbs, ghosts, spirits, they follow her home, events have happened at school in her classrooms for all to witness, she hers conversations, she feels their feelings. We are having trouble trying to comfort her and remind her that this is a gift. Any suggestions? This is not a joke. I need to find her some help. She's too strong psychically. It's like a switch was turned on in her psyche and the rest is history. Where can we find help? We know she is psychic but we don't know how to help her except to support and comfort her when things get scary.

SS

Dear SS,

The first thing is to remember to have an attitude of detached interest when she shares her experiences. What I mean by that is be interested, encourage her, but don’t make a big deal out of this. If she feels fear, it is in part because what she sees is scary, and in part because the adults around her react with the shivers when she brings it up. That gives children the clear message "This is a big deal, it's a scary thing". The truth is, it does not have to be scary.

Wherever you can, ask don't tell! Learn how to do "Active Listening". That's a technique featured in "Parent Effectiveness Training" (PET). Essentially what you do is guide the other person to come to their own conclusion with some leading questions. I have an outline on my anti-bullying section here. I also recommend looking into PET ... it will help you deal with other emotional situations – psychically sensitive kids also tend to be emotionally sensitive as well.

If I spoke to your niece, I would acknowledge that I have had some scary experiences of my own. Then I would ask her if she has ever had a scary dream. Chances are good she will say yes. Then I would ask her if she was ever really hurt by something in a dream. Once she woke up, didn't the scary thing go away? Of course the answer is yes there too. So I would ask her if she sees any difference between her visions and impressions than dreams in that regard. While they are happening, they may be scary, like a movie or a dream, but once they are over, nothing bad has ever happened, has it?

Encourage her to start keeping a journal of her experiences. Teach her to meditate. Teach her some of the protection exercises in my book (especially grounding), or those techniques that your family has taught in the past. Remind her that you and others in your family have a similar talent. Tell her it's natural, most people have it, but other families don't all talk about it because they have different traditions about it. See if you can bring her along to local classes or seminars. One I recommend for children is "The Virtues Project" ... it's not about being psychic, it's more about better communicating, and that will help her in many ways, not just as a sensitive. There may also be psychic classes, meetings or gatherings in your community. If she is surrounded with people who are open-minded and supportive, she will eventually realize that this is a normal part of life.

One last thing ... if she is having any trouble integrating what she saw with the Virginia Tech tragedy, it will most likely take the form of guilt and grief.

About guilt ... Let her know that many others also likely foresaw it, but it's rare we get enough information to act on these things. Nothing that happened was her fault, and there was nothing she could have done to prevent it, regardless. Society is just not ready to listen to intuition about such things ... heck, people came forward with actual direct warnings from knowing the shooter, and even that could not prevent this from happening.

About grief ... even though she may not know any of the people who died, she may have a stronger than normal attachment to them. At some level, she may feel she knew them. Treat this grief as normal. Accept it. Get her counselling for it, if she is open to that. Even non-psychic children may be experiencing anxiety and trauma from what they have seen on TV. How much more traumatic must that be when a child has seen it in her psyche?

Brandi

No agape for psychics in Philadelphia

2007-04-29T16:55:00.000-07:00

City inspectors in Philadelphia shut down more than a dozen psychics, astrologers and tarot-card readers after learning about a decades-old state law that bans fortune telling for profit. More --->

This is a timely warning for anyone in the "psychic business" that antiquated laws and attitudes still rule in many parts of the USA. Hopefully the ACLU and some of the affected businesses will sue to repeal this unfair law. In my opinion it is an infringement and a violation of the civil and spiritual rights of the people of Philadelphia.

I am as concerned as anyone about hoaxers and frauds in this business, and I believe that the police should be called in wherever there is evidence of "curse removal" or similar scams going on. I want to see hoaxers hammered - hard. But if we were to apply the same broad-brush tactics to medicine or psychiatry, we'd be closing down hospitals willy-nilly just because of the presence of a few quacks. In my personal experience with the medical establishment and with psychics, I have to say I have encountered as many frauds and quacks in medicine as I have in psychic fairs.

Canada has a federal law dating back to the 1800's outlawing "witchcraft", which forbids anyone from "pretending to tell the future". In Canada, it is rare that there is any attempt to enforce it. Periodically fundamentalists invoke that law to try to get psychic fairs and businesses shut down. I was present at on fair in Calgary, where the week before we'd been forced to get "fortune teller" licenses at $200 a pop. Then the police reluctantly showed up to try to shut the show down, with a small gaggle of placard-waving protestors behind them. The irony was not lost on police that we had city-issued licenses for the activity they were wanting to shut us down for. We put up signs saying readings were for fun and entertainment purposes only which satisfied the police, and the issue was dropped.

Even though the situation was resolved amicably, the repulsive law remains on the books in Canada, and it is periodically dragged up by religious groups or skeptics to harass psychics. If this law outlawed any other religious belief and forbade "prophecy", there would be an outcry across the country. But it is still okay to persecute "witches" and those who would pursue faith and spirit independent of an organized faith. Psychics beware ... Salem is not that long past us.

Another "Hit" on Coast to Coast AM

2007-04-25T22:12:00.000-07:00

"I think the Dow will go to over 14,000 this year" - Shawn David Morton, earlier this year on Coast to Coast.

So far the "Coast Psychics" have a pretty good hit rate. I am finding it impressive, even if I know most skeptics won't. I have also started some discussions with some other psychics who are not wild about my "prediction versus forecast" position. But I don't think they are understanding what I am saying. Most of those who have taken issue with what I said feature "predictions" heavily as part of their work. But when I really read what they are doing, they are in fact "forecasting", at least for the most part. I'm only taking them to task for their choice of language. I'd like to see us be more precise about what it is we claim to do. There are some limitations to foresight. What works well are overviews of conditions in the future. What works less well are predictions as to the actual manifestation those conditions will trigger.

"I think the Dow will go to over 14,000 this year" is pretty specific. It's probably based on two things - one being Mr. Morton's knowledge of remote viewing, and the other his understanding of the markets. Someone like Mr. Morton can take the symbolic impressions common to psychics and remote viewers and make an educated assessment (some psychics did not like my use of the word "guess") as to how the energy behind those symbols will manifest.

One of the challenges for beginners and professionals alike is taking the symbolic language of psychic ability and translating that into the expected manifestation. For example, one time I had two clients with strong transits in their fifth houses of their astrological charts. One got pregnant, and the other started a new business (daycare as it happens). Recently I have had a strong transit in the 5th house, and I recently decided to sponsor a child through Children International, plus I have been cranking out one painting after another. All these things feature children and creativity, the hallmarks of the 5th house. But as we are very different people, we all used that same energy in very different ways.

It's my position that we will continue to face irrational and energetic skepticism until we can come to an agreement as to just what it is psychics claim to do. When we focus on our "predictions" without explainging the process to our clients and the media, we reinforce the idea that we are making claims we can't support. I feel a small change in our language would help illustrate the difference between "predictions" and "forecasts", and that would help us all.

On the other hand ... I am secretly rooting for the Coast Psychics. The better they do, the more clear it becomes that we're not all crazy after all.

Dr. Evelyn Paglini makes two solid hits on Coast to Coast

2007-04-20T22:50:00.000-07:00

April 21, 2007 - Tonight on Coast to Coast with Art Bell, who was filling in for George Noory, psychic Evelyn Paglini was brought in to talk about successful predictions she has made on previous Coast shows. She had been on the show March 31 where she predicted that "the pet food problem will continue to spread" and that "children killing children ... will escalate". There were references to a disaster worse than Columbine, and people jumping out of windows in her earlier prediction.

"This was one time I did not want to be anywhere close to being right," said Paglini. "I started picking up this evil presence back in November. We're going to see more carnage and more horror. There is a non-human evil at work here."

She said this evening that she foresees another similar event that will include explosions. She also sees a horrendous killer heatwave, blackouts, and power-outages in the USA and Europe. There will be a "number of arson fires in the West that will be worse than usual. She sees a couple groups doing planning, who are "intentionally setting fires [CNN reports the "Witch Fire" (interesting name for it) in Santiago County was deliberately set, October 24] . A deadly flu outbreak will be unleashed, there will be panic, but they will ultimately find a treatment. There will be a "contaminant found in canned human foods. There will be flooding in India.

"You will have this year more shootings in schools ... with guns and with explosives."

Major Ed Dames - Coast to Coast AM Predictions April 02, 2007

2007-04-02T01:32:00.000-07:00

My one pet beef with what I call "Media Psychics" is the focus on predictions. I wonder about the ethics of making predictions for a number of reasons. First, there seems to be little if any accountability. Nobody is really doing any serious tracking or oversight of how accurate they are. Second, I have noticed that it seems to be the more sensational and negative psychics who make it on the air (the subject of today's blog being a prime example). Finally, I wonder about the usefulness of predictions altogether. One reason I got out of doing readings is that was the item of biggest interest to my clients, and of least interest to me. I believe the future is always in motion, a change of mind can change the world. A healthy mind stays focused on the only moment that matters: right now.

I do recognize that most of my audience doesn't share those concerns <g> ... you love predictions. So I figured it would be interesting to log the predictions and statements of popular psychics here for posterity, so we can all have a look at them in the future. I also decided to have a little fun on my blog with my favorite radio show, Coast to Coast AM. They often have psychics and remote viewers on, they tend to feature some of the more popular and famous psychics on a fairly regular basis. I was thinking it would be fun to review the shows that feature psychics and psychic topics like remote viewing and consciousness. I can't promise to review each one of these appearances, I don't listen every night ... okay I DO listen every night, but I foresee the possibility that one night I might not be able to do so.

Major Ed Dames - Coast to Coast AM Predictions April 02, 2007

Ed Dames is a well known "remote viewer" whose main focus seems to be end-times prophecies, finding lost items and generally scaring the willies out of his audience. His nickname is "Doctor Doom", and for good reason, his predictions are almost exclusively about disasters. I am not going into some of the past predictions they went through on the show, I will focus only on the new predictions he is making.

This time, Ed predicts:

Worldwide damage to wheat and grass crops Update April 16, 2007 on Coast with Art Bell - Apparently there is a new variety of wheat rust fungus spreading in Africa, which meets the outline as Dames predicted.

Honey Bees will become extinct soon (there are already reports of them disappearing, nobody knows why). He believes intense UV radiation is blinding them, that they are starving to death.

We are facing a barren planet within 50 years. Quote "We are going down". He recommends people look into underground self-contained habitats.
Plankton in the ocean will die off.

There will be a nuclear reactor accident in Russia, another Chernobyl-like release of radiation.

A space shuttle will be forced to the ground by a meteor shower then there will be a massive solar flare Ed calls "The Kill Shot" that will take out most life on earth.

There is an alien race on earth watching us, helping with the ozone level. One of his working groups is working on contact.

The US will not get to Mars, the Russians and Chinese will make it first.

Casini may not be able to photograph it, but there is one of the deepest canyons in the solar system on Titan.

Once again Art Bell and Ed circled and danced around each other on the issue of free will. Ed Dames believes in free will "on some level" but does not believe that the things he sees in remote viewing sessions can be changed. I firmly disagree with this assertion. Far too many times I have clearly foreseen a specific outcome, related it to a client and had them change their path for the better. This is of course another reason why I am not a huge fan of predictions, especially as given by negative fatalists. I agree with art. I see no benefit to knowing a future that I cannot change.

The danger with predictions is in taking them too seriously and too literally, both faults I have found with his process. Whenever I listen to Ed Dames I am reminded of one psychic I used to know in Vancouver who was forever predicting the fatal earthquake that would dump the city into the ocean. Every time she had a vision though, it was right before another blow up with her abusive husband.

The "earthquakes" never happened for Vancouver, but the earth was definitely shaking in her dysfunctional home. I learned to stay away from her family for a few days whenever she'd have another vision. I tried to point this out to her, but she was convinced that eventually these predictions would pan out. I have not seen her for nearly 15 years, but Vancouver is still there, last time I checked. Eventually she will be right, after all, Vancouver is part of the Ring of Fire, and earthquakes are not uncommon there. But her visions are not about the ground shaking, they are metaphors for part of her life she wants to remain in denial about.

