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The Spirit Side of Life - Life, Death & Life after Death
The Spirit Side of Life - Life, Death & Life after Death
Blog Category: FAQs
This is the second part to last week’s blog on how to Develop your own Intuitive Abilities. Every time I teach a class on Psychic Development I go around the room and ask everyone why they are taking the class? I get quite a variety of responses and reasons why people are interested in exploring their psychic abilities further. You might be very surprised to know that all of my classes include very diverse groups of people. I have men and women of all ages from teens to retirees. They range from home makers and mothers, to nurses, doctors, attorneys, entrepreneurs, massage therapists and every other profession that you can imagine. Many people have never taken anything like it before. Some believe they have some psychic talents and want to develop them further while others are quite certain they don’t have any at all but have been encouraged to come to the class by a friend. My classes are typically 8 weeks, once a week for about two hours and all classes begin with a brief talk about the subject of the evening, followed by a 20-30 minute guided mediation and end with about an hour of actually working with partners practicing intuitive development exercises. Every one will be fairly astounded by the abilities that they discover within themselves throughout the course. Many by the end of the class will discover they have tremendous intuitive capacity and often will begin connecting with their class partner’s loved ones on the spirit side. I get great satisfaction from witnessing the self discovery process that people go through as they open up and begin to connect to a whole new world that they never even knew existed. Nothing can replace actually experiencing the spirit world for your self. It is an absolutely life altering experience. For me it is much like taking a 5 year old to Disney World and for the student I imagine they must feel like the 5 year old being transported back to a place of mystery and wonder, only this time it is not imaginary at all. The proof is in the pudding as they say. As the students work with partners who are complete strangers, receiving and delivering information to their partner which their partner then validates for them, it becomes unavoidably apparent that this other reality is definitely not a product of their imagination. The process of receiving random impressions and details about another’s life and then having that person confirm for you that what you are receiving is actually valid and accurate is a very powerful experience.
Why should you be interested in developing your own intuitive abilities? I will tell you why. Whether you are a professional in the business world, working in the healing and metaphysical arts, or just curious, you will see as our culture moves in to the future these abilities will be more and more necessary for success and survival in a fast past rapidly changing world. As technology has advanced in the past ten years, computers and the internet are rapidly replacing many professional skills. Initially automation replaced the labor worker in factories as robotics advanced and moved in to the manufacturing industries. Now, with the introduction of the internet and the fact that practically every household now has access to a computer, software has begun to replace many professional skills. For example, consider how the introduction of TurboTax and QuickBooks has affected the accountant, or Legalzoom.com has affected the attorney. For a small fee, many legal documents and filings can be done on line and many individuals and small business owners now do their own bookkeeping and tax preparation with no prior education on the subjects. Even some computer technology positions are becoming obsolete. You no longer need to hire a website designer as there are now many easy to use programs that provide the templates and instructions for even the layman to create their own web site. I could go on and on. I was an art major in college and I specialized in Visual Design, Marketing and Illustration. None of these skills at this time can be automated. At least at this point and time, computers cannot yet really create and design new concepts. Computer Automation cannot create innovation, creative problem solving and art for example. It can not create musical expression. The computer may be the tool used by the artist to render a visual image, or piece of music or even a book for example, however, it is the human behind the tool that truly creates a unique vision of something new and innovative. Humans are still the inventors, engineers and creators of industry, opportunity and society. Remember what I said in my last Blog, the computer can only process and understand information based on what has been programmed in to it. Computers at this point, are still very much logical, rational linear processors. Creative/Intuitive expression is quite the opposite of that and is also very much a characteristic of the human condition.
So, what does this have to do with developing your intuitive senses? Simply put …everything. Remember I told you that your intuitive energies run through the same channels as your creative energies. In class I tell my students if you want to develop your intuitive side then do anything creative as often as possible. Most of us work in jobs where we have little room from creativity. Much of our work is repetitious and consists of following the rules, protocol and production. So, it is very important to find our creative expression through creative outlets and keep that alive in our lives. Our creative expression is where we find the energy of passion which provides meaning, purpose and joy in our lives. Without these energies, life becomes monotonous, meaningless and unfulfilling. As we accept our lives without these energies our souls begin to lose life force, bit by bit, day by day. Once that happens, we often resort to trying to fill that empty space with addiction, denial and overindulgence which does not feed our soul. This leads to an insatiable appetite from external stimuli while leaving our souls empty and unfulfilled. So to do anything creative is to feed your soul, express your authentic self and naturally connects you to your intuitive, spiritual and immortal self. To develop your intuition consciously also results in connecting you with your own personal creative expression. They go hand in hand. Many students have reported to me that after taking my class, they began writing, gardening or redecorating their home for example. They felt alive and inspired again.
