If anyone were to ask me what the highlight of my life has been thus far, I would not even need a nanosecond to think about it. It is the easiest question I could ever answer. The most profound moment for me simply was the day I discovered the true power of authenticity. It was the day I discovered me.

Since that day, the quest for authenticity has completely altered my life. Like a Columbus of the heart, mind and soul I have hurled myself off the shores of my own fears and limiting beliefs, to venture far out into the uncharted territories of my inner truth in search of what it means to be genuine and at peace with who I really am. I have been abandoning the masquerade  of living up to the expectations of others and have been exploring the new horizons of what it means to be truly and completely me, in all my amazing imperfection and most splendid insecurity. It all began when I finally surrendered my shame to accept my psychic abilities as a blessing and not a curse. New doors swung wide open in my life when I discovered that being an empath is not a weakness and that being a psychic medium is not a sinful embarrassment. To be sensitive, vulnerable and emotional are taboos in our world, especially for men. Combine that with being a new age weirdo who hears the voices of dead people… and you have the perfect breeding ground for shame, self-hatred and imagined public humiliation. Read more >>>

I remember when the debilitating shame began. Growing up in Apartheid South Africa our school environment was shaped by a government policy known at the time as Christelike Nasionale Opvoeding (Christian National Education). This restrictive policy was geared towards social engineering and allowed very little religious or ideological freedom. Even the Catholic faith was considered suspicious. We were encouraged to embrace the Calvinistic and highly chauvinistic values that were forced upon us.  We were programmed not to question authority, and to comply with the prescribed cultural expectations of our community. In this environment I was obviously soon misunderstood, excluded and bullied, to the extent that I began to view my psychic heritage as a shameful secret, as some kind of personal disability.

I soon realized I had to start wearing masks and pretend to be what I am not, for fear of rejection and ridicule. I fervently began to resist my extra sensory experiences. My fascination with all things metaphysical became my ‘dirty little secret’.  I no longer told the other children about the metaphysical beings I spoke to, or the paranormal phenomena I saw and heard. I also no longer blurted out the secrets of unsuspecting adults, which often caused many red faces and awkward silences around tea tables and barbeque fires.

I was disregarded by teachers, and rejected and tortured by many of my peers. The name-calling and physical abuse started very early, in my second year at school. I remember finding myself one day surrounded by a group of hyperactive eight-year olds. They were pointing fingers, laughing, and calling me cruel names. Today the scene reminds me of the witch hunters of old. Ironically, I realize now that some of their fathers were most likely firing teargas at rioting youths in one of the black townships at that very moment, while their children were hurling stones at me for daring to be different from the norm.

Those bullies had no idea why they felt the need to terrorize me; they just sensed intuitively that I was somehow unusual, a threat. Within me there was a silent, latent force that made them very uncomfortable. They were taught since birth to despise that which was different from them in race, creed, language, culture and faith. They feared what they did not understand. Being different, or standing out from the crowd in any way, was seen as anti-Christian, non-Afrikaans and unpatriotic. I remember the dread in their eyes when they used to push me around and hurl insults in my direction. It is disturbing to know that many of them still uphold some of those prejudices views and bigoted values to this very day. I know their current beliefs and attitudes, because these days many of them want to be my friends on Facebook.

People often say that love is the key to conscious living; they say love is the essence of joy and happiness and spiritual enlightenment. I beg to differ. For without authenticity there will never be complete unconditional love. True love and connection with ourselves, others and the planet is impossible without being fully authentic. First we must express and embrace our own authentic self, before we will be able to love anyone else unconditionally.

The lack of authenticity is a modern epidemic. We live in a perpetual hall of mirrors where very few of us are what we appear, or claim to be. We have created a counterfeit, pretentious society where we all seek sincere love and true connection from behind the towering walls of our falsehood. We yearn to reach out to one another from our fortresses of deception and our facades of self-protection. All the world is our stage and every day we dance around each other craving to connect with the real people behind the masks of fear and shame we all wear. Is it any wonder there are so many lonely people on this planet? Is it any surprise that relationships have become so complex and near impossible to navigate?

There is only one true key to lasting personal fulfillment and true intimacy with others – to be authentic. For when we are authentic we release our fears and step into being bona fide, and utterly vulnerable. We cannot experience true love and connection without also risking heartbreak and disillusionment. We must allow ourselves to be vulnerable, because when we shield ourselves from loss, rejection and disappointment, when we hide from sadness and despair, we also shut out opportunities for love, happiness, joy, acceptance and fulfillment. To be authentic is to be vulnerable, and to be vulnerable is to embrace the very essence of all that human life has to offer.

How does one become more authentic? To be authentic is to strip away the layers of pretense we have adopted to please others. To be authentic is to abandon the senseless roles we play to meet the imagined expectations of society. To be authentic is to break free from the oppressive chains of guilt and shame that keep our awkward masks in place, that keep our glasses half empty and not half full. To be authentic is to be stripped bare of all our pretenses and stand proud in the bareness of who we really are. Once we rip off the disguise we assumed for others, the real person is revealed. There is no more putting on a show for the sake of others… and we are finally free!

Carl Jung said, “The privilege of a lifetime is to become who you truly are.” To stand vulnerable before the world in all your brokenness and imperfection is the most powerful place you can ever be. Being vulnerable is not weakness, it is strength. Being authentic and vulnerable yields a phenomenal power that can move mountains. It is the magic of being alive. Holding yourself in a place of false pretense and self-protection only serves to block out all potential for true well-being and joy. When we shutdown and sedate all negative feeling, we also shutdown and sedate all the good stuff. When we anesthetize our sadness and despair with alcohol, drugs or food we also shut out all feelings of happiness, joy and ultimate bliss. We cannot feel selectively. We cannot feel only some things, and not others. We feel, or we don’t feel. So, start feeling!

