The following summer, I was helping my father and he sent me to get an electrical tool from the basement of my grandparents’ house, which was next door to our house. It was summertime, so naturally I was barefoot. My grandparents’ basement was unfinished and had a cement floor. I found the tool at the base of the stairs but it was plugged into the wall on the opposite side of the basement. As I walked over, I noticed that there were two electrical cords connected, so instead of walking the rest of the way to unplug it from the wall, I just unplugged the two cords. Big mistake! Because I was barefoot and standing on concrete, the current ran right through me somehow. I couldn’t move, I couldn’t speak, I could only stand there making some weird noises and shaking. My grandfather had been in the kitchen and heard something happening and came running downstairs to see what was wrong. He was a police officer and wore these big brown shoes with thick rubber soles. I remember everything happening in slow motion as he grabbed each of the cords and yanked them out of my hands, which sent yellow and red sparks flying into the air, then he pulled really hard on the cord still plugged into the wall and yanked it out of the socket. He caught me as I collapsed. If he hadn’t been in the kitchen, which was at the top of the stairs to the basement, and heard what was happening downstairs, I’m pretty sure I would have died that day. I don’t remember anything else from the time that he caught me until I woke up lying on my bed with everyone standing around staring at me with strange looks on their faces. I found out later that a doctor who lived nearby had come by to examine me and left after telling my family that I’d be okay. The strange looks were because I’d been sleeping with my eyes open and my family was afraid because I looked dead. That day I learned some very important lessons: always unplug things from the wall and never, ever unplug something when you’re barefoot and standing on cement.
As an adult I’ve heard of many other peoples’ experiences where electricity brought out their intuitive abilities. I believe this near-electrocution strengthened the abilities I was born with even more. Why does electricity do this? I’m not sure, but I believe such high levels of energy flowing through our human body charges up our cells and spirit so that we attune to a higher level of frequency, thereby enabling us to connect to inner latent abilities.
I wasn’t taught about being intuitive while growing up and had to learn about intuitive abilities on my own as they manifested in my life. I tried to ignore them and hoped they’d go away—but of course, they didn’t. Since the early days of my abilities, I’ve come to understand that none of our abilities ever truly goes away. We can choose not to use them or even recognize them, but they stay dormant within us, just in case we ever change our minds and decide to embrace them.
This book is designed to help you recognize how your abilities
can manifest in your daily life so that when you have intuitive or
metaphysical experiences, you’ll recognize them. Whether you’re just beginning to investigate and understand your spiritual self or are fully aware and comfortable with your intuitive nature, this book can be a tool to deepen your understanding.
When describing these abilities, one may use the terms “intuitive” or “psychic.” Exactly what does the word “psychic” mean? The Online Etymology Dictionary (etymonline.com) defines psychic as “pertaining to the human soul or mind; mental phenomena outside of natural or scientific knowledge; spiritual; pertaining to some apparently nonphysical force or agency; sensitive to influences or forces of a nonphysical or supernatural nature; a person who is allegedly sensitive to psychic influences or forces; medium.” All of these definitions are true, but if you want to know specifically what it means to have psychic or intuitive abilities, you have to look deeper into each type of ability to find out how it manifests and then determine if you have that ability. Psychic abilities tend to be unpredictable; they happen when you don’t want them to, and when you want them to work, they may refuse to cooperate. As you develop and grow in your abilities this will happen less often.
Over the years, I’ve found that there are many different variations of what is considered “normal” when it comes to intuitive abilities. In fact, there are as many variations of normalcy as there are people on the planet. As individuals, we will each have subtle differences in the ways our abilities manifest. One person may only have clairaudience while another has all of the “clair” abilities intertwined and uses all of them at the same time. Both are normal and right for each individual; it doesn’t make one person more or less intuitive than the other because one has multiple abilities. Both are intuitive, just in different ways. Strength of abilities also varies in intensity. Sometimes the presentation is so slight that, had you not been paying attention, you may have missed it. Other times it is so intense there is no doubt something metaphysical just happened. Some people have abilities that are so ingrained in their being that if the abilities were suddenly taken away, the person would feel lost. Many people are accustomed to their abilities and use them daily, even if they don’t consider them to be psychic abilities.
Abilities often work hand in hand with each other. While you may see something happen, you can also hear words that help you understand what you’re seeing or you may simply know more information about the situation as you watch it unfold. Abilities will often work together in order to give you an impression you can use to help someone else, or to give you an answer to a question or situation you are encountering in your own life.
There is a broad range of intuitive abilities that are widely known and have specific names. In this book I’ve given you many examples of these abilities that will include:
1.Definitions and examples of well-known terms for different types of abilities.
2.Ways those abilities present themselves in your daily life.
