Introspection, contemplation, meditation — these are all terms for a practice that leads our attention toward a heightened awareness. Inner Listening is the foundation for developing this awareness. The different impulses, traits and conversations we all have within us have their own vibrations and sounds…and this cacophony is often the first thing we notice when we turn our attention inward!

How do we harmonize all this inner jumble?

Consider that all emotions and thoughts we have every day, every moment, ultimately arise from Silence. Many people have had special experiences where time seemed to stand still and all was peaceful. The Nada yogis say we can learn to dive into this stillness by listening to ever-more subtle sounds. We can do this by beginning with soothing outer music and gradually turn our focus to the inner symphony of our own body.

Once we go beyond our own body’s nervous system, we can venture beyond thought, to merge in the Anahata Brahma or “unstruck sound.” Anahata Brahma means is the Cosmic Word — the Om or Amen.

In this video I introduce some of the Rasas (flavors) of different kinds of music. The Rasas represent different frequency levels, and they introduce a sound meditation that can be practiced to develop more inner sensitivity.

Breathe slowly and deeply as you do this and harmonize with the Cosmos (aka your Sonic Self)!

After watching the movie I AM, I was having a rather animated discussion with God about why such movies don’t talk more about intuition. Movies like What The Bleep Do We Know?!, The Celestine Prophecy, The Living Matrix and I AM all touch on intuition, but they don’t spend much time on its importance.

When I was done ranting, the words came into my head to start a movement that will help people understand what the “voice within” is and how to live by it.

Psychic abilities, life after death, the soul, heaven, hands-on healing and ghosts are all topics that I have written books about, but my most favorite subject among all my books is intuition. That still, small, silent voice within all of us is there to guide us continually. It’s mysterious, magical, loving and awesome when we realize that this silent voice within us is there just for us, and its sole purpose is to make our lives easier by continually giving us guidance when we need it. We don’t have to feel alone or feel like no one understands us, because our intuition does understand us unconditionally and always wants to be of help.

Recently on the TV show “Rizzoli and Isles,” the cop (Rizzoli) asked the coroner (Isles) what her gut told her about the case. The coroner (who doesn’t get the whole gut concept) said, “I don’t know what my intestines say about it.” I thought that was pretty humorous — and realistic — because a lot of people don’t know what “within” means! When we talk about intuition being within, we are not referring to within the physical body. The inner voice actually resides within the core of our soul and it has been guiding our soul through every incarnation.

What is Intuition?
Webster defines intuition as the immediate knowing of something without the conscious use of reasoning. It’s located somewhere between our heart and our solar plexus. It’s an inner nudge. A knowing. A sense or feeling. Not an emotional feeling but a knowing feeling.

The purpose of the Trust the Voice Within Movement is to encourage people to tune in to their inner guidance. To support you on your path, Leigh Hopkins of Viva Institute created a website — www.trustthevoicewithin.com — devoted entirely to living by intuition. Each week we’ll discuss different topics and encourage you to share your stories with us to help others understand how it works.

Here is what you’ll find here at www.trustthevoicewithin.com:

• Real-life stories and questions to make you think about the times when you’ve listened to your intuition or not, and how to tune in when you want to! This is a place for you to share your own stories and to comment and support others in this community.
• Guided meditations, video messages, news clips, and more.
• A news section with real-life stories and examples of how intuition is being used on a daily basis.
• “Yeah, but…,” a section devoted to stories about the times when you should have listened to your intuition and didn’t!
• Information on intuition groups in your area. If you’d like to create one in your area, write to Leigh Hopkins at leighopkins@gmail.com.
• Resources like my book A Still, Small Voice, as well as a meditation CD, and an Intuition t-shirt.

Share your stories, comment on other people’s stories, and join us in this supportive community! Let’s spread the word about this divine voice within. You are not alone!

Until recently, intuitive ability in our society has been ignored, discounted, trivialized and, in some cases, criminalized. Many people claim that intuition doesn’t even exist, that the “accidental” happenings of gut instinct or psychic knowing are merely coincidences or things made up to make oneself feel better. For years, those who believed in intuition were forced to meet in back rooms and secret societies and to feel ashamed to admit these activities to friends and neighbors.

No wonder most people don’t use intuition as a helpful tool in everyday life. Not only have people not been taught how to use intuition; they have been told it doesn’t exist!

Intuitive ability is very much like musical ability — everyone has some musical talent, but very few people can sit down and play the piano without training. Similarly, everyone has the capability to be intuitive, but very few are natural born psychics. As with musical ability, the key to training intuition is to believe in it, discover our strengths, learn the rules, and then practice, practice, practice.

There are actually some very simple rules for learning and enhancing your intuitive skills. Learning these rules and then practicing some exercises will aid everyone in making intuition an accessible and usable skill:

• Being open to intuition is, of course, the first step. It is impossible to use something if you refuse to acknowledge that it exists. If you find yourself constantly doubting your abilities or thinking that you are “making this up,” you will only slow down your progress.
• The information you receive will only be as good as the questions that you ask. Most people don’t get good intuitive help because they think psychic messages occur spontaneously. Sometimes that is true, but asking a good question is the key to getting usable intuition advice.
• Once you have determined what you wish to know, you need to enter into a focus state. In a focus state, we reduce the number of high-amplitude Beta brainwaves that form the constant mental chatter we carry on in our minds. My favorite way of creating an almost instantaneous focus state is to relax my tongue. Loosening your tongue keeps you from talking to yourself and allows space for your intuition to speak.
• While in this focus state you will receive an intuitive message. Don’t stay in the state long; a minute or two is all that is necessary. Take whatever you get, whether it is a thought, physical feeling, emotion, color, smell or sound. Just remember it, then come out of your focus state.
• Once you are out of the focus state ask, “What does what I just received mean to me?” Write at least five words to describe what you saw, heard, smelled or felt. For example, perhaps while in your focus state you saw a rabbit. Once you come out, write what a rabbit means to you (i.e. fuzzy, trouble, fast, breeds a lot, etc.) The words that you write down are the answer to the question you asked. Use your conscious mind to interpret how the message you received answered the question you asked. If you don’t get an answer that makes sense, you can always repeat the exercise and ask for more clarification.
• Practice is the key to making intuition a usable tool. Find a time each day to spend 10 or 15 minutes asking a question, going into a focus state, getting a message (mind picture, word, emotion, etc.) and then coming out and interpreting it. Sometimes the message might not make any sense to you. Don’t worry about this. Just keep practicing and practicing. No one gets really good at anything without discipline and clarity.
• The last step to being a master intuitive is to trust what you have received and to act upon it. Without trust and action, all the rest is of no value.

In my opinion, the changes coming in 2012 are going to be about developing our intuitive birthright. Practice these steps and join me in walking bravely into our future as intuitive masters.

Frank DiCristina is a certified Building Biologist, Master Dowsing Practitioner and Sound Healing Specialist. He became a true believer of the unseen after his personal dowsing training with his mentor, the late master Slim Spurling. Frank frequently lectures on dowsing of the earth energies and their potential biological impact on our health. Frank is also a faculty member and instructor for the Institute of Bau-Biology and Ecology, an organization that teaches the general public and working professionals on how to create healthy, healing homes and workplaces.

Frank is a dowser. In the Midwest, that may bring to mind images of farmers looking for a spot with a forked stick to drill a well, but Frank has much more to say about it.

Frank DiCristina

Tell us what dowsing is, Frank.
Frank DiCristina: Yes, “water witching” is what most people in the Midwest think of when they think of dowsing. Our uncles or grandfathers may have dowsed to find water using a fresh branch off the nearest tree or using a piece of bent wire. No one ever doubted their abilities to find a spot for that well using this method. Dowsing for water has been used by many cultures for thousands of years.

Dowsing in its simplest form is a divination method for getting an answer to a question. The question is usually based on a yes or no answer. To receive an answer, one must connect with one’s Higher Self. In other words, we need to let go of our ego and get out of our heads — allowing us to connect to our Higher Self, or Universal Consciousness.

Some people meditate, pray or do deep breathing to get answers. The point is to allow the answers to come from your Higher Self. These practices teach us to receive clear answers without getting in our own way. If we already know the answer, why bother to ask a question? The reason we dowse is to get a true answer.

Sometimes we don’t like the answers we get. We rephrase the question or manipulate the results to get the answer we want. We can achieve amazing results once we learn to let go of the need to determine the outcome ourselves.

If a negative stress line is in our home environment, we can’t really get rid of these lines, can we?
FD: Dowsing helps us to find energy lines in the earth. These lines run crisscrossed all over the globe. There are several types of tools I use to dowse. “L-rods” are used to point and give a direction. Pendulums are used for helping to make a decision. The pendulum is typically used with a dowsing chart. Information can be accessed more quickly using a dowsing chart. Knowing how to phrase the questions will give the best results.

Can a line be removed you asked? It depends on where the lines lay, their strength and how many are crossing in that area. If someone’s bed is situated on a group of negative energy lines, my first response is, “Can the bed be moved?” If not, can the lines be moved or blocked? We always try to disrupt nature as little as possible. But if the lines are caused by something man made, then we may have to take additional steps to move them. The reason we try to move man made over natural is because we were the ones causing the problems in the first place. The natural lines are there for a reason not known by us.

Man-made negative energy lines are caused by our interference with the natural order of things. Man has lost much of his respect for nature over the last few centuries. New interference lines are created by man-made things built upon the earth. Cell towers, electrical substations and power plants are a few examples of this.

Farmers have known about these effects for years. Negative energy lines affect their animals and how they produce milk, lay eggs, grow wool, etc. Certain animals behave differently around these negative energy lines, as well. Cats enjoy being near them and dogs will avoid them, for instance. Farmers will often take steps to reduce these interference lines and stray voltage pathways. In the urban environment, however, we have lost touch with nature and these things often go unnoticed.

What are some of the most common problems that you’ve discovered that people have with their homes or environments?
FD: Due to our lack of knowledge and involvement in how the earth and our electro-biological systems are connected, humankind has more illness than ever before. We are often medicated without knowing what is causing the illness. These forms of environmental stress do not cause the conditions, but they do help to magnify them.

One of the most common issues I have seen is insomnia. People are not getting the rest they need to heal and rejuvenate their bodies. The body is amazing. It can heal and repair itself if given the time, nutrition and most importantly, the rest it needs. Rest is essential for the body to repair itself. Without the ability to repair itself, the body eventually gives up and allows the misdirected cells to attack the body. This is when illness is created.

Other symptoms of environmental stress are headaches, body aches, muscle tension, cramps and digestion issues. When I dowse a person, I can see stress lines in their auric field. I have developed a technique to find these stress areas on a person’s body and help to repair them. The stress will return, however, if it is not removed from the area they spend the most time in — usually the sleeping area.

We cannot expect to be healed by a doctor, health practitioner or energy worker and not do anything about what’s going on in our homes and offices. The bedroom is the first place to focus on. It is important to get this room clear to protect us from these damaging geopathic energy fields.

I have heard that dowsing is a lot like Feng Shui, but more for the body. How are these two fields related?
FD: Feng Shui (pronounced “fung shway”) literally means “Wind Water” (or harnessing wind and channeling water). It is the ancient Chinese practice of configuring one’s home or work environment to promote health, happiness and prosperity. Feng Shui, also known as the Chinese Art of Placement, is now mostly thought of as a method for improving “luck” by harmonizing your home environment with local landforms and energies.

Dowsing can be a foundation on which Feng Shui rests. Dowsing is used to find the noxious energy lines and centers so that the placement of a new construction will be beneficial. When one is building a house, for example, Feng Shui could be used to choose a site for the house and its orientation. Dowsing could be also be used to see if something does not belong there or is harmful. Both modalities work hand-in-hand when used properly.

For more information on Frank DiCristina, BBEC, SHS, call 612.384.1334 email frank@environmentalhealingservices.com or visit www.environmentalhealingservices.com.

This month, I wanted to interview someone who could give us a taste of the study of runes. Runes are an ancient form of divination, but are not as well known as other more common forms of divination, such as tarot and astrology.

Kari Tauring has been teaching and living the runes for several decades. She is an important resource in our holistic community — not only for her knowledge of runes, but also for her work with Volva Stav, a unique form of spiritual training that incorporates the indigenous teachings of the Norse traditions.