I sometimes tell my clients that “pity parties” are good to indulge in. But if you are going to throw one, do it properly! Throw yourself the best self-pity extravaganza anyone has ever had. Call forth the violins, bring out the long black garments, decorate the room with all those sad memories of humiliation, betrayal and abuse. Go ahead and cover your head in ash, and flood the floor with your tears. Revel in your misfortune. Get it all out of your system to make space in your heart for love, joy and happiness. And when that clock strikes midnight, declare the party over! Pull yourself up by your bootstraps, and use the rest of that dark night to sweep the whole miserable mess out the backdoor. Then open the front door to welcome in the sunlight, fling open the windows to let in a fresh breeze of hope and faith. Run outside to embrace the dawning of a bright new day!

Don’t be afraid to love with every fiber in your being. Put your heart on the line each and every time, even when there are no guarantees. Know that you are worthy of love and belonging. Understand that you are imperfect, we all are. We are all defenseless, at risk and flawed in so many ways. Celebrate yourself. Accept that you are enough. Show the real you to the world , for you are special and unique… warts and all. Embrace every opportunity to love and connect with others. Social researcher Brené Brown says, “When we work from a place that says, ‘I am enough’ we stop screaming and start listening. We are kinder and gentler to the people around us, and we are kinder and gentler to our ourselves.”

The truly authentic are blessed. They are the warriors of the soul, the champions of love. Let your authentic self be seen by the rest of the world. You may fear rejection and ridicule, but what you will gain is your freedom and personal power. What you will find is true love and acceptance. We fear the judgment of others, but when we strip away the veils of pretense we discover that there is really only one nasty critic in our lives. There is only one malicious judge who raises eyebrows and wags a disapproving finger at us all the time. That judge is us – you and me. We are our own worst critics. While the rest of the world goes about their business and could care less about our imagined imperfections, we spend hours in our personal hall of mirrors: judging, shaming and blaming ourselves beyond all recognition.

Don’t be afraid to be who you are, but be smart about it. Being authentic is not about exposing yourself like an open book. You need not share your most personal thoughts and deepest personal secrets with the world. You need not wear your heart on your sleeve. Brené Brown sums it up perfectly when she states that one should only share your "shame story" with those who have earned the right to hear your story. Perfect strangers need not know every little intimate fact or detail about your life. Frankly, most people are not all that interested to know it all anyway. But what people are interested in is to engage with other people who are sincere and vulnerable, people who are able to ask for help and affection, people who can admit their own mistakes and imperfections, and people who are always true to themselves and stand up for what they believe in. They are interested in real people who are just like them. So, just be you for change. It will transform your life forever.

© 2013 Anthon St Maarten

To become more, to expand, and to seek more complete expression is inherent in our human condition, because it is an innate quality we possess due to our original spiritual nature. ‘Increasing’ or ‘becoming’ is what drives the expansion of the entire Conscious Universe. We are each of us a mirror reflection of the Universal Source; we are created in the image of the Divine. We are a perfect imprint of the magnificent Holographic Web of Consciousness.

And because we are spiritual beings who reflect the Divine in physical form, we also possess the innate qualities of Divinity. We are self-aware and conscious; we have the capacity for reason, sentience, imagination and creative thought; we command creative freedom and the metaphysical power to manifest; and we have the capacity for complete self-actualization, individuation and transcendence. All these qualities are the expression of our inner Divinity, a direct reflection and extension of the Higher Self. To live a truly awakened and abundant Divine Life, that will ultimately culminate in the achievement of your Soul Purpose and your Life Calling, you must honor these Divine qualities within. Read more >>

To achieve your Soul Purpose you must strive to become more conscious, continuously reaching for a higher state of being and higher level of awareness, and for unconditional love, peace and harmony. This is the process of transcendence, the process of achieving a superior state of being, or an enlightened existence, above and beyond the limits of our material experience.

To accomplish your Life Calling you must figure out who you really are and begin to differentiate that which makes you truly unique from the rest of the Conscious Universe. For while we are all made in the image of the Divine Source, and we are all reflective fragments of the Universal Hologram, we are each of us also unique in our individual make-up and in how we are meant to contribute to the expansion of our Universe.

It is vital that we identify who we are, what our unique talents and interests are, and what we can offer in service to the greater good. It is our duty to figure out what makes us special. For without the process of individuation we are of no use to our fellow man and the planet. Without individuation we fail to achieve our mission to planet Earth.

It is our mission and our duty in this lifetime to create more, attract more, manifest more, become more. It is our task to create new things, and to reshape and redesign the world as we know it for the better. It is our assignment to increase, expand and improve what is, was and ever will be. In the words of Wallace D Wattles, “You are a creative center, from which increase is given off to all.”

© 2013 Anthon St Maarten

It is not true that we must live a challenging, tormented life to learn certain spiritual “lessons”. Believing that we are here to “learn” is merely a justification that some folks offer to make sense of the bad things that sometimes happen to good people.

The irony is that those who choose to believe this myth will most likely have to face one trial and tribulation after the other, just as they expected. If someone’s life is awash with “weeping and gnashing of teeth” it is often because they choose it to be so. The hardship and suffering we see in this world is mostly man-made. Misery is something we inflict on ourselves, and each other. It is not of Spirit, Source or God.