Ed Dames might protest that this process does not apply to him - after all, it's not just him seeing these things, he has large numbers of students seeing the same thing. Fair enough, and time will tell. Some of his previous predictions have come true. But remember also that like attracts like. People who have similar talents, biases and issues are going to be drawn into his inner circle. I remember when I did readings, I would attract one person after another to my booth who had the exact same "stuff" going on in their lives that I did. In the "Psychic Circle" we noticed that we would all do it. The reader with the breakup would attract the lonely hearts. I would attract the prosperity-seekers. There would be exceptions, but the rule held about 90% of the time. I got to figure out what issues I was overlooking by watching the themes people brought to me as clients. I believe that the Dames project teams are reading as much off him as they are each other, and this is coloring the results they get.

Be careful what you wish for

2007-03-22T23:22:00.000-07:00

For a long time i believed i never had a gift. my nan, aunty, mum and sister all do. but i never showed any signs. I wished and wished for something to happen and now it has i cant control it. it started with a dream. i had spent the whole evening wishing that i could be "special" to, when i fell into a very deep sleep i dreamed that my nan who has been dead for 9 years now came and told me i had a gift i was shutting it out because i was afraid of what it ment. and that when i woke my life would never be the same again. now all i see is reflections of people i dont no. but yet when i turn no one is there. ill be sat in my bedroom when i will go cold and my body starts to tingle. now ive got the gift i dont no what to do with it i dont no what these poeple want. did i make a big mistake by wishing for something i cant handle. is my nan punishing me for wanting more than
what i already had. please help me.

k

Dear k,

There are quite a few people I think have indeed asked for something they weren't ready for where it comes to psychic abilities, but I don't know if that is the case for you. Your gift might have developed exactly as it has, regardless. The women in your family have the gift, it runs in families, chances are good that you would have developed it anyway. What happened in the past isn’t important. You can't change that, so there is no point in worrying about it. What matters is, what are you going to do with it now?

I think you are a bit nervous because you are realizing now that with power comes responsibility. But what you may have overlooked is that the first responsibility is for yourself. It doesn’t matter what anyone else wants you to do. What matters is what you really want to do. I noticed something in your email – often when you refer to yourself as “I” you use a lowercase “i”. Why are you trying to make yourself small? Think about that for a while, it may be related to the confusion you are feeling right now.

One thing I am pretty sure of, and that is I don’t think your nan is punishing you. In fact, I'm sure she just loves you and she’s just trying to help you with this – her words right true, don’t they? You asked for this, and now you are trying to shut it off. Your trying to shut it off is what is causing the problem. So the solution is to find a way to positively express this gift you asked for. Start keeping a journal. Do the daily “grounding” and “white light” exercises. You are so blessed to have others in your family who have the gift, learn what you can from the women in your family who share the gift. Learn what you can from the library, from web sites like PsychicProtection.net.

As for the visions you are having of strange people, don’t assume they necessarily have a huge amount of importance just yet. You are in the early stages of learning about your abilities, and the worst thing beginners do to themselves is to blow these experiences out of proportion. I did that at first, and now I know that I scared myself for no reason whatsoever. Most psychic experiences are ordinary, mundane experiences. It’s just another way of communicating, it’s only that in our culture people don’t talk about it openly. I wager that most of the people you are seeing are people who have passed on who are looking for mediums to talk to. Have you ever seen the movie “Ghost”? The Patrick Swayze character was wandering around after he died, trying to find someone to tell his lady how much he loved her. Most of the time when I see spirits, it’s something similar. Tell them you want your space, that they are only to contact you when you are ready for it. Tell them to go into the light, to pray for guidance, or to find someone else with more experience than you, until you are comfortable enough with your gifts to be able to discern their intentions and find the right way to help them.

Once you realize that this is nothing to be worried about, it will just become something you take for granted. You might decide to become a professional psychic, but you could also decide to become a highly intuitive doctor or lawyer instead. It doesn’t matter what anyone else wants you to do with this gift, it is yours to play with. Follow your heart.

My sister is tortured by evil demons.

2007-03-20T19:28:00.000-07:00

My sister is tortured by evil demons. How can I help her or how can she herself get rid of them? It has been going on for years. Doctors have diagnosed her w/ all different things. She thinks she has schizophrenia and multiple personalities. Here are a few things I have seen. I have seen her as herself, I have seen her at times where a "black shadow" crosses over her and she begins talking about horrifying things to scare/ depress herself and people around her. She never leaves her house. She is not able to take care of herself - shower, dress. She absolutely hated my Christian pictures at my house-- sacred heart, last supper..bad things happen when she is around-- my daughter's dog got hit by a car when she was at my apartment, I have lost many things financially and personally. It is like grieving one death after the next. Her husband has not left her, but he has become an alcoholic. Her son never leaves the house and has dropped out of high school w/ one year left to graduate. It is what is inside of her that is affecting everyone and she does not see it. I don't know how to approach her on it but, I have to sooner or later because I will not have her inside of my house. She needs to know. Also, since it has been years and lots of doctors and she is just getting worse. The doctors prescribe meds and she does not take them right and also when she does take them, she drinks alcohol w/ it and she has taken up chain smoking 3-4 packs/day. I think it may have been ouija board, tarot cards when she was a teen. Also, she had neighbors (25 yr ago) that were involved with some type of devil worship. She is not a spiritual person. I have seen her change within seconds -- her whole face and then she is all gloom and doom -- the sky is falling kind of thing. I have recently found a medal of St Benedict. I think that may have been an enlightenment or confirmation of what I believed to be going on. If it were a medical thing, then she should have been getting better over the years, but she is getting worse by the day. I think her husband is planning on leaving her so she has to get herself together quick. I don't think that I can help her since I am her sister, and I don't know how to tell her that she needs spiritual help-- she will most likely think I'm crazy. Any thoughts??

V

Dear V:

I'm not a doctor, and I share some of your doubts about the medical establishment, but I do have some familiarity with schizophrenia. I have a second cousin who suffers from it, and have had encounters with others during the time I did psychic readings. It can get worse over time, in fact, that is common. It can be treated but there is no cure. It will get worse for certain if she does not stay on her medication, and most of the meds have really awful side effects, many schizophrenics can't handle them.

As a psychic, I believe that schizophrenia can be both a medical and a spiritual problem at the same time, the "causes" are not necessarily mutually exclusive. I believe that schizophrenia can, and often is, a sign of a torn or broken aura. Most schizophrenics are incredibly psychic when they are lucid (and sometimes more so when they are not). There are some doctors who are beginning to believe that some of the visions schizophrenics have may have a basis in reality, or that they tap into the dream space in a waking state. They just can't "shut down" and stay grounded. If this is her problem, she isn't going to get herself together "quick". She will need all the support she can get, but she may not make that easy for you. You could try talking to her doctor(s) - they will not share any confidential information with you about her, but they may be able to offer you some advice for dealing with her. If you can't do that, speak to your own doctor. Get more information on this side of it.

I do feel negative entities can be attracted by Ouija boards, but I have seen no evidence of that with Tarot. I've used them myself for over 20 years with no negative effects. I have report after report of negative experiences with Ouija, though. I think the reason for this is that Ouija is designed specifically to invite comment from spirits, where that is not the case for Tarot. It's a bad idea to play with Ouija - we would never think of inviting strangers into our homes, but that is exactly what the Ouija does on the spiritual level. No wonder there are so many horror stories. At the same time though, it is rare that negative entities hang around long if everything else is well. If there is a negative spirit around her, it's not about these tools, or her exposure to negative neighbors, it is about choice. If it is true that she is possessed, then on some level she let this in, and she is going to have to be the one to decide she wants to overcome it.

That's also true if the problem is medical. Either way, she is a grown woman, and her negativity is destroying her life and her family. I am certain that you are right about one thing here: She needs to know how you feel about this. The question is, how do you approach her? Have you spoken to her husband? Other family members? Can there be a loving intervention where everyone encourages her to get some help? The same concern can be expressed without quite as much risk of a counter-productive reaction if you leave your religious suspicions out of the conversation. Just tell her that her mood swings and negativity are affecting her relationships, and that you are worried about that.

Use "I" language: "When I am worried all the time how other people will react, when I am constantly treading on eggshells, when I cannot be sure from one moment to the next how someone will react, I feel fearful and unsafe. When someone around me is always negative, that brings me down. I feel that this negativity is affecting many areas of our lives. I'm afraid you may lose the people who love you the most." Use your own language, but try to be specific about how you are affected by her behavior. Don't focus on the behavior itself. That will come across as blaming and shaming, no matter how sincere your faith and love for her.

As for your religious concerns, I recommend you speak to a priest. The Church is very careful of confirming demonic possession, I understand it is actually a very rare thing that they do exorcisms, and I have not heard of one done on someone without their willing participation. He may have ideas in addition to mine, but I suspect he may say that until she is open to receive help, the most you can do is pray to God for healing for her, and strength for yourself. I do not encourage people to pray for specific outcomes, such as "Please God, drive the evil spirits from my sister" ... why? I sometimes tell the story of one case where my mother was praying for me to go back to church, and I ended up with awful nightmares and headaches. Things got a lot worse until I figured out what she was doing, and asked her instead to pray that "God's will be done". Things changed for the better immediately. I have had other experiences that have taught me to always ask before I pray for others for a specific outcome. Whether it is prayer, meditation, healing or visualization, we should do nothing for others without their express permission. As hard as that may be to hear, as much as your heart is in the right place, it isn't right to put your will over hers.

If you are not sure how she will react, if there is a chance of reaching her, and you still want to raise it with her, you might get better results from her by "asking" instead of "telling" ... "Do you ever wonder if there might be a spiritual component to this? What are your beliefs? How can I help you? Do you mind if I pray for you?" ... gently ask her to share her experiences and beliefs and listen to her without judgment. What she tells you will be a guide to ways you might open up a dialog. If you tell her blunt outright that you believe she is possessed, you might drive her away at best, at worst, if she is schizophrenic, you could trigger symptoms she is not showing (you said nothing about demonic voices telling her to do bad things, for example).

What you can do for sure is be a loving example to her while you also protect yourself and your family. Since your faith is important to you, I would start with prayer. Pray for God's strength and guidance. Ask for angels to protect you and your family. Light white candles. If you are Catholic, you should be able to get some holy water from your church - sprinkle it around the house in a counter-clockwise circle, and command any negative entities to leave in the name of Jesus Christ. Salt will also work (I'd do both). After you do this, do a prayer of gratitude for the protection you will be sent. Light a candle and walk around the house clockwise as you ask God to send in a spirit of peace and love to fill your home (never just cast things out - don't leave an empty space for them to come back to). After you do this, after any visit or call from her, and whenever you fear that something negative is around, command it to leave, and immediately focus on something loving and positive. Negative entities feed off fear. Show them love, they will run from that.

Turning Psychic Abilities Back On?

2007-03-16T21:04:00.000-07:00

I need help. I have been told through all my life that I block my gifts and that this is the reason for all of my problems. I sometimes feel like I am going crazy! I pray hard on it and I had a dream that said this last night "he is a fool who has gifts and ignores them for he will never be where he should be in life." My problem is, I have NO IDEA how to turn them back on! Can you help me?

P

Dear P,

Wow, that is awesome! That is some of the wisest and deepest advice I have heard come out of a dream. You are so blessed! I love when I have an answer come that clearly in a dream. I would start with an expression of gratitude for your guide, angel or higher self, whomever sent you this amazing gift of love. The Law of Attraction says that gratitude is a huge factor in getting more of what you want, and I want more wisdom like that, don’t you?

The greatness of that gift is also evidence that you haven’t turned off your spiritual gifts altogether. The truth is that nobody ever really does, even those of my readers who most desperately want to. The best we can truly achieve is to stop fearing it, to accept it … or to ignore it. Even when we can do that, it’s like putting a kink in a garden hose … eventually that energy starts leaking out, and sooner or later something will burst into a watery, emotional mess.

I have done the same thing you did. And for a while, I really felt like I had shut it off, but the ironic thing was once I got to that spot, I felt lost without it. After attending The QuinnTessential Experience though, I reconnected with my intuition, and my spiritual and creative gifts have been stronger than ever. The people I normally connect with, I seem connected to in deeper, more intimate ways. Those I did not connect with before, or who were harmful in my psychic space, no longer have much effect on me. The QuinnTessential Experience class isn’t aimed at psychics, it is a personal growth seminar, but what I learned there was more helpful to my psychic growth than any of the psychic lessons or mentors I have had. If you can’t get to that class, one of their facilitators James Roswell Quinn has written a book (first edition edited by yours truly - don't be thrown by the title ), and any of the teachers of "The Secret" and might offer some value (though their classes are pricey). What I know now was that the trouble wasn’t that my psychic gift was out of whack … my attitude was. Once I discovered I had a choice how I react to things, so many other things fell into place on their own, including my relationship to my psychic abilities.

