Some people are afraid to contact the unconscious mind. They may have had negative or frightening psychic experiences as children, or they have learned to be frightened of them from parents or religious authorities who believed that it was “the work of the devil.” At the root of this fear is the belief that psychic processes are uncontrollable and therefore dangerous; the fear in losing control is a problem only if an individual is unbalanced emotionally or if he chooses for it to be a problem. The exercises in this book are all safe and manageable; at no time will you be out of control of your experience. Throughout all of these exercises you will be in complete control and have the choice to turn on and turn off the psychic process at will. Many priests, nuns, ministers, doctors, health care professionals, business people, parents, students, and children have been able to make personal intuition extremely practical, benefitting greatly from their own psychic abilities in the process.
There are many ways to develop intuitive abilities. The exercises here offer an approach I’ve been using for over forty-five years in workshops and training programs. These techniques have proven themselves again and again. They offer a wide range of learning experiences. Some of them will appeal to you more than others. I encourage you to find and use the techniques that work best for you. Although you may find that you are more naturally adept at one more than another, it is to your benefit to develop all of your psychic senses.
And one more thing: it’s important to have fun while you’re exploring your intuition. It is a process of self-discovery, personal unfoldment, and nearly limitless insight.
No matter how you accomplish it, practice is the most important technique for developing your intuitive skills. There are always a few students who attempt one or two psychic exercises and then give up, claiming they knew they were not really psychic to begin with. Yet, many more individuals have gone on to master the very techniques with which they had little or no success on their first attempts. Practice is what makes the difference. Learning to relax and tune into the psychic processes can take some time, but the rewards will be well worth the effort.
“You are an individualized, segmented part of Universal Mind, And as such are connected on subconscious levels with all minds.” Harold Sherman
Vocabulary
In order to gain an understanding of the psychic process itself, it will be helpful to explore some of the words associated with intuitive experiences. These words will provide valuable background for some of the experiential exercises you will be attempting later.
Aura relates to the subtle energy field that appears to emanate from both animate and inanimate objects and can provide intuitive information about the subject itself. The vibrational patterns within the aura are multicolored and multilayered. It is visible through intuitive means as well as through Kirlian photography.
Clairaudience means “clear hearing.” It can be as if someone were talking into your ear or can also be experienced as a thought. Words, numbers, or whole sentences may be perceived in this way. Practice will help you to distinguish between thoughts that are the product of your intellect and imagination or actual clairaudient impressions.
Clairsentience means “clear sensing.” Gut feelings and hunches are examples of clairsentience. Another example would be a physical sensation experienced during a reading that relates to the individual’s state of health or emotional condition. If the feeling or hunch concerns a future event, it is called precognition.
Clairvoyance means “clear seeing.” It is the faculty of psychic sight. As you practice ESP, you may perceive visual impressions that are similar to seeing images or pictures in your imagination. Clairvoyant impressions can appear as moving images like an imaginary movie, or they may be still pictures like a photograph. The images often appear in symbolic form, and learning to interpret these symbols correctly is perhaps the greatest challenge of clairvoyance.
ESP or Extrasensory Perception means having access to information which is not perceptible by the five ordinary senses of sight, sound, taste, touch, and smell.
HSP or Higher Sense Perception is another term for ESP. The terms have the same meaning, but higher sense perception suggests the existence of a finer, more subtle sense perception that more accurately describes the psychic process.
Intuition Intuitives just “know” the information. They do not see, hear, feel, smell, or taste the information; they just “know” it. When asked how they got an impression, quite often they will shrug and say “I just knew it.” These people are quite often accused early in life as being “know-it-alls.”
Kirlian photography is a method of photographing the aura.
Mediumship or Channeling is the phenomenon of a spirit (a disincarnate—a deceased individual) communicating through a living person. Mediums contact the disincarnate or a “guide” takes over the mediums and speaks through them. There can be dangers associated with mediumship, such as possession.
Parapsychology is the field of study dealing with psychic phenomena. Researchers and scientists have conducted parapsychological research in biology, psychology, medicine, engineering, and other fields.
Precognition involves knowledge of future events through psychic processes or intuition.
PSI is a term that scientists use instead of “psychic” or “psychic phenomena.”
Psychic Phenomena is the general phrase for paranormal events and abilities that cannot be explained in terms of established scientific principles. It includes ESP, psychokinesis (PK), mediumship, and other phenomena.
Psychic is someone who receives information from beyond the five physical senses of seeing, hearing, feeling, smelling, or tasting.
Psychokinesis (PK) also referred to as telekinesis. It is the influence of mind over matter—the ability to move or influence objects by thought. Spoon bending and table tipping are examples of this phenomenon.
Remote Viewing is the term used to gather information from a distance without the use of the five senses.
Retrocognition involves having or perceiving knowledge of the past through psychic or intuitive means.
Telepathy is mind-to-mind communication, more commonly known as “mind reading.” Telepathy, which is not to be confused with clairaudience, involves direct contact with another person’s thoughts. Telepathic communication may be perceived word for word or as a general impression. Some individuals are better at sending telepathic thoughts, while others at receiving them.
Suggestions When Visiting a Psychic
• Every person has his or her own area of expertise. If possible, find out if it is relationships, precognition, retrocognition, locating lost objects, etc. What are your needs?
• Make a list of questions to cover everything you want to know. Some people are nervous or intrigued with information the psychic gives them and may leave with questions unanswered.
• Be prepared: If the psychic does psychometry, have all of your objects ready. Follow the instructions of the psychic. Allow the reader to proceed in his or her own manner. Record the reading. Sometimes we hear what we want to hear, not what was said. Also, you can check the accuracy of the psychic to discover what areas he or she has been most accurate for you. (Be concerned if the person will not allow taping.)
• Do not send telepathic messages. You will not want your fears/guesses/wishes fed back to you.
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