prejudice
Modern Misunderstanding Of The Occult
I recently had an interesting conversation with a casual acquaintance about spirituality and the occult. She is new to metaphysics and mysticism, but since these topics are of great interest and intrigue to me, I needed no convincing to dive into it with her.
It soon became obvious that she had some misunderstandings, and even a few misgivings regarding these matters. For example, she believes a ‘spiritual person’ is someone who engages in some form of religion or spiritual practice, such as meditation or prayer. She also believes spirituality is the exclusive domain of humans, as animals do not practice any religion or spirituality – they merely exist in nature.
Many people confuse ‘being religious’ with ‘being spiritual’ – one does not necessarily imply the other. Living a spiritually aware or conscious life simply means ‘living in the truth’ of who you are – a spirit being in human form. One can be religious, but it is not a prerequisite to living your true spiritual identity.
I also explained to her that the creatures of this earth may appear to be ‘soulless,’ but all living, sentient beings, as well as nature at large, are all expression of Spirit, God, Source, Universe, the Divine. How the animals operate and survive in this world is what is inherently true of the inner being of who they truly are. The entire universe is an expression of its sacred origins. In fact, in my opinion animals live with much greater alignment to higher consciousness than most modern humans do!
It took her some time to evaluate these concepts, but she did eventually come to a conclusion that there must be some truth to it. However, the real fun began when I mentioned my life-long interest in the occult. She vehemently protested that everything relating to the occult is “evil and demonic.” I asked her what facts or personal experience she based this opinion on, but her only justification was that this is “what most people believe.”
The Deeper Meaning Of Color Stereotypes
Have you ever heard the expression someone “talks a blue streak?” It refers to a person who talks rapidly and non-stop. But why use the adjective blue? I suspect it may originate from the metaphysical tradition of the color blue being associated with speaking one’s truth (throat chakra) and creative expression. People who gravitate towards this color are often creatives or performers, such as designers, fine artists, singers, dancers, and so on.
Communicating succinctly is the most powerful way we can make a connection with others beyond our subliminal energy connections with everyone around us. An over-abundance of words, however, translates into a lack of trust on the speaker’s part that she is not accepted by others, be it family members, coworkers, friends, or stranger she encounters along her life path. Speaking clearly and concisely is an art.
The color red also holds a fascination for me, as I perceive it to be a color that is so amazingly misunderstood. Red is generally interpreted as the color of anger, such as “I was so mad, I was seeing red.” Red is also used to denote danger in road signs and red cars are said to be associated with speed and aggressive driving.
But the color red also has many positive symbolic meanings in different cultures, including about passion, excitement, love, vigor, health, life and even spiritual zeal.
Another brilliant color that is often misrepresented is black. Once again, it is generally seen as a color related to depression, sadness, gloom, negativity and evil. In my view black stands out as a harmonious hue. If we see it in a positive light, black can be considered as a sharply defined, elegant color. It is symbolic of power, mystery, and sophistication. No one can deny the glamour of showing up to a dinner party in a smart little black dress or a tailored black tuxedo.
Sometimes It’s Okay To Keep Your Distance!
Many of us have that one relative we do get along with. In every family there is a ‘Cousin John’ or an ‘Aunt Lydia’ who we simply cannot stand. Try as we might, we just cannot find it in our hearts to love them unconditionally.
In my case it is an uncle who’s views and opinions I just cannot tolerate. I despise all forms of racism, misogyny, and bigotry, and I am also an avid supporter of the LGBTQ community. I have no patience with people who criticize or belittle others for who they were born to be. It is unacceptable and despicable.
For many years now I have been consciously practicing healthy boundaries with relatives and people in general. I preach it! Healthy boundaries are vital for one’s mental health, personal growth and emotional well-being.
My Grandmother and I got along so well when she was in this life. We were like two peas in a pod. When she eventually came to live with us later in her life, there was however one issue that caused tension between us – her son.
My uncle was so out of line, in so many ways that I just could not tolerate having him anywhere near me. He is an extremely hateful man who has no qualms about freely spewing his vitriolic prejudice, verbal abuse and bigoted views in front of anyone who cares to listen, including the children in the family.
My grandmother stubbornly remained loyal to her son through it all, and she could now understand why I could not accept him. She said that it was such a shame that we could not all get along, while I felt it as a shame that he is so hateful. She would make excuses for him, saying for example that he was bullied in school. But I felt he should work on himself, instead of hating on other folks for no reason. She could not see my perspective from her way of thinking. Continue reading
The Social Challenges Of Being Psychic
I am often asked what it is like is to be psychic. It is a blessing when I can use my gift to be of service to others. However, it can sometimes also be a burden to know things you are not supposed to know, especially if you can do very little about it. Sitting silently on the sidelines and watching patiently is a big part of being psychic.
The other day, for example, a customer came into my store. He was on speaker phone with his wife, telling her how he was buying her and their kids some surprise gifts from my store. But she sounded disinterested, hostile, even angry. She certainly did not seem grateful for what he was doing for the family.