My book is called "Living With Your Psychic Gifts" and not "Turning Off Your Psychic Gifts" for a reason. Really what I have been advising people to do is not to block their gifts entirely, because, as you have learned, that isn’t healthy either, but to bring themselves into balance and acceptance with it. Still, the focus has been on "turning things down". That’s why I am working on a follow-up book. I finally have a new title, thanks to my friend Chris Cuciurean, called "Listening to Your Intuition". I hope you will subscribe to the blog or my mailing list, so you will learn of it when it comes out. In the meantime, the key is to start listening. Start paying attention. Don't set any immediate goals - just watch what happens. And ironically, for the most part, my advice for you is not all that different from the advice I give to people who are trying to block their gifts. The two most important are: Meditate daily, and keep a journal of your experiences – especially of your dreams.

Sylvia Browne Controversy

2007-01-26T21:35:00.000-08:00

I have been seeing a lot of stories about Sylvia Browne’s wrong prediction about the kidnapped boy who was recently found alive. Sylvia Browne has been wrong before, most notably on the Coast to Coast Show during the mining disaster.

This time however, Sylvia Browne has said "I cannot possibly be 100% correct in each and every one of my predictions. I have never claimed to be." Fair enough. Mediums and psychics are not perfect. We're human, we make mistakes. Just because she made a couple mistakes, that does not mean she doesn't have a legitimate psychic gift. There are odd times when I can't connect with certain people and situations ... yet most of the time it is clear to me that there is more than coincidence or “good guessing” at work in my intuition. I give Sylvia Browne the benefit of the doubt. In her many media appearances she has often had some stunning “hits”. These particular “misses” were tragic. The most recent case was obviously painful to this boy’s family, and it’s fair to ask if such emotional and tragic situations should be explored in the informal setting of a television show. This is one reason I don’t do informal “readings” when I make media appearances.

It is reasonable for the press to ask if a psychic has a real gift or not. I always knew within a few minutes into a reading when I was "on" or "off". It was obvious to me and to my client. When watching Sylvia Browne, John Edwards and James Van Praagh, I have always been struck by how certain they all seem, how direct they are, and how they all seemed to tell, not ask, at least most of the time. I believe they all have real psychic abilities. I have questioned some of that certainty though. Is it reasonable to bluntly tell a kidnapped boy’s parents that you feel he is dead, so matter of fact? Right or wrong, there are gentler ways to release that kind of impression. I did face this challenge once myself, with the parents of a missing boy. I described where I felt he would be found. I told them I could not connect with him, and felt he was likely in spirit. I could not be certain he was alive or dead, but I could not give them false hope. It was probably the hardest reading I ever did. In the end, I was right, but being right brought no comfort. In cases like this, I think Syvlia Browne would agree, most psychics would be glad to be wrong.

It is also reasonable for the media to question the fees of “top tier” psychics. I don’t advertise “readings” anymore, I rarely do them. I think a reasonable fee is $30-60 for a short reading for most psychics. Then again, most psychics are not best-selling authors who are on television regularly and who are swamped with requests for private readings. I don’t know what Sylvia Browne’s satisfaction policy is, but during my time as a consulting psychic, I offered a money-back guarantee, and during that time I could count on one hand the number of clients who asked for refunds. I encourage consumers to ask about these policies before they agree to any reading. Psychics do deserve to be paid for their time, celebrity brings a premium, but I think the bar for satisfaction should be higher when the fee is $700 for 20 minutes.

I do wish the media would question more whether or not the psychic is taking advantage of people, creating a cult-like following. I worked towards empowering my clients to make their own decisions, rather than depending on me. At times I turned away clients when it seemed obvious they were becoming dependent upon me. If my personal belief system was at odds with a client's religious beliefs or their own intuitions, I stepped aside. I did not and do not want to have a "following". My goal is to not to build a following, it is to encourage leadership and personal responsibility. When I see famous psychics starting up their own religions and telling others that they should not trust their own visions if they are not in accord with the famous psychic … I start to get incredibly uncomfortable.

I’d also like to see the media take a closer look at the “skeptics” they drag on their shows whenever a high-profile psychic attracts their cynical attention. I am particularly concerned about CNN's affection for James Randi, and their unquestioning acceptance of his claim to be making a legitimate offer of an award of one million dollars for proof of the paranormal. There is a good analysis here of why this test is deliberately designed to be unwinnable, yet none of the mainstream media I have seen so far have challenged Randi on his claim. The mainstream media continues to give this so-called “skeptic” a pass even though his own methods fall far short of the scientific method.

Brandi

Praying for Deliverance

2006-12-28T23:24:00.000-08:00

I was listening to parts of last night's Coast to Coast, my favorite radio show. It was a strange repeat show featuring Kathleen Keating, a writer who mixes Biblical and contemporary prophecy into a fearful message that apparently is extremely popular. I could not bear to listen to it all, it was all so negative and toxic. But at one point, I was struck by yet another pundit making the assertion that if one wants to be delivered from spiritual tribulations or visions that all one needs to do is "Pray in the name of Jesus". Yet another Christian pundit making the incredible assertion that this "always" works ... "immediately".

Umn, no. It doesn't.

I am always shocked by this assertion. I am a child of a fundamentalist Pentecostal/Baptist family, "born again" since the age of six. As someone who suffered greatly from sleep paralysis and terrifying visions and dreams for two years after my initial psychic awakening, I prayed with great fervor and sincerity for Jesus to deliver me, night after night. Not once were these desperate prayers answered "immediately". Many times I would be frozen, beset by terrible visions, vibrating and paralyzed, literally mentally screaming for help in Jesus' name, only to eventually awaken, exhausted and terrified, certain only that the next night I'd be stuck in the same spot once again.

I am not the only (now former) Christian who has deeply and sincerely prayed for Deliverance without success over a period of years. My readers' emails regularly feature terrified pleas for help from people of any number of faiths who have prayed and prayed for deliverance without relief. Most are convinced they must be possessed or worse, and they feel so alone. Some have gone to their Church begging for help only to be turned away. I was profoundly insulted at the repeated suggestion by others at the time that I was possessed, not sincere, or worthy of God's compassion, or that I somehow had "asked' for this by listening to rock music or reading the wrong books. I finally got scared enough to confide these visions and dreams to my mother, who dragged me off to her Church the next day. I am sure she had no idea what the sermon would be ... it was "Visions and Dreams, God's Way of Communicating". It was only after this that I finally discovered someone at a "new age" book store, who took me seriously and offered guidance, that I was able to finally get these "Experiences" under control. I now teach some of those techniques through my book and web site.

It's irresponsible to tell people that any method of spiritual protection or deliverance will "always" work. Certainly the prayer method works a great deal of the time, perhaps even most of the time. My prayers were answered after all - just not as I expected, and not immediately. I think my methods are successful most of the time, but how am I to judge? Those who fail aren't likely to respond to someone who speaks with the authority of the Bible. If you admit your prayers in such desperate spiritual circumstances are not answered, the knee-jerk reaction is to blame the victim. You must be possessed. You must be praying wrong. Are you living a "Godly" enough life? Nobody wants to simply question the automatic efficacy of such prayers.

I recall as a child being told that "demon-possessed" people could "never" resist the power of prayer in the name of Jesus. We were told often if we only had the stones to go pray over the "heathens" (especially psychics, and "witches") that they would immediately be struck dumb. Many years later, as I worked in psychic expos and other public places (and had thus become the worst kind of heathen an apostate psychic), I frequently encountered people who believed this. There was more than one occasion where some preacher or wannabee came to pray over me in the name of Jesus in some rather spectacular and usually attention-grabbing manner. It never managed to shut me up. In fact the only thing I noticed was the additional attention seemed to be good for business. One time, one poor fellow commanded the imaginary demons to "I command you to be silent and leave in the name of Jesus". I had noticed the local rent-a-cops coming up silently behind him (security at that place liked me, I think). I responded "I command you to be silent ... and leave in the name of Security." I think he turned white when he turned around to see the two hulking giants behind him, their arms crossed over their broad chests, handsome faces drawn in scowls. He'd drawn a small crowd, who burst into applause as he was escorted off the property. It turned into the best day I had for business all winter.

I just find it impossible to accept that God has some weird cosmic game that He's playing with us. If we don't all pony up to the collection plate and say the "right" prayers to the right deity, if we doubt, if we use our God-given intuition, we're all going to be hell roasted in a terrible apocalypse ... all for God's benefit? How does any of this abominable collection of ideas glorify God? How does fear glorify God? Why does God need to fulfill these abominable prophecies to prove His worth for worship? Isn't creating the entire, glorious Universe enough?

It seems blasphemous to me to suggest that God is glorified by fear. It sells books, puts bums in pews, and makes for great radio ratings, but God is glorified by love, not fear. Simply stepping outside of my fear was the most important thing that I did to stop my terrifying visions and dreams. Twenty years later, I almost never have sleep paralysis. When it happens it is rare, and only occasionally fearful, and I can almost always trace those moments to times of stress and change. Sometimes I still have visions and dreams, but they are never as terrifying as they were. Faith can be a wonderful and life-affirming thing. By all means, pray to Jesus for deliverance from unwanted psychic experiences if you are a Christian (heck, even if you are not). It can't hurt anything, and it may help. It probably will help. But don't bang on yourself, don't let fear take your heart if it does not help right away.

What is wrong with me?

2006-12-07T21:02:00.000-08:00

Ever since a couple of years I have been feeling out of place in this world. It started with an extremely low energy level accompanied by tremendous migraines. Then the nightmares started. Horrible dreams, starting with eyes looking at me from inside my own mind or head. Also I started seeing a dark shadow appear in my bedroom. I think have been attacked in the middle of my dream by that same large dark shadowy figure on another occasion, who tried to suffocate me by covering my entire body with darkness. But at the same time I'm not sure if it was a dream, because when I woke up I felt the same fear, laying in the same exact position as in my dream.

Now that I have moved in with my fiancée in his country everything has gotten so wrong. Sometimes I think someone really hates me and wants things to go bad for me. I am seeing soooo many things a human shouldn't be seeing. I can't explain what those entities are. A man, clearly to me, walking through our hallway as we were both watching the television, but me being the only one seeing it. It was almost like the man was invisible (see-through) and yet he seemed familiar to me. It almost seem like I am a portal to everything and anything. Things keep walking in our home like it is theirs. Footprints, orangy glowy eyes, an invisible woman attacking in broad daylight as I was asleep (I was trying to fall back to sleep but I guess she didn't want me too), waking up in the middle of the night and seeing some doll staring at me from a corner in our bedroom, a dark very tall slim black shadow in our yard staring at me from the corner of our house. I tell you this all has been creeping me out. I am praying everyday and night. I try covering my body in light just a day ago. But still I sense a presence. Tension in my back, neck, migraines, fears and weird negative thoughts in my mind.

I know it must seem like I am psychic but I don't want to be. I don't really know what is happening to me. It is so confusing. I just want to go back to being an artist. I haven't been able to do so for years now. I don't know why. I feel like I have wasted so much time. I do not wish to see or hear things anymore. I also don't like crowds. People are so loud. It is almost like I can hear all their thoughts at the same time. I usually end up with a huge migraine while doing groceries and such. I seem to know things I could not possibly know. I don't know why. I am sorry about this email, but I needed to talk to someone who might actually be able to help me. I mean in case I am psychic??? Do you think that, if I would sprinkle salt around the foundation of our house, it would protect from evil entering? I keep having that thought in my mind but am scared it might be seen as witchcraft since I am Catholic. I hope you can help me Brandi. Best wishes and many thanks forehand.

CL

Well it seems to me you are not only psychic, you have some mediumship abilities. The salt may help, yes, and I can’t answer whether or not your church would see it as witchcraft or not, since most Christian churches tend to see virtually all of the psychic world (mistakenly in my opinion) through that lens. I'd ask your priest for guidance there first.

If that isn't satisfactory or it does not help (and in my experience with the church, it probably won't), then you may have some heavy soul-searching to do along with your psychic protection practices. What will you believe? Dogma? Or the evidence in front of your own eyes? I can't tell you what the Ultimate Truth is, but it makes no sense to me that a loving God would saddle you and me with these abilities and insights, and make using them a mortal sin. It makes far more sense to me that the church is simply afraid of things it does not fully understand and can't control.

