Your Psychic Self

by Melissa Alvarez

  Aura Reading/Aura Balancing

  The aura is the electromagnetic energy field that emanates from people and objects. An aura reading is when an intuitive has the ability to see these energy fields around living beings and can receive impressions about a person from this energy. When reading a person’s aura, the first thing that comes to mind is glowing colors that extend from the person’s physical body. These fields may appear as white to a beginner and as radiant, color-filled energy to those who are more advanced at reading auras. I tried for years to see auras surrounding a person’s body, but I just couldn’t do it. All I’d ever see was a white glowing light around their edges, usually at school when my teachers wrote on the blackboard, and never any other color. If I looked with my third eye, I could see the energy clearly and the colors associated with it, but it was in the wrong place. I finally realized that when I did energy readings I was actually seeing and reading from the person’s aura, but not in the place or way that it’s typically done. For me, auras are a river of energy that goes around the person’s waist, flowing from the right elbow around to the left and then behind them back to the right. I will usually see colors in this energy as well as the depth of the energy in relation to the person’s height, its movement around the person’s body, and whether the flow is smooth or rough, but I don’t see colors every time. I consider all of these elements and my intuitive impressions together as I do the reading. If you’ve ever had problems seeing auras, you may just see them differently than what is considered the norm. You may be like me and see auras in a different place than you’d expect it, which means they’re manifesting in a way that is unique for you.

  While color is connected with auras and is often seen in them, you may not see color every time, or you may never see color at all, so don’t let this throw you off balance. Sometimes when I’m doing energy readings, I don’t see colors but I do receive a wealth of information just from reading the energy flow. It’s the same with auras. You might see color most of the time, but sometimes you’re only seeing that white line around the person or no color at all, even though you’re receiving a lot of information for them. And this is the key factor with aura readings: it’s all about the information stored in the aura, which you will receive using your clair abilities. As an intuitive, you can access your clair abilities to help the person whom you’re reading.

  During an aura reading, you may obtain information about the person’s health, personality, flaws, and positive traits; you may sense connections to past lives or information about their future based on the energy of the aura. When you’re trying to see the aura, let your eyes go a bit out of focus as the subject stands or sits in front of a white background. You may only see the aura briefly in the beginning. You can also psychically sense the aura if you’re having trouble seeing it. Tune into the subject’s energy and see if you can psychically pick up the aura information and any color associated with it. Don’t get discouraged if you’re not seeing the aura right away. If you’re having problems seeing it with your physical eyes, then look with your third eye or look in different areas than around the outside of the person.

  Now that you know what auras are and ways to see them, you need to know how to use your intuitive ability to balance your aura. When your aura is out of balance, you’ll feel out of sorts. You may be irritable, frustrated, and full of tension. The aura has several layers and when you’re balancing it, you need to address each of these layers separately so that you bring balance from the inside out.

  To balance your aura, you’ll use your intuitive abilities to look inside yourself, examine your aura, and then use creative visualization to repair and strengthen it. This can be done in just a few minutes and you’ll see quick results. As you examine your aura, you’ll look at it on four different levels. First, look at your physical aura: do you see holes in it, areas that you can strengthen and reinforce? Next, look at your emotional aura. If the energy field surrounding your emotions is weak and unstable, it can have a negative effect on the other aspects of your entire aura. Now look at your mental aura for any hidden stresses or mental exhaustion. Finally, look at your spiritual aura for any areas of weakness. If you’re having problems coping with a situation or if you’re questioning your beliefs, you might find imbalances.

  Try It Now: Balance Your Aura

  Take the following steps to balance your aura. Sit quietly and intuitively look inside your being at your mental, spiritual, emotional, and physical energy, all of which make up your complete aura. Using creative visualization, open your crown chakra at the top of your head and imagine divine white light entering your body through your crown chakra. Let the white light fill you, starting at the core of your being and moving outward through all layers of your energy and aura. As white light fills every fiber of your being, allow it to push out any negativity you’re holding on to while it’s repairing all weak points of imbalance within your energy. As this white light moves to the outer physical part of your aura, allow it to go past the point of your own energy; then imagine it coming back on itself and creating a bubble around you, sealing you inside. All the negativity has been pushed out and you’re protected from it. Your aura is now repaired, in balance, and filled with positivity.

  Once you’ve balanced your aura, you will find that you’re more creative, more emotionally stable, have less tension and stress, and are happier overall. A balanced aura will allow you to be one in mind, body, and spirit, which allows you greater stability as you work to enhance your intuitive abilities. A balanced aura allows you to see the world as it is; life is clearer, more defined, and has a smooth flow.