Someone once asked spiritual teacher Abraham-Hicks “why do dogs risk getting bugs in their eyes when they stick their heads out of car windows”. Abraham’s response was telling and most profound:  “Because the contrast of the bugs in the eye is a small price to pay for the exhilaration of that ride, and it is exactly the same way you felt when you made the decision to come into this physical existence. It is exactly the way you felt when you knew there would be contrast and you said, 'the ride is going to be worth it!” Read more >>

If there is any spiritual "lesson" that must learned in this lifetime then it is that we are the creators of our own reality, and the designers of our own life journey. Your  experiences in this lifetime is what you choose it to be. You are the architect of your own destiny. If you consciously choose to sign up for some sort of “metaphysical boot camp” or “hell on earth” then that is undoubtedly the life experience you will have. If not, there is much that you can do to bring to an end all the self-inflicted misery you choose to expose yourself to. And if the torment is inflicted upon you by others, the solution is equally simple: nobody has the power to imprison your mind, dictate your emotions, or enslave your soul… unless you let them.

Planet Earth is not a cosmic classroom, it is a playground. Your life path is not a ‘test of character’ or some kind of ‘metaphysical curriculum’. It is simply an incredible adventure. You did not come into this physical dimension to suffer all manner of hardship, adversity and pain, to make you a “stronger person” or a “more spiritual being”. You are not going to receive some kind of divine medal, or an academic achievement star next to your name when you finally kick the bucket one day. You cannot become more spiritual, because you already are all of that completely. You are born of Spirit and you are a powerful creator of your own life experience. You are a divine being, a deity in jeans and a t-shirt.

Your journey along the path of life is all about the perspective you choose. Some of us prefer to learn lessons, while others choose to explore and enjoy all that life has to offer. Do we all make "mistakes" along the way. Sure, we do! But some of us prefer to make discoveries, instead of mistakes. Coming to a new-found awareness through exploration of all that life has to offer is very different from "learning the hard way" by making mistakes. Discovery exudes a quest for abundance, prosperity, gratitude and well-being, while making errors smacks of a lack consciousness, victim-hood and a scarcity mentality. Believing that we are here to "learn through our mistakes" is an insult to our true spiritual heritage. It supports the assumption that Spirit, Source or God is somehow incompetent or made a mistake with us! We are created in the image of the Divine; we are an expression and a celebration of the Divine. We are not flawed, or sub-standard, or weak or "dumb". We may be temporarily disconnected, misguided or confused, but at our core we are not defective or second-rate. Your soul knows its true mission. We are not here to make mistakes. We are here to make discoveries, to become aware, to unveil, to observe and to celebrate.

You may not like to hear this in the midst of your earthly agony and anguish, but you are a flawless, crystal clear, meta-dimensional snapshot of God’s image in high-definition Technicolor.  There is nothing we are supposed to learn, there is no exam to pass. In our original form we were perfection personified. We come from a faultless state of Pure Consciousness and Celestial Power; we are the product of Infinite Creative Intelligence and Everlasting Unconditional Love. And we still are that original cosmic entity, but we chose this human life to enjoy an amazing physical experience, combined with a profound spiritual adventure!

Instead of coming into this time-space reality to ‘graduate’, we are here to achieve two simple goals: to have a spiritual escapade, and to fulfill a meaningful human mission. Spiritually you are here to evolve and expand your already perfect spiritual beingness. Yes, indeed, you are such an awesome metaphysical marvel that the Universe wants even more of you! And your ultimate soul purpose is not achieved through suffering or lack, but through enthusiastic exploration and thrilling life experiences. Combined with your spiritual quest, your human mission in this lifetime is to create or do something meaningful that will make the world a better place.  Your true life calling is to one day leave behind some sort of legacy that will ensure an even more exhilarating and fulfilling Earth experience for future generations. And if you believe in reincarnation, those future generations are very likely to include you.

We are all cosmic shareholders in this amazing adventure camp called Planet Earth. It is a spiritual playground with timeshare, and each and every one of us has a duty towards its continued upkeep, improvement and expansion. But you don’t have to become rich and famous, or highly spiritual to achieve this, neither do you have to be Newton, Ghandi, Picasso, or the Pope to complete your human mission successfully. To each his own. Each person’s life purpose is unique and equally meaningful. Mother Teresa was once asked what ordinary people can do to promote world peace. Her answer was uncomplicated: "Go home and love your family”.

© 2013 Anthon St Maarten

What we think, and what we believe, is what we become. We create our own reality. Constantly exposing yourself to popular culture and the mass media will ultimately shape your reality tunnel in ways that are not necessarily conducive to achieving your Soul Purpose and Life Calling. Modern society has generally ‘lost the plot’. Slavishly following its false gods and idols makes no sense in a spiritually aware life. The same holds true for toxic relationships, and people in your life who consistently indulge in negativity, cynicism, prejudice, fear-mongering, pessimism, and hatred. But have no illusions – the opposite extreme is just as noxious. Be equally cautious of those who deem themselves spiritually superior or ‘holier-than-thou’. Be wary of the well-meaning souls who profess themselves to be paragons of unconditional love and light, or who claim they have attained perfect insight into all the mysteries of the Universe.

It may seem very “unspiritual” of me to advise you to avoid certain people, but it is often for the best to completely eliminate all the ‘trolls’ from your life if you can, for truth be told, you can be of no real service to any of them if you allow them to impede and obstruct your well-being and spiritual growth. Sure, as your fellow seekers these people do need your love and support, but you can only provide them with the help they need by staying in alignment with your own Soul Purpose and Life Calling. Only by striving towards the accomplishment of your own spiritual mission in this lifetime do you become truly empowered to be of service to others.