If you want to get a real handle on these experiences, the first thing you will have to let go of is your fear. The way to do that is to have true faith in God. Trust that you will be protected from any spiritual harm. Remind yourself that while these spiritual beings have frightened you, they have not really harmed you – and nothing demonic can harm you spiritually without your permission (not to mention God's permission – and why would God permit that?)

Next, start keeping a journal. Write down what happens, and your reaction to it. When you feel fearful, surround yourself in white light, pray, read your Bible, distract yourself from these experiences for now. When you feel more comfortable and ready to explore further, consider reading my book. There are a lot more details there that will help you block out some of these unwanted experiences.

Brandi

Can everyone read my mind?

2006-11-22T19:55:00.000-08:00

I am 100% sure that everyone can read my mind... I discovered that this was happening after I ate magic mushrooms. I smoke alot of weed. Everyone reacts to my thoughts I was reading minds for a while I could hear everyone's thoughts in my head but that seemed to go away when I didn't smoke weed as much but everyone can still read my mind. I've asked my friends if they can read my mind but they just said no when I would be expecting something like no way you idiot what are you talking about you weird kid etc. If I call someone with my mind they look at me I have even told my dog to stand up and look at me in my head and it stood up and looked at me and gave me a very weird look almost like it was scared then I said sit in my head and it did. When police officers walk by I say in my head "I do cocaine" and they look at me and give me a dirty look. Please tell me what is going on.

Vanilla

Well I know one person who can't read your mind, and that is me. I can't speak for anyone else, but I am pretty sure other people can't read your mind either. The truth is that the best empaths and sensitives are only capable of picking up a general overview of your emotions and feelings, and certain details from your life. Sometimes they also get certain specifics about you or your life ... but nobody can "read your mind", like say Professor Xavier in X-men, for example.

Sometimes we think we know what other people are thinking, and we really don't. Let me share a funny story with you about that. I had just graduated from a personal growth class where one of my big issues was self image. I'm heavy and sometimes I feel unattractive. So if a gentleman makes an unpleasant face at me, I assumed he must be thinking that I am ugly. Just after taking that class, I was getting on a bus, and this fellow is getting off - and he makes a face at me. My first thought was "He must think I'm ugly", and all the work I'd done the week before flew out the window. Right away my spirits crashed. But as he got past me, I heard a funny sound ... the poor man let out a gigantic fart.

Everyone in the bus line chuckled, but for me, the laughter was in relief! He hadn't been thinking about me at all. He was just thinking "I gotta get off this bus before I let one go!"

In the case of the police, chances are you are staring at them, and they are simply staring back. It's your body language they are reading, not your mind. In the case of your dog and calling people, you may have some psychic talent - I would be careful how you use that. It's not good karma to make other people do what you want mentally, even in small matters.

If these feelings persist, you should share them with your family or your doctor, especially if you begin to have strongly negative feelings about other people's thoughts and intentions. I don't have any direct personal experience with mushrooms, but my understanding is they lower the barriers between our world and the psychic world, they do facilitate mystical experiences, but temporary paranoia is a not-uncommon side effect. Even though I believe marijuana is harmless and can have some beneficial uses, I recommend that all psychics and sensitives avoid drugs altogether. I believe they could be the real cause of most of what is troubling you right now.

Brandi

What is a "psychic"?

2006-10-21T01:55:00.000-07:00

Blessed Greetings.

What is a "psychic"? Is there anyone who is NOT a psychic?

I ask because of my experience with the biblical parable of Adam and Eve in Genesis.

My personal eperiences tell me that we are all created as perfect beings splashed with the paint of technical improvements upon Nature. This paint obscures the transparency that we once had wherein we saw into the Spirits of one another as a Natural mode of communication.

Once we have eaten of the poison fruits of technology and our physical vehicle of consciousness, the brain is polluted, splashed, our transparent windows to one another's Souls are clouded. We thus aquire the ability to lie; to deceive, and all fruits that go with it.

I believe we are all "psychic" at varying degrees of ability and recognition. I have found that in returning to Nature as closely as possible in what we build our Earthly persons with, our food and drink, the paint on the windows of our Souls begins to fade and we better and better, more and more, SEE into one another as planned and created.

What do you think Brandi?

In the Spirit of LOVE,
Tim

What is a "psychic"? That's an interesting question. The Mirriam Webster's definition is "a person apparently sensitive to nonphysical forces : sensitive to nonphysical or supernatural forces and influences : marked by extraordinary or mysterious sensitivity, perception, or understanding". I actually like this definition, it works for me.

I agree, most people are psychic to some degree. I have met few people who show absolutely no signs of empathy, intuition or an understanding that there is more to reality than we can grasp with our common senses. The only argument is to what degree these sensitivities are "real" or "imagined", how reliable they are, whether or not they come from a "God" or a "Devil". I feel the psychic abilities are tied to creative abilities. They function in similar ways. I have met few artists, writers, photographers or musicians who are not also intuitive, sensitive or psychic to some degree.

I don't know that I would use the word "polluted" because I believe our being physical is part of a natural cycle of development, rather than a curse or a "fall" ... but I wholeheartedly agree with your insight that humanity is confused. Sometimes I despair at how asleep we seem to be. But I do not blame that confusion on technology, rather I blame it on fear. We've been in this condition since history began ... there wasn't much technology around to confuse the mind in the Dark Ages, for example. Fear on the other hand, that has been our biggest enemy from the beginning.

The antidote to fear is love, and love is the root of empathy, which is, somewhat ironically, one of the psychic gifts. You are right that respect for nature is vital if we are to grow spiritually, and we defnitely suffer in modern times from lack of connection to the Earth. Yet I don't think we have to abandon technology entirely - clearly the psychic community has embraced computers and the Internet (we could not have had this discussion twenty years ago). There was a study recently that said the more educated you are, the more likely you are to believe in the paranormal. I see that as a positive sign. I believe that some technologies are vital to our growth as a species, especially the Internet. I see it as the beginnings of a neural network with the potential of eventual self-awareness. The question really is, are we using technology from a love-based perspective, or a fear-based one? It is from love that our answers will come.

Brandi

Am I psychic?

2006-10-16T00:03:00.000-07:00

I had a previous psychic tell me that I had abilities, I sometimes feel certain things and know stuff about people. How do I tap into this ability and make it stronger? Or am I even psychic? My older sister has the ability to see spirits and apparently so did my father. Appreciate your response. Thanks!

Gabby

It is not unusual for psychic ability to run in families. In fact it is common. I would talk to your other family members to compare experiences, if they are open to it.

As for improving your psychic abilities, the two most important tools I recommend are journal-keeping and daily meditation. The Oracle at Delphi said "Know Thyself" and this was universal wisdom. 90% of being a good psychic is getting out of your own way, letting go of the need to "perform", and just letting the wisdom flow through you.

Just keep writing down your experiences over the next little while. Then, as you confirm them, keep track of your "hits" and "misses". That will show you where your blind spots and natural affinities are. You may find your abilities work much like your sister's or dads ... but maybe not. Everyone has their own preferences that have as much to do with personality as they do with talent.

Another thing that is important, do learn how to ground, how to do the White Light Exercise ... learning psychic protection first and foremost is vital to your path to becoming a better psychic. Good luck!

Brandi

Phobia may come from past life

2006-08-22T19:14:00.000-07:00

I have been afraid of the dark for as long as I can remember. It began when I was just 3 years old and still continues to this day. I have asked my family if there was anything traumatic that occurred and no one can think of a thing except that I have always had this terror of going to sleep in the dark. I am rather Psychic and that does not bother me. I would just love an answer to this problem I have had all of my life and I wonder just what is the root cause.

I will elaborate a bit on the terror, I never knew where it came from but I knew that when I would go to bed in my room and the lights would go out, I would cover my head sure someone or something was in the room with me. My parents finally aloud a nightlight and when I was older, I slept with the TV on. I was just so afraid, terrorized and wanted someone to be in the room with me. The only common nightmare that I have had since I was very small was of a house, I see it vividly and it DOES has a pond in the back of it. I felt more like a parent in this dream, and just knew someone had drowned in that pond. As for past life's, I was born in 1968 and I am almost positive that my last life, if past lives are true, was as a soldier in Vietnam. I remember the smells, the sounds, the weight of my rifle, all of it. Then, I remember being shot and killed. I was nothing special, no hero, just an ordinary soldier. This was something I feel in my gut and since I am a female and was just a baby when Vietnam was ending, there is no way I could have known any of the things that are so real to me. I have always known that I had psychic powers of some type, I am not sure what to call it, it really is not typical. I have always known and read feelings and what is going on with others. I can feel others pain, this is only odd because I can literally FEEL their pain. To me, it is a very hot spot on their body. The other thing I have always known is when people were going to die. I know when my own death will be and how. It is not scary, it is just a normal part of life to me. I do not know if I really do believe in past lives or if it is just seeing things that happened before. I am open and interested in other views, simply because nothing I try makes sense.

RJ

The first impression I get, and it is rather strong, is of you being stuck down a well. It is possible that this is a metaphor for something that happened to you in this life that your family is either not aware of, or chooses not to tell you, but my strongest suspicion is that this is an affect of a past-life memory. There is a sensation of water, or at least dampness, and a lot of metal around you as well. Do you have any dreams or impressions of scenes like that? If so, I was just listening to Dr. Brian Weiss on Coast to Coast last night, and on his website you may be able to find a therapist who can hypnotically regress you so that you can retrieve more of the detail.

Psychiatrists say that this kind of phobia can be related to sexual abuse in childhood. But if there are no indicators of this whatsoever, I think the best route of attack is to try hypnotic regression. I have a feeling that will be where your answer lies. I could say firmly that I believe that it is a past life - but that will not make an impact on the problem until you feel it in your own heart. Dr. Weiss is one of the most respected practitioners in the field, I would get a referral from him and check it out.

As for your psychic abilities, it seems to me you are both a healer and an empath. Different abilities can combine like this, it isn't uncommon. The heat you feel is the movement of the healing force through you. Let it happen! Set an intention that you will heal them, see positive white or rainbow energy flowing from you into them. Read Hands of Light and other healing books. The world needs more healers!

Brandi

Positive Versus Negative Energy

2006-03-08T01:27:00.000-08:00

The new issue of Successful Spirit! webzine is available online. They have some interesting new writers and articles. If you would like to view the zine
click here.

My friend Anne James recently recommended a cool web site to me, TUT... A Note from the Universe. Really nifty daily inspirational emails, well worth checking out.

Dear Brandi:

How do we differentiate whether we are affected by positive psychic energy or negative psychic energy. If we know this probably we will know for which to take action and which to left alone.

Secondly I have one recurring dream. Sometimes a public toilet full of stools everywhere and no water. I can't understand the meaning of this because I am not figure out the significance in my day to day life. I will greatful if you would answer these questions.

Thankyou,
J

It's not that hard to tell the difference between positive and negative spiritual influences. "By their fruits shall you know them". If you are being asked to take actions that are not the highest, most loving, or are controlling of others, or are not in line with your ethical standards, then clearly these are negative influences. If they urge you to be more giving, compassionate, to be of help or service to others, then they are positive. I always affirm when I work that only the highest, most positive energies and intelligences will come together for the highest good of all concerned.

A less clear line may come when deciding whether or not an intuition is legitimate or is wish-fulfillment or fantasy. This is a little harder to tell. I recommend keeping a journal over a period of time. After a while you will notice your own blind spots, and subtle feelings that you can come to count on that will tell you the difference between mental wanderings and real psychic influences.

I have to admit that is a very interesting dream! I think the meaning is obvious though. Water is always emotion. Bathroom dreams that are not related to physical problems in waking life are often related to "holding in" emotions.

Your subconscious mind may be looking for a way to let you know to relax, stop over-analyzing things, and let things happen instead of trying to force them. It could also be that you have a hidden health concern, if I were you I might discuss the dreams with my doctor, especially if they repeat, get more insistent, or if you notice any physical problems with the related areas of your body.

Brandi

The Gift Reality TV Show Looking for "Ordinary People" Psychics

2006-03-03T15:29:00.000-08:00

Have you ever thought of a TV show and turned on the TV and it was being re-run? Have you ever had a premonition of the future? Have you ever experienced dèjá vu? Have you ever picked up the phone to find it is the friend you were just thinking about.

