Psychic DNA: Nature Or Nurture?

By Anthon St. Maarten

Is everyone psychic? Not in my experience. I believe psychic ability is an innate talent or gift aimed at the specific Life Calling of some individuals, while intuition is a highly personal aspect of everybody's inner spiritual guidance system. We all possess innate, natural intuition, whether we are conscious or unconscious of it – but not everyone is born psychic.

Natural intuition is highly personal and mostly about taking care of our own personal needs. Psychic ability on the other hand shifts the so-called 'sixth sense' or extra-sensory perception (ESP) 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.

I do not claim to know all the answers to the mysteries of the Universe, but in my experience psychic ability is hereditary. There is however much disagreement on this subject. Many in my field of work agree there is an undeniable genetic link; while some believe that psychic ability is merely developed intuition and that anyone can achieve this level of extra-sensory perception, while others are of the opinion that a combination of nature and nurture is required to produce a truly talented psychic. I also believe that 'nurture' plays a role in activating psychic genetic potential in an individual, but this does not happen by accident, or coincidence.

We all grow up with the weight of history on us. Our ancestors dwell in the attics of our brains as they do in the spiraling chains of knowledge hidden in every cell of our bodies ~ Shirley Abbott

My conviction that there is a definite 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 famous psychic twins Terry and Linda Jamison. This psychic connection often found with twins clearly suggests that there must be an underlying genetic component to psychic ability.

I have been asked why it is then that some psychics, if they were in fact born that way, only discover or develop their abilities much later in life? In my experience, especially 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 life 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 feel that psychic ability is a combination of both nature and nurture, as is the case with any other talents, genetic inclinations, or biological predispositions we may be born with. In my view 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. I also believe we choose these environments, circumstances and experiences before we come into this lifetime. We choose it to give us the best possible chance of activating our psychic genes, in order to ultimately fulfil our life calling.

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. ​

I am the family face: flesh perishes, I live on, projecting trait and trace through time to times anon, and leaping from place to place over oblivion ~ Thomas Hardy

But none of these experiences were the original source or cause of my extra-sensory ability, because I was aware of having extra-sensory awareness and paranormal perceptions from a very young age. I have also never attended any psychic development courses or mediumship circles. But my childhood environment and early adulthood experiences certainly did enhance my psychic sensitivity and spiritual awareness.

I believe 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 more highly developed. I do not subscribe to any kind of hierarchy, or a 'chain of command' in the spiritual sense. There is no 'pecking order' in the spiritual realm, 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’ or 'more evolved' 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 these 'special psychic genes’ or into psychic families? And what does genetics or heredity have to do with spirituality and the paranormal anyway? Well, it is quite simple, really. To have exceptional psychic ability is a Life Calling and therefore a life purpose or spiritual mission that the psychic, medium, channeler or healer decided upon 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 to get the job done, 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 a certain family with a history of developed psychic talent, which evolved through many generations, who will provide the ideal genetic make-up, combined with the necessary 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 the book, Divine Living: The Essential Guide To Your True Destiny.
© 2012 Anthon St Maarten

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About The Author

Anthon St. Maarten is an international psychic medium and destiny coach. He is also a sought-after inspirational speaker, metaphysical teacher and spiritual author, with a special interest in New Thought spirituality, metaphysics, sacred sites, parapsychology, mediumship and psychic phenomena. He is the author of the bestselling spirituality handbook Divine Living: The Essential Guide To Your True Destiny. Anthon's psychic reading and consultation services are available online and by phone to clients globally.

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About The Book

Divine Living is the preferred lifestyle choice for many spiritually awakened souls all over the world. It is the new way of being that changes your life and perception of reality forever. Divine Living: The Essential Guide To Your True Destiny is the definitive handbook to uncover your original life plan and sacred birthright. You will be empowered to remember your divine origins and learn how to manifest the amazing life you were always meant to have. Discover the deeper meaning and purpose of your life and reclaim your true destiny. It includes many practical guidelines, metaphysical tools and spiritual self-care exercises to prepare you for a truly awakened and abundant life. Like many other enlightened souls worldwide you will be equipped with the power to design an authentic new life of happiness and fulfillment, and be inspired to make a real difference in the world.