Welcome, Kari! I love how you mention in your book, The Runes – A Human Journey, that you can find rune patterns in nature, on sidewalks, etc. Are there any tips you can give us for how to learn to do this?
Kari Tauring: Take the ice rune, for instance. You can’t get to know it only by thinking about it or by recognizing its shape, the vertical line. You have to walk on it, walk over ice. Everyone from Minnesota understands this! When you walk on ice, you walk slowly. You secure your footing. It may be unconscious, but it’s physically necessary. You probably breathe differently while crossing ice. If you notice these things, you will understand that your spine is the ice rune itself. That is the process of reading the runes in nature. This is a “Volva Stav” way of living in the runes.

Of course, the most important thing in recognizing the runes in nature or anywhere else is to memorize their shapes, names and meanings. Treat each rune like a new friend. Memorize how it looks. Memorize its name and one interesting fact about it. The more you recognize it, the more you will meet with it in your daily life. I recommend picking one rune a day to “attend” to. That way you can monitor the frequency of seeing that rune or being confronted with the concepts it represents. When you see it, greet it by name and ask it what’s up. That’s how you develop a relationship with runes.

There are different name spellings, pronunciations and variations on meaning for the runes in Icelandic, Norwegian, Germanic and Anglo-Saxon. Any time you are dealing with a culturally specific system, language is an issue. Be fearless and don’t judge yourself when trying out the language — be playful and honoring.

When I began to study runes in the late 1980s, I made a big chart of the runes to hang on my wall. Each morning and evening, I stretched in front of the chart, playing with the sounds and rhythms of their names in the different languages and on the stretching breath. I began using runes in musical composition, choosing from their names based on the meter of my poetic expression. By the time I wrote the rune book in 2007, I was slipping in and out of different pronunciations for different purposes.

When I asked my editor which pronunciations I should use he said, “Just use the ones you say.” As a result, the choices in my book are an organic mixture of the languages. I will be making an update for my book as iPhone application this year, adding mp3s of my chanting each rune with its various names and rhythms. This will really help others, I think.

At one point, you mentioned that you live according to the Earth-based 13 Moon calendar. How does this lifestyle differ from what we experience in the Roman 12 month calendar system?
KT: The first thing it did for me was align my body’s cycles with the cycles of the moon, creating hyper awareness of my body rhythms. First was the obvious but startling synchronization of menses to the moon. I began to mark daily and weekly biorhythms. I soon could track my body rhythms on the seasonal cycle. This hyper awareness made it hard to ignore the signals my body was sending of its cyclical needs.

It seems our society is based on this disconnect. Sitting at a desk for extended periods of time, for example, became intolerable. Waking to an alarm rather than on a natural sleep cycle was difficult. Our calendar/clock system made meeting cyclical food and water needs difficult, as well.

While living according to the moon cycles, fitting into the seven-day week, 9-5 productivity schedule that the rest of your society operates on can be difficult. I needed more flexible work and community relationships. It can be isolating.

Your recent book is called Volva Stav Manual, named after the ceremonial wise woman of the Old Norse tradition. Can you please explain what the Volva Stav program is? How does one begin to study such a system?
KT: Volva is the title for a staff-carrying woman in Norse Tradition. “Carrying the staff” means that this woman is dedicated to aligning her own spine with the trunk of the world tree. Aligning our many bodies with the many dimensional worlds of the cosmic tree creates a Seidr State, a state of transcendence and awareness. The volva follows the 13 moons and seasonal cycle as she aligns her bodies.

Volvas are Vandrekonas (wandering women) traveling both physically in the world and inter-dimensionally through the nine worlds of the tree. The use of the staff to ground and center as well as propel her through the worlds is called Gandreid (wand riding). If she is a Spakona (prophet), she works with the Norns (ancient female beings) using sound vibration to read individual Oorlog (something like karma) and the portion of the Web of Wyrd it is connected to (energetic grid work of Earth and community relationships). She can then see the potential geometry of the path a person or community is on, reading past, present and potential.

If she is a Gamledokter (ancient healer) she will rely on her perceptions to shift or correct the strands of energy with the help of her spirit guides, the client’s ancestor spirits and possibly the spirits of the house or land. She may employ herbs and relationships in the natural world (Teinseid) to create remedies for illness. She will use Galdr (rune song) to create vibrational pathways for healing energy. If the client needs soul retrieval, the volva may gandreid to retrieve the broken pieces.

Volva Stav is a complete system for training to do these things. It is my own personal method developed over two decades of training in music, runes, martial arts, journey, dream work and the healing arts. I initially wrote it to go along with my four-hour intensive course, but it is also helpful on its own.

I think someone with a master level of proficiency in other spiritual arts such as tai chi, energy work or yoga would be able to adapt to the exercises of Volva Stav. But the visualizations and culturally specific alignments are going to take some study. Start reading Norse mythology from as many sources as you can find. The language and terminology will take some doing, but don’t let that stop you. Be fearless in allowing the words to come out of your mouth. It’s better to honor a person by trying to say their name than just nod silently at them as they pass you by.

How can we incorporate the Volva Stav into our modern lives? How do you integrate it?
KT: The first step is to slow down. To be volva is to be in Verthandi or present moment. Ultimately, it is the conscious awareness of breath, rhythm, and alignment in the present moment that allows the Volva to attain the Seidr State. There is no set future if we remain at peace in the present moment.

In Verthandi, we can make decisions intentionally rather than out of habit or impulse. We have time to evaluate the past, learn from the mistakes of our ancestors and understand their blessings for us before we strike out on our path. In Norse Tradition, we are not doomed to repeat the mistakes of the past, but we must know what they are and heal them. This is so key right now for humanity. We need to get present, forget our extremes and impulses, and heal dysfunctional behavior. Only in this way can we create a stable and functional future for the next generation.

An interview with Val Medeiros

I recently asked Val Medeiros, “The SoulTalker,” to share with us some of her ideas about how to work with our intuition. I couldn’t think of a better person to ask.

Val holds regular channeling sessions around the Twin Cities area and meets with individuals to help them with guidance from her channeled beings. She lives and breathes intuition.

Val Medeiros

“Hindsight is always 20/20,” Val says. “Looking back on my life, I now understand that I’ve been receiving messages all along, but I never made the connection to being a medium or intuitive.

“In February 2004, I received a download of information from a friend’s father. At the time, it scared me, and I questioned why it was happening to me at that point in my life. My life has not been the same since. That began my quest for knowledge and my journey into my own spirituality.

“For a few years I did a lot of reading. Then in 2006, I took a Soul Coaching class from Chris Tonnar, who discovered that I am a deep trance channel. Besides developing my gifts as a psychic medium, and channel, I also felt a strong calling to become certified in Reiki. I returned to Utah for that training and am now a certified Seichim Reiki Master Teacher.”

The following is our conversation about intuition:

How do you define intuition?
Val Medeiros: I would define intuition as information or knowledge that comes from a universal source outside of our mind’s process. To me, using your intuition would mean being able to completely quiet your mind and allowing yourself to listen, feel, sense, know and trust the information you receive. It is being in tune with all that is.

Intuition is also different for everyone. One person may feel a “gut instinct” and someone else may have a vivid dream. An animal may cross your path to get your attention to something taking place in your life. Being intuitive means recognizing and honoring the signs and messages we receive. Every individual needs to discover what works best for them, how they best receive their information, and then trust what they receive.

As a person who guides people using your own intuition, is there ever any question about whether information is coming from your own thoughts as opposed to the original source of all thoughts? How do you distinguish those?
VM: When I first started, I questioned myself a lot, because I was still looking for validation. I wanted to make sure that I wasn’t making up the information. Initially, it dawned on me that my thinking process was definitely different than how I received information. I normally think in complete sentences or thought processes and I normally don’t think in word bursts except when brainstorming, A lot of what I received back then was a single word or phrase often with no explanation.

What works best is to just say what you receive as you receive it. I believe there is a certain “wow” factor involved. When I receive information or messages, a part of me says “wow” or “hmm.” If I knew the information beforehand, I wouldn’t have those reactions. I have learned to trust what I receive no matter how odd, insignificant or silly it seems. I have also come to trust that the messages I receive are the messages that people need to hear.

On what aspects do you base your intuition? Is it a feeling, words that come into your mind, or images?
VM: My most prominent aspect is my profound sense of “knowing” (clairsentient), though I am also an empath or “feeler.” When doing readings, I believe that I am allowed to sense people’s feelings and emotions to help understand where they are/were at that time in their life. Being a channel also adds a little different aspect to my readings. When doing a medium reading, I often will display a deceased person’s habit, the way they sat, rubbed their chin, shook their foot. Every now and then I will see a color or symbol, or hear a song, but the majority of my information is through my sense of knowing.

Do people ever ask you how to access their own guides? What advice do you give them?
VM: Yes, I have been asked that, along with “What are my guide’s names?” When someone asks me that, I often reply by asking “What is the first name that comes to your mind?” It is my belief that every individual has a guide that has been with them since birth to assist and guide them throughout their lifetime, and other guides who will step in as needed. For example, if someone is having difficulty with children, a guide might step in to aid with patience.

My advice is that our angels and guides are never too busy to help, and all we have to do is ask. They patiently stand ready to assist. We must remember that they are guides and they won’t make our decisions for us, nor will they take action for us. They honor our free will and recognize our choices. Also, keep in mind that we don’t have to wait for something major to occur before we ask for help. We could simply ask that they assist with quieting our minds, or getting a good night’s rest.

How do people use intuition in art?
VM: I believe that intuition, being in-tune with all the energy around you, keeps you very present in the moment…listening, feeling, seeing, hearing, sensing. When art is created, and a person’s mind is quiet, your senses awaken.

We often ignore our senses or take them for granted. If you stop your mind from racing, chances are you will smell, see, hear, feel, touch, know something in that moment with awareness. A painter may feel emotion in their brush stroke, a jeweler may see a flash of design for a setting, a beader may feel that certain beads need to be placed together. I use intuition a lot in my photography. Sometimes I feel a sense of needing to slow down or to stop and look around. It’s those moments that I manage to capture an eagle sitting off in the distance, or see the sun reflecting perfectly on the water.

Intuition also is used in the healing arts in many different ways. I believe that staying in the moment allows our intuition and creativity to flow. Creativity comes from the right side of the brain, just as intuition does — and I believe we all are blessed with both.

Val Medeiros can be reached at 651.324.0416. Visit her website at www.thesoultalker.com or find her on facebook as The SoulTalker.

The newly opened Shadow Lights Minnesota Candle and Metaphysical Shop in Prior Lake is the area’s only metaphysical store in the Southwest Metro. The store has a decidedly witchy flavor and carries one-of-a-kind pointy hats, brooms, cauldrons, essential oils, stones, incense, herbs, organic herbal teas, wands, pendulums, candle holders, journals, ink and much more.

Owned locally by Kim and John Hinnenkamp, they have their own label essential oil blends, bath-salts and candles. Shadow Lights Minnesota carries Windstone Editions and Munro statuary. The store has a Tarot reader available weekly — Annie Zimbel is in the store Wednesdays from 1 to 5 p.m. for readings. Shadow Lights Minnesota hopes to have more readers and activities available in the future.

Shadow Lights Minnesota, at 4775 Dalota St. SE in Prior Lake, is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, and from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday. Visit the online store at www.shadowlightscandles.com.

Ellen Goldammer, a local intuitive channel, has opened a new location of EG Wellness Resources in her home at 760 Clearbrook Lane in Vadnais Heights, MN, providing a one-stop-shop for vibrational energy work.

The shop is stocked with hundreds of varieties of crystals and gemstones, gemstone jewelry, books and gifts. Services include readings, energy work and consultations, custom stone and floral essence elixirs and much more. EG Wellness Resources also is a forum for discussion and learning. A variety of classes and discussion sessions are intended to help people discover their inner strength and enrich their spiritual lives.

“For a long time now, I have wanted a space to serve others by utilizing my intuitive gifts and metaphysical knowledge,” Ellen said. “I am very excited to finally have the office up and running and look forward to welcoming the community.”

For more information, to join the email newsletter list, or to set up an appointment, call Ellen at 651.429.9399 or visit www.ellengold.com.

Recently someone asked me, “How do I know if the information I am getting is coming from my intuition or from my own self talk?” This is a very good question, and one that everyone who is serious about being intuitive needs to ask on occasion. It is a challenge to be intuitive about yourself and most of us find that it is far easier to give someone else a psychic reading than to give ourselves good intuitive advice.