Executive produced by Tony Krantz (24) and Victoria Holt, The Gift — a six-episode, one-hour weekly reality series — is looking for ordinary people with psychic gifts to appear on the show.

After testing the psychic abilities of people throughout the country, eight contestants will participate in what they describe as an emotionally intense "boot camp for intuitives." Finalists will compete against each other in a series of challenges devised by some of the world's top psychic professionals.

To apply to be a contestant on the The Gift, go to their web site. I recommend you read all the fine print - this won't be a glamorous walk in the park. You'll need a thick skin and I expect there will be lots of curve balls thrown at you. They don't say it but my psychic intuition tells me a guest shot with some of the typical "skeptic-debunkers" isn't beyond possibility ...

Anyway, it is an interesting idea. I think there will be some pretty cool surprises along the way. I hope they do teach some psychic protection along with whatever else they will be teaching. I have heard James Van Praagh will be one of the teachers, though they don't mention him by name on the site - and with him involved, it should be pretty good.

John Nemanic in Globe and Mail

2006-03-01T16:02:00.000-08:00

John Nemanic, my friend, co-author, and supporter was mentioned in the Globe and Mail today. I do not know how long this article will remain online (newspapers tend to like to archive older stories), but it is well worth reading if you can get in.

I worked for John as his personal assistant, media relations director, writer, editor and was iDirect's "abuse administrator" for a good 10 year stretch during the 1990's. It was John that introduced me to Ross Quinn and LifeStream (which IMNSHO saved my life). When I first met this guy, I though "He's going to change my life" ... and I was right!

My sites are all hosted at BlueGenesis, a subsidiary of Hostopia ... I highly recommend these companies if you are looking to host a site, or are interested in reselling web hosting services at any level, from small time to enterprise-wide. They can do it all.

Brandi

Is this dream precognitive?

2006-02-27T23:27:00.000-08:00

I had a very vivid dream that something horrible happened to my daughter. I just have this overwhelming sense of grief and loss. I wake up from the dream really upset & scared.

Now in real life my neighbor physically attacked my son in broad daylight. This was several months after I first had the dream. Now I am left wondering if my dream was a premonition of the incident with my son or if he is really going to try to attack my daughter.

A worried mom

It is hard sometimes to tell in advance whether a dream is precognitive or not. Every person has their own time cycles as well as their own level and type of psychic ability. In all but the rarest of cases, they tend to be symbolic rather than literal (transposing one loved one for another is not unusual). So without knowing your pattern, I can't really judge. With me, if my dreams or visions are precognitive, the events they forecast usually take place the next day or even within hours of when I wake up. I know others that it is always 3 days or 4 weeks later ... you can only determine that pattern over time, with a lot of journaling.

My own psychic impression is that it was actually about your son's experience, and you are fearful that it will repeat itself. From everything you told me, you have good reason to be concerned.

The stakes are simply too high to proceed any other way. There is still good reason to assume this man is still a threat. If you were 100% certain that this dream were precognitive, within reason, what would you do to prevent it? Go do those things. Investigate this man's criminal record. Fortify your family against any further interactions with him. Make plans with both children, make sure they know what to do "just in case". Consider placing both your children in some kind of self defense class, like Hapkido. Do anything else that you can to ward off the danger. The dream is only warning you of the dangers that are obvious. Criminals like this very often cannot stop themselves from repeating their offenses.

On the psychic level, I might try something like Love Bombing on a person like this. You meditate on something you love, or just on living intent in general, filling yourself up with positive and loving emotions (in this case, I would not focus on your children for this - you want to bring up non-specific loving feelings). Then, whenever you are ready, you beam them in your mind at the unreasonable person. Affirm that the energy will get where it needs to go. Then release any cords or connections with light and love, and ground yourself (touch the earth or dip your feet in cool water). It may also be a good idea to send gratitude "upstairs" next time you pray, thanking your Higher Power for the continued safety and well being of your loved ones.

Brandi

Mother Attacking Psychically?

2006-02-21T22:56:00.000-08:00

Have you ever heard of being attacked by something unseen while you are asleep? I don't know what to make of this, but this has happened to me 3-4 times over the years. It's very scary.

The first time it happened was over 24 years ago, on my wedding night I was asleep and knew I was asleep, but yet I couldn't move. I could open my eyes that was all. I felt something enormous sitting on my chest and I was having trouble breathing. I looked over and something unseen was taking all of my clothes out of my closet and throwing them at me ... also threw my wedding dress at me! I chalked the whole experience up to nerves, but I remember trying to scream or move ... but I couldn't.

Last night I was sleeping on my side and felt something attacked me. I felt it land on my back and dig into my neck and back. I couldn't move or scream out. It happened twice last night. I was afraid to go back to sleep.

The only common denominator that I can think of, is that this must have something to do with my mother. She wasn't invited to my wedding and hated me for it. She sent me letters spitting venom at the time.

Yesterday after malicious horrible emails over Christmas (to which I refused to respond) she called me and started on me again. I told her to LEAVE ME ALONE! And hung up on her. I can't let her near me, she will stop at nothing to destroy me. The whole experience yesterday left me shaking. Last night while I slept, I was attacked. I have never heard of this happening to anybody else.

In order to explain further you I have to tell you what I experienced as a child growing up. I have never met another person that could HATE like her. She used to beat on me but mostly my older brother. I used to stand there and witness her beatings, and the look on her face of pure HATRED........I felt it.......it was almost tangible it emanated so strongly from her. As a child I would have constant stomach problems, I lived on Alka Seltser! I know she is what Sylvia Browne calls a dark soul. She is also quite insane, but she hides it from others very well.

The whole thing scared the beejeezes out of me. This felt very real, not a dream. I swear I was awake and could hear my physical body's reaction to what was happening to me during the assault I was experiencing. Very rapid heart rate and sharp panting type breathing. I was trying to move even just a little and couldn't. I could see my husband sleeping soundly but couldn't move to wake him up! I was in terrible pain! What was this?

GB

Similar things have happened to me too ... and my experiences were very fearful, at least until I realized that it was my fear that was making it so scary. I know that sounds crazy, but once you accept these experiences you have a lot more positive ones, and fewer scary ones. If you look up "Old Hag Syndrome" and "Sleep Paralysis" in Google, you will discover that this kind of experience is actually quite common, but no one is really sure what it is, and people have only been discussing it openly for the past few years.

In your case, I think this is a combination of things. The symbolism of the clothing and the timing do seem to point to a psychic attack on your mother's part. It is possible you picked up the energy of her thoughts, and interpreted them as an attack, or that she actually did attack you on the astral plane. I feel it is obvious your mother was at least partly behind it. The symbolism and the timing is too obvious.

The part about being awake and not able to move sounds more like sleep paralysis, but the difference between the dream state, sleep paralysis experiences and astral experiences to me is only one of depth of consciousness - there are dream elements in all these experiences, but they are not all dreams. When you feel that "more than real" experience, you have gone to the astral level.

Astral experiences are similar to dreams, but they sometimes feel "more real" than "reality" - if you know what I mean by that, then it was an astral experience, not a dream. If you felt it was more like a dream but you were awake and unable to move, it could be sleep paralysis. I have that from time to time, and it is terrifying. It is considered a medical condition, not a psychic one, but it can have psychic components. I believe it is caused when the person has a partial out of body experience. My guides tell me they sometimes force me to stay in the body because my connection to physical existence is quite tentative. I stay out too long and I won't come back ... so they stuff me back in, and it is not always pleasant.

For now, pour some salt in the four corners of your home, if it is a house, and it is possible, get some sea salt and draw a circle around it. I say an affirmation like "May this circle bless all our comings and goings, and bar all harm from entering". If it happens again, dip your feet and hands in cold water, draw a mental circle of light around your home, and ask God or Jesus for protection (that never worked for me, but it's worth a try if you come from a Christian background). I sometimes say "Please send these energies back to their source with light and love." If you have any crystals (rose quartz is extra good for you right now), make sure you clear them on a regular basis (leave them overnight in sea salt).

I also recommend Love Bombing. You meditate on someone or something you love, filling yourself up with positive and loving emotions. Then, whenever you are ready, you beam them in your mind "at the source of your discomfort" - do NOT specify your mother, it is remotely possible this is not her! If you leave it up to them upstairs (God, Jesus, your angels or guides, whatever fits your faith) to deliver the energy it will get where it needs to go. Then release any cords or connections with light and love, and ground yourself.

The upshot to this method (besides the fact that it nearly always works, sometimes with a few repeats) ... YOU feel better, and it's "karma free". Sending nasty thoughts always comes back on you, like pissing in the wind. But sending loving thoughts can't hurt you. And the other party will get a jolt of energy that snaps them back on their feet. If they are truly evil, they tend to react like they were slapped in the face. If just misguided, I have seen some amazing attitude changes after a Love Bombing.

You don't sound crazy to me, and you are not alone. I have experienced far stranger things. I used to have these things almost every night. I would wake up screaming for Jesus to help me, I couldn't move, there was an awful roaring noise in my ears, these terrible vibrations ... the sensation was like having a finger stuck in a light socket. It was awful. In some cases, there were negative entities that tried to sexually and physically assault me. I thought I was crazy or possessed by the devil. Finally this fellow who owned a new-age store told me to put my feet and hands in cold water, and sent me to a naturopath who told me that these sounded like out of body experiences. That advice put me on the path to getting control of my life again. It probably saved my life. I was so frightened, trust me, I understand that fear! But now I know it is the fear that colors the experience - our imagination has a much stronger effect on the astral plane than it does on physical reality. If you are sensitive and okay with it, you'll have positive experiences, but if you are fearful, it will be a horror show. It's that simple. In your case, to top it off, you have a lot of family stress - so did I when mine first started, but my mother was a fundamentalist Pentecostal Christian. It's no wonder I thought I was being attacked by demons.

Things are very different now. I occasionally have the odd “sleep paralysis” experience, but as often as not, they are actually quite positive. They usually happen when I am under more stress or am worried about something. I have a lot more positive lucid dreams now too. Once I let go of the fear, my own and my mother’s, things changed a lot for the better. I actually miss having them as often as I used to, sometimes!

Brandi

Dove Symbol & Medium Question

2006-01-31T23:08:00.000-08:00

I fell upon your website looking for a reason why I was seeing a large gray white dove on my mirror in my bedroom with wings fluttering out as if taking flight. I really thought it was there it was detailed and real and then it was gone. It was right before I was about to turn my light off to go to sleep. It was so much more of an image than I usually get, so real. It is sticking with me and can't get a feel for it. Any symbolizing ?

Catherine

Doves are a universal symbol of peace, unconditional love and spiritual connection. In Christian iconography, it is an emblem of the Holy Spirit. So in visions, it can stand for the Holy Spirit, angels or guides, though it usually shows up as the white dove of peace. Gray is a color of confusion or uncertainty though, so in this case, I think your guardian angel or guiding spirit is trying to get through to you, and you are either uncertain of your visions or you have not been paying attention.

I really love Doreen Virtue's writings on angels. I highly recommend any of her books, especially the Connecting With Your Angels Kit or Divine Guidance : How to Have a Dialogue with God and Your Guardian Angels. In the meantime, I highly suggest that you start writing down your dream and vision experiences in a journal. Do daily or twice daily meditations. Just listen and pay attention to the messages, coincidences and impressions that come to you. Let me know what happens ... I would love to know what you see next.

Brandi

I have always had very strange experinces and learned I was a medium. I don't wanna be a medium. I wanna be something else. Is it possible to lose your gifts.

Andrew

I suppose it may be possible to lose one's gifts. I have heard of this on occasion. It's relatively rare, and usually happens when someone abuses their gifts for greed or power over others. There seems to be something like a "safety valve" built into most people to keep us from abusing others. However, this is not universal. I know of some pretty nasty people who have pretty strong psychic abilities. But I don't think this is what you are getting at. If I understand your question, you just don't want to be psychic at all. You want to "turn it off". Am I right about that?

Well, the tough answer is that there is no simple, quick and easy way to "turn it off" for most people. If I knew of a way to do that I could probably make a ton of money, because most of the folks who come to my site feel as you do. For every person who is searching the Internet looking for ways to boost their psychic powers, I think there are probably a dozen or so looking for a way to turn it off at will - and the faster the better. Unfortunately, turning it off takes some time and commitment. Because I won't fudge on that point, I think I sell a lot less books than I might do otherwise . You can try to ignore it, but it will sneak in, stronger and more insistent, until you start to pay attention. And if you give in to fear of it, sometimes the experiences get more insistent and frightening.