So next you might say, “Well, I’m not artistic at all.” And I will say, wrong -yes you are! We all are. Unfortunately, again our culture places a very strong emphasis on linear and rational learning and working. Many of us were brought up to follow the rules, stay in the lines and get good grades. We were rewarded for excelling in linear subjects while things like art, music and writing perhaps were considered nice but secondary and not very important. Well I truly believe you will see that changing as we move in to the future. I have been a successful entrepreneur for 15 years and nearly every project I commit to is always successful. That is not to say I don’t have plenty of failures, however every time an idea or project failed to perform, it was a challenge for me to think outside the box, create new solutions and come up with new strategies for success. Every successful entrepreneur knows this. The ones that succeed are able to do this. It is easy to succeed when things are going well and the economy is good, it takes a genius to succeed when everything is going wrong. And from the mouth of one of the great geniuses; Albert Einstein – “None of my discoveries came from the rational mind.” I couldn’t have said it better myself.
1. You have the scientific “thinkers” who are obviously the scientists, mathematicians, accountants and attorneys of the world. They operate primarily in a linear, logical, rational fashion and love to follow a formula or a plan. Creativity and abstract concepts typically are difficult for these types to grasp. These are usually my skeptics .
2. Then you have the “feelers” who are the artists, healers, nurturers and empaths. They are the creative people who prefer to “feel” their way through life. They may work with people as social workers, counselors, teachers, nurses or create music, books and art. They generally are more spontaneous open and curious about abstract concepts. These people may have a difficult time with routine, rules and seldom have a plan or if they do, may not stick with it. Obviously, to be one or the other to the extreme is not necessarily a very balanced way to be and live. Each personality, the thinker or the feeler will have its limitations. We all tend to naturally be more one or the other. Each personality will have a difficult time working with and understanding the others perspective as they approach, problems and life totally different. Neither is better than the other, right or wrong, they just operate differently.
3. Then you have the people that have a well developed balance of the two. These will many times be the most successful, happy and fulfilled people. They are “the engineers” as I call them. A good engineer has the perfect balance of the two. Let’s take for example, the architect. An architect has to have a strong level of creativity to visualize and conceptualize a building that he wants to create and manifest in the physical word. So, he will typically start with a sketch for the design which will show the esthetics of how it will look. This is the creative artistic side of his work. However, to bring the building in to physical manifestation, he must also have a strong capacity for linear thinking. He must then create a blueprint, a plan and it must be very precise and technical so that the structure will actually stand. This example of “the engineer” type has a perfect balance of the creative and the linear. Another example might be a movie producer, video game programmer or even music video producer and marketing execs. I guarantee you that the most successful people in the next century will need both of these capacities equally developed. So the development of one side should never negate the other side, they are both equally important. It is precisely in these challenging times we are living in, that we need more people who are creative and intuitive thinkers and expressionists. No longer, can we follow the same protocol based on the rules and experiences of the past. They are now completely obsolete as we move in to a vastly different and rapidly changing future of technology. The problems the world faces will require immense capacity to visualize and conceptualize what has never been done before.
So how do you develop these qualities within yourself? Well first, begin by developing your creative and artistic side. You do not have to be a painter or piano player, many people find their creative expression in gardening, cooking, quilting, writing in a journal, scrap booking, decorating, carpentry or restoring old homes and automobiles for example. If you are not sure what you might enjoy or feel you need a little help try taking an art class or some music lessons.
To develop your intuitive senses, which we all possess, it is also very important to learn to quiet the mind and relax the body. This is much easier said than done for most people. The obvious way is through mediation and exercise. If you do not know how to meditate you will find many guided mediation CD’s out there. Yoga is a popular way to relax the body and bring the mind and body in to balance. One thing is for certain, you will not be able to make contact with your intuitive abilities if you are all wound up, worried and stressed with your mind in constant overdrive. I always meditate before doing readings. For me, it is like turning off the switch to my mind and life in the physical world and turning on the switch to my intuition and the spiritual world. If I am having a particularly stressful day I may mediate for 30 minutes or more and on a more peaceful day maybe 10 minutes will do the trick. Just like anything the more you practice and make meditation a part of your daily routine the better you will become at it, the quicker you will go in to a relaxed state, and the more deeply relaxed you will become. The medical community has plenty of research supporting the health benefits for the mind and body of mediation. Remember, the physical world is loud and busy and screaming at us all day long, while our inner voices and the spirit world speak to us in whispers. You have to quite your inner and outside world in order to hear the intuitive world.