Why? Because our own hopes, dreams, worries and fears tend to get in the way of our hearing our inner psychic, at least when we are asking for information for ourselves. Many people solve this dilemma, at least in part, by consulting with other psychics. But, we also want and need to use our intuition to make our own lives better. So, it is necessary, I think, to be able to distinguish the voice of our inner self talk and the quiet voice of our intuitive wisdom.

I attended a talk once where the speaker said that our unconscious mind was unable to hear the word “Not.” Her point was that when we make affirmations such as, “I do not want to be fat,” our unconscious mind only hears, “I am fat.” I don’t know if this is true or not, but, upon reflection, I realized that my intuition almost never uses the word “not.”

I will hear, for example, “take this route to work” rather than “do not take your usual route,” or, “make this telephone call” rather than, “do not call this person.” My “tips for better living” mind, on the other hand, is always telling me what not to do. Thus, when I hear advice about what not to do, I am generally certain it is coming from the part of me that is fearful about something, rather than my intuition.

Another way I differentiate between intuition and self talk is that intuition speaks without emotion. It often “hits” out of the blue with no relationship to what I am doing or even thinking about. It comes as an emotionless statement in my mind, or a mental picture or even a physical sensation. Seldom, though, does it carry a strong emotional charge with it. Even when I see, in my mind’s eye, something that would normally frighten me, I am able to view it intuitively as if I am watching a movie that doesn’t involve me.

My inner voice, though, seems to thrive on emotion. When I think about something and ruminate on it, I tend to feel a lot of emotions. Whether the emotion I feel is excitement, joy, fear or worry is irrelevant. Feeling that type of emotion, along with a thought, is a clue to me that the thought is not an intuitive message.

Another clue is that intuitive information tends to come without any value judgment attached to it. My intuition gives me messages without any sense of “good” or “bad,” “right” or “wrong.” Sometimes, after getting this information, my conscious mind jumps in, placing judgment on what I have received. But, the actual vision or words or feelings never carry a sense of rightness or wrongness. That is because intuitive information is valueless. It is never right or wrong…good or bad. It simply is.

Not long ago I got an email from someone who had heard me giving intuitive insights to audience members. Her email said, “How do you differentiate between common sense and intuition? When I listened to your intuitive messages, I thought, “This is just common-sense advice.”

She made a very good point. As I pondered that I thought, “Where does common sense come from?” We talk about “common sense” as if it is something we can define and understand, but what is it, exactly? I laughed to myself when I realized that common sense is just another way to describe intuition. It is that wiser part of ourself that “just knows things.”

How do you tell what is intuition and what is self talk? I would love to hear from you. Let’s continue this discussion on the Soul of the Cities website. Leave your comments at the end of this column online.

Intuitive trainer and master Kathryn Harwig, noted in the Twin Cities and in many parts of the nation and world for her palmistry, her ability to teach law enforcement agents how to boost their natural intuitive skills, and for her many books on psychic ability, discovered something that few people have acknowledged in print or conversation: that after we reach the age 50, our priorities shift and a window of opportunity opens to allow a greater awareness of our innate psychic gifts.

We hear so often about Indigo children, Rainbow children and Crystal children – names given to describe the intuitive sensitivities of souls who have arrived onto the planet during the past couple of decades. But Kathryn is now heralding “the Violet generation,” Baby Boomers who are reconnecting with their wise inner selves as they mature. Her new book, The Return of Intuition: Awakening Psychic Gifts in the Second Half of Life (Llewellyn), is filled with true accounts of men and women who are realizing a new way of being at a time when psychic awareness was the least of their great expectations in life.

Kathryn Harwig took the time to speak with The Edge about her new findings and what she thinks it means for the huge Baby Boomer population.

What led you to write The Return of Intuition, Kathryn?
Kathryn Harwig: What led me to write it is that the people who were coming in to see me for readings, and the people who were coming to my classes, were sharing very similar stories, which is that as they started to age many of them had in some way or another a type of intuitive awakening. Generally, it seemed to show up around age 50. They discovered that their psychic skills became much more powerful, that their interest in spiritual and psychic things became much more powerful. I noticed that this was sort of a trend and I started looking into this. I found that nothing had been written about it, so I decided I should be the one that wrote about it.

Give us a case study of somebody you’ve worked with to demonstrate how this happened in their life.
KH: The book is just full of all different kind of case studies, but there was one in particular that struck me. It’s a sad story, but it has a wonderfully happy ending. Kim is a woman whose daughter was killed in a house fire. She was in college at the time and three of her young children were caught in the fire.

She came in to see me to talk to her daughter after her daughter had died. What resulted was a whole series of events – you couldn’t call them coincidences, miracles, really – in regard to her daughter’s death that not only comforted Kim in a way that I think nothing else could comfort her, but she knew that her daughter was alive, just in a different dimension. Kim also became an amazingly psychic person. Up until that point she had a bit of interest in metaphysical things but had not done anything related to it. But now it was as if the floodgates opened.

That could have happened, of course, earlier in life, but the circumstances of people’s lives seem to be that between the ages of 40 and 60, things come together that cause you to have that sort of awakening. It could be a death of a spouse, a death of a child, a physical illness, loss of a job, loss of a relationship, or it can just be just a sweet, gentle awakening. I think what keeps people from having this awakening earlier is that they’re just so busy.

Why do the difficult situations that happen in our lives spark this shift?
KH: Unfortunately, difficult situations get our attention and they take us out of our normal day-to-day routine. Oftentimes, even when you are grieving, you are also sitting quietly thinking about spiritual matters in some fashion or another, even if it’s only, “Why did this happen to me?” It’s a still time when you open yourself up. When you ask a question, like why, you may get answers.

It isn’t necessary to have a traumatic event to open up our spirituality and our psychic ability, but it oftentimes is a trigger. I had about 150 people respond to a questionnaire I sent out. About half of them were triggered by traumatic events, and the other half blossomed into it as they aged.

Will your book serve to inform people that intuition can be developed in the second half of their lives?
KH: It’s always there. There is a natural trigger that develops when we age. I believe that has always happened and it’s the reason that throughout history, the elders have been the shamans. They have been the wise people. Maybe it’s hormonal, I don’t know, but there’s this trigger that happens to people that causes almost a spontaneous awakening, if we let it. Of course, if we don’t let it, it is ignored like anything else.

Do you have a sense that people don’t think that that’s a time of their lives when that’s possible?
KH: I have a sense that people have been socialized out of believing that there are good things that come of aging. In our society, we focus on the negatives of aging, the loss of memory perhaps, or the loss of physical ability, or the loss of looks. We don’t focus on the natural positives that come of aging. The strongest ones, in my opinion, are an increased ability to be psychic and an increased wisdom. Historically, in the Asian cultures and the Native American culture, the elders have always been the people who did the psychic ability, who were the wise ones.

Do you think there is a connection between that natural process of gaining wisdom in life and increased intuitive ability?
KH: Yes, I think the connection is that we have the time to be able to do it and we have the inclination and we have the interest. People become more introspective as they age. They become more happy being alone. We crave solitude. We are not constantly distracted by children and jobs and money. If we are lucky, we have gotten to a place where we have time.

So, as I understand what you are saying, this experience is not just a gift, but like something that flows in our lives like a current.
KH: Ooooh, good way to put it.

And when we are distracted by the things that we do as we are in our twenties and thirties and forties, we are not aware of that current.
KH: Exactly. It’s always there. When I talk about the return of intuition, it makes it sound like it went away. It doesn’t really go away, but we don’t pay attention to it. It’s like a phone we don’t answer for 20 to 30 years.

It might be on vibrate, but we aren’t sensing it.
KH: We don’t sense it because we are so distracted. If you watch any typical 30- or 40-year-old person, there is no time in their life to even stop to see if they are getting a psychic hit, unless they are very unusual. Certainly there are exceptions to this.

We know it’s common for young children to be highly intuitive, and as they try to fit in with their friends they sometimes block that receptivity. For those people who at a young age were attuned to that, for them it is a return to that awakening as they get older.
KH: One of the questions that I asked in doing research for my book was, “When did you first become aware of your psychic ability?” and most of them said, “When I was a young child.” And then almost all of them said pretty much what you just said, which is, “Then about age 7, maybe 12, it went away” or “people started making fun of me” or “people discounted it,” all those kind of things, “and so it just went away, and now it’s come back.” For many people, awareness of psychic gifts does return to people.

A number of the people I have interviewed who are psychic readers say that this process you describe happened in their lives.
KH: If you go to a psychic fair or an expo, probably 50 percent of the people there are over age 50. It’s not because that’s the only time you can be psychic, but it’s when you have that whole configuration of things coming together, fewer distractions in your life and the time to be still and listen.

What are the benefits for people in the second half of their life who expand their awareness in this way?
KH: I really hope that my book is a call to action for older people. By claiming our intuition, enhancing it and then using it, perhaps we can teach or perhaps aid society in some fashion, or just step into our roles as elders. The advantage is really to take our rightful place in society. Many times elder people are simply stuck away in a corner in some fashion. We’re not considered to be important and we’re not listened to, even though we control money and we control a lot of things. We don’t claim our power. It’s not about someone handing you your power. It’s about you saying, “Hey, I’m going to claim my power and I’m going to step into my role as an elder.”

Is the connection to that channel of intuition more than just being able to pick up on something psychically?
KH: That’s certainly part of it, because your life will get better if you use your psychic information, no matter how old you are. But the difference in the elder generation is that it’s time for us to step up to the plate and say, “We have wisdom. We have knowledge. We have access to intuitive ability, and we want to use it to change the world.” That’s a pretty big challenge, but it’s not a bad challenge. With all the things that are happening in the next couple of years, if the elders of this society would just step forward and say, “We want to help,” that would make a huge difference.

What would it look like in our society if that happened?
KH: Baby boomers are a huge segment of the population. I don’t think we’re going to be quiet. I don’t think we’re going to just quietly go off and play shuffleboard or the typical things of past generations. I think we’re going to continue to be movers and shakers, and we’re going to look at aging from a very different viewpoint than our culture has in the past. I think it’s going to be less about money and more about experiences. We could form wisdom circles and be available to people as mentors – not just intuitive mentors, but life mentors. And, if we got together and actually pooled our power – money, knowledge, experience – we certainly could become a political force.

I quote some really wonderful studies in my book, surveys of people about how happy they are. They show that people are far happier when they are 60 years old than when they were 20 years old. There’s no question about it. An interesting brain study was done on a number of young people and older people who were shown a number of photographs. It showed that the older people remembered the happy events. The younger people remembered the traumatic events. The subjects were all seeing the same photographs, but looking at them completely differently.

What we do is perceive life differently. I’m turning 60 in May and want to do so on the mountains of Machu Picchu. I know my mother wouldn’t have done that. It’s not about adventures, it’s about being. I don’t think this group of elders are going away. We’re not going to become a silent generation.

What practices can be done by those in the second half of their life to expand intuition?
KH: I talk a lot about that in the book. Some of the practices that I think are most critical are things like spending more time alone, which is something you want to do naturally as you age. It’s important to have a place of your own, some place that you can go and be silent. It’s also important for groups of elders to form so that you can discuss what’s happening to you, so you don’t feel like you’re a freak, which a lot of people do. And, of course, it’s important to ask good questions, to step forward and really be a mentor to people – having people say, “What do you think about this?” and then give them an intuitive answer.

In terms of feeling different or an outcast because of this intuitive ability, do you sense that might be shifting with this new generation compared to the past one?
KH: If we claim it. That’s the challenge I put forth to people. People don’t give us respect. We pretty much have to claim that respect. It’s vital that so-called “regular” people, people who haven’t been involved in the spiritual world all of their lives, come forward and say, “Yes, after my husband died he came to see me” or “Yes, I got this intuitive information when I was ill and then it’s continued to come to me.” Quit being in the closet. Courage is the one trait that differentiates a successful psychic from a non-successful psychic, in my opinion. For elder people, it can be courageous just to get out of bed sometimes when you ache.

In our society we connect intuition more with women than with men. For the men who are in the second half of their lives who have spent their lives doing things, fixing things, being exclusively in that masculine energy, do you have any specific tips for them on how to connect to their intuition?
KH: I ought to go on record as saying I don’t think women are any more intuitive than men, but what I do think is that women have not had the cultural pressure to deny it.