If you really want to help all the lost souls who have been poisoning your mind with their skepticism, negative attitudes, false beliefs, sacred snobbery, or delusions of grandeur, then get away from them as soon as possible, and first seek your own truth and personal bliss. The people who truly need your help will gravitate to you in time. Don’t try to heal the whole world all at once.

Personally, I had to cut loose several acquaintances, colleagues, ‘friends’ and family members over the years in order to fully come into my own, and as a consequence I have been a source of guidance and support to hundreds of wonderful people all over the world. I used to be a lost soul myself and therefore I did not always keep the most positive or uplifting company. Had I continued to indulge and tolerate some of those toxic people in my aura on a daily basis, I would have been of little or no use to the many amazing clients and students who I now daily assist in transforming their lives. I would certainly not have managed to write this book had I allowed all the ‘naysayers’ and ‘doom prophets’ to stick around.

Practicing social censorship in our daily life presents a real dilemma for some people. We have been so conditioned to believe that we must ‘be nice’ to get ahead in the rat race, and that we need to stay abreast of the mainstream news at all cost, just like we have come to believe that we must be on top of the latest fashions, technologies and lifestyle trends.

I am often asked how I manage to stay informed about what goes on in the world, since I no longer watch, read or listen to the news. My answer often surprises people. I typically have no idea, or any real interest in what the global media chooses to report on from day to day. Most of it is drivel, hype, lies and disinformation anyway. Yet, despite the fact that I do not follow the news, I always know just enough about the really important events happening in the world. I remain reasonably well-informed of the most vital international and local developments. This does not happen by accident or coincidence. It is my firm belief that should there is something in the news that I need to know, the most essential information will find its way to me.

It is further my conscious intention that the news I need to hear will reach me in a form that will not disturb, or upset me. And this is exactly how it manifests in my life. Whatever I need to now, I always attract into my conscious awareness. I trust in the wisdom and guidance I receive from my Divine Self, and I trust in the power of my own intention as a co-creator of our shared reality, to draw to me all that I need to live a happy, safe and fulfilling life. The things I need to hear, or see always come to me in the right way and at the right time.

Why do we have this obsession with “staying informed” about absolutely everything in the world, anyway? How much of what you watch on television, or read in your newspaper, truly affects your daily life directly, and how much of it can you change without some kind of Divine intervention? In my mind the only reason why any spiritually aware soul would want to follow the mainstream news would be to use the information gained to make the world a better place. To follow the news out of fear and uncertainty only breeds further fear and uncertainty.

It is my view that the only people who should be following the mainstream news consistently, should be people who actually need the relevant information to fulfill their Life Calling. Yet, even in those instances modern technology provides us with so many options these days to filter the information that ultimately reaches us. For example, I have set several Google Alerts on my email account that focus on specific news topics that are of particular importance in my professional work. I find it to be more than sufficient.

We cannot be everything to everyone. I cannot possibly do my life’s work as a psychic medium, while at the same time attempting to solve local crime, world hunger, social injustice and political corruption. There are others who have a Life Calling to address those matters. To each his own. If you are searching for inner peace and spiritual truth, take my advice and turn off your television set.

Excerpt from: Divine Living: The Essential Guide To Your True Destiny
© 2012 Anthon St Maarten
Image courtesy of Idea go / FreeDigitalPhotos

Magical thinking is a common trait found among all children all over the world, between the ages of approximately two until seven years of age. This time frame is also known as the ‘pre-operational stage’ of child development and it is the period in our early life when we increasingly explore our environment, and gradually learn to distinguish between ‘fantasy’ and ‘reality’.

Children at this age initially have all kinds of imaginative ideas and magical interpretations of the world, in order to make sense of their external and internal reality. At this age we still believe that we can grow wings and learn to fly; or that animals can talk and sing; or that our shadow is a magical person following us around; or that the Sun goes to sleep in the ocean; that there is a man living in the Moon; or that the wind, the clouds and the trees notice us and obey our instructions. We often also have ‘imaginary friends’ at this age.

The process of exploring the actual limitations of our time-space reality lasts several years. Most ‘magical thinking’ typically disappears around the time when a child finally accepts that there is no such thing as the Tooth Fairy, or Santa Clause. As our understanding and knowledge of Earth reality increases, we lose our imaginative sense of the magical and metaphysical.

It appears that the only reason magical thinking must fade into the background of our consciousness as we grow up is because it can become inappropriate or dangerous from a survival perspective. To live safely in our physical body on this planet in primitive times we had to recognize certain patterns in our environment, for example we had to know that certain berries or plants are poisonous when we eat them, or that we may die should we fall off a cliff, or that wild animals can cause us physical harm. Confronted with the independent forces of nature it is obviously not a good idea for frail young humans to believe that they can fly or give instructions to wild animals.

However, we never fully lose the tendency to see the magical or mysterious in the ordinary. Findings in cognitive science suggest that magical thinking is an inherent, human trait that persists into adulthood and this appears to be prevalent in all societies and cultures. It is also a phenomenon that is found in all civilizations. Throughout recorded human history we find clear evidence that mankind has always believed that some things are sacred; that things can be cursed; that the human mind can control matter; that rituals bring prosperity or good fortune; that there is power in words and the names assigned to things; that there is justice and moral order in the Universe (such as karma or God’s judgment); and finally that the Universe is ‘alive’ or has a conscious awareness of its own existence.

The fact that these fundamental beliefs are widespread and common in all cultures is no coincidence or accident. If we accept that we are spiritual beings having a physical, human experience, our tendency towards ‘magical thinking’ and metaphysical belief makes all the sense in the world!