This may not be what you want to hear. It may sound strange to you. But if you want to come to peace with this, the first step is to accept it. The second is to embrace it. When you do that, the troubling aspects of it will change dramatically. It will turn from a curse into a blessing. If you start with journalling your experiences and meditating on a daily basis you will find that you gain a lot of peace of mind, and insights that you can use to greatly improve your life.

If you have other specific questions, or I have misunderstood your question, please let me know.

Brandi

Chills up my spine

2005-12-24T23:37:00.000-08:00

Hi Brandi and thanks for your time.

I need to know if the other side can reach me via chills up and down my spine.

I have had many experiences (mostly when I talk about the afterlife) where the chills come and seem to validate what I’m saying. So I’m curious if these are messages just for me.

Also, I am just learning of regression and want to try and learn about my past in order to perhaps cure myself of an ailment that may have carried over into this life. How do you feel about regression?

Are you able to guess what that ailment is???? If so, tell me.

SP

Chills up and down the spine are common experiences during spiritual contacts. Whether this is a reflection of fear or part of some kind of psychic sense has to be determined by each individual. But if you find this is common in your own case, pay attention when it happens. Make a note of it in your journal. You may find that you can count on it for one of the signs that spiritual activity is happen.

I believe that regression can be helpful in resolving both physical and emotional issues, I have heard of astonishing healings, but whether it is an actual reflection of a past life or not in every case is hard to say. I have had spontaneous past life recall. I do believe in past lives. I also find that some of the regressions I have witnessed seem to be strong metaphors for circumstances in the current life, and I believe that it is the current life where our primary focus should be. I would recommend that you look for someone who is a qualified hypnotherapist, however.

Can I ask you why you would ask me what your ailment is? I mean, I presume you already know, right? I really don’t get a strong connection to your ailment, sorry.

Brandi

What is my Path of Illumination?

2005-11-13T21:22:00.000-08:00

My life has been fairly 'normal', no great success or great tragedy but somehow I feel I am not really on the path of illumination that I am supposed to be on? Is this feeling accurate? And if so, can you give me some advice on what to do?

TT

I sincerely believe that there is no great mystery to the path anyone is “supposed” to be on. It is the path of your highest joy, your heart’s desire. There is no mystical career counselor up in the sky deciding Sally will do this, Thomas will do that, TT will be a (fill in the blank). And if that guy does exist, I doubt he wants us doing stuff we don’t enjoy.

Unfortunately, traditional spiritual teachings have given us this impression that we have a purpose designated by God for a life, a purpose that is somehow a mystery to us until we find it. And this mysterious purpose is supposed to involve a lot of struggle and sacrifice.

Poppycock. I agree with the ideas in “Conversations With God”. We are not born with a template of who we are “supposed” to be, along with a set of sacrifices we are supposed to make. Instead, it is more like a blank slate that we are supposed to fill in, through our own choices and desires. Life is not about finding meaning, it is about creating meaning. If we are given guidance, it is through our own intuition and feelings, the highest of these being love and joy.

I would not tell you what your higher purpose was, even if I thought I knew it. Because I believe that part of the purpose of your life is to believe in yourself, and have faith in your dreams. The ones you abandoned because others told you that you were not good enough, smart enough, talented enough or driven enough to succeed. If I or any other psychic were to do that, we might set you on a path of our choosing for you, rather than your own. I have had this happen in my own life, early on, when I met psychic after psychic with their own ideas about what my “purpose” was. Each one had a slightly different opinion. Finally I realized that there was no one thing I was supposed to focus on. They got the theme right, art, creative work, the Internet, psychic and intuitive work … but none of them really nailed it dead on.

I have also learned recently that in some things it is so much more powerful if you decide a thing for yourself, and this is definitely one of those kinds of questions. Sometimes though, that is easier said than done … I have met so many people whose dreams are covered by a layer of parental and social disapproval that they can’t see through. So I have created a tool for reconnecting with your heart’s desire. If you have a copy of “Living With Your Psychic Gifts” (www.psychicprotection.net) , look up the “Circle Meditation”.

Brandi

Family doubts

2005-08-29T22:48:00.000-07:00

Dear Brandi

I'm a hyper-sensitive empath and I work with a small group of other gifted individuals. However, my family is uber-Christian (Catholic), and non-sensitive, except possibly my father. My mother is completely shut to the idea, and thinks that I am completely full of it. Any ideas on ways to open their minds to it a bit? Also, any help on calming the telempathy and possibly helping develop a bit of telekinesis would be great! Thank you!

Hi there! I know the kind of struggle you are facing. My own family are all fundamentalist Pentecostal evangelical Christians, and believe it or not, I've found most Catholics are more tolerant and understanding of psychic abilities than most folks in my family.

I wish that I could provide some kind of magic wand to make your family understand you, but in all honesty that kind of magic is beyond my abilities. The best argument I have is to recommend that Christians have a good read through I Corinthians ... ask them what Paul wrote about the "Gifts of the Spirit". I believe he is referring to the kinds of gifts we call "healers, psychics and mediums", and he says these gifts come from God. But sometimes people are so stuck in their beliefs, they just can't accept an argument.

What I found helpful in dealing with some of my family members was to stop trying to change them, and accept them for who they are. That can be easier said than done. But James Roswell Quinn, in his book "Controlling Others for Love and Profit" (http://www.controllingothers.com) recommends a tool called the Trust Formula:

I love you and I accept you, even when I don't understand you

Whenever I find myself challenged by the intolerance or poor behaviour of others, I repeat this, quietly in my mind. Believe it or not, this simple techniques helps a lot!

Ironically, when we stop trying to control others, and learn to control our own reactions to them, they often make amazing changes for the better. If we try to manipulate them or make them change, they resist or react even worse (Quinn's book is kind of a play on words that way ).
Just focus on being yourself, and on accepting your loved ones as they are right now. Don't try to change them. Oddly enough, you may find that they come around. In the meantime, start keeping a journal. That way, if their minds do begin to open a little, you'll be able to back up some of your intuitions, and you will have all kinds of interesting memories to share with them when they are ready to hear about them.

On calming your empathic gifts, I highly recommend the "Centering" meditation in Quinn's book, done both morning and evening, again, journaling, and of course the meditations and grounding exercises in Living With Your Psychic Gifts.

On telekinesis ... that is a subject I find intriguing, but I have yet to see any demonstration of it outside of stage magic. The only suggestion I have is to practice visualization techniques, and some kind of regular daily meditation. I believe that telekinesis is possible on the astral plane, but I am skeptical about any practical application in conscious awareness.

Brandi

How do I leave the "Dark Side" Behind?

2005-06-05T20:28:00.000-07:00

Dear Brandi

Throughout my childhood I experienced a small handful of psychic experiences, though I always had a burning passion to learn about such a field. My family are devout Christians, however, and I quickly learned that these things were not to be spoken about.

This, however, I believe led me to rebel and try to explore. I don't know why, but I was drawn to the "dark side" of the supernatural. I don't believe this was a good thing. I dove heavily into that world, however, I found that I couldn't grow psychically. Losing interest in the psychic world, I grew increasingly depressed, and it led to a suicide attempt. Only after surviving that, I regained my lust for knowledge and growth.

So, I left the darkness and began on a search. I wanted to grow and learn, but books never worked and I didn't know anyone who could give me any guidance.

Now, I am here. Although I'm no longer involved in dark spirituality, I often find myself having very destructive thoughts. I have always been very reluctant to blame outside entities for one's actions and thoughts, though I do not know why I have such dark desires. Do you have any advice? I don't think I'll be able to open up my abilities until I want to use them for good.

JL

Wow, what a great letter! I applaud your thoughtfulness. You have already taken many huge steps to growth, and the first step I think you need to take next is to give yourself a huge pat on the back for that!

The next piece of advice I am going to give you may sound a little odd, because it does not really involve the psychic process at all. I am going to recommend a program I have attended called "LifeStream".

They have workshops in Toronto, Jacksonville, Columbus, Cincinnati and Rochester. It is worth flying up for it if you don't live close to one of these cities. I took the "LeaderShape" program recently as kind of a spiritual retreat/vacation. There are Lifestream links in both Canada and the US here.

LifeStream has been such a gigantic help for me in my own personal growth, I can't even begin to tell you how much happier I am, how much more confident I am, how much "better" I am, in every way - but especially psychically.

I get no financial incentive to recommend it to you - but I am the editor of a book called "Controlling Others for Love and Profit", which is written by one of the program's facilitators, James Roswell Quinn. If you can't afford to attend the classes, the book is the next best thing. I also recommend the book "The Power of Now" by Eckhart Tolle.

You see, where you are at is more a matter of attitude than of psychic influence. You may indeed have a problem with an attached negative spirit (and I will get to that at the end of this email). But I truly believe that spirits cannot affect us without "permission" on some level. Sometimes this is conscious and ill-intended ("I hate the world and I want to do damage!"), but most of the time, these reactions come from fear ("I want to protect myself from harm, and the dark side looks more powerful"). Unfortunately, as you know, the dark side has a price (look at the Star Wars story ... what a powerful way to share a spiritual truth).

LifeStream is all about our attitudes to fear-based reactions. When I was able to understand my own fear-based reactions, I learned that the reason I was so sensitive psychically was that I was desperate to "please", to "help". I had learned somewhere down the line that if I made myself helpful, people are less likely to hurt me. I thought I was just a hopeless "goodie-goodie" on that level but the truth was a little more humbling. In fact I was afraid to speak for my own needs, and that nearly overwhelmed me by the time I found myself in this class. John Nemanic, my former boss and the contributor to my book said "You are going to destroy yourself and I want to help you. Take this class."

I now believe that class saved my life.

Your case may be very different. I learned in class that everyone has their own unique story, but that what makes us all the same is that no matter what our fears and issues are, they all come down to these fear-based reactions. Learn about that, and we can take control over just about anything. Quinn’s book title is really a play on words. It’s not about "controlling others". Leadership is the art of self-control. When you have that, no one, not parents, friends, family, strangers, nor even demons can control you. The single-most effective process I have found for reaching that state is the LifeStream program.

There are other, similar programs. Many of them, like Life Skills, EST and Silva Mind Control are famous and quite popular. They might be worth checking out if there is a program closer to you. Just keep in mind that I have not tried these classes. What I like about LifeStream is the focus on personal responsibility and leadership.

On the spiritual level, it is best you do regular cleansings and daily meditations to help release any negativity that may remain from your past experiences. Do a rainbow visualization in the morning when you wake up and at night before you go to bed. If you are using any tools or crystals from the past, either burn them or bury them, and buy new ones with the intent to go forward in a positive way. I always affirm that I will use my abilities and my tools for "The highest good of all". Mentally release any ties you may have to those from your past who may remain focused on negativity. If you are not familiar with these concepts, they are explained in detail in both the printed and ebook versions of Living With Your Psychic Gifts.

Brandi

Your Psychic Systems and New Book by Norma Cowie

2005-05-25T20:53:00.000-07:00

Back in the late 1980's I had the privilege of working with Norma Cowie, one of the most gifted psychics and Tarot Card Readers on the West Coast. In fact, I would not hesitate to say that if it were not for her, and for the wonderful psychic fairs she managed at the time, I could not have grown to accept my own abilities as I have today. Her wonderful book on the Tarot is still the best I have ever read. I am on her mailing list, and she has given me permission to reprint her latest article here in the blog.

Enjoy!

Brandi Jasmine

Your Psychic Systems, by Norma Cowie

Today people think of people who are psychics as being clairvoyant or clairaudient. Actually, all five senses have a psychic component. Seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting and feeling. It is not commonly known that you also do have a psychic nose and mouth, yet you do.

We are all born psychic, with all our psychic abilities intact. Our psychic abilities enable us to see, hear, smell, taste and feel the non-physical. We are born with all our abilities intact. What happens? Depending upon the environment you are born into will depend upon what happens to these abilities. As most adults get upset when children begin talking about things they do not personally see or understand they will tell their children ”be quiet”, “you don’t know what you are talking about” or just plain “shut up”. As what we want is to be accepted, when we are young, we bit by bit shut down our psychic abilities.