  Energy Healing/Balancing/Distance Healing

  Energy healing is the intuitive ability to manipulate the body’s energy to bring about balance, clear negativity, and repair problem areas. It is using energy to affect energy. There are many popular methods of energy healing, such as acupressure, acupuncture, energy-focused body work (massage), Healing Touch, Reiki, and a plethora of different systems. Each of these methods has their own uniqueness that makes them different from one another, but at the core, the practitioners of these methods all use their intuition to connect to the energy of the person receiving the work to bring about balance and positivity. While most types of healing energy work dictate that one person does the work for another person, that doesn’t mean that you can’t do energy work for yourself.

  During a session, the practitioner connects to Universal Energy, also called the Universal Life Force, through intuitive means, either through the third eye, connecting with spirit guides, or by seeing the aura. Once connected to Universal Energy, they often use their hands to transfer this energy to the person they’re working with, sometimes by touching them or by holding their hands slightly above the person’s body. Practitioners can focus energy in certain areas that feel disturbed, clearing where there are obstructions in the energy flow.

  When it comes to energizing and healing our energy, I believe that there are times in our lives when we learn more about ourselves and need the connection that another person can give us. I also believe that it’s important to know how to do this for ourselves. Learning how to use your abilities and your connection to your soul essence to repair your energy is a step forward in your growth. So how do you do it?

  Start by finding time when you’re not going to be interrupted, when you can devote an hour (or even thirty minutes if that’s all the time you can spare) to examine and balance your energy. You can do this exercise either sitting down or lying on a bed or couch—just make sure you’re comfortable. If your clothes feel constricting, put something else on. You don’t want to have distractions around you, nor do you want to have distractions in your mind. The next step is to clear out all of those nagging thoughts so you’re focused only on your energy. Now, feel yourself connecting to Universal Energy and feel it moving all around you. If you feel that you need your guides to help you, ask them for their assistance.


  As this energy flows over you, intuitively look at your soul essence energy to find areas that feel weak, unstable, or empty. When you find these areas, imagine the Universal Energy flowing into them—strengthening, stabilizing, and filling them. Once you’ve examined your entire energy field and made corrections with the Universal Energy, you will feel more centered and balanced. At the end of the session, thank any guides who helped you and disconnect your intuitive senses from the Universal Energy.

  Prayer is one of the most widely used forms of distance healing regardless of religion or belief system. Distance healing is when an intuitive senses the energy of a person who needs healing, and through the use of white light and positive intention they send healing energy to this person over any distance. You may send it to someone sitting right beside you or someone on the other side of the world.

  You can help others by sending distance-healing energy when they are in need. When it comes to distance healing, each one of us is fully capable of using our intuitive abilities to connect with white light, give its energy a specific healing purpose, and send it to the person who has requested it. Sometimes intuitives do distance-healing sessions over the phone. While you may be hundreds or even thousands of miles apart, the session can take place during a phone conversation. This is energy work, therefore distance is not a barrier in achieving results. Distance healing can be used to help resolve specific problems, balance chakras, conduct Reiki sessions, clear karma, and help improve medical conditions.

  We can send healing energy to help someone, but since we can only heal ourselves on a soul level, it is up to the recipient of the white light energy to use it in the way that feels right to them. As spiritual beings, we are solely responsible for our own health and mental well-being. That is why we should seek medical attention when we are sick and pay attention to our personal frequency and emotional health. During times of need, we can also ask others to send white light and healing energy to us. You can be both a sender and receiver of distance healing, which will help you heal emotionally and in mind, body, and spirit.

  Try It Now:

  Send White Light to Someone Needing It

  For this exercise, you’ll ask someone who may be going through a difficult time if you can send white light to them. Explain that they can use it for whatever purpose they need. Focus on the person and their energy, then imagine a ball or flowing ribbon of positively charged white light going from you to them. When you feel that the light has reached them, release it. After you’ve sent the white light, talk to the person again to find out if they felt it when you sent it to them.

  Shell Hearing

  During a vacation at the beach, you picked up a shell, put it to your ear, and heard the roar of the ocean waves within the shell. If you took the shell home, hundreds of miles from the beach, you’d still hear the ocean. Conch shells seem to work the best because of the spirals within the shell. Now cup your hand over your ear. Do you hear the slight roar of the ocean? It is believed that this sound is caused by the noises in your surroundings that are picked up and resonated through the shell of your cupped hand. You can also obtain the same effect with a plastic cup, coffee cup, or small bowl.

  This is the basis of the ability called shell hearing. As an intuitive person, when you hold a shell to your ear, you may hear more than just the roar of the ocean or the resonated sounds of your surroundings. You may also hear whispered words or a specific voice. Some believe that when you do hear a voice in the shell, it is your subconscious sending your own thoughts back to you. But what if it’s the voice of a loved one or a voice of a different gender? This is when your intuitive abilities come into the picture. Just as it is easier for a spirit to contact you in your dreams when you aren’t consciously blocking them out, it is also easier for a spirit to contact you using shell hearing because your focus is on the sound and not on blocking. Sometimes you are only able to tap into your ability with shell hearing when you have two large shells and hold them up to both ears at the same time. Covering both ears seems to magnify your intuitive ability to tune in to whomever is trying to contact you using this method.