However, many scientists attach absolutely no metaphysical or spiritual significance to these phenomena. For example, researcher Dr Eugene Subbotsky refers to it as ‘magical ideation’ and suggests that we retain our preference for magical thinking because “it’s much more comfortable to think that your fate is written down in a constellation of stars than that you’re one of a certain group of intelligent animals who are lost in frozen space forever”. Neuropsychologist Peter Brugger, takes a more positive approach, which goes beyond the mere ‘survival’ theory. He states that it is not healthy for us humans to be entirely stripped of all our magical thinking. His data seems to show that a lack of magical thinking leads to ‘anhedonia’, which is the inability to experience pleasure.

We were never really meant to feel like ‘animals’ lost in space. It is clear that we have an innate urge or intuitive desire to find meaning and purpose in our lives, and that we derive a lot of pleasure and joy from the so-called ‘magical ideations’ we attach to random patterns and coincidences.  I propose that although it is necessary for us to initially put our ‘magical thinking’ into its proper earthly perspective, while we grow up, we should not be encouraged or pressured to relinquish it entirely, for it is an expression of our original spiritual nature. It is also my experience that a true spiritual awakening is always accompanied by the return of so-called ‘magical thinking’ to our consciousness in some way, shape or form. Without ‘magical ideation’ true spiritual awareness seems impossible.

Yes, we did come here for a physical human experience and therefore we have to make do with little or no awareness of our ‘superpowers’ for a large portion of our life. It is part of the deal. One cannot expect to have a truly physical life experience bound by time and space, while retaining your full spiritual capacity. The two states of being are mutually exclusive.

In this lifetime we are like Superman who must remain disguised as the nerdy newspaper journalist Clark Kent, or Harry Potter and his friends who are not allowed to do magic while they are on holiday, away from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

We don’t mind this compulsory precondition for our current physical incarnation, because being more physical than spiritual is essential to the authentic human experience. It is after all what we originally signed up for! However, we were not meant to completely abandon our metaphysical nature and enter this time-space reality entirely ‘unarmed’ and powerless. Even Harry Potter and Clark Kent get to tap into their ‘special powers’ once in a while, especially when the going gets tough.

Excerpt from: Divine Living: The Essential Guide To Your True Destiny
© 2012 Anthon St Maarten

Good morning fellow seekers and believers. A warm welcome also to ye of little faith. It is indeed a blessing to greet you at the dawn of yet another perfect Solstice day in this miraculous annual progression of human history. It is December 21st, 2012 and it is exactly 11:11 GMT, the official time of the Solstice. Take a deep breath, you are indeed still alive!

If you are one of the more adventurous and spirited among us, you may very well find yourself today on a Mayan galactic alignment cruise or magical pilgrimage to the Chichen Itza in the Mexican state of Yucatan, or at Stonehenge in the United Kingdom, waiting for the first light to break on the horizon. I can only imagine how much fun you must be having!

If you are more pessimistically inclined, you may however be searching for alien evacuation portals on Apocalypse Island in Chile, or you may very well be reading this from the comfort of the 2012 survival bunker you built in your backyard, whilst snacking on the emergency supply of canned food and water you have carefully stocked up since 2010.

Most people are however simply on their way to work this morning – facing yet another hectic day at the office, and later possibly some last minute holiday shopping at a snail’s pace in another traffic jam. Is it not great to be alive! And like our ancestors have done for millennia, and like our children’s grandchildren will do for many more, we are once again today witnessing the shortest, or longest day of the year, depending on the hemisphere in which you find yourself.

Today’s Solstice is however, as you surely know by now, also of unique significance to some people around the world. Yes, indeed, today is that official ‘dark doomsday’ we have been hearing about for several years now. It has finally arrived – the time of ‘the shift’, or the ‘end of time’, depending on how you choose to look at things. Yes, it is December, 21st 2012 – the date on which the ancient Mayan calendar is said to come to a grinding halt. And as most of us predicted, the world did not meet a tragic fate in some calamitous catastrophe. Could it be that the Mayans really did just run out of stone to chisel on?

As you may well know, the controversy, fear-mongering and apocalyptic opinions regarding this significant date have been widespread and omnipresent for many years now. In fact, the hysteria reached such a fever-pitch some time ago, that most people seemed to have completely lost interest in the whole affair in recent months. Everyone clearly had had enough of the constant bombardment, and all the doom prophecies therefore lost most of its hot air. Even the Mayan spiritual elders, with all their patience and access to ancient wisdom, were fed up.

It is no secret that most of the hype around the year 2012 originated from the money-lenders and merchants who continue to ply their trade inside the temple, like wolves in sheep’s clothing. A year or two ago it was impossible to log into any online spiritual forum, or watch any paranormal TV show, without being confronted with some form of 2012 hullabaloo. But what goes up must come down, and in recent months the stacks of 2012 books on store shelves were clearly gathering dust. Today many of the half truths, and much of the fear-mongering, will thankfully come to an end. The feeding frenzy is finally over, for the time being anyway, and Mother Earth continues to spin on her axis as she always has. I just have one concern. What on earth will the publishers and vendors be doing with all those unsold 2012 books? I also shudder at the thought of how many rain forests were destroyed in the process.

Of course, in 2013 ye shall also hear of more gloom and rumors of doom, but see that ye be not troubled dear friend. And please keep your wallet or your purse tightly zipped. We live in an abundant Universe where well-being is plentiful, and freely available, and balance and harmony always somehow abounds. For most of us today is just a wonderfully ordinary day, with good weather in some places and a few bad patches in other, just as it always has been, and always will be.