3.Situations where you may use your ability.
4.Examples and methods from my own life that will teach you how to enhance your own intuitive nature.
The information is organized so that you can start at the beginning and read through until the end with each item building upon the previous one. If you have a particular interest, you can choose to skip ahead to that section.
As you walk this path, it’s important to remember that your abilities are gifts. You are the guardian of your own abilities and it’s up to you to use them in a positive manner. Even though you’re researching and learning, when it comes right down to it, you already know the truth of your abilities on a soul level. It is the connection to your soul truth that lets you know that what you are seeing, feeling, sensing, and experiencing is really intuitive—when it’s your imagination. When it is intuitive, it will touch a chord within you. When you are connected to your soul truth, there will be no doubt. If you don’t feel this connection, you should probably do more spiritual work until you’re able to tell the difference. These abilities are part of your spiritual truth and your life path. It is also important to understand yourself; this means you have a deep sense of your true soul essence—the true nature of your being on a soul level—and your abilities. Then you can make the choices that are right for you as you become more enlightened, and that will bring about the most spiritual growth, psychic development, and healing.
To me, spirituality, psychic abilities, and the total mind-body-spirit experience are so intricately intertwined as part of our true soul essence that they can’t really be separated one from another. The more you can understand or relate to these intricacies, the more you will understand your spiritual self. What you’re experiencing is unique to you and is part of your growth. If you look around, you will find plenty of like-minded individuals who understand the path you’re on and who will offer you support and love along the way. You are unique. Embrace your uniqueness.
It’s also imperative to remember that subtleties are important when it comes to your abilities. We all had to start somewhere along the edge of discovery and grow to the point where we can share our knowle
dge with the world. This is a lifelong journey. You were born with your intuitive abilities, and while it may take an event to bring these abilities to the forefront, once you recognize them and practice using them the more accurate you will be. However, you will always experience times when your impressions are wrong. You’re not always going to have huge psychic epiphanies, but will more often than not have little subtle things that occur as a wandering thought or you notice something that you see every day in a different light. Sometimes a whisper can be more powerful than a shout. It’s the same way with your abilities. Subtleties hold a lot of power. Anytime you’re picking up information from outside of yourself, your knowledge or experiences that you normally wouldn’t know, you’re exercising your intuitive abilities.
In the past I’ve known people who would try to “will” themselves to have specific abilities. Be careful of trying too hard or forcing your abilities because that’s oftentimes when you inadvertently block yourself. With intuition, either it’s working for you or it’s not. When you try to force your abilities to work instead of allowing it to happen naturally, then how do you know it’s truly intuition and not your imagination at work? It’s better to let your abilities develop gradually and fine-tune them through practice rather than trying to force them to happen before you’re ready.
I’ve always told people to research and read as much as they can about intuitive abilities, the paranormal, and spirituality in order to become more enlightened. Research is valuable because reading how someone else felt or experienced something may hit home with you. I’ve also always said that you should take what feels right to you, what strikes a chord deep within you on a soul level as a “Universal Truth,” and embrace it. If what you’re researching doesn’t feel right to you, then discard it. It could be that you’re not yet ready to learn that lesson, or it might not be applicable to you in this lifetime. When you’re ready and the time is right, in the present life or another, the information will come back around to you. When information strikes you as truth, embrace it at that time.
As you work on your intuitive development, stay balanced and grounded in your reality, and appreciate the subtle instances of the metaphysical within it; however, don’t overthink every experience you have or become obsessed with being “psychic,” as this will separate you from the lessons you actually need to be learning in the realities of this life, and won’t help you to proceed forward in your path. Sometimes a cat hissing is just a cat hissing and not a sign that a spirit is in the room, and paying it too much attention will distract you from the needed lessons in your normal life experience. Also, it is healthy not to take every intuitive or metaphysical experience you have too seriously—know that there’s always room for growth, and how you reflect on an intuitive experience now might be much different in ten years because you will have grown in your experiences. Live for the lessons you must learn in the present, and know that the next lessons will come to you when it is time without any forcing on your part. When you’re centered and balanced, life flows much better, you have a clearer understanding of yourself and your life plan, and that’s more beneficial to you.
Just as we are made up of energy—our own personal frequency—our intuitive abilities are also made of this same energy. We are connecting to pure energy when we receive impressions or messages, see physical manifestations, or hear sounds from the spiritual realms. In order to grow within your own spirituality and develop your abilities to their highest possible state, embrace your inner truths and be comfortable in knowing that your intuitions are coming to you for a reason. Acceptance and faith is as important as believing in yourself, in your abilities, and in your own path. This is your life, your lessons, and your spiritual growth. You are pure energy.