It is important to prepare yourself properly before doing Intuitive and Healing work. In order to become more “receptive” and open to receive information intuitively, it is important to quiet and calm our mental and emotional states, as well as, prepare the physical body. The best way to do this is thru Meditation. The Meditation should include Clearing, Grounding and Protecting your energy field (aura). We must quiet our thoughts and balance our emotions, before we are able to perceive the more subtle spiritual dimensions. Take some time to clear your head and calm your self before working. You should always be in a relaxed and balanced state before working. I do not recommend doing Intuitive work if you are in an unbalanced emotional state. (feeling fearful, anxious, depressed etc) It will be much more difficult for you to receive and perceive clear guidance and you will be very likely to misinterpret what you might receive. I also, strongly, discourage the use of alcohol or drugs of any kind, in any amount, while doing this work. I also recommend keeping your physical body in a balanced and healthy state. Regular exercise and a healthy diet of natural, whole foods will help to keep the body’s energy vibration higher and will aid the Intuitive Process. Avoid unhealthy, toxic behaviors, as well as, processed foods as much as possible. The Mental, Emotional, Physical and Spiritual Energy bodies all work together while doing Intuitive work. The more in balance and harmonious the energy bodies are, the stronger and more clear your Intuitive Connection to the Spiritual Realm will be.
It is also important to take a few minutes to clear and protect the space that you are working in. The energy of people can be left behind and remain in a space indefinitely. The quickest and easiest was to clear a space is to light a candle in the center of the room or several candles placed in a circle around the room. Sage is a plant, that when dried and burned, is very effective in neutralizing and clearing out the residual energy left behind in a space (*especially negative energy). You can usually find dried Sage in Metaphysical and Health Food stores in the area. You may burn it in a bowl in the center of the room or walk with it around the room in a circle. You may also clear your intuitive tools (tarot cards, pendulums, crystals), by passing them through the smoke of the sage. Burning Incense and essential oils are also very effective. A bowl of water may also be placed by the candle in the center of the room to help absorb unwanted energy. If it is possible, surround the space with crystals, natural stones and plants, to help keep the energy clear. A basic knowledge of Feng Shui principles is also helpful. Relaxing, non vocal-instrumental, soft music in the background is also helpful in creating a soothing mood and energy. I prefer to work in natural light as much as possible or soft lighting, avoid fluorescent lighting as it skews and distorts energy.
By setting your intention, you are asking your spiritual guides to come in and work with you, protect you and your space from unwanted spiritual energies. I always ask that the only spiritual energies that are allowed in to work with me, come only from a place of love for me or the person that I am reading for. I also ask that the spiritual energies that come in to work with me are here for the purpose of directing us to our highest good and further our personal growth. Here is a quick intention (prayer) that I use before I do any Intuitive work. You may ask this of your personal spiritual guides, loved ones on the other side or God as you perceive the source.
“Let nothing but love enter this place, Let nothing but love emerge in this space, Let nothing but love enter in, Let nothing but love emerge from with in.” If spiritual energies are coming only from a place of love, with the intention of love, then they are always for the greatest good of everyone involved. Why is it important to set your intention before working? Would you open the door to your home and invite just anyone in, I think not. There are many levels of spirit and spiritual energies and we do not want to attract lower levels of spirit. Energy naturally attracts like energy, which is also why I speak of not working while under the influence of drugs or alcohol or doing this work in a depressed or negative emotional/mental state. Keep your energy up, and in a high vibration so that you will also attract the most evolved and well intentioned spiritual energies.
1. When reading for your self It is essential to have “No attachment to the Outcome” for your question or concern. Detachment and Objectivity is crucial to receiving accurate intuitive guidance. This can sometimes be very difficult when we are reading about our own lives. Instead of trying to illicit or hope for a particular outcome or result, it is better to say to yourself “I am ready to find out what is best for me at this time in my life”. Be “open to receive” whatever spirit is trying to tell you, especially if it is not what you wanted to hear. Your spirit guides will guide you in the direction of your personal life’s path and to the situations and people that will help you learn the lessons that you came here to learn. Many times they do not deliver what you necessarily want but what you need for growth, it is very important to understand this. I have often been led in to very difficult relationships for example in my own life, however I understand now that these partners provided something in our relations that was vital to a lesson my soul needed to learn. Your guides are not going to make you rich, your life easy and solve all your problems, we are here to solve our own problems. They will however give you guidance and help you to make the best choices if you will listen.
2. You will find that It is always easiest to read for people that you do not know very well. You are more likely to receive information intuitively without having your own thoughts, experiences and perceptions of the person you are reading for get in the way.
4. Practice, Practice, Practice! Just like anything, the more you do intuitive work and practice regular meditation the better you will become.
5. Try some of the exercises suggested in the books that I recommended in last weeks Blog. Try using different tools like a pendulum, tarot or angel cards for example. Go with what you are attracted to. It does not matter tool you use, it is only a tool, much like one artist prefers to sculpt with clay while another may prefer to paint. There are lots of books on using pendulums and cards for example.
Next week: I will talk about Prophecy and “looking in to the future” and how that works. There is much misunderstanding on this subject.
I am very much interested in joining your next sessions in the Naples area. I live in N. Ft. Myers and had a reading with you a few years ago and have been following your blog since. Do you have any idea when you will schedule something for the west coast?
I enjoy your perspective and This article in particular showed me I need another outlet for my emotional and Intuitive health.