This sounds a little sexist to say, but I don’t think men are as brave as women are about showing weakness. Women are used to being perceived as weak, and so we can look foolish. Men are very afraid of looking foolish. So if I had advice for men, I would say don’t be afraid of looking foolish. Who cares anymore? I was on a radio show for aging people down in Florida a couple weeks ago and I heard, “Oh, you know there are so many skeptics.” Well, you know what, being skeptical really doesn’t aid anybody. At least have an open mind about this.

I would say men need, probably more than women, to have an open mind and be brave. Try things you have never tried before.

In reality, what another person thinks about you doesn’t matter. It means nothing at all.
KH: No, and you know most people don’t think about you at all. That’s one of the things that has aided me in my life since I’ve gotten older is knowing that most people don’t spend any time thinking about me. They are thinking about themselves. So that sets me free to do whatever I please. As long as I don’t hurt them in some fashion, most people don’t care.

What about your life? How has this re-awakening of psychic gifts manifested in your life?
KH: I have been in some fashion a psychic ever since I was a little girl. I never completely lost that ability, but what happened for me as I aged was pretty much exactly what we have talked about. I feel much freer to speak the truth as I see it, to speak my mind. I’m not so worried about how this is going to affect my reputation, how this is going to affect how people perceive me.

That’s why I say congratulations when you turn 50, or 60. I think these decades are the freest time of a person’s life. The key is claiming that feeling. That’s how it’s affected me. I just feel very free to do things.

A few years ago I decided – and I’m still working on this decision – not to do personal readings for people anymore. It was a big chunk of my income, so to cut that out was frightening, but I felt like I needed to do it. This year, I’ve pretty much decided I’m not going to teach classes anymore. Well, that’s another huge chunk of my income. Eliminating the things that no longer fit for me gives me time for the things that do fit to come into my life. I’m now courageous enough to get rid of things before I know what is going to come in.

What overall message do you want to leave with the reader?
KH: I want to leave a message of hope, because we’re all aging – no matter how old you are. It’s a very rich, exciting and spiritual time of freedom. I really believe that the shift that we are going toward is a freedom shift. If we can just let go of how we have done things in the past so that we are able to step into that freedom without fear, it’s going to be a beautiful time. But if we’re still clinging and thinking, “I can’t give up my house. I can’t give up my job. I can’t give up my dog,” then I think our society is going to be in for some wild rides.

Editor’s note: This is an excerpt from Intuitive Parenting: Listening to the Wisdom of Your Heart (Atria Books/Beyond Words)

Sleep wasn’t coming easily tonight. Getting appropriate rest on a firm bench in a hospital room was always a challenge. The room was sterile and cool with bright light and noise filtering in from the nurse’s station just outside our door.

My young daughter, Raegan Aria, lay motionless a few feet away, connected to numerous monitors and machines. We had been there for weeks, recovering from surgery to place a stomach tube. It seemed that everything that could go wrong, did go wrong. Raegan wasn’t doing well. Her brilliant smile and joyful laugh had been absent for days now. The doctors just kept repeating that special needs children are at greater risk for complications when undergoing medical procedures and she would take longer to recover.

You see, Raegan had been born with a rare brain malformation three years earlier, leaving her without the ability to walk, talk or develop normally. Although her initial prognosis and life expectancy were quite grim, this beautiful, angelic child had been thriving, despite her many physical and developmental limitations.

Things just didn’t seem right to me. I understood what I was being told by the medical team, yet I just kept feeling as if something was being missed. My pleas for more tests were met with condescending remarks about over-reactive parents, and I was advised not to question the wisdom and experience of a gifted surgeon.

As I sat there in the dark, physically and emotionally exhausted, the phrase “It’s growing” popped into my mind.

“What’s growing?” I asked out loud.

“In my throat, Mommy.”

I leaped from my position on the bench to my daughter’s side and said to her in a teary voice, “Are you trying to tell me something, Angel Baby?”

A resounding, “Yes,” was the reply that flooded my body. She remained sleeping with no physical indication that she was communicating with me. I knew it was Raegan, as we had similar moments at other points earlier in her young life. I didn’t know how she was doing it, however I decided at that moment and believed with all my heart it was the Truth she was conveying. I would press for immediate medical intervention.

Raegan was correct. A surgical stitch had been misplaced during her procedure and caused scar tissue to grow, blocking her esophagus and leaving her unable to swallow. This fact was confirmed by a simple test we insisted on being performed. She was required to have additional surgery to correct the problem. In fact, she had numerous procedures to try to reverse the harm done.

Throughout the many months she was hospitalized, Raegan continued to teach me how to use our hearts to talk. This unusual form of communication seemed especially acute during times of crisis and when we were both sleeping. At that point, I decided I would no longer make any decision regarding her care without checking in via our heart connection. It seemed to me, Raegan was operating from a higher place.

Where exactly was that place? Telepathy, channeling and heart communication are not typical topics when discussing care modalities for special needs children. Yet, as it was in our case, this “out of this world” information may be invaluable to a parent facing their child’s medical crisis. I was fortunate Raegan chose to share words, symbols and pictures in my mind’s eye to provide clues for fast action. Now I knew the phenomenon existed, still I was left with many questions. How is it done? Could it be expanded and implemented further? What was the science behind it? Is this something that could be taught? If I could utilize this heightened “mother’s intuition,” surely others must also be able to do the same.

My questioning mind and unique experience with my own child led me to dive head first into an unknown sea. I sought out other intuitive families and furthered my education, exploring scientific research and case studies on metaphysics, theology, psychic ability and energy medicine. Although I had known from a young age I was highly intuitive, here was an ideal opportunity to use the ability for something truly remarkable…enhancing communication for families. It was my belief this was a chance for children to greater express themselves and improve their quality of life in countless ways.

Like Raegan, a child reaching out would be heard by those listening with their heart. Training and education of this ability would empower parents to unlock their own potential in the healing energies, yielding growth and understanding of the miraculous power inherent in all of us.

Scientific research on energy medicine and intuition is expanding and gaining greater credibility in conventional circles. Compelling evidence suggests the brain and heart operate in conjunction – receiving, processing and decoding intuitive information. It is thought to be a complete body process in which many human systems are involved, and it further indicates how knowledge about future events emanate from an energy field.

This was the scientific evidence I was looking for to explain how my daughter and I communicate. It wasn’t fantasy. Our real, concrete experience had an energetic explanation. In basic terms, our energy fields were able to exchange information in an accurate, appropriate and timely manner because of our loving connection to one another. Raegan saved her own life by telling me what was wrong, and she did it by using her subtle energy system. My own sensitivity allowed me to hear her.

Scientific data is now beginning to substantiate experiences known to humankind for centuries. The discussion of telepathy can leave the genre of the supernatural and become an accepted method of communication. Imagine a future in which this natural ability is nurtured, developed and celebrated for the enrichment of all.

Through vibrant demonstration, Raegan has shown me how children intuitively draw upon their innate energy source and bring forth awareness to those willing to listen with a loving heart. This same source emanates through us as well, and can be firmly established into our consciousness by our thoughts, decisions and actions. Guidance comes to us openly and freely; it is we who must use energy expertise to decipher the message being delivered through our hearts.

Raegan is now 10 years old and flourishing. Although her chronic medical condition poses many challenges, it also gives us great opportunities for learning and growth. Our journey together has led me to develop an intuitive parenting program. Its mission is to empower parents to be an instrument of healing for their families by employing their intuitive hearts as a powerful tool. By opening their hearts to love, their minds to energy and being more receptive to the subtle clues of inner knowing, a caretaker can perceive, interpret, and act on information not accessible by other means. Life takes on a new dimension when feeling the glow of an intuitive heart.

The world is beginning to comprehend the healing vibration of the Universe, which resonates within all people, places and things. Incorporating vibration techniques can be done in a myriad of ways; simply follow your intuition as to what might work for your family.

Several of my clients whose children are considered by doctors to be on the “Autism Spectrum” report their kids as having a sensitivity and fondness for vibration in appliances, stones and specific places on their property. I have found it is best to let children take the lead and support what they are naturally drawn to. One child in particular collected rocks and felt comforted by them. It wasn’t until the mother took a closer look did she realize each rock had bits of quartz embedded somewhere in them. It was then easy to acknowledge that her child naturally gravitated toward these healing stones. I have seen similar traits in other children with regard to shells, leaves, shapes and colors.

My client, Don, not only uses his intuitive energy skills with his children, but also with his father, who has Alzheimer’s disease. Slowly watching his dad deteriorate in awareness and communication abilities at a nursing facility has been painful for Don. Constantly striving to remain connected, he brings in items from home, realizing the energy of certain favorite things stirs a reaction from his father and even stimulates conversation about their past. A beloved religious medallion seems to provide the most comfort and healing for them both. Their shared energetic connection, called the Field of Intuitive Harmony, is there for all to explore, regardless of whether you are the parent – or the child. Don demonstrates this beautifully by tapping into the vibrations and honoring the energetic connections with items from his life, and that of his father.

Remember, everything has a vibration. Your resonance with an object, person or thing may offer you a unique opportunity to tap into Divine energy. Here are some suggestions on how you can experience good vibrations:

• Decorate yourself and your home with natural stones and crystals for their beauty and healing properties.
• Use a quartz crystal, tuning fork or vibrating massager to activate your own or your family’s energy centers.
• Play with rocks! As a family, collect and track your sensitivity to certain stones. Why do you like them? How do they make you feel? Head out on a field trip to a rock museum or a local quarry.
• Go for a walk in the woods to tap into the Earth’s energies. Dowse for water, minerals, or even caves. Make it a fun outing for the whole family.
• When you feel resonance within your body, ask your higher self for more details and expect the answer to come to you. Resonance is often experienced as the lift in our heart, the bounce in our step or even a subtle all-over vibration. It is a feeling of deep connectedness.

A USA Today poll revealed that: 29 percent of respondents had experienced contact with a departed loved one; 18 percent had seen or been with a ghost; and 15 percent had consulted a psychic or fortune teller. Most of these numbers were somewhat higher than I had expected, yet happily so.

When I taught yoga, a high school teacher invited me to talk to her class about spirituality. Once each semester I would go and discuss psychic phenomena, healing, the power of the mind and lots of juicy topics. When I asked the students, “Have you ever had a psychic or supernatural experience?” nary a hand would go up. As soon as the class was over, however, a line of kids would form to talk to me. “I heard my grandmother speak to me after she died,” one reported. “My stepfather’s face came to me in a dream before my mother met him,” another shared. “Sometimes I can put my hands on my little brother when he is in pain, and the pain goes away instantly,” came another account.

When I asked these students, “Why didn’t you share that in the class when I asked?” they would answer, “I didn’t want the other kids to think I was weird.”

Such a fear of looking weird carries over, for many of us, into adulthood. We see, feel and know things that we are reluctant to speak about because we might be judged or criticized. So we end up living two lives – one a public life built on presentation and image management, and another inner life, more personal, often secretive, and infinitely more real.

Psychologist and educator Patricia Sun [www.patriciasun.com] recounts, “As a child I was highly intuitive. I could see and feel what people were thinking and feeling, and quite often it was the complete opposite of what they were saying or doing in their social world. It seemed to me that the world was a kind of “Big Bluff” where people were living disconnected from who they really were, but because everyone expected certain behaviors and agreed to play the presentation game, their lives, hearts and souls were shriveling behind the scenes.

The way to cure “The Big Bluff” is to live authentically. When you express your truth, you invite others to meet you in an arena of realness, and you establish a platform of integrity for all of your relationships.

Patricia Sun further recalls, “Once when I was counseling a client, I noticed that I was bored. I tried to push beyond my feeling until I was practically falling asleep. Finally, as my client was going on with a long story, I told her, ‘I just need to share that I am having trouble connecting with what you are saying. I’m feeling kind of bored.’ To Patricia’s surprise, the client admitted, ‘Actually, so am I.’”

The client had gotten so immersed in the story she had told so many people so many times that she had become disconnected from her aliveness. This frank discussion between counselor and client led to an entirely more vital exploration of what, by contrast, was real and empowering for the client.

If you are bored, tired, lonely, angry, fearful or unfulfilled, you have probably succumbed to The Big Bluff. You have gotten so used to your routine, your story or a position of apparent (but dangerous) safety that your life force had slipped away without you recognizing it. But you can get it back. The way to reclaim joy is to be extremely honest about where your passion lives and where it doesn’t. You have to tell the truth, moment by moment, about what brings you life and what deadens you. Honesty is your lifeline to healing.