I have found the first ability we shut down is the psychic eye. It is disturbing to see auras, dead people, or events when you cannot talk about them, so by the time you are 3 – 5 years you have shut down that process. Next to shut down are the psychic ears. When voices are heard which do not belong to anyone in front of you and if you cannot ask about them, you will shut down that process.

What I found as I looked at my early years I could hear people thoughts. I found it very disturbing that people thought differently than what they were saying, so it did not take long for me to shut down that process. I have never opened that ability up to the same extent. In fact as I tell people today when they think because I am a psychic that I can read their minds that I have enough to look at in my own mind, why would I want to read theirs. Unfortunately, many people who do have their psychic ears open only hear lower vibrations and it is disturbing, rather than higher vibrations where you can receive inspiration and spiritual support.

I personally did not realize that my own inspiration and inner spiritual support was coming through my psychic ears until I began to examine the many systems. I was not aware for instance that we had a psychic nose until I became aware one of my secretaries constantly referred to her nose as we looked over contracts by saying “this smells right”, “this does not smell right” or “this smells fishy, check it out”. As I reflected on this, it made sense to me if we had a psychic eye and psychic ears, then why not a psychic nose. I went inside and checked with my systems and sure enough, I discovered the psychic nose.

Once I knew that we had a psychic nose it was only a matter of contemplating about all the senses that I thought surely we would have a psychic mouth. I once again checked with my inner systems and there it was, a psychic mouth. These two abilities to smell and taste just have never been explored to the depth that they could be. I also had an interesting discussion with a cousin who trained people in banks. She had an incredible undiagnosed psychic nose. She could smell if something was not right with the person in front of her. Therefore she had a high rate of catching frauds. It was thought she could train others to do the same and she was very frustrated because it was not happening. I was able to share with her that because she had a strong psychic nose, her trainees would have other abilities more developed, it could be their eyes, ears, mouth and most likely it would be their feelings.

The psychic feeling aspect which is known as intuition, hunches or clairsensory is a very large system. It is very difficult to shut down this whole system because it involves the chakra system which is throughout the whole body. The chakra system is mostly known as the vortex system ranging from the base of the spine to the top of the head. To shut this system down you would more than likely not be alive. Therefore most of us have some of our intuitive therefore psychic feeling aspect working. Now whether we listen to what our senses are telling us or not will depend on the individual. Some people listen more than others.

When I’m working with people to open up their natural psychic abilities, most people believe they come and do a lot of exercises. Not with me. What I do is explain how the different systems work. For instance the eye system is quite complicated. You have your third eye, which is your brow chakra. You also have a screen or screens where information is reflected on and you have an inner eye which sees it. The inner eye, ear, nose and mouth is another aspect I have discovered which is not commonly understood either. Therefore in the psychic eye system you have, physical, psychic and inner eyes. What makes the eye system so fascinating are the screens. You may have one or many of these screens, they can be placed anywhere, inside or outside of you.

What I discovered is that most people who cannot see psychically, usually have fear on their screens. Therefore, in order to develop your clairvoyance and see psychically, the screens need to be cleared of all fear. What is most common is that in past lives you have seen situations which you did not like and chose not to see any more. I have found in my core belief energy releasing work that constantly the scenes of war and the horror of man’s inhumanity to man comes up within the psychic eye and screens. People are just overwhelmed by it all and chose not to look or see again. Unfortunately the energy is trapped and needs to be released or else you do not see until it is. In this life, when you are ready to begin to develop your psychic abilities all these past live memories need to be released so that you can begin to see, hear, smell or taste when you choose to.

For some reason people think that psychics are open and reading everyone they met all the time. As I tell my students, “you are learning to be a trained psychic. You do not go around everyday reading everything and anything which is around you. You decide when you want to utilize your psychic power and which modality you want to work with.” For all the students I have trained some have gone on to become professional psychics, most though have utilized their knowledge for their own enhancement. They know they have their own psychic power to utilize. They know how it works and they know when to use it and when not to bother.

Another way I have explaining the difference between trained and untrained is this “if you have a stream running down the mountain side it looks very pretty, but has no power. Take that stream, dam it and you can make electricity and have all the power you want.” Developing your psychic power is the same. It may not be as pretty, or as sensational, but it will work for you when you want it to. As far as I’m concerned this natural ability we are born with needs to be opened and brought into alignment with your life. That means clearing all the psychic systems.

The psychic systems, whether it be eyes, ears, nose, mouth or feelings are an integral part of us. Whether we choose to open these systems up and utilize them is our choice. Once you do release the blocked energy, then you will discover how much easier situations in life become.

----------------

I have found when working with the Core Belief Energy Releasing and I’ve looked at where blocks are being held to what you create, that the psychic systems will often hold blocks. This is because of the different scenes we have encountered which we hold onto. It is amazing how much we hold onto and take with us life time after life time. It is through the consciousness of the now that we are able to release these blocks and open ourselves up to more and more consciousness. Clearing these blocks is important. It amazes me consistently as I work with many people, just how many blocks we have from the many lifetimes we have encountered. The psychic systems are just one system, but it is one we do use most of the time even if we do not know it.

New Zealand & Australia - Tarot

Come June 6th I will be flying down under to New Zealand to visit family and then over to Australia to speak at the Tarot Conference in Melbourne and then journeying to Sydney with two other presenters to do a lecture and be available for readings. I will be returning home to Canada mid July.

The Australian Tarot Conference is being held July 1 – 6 in Melbourne. For more information on Melbourne you can visit

http://association.tarotstudies.org or Sydney http://www.tarotguild.au

New Tarot Book

I am also happy to say I have finally completed my new Tarot book

Pathways of the Tarot. As I write this, copies are being printed to take to Melbourne. If you want a copy, please email me as it is not on the web page yet. The introductory price is $15.95. plus $10. postage/handling and 7% for Canadians. Total cost $28.00

Enjoy the summer, I will be happy to report on the downunder journies upon my return.

Blessings

Norma Cowie
http://www.normacowie.com

A "Dark Veil"

2005-05-03T17:20:00.000-07:00

Hi Brandi :)

First off, let me say - what a great site. Thanks for sharing your experiences and knowledge. A couple of questions have been nagging at me for a while, so perhaps you can help me out...

Firstly, for quite a while now, I have felt as if things just..."aren't right". I don't know if that makes any sense...but it feels as if a dark veil has been draped over my world/life/etc. I went through a particularly traumatic event about a year and a half ago, which also involved terrible disagreement with a (former) friend - I don't think anyone else has acted with such anger towards me in my whole life. As I said, ever since then, I've just felt as if things just...aren't quite right. The shine and magic of life seems to be lacking, and things in my life just seem to be...deteriorating (I think that's the best word for it). I don't feel like myself. This feeling ebbs and flows, but it's pretty much always there. I am wondering if it's possible for some kind of bad spirit or energy to be following me around? Does this kind of thing happen? And if so, what exactly can I do to free myself from it?

Also, my paternal grandfather passed away when I was four. He was staying over at our house at the time. Every now and then I feel little chills when I'm in the room he passed in (the living room) and I'm just "aware" of something else. If I'm sitting down, I often find myself looking up, as if there's someone standing close by. If it is my grandfather, is there any way I can open up communication with him? We were incredibly close, despite my age when he passed, and I do miss him.

Finally, my mother appears to have some significant psychic/seeing abilities. She often gets messages from people who have passed on, but is always very secretive about such messages. I don't know if she really is reluctant to share something that is private to her, or ifshe thinks that I will react with skepticism and disbelief. I just want my mum to know that I trust her abilities and am interested in any encounters she might have. Is there any way I might get be able toget her to willingly open up to me a bit more?

Thanks for your time :)

Rebecca
Australia

Dear Rebecca,

G'day! Thanks for writing. Firstly, about that "dark veil" feeling, I have noticed that a lot of sensitives and psychics are feeling that way right now (and would welcome comments from more of you about this). I think we are reacting to a number of things, the legacy of 9/11, and the fears that many people have about 2012*. If you just feel a "free floating anxiety" that is not related to your own life through visions, dreams or specific fears, then this global malaise is likely the cause.

I relate to your feelings about your friend, though. I had a similar experience not long ago, though without the "psychic hangover", thankfully. In your case, it is remotely possible that there continues to be a "cord" or psychic connection between the two of you, or that there is a "psychic attack" happening. Just remember, 99.99999% of the time, the other party has no idea they are doing this. They can simply harbor strong negative feelings towards you, and if you are still holding onto your own feelings, a "feedback loop" happens that can lead to the sensations you described.

Whether this is a deliberate attack, some kind of "cording" or simply what I call "global malaise", the advice is the same. First, and this is not just a "disclaimer" … talk to your doctor to rule out any chemical or clinical depression. Tell them about your feelings. If you are not certain how they might react to your suspicions of psychic attack, then simply describe how you feel, without mentioning your psychic concerns or experiences.

If your doctor says you are not depressed, just "under stress", and the feeling continues for more than a week or two, then you may reasonably conclude that the problem is primarily spiritual or psychic. In the meantime though, you should take some psychic steps as well.
Second, on a daily basis, take a few minutes each morning and evening to meditate or "center" yourself. There is a "Rainbow Lotus" meditation in my book, or you can choose one by doing a search on the Internet. Third, do the "uncording" exercise. Imagine that any cords connecting you and your friend are broken or untied. Forth, and most important … forgive your friend. Visualize them as you remember them in happy times, and surround them with love. Tell them (in your mind) "I love you and I accept you, even when I don't understand you". If you find this too challenging, I recommend Ross Quinn’s book Controlling Others for Love and Profit. I went though the same kind of experience you did, and instead of feeling tired and drained, I felt empowered, because I chose to forgive. I don’t know that I could have done this if it were not for what I learned from Mr. Quinn.

As for your grandfather, very likely it is him who is trying to reach you. How can you communicate with him better? The more time you give yourself to meditate, the more open to communication you will become. Keep a journal. Write down any impression or feeling, no matter how strange. Pay attention to your feelings.

With your mother … that is simple. Just talk to her. Tell her what you told me. Then listen to what she has to say. She may say what you want to hear … or she may say she doesn’t want to talk about it. Either way, accept her wishes. If she is closed to you now, pushing her won’t help, it could even make things worse. But if you open the topic, and show her that you respect her boundaries, she may eventually feel enough trust to open up to you.

Brandi

*What is "2012"?

2012 is the last year in the Mayan Calendar. Many psychics and mystics believe that its sudden end foretells the end of the world. The past few months, many psychics have come out of the woodwork, making fearful predictions about the end of the world, saying that we are now in the "end times". I don't believe the world will end in 2012. Such negative apocalyptic "prophecies" are irresponsible in my opinion, even when the psychics making them sincerely believe in their visions. If there is any truth to them, and there is nothing we can do to change them, what is the point in making people fearful? To what cause? If they are not true, they are contributing to a culture of fear and dread that is (in my opinion) eating us up from within as a culture. They are literally creating this "dark cloud" so many sensitives have mentioned recently.

In my experience with other psychics, whenever they have such awful visions, the chances are good that they are interpreting personal symbolic visions too literally as global events. I remember one dear soul who was continually telling me that Vancouver was going to have an awful earthquake or drop into the ocean … always in three months time. Inevitably, she and her dysfunctional family would have another horrible, violent crisis at that time … but Vancouver stubbornly refused to drop into the Pacific. I have not spoken to her in years, but I have little doubt that she still clings to that awful vision. It is easier than to face the reality of her life’s miseries.

Right now, the global fears over terrorism and the media culture of negativity are feeding into a dark spiraling vortex of energy that seems to be growing. More fearful predictions are made daily. To those who believe them, or who feel the growing cloud affecting them, I suggest a counter-attack. An international psychic Love-Bombing. Every time you feel this energy, bless it, and yourself, and say "I love the world and I accept the world, even when I don't understand the world. I am safe, whole and full of joy." Find something, anything, any little thought that brings up love and joy in your heart. Massage that feeling until you strongly feel it in your heart center. Then push that feeling out and into the world. Affirm that it will be used for healing for the highest good of all concerned. Just as I believe this dark cloud was created by human fears, so too do I believe it can be dispelled with love.

Psychic "curse" scam warning

2005-02-24T10:47:00.000-08:00

I have noticed a distressing number of stories coming through lately about the tired old "psychic curse" scam, and figured it was time for another warning. I find it incredible that people still fall for this horrible scam, but I guess some folks are trusting and desperate, and it is awfully tempting to think you can buy a magical way out of your troubles. Unfortunately the only thing you buy with these scams is more trouble.