It is my goal to enlighten and empower readers. When you sit down with this book, I hope you feel that we’re sitting down together, discussing these topics in the living room on your couch (or mine). I want you to feel that I’m having a discussion with you about my experiences, thoughts, and opinions regarding the metaphysical. In the journey you have before you, know that you can talk with me or ask me a question via my current e-mail on my author website at MelissaA.com. I’d love to hear from you. Whether you are a confirmed “believer” in New Age spirituality or are just curious about metaphysical topics, I hope you enjoy this book as much as I enjoyed writing it.
[contents]
One
Getting Started
Today, people use the words “metaphysics,” “New Age,” and “spiritualism” interchangeably when they refer to spirituality, spirits, the paranormal, past lives, or other topics that are beyond the physical world. There are certain fundamental beliefs and tools that go along with these concepts, which can help you to look inward for awareness and an understanding of yourself. Your personal awakening and spiritual growth influences which beliefs you embrace and the tools you use, if any. The point is to gain a higher understanding of ourselves, the Universe, and the Other Side as we gain wisdom, transcend ourselves, and strive to attain the higher good.
In this first chapter, I’m going to give you an overview of some of the basics so that you’ll be familiar with them when I mention them later on in the book. If you want more information on any of the topics I’m discussing, I highly recommend that you start your continued research with the titles I’ve included in the Recommended Reading List at the back of this book.
Does Everyone Have Intuitive Abilities?
Think about this for a moment: did you know when the phone was going to ring, and when it did, you knew who it was before you ever answered? Or maybe you’ve seen a woman standing in line in the grocery store and you were overwhelmed with grief because you somehow knew that her husband had passed, and moments after this knowledge came to you, the cashier confirmed it by offering the woman her condolences. Are these intuitive abilities or were you just on a “coincidence” roll that day? I’d say you were being clairvoyant and empathic in these two examples.
I believe everyone has intuitive abilities. Some people are more naturally gifted than others, but we all have them. They are commonly referred to as “a mother’s intuition,” a “gut reaction,” or a “sixth sense.” It’s up to each of us as individuals to decide whether we’ll nurture and grow these talents or let them sit dormant within us. You may choose to develop them to the point that you can do readings for others or you may just use them in your daily life and for your own peace of mind. If you would like to tap in to and expand your own intuition, I’ve put together some exercises within this book that will aid in this process.
As you develop your abilities, always remember that you’ll never be 100 percent accurate in your readings. You’re not omniscient. Know that you will make mistakes and that sometimes the impressions you see, hear, or feel may be inaccurate because you’re only human. Keep track of your experiences by writing them down in a journal so you can look back at them later to see how much you’ve progressed. I also suggest writing down the results of every exercise in this book, as you do it, for the same reason. You’ll know that you’re getting better when you get more impressions right than wrong.
Trusting in your impressions is just as important as practicing with your abilities. Instead of letting doubt filter into your mind, see the situation clearly, and then trust that you’ve seen what you were supposed to see about the event. The more you trust in your abilities, the more accurate they will become. Sometimes what you see takes time to happen. Trusting in your abilities will enable you to wait for the confirmation of your impressions.
Just keep at it; keep practicing, and believe in yourself and your abilities. When you claim them as your own, you’ll be amazed at what can happen. There’s a reason you’re reading this book. Maybe it’s time to consider developing your own psychic abilities.
Why Me?
I always say, and firmly believe, that everything happens for a reason, even if we don’t know or understand
the reason at the time. This is true in every aspect of your life, including your intuition. The first time you have a metaphysical experience, it can bring your current views of the world to a screeching halt if you’ve never considered these abilities before. The event affects you deeply, on a soul level, because once you’ve had that first metaphysical experience, you begin to question everything else. What does this mean? Why did it happen to me? What makes me different? Why didn’t the other people around me see what I saw? Why, why, why? Suddenly you’re a two-year-old again who only wants to know “why?” You’re learning that the world is multidimensional, filled with layer upon layer of intuitive, spiritual, and metaphysical concepts and lessons that you’d never even thought about before now.
There are times in all of our lives when good things happen to us and other times when bad things happen, but we sense that there is a higher purpose behind the events or that someone is “behind the scenes” helping us. When you feel this connection, you start to understand the bigger picture of life because you’re reconnecting to your soul; your intuitive nature is part of your soul. The emergence of your abilities always happens when you need them. Did your impression keep you or someone you love out of harm’s way? Did it open your mind to new possibilities? It is time for you to see past your human existence in this life. The more you learn, the more you will want to learn. You still may not understand every event, but you’re trying to see the reason behind it. Sometimes it may take years for you to understand the “why”; other times, you never do. But the fact that a metaphysical event manifested in your life changes you forever.
Your Psychic Self Page 2