3 Breathing gently, permit your thoughts to move away from the mind as body, mind and spirit are regenerated.
Once the connection has been made an earth ritual may be conducted. A ritual is a sacred act; a celebration acknowledging that there is a life power, which we honour by the giving of gifts to the spirit of place. The gifts may change according to the customs of the culture/country. For instance in Celtic countries the land is honoured by gifts of food or alcohol. A personal gesture made with heartfelt intentions would make the ritual a personal tribute to the earth. Bringing a candle or gifts of flowers would also make the ritual blessed to honour the vision which may be received by connecting to this earth power.
You can also conduct the same meditation using a standing stone. Here the energy is drawn directly into the spine and fills each bone in your body. A similar meditation can be conducted in a cave, by a cliff, on a stony beach – or you can hold a stone in your hand and meditate with it.
When you have become adept at the practice of meditation and are applying meditation on a daily basis, it’s time to work on opening your mind through psychic development exercises.
You will need to try these out a few times before you get the hang of how they improve your psychic technique. Practise them for a month, then leave it for a month before returning to the exercises to see if you have improved your focus.
Imagery
To learn how to work with your psychic senses, you first need to develop the discipline to be able to see clearly the images that you may pick up when working with your psychic vision. These practises are simple and, when worked at on a daily basis, strengthen your abilities. It takes about 20 minutes to do all three sections and they should be practised on a daily basis until your mind becomes fluid enough to pick up strong imagery.
Using Your Inner Senses
You need to do these while by yourself, anywhere that is comfortable for you.
VISUAL
Form the following images in your mind’s eye:
• Your name written on a piece of paper
• Your date of birth in numbers
• A bright red square
• A bright green circle
• A star
• A candle flame
AUDITORY
Recreate the following sounds in your inner ear imagination:
• The sound of someone you know calling your name
• Children playing in a school playground
• A church bell
• Busy traffic
• A train
• The sound of the sea crashing on rocks
KINESTHETIC (MOVEMENT)
Sense your movements and imagine yourself doing the following:
• Walking
• Running
• Swimming
• Dancing
• Kicking a football
• Making a bed
I have found that the older I get the more dense my imagination. It isn’t as free and vivid as it once was and I have to move the grey fog out of the way before the stronger, more vibrant images come into focus. These exercises help keep my mind focused.
Using Touch, Taste and Smell
Now we are going to take it a step further and work with your touch, taste and smell.
TACTILE
Sense yourself doing the following:
• Touching the rough bark of a tree
• Stroking a cat
• Placing your hand under running water
• Shaking hands
• Placing your hand in snow and feeling it go numb
• Delicately touching the petal of a rose
GUSTATORY
Sense what it’s like to taste the following:
• Salted peanuts
• Your favourite dessert
• A hot drink
• Ice-cream
• A hot chilli dish
• A piece of your favourite fruit
OLFACTORY
Sense what it’s like to smell the following:
• Your favourite perfume
• Freshly baking bread
• A bunch of flowers
• Petrol
• A joss stick
• Mint
The next series of exercises develops your intuitive understanding through body awareness – the part of us that responds to emotions and feelings. This discipline enables you to clearly understand when your body is saying yes and when it is responding with a no. Since running workshops I have realized that many people don’t always understand their body responses – whether to food, drink or to situations. We don’t always listen to ourselves. Working with these simple suggestions can open your understanding of how your body responds to various situations.
Intuiting Yes and No Through Body Awareness
WHEN YOU SENSE YOUR BODY IS SAYING YES
Imagine something you love to do, such as eating your favourite food or soaking in a hot bath or lying on a sun-kissed beach. Focus on your body sensations as you do this. The sensations will give you a sense of how your body conveys ‘yes’ to you.
WHEN YOU SENSE YOUR BODY IS SAYING NO
Focus on the sensations in your body when you imagine somebody calling you by the wrong name or you imagine yourself eating a food you dislike, or your bath water being too cold when you step into it. The sensations will give you a sense of how your body conveys ‘no’ to you.
Below are some descriptions of people’s responses to the exercise.
| YES responses are as follows: | NO responses are as follows: |
| Feeling open and expanded | Scrunched in the solar plexus |
| Clarity | Contracted |
| Lightness | Heaviness and cloudiness |
| Peace | Painful |
| Relaxation | Twisted |
| Warm glow |