The latest story I posted to Psychic News involves a woman who was told that she needed to bring a so-called "psychic" $5,000 to have it cleansed of a "curse". Of course the "psychic" disappeared with her money.

If any "psychic" speaks to you of "curses", and offers to remove them for a huge fee, or suggests you "loan" then money to have it "psychically cleaned", grab your pocketbook and head for an exit. I would tell such a person that I don’t believe in curses, but I do know a scam when I hear one. If I had not yet paid, I would not offer to, I would just leave. These individuals are not psychics, they have no magical powers, or they would not have to resort to fraud to suppliment their incomes.

If you are at a psychic fair, and something like this happens to you, report the incident to the fair management. In most big psychic fairs you will be refunded any money paid, and the reader will be fined or expelled. The promoter has an interest in running a "clean" psychic fair, and will want to know if anyone is "scamming" this way. It is fraud (it is often called "bunko"), and it’s against the law. "Curses" are nothing but a prelude to an escalating series of demands by the reader who will charge to remove them. Of course the curse is purely imaginary, but a client’s life can become a living hell if you choose to believe in one.

One psychic told me a story of a local client who went to a reader who convinced her that her problems with romance were caused by a "curse on her love life". Years ago, a national TV talk show exposed such scams, complete with magic tricks to show the client how "evil the curse was". There would be a hairball inside an unbroken egg to prove a client was cursed. As silly as this image seems, two of the clients taken for a $10,000 ride were well-educated urban professionals. In a vulnerable, highly emotional state, it can be easy to convince even educated professionals that they have been "cursed".

When the client ran out of money, the psychic suggested that she be allowed to use her Visa card to pay for her "services". This woman was not "cursed" at all. When helped to see that her problems with relationships reflected a co-dependency problem, I am sure she began the road to recovery. Deep issues like co-dependency or adult child difficulties cannot be cured by a magic wave or gesture. A serious person must seek out competent help, and be willing to work things through.

There are other scams, "blessed" candles that sell for outrageous amounts of money (anything over $30 unless the candle is huge, or is an art-piece), "exorcisms" and other questionable practices. Many practices that I might consider fraudulent at worst, or useless at best, are held in high esteem by some of my colleagues, but you can bless your own candles, and you should learn how to clear the energy in your home yourself. If you feel that you need these services, try to find them on a donation basis, or at a reasonable fee. I would want to pay a psychic for her time, and I would judge how much time it takes to "clear" a space, and pay her at the same rate as her readings. If you wish to pay more out of the goodness of your heart or gratitude that is one thing - if you feel you have to because you are afraid she will "curse" you, that is something different altogether.

LWYPG gets its own domain!

2005-02-16T11:15:00.000-08:00

Living With Your Psychic Gifts has moved to its own domain at www.psychicprotection.net. This is more than just a cosmetic change. I'm planning to add a lot of new content over the next few weeks, including several new articles and an expanded FAQ. Over time, there will be additional books, eBooks and sections of psychic abilities and psychic protection, including sections on how to enhance and improve your intuition.

If your club or organization is looking for an experienced speaker to address your group, please contact me on the forms at www.psychicprotection.net.

Letter from a reader

Dear Brandi:

I was shot at the age of 12 in the right chest at 4-foot range with a 4/10 gauge shotgun because a 17 year old wanted something from this 12 year old I was not prepared to give. I never once lost consciousness or went into shock, which amazed everyone, and still remember everything in perfect detail. The last thing I remember was the nurse putting a mask over my face and telling me to count backwards from 10.

I felt like I was walking backwards with my eyes closed and then it felt like I bumped into a wall with my back. I opened my eyes to a bright (although strangely not blinding) white, misty light that covered everything. Slowly the mist started to move away and I saw myself lying on the OR table. It looked like I was many, many stories high and looking down on myself. I saw them working on me and then I noticed I heard (but not with my ears, more like with my spirit) something like singing or voices speaking but I couldn't make out any words. It was all around me.

At this point I turned around and that's when I saw "the tunnel". It was sucking the light and mist into it at what appeared to be warp speed. I had a feeling of total peace all throughout this experience. As I started toward the tunnel I was told "NO" by a voice. Strange thing is that it was neither male nor female but it held an enormous amount of authority! Then I asked it "Why can't I come home?" I was promptly told "You can not come home yet." I then felt compelled to turn and look back at my body again and that's when I saw them bringing that paddle machine over to me. When they hit me the third time I awoke in ICU.

My parents were told by the doctor that I had died, I was what they call "sheet-faced" and he took a chance by hitting me with the paddles a third time. He admitted to not being a really religious man but he said he felt he was being told not to quit, so he didn't. I was expected to be in the hospital for at least 2 months but was home in 10 days. I was called a "miracle child" on TV and in the papers. I would not trade that experience for anything in the world. A lot of things have been happening to me since though. Before that, I was able to see, smell and feel spirits. I grew up in a haunted house. Since I have had the near death experience I seem to have several psychic gifts as well. I am empathic, I still have all the abilities with spirits, only stronger now, and I have dreams that come true very often. I can also seem to sense other peoples spirits (what kind of person they are) as well. I think the Bible refers to this as the gift called "Deciphering of Spirits".

KF

Dear KF:

The experience you had is not really all that uncommon, believe it or not. If you haven't already done so, you should check out Raymond Moody’s "Life After Life".

The ability to "read people" is called "The Gift of Discernment" ... "Deciphering of Spirits" is the ability to see the spirits of the departed.

You describe your incredible and fascinating experience with great detail - but you didn't come out and actually ask something. Having to take a guess based on other people's questions and my own intuition, the questions that are most likely are "Why me?" and "What is this purpose I am supposed to fulfill?"

I can't answer those questions. The whole point is for you to figure that out yourself. I firmly believe that for many, if not most of us, life is a quest to find "Meaning". We're all raised to believe it's innate, but it isn't always that way. For the majority, life has no meaning until we imbue it with meaning. We decide at some key point, "This is the thing I shall do to make a difference in my life and in the lives of others."

As for "Why did this happen to me?" ... sometimes there is just no answer to that question. Learning to live without knowing is challenging, but releasing the need to know may be important if you want to move on to the next step in your life.

Brandi

Not connecting with clients

2005-01-11T16:36:00.000-08:00

It’s been a while since I have updated the blog, I seem to be dealing with the mid-winter blahs. Anyone besides me sleeping 20 hours a night the past few weeks? Strange days indeed.

Dear Brandi:

I am a psychic too, and I’m pretty good. I have been thinking about starting out as a professional, but I am a little insecure about it. Was there ever someone you couldn’t read? How do you deal with that?

AN

Oh yes ... it has happened to me a few times. I remember one case from an ESP fair in Saskatchewan. This woman came in and it was clear she was abused. I tried to be gentle about it, but his energy came through not as a traditional batterer, but that he had started to batter her to get her to leave, and she would not go! She kept saying "I'm going to MAKE this relationship work!" She started off accepting what I was saying, so I thought I could be more blunt, but that was a mistake. She ended up calling me "evil and wrong" ... I finally stopped the reading and refused to take her money. I was terribly upset by the whole thing. I feared he was going to have to kill her to get her out of his life, she was so obsessed with him. It was the first time I had any empathy at all for a wife beater. She was so negative I could not wait to get rid of her myself.

The next day was the last day of the show, and at the end all the readers went for dinner. Across the table I heard one say, "She kept saying "I'm going to MAKE this relationship work!" I was stunned. She'd seen at least three other readers in the group with the same results! Yet at the end she was still swearing we were all wrong. I never found out what happened to her. It was so sad.

I can think back to maybe 5 or 6 cases out of hundreds that I felt I really didn't connect with clients, and in a couple of those cases, they later came back to me to tell me I'd been right all along.

I just hate it when I don't connect - even if 9 out of ten things I tell a client are true, that one "miss" can make me doubt myself. Yes, I totally get that. I don't know where my self-doubt comes from, even though it is rare that I don’t "connect", it is still challenging. I think the fear of it happening is almost worse than the experience itself. Other psychics have told me I have to let go of the need to be "right" because it interferes with our insight, and I have come to see how this is true. It is when we second-guess ourselves, or try to over-interpret the insights we get that we tend to slip up.

The truth is that there are just some people we can’t reach. They may not all be delusional, as I believe may have been the case with my Saskatchewan client, it may just be that we have incompatible energies. For example, one reason I had many abused clients when I was doing consultations was that there were several other readers who found they could not read certain people. They would refer them to me, and invariably the clients would turn out to be abused. I suspected that the psychics had their own issues with this kind of trauma. Myself, I sometimes find it hard to read certain drug abusers, and people suffering from certain kinds of mental illness (this is a more common cause). But even these cases can be instructive. If you start to journal on the people you can’t connect to, you may discover a pattern, and that could be helpful in your own psychic or personal development.

Communication with ghosts

2004-11-20T03:07:00.000-08:00

Letter from a reader:

I'm pretty sure there's a ghost hanging around. This is fine with me, as he's never done anything harmful and actually seems rather friendly. I haven't actually seen or heard him, but occasionally will get a pleasant tingle on my shoulders or have doors open all by themselves...things like that. My question is: Is there any way for me to get better at communicating with him? Or actually seeing him?

AV

I'm actually in the process of writing a follow-up to Living With Your Psychic Gifts that will get into more depth in the details of enhancing psychic ability. That book will feature an entire chapter on spirit communication. In the meantime, there are good books that can help you with your goal - I particularly like The Unquiet Dead by Edith Fiore, and Divine Guidance : How to Have a Dialogue with God and Your Guardian Angels by Doreen Virtue. While Virtue's book is not about spirit or psychic communication exactly, it does have a lot of helpful advice about opening to psychic communication in a safe and positive way (I recommend just about any book of hers you can get your hands on, in fact).

Since this is a very deep topic, forgive me if I only scratch the surface here. I can't help you actually "see" him - people tend to either have that particular ability or they don't. I don't "see" spirits myself - I get a "feeling" for them. I sense emotions, and sometimes I can describe them, but the visions I have are more like memories than actual pictures in my head.

As for communicating with spirits, yes, there are ways to do this better. First - what not to do. Don't use an Ouija board. The Ouija is a powerful tool, but it encourages you to open up to any and all spirits who may come in, and a lot of what does come through is full of mischief. It may well be that the mindset of those using it attracts lower energies, but I have heard nothing but negative stories from people "playing" with it and I recommend against anyone using it under any circumstances.

I do recommend that you first purchase a copy of Living With Your Psychic Gifts, and make yourself familiar with the basic psychic protection techniques in the book before you start attempting to communicate with this spirit. While he may be a friendly spirit (most of them are), you still need to know how to shut down psychic experiences and to know some basic psychic protection techniques before you start enhancing them, or deliberately communicating with spirits. Once you let the genie out of the bottle you can't stuff it back in - all sorts of unanticipated things can start to happen.

Whatever you decide to do, start keeping a journal. Every time you have a spiritual or psychic impression, at each of the following stages, no matter how strange it may seem, write it down.

Once you have decided to try to speak to the spirit, draw a circle of protection (visualize a bright pink, blue or while globe or circle around you in your mind and affirm that only the most positive spiritual energies may enter for the greatest good of all concerned). Ask your spiritual guides (or angels, if you feel more comfortable with that term) to open up your spiritual awareness. Then simply ask your spirit, out loud or in your mind, who he is, and what he wants to tell you. Stay open to the impressions you receive. Write everything down, no matter how wild. Then, see what you can verify.

I also recommend that you "center" yourself or meditate at least twice a day. The Rainbow Lotus meditation in Living With Your Psychic Gifts is very good, there is also an excellent guided centering meditation in Ross Quinn's book Controlling Others for Love and Profit (don't let the title throw you - it's a clever play on words). He's going to offer guided centering CDs soon - when they become available I will let you know about it here.

Brandi

Brandi's Fun Tip:

If you feel that your life has become a bit boring this holiday season, get everyone together for a re-gifting party. Everyone brings clothing, nick-nacks and doo-dads that they no longer need ... puts them in a pile ... then everyone takes something they want. Anything left over? The host/ess takes it to Goodwill or the Salvation Army. Throw in some potluck snacks ... plus everyone brings something to be donated to the foodbank.