Like the respondents to the USA poll and my high school students, your inner truth may be connected to intuitive, spiritual or psychic experiences, or preferences and experiences that might get you labeled as an oddball. If so, I have comforting news: You are not alone.

In their book The Cultural Creatives: How 50 Million People Are Changing the World, Paul H. Ray, Ph.D., and Sherry Ruth Anderson, Ph.D., describe a subset of the population that does not subscribe to mainstream beliefs and values, but is responsible for most social progress (à la the bumper sticker “The world has never been changed by well-behaved women”). It’s the people who are unwilling to participate in The Big Bluff who have the power to undo it.

While living authentically may initially appear frightening, realness is the most comforting and liberating path of life. In The Teachings of don Juan, author Carlos Castaneda quotes his Yaqui Indian shaman mentor: “Ask yourself one question…Does this path have a heart? If it does, the path is good; if it doesn’t, it is of no use. Both paths lead nowhere; but one has a heart, the other doesn’t. One makes for a joyful journey; as long as you follow it, you are one with it. The other will make you curse your life. One makes you strong; the other weakens you.”

We are living at an extraordinary time when more and more people are confronting and dismantling illusions. Institutions based on the Big Bluff are crumbling before our eyes, and ways of living based on The Big Real are rooting and growing. Perhaps, if the current trend continues, that revealing USA Today poll is giving us a peek at USA tomorrow.

My adventure with a “new economy” started nearly 20 years ago when I was downsized from a corporate job I had held for many years. In those days, they paid you fairly good money to go away, so things were not critical while I decided to bring my spiritual life to the foreground and begin my own business as a healer and metaphysical business advisor.

Those were golden days of exploration, having the luxury of both time and money simultaneously while doing the necessities of personal expansion and education in self-employed business protocol to accomplish my goals and establish my practices.

As the reality of paying my own self-employment taxes came to pass, it became clear some type of part-time work where the employer paid into Social Security was a very good idea, so Spirit brought me what I needed.

Time marched on, the severance money ran out, living expenses got higher, and choices had to be made on what to still pay for, and what to let go of. In those days, every month it was, “I wonder if Spirit will come through this month?” Fear got its grip on me very regularly, until one day Spirit said very loud and clearly: “How many times must I prove myself to you?”

And I realized that I was asking of Spirit what I would not ask of a friend…to constantly RE-prove itself to renew my trust. In life, I usually trust someone until they prove differently. Why was I behaving differently when it applied to Spirit? I now believe it was because I was not as aware of my connection to Spirit as I have now become. Spirit, to me then, was more of an amorphous force outside myself that I was connected to, but I did not feel myself as being an embodiment of Spirit. I was not sure of the reason, but knew I had to change my behavior, and just trust, until Spirit proved Itself differently…which It never has.

Yes, I still have the part-time job. I also have expanded my practice to include being an ordained minister and doing weddings and various ceremonies for people, becoming a meditation teacher, doing psychic readings, teaching, and personal development with people, adding more healing techniques, and continuing my metaphysical business advisory (my MBA).

Even so, last year was a very tough one. More choices had to be made on how to change my lifestyle to accommodate the expenses, how to try to move in a real estate climate that is not moving, where to invest dollars in my business for the best return on investment, and how to remain generous to others in the process. Spirit was always very clear: Hang on, follow your practical and creative ideas, don’t feed the fear, be generous to others in the ways that you can, ask others for any help you need, and trust. And I have…and this year is much better already.

Do I still wonder each month how I am going to make it financially? Yup! But now it’s just a curiosity, to see how Spirit will create it this time, rather than a frantic fear that it might not happen.

Three levels
Humans operate on three levels: Survival, nurturance and thriving. It is important for each person to define what their needs are on each level:

• Survival – What do you need as the basics, expenses, relationships, entertainment, sleep, etc.?
• Nurturance - When survival is maintained, what do you need to feed yourself and nourish your soul? What nutrition or treatments does body need? What creative exercise does mind need? And what awareness to your connection to Spirit do you need?
• Thriving – When survival is maintained, and nourishment is occurring, what do we need to thrive and grow? What is a luxury for the body, the mind, and the Spiritual connection?

Energetically, these relate thusly: Open the crown chakra, and do this practice daily. It can be done merely with your focus and intention. When you feel in the state of survival, focus on the two lower chakras besides the crown. Use the colors of red and orange. Focus on your relationships, tribal and family connections, grounding, connecting with Mother Earth and the global family. When you are ready to move into nurturance, maintain those, and add the next two chakras, the solar plexus and heart. Work to release your fear and enhance your personal power, open your heart to yourself and to others. As those come into balance, move up to the next two chakras, the throat and the third eye. Speak your truth, ask for what you need, address what you want to avoid, and see from a higher perspective and bigger picture.

Spirit says that seeing things from the biggest picture is so important right now. Know that you will not always get back what you give, but you will get back when you trust that Spirit knows what It is doing, and stay out of Its way.

Be practical in your human life, and pay attention to how you can change things to your advantage. Face the hard stuff: giving up credit, insurance, things we have been taught are “security” but are not, and all things in that category. Spirit is security. It is the never-ending energy that we are all a part of. We will all make it through this reorganization. Life will look different, yes, but it will still be life. And we just might like it!

In the Big Sense
Spirit emphasizes that is important for us to think of ourselves in the Big Sense, to identify and define what our talents are, which ones give us the most pleasure to use, and then apply them like a template to any number of settings.

For example: A person has a talent of working easily and comfortably with people. They also have a talent for problem solving. They enjoy doing both of them. They put them together and know they can do work in areas of customer service, sales, organization coaching, interior design, document research, genealogy for others, etc. You see the variety that can spring from just utilizing two talents! Searching for work in those areas will be more likely to turn up and be satisfying, rather than just looking at what jobs are available and, like the Cinderella stepsisters, just hoping it fits, or being limited to just trying on a glass slipper at all – for you also can try on silver, gold, platinum, silk and leather!

Members of our community are being called to leave their comfort zone of practice and go out into the general community, through jobs and other situations, and bring their healing selves to the masses, creating a unity of sorts – no longer having a separation. It’s about bringing light to the darkness, bringing balance to the fear, taking hope to a new location.

Practitioners are the ones who need to step out of their comfort zones and conquer their fears, to go into the lives of others and help them conquer theirs. Others are too immobilized by it to come seeking now.

Jean Wallis 612.874.1453, jeanwallis@earthlink.net

As my guides would say, “Don’t fear what you see. Embrace ‘opportunities’ with gratitude. Look at the light that is creating the shadow.”

We tend to “see” the problems of slow business and the economy of the nation and that we are constantly being bombarded with “negative waves.” It comes not only from the news, but even the people we work with. We are always too fast to judge what we “see.” The ego takes it and fuels more to the fires of doubt.

We are often given an opportunity to “slow down.” We may feel it as lack of coins in our pocket or purse. Fear is created by, “Will I get my rent paid? Where will I eat today?” I am fortunate in that I have a full-time position and my company exceeded  its sales goal last year and has huge opportunities coming its way. I asked my Spirit, “Why is this?” The answer did not shock me: “The energy and positive intention are above the normal at my company.” I like to think that I participate in holding that energy.

In my position in Sales and Customer Service, I talk to a lot of people. I work in the municipal marketplace. Outside the seven-county area of the Twin Cities, the smaller towns do not have the money to support their infrastructure. They are having a hard time meeting their needs.

In a business that wants success, marketing has always been the light out of the darkness. Look at your costs for expos, rent, and advertising. Perhaps it is time to redefine your customer. It may require thinking “outside of the box.” Placing a few well-placed and worded ads can bring in more income than you can imagine.

When I need a few clients, they come. I have also given myself permission to be busier now. The phone has started ringing again. I have also looked at my return on my investments and have made some tough choices. Focus on local clients. Going out of the area for most healers is expensive. Ask yourself, “Will I get a return on this investment? Will my costs be covered? Will I get return or repeat business?” If not, focus on what does.

When busy with clients, we tend to say, “I can save by cutting out my advertising.” Wrong answer! To eliminate peaks and valleys, constant attention to marketing is a must. What does a sign on the back of your car mean if it says “Follow Me?” It’s a free place to put an ad. My vehicle has generated a good part of by business. Psychic and hypnosis in the same place is a little rare. At least people don’t tailgate me very often. And it always creates a thought that they may not have considered before.

Intuitively, I am asked to share this: “Look at the people around you. Do they hold the same energy and vision of your business? Do they greet people with a smile or are they grumpy and spill over with cranky comments?” Clients are no different than us. We are all intuitive to some degree. Our job is to make sure they all get the same treatment – the same courtesies that you expect. In the customer service industry, one negative experience is shared with eight out of ten people. One positive experience is shared with three people or less. So ask yourself, “What do you want this client to share with others?”

Attitude builds businesses. One soul at a time.

John Peterson, PsyGuy 651.334.4060, www.psy-guy.com

The insights I get are always of a very practical, down-to-earth nature and won’t really surprise anyone. Hopefully it is articulated in a way that clarifies for people what they may have been feeling lately anyway, regarding their own practices and what to do next.

The first bit of guidance continues to come to me, and addresses more of a global issue. I have learned that as a practitioner in the psychic field, it is imperative that we help others come more fully into their own abilities. My guides tell me that we have a responsibility to create the doorway of awareness within others, rather than simply give them all the answers. We are being called into taking more responsibility for ourselves and our paths, rather than having someone dictate what we should or should not do.

Sharing outcomes on a precognitive level are only helpful if we are assisting people on their path, verses creating or instilling a sense of fear or limitation. We are all feeling more of the call to hear our own voice, rather than be told by someone else what to do. It is this greater responsibility to honoring the inner voice that must drive and supplement the psychic practice.

Psychics who are helping others realize their own intuitive gifts will have the longest “shelf life” as practitioners. It is as simple as showing them and instructing them in a tool or two that can help them on a daily basis, such as tarot cards or a pendulum.

The other bit of guidance I received is how important it is for us to begin to form communities of practitioners, coming together to build a stronghold of guidance and insight, from a variety of angles and modalities at once. The days in which only a few highly visible practitioners stand out in front of the rest are coming to an end. The sooner we embrace community and come together to offer our work, the more sustainable our practices will be.

I also continue to be told that we are all healers. In that light, those who offer work as energy healers may consider training in another tool or two, as the healing market is so fully saturated and people are overwhelmed with who to go to. The public is confused about which approach is the most helpful. People are inundated with the numbers of healers out there.

Those who pull together in cooperative efforts offer a more comprehensive service and a much more well-rounded approach to healing the whole self – even if it’s just through referrals. I almost always encourage clients to explore acupuncture, chiropractic, meditation, yoga or some other service that is complementary to what I’m doing. I see the day coming where there are co-ops of practitioners. These groupings of people will create powerful results and stand out from the rest.

One day the cooperative efforts of the holistic community will benefit humanity as a whole, and those who embrace supporting each other will sustain practices. We are being asked to combine our skills and talents all together, and offer our services more within the mainstream, instead of them being a novelty. Our task is to educate society on the importance and usefulness of the psychic arts in daily life and business.

The last bit of guidance for the practitioner in these economic times is to not shy away from doing something else to earn additional income. It doesn’t make us less of a practitioner. It only makes us more powerful when we have less stress in our financial lives.

Chanda Parkinson, 701.212.8058, www.chandaparkinson.com

The impressions that I’m getting from my Guides and Angels tell me that banks and the financial industry is in for another round of what happened in 2008. It might hit this year, or next year, again because the greedy people and companies have learned nothing.

I also think the judicial branch and government in general are in for a rude awakening. I think there will be a revolution, because people are tired of picking up the tab for greedy and irresponsible companies. We will have a new government that totally has a clue about serving the people, and the same for our justice system. Right now this justice system is not for the people. It supports big industry and the elitists.

The days for the Big Titans are coming to an end. People cannot connect to a big, heartless company. People want relationships with companies that are there for them. They don’t want surface relationships with someone that would heartlessly throw you out of your home in a bad economy.

Small businesses that are built on relationships will survive. These are people who talk to your face and not behind your back at a meeting. The businesses that focus on money first and the client second will not survive. People who love giving their services to their clients because they create a caring relationship will sustain themselves. The money will flow in more and more. The focus is on the relationship and not about the money.

