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There is the fashionable notion these days for individuals to be branded as 'psychics' or 'empaths' if they are emotionally sensitive, or display a high level of compassion towards others. It is automatically assumed that people who are emotionally highly intelligent must also have an exceptional capacity for extra-sensory perception (ESP). Nothing could be further from the truth. If anything, I believe this myth is only serving to confuse and mislead people, and may even cause further emotional damage, by imposing unreasonable expectations on some highly sensitive or even emotionally vulnerable people. I had many traumatic paranormal experiences in my childhood, and I was constantly overwhelmed by extra-sensory perceptions I did not understand. To find reliable information on the subject in those days was near impossible. The confusion and frustration I had to endure in my youth - often due to the ignorance of others - made me vow to research, learn and share as much as I could about psychic abilities. If I can spare just one gifted child unnecessary trauma, or inspire just one adult to come out of the ‘clair closet’, the bewilderment I had to endure would all be worth it. Thus, the reason for this article. Please know that natural human empathy has not become such a scarce commodity that it now needs to be classified as a paranormal phenomenon. It is also not a psychic ability that must be developed or applied at all cost. If empathy really has become such a rare trait, then our society is in much greater jeopardy than we may suspect ( see below ). Could a greater miracle take place than for us to look through each other's eye for an instant? ~ Henry David Thoreau People who do not display empathy are considered by the medical profession to be abnormal , or disordered. A lack of empathy is a common characteristic found in the Cluster B Personality Disorders in the DSM-IV (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders), especially in those diagnosed with Antisocial and Narcissistic Personality Disorder. Individuals who are unable to express empathy need psychological counseling or psychiatric treatment, not a psychic development course. If empathy really is an inherited talent or innate psychic ability - like clairaudience or mediumship - then everyone who does not have the ‘gift of empathy’ by implication must be some sort of psychopath, sociopath or narcissist. The erroneous association of natural human empathy with ‘supernatural’ psychic ability stems from the confusion that exists about terminology and a shortage of parapsychology research, as well as plain ignorance. There is already so much confusion and skepticism about psychic abilities that professional psychics and spiritual workers can hardly afford more myth and mockery to be added to the mix. The use of the term 'empathy' to describe an extra-sensory ability is inaccurate and misleading. To unravel the truth behind all this ‘emotional mayhem’, one needs to understand the difference between the following terms and concepts: Empathy Versus Sympathy Both empathy and sympathy are natural ways to express compassion and caring for others, and both are a normal trait found in most well-adjusted human beings. In fact, both empathy and sympathy are an important aspect of Emotional Intelligence (EI) , and both are basic social skills taught to us at a young age by our parents and caregivers. Experts also believe that there is a genetic or biological basis to empathy and sympathy. But there is also a distinct difference between empathy and sympathy, which is important to understand, especially for people who work in the helping and service professions. Sympathy is an expression of concern, regret or sadness about unfortunate events in someone else’s life. In other words, you worry about that person’s distress, or you feel sorry for what has happened to them. ​I am so sorry for your loss. I feel for you. It must be awful for a parent to lose a child. I cannot even begin to imagine what you must be going through. Empathy on the other hand, is our ability to grasp the feelings of another person on a much deeper level, as well as the ability to convey this understanding to that person, which shows that you really do comprehend how they feel. Empathy is therefore the ability to relate. It is having the capacity to ‘place yourself in another person’s shoes’ and the knack to truly understand where they are coming from; to see things from their perspective and relate to how it is making them feel. Empathy and sympathy can be expressed at the same time in certain situations, but they can also be expressed separately. I understand exactly what you are going through. I feel your pain. I lost my own son a few years ago. It is an agony that you cannot even begin to describe to someone else. Empathy is therefore appropriate or useful when we need to express our sincere understanding of another person’s feelings and circumstances, whereas the focus of sympathy is more our concern for that person’s well-being in difficult or challenging circumstances, even if we cannot necessarily relate to their circumstances. Empathy is a normal psychological trait, and it is something all people express to some extent. For example, a study done at Yale