  You can use shell hearing with the intention to contact your guides. Always protect yourself with white light before attempting any type of spirit contact, to keep negative entities at bay. Envelop yourself with white light before putting the shells, cups, or your hands over or close to your ears; ask that only positive, higher-level guides speak with you, and that negative, lower entities be kept away. Ask your guides to deliver any messages when you listen to the sound. You may hear whispered words or a spoken message; then again, you may not. I believe you’ll only receive a message if you’re supposed to receive one, regardless of how intuitive you are. So if you don’t hear anything other than the roar of the ocean, that’s fine. You can always try again later. Just know that you can use this method and your abilities to receive messages from your spirit guides.

  Scrying

  Scrying has been used by intuitives for a very long time. Scrying is when an intuitive stares into an object in order to receive visions. You do not have to use an object to receive visions—many clairvoyants never use scrying. If you find that you’re having difficulty connecting to your clairvoyant ability, then you might give this a try.

  When scrying, you can use a variety of objects. You’ve probably seen the picture of a psychic staring into a crystal ball, but this isn’t the only way to accomplish your goal. You may decide to use a glass filled with water, the flame of a candle, any pool of water, smoke or fog, a bowl filled with water that has been darkened with ink, crystals, or the typical crystal ball. There is also the scrying mirror that has a black face instead of being reflective. Most metaphysical shops carry tools for scrying. The specific type of tool you use isn’t important; it just has to be something that feels right to you. If you try one tool and it isn’t working for you, try another one. If you’re using a crystal, hold it in your hands until you feel it grow warm. This allows your energy to connect to the energy of the crystal. It is the same with the other tools, even if you can’t hold them in your hand. You should feel a connection between your energy and the energy of the tool.

  Some people prefer to conduct complete rituals each time they’re scrying. They will do scrying in a dimly lit room with incense burning and music playing. While this practice is totally fine if it works for you, it is not the only way to be successful. You may be sitting on a park bench staring into the dark depths of a lake and start to receive impressions. Or maybe you’re sitting at your office and have a glass of tea or coffee that you’re drinking. You find yourself staring down into the cup at the liquid. Moments later you start to see a vision. Both of these are still scrying, just without the ritual.

  The reason that the tool you’re using isn’t important, and the reason you can use a cup of coffee or a huge lake, is because you’re not focusing on the actual scrying tool. You start by clearing your mind, finding your center, and relaxing your body. Then you can either wait for the visions to come or you can ask questions and wait for the answers. The purpose of scrying is to seek answers to a question for yourself or for someone you’re reading. When you’re scrying, you’re looking past the tool. For instance, if you’re using a flame, you start out looking at the flame but then your focus moves just past the flame. At this point you’re connecting with your own clairvoyance and the visions will come. You will also use your intuitive ability to interpret the visions you see.

  Divination

  Divination is the “art or act of foretelling future events or revealing occult knowledge by means of alleged supernatural agency; to know by inspiration, intuition, or reflection” according to The American Heritage Dictionary. It is a broad term that includes clairvoyance, precognition, prophecy, card readings, runes, and other methods used in an effort to predict the future. Divination is when you use any tool or object during a reading, in addition to your intuition, to gain information that wi
ll help you in the present by understanding the past and looking into the future.

  There are many different methods of divination that people use to foretell the future, to gain insight into current life situations, or to look into the past. There are methods of divination that read the moles on your body, the bumps on your head, and even the shape of dung. Some methods of divination are thousands of years old and aren’t practiced anymore, others are rarely practiced, and some other methods are very common in modern-day use.

  Divination can show situations in your life and possible outcomes for those situations. If you don’t like what you see during your divination reading, or what is seen on your behalf, you can always change it because you have free will and the ability to make choices that affect your life path. Using divination tools along with your intuitive abilities allows you to see where you’ve been, where you are right now, and where you’re going. The path you take is entirely in your hands. Using divination tools will help you focus when doing a reading.

  Some of the different types of tools used during divination readings are tarot cards, runes, pendulums, oracle cards, scrying bowls, the I Ching, crystals, divining rods, and tea leaves, to name a few.

  Try It Now:

  Divination Reading with Playing Cards

  You can try a divination reading right now using a regular deck of playing cards. Take the deck and shuffle well. As you’re shuffling, think of a situation that needs clarity for you. As you think of this situation, cut the cards into three piles. Turn over the first card, knowing it represents the past situation. Now write down the impressions you receive about the situation when you turn that card over. When you’re finished, go to the second card, which represents the present situation, and do the same thing. Next, go to the third card, which will represent the future or possible outcome, and repeat the process. Now look back at what you’ve written down. Do you see any seeds of truth in your words and impressions that will help you with your situation? Doing this type of reading allows you to connect intuitively with your guides and higher self to receive information that will help you resolve the situation.