Many who operate holistic businesses freak out about paying the bills and then they focus on the money. That worry tends to draw poverty consciousness to you. When you are enjoying what you do, and when you enjoy your relationship with your customers, the money will begin to flow inward. Your customers will surprise you in good ways and more good and positive things will start to roll in.

To get out of the spiral of freaking out about paying bills, sometimes we have to take baby steps, because we really can’t see the big picture. We really don’t know which way to turn, because we’re in that energy of chaos. Most of us have been there at one time or another. We call this “hitting rock bottom.” Make a list of things that you need to do with your business or life. Start to get some clarity. The next step is to go through the list, item by item, and see which priority feels easiest to do, and then do it. As we slowly emerge out of chaos, we will see the lightness around us instead of all the heavy energy.

One last thing: Your deceased loved ones and ancestors are always watching over you. Sometimes you will catch a whiff of their perfume or after shave lotion. They love you very much and are with you on this journey.

What I am seeing is an inability on the part of anyone to commit in any meaningful fashion. Because our society is caught in a wave of fear, the behavior coming out of it is a type of paralysis that causes people to either not commit or to commit and then later cancel. For example, for years I have taught classes that have always filled up weeks, if not months, in advance. Lately though, people are waiting to sign up and are very commonly signing up and then canceling at the last minute. On several occasions I have had to cancel a class, event or trip for lack of people, only to have four or five people call at the last minute wanting to come.

The paradox, of course, is that we are all doing this, and yet we all want other people to commit to us. People are afraid, and so they don’t feel they can commit for the long term.

I am not sure if this is good or bad or neutral, but it is changing the way that we all do business. My best-attended function is the Intuitive forum, which is a “just show up and pay $20 at the door” event. Because people can wait until the last minute, they are far more likely to come. It is relatively inexpensive, as well. But, of course, I still need to commit to the venue and to being there. (Again, the paradox.)

For now, the solution seems to be to keep things short term, relatively inexpensive and flexible. Also, I think we all need to realize that if we need and want stability and commitment from others, we need to give those things TO others.

In the end, it will be about how we want our society to look. Perhaps we are returning to a time when there was no security, long-term commitments or safety nets. Maybe safety nets were always an illusion?

Kathryn Harwig 763.656.7204, kharwig@mac.com, www.harwig.com

The scales are balancing, for what people give out is what is returning to  them. If a person is greedy, then this is what they are receiving.

I am hearing that it is important for us to give freely, not to worry about what you get in return. Just give and trust in the abundance that all is okay. Don’t just give money. Give of yourself – share and share alike.

Deborah Lynn11 651.439.5337, MsMysterious22@aol.com, www.deborahlynn11.com

People are coming to the holistic community in need of help. They worry about price, paying for it. It is true, each one who seeks you out needs and wants answers. They turn to you for your insight. Many have an idea, but they need reassurance.

Many of you may feel a shift, some confusion on where you are supposed to be going, heading. I see a huge beam of light coming from the earth, reaching up into the heavens. What does this mean? This light is showing us that as a community, you need to come together…reaching a center in unity…surrounding the cities with healing energy….helping to open eyes to the shift that is already happening.

When you work separately, you help one person at a time. When all of you come together, the skies light up and the energy helps all those who seek help. When you do this, you will see the difference. You will feel the difference. You are the teachers.

Deb Battenfeld of The Circle Mpls, Psychics in the Cities, thecircle@thecirclempls.com, www.thecirclempls.com

Listen and follow your intuition.

We are now solidly into the changes that have and will continue to rock our world. One of those changes is that we, as a species, are very quickly being transformed into highly telepathic and intuitive beings. I am told this is a rapid and irreversible occurrence. And, if we thought we were intuitive before, well, we “ain’t seen nothing yet.”

Those of us in the metaphysical community should be jumping up and down with delight about this. It is, after all, what we have talked about, written about and taught workshops about for years. But I, at least, am also realizing that this amping up is causing all sorts of dilemmas along with its gifts.

Like all change, it will take some time to adjust. An example in my life is that, while I get very clear and immediate messages, I don’t necessarily get detailed explanations along with them. My guides seem to believe that telling me something is enough. They don’t usually feel a need to explain why. Sometimes it feels like I am a little kid and my mom is saying, “Just do what I say and don’t question it.”

Here is an example. Some time ago, I had agreed to speak at an event held quite some distance away. I had made this commitment months before, but as the event approached I was told, in ever-increasing volume, not to go to the event. The day before it was scheduled, I was almost sick with anxiety. Do I break my word and disappoint the organizers and attendees? Or, do I disregard what is truly a strong and clear message of advice. I would have, perhaps, felt better if I would have heard, “if you go you will get in an accident. Or, even, “if you go it will not go well.” But, intuition usually doesn’t speak that way, at least for me. I just heard, “don’t go.” Then, it was up to me to decide what to do about it.

So, there I was, being asked to speak on the topic of intuition and being a teacher who tells her students to follow their intuition. Yet, I was tearing myself up inside because I just couldn’t do that and let people down.

Still, in the end, I decided to cancel my participation. The organizers weren’t happy, I felt horribly guilty, and I never received a bit of further “feedback” from my guides as to why I should not have gone.

Would I do the same thing again? Well, yes, I certainly hope so. I will never know if I would have died in a car accident, said something to someone they shouldn’t hear, or gotten ill. That is the thing with intuition. We don’t always get the stories that add explanation to our gut feelings, intuitive knowings or telepathic rumblings.

As a society, we will need to write a new rule book for life as telepaths. Maybe one of the rules will be: “If anyone gets an intuitive message, we all agree to support them on it without knowing why.”

Another rule might be, “We accept that some people will act in unusual ways and we won’t ask them to explain.”

Or even, “We understand that everyone knows what we are thinking and feeling at some level, so we will try not to get too upset or angry when in public.”

I don’t know what the new “rules” will be. All I know is that for us to get through these times, we are all going to need large doses of compassion and understanding.

An excerpt from The Body Knows…How to Stay Young: Healthy Aging Secrets from a Medical Intuitive

If you’re sick, chances are you’re addicted to certain foods, behaviors and thoughts. Anything that has power over you and that you have difficulty letting go of is an addiction. For example, dwelling on the past can be just as damaging as being hooked on coffee, alcohol or chocolate, because it holds you back in life.

In fact, noted physician and author Deepak Chopra claims that all illness is the result of addiction. I couldn’t agree more – this has been my observation for the past 25 years. In fact, when I used to work as an allergy-testing technician, I noted that as soon as people removed the substances they were addicted to, all their symptoms miraculously went away.

This is why Dr. Doris Rapp, a well-known expert in environmental medicine [www.drrapp.com], suggests that patients replace everything they currently consume with things they don’t normally eat for five days. She’s noticed over and over again that chronic complaints disappear and health improves when this happens.

In my work as a medical intuitive, almost everyone I see has an addiction of some sort. I can tell that something is hooked into them, be it physical or emotional, and it’s robbing their vital force and taking them down, cell by cell. I might see gray or black around them – a dark or negative force that’s stealing their precious stamina and vitality. Something has a hold on them, and I know that they’re addicted.

From this deep spiritual perspective, I believe that we should all be free: No particular substance, person, place or physical possession should have us in its clutches. I call this “the climb.” Now, many of us are content to go around and around the bottom of a mountain, but very few want to do the work to ascend it. Just as in real mountaineering, the trek I’m proposing will require concentration and discipline.

As we age, we’ll do a lot better if we’re prepared, focused, and free of excess baggage, including anything that’s a toxin, allergen or poison. The mountain that we are will be stronger and more supportive as we age if we’re willing to examine our issues and give up the items we’re addicted to.

The aging game is not to be taken lightly. To stave off the ravages of old age, we’ve got to get busy and become prepared – now!

CLIMBING OUT OF THE ADDICTION
We’re spiritual beings – our entire raison d’être is to operate from a conscious perspective. We’re here to make a difference on this planet, and as soon as we turn the corner of age 50, this becomes all the more apparent. So the emission of radiant, clear, positive energy from our physical bodies is very significant in relationship to our manifestation ability.

Your aura or electromagnetic field is what you use to draw people, things, and experiences into your life. As you desire to manifest or attract the best to you on a material and spiritual level, an emanation of glowing energy is essential, and it can only come from having a clear and detoxified physical body. Addictions cloud your aura, and even a simple doughnut or cup of coffee can muddy your field. Try it sometime by ingesting your favorite “poison” and waiting 20 minutes. You’ll quickly see that the result is a tired, worn-out body that’s temporarily removed or disengaged from life.

The ability to effectively manifest is in direct proportion to how clear your aura is. So if you want to make the climb out of addiction, take out a sheet of paper and a pen and follow these steps:

1. Make a list of all the things you’re hooked on. These can be foods (such as candy, bread or chocolate), beverages (such as soda, coffee or milk), or chemicals (including drugs and alcohol).
2. Next, make a list of everything that might be an addictive behavior, such as staying up late, working too hard, worrying too much, overspending, overeating, nagging at your partner, remaining in an unsatisfying job or relationship, being a pack rat, or the like.
3. Finally, make a list of any thoughts that have you in their vise grip. These are what you find yourself thinking about most often, including dwelling on the past, self-deprecating beliefs (such as I’m not good enough, I’m not worthy, I’m not intelligent, or There is never enough).

Of course no one wants to be mired in negativity. Thankfully, author Eve Brinton shares a simple and practical technique for switching out of negative thoughts in her book Instant Happiness with the Energy Exchange [available through www.evebrinton.com].

Brinton believes that changing habitual negative thoughts and reframing them into positive ones can be accomplished in less than a minute. To that end, think of something positive right now: Maybe it was when you flew over the Grand Canyon in a helicopter, or when you were in your grandmother’s garden, feeling peace and happiness wash over you. As soon as you find yourself dwelling in negativity, find that positive image and draw it into your consciousness. You’ll instantly notice the difference.

As the Dalai Lama teaches, why should you allow anyone to disturb the freedom of your thoughts? Your material possessions can be taken from you, but your thoughts remain your own. And because you create your thoughts, they can’t have any power over you. Thanks to Brinton’s Energy Exchange, you can master your mental activity and be free.

THE LAW OF ATTRACTION
As you climb your own mountain on the journey of personal self-mastery, your desire is to be as free as a bird so that you can be moved by the universe and go wherever your soul wants you to. I learned from my near-death experience that life is short and so precious, so use the law of attraction to draw good into your life.

As a medical intuitive, I see subtle energies: For example, coffee carries the emanation of anger and irritation; and the energy of excessive alcohol use is like a “zing,” taking away the body’s life force like a feather in the wind. The moment you consume a substance like coffee, you put its vibration into your field. Then, because like attracts like, you’ll probably pull angry and irritating experiences to you such as losing your car keys, getting involved in minor altercations, or blowing things out of proportion.

How can you tell if a food or beverage is really affecting you? That’s easy – take your pulse. An easy-to-find pulse point can be found on the carotid artery that supplies blood to your brain, which is located on either side of your neck just below your jaw. Find that point, become familiar with what your normal pulse rate feels like, and then start testing. Twenty minutes after you’ve had a cup of coffee (or consumed anything that you’re concerned about), test your pulse again: If it’s elevated or racing, this is an obvious sign that your body is rebelling against the poison or toxin you’ve ingested.

Pulse testing is one of the ways in which traditional allergists determine potential sensitivities, but you already know the answer intuitively. I’m always amazed when people tell me during a reading that they’re aware that coffee, cola, corn, sugar and other stimulants affect them – yet they can’t believe how calm and happy they feel when they give them up.

Coffee also clouds the aura, hardens the prostate gland, causes jitters and an irregular heartbeat, pulls fluids out of the body, blocks the lymphatic system, contributes to cellulite and a dozen other effects. So the easy and obvious answer is to switch to decaf for a few weeks. A good decaffeinated roast has the same taste and smell as real coffee, but it doesn’t have the kick. Decaf might not have any deleterious effects, but by consuming it, you’re still keeping the memory, taste, essence and vibration of coffee alive.

Remember that you’re climbing the mountain, so the next step is to eliminate the decaffeinated java and switch to herbal or green tea (make sure it has low amounts of caffeine). You’re not giving coffee up just to give it up – you’re releasing this addiction, and others, to lengthen your life. I know that there are studies that indicate coffee is beneficial. But in my opinion, these studies don’t show the drink’s effects on one’s aura, heart, or genitals…or, indeed, one’s life.