If you are one of the lucky people sitting in a traffic jam, or an office cubicle, or especially if you are on vacation, do yourself a favor and take a look outside your window right now. Look up at the wide, open sky and remind yourself that all is well in your world. Well-being and prosperity surrounds you all day, every day. You are truly blessed.

Do you not feel the yearning in your heart for hope and inner peace; do you not long to have faith in better days ahead? Do not drift unconsciously and without reflection through the labyrinth of a disconnected, cynical life. Do not fear the natural world. And most of all do not forfeit your Divine right to a life free from struggle, anxiety and suffering. Also, do not surrender your inner Divine guidance to the paranoid opinions, greed and morbid false beliefs of others.

Find your truth within. Embrace your bliss. Jump feet first into a life of joy and fulfillment. Live in harmony with yourself, your fellow man and the wonderful planet we inhabit. Make today the first day of the rest of your earthly existence. Simply choose today to flow with the miracles of life, and become more in tune with the gentle wisdom and powerful pulse that is our conscious Universe. Your life is singular, unique and wonderful. A Divine life of abundance, well-being, peace and prosperity is your sacred birthright. You simply need to embrace it. Claim it. The Universe shall provide for you always.

© 2012 Anthon St Maarten
Image courtesy of Victor Habbick / FreeDigitalPhotos

It is my belief that psychic ability is an innate talent or gift aimed at a specific Life Calling, while intuition is a highly personal aspect of our inner spiritual guidance system. We all possess our own, natural intuition, whether we are conscious or unconscious of it – but not everyone is psychic.

Natural intuition is highly personal and mostly about taking care of our own personal needs. Psychic ability on the other hand shifts extra sensory perception from the personal sphere into the realm of the impersonal. Intuition is our direct inner guidance from our Divine Self towards achieving our unique Soul Purpose and Life Calling.

Psychic ability on the other hand dwells in the realm of the selfless, prophetic and archetypal. Psychics, mediums and healers are channels, messengers, conduits or surrogates, which means that they do not only receive personal inner guidance from their own Divine Self, but they also have the capacity to receive and translate guidance on behalf of their fellow man. These perceptions or messages may come from the other person’s Higher Self, or courtesy of non-physical entities, or from the Divine Source, God, or Collective Unconscious. Psychics, mediums and healers therefore have the natural ability to allow energy to flow through them to others, and on behalf of others.

In my experience psychic ability is hereditary. There is however much disagreement on this subject. Some feel there is an undeniable genetic link; others feel that psychic ability is merely developed intuition and that anyone can achieve this level of perception, while others are of the opinion that a combination of nature and nurture is required to produce a talented psychic.

My conviction that there is a genetic connection is based on the fact that I am a hereditary psychic myself. I inherited this ability from my paternal grandmother. Many fellow psychics also report knowing of psychic family members, especially grandparents. For some reason the ability often skips one generation in many families. Many colleagues I have spoken to all report that they had exceptional extra sensory experiences in their childhood, or that they knew from a very young age that they were different from other children. You often also find a strong extra sensory bond between twins and siblings, and in some cases an incredible psychic connection is shared by identical twins, such as the psychic twins Terry and Linda Jamison. This psychic connection often found with twins suggests that there must be an underlying genetic component to psychic ability.

I am often asked why some psychics, if they were born that way, only discover or develop their ability much later in life. In my experience, from psychic development courses I have conducted over the years, some people are born exceptionally gifted and simply don’t know it; or they suppress it initially, when they first discover it. For this reason some people only develop their psychic ability much later in life, often due to significant life events. In many cases it even seems that these life events may in fact happen to force them to become aware, or to accept their calling. For example, people who have had a near-death experience (NDE) sometimes report an increase in their psychic ability after the event. For others their psychic abilities surface during, or after times of severe physical or emotional trauma, such as intense stress, serious illness, major accidents, or exposure to extreme physical danger. There are also known cases of psychics whose paranormal abilities surfaced or intensified due to brain injury. For example, the famous psychic medium Edgar Cayce fell off a fence post on his parents farm around age three and reportedly hit his head on a piece of wood with a nail protruding from it. The nail punctured his skull and caused injury to his brain, but there were no serious consequences, except that he became the most documented psychic in human history.

I do agree that psychic ability is a combination of both nature and nurture, as is the case with any other talents or genetic predispositions we may be born with. What this means is that psychics are born with a latent hereditary or genetic capacity, but their ability is further developed by their upbringing, their childhood environment, education and life experiences.

In my case, however there was very little ‘nurture’, because I grew up in a society and home environment where my psychic abilities were not encouraged. In fact, I got into serious trouble for it in school, during my early teens. Adults were often shocked or annoyed when I blurted out their deepest secrets in front of strangers, and children were fearful, because I sometimes pointed out the presence of spiritual entities or ‘things’ they did not see. I eventually believed that my psychic ability was something to be ashamed of and I suppressed it for many years. I did have a near-death experience in my late 20’s. I also experienced several other major life events that have contributed to the sharpening of my psychic abilities. But none of these experiences were the original source or cause of my extra sensory ability, because I was aware of having paranormal perceptions from a very young age. I have never attended any psychic development courses or mediumship circles.

It is my view we are all born with varying degrees of intuitive or metaphysical ability, the same way we are all born with an aptitude for playing music, creating art, doing math or participating in sports. We can all learn to develop our innate abilities; it does not necessarily mean we will all excel at it. Most of us can learn to play the piano, or draw pictures, or play basketball and soccer. Some of us will even learn to do these things extremely well, but not all of us have the kind of talent that can be nurtured for us to become the next Ludwig van Beethoven, Pablo Picasso, Luciano Pavarotti, Barbra Streisand, Meryl Streep or Michael Jordan.