My employees commented afterwards on how sorry they felt for the poor guy, and how awful his wife sounded. But I advised them to not judge so easily – we never know what is truly going on in other people’s lives.
The truth is, I intuitively knew more about the couple than my staff did. I sensed he had cheated on her and that he was not the perfect husband. He believes doing things like surprise shopping for the family would somehow make up for all the pain and disappointment he had caused her.
One time, I had a friend who introduced me to another friend and her fiancé. After the couple left, I told her I was concerned that her friend’s fiancé may be gay. I also told her that he was going to break off the engagement a month before the wedding. I suggested she talk to her friend, to soften the blow and prepare her.
My friend knows I am psychic, but she is always a little skeptical. She became very angry at me and insisted that I had it entirely wrong. The fiancé, she said, was clearly very masculine and did not act gay at all! She went on to say some deeply hurtful things to me, implying, among other things, that I probably only thought he was gay because he did not make a pass at me.
A Healing Spirit Visitation And The Haunted Toy
A few months ago, my best friend, whom I’ve known since I was five, had her mother pass away. Shortly after that, I woke up in the middle of the night because my son’s educational toy was spontaneously activated and said: “Learn.”
I then instantly felt my friend’s mother’s presence. She was visiting me to apologize to me for something that happened when I was a little girl. It was a deep wound for me at the time, but I rarely thought about it since, and did not harbor any ill will because of it.
When I was 11 years old, I had told my best friend that I had “seen my goddess.” I did not know about spirit guides and had not yet been exposed to any related spiritual philosophies or belief systems. However, I was already interacting with my spirit guide back then, whom I called ‘my goddess.’ Today, I know her as Lily.
I also told my friend that my goddess had said that she was going to give me gift. Later that day, in the cow field that I had to cross to get to school every morning, I found a silver ring.
My friend knew that we were not wealthy, so there was no way I could have bought the ring with my own money. It clearly had been found. It was too much of a coincidence for my friend to not link it to me saying my goddess was giving me a gift.
Unfortunately, these events really scared my friend. She told her parents. That night, my friend’s father, who was a rather intimidating man, came to my house and yelled at me in front of my mom. My mother was confused, since she did not know what had happened earlier that day.
My friend’s parents never got over it. They assumed I was lying and telling stories that scared their daughter. They treated me quite badly after that. This is too often the lot of many psychic children. We are frequently accused of lying or exaggerating, among other things.
What Is It Like To Be Psychic?
I have been asked many time what it is like to be psychic? I have always felt this to be an odd question, because in my mind I am just an ordinary human being, the same as everyone else. We are all born with our own particular gifts and talents. Mine just happens to be a sixth sense.
Everyone of us is unique in our own special way. I just happen to have certain psychic abilities. I feel I was given these gifts to help people, to offer them insight and guidance from the spirit realm.
In the time of the European witch persecutions of the 16th century, and the American witch trials of the 17th century in Salem, people like me were often called ‘witches.’ At the time it was the only understanding people had as to why someone would know things they are not supposed not know.
Throughout human history people like me have been honored and appreciated, but also mocked, shunned and persecuted. People tend to fear what they do not understand, and it continues to this day. Many people remain skeptical of psychic and paranormal phenomena. To them it just cannot be real. I can assure you it is.
Many more people in the world actually have psychic abilities, but because it is so misunderstood, they just do not know it, or they simply choose not to recognize, accept, or use it. These gifted individuals ‘know’ or ‘sense’ things, but choose not to call themselves a ‘psychic.’
Protect Your Energy From Toxic People
It is vital to protect ourselves energetically from toxic, negative people. It is essential to our health and well-being. To one degree or another we’ve all have experienced negative, toxic people. These people are sometimes easy to detect, but not always.
The most typical scenario I have encountered is the unkind or rude family member, or distant relative. These are also the most difficult to dealt with, because we often time have no choice but to spend time with them at family events and gatherings. Usually we feel we have no choice in the matter, bit this is actually not true. We do have a choice.
We don’t have to attend every family event. If you know the toxic person is going to be there, you simply don’t have to rise to the occasion. Stop feeling guilty for not attending. Of course, there are usually other family members who make you feel like you have to be there. “It just won’t be Christmas without you,” they might say. But what it really comes down to is your personal well-being. Sure, you may only have to absorb their negative energy once or twice a year, but just like once you have heard something disturbing you can’t ‘unhear’ it, once you have had the experience it is now a part of your memories.
I prefer to be proactive when it comes to managing my energy. And we do have the right to decide who we choose to spend time with, or not. I prefer spending time with those relatives and friends who are compassionate and kind, instead of those who lack tact, are rude, cruel and inconsiderate. I prefer to avoid those who think their opinions are fact, and who are constantly dropping poison upon others with their negative comments. Not okay. Not ever.