The same goes for sugar, which may taste ever so good to you. But what does it do to your energy, your nervous system, your precious pancreas and your cell walls? Sweetness should come from life, so this is where following your dreams and living your passion take priority. When you’re happy and fulfilled in your work and play, you really won’t be interested in sweets.

IT COMES WITH A GIFT
Keep in mind that your willingness to set aside addictions always comes with a gift. I believe that we’re all being watched over by angels and towering beings at all times who are shepherding us and guiding us.

As soon as we give up an addictive behavior, the next step will be revealed. Just watch the phone ring, a job opportunity arise, a pure white feather land in our lap, or a serendipitous benefit appears seemingly out of nowhere. One door closes on what’s no longer healthy, but another one opens to something better. This is confirmation that the universe knows that we are climbing the mountain and are willing to give up what no longer serves us in favor of what will benefit us (and humankind). Then the addiction is no longer viewed with seduction but with recognition of what it can – and will – do to our precious life force and cellular tissue. We make the decision to leave it behind and attract something priceless.

I’ve personally benefited from vibrant health for the past 25 years because I gave up coffee, wine, chocolate chip cookies (by the dozen), homemade bread and lots of cheese. I got my life back, and there has never been a moment where I thought the choice wasn’t worth it. The smell of coffee and the taste of chocolate simply aren’t appealing to me anymore. My addictions have turned into passions: I’m passionate about teaching, I’m passionate about communicating, and I’m passionate about health. It’s as if the angels have given me a mandate to empower you to get healthy, too, so that you’ll be able to complete your destiny as I have.

Sure, I have the occasional stray into “no-no land.” I’ll have a glass of wine or a sweet dessert on occasion, but it better be good. My husband and I might share a crème brûlée on our anniversary, for instance, or I may enjoy a small slice of my daughter’s wonderful pie at a family gathering. But I know that I’ll be feeling and seeing the effects of those choices very soon. I might wake up feeling a little tired or grouchy, my eyes might be puffy, and my clothes might be tight; or, on the rare occasions I have bread or pasta, my hands will become stiff. After three days of eating bread, my arthritis will return, so it’s really not worth it for me. I’m climbing the mountain, and these so-called temptations really don’t entice me anymore.

ADDICTIONS AND MEDICATIONS
What about people who are addicted to medication? After all, every prescription drug has side effects. Yet, you’d be surprised by the number of folks who are on medication and would rather have the side effects than change their habits or research alternatives. If they would just give up their habit, their symptoms would back off, but these people choose to stay addicted.

For example, at age 62, Gretchen had bladder problems and was hooked on sweets and alcohol. Sure, she had reason to be addicted to these items: She had a 28-year-old son who was running amok – he was stealing money from her, had quit his job, and was draining her dry and disrespecting her. She felt powerless to stand up for herself and reclaim her own life, so she soothed her wounds with red wine and pound cake. Bacteria had built up in her body, probably due to a lack of hydration, so she was put on diuretics and sulfa drugs to take care of it.

She’s now faced with bladder surgery, rounds of antibiotics and a compounded set of medical concerns that will probably set her on a careening course to premature aging. Will she change? I hope so, but many people like Gretchen are addicted to the drama of their emotional lives. This keeps them in the fury of the hurricane, which is familiar territory. Rather than make some simple lifestyle changes, it’s easier for such men and women to stay stuck and medicated.

Now I’m a firm believer in traditional Western medicine when it is needed. I know that drugs can save lives, because I grew up in a medical household: My mother was a dietitian, and both my father and grandfather were medical doctors. In our house, the physician was God. Today, things are different. I know that each of us can be God and the doctor, regardless of whether we have a medical degree, and we can form our own healing team.

Let’s remember this basic concept: The body knows how to get well. But optimal health takes a deeper level of commitment than some people are willing to make. Because you’re reading this, I know that you’re willing to point your compass toward aging optimally, beautifully and vibrantly.

For 26 years I have watched patients come through my office with a variety of health concerns. With few exceptions, all had some knowledge of what was really going on and what really needed to be done.

Take the gentleman who came in with chronic depression, secondary to a sub-optimally functioning liver. Although he had no idea that his liver was the major cause of his debility, he stated that for the first time in his life he had purchased beets at the grocery store the previous day and he had no idea why. He had never eaten beets and did not even know how to prepare them. He offered this information to me after I had recommended to him that he eat beets daily as part of his program for healing his liver.

Or take the woman who brought in her mother who had been diagnosed with breast cancer and was due for surgery in one week. They came to me for advice on what they could do to help the body heal itself. Our consultation was brief, maybe 40 minutes all told. During this time it became obvious that the mother and daughter had a very strong sense and faith in the universal power that pervades all of us and its ability to heal. It was this faith that caused that tumor to dissolve over the next few days so that at the time of surgery it could not be found.

There are countless cases of children healing themselves. Small children have not yet lost their intuitive/psychic ability to know what is good for them. The common craving for sour foods for example demonstrates a child’s need for foods that would stimulate healthy functioning of the liver and gallbladder, as sour is a flavor that helps these organs.

Unfortunately, for many children this beautiful intuitive impulse is satisfied with non-food sour candies. If your child craves sour, please provide it in a healthy, organic, whole foods form. Offer organic lemons – rind and all – or apple cider vinegar water (mix to child’s taste about 1 teaspoon per 6 ounces of water, and a little honey if necessary) or sauerkraut (the real kind e.g. Power Kraut, Veggie Delight). Children will eat as much as they need and then quit. Forcing them to eat more is counterproductive.

The craving is correct – "I want sour…!" – and as parents we should heed that craving and provide a real food source. Sour optimizes the liver and gallbladder, which work hard in growing children, providing mental sharpness and calmness, healthy ligaments and tendons, a robust immunity, a happy stomach and gut, and normal hormonal levels among many other functions. A child’s intuitive attraction to good and healing foods can be adversely affected by parents, other children and the media.

Adults, of course, still have these intuitive abilities, too. Our problem, of course, is our heads. They get in the way. That pesky left analytical mind tends to override our intuitive abilities. The gentleman mentioned in the first example bought those beets on that particular day because he – like many other patients – relaxed his worrying left brain, allowing his intuitive mind to guide him. He did this on that day because he knew he was going to see somebody tomorrow who was going to take over the responsibility of making decisions for him.

Maybe we need to institute a Headstop program for adults. Headstart is great for helping little ones get ready for our left-brained world, but at some point a balance must be made. For those adept at psychic ability, you know the importance of relaxation, emptying the mind and allowing our innate intuitive/psychic powers to work.

Whether it’s rubbing a spot on the body that "feels" like it needs a rub (probably a reflex point asking for some activation to support an organ that needs help) or eating a food that you suddenly crave (always consider the flavor or feeling and a healthy source for it) remember that your body is always trying to lead you to that which is healthy and good for you. You need only to get out of its way, get your thinking, analytical mind out of the picture and surround yourself with that which is healthy and natural and you will do the right thing.

The mother who was told that there was no more that could be medically done for her child gathered up the child in her arms and took her home to die. Holding, rocking and loving that child 24 hours a day, she loved it back to health and a full life. Always follow your heart. It will never fail you, and it is a direct line to your psychic abilities.

But hey, you’ve got to relax to hear what it says.

I’m frequently asked how I do my version of psychic astrology, in which I combine the language of the stars with past-life information and input from Spirit Guides, spirits of the deceased and Ascended Masters and Teachers. A few years ago I began practicing astrology without any psychic input. I was doing good work, but it was all from my brain, which couldn’t possibly reflect all of me. When my psychic opening began, shortly after opening my practice, everything changed, and I set about learning to develop that side of myself.

Uncovering my abilities had much to do with sorting out the various sources of information to which I always had access. I learned to operate what I think of as my "inner sound board," a contraption full of knobs, dials and switches used to figure out what inner voices were saying what. Whether inner children with unprocessed emotional junk, the voices of my parents or other authority figures that I’d internalized somewhere along the way, Spirit Guides or the spirits of dead people, or my intuitive and psychic sense, the first step was sorting them out.

Each of us has intuition and psychic abilities. The route to developing them will differ for each of us, but follows a generalized script that includes learning to tell apart the various voices we carry in us all the time. Below are some thoughts on each and tips to learn to tell them apart.

Inner Children. Each time something frightening, unpleasant or traumatic happened to you when you were a child, you were imprinted by your strong desire to avoid repeating a similar situation in the future. Now, you’re likely carrying a host of these little inner kids who frequently advise you about how to avoid the kind of pain and unhappiness you experienced long ago. Each of those now helping you run your life needs to be heard, and you must take care of the need they had at the unhappy times when you were younger which, no matter what they say, always boils down to some combination of acceptance, love and safety. Offer them this now and they’ll be happy, and will begin to work with you instead of feeding you fear.

Parental/Authority Voices. We all internalize the ideas, opinions, strategies and fears of our parents and other authority figures. Whether we embrace or reject them, they’re a part of the foundation we carry into our later life. They’re gifts from those people (even if we don’t like them!), tools they thought would best serve us in our own lives. Our judgments about the right kinds of work, relationships and life path often stem from what we learned from our parents about the right ways to live and reasons for living. We need to decide if we want to hold onto and perpetuate them, or let them go.

Spirit Guides. Each of us has Spirit Guides available to support us in making choices that serve our highest good. What they offer is loving support for your ongoing development. If a voice you identify is judgmental or fearful, or in some other way not loving, it’s not from your Spirit Guides!

Deceased People. Those who are psychically open may attract the spirits of deceased persons. Their agendas differ. Some are entirely kind, some are not, and some are simply afraid of what’s happened to them (not all know they’re dead). If you experience this, you may have feelings, thoughts and fears you’re very sure do not belong to you. Say "All energies that do not belong to me I send back to Source!" and say "No, thank you!" to any energy that makes you uncomfortable in any way.

Intuition/Psychic Sense. We each have an inner knowing that can come through once we learn to sort out all the other kinds of voices. It’s just there, waiting for us. Learning to differentiate between all of these others leaves you better able to focus on and amplify your natural intuitive and psychic senses. Without the static and white noise of what isn’t really you, you’ll see that all the information you need is available to you at all times.

Inner peace is the result of the choices we make in our perceptions, thoughts,
beliefs, feelings and actions. It’s completely within our control. As we work
to be in harmony with the following eight aspects of our lives and being, inner
peace emerges. Contemplate and reflect on your status with each of these eight
components, and enjoy doing the activity presented with each one.

Peace with Self

This happens when we do what we know is right in every situation, large or small. Integrity and ethical behavior are prerequisites for inner peace.

Activity – Write down three situations when you didn’t do what was right. Can you still make corrections? What weakness in self prevented you? List two ways you can strengthen or change yourself so that it won’t happen again. Forgive yourself and completely let go of these three incidents. You have learned, and they are part of your development. We have the right to learn and make mistakes as we grow. Move on, period.

Peace with Others

As we consciously choose to transform judgment of others into understanding, we move toward harmony within. And, when we act with clear boundaries, we stop blaming, feeling sorry for ourselves and greatly reduce our inner turmoil in relationships.

Activity – Think of a recent situation in which someone behaved negatively to you or in your presence. What was she feeling at the time? What was she afraid of? What was she in pain about? Why didn’t she have the strength to act more positively? What is she in the process of learning? How is she like you? Whenever you feel yourself judging or thinking negatively about another, ask yourself these questions. You will feel more peaceful. Many times during your day, affirm the following words: "I am a blessing to all I meet; and all I meet are a blessing to me." This simple phrase brings change.

Peace with our Soul/Spirit

By systematically developing our innate spiritual qualities – love, harmony, generosity, confidence, oneness, joy, faith/belief, illumination, forgiveness, service and courage – we grow in peace. Our dedication to act in ways that cultivate the highest in ourselves brings true fulfillment. Peace follows.

Activity - Which spiritual quality do you need most right now? Write about it, study others who exhibit it, contemplate it, draw it, dance it and practice it today in every situation you encounter. Keep a journal of your experiences with this quality as it grows and develops within you. When you feel solid with it, move on to the next quality that you desire.

Peace with our Thoughts

Choosing to let your thoughts run wild will take away your peace. Thought is a creative energy that is proven to engineer and cause events and experiences in our lives.