I do not, however, support the idea that hereditary psychics, mediums and healers are somehow spiritually superior or highly developed. I do not believe in hierarchy or a chain of command in the spiritual sense. There is no pecking order on ‘the Other Side’, because that would imply that in our original spiritual state some of us were ‘imperfect’ or more ‘flawed’ than others, before we came into this lifetime. It is my conviction that in our original spiritual state we are breathtakingly perfect, completely harmonious and utterly flawless. Some of us are not ‘better’ spiritual beings than others. That kind of thinking smacks of the values of the ‘old think’ Material Ego or False Self. Rank, status, levels, and hierarchy are all man-made concepts often used to oppress, suppress, control and exclude others. In my mind these things are not of Spirit.

So, if psychics are not spiritually more evolved, why are they born with ‘psychic genes’ or into ‘psychic families’? And what does genetics or heredity have to do with spirituality or the paranormal anyway?

Well, it is quite simple, really. To have exceptional psychic ability is a Life Calling and therefore a purpose or mission that the psychic, medium, channeler or healer chose as part of their Life Plan, before they came into this lifetime. As a soul incarnating with the life mission to act as an energetic conduit or surrogate on behalf of others, they will need the right kind of physical instrument or material form for the job, as well as the ideal nurturing environment. They will need a human body that is genetically equipped with the necessary capacity for receiving, processing and transferring significant amounts of metaphysical energy at high frequencies and intensities.

In other words, the soul who plans to enter into the Life Calling of a psychic, medium, channeler or healer chooses before birth a set of parents from certain families with a history of developed psychic talent,  evolved through many generations, who will provide the ideal DNA and environmental influences needed to ultimately fulfill their Soul Purpose and Life Calling. Similarly, Beethoven, Picasso, Pavarotti, Streisand, Streep and Jordan also chose their parents and genetic heritage, which ultimately enabled them to do what they do best.

Excerpt from: Divine Living: The Essential Guide To Your True Destiny by Anthon St Maarten
© 2012 Anthon St Maarten
Image courtesy of Victor Habbick / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Awakening, reconnecting and realigning with the Divine Self is no doubt the most important first step in personal spiritual growth, individuation and ultimate transcendence. To rediscover your Higher Self and tap into your Higher Consciousness is usually a very awe-inspiring and life-changing experience. But your new found spiritual awareness and rediscovered Divine origins may soon lose its power to transform your life if you do not adopt a new lifestyle that includes some kind of consistent spiritual practice.

Divine Living and spiritual practice goes hand in hand. A Divine Life is impossible to achieve without some form of regular spiritual practice, in order to increase and maintain your connection and alignment with the Divine Self. What you come to know and believe about your own spiritual origins is meaningless, unless you have a direct and personal daily experience of receiving guidance from your inner Divinity. The only way to achieve this is to practice your new awareness and beliefs on a daily basis.

In our human state we sometimes too easily slide back into old habits, and with the constant onslaught of materialism, misinformation, fear conditioning, scientific skepticism and the distraction of mass entertainment and popular culture, you have a very limited probability of expanding your new found spiritual awareness, unless you engage yourself consciously in some form of habitual and frequent spiritual practice.

Spiritual practices are actions and activities we undertake on a regular basis for the purpose of cultivating spiritual development. There are a plethora of spiritual practices available, both ancient and modern, that you can apply in your own life to sustain your spiritual awareness and Divine connection. Regular spiritual activity will fine-tune your alignment with the Divine Self, improve the clarity of your inner guidance, and consistently nurture and develop your ability to manifest abundance.

Your spiritual practice of choice may include any of the following:

•     Astral Travel & Projection
•     Breathing Exercises
•     Ceremonies, Rites & Rituals
•     Channeling
•     Charity & Acts of Kindness
•     Cleansing (Fasting, Energy Clearing, Sage burning, Baptism)
•     Creating Sacred Space
•     Dancing
•     Divination (Tarot, Astrology, I Ching, Numerology, Runes)
•     Dreamwork
•     Energy Work
•     Expressing Gratitude
•     Healing Practices (Acupuncture, Reiki, Shiatsu)
•     Past Life Regression
•     Inducing Trance / Altered States of Consciousness
•     Mandala
•     Meditation
•     Music (playing, listening to)
•     Physical Activity (Yoga, T’ai chi ch’uan, Aikido)
•     Pilgrimage
•     Prayer
•     Readings (Empathic, Psychic, Mediumship, Akasha, Aura)
•     Shamanic Practice
•     Singing & Chanting
•     Study & Contemplation
•     Religious Worship

When undertaking any spiritual practice it is important to bear in mind that we are all different. We all have our own beliefs, temperaments, personalities, interests and personal preferences. Your beliefs and spiritual practices will depend a lot on your personal spiritual journey, your past life experiences, and your karmic quest. Each of us has a unique Life Plan, Soul Purpose and Life Calling to achieve in this lifetime.

A spiritual practice that is ideal for one person’s soul growth may simply not work at all for another. Therefore it is recommended that you seek intuitive guidance from your Divine Self on which practices will best suit your unique needs in this lifetime. Ultimately, it does not matter which practice or discipline you choose, as long as you incorporate it into your daily living and apply it consistently.

