At one time or another, almost everyone has had some kind of psychic experience. Yes, it's true that some people have more extrasensory ability than others, yet we're all born psychic. This natural soul power isn't purely limited to transcended masters, or to individuals who have devoted a lifetime to studying and practicing meditation. To be psychic isn't about fortune-telling, crystal balls, or predicting the future; it isn't just something we possess-it's more a way of being.
WHAT DOES PSYCHIC MEAN?
Put simply, the word psychic is from the Greek word psychikos, meaning "of the soul." By definition, this means that as spiritual beings, we're able to access, receive, and transmit information that reaches beyond our physical body and our natural five senses.
Throughout history, cultures all over the world have honored their spiritual principles and maintained a deep belief that human beings consist of much more than just physical bodies. Traditions were created with rituals (such as chanting, dancing, and meditation) that are still used to this day to remain connected to Spirit and to fully utilize spiritual abilities. Yet psychic abilities aren't exclusive to any particular group: The North American Indians have always had a strong belief in the afterlife and their own soul powers; Aborigines have been known to possess heightened telepathic strengths, which enable them to communicate telepathically with each other over many miles; and in the East, children are educated from an early age about the spiritual energy systems of the human body and its centers.
As I mentioned previously, each and every one of us is equipped with a complex and highly tuned inner guidance system, which we can regularly tap in to by using our extrasensory abilities. Receiving psychic information is all about energy. Everything is made up of energy-people, places, and even objects store it. And since we too are energy, we can receive and read information via our psychic senses. Being psychic is similar to the way a television works: We can't see TV signals through the airways because they vibrate at such a high frequency, yet we know they're being transmitted. Our television sets then receive these signals, and they're "descrambled" to form a picture on our screens. Psychic energy works in much the same way-we constantly receive information through our intuition, and the result is an impression or feeling that we didn't receive via our physical senses. As we develop our psychic strengths, we become more proficient at the descrambling.
At this point, I'd like you to take a short break and answer these basic questions:
Have you ever thought of someone out of the blue, only to run into that person later in the day?Can you feel people's moods even before you meet them?
Have you ever had a hunch that you didn't follow, and later regretted it because it was correct?Have you ever known the outcome of a situation or an event before it happens?
Can you walk into a room and instantly tell what the atmosphere is like?
Do coincidences and synchronicities keep occurring in your life?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, then it's important to realize that these are just a few examples of what being intuitive or psychic is all about. In other words, it's a sense of inner awareness. Being psychic is quite natural and can be a wonderful source of information to help you in life.
One of the most common questions I'm asked is, "Why would I want to develop my psychic or intuitive ability?" I usually respond by asking a set of questions back, such as: "But, wouldn't you like to . . .
. . . improve your relationships?
. . . heighten your creative ability?
. . . help make the most of your career?
. . . receive intuitive guidance on important decisions?
. . . become familiar once again with your spirit?
. . . be connected to your loved ones who have passed on?
. . . enhance your physical abilities?
. . . feel even more connected to nature and the universe?"
You can benefit from all of the above and more by using and strengthening your psychic abilities; however, the one aspect most people have an issue with is trust. Have faith in yourself that you're entitled to live psychically, to see yourself and the world in a way you never thought possible, and let yourself experiment and play like a child when it comes to your abilities. After all, we were all born with a wonderful capacity to play . . . I just encourage you to remember how to do so.
In the following chapters, I'm going to teach you to not only become aware of your inner guidance and the mechanics of how it functions, but I'll also show how you can access it anytime you wish. By doing so, I believe that you'll feel like a complete person. After all, your psychic abilities are part of you, so why not use every part of yourself? Once you learn to tap in to the wealth of information you already have, it could very well transform your life!
Affirmations:
"I am opening myself up to my natural intuitive abilities." "To be truly alive is to be psychic."
PSYCHIC ABILITIES AND INTUITION
When my students start exploring their psychic potential, they often ask, "What's the difference between having psychic abilities and intuition?" The words psychic and intuition are used interchangeably, and there's a fine line between the two. The use of one can often lead to the other, as a natural progression-in fact, psychic abilities are simply the natural extension of our intuition.
You're probably pretty familiar with intuition, which is what causes you to say, "I've got a hunch that . . ." or, "My instincts are telling me to . . ." or, "I have a gut feeling that . . ." Intuition is that gentle nudge that every so often just comes out of the blue. However, when you learn to recognize, notice, and act upon these feelings, you'll establish a strong foundation for the development of your psychic abilities. Thus, you'll be able to take control of your intuition, making it work for you.
Practicing and using your intuition will result in a stronger link to your psychic awareness, but you may not know where to start or even what tools to use. Before we start, there's one important action I want you to take: Give yourself permission to explore and develop your intuition.
You see, your imagination plays an important part in your intuitive mind. I'm sure you know how easy it is to dismiss an intuitive thought or feeling, as though it was just your mind playing tricks on you. Children are particularly prone to announcing that their imaginary friend is around, or that they're feeling uneasy about someone. It's our adult response to tell kids that it's all in their minds-it's just their imagination. The children then go on to believe that they were wrong, and this is where the seeds of doubt start to grow regarding intuition.
As adults, we regularly dismiss our own insights by telling ourselves that we're imagining things. Yet I believe that a well-developed imagination is a healthy part of the development process, and it can form a bridge between our intuition and our often-dormant psychic abilities.
I've found the following exercise, which I use in my workshops, to be very helpful and fun to do. I'll ask someone to pretend that she's already psychically aware. She will then choose someone else in the room to whom she feels naturally drawn. She's instructed to give any information she's receiving, even if she feels that she's making it up. There's no pressure to be right, so she loosens up and has fun doing it! Her imagination and psychic abilities work hand in hand to create a flow of information. Sure, there are as many misses as there are hits, but the student and the rest of the class become pleasantly surprised at how much accurate information will be given. This is all because they're letting their imagination run free. So it's important to have fun with your imagination as you learn to expand and use your intuition in your daily life-eventually, you will tap in to even more of your psychic potential.
Here are some simple suggestions you can try as part of your development:
Ask yourself, "How many e-mails will I receive this morning?" or "What will my boss be wearing today?"
When the phone rings, see if you can guess who's on the other end before you pick it up.
When your utility bill arrives, try to guess how much it is before you open it.
If you're feeling confident, see if you can divine a word or two from the next day's newspaper headlines.
You can practice these exercises, but also try to make up your own. You may want to write down your experiences in your psychic journal, which we'll discuss later in the chapter. No matter what you decide, keep in mind that you have to use your abilities to awaken them, and you need to allow them to guide you. After all, we have everything we need to find the answers right inside our intuitive, psychic selves.
Affirmations:
"I trust the potential of my imagination." "I have faith in myself and my psychic abilities."
Excerpt from John Holland's book Psychic Navigator. John is a psychic medium, author, teacher, and TV personality. He has been featured on the History Channel, A&E, Unsolved Mysteries, and the radio programs. John will be a featured speaker in the upcoming event "Angels and the Afterlife" at the WA Convention Center in Seattle on Sep 22, 2012.
Comments