Activity – Each time you find yourself in a negative stream of thought, deliberately begin to think the opposite. If you’re thinking that an upcoming meeting will be a struggle, do an about-face and think about how it will go smoothly. Even if you don’t believe your new thought at first, persist! With consistent practice, you will quickly see profound changes in your level of peace and be delighted to realize that it can make a big difference in many situations.

Peace with our Feelings

What we feel acts like a magnet; its energy goes out into the world and returns to us similar situations and experiences, like a boomerang. Practice not identifying with your emotions. When we let negative emotions take us over and get lost in them, we lose our balance. By expressing and then releasing them without harming others, we’re free to choose a better feeling. Peace comes when we take control and decide what we’re going to choose to feel.

Activity – On a blank sheet of paper (using crayons, markers or colored pastels) express your upset feelings. Get them out on the paper, as you draw. Release all of them. Take a second sheet of paper and, this time, deliberately change your outlook, as well as your feelings. Choose a new perspective and a new feeling. Now draw! Enjoy and feel renewed peace. This brings peace whenever you feel upset. It only takes 10 minutes, as opposed to stewing over feelings for hours or days!

Peace with our Contribution/Service

Research shows that people who are happiest are those who have found a way to make a contribution, a way to serve others by using their gifts and talents.

Activity - Close your eyes and relax deeply. Focus on the beating of your heart. Now imagine a doorway made of multi-colored light in your heart and walk through it onto a pathway inside. Feel pure love in your heart, love for yourself, for others and for life. Continue walking this heart path until you come to an open area. Here you find a hand-carved table with two objects on it. Notice the crystalline light that is pouring down on them from above. Look at them up closely now. As you pick up the first object, you become aware that it is especially beautiful. This object represents a way that you will add real beauty to the world. Examine the object and it’s message to you. Your heart is speaking clearly, guiding you. What is it saying? What are you feeling? Pick up the second object, which symbolizes another major contribution that is important for you to make. What is it? What does it signify? Feel how your spirit will soar as you make this contribution!

Peace with our Intuition

Intuition is an innate gift we all possess. It comes from a level of our minds, which is beyond rational thought. We simply know the truth or correct answer about something without knowing how we know. Analytical thought is not involved. We receive intuitive information through our right brain modalities, including inner pictures in our mind’s eye, strong feelings, hunches, our inner voice and pure knowing. Studies show that we’re biologically wired for this higher intelligence that connects us to direct truth, through many sense receptors beyond our normal five. Physicist David Bohm and physiologist Carl Pribram provide evidence that the experiences and consciousness of all life forms are recorded in the quantum energy field that underlies all life. Because we are holographically connected to this information (past, present and future included), the correct answer for every question we have is available to us. When we say, "I knew that would happen," we were sensing direct truth. Intuition is pivotal to inner peace, because when we know how to identify it and then act on it, we thrive, succeed, make good decisions and move forward gracefully in life.

Activity – Close your eyes and remember a time you were 100 percent relaxed. Allow your body to duplicate that experience now. Intend and expect that you will receive intuitive information. Feel yourself becoming very still, as quiet and peaceful as the silent stars in outer space. Ask a specific question, or for general assistance in your life, and listen, observe and feel as you quickly become aware of pictures, feelings or the inner voice giving you information and answers. Let insight and understanding of these symbols, words, and feelings fill your mind and heart. Decisions based on intuition are aligned with truth and will bring you success and peace.

Peace with our Dreams and Goals

When we have a dream or goal that’s in our hearts, peace comes only when we fulfill it! Giving up or feeling that we can’t attain it for some reason will destroy our peace. We make progress when we discipline ourselves, especially our thoughts, to believe that we will have it. When we truly believe it will happen, science shows it will. As we work with dedication through each obstacle and requirement for success, believing all the while in our positive outcome, we won’t be disappointed. Then, not only is our dream fulfilled, we become a new person with the positive qualities of inner faith, hard work, persistence and courage.

Activity - For two or three minutes a day, (three times per day) sit quietly and feel yourself happy and thrilled that your goal is accomplished now. You already have it! Maintain that feeling as you experience yourself doing or speaking something that would be natural if your goal were already a reality, now, right this moment. (If you persist in this activity, it will be!) Examples are: Hearing your friend congratulate you on your new job; signing a copy of your newly published book with your favorite pen; sitting on a plane admiring the sky as the captain says you’ll be landing in Sydney, Australia, in one hour; and holding the key of your new house in your hand as you feel its coolness and smoothness on your fingertips. With daily commitment to this exercise, you will succeed, and be at peace.

We grow into inner peace and discover that it’s earned, as we focus on these eight aspects of ourselves. We also find that the fruits of this labor go far beyond peace!

What was the most sacred moment you have had in your life?
Kathryn Harwig: Strangely enough, it happened in the Hennepin County Government center. In the 1970s, I worked as a probation officer. It seemed I was always stressed, always busy and often angry. That day was just another one of those days. I walked into the building, stressed, in a hurry, just like always. Then, the air “rippled” and I heard the words, “It is OK, Kathy.” And I knew it was. From that time on, I always knew it was all OK. Sometimes, when I am feeling anxious, I can still hear that voice, and the way It called my name. And I always remember that all is OK.

Why are you optimistic about the future of humanity in this time of uncertainty and fear?
KH: I believe there has never been a better time to live on this planet. People are coming together in community. Everywhere I go I see people who are excited about developing their intuitive gifts. We are entering a time of collaboration and community. Our intuitive and spiritual communication is blossoming. I am thrilled to be a part of this movement. As our economy changes and we have less things, we have more of what is really important: friends, spirit and love.

What holistic practice is a part of your life to help you maintain health and wellness and to connect with your spiritual Self?
KH: Good coffee and dark chocolate and a really good sense of humor. I make decisions asking, “Will this thing add to or detract from my joy and freedom?” And then I choose the path of joy. (Well, mostly, unless I don’t. But when I am wise I do.)

Oh, and I get eight hours of sleep each night. I really believe that if people just got a good night’s sleep, the world would improve greatly. So many of our messages come in dreams. And, hey, we need to sleep to dream.

What single message do you want to share with us from your heart?
KH: That we live in a free will universe and we have choices. I think sometimes, we forget that. We are blessed to live in the land of the free. Let’s live free, vote free and dance in joy. And so it is.

Kathryn Harwig will present “2009: THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW — A LIGHT COLLECTIVE SPEAKS SPECIAL EVENT” at 9:00-10:30 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 8, tickets $15 now, $17 at door — Kathryn Harwig is a master intuitive who is well known in the Twin Cities, as well as nationally and internationally. She is the author of five books, has a monthly radio show on WCCO and writes a regular column for the Edge Life magazine. She offers a monthly forum where people can ask the Light Collective for advice. She also teaches intuitive mastery classes and runs workshops and retreats throughout the United States. Kathryn is a professional wanderer who travels the world, often leading groups on Spiritual adventures. For more information, go to harwig.com.

One of the most important skills all intuitives should master is that of asking a good question. Many people are incredibly sloppy when they ask intuitive questions. When I do readings for people, I am always asked questions such as “Will I ever be happy?” or even “Am I going to die?” The answers to these questions, of course, is “yes” — even the most depressed among us experiences moments of happiness and, of course, we will all ultimately die. But, those answers are not what the person truly wants to know. The true desire behind the question is, perhaps, something like “What can I do to improve my enjoyment of life right now?” or, “Do I currently have any health issues that could cause serious illness?”

Phrasing a proper question can take 10 or more minutes, even when you think that you know very well what your question is all about. A good intuitive question is phrased specifically. ”Will I marry Bill this year?” is a better question than “Will I ever get married?” The best questions are phrased in present time terms. “What practices should I do now to improve my psychic ability?” is better than “Will I ever become a psychic?” And, the ideal questions, in my opinion, are those that ask for advice, rather than for prediction. “How can I improve my marriage?” is a question that will get you a better answer than “Will I get divorced?”

We are living in a time of uncertainty. Gas prices are skyrocketing, home prices are plummeting, and jobs are disappearing. Those things are not likely to change anytime soon. But, as intuitives, we have an advantage. We have a means of getting practical, down to earth, useable advice that can aid us in these times.

It is really tempting to sit around asking “why?” It reminds me a little of an old Bob Dylan tune that said, “There ain’t no need to sit and wonder why babe, it don’t matter anymore.”

Bob was right. It really doesn’t matter. What matters is how. How can we thrive in uncertain times? How can we feel better in our bodies? How can we improve our relationships?

It is frightening sometimes to have to ask a specific “how” question to your intuition. Crafting a good question feels a little like exposing ourselves. When we REALLY ask how to change something, we are already on the way to changing it. We have acknowledged that the issue exists and we have accepted the fact that we are the only ones who can change our lives.

Asking “why” questions keeps you stuck. Asking “how” questions frees you. Try this with any issue you might feel stuck on. Notice your thoughts and make note of how often you ask “why.” Then, change your thoughts. Ask yourself instead, “How can I change (improve, etc.) this situation?” I am certain you will feel a sense of relief. Perhaps your intuition will not immediately give you an answer (although I suspect that it will give you something), but the very act of crafting a good question will make you feel more powerful and in control of the situation.

Of course, there are lots of situations in which we are not in total control. We can, after all, only change ourselves. In even the most powerless of situations, though, there is a way to change or improve it. Asking yourself “how” is the first step.

I experienced a near-tragic situation in my home recently that opened my eyes not only to the belief that my deceased parents continue to protect me and my family, but it also made me keenly aware of how fleeting life can be. It’s been almost 10 years since I moved back into the house I grew up in. I decided to return to it a few months after the deaths of my parents who had been living there for over 40 years.

My mother took her own life a few days before my father died, when she realized that he would not be coming home from a hospice. I sometimes wonder if my mother regretted her decision and now in spirit she continues to do what she can to help me and my children. When my mother was alive, she used to talk about how intrigued she was at the prospect of coming back as a “ghost” after her death. In fact, it appears to me now that she may be able to be of more assistance in spirit form than when she was alive.

There are a lot of great things about living in the house I grew up in. It makes me feel grounded and gives me a solid sense of truly belonging somewhere. I am also discovering that it may be even more special advantages than I realize. Every once in awhile I sense the presence of my father and mother in my house. It’s always a very non-threatening and subtle feeling. Once in a while I am made aware of their presences by a familiar scent. Sometimes I even see what’s best described as tiny silver colored sparkles that resemble a camera flash. I have wondered if it was just my eyes playing tricks on me, but after what occurred in my 16-year-old daughter’s bedroom a couple of weekends ago, I am becoming convinced that my parents are still around, trying to be helpful. In this particular case I believe one or both of their spirits intervened in our lives to rescue us from a potentially deadly fire .

My daughter’s bedroom is in the basement of our home. On this particular evening, my daughter had two girlfriends sleeping over. They had lighted some candles around the room and thought they had blown all of them out before they went to sleep. One of them however, was hidden behind a large picture frame on a wicker table and as a result my daughter didn’t see it and failed to blow it out before going to bed. I had no idea what had taken place the previous night. All I knew was when I woke up I smelled a fire.

The next morning my daughter was visibly shaken but also tremendously relieved as she began to explain to me why I smelled smoke in the house. She told me that she and the other girls had been sound asleep for over two hours when she abruptly woke up with a sense of urgency. She commented about how almost nothing is able to rise her once she has fallen asleep. She couldn’t understand what prompted her sit up and feel wide awake at the precise moment necessary to avoid the danger lurking in her room. When my daughter sat up in bed she immediately saw the table the forgotten candle had been engulfed in flames. She woke up the other girls and they managed to stay calm enough to throw a blanket on the fire and run to get pails of water to extinguish it as it was about to catch onto a wall. My instant reaction was that my mom and dad had something to do with the timing.

The next day, my daughter I were still pretty shaken up about the fire and our thoughts about how much worse it could have been had she not woken up when she did. I had to open our doors and windows for a few hours in order to rid the house of the smell of smoke. Now, even several days later, I can still smell the memories of that night when I go in the basement.

It serves as a reminder to me that the life I normally take for granted could have literally gone up in flames in a matter of minutes. In the weeks prior to the fire, I had been telling myself that I had to figure out a way to stop making big deals out of the small things and learn to lighten up. My daily ritual of self-imposed deadlines had gradually taken control and had pushed me out of the present moment. The fire helped me to remind me that the way I was living was silly because the present moment is all there is. It’s also comforting to think that the spirits of my parents may very well be with me in the present moment.