Excerpt from: Divine Living: The Essential Guide To Your True Destiny by Anthon St Maarten
© 2012 Anthon St Maarten
Image courtesy of pixtawan / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

You are not who you think you are. You are not that face you see in the mirror every morning. You are not someone’s child, or someone’s parent, or partner or friend. You are not the physical body you admire or criticize when you take a shower, or when you get dressed.

Neither are you the profile description on your social networking page, or your high school diploma, your driver’s license, or your title at work. You are not defined by your career, or the things you own, or the family and friends you love. You are not a name or an address, or a six-figure salary.

You are one thing only. You are a Divine Being. An all-powerful Creator. You are a Deity in jeans and a t-shirt, and within you dwells the infinite wisdom of the ages and the sacred creative force of All that is, will be and ever was.

Do you remember how spiritually aligned, connected and aware you were as a young child? Remember how it felt to be so wonderfully conscious, wide-eyed and receptive. The world was a magical place of adventure, discovery and exhilaration. You still had a vague memory at that time that you were created in the image of the Divine. As a recent arrival on the planet, you still had some sense of that ‘other place’ you had come from – that state of pure consciousness, and of celestial power, infinite creative intelligence and everlasting, unconditional love.

In that pure, original state you were eternal peace and perfection personified. You were a crystal-clear, meta-dimensional snapshot of God’s image in high-definition Technicolor. But then you decided to come here on an adventure. You still are that cosmic entity, but you have been incarnated as a human being to have a physical life experience. You chose to have this experience. You volunteered for it, and your original aim was to learn, evolve, expand and most of all…have fun!

So, come on, go take another look in that mirror and say hello to the physical incarnation of your Divine Self. There you are, the pure expression of Divinity! Now, take a deep look into your own eyes, for they are the windows of the soul. There you will recognize the ‘real you’. Meet your ever-present Higher Self, your True Self, the soul essence of where you come from and the reason why you came here.

This essential you has been around all this time, since before your birth, and for millennia before that. All you needed was someone to remind you of that fact; to awaken you from the unconscious, habituated fog that was your conditioned earthly life until now. So, now you know who you really are. No more daily drudgery. No more merely surviving. No more reality coma. No more feeling sorry for yourself. No more excuses. Consider yourself awakened.

Excerpt from: Divine Living: The Essential Guide To Your True Destiny by Anthon St Maarten
© 2012 Anthon St Maarten

_Jerry Hicks will be missed, but he will not be missing in action!  Thank you Jerry, Esther and Abraham for the blessing you have been to me and so many of my clients, and will continue to be. You have transformed and saved many, many lives, and will continue to do so for decades to come – when all of us currently on this planet have also completed our joy rides.

Esther our thoughts are with you. But we are not concerned, because we know you are in good company. We will see you soon Esther, and we know you, Jerry and Abraham will have much to share with us. You are loved. All is well. Namaste.

Make fun of death. We are as dead as it gets, and we are fully aware of this joyous experience.
We are with you every time you allow it. We are in every singing bird and in every joyful child.
We are part of every delicious pulsing in your environment. We are not dead,
and neither will you ever be. You will just get up one day,
and get out of the 'movie' ~ Esther-Abraham Hicks

_A Message From Esther Hicks

Esther has sent out this message today:

"Dear, dear Friends,

Our sweet Jerry made his transition into Nonphysical last Friday. How sweet the Vortex is feeling to him today!

Jerry said to me when we came together over 30 years ago that given the difference in our ages that it was likely “that I will cut out on you early,” to which I replied, “I don’t mind.” His joy of life and continual new discovery of purpose kept his life feeling fresh and we shared such joyous eagerness for life.

Over the years, Abraham has consistently insisted that there is no death. Again and again they have reminded us that there is only life and more life and more life. It has taken me some time to understand this, and I honestly must say I have not yet fully come to terms with it, but I do believe that in what we are calling Jerry’s death he is discovering the next logical step of life that Abraham has always been talking about. And at times I am catching a glimpse of the bigness of what Jerry is feeling and while I am still pretty mad at him for not sticking around longer to surprise and delight me in all the ways he has been doing throughout our 30 years together I accept fully that the next logical step of joyous life for Jerry was to be found in his re-emergence into Nonphysical.

Since 1985 it has been Jerry and Esther and Abraham and I believe with everything that I am that that has not changed. I know that Jerry will continue to be the third powerful point of the triad of Energy that makes up the Abraham experience and I am certain that his new vantage point will be, as it has always been, of advantage to us all.

I know for sure that Jerry will help me, in time, release my own personal resistance to physical death, because I will not be able to maintain that resistance and also play easily with him. And my desire to continue not only my Abraham experience but also my Jerry experience I am certain he will be the catalyst to help me do what Abraham has been trying to help us all do all along.

Once again, Jerry is out there leading the way for me. But the difference this time is that I must find the way. I am not there yet, but it is my absolute promise to myself that I will find the way, because it is the most natural thing in the world to do and because Jerry has provided for me the reason to do it.

I am eager about what is ahead and while I cannot begin to explain or even imagine the details of how it is all going to play out, I am certain that it will be fun.

I am such a fortunate girl, to have been able to play with Jerry and Abraham and all of you for so many wonderful years and I am so eager to continue doing more of the same for many more years to come. I feel certain right now that not only has nothing gone wrong, but things are going especially right. It will be different, for sure, but it will also be very, very good.

I’m feeling such love for you all, and for Abraham and most of all for Jerry. And as I have said to him a thousand or more times through the years, “Well isn’t life just a kick in the pants?”

Love,
Esther

P.S. Our glorious staff has created a web page where you can express your thoughts and appreciation for Jerry, and if I know Jerry (and I do) he’ll read every comment. Click here to visit the page >>