University in 2007 found that babies demonstrate a natural tendency towards empathy, while the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology has shown that despite being given no incentive, even toddlers share with others and act in a helpful manner. Empathetic behavior has also been demonstrated in certain animal species, including mice. Some people may have a greater aptitude for empathy than others, because they are emotionally more intelligent or have more life experience, but that does not make them psychic. You are not psychic or an ‘empath’ because you were properly socialized by your parents; or because you are a caring and considerate member of society; or because you are a highly sensitive person; or because you are able to instinctively notice someone else’s feelings through cues you get from their body language, their facial expressions, their tone of voice, or behaviors like crying, or sighing. The more empathetic you are, the more you are able to comprehend and express how others must be feeling. But this is not an extra-sensory ability, or a clair sense . Empathetic Versus Empathic Most language experts will most likely disagree with me, but I feel a distinction should be made between the terms empathetic and empathic . Such a distinction is useful in my field of endeavor, especially due to the popular usage of the term ' empath ' by psychics and the modern spiritual community. Language belongs to the people who speak and write it, after all. The word empathetic describes the normal empathy a person would express towards others, while empathic is useful to describe the extra-sensory or energetic perceptions experienced by an empath. This form of extra-sensory perception is I some refer to as clairempathy , to distinguish it from normal empathy. In other words, when you are being empathetic you are showing empathy, but when you are being empathic you are experiencing clairempathy . Empathetic : expression of natural, ordinary empathy Empathic : expression of ‘supernatural’ clairempathy ​ You will not find this distinction in dictionaries, as the words empathic and empathetic are generally considered to have the same meaning, i.e. the ‘ability to express empathy’. But to me this distinction makes sense, since we do not use the term ‘sympathic’ to describe someone who is being sympathetic ; therefore it makes sense to only use the term empathetic to describe the expression of empathy. ​That leaves the term 'empathic' free to be made very useful as a practical communication term for the metaphysical community. I told you once that I was searching for the nature of evil. I think I've come close to defining it: a lack of empathy... A genuine incapacity to feel with their fellow man. Evil, I think, is the absence of empathy. ~ Gustav M. Gilbert By the way, there have been in recent years different people who claim to have coined the term ‘empath’ and 'empathy', but this not true. The English word 'empathy' was coined in 1909 by the Brtitish psychologist Edward B. Titchener, in an attempt to translate the German word einfühlungsvermögen, which a new concept being explored at the end of 19th century mainly by German philosopher Theodor Lipps. The 'empath' concept is also nothing new and actually has its roots in science fiction. It can, for example, be traced back as far as December 6, 1968, to the broadcast of the third season episode of the television series Star Trek: The Original Series . The title of that episode was The Empath and featured a female character by the name of “Gem” who is an empath with a special ability to heal others. ​Therefore, if you are someone that shows a healthy empathy for others, then you are empathetic, and you would then be very aware of emotional signs and moods in someone else. But that does not make you an empath. It just means you are very well-adjusted, kind and considerate person, or possibly even genetically a one-in-every-five Highly Sensitive Person (HSP) . I am an HSP., but I am also an empath, and they are not​ the same thing. In my experience an empath is a person who has vivid clairempathic experiences of a psychic or paranormal nature. This means that I have direct, extra-sensory experiences of other people’s emotions, moods and motivations on a daily basis. I can feel what others feel, without knowing anything about them, or having any direct contact or interaction with them. I can experience these feelings and sensations from strangers on the other side of the world. And they are not only limited to emotions, because I also experience physical symptoms. Touching them, or being in close proximity to their energy field usually yields the most powerful results, but it is not necessary. All I need to pick up someone's feelings is to have access to their 'spiritual coordinates' in some form, for example their name, photo or a personal item belonging to them. ​For example, I might be in line at the supermarket and suddenly begin to feel pain and discomfort in my right arm, and when I turn around there would be someone in line behind me with their right arm in a sling. Not only would I briefly feel their physical pain, but I may also get a clairvoyant flash of what happened to them to injure their arm, or I will feel how frustrated they are to have the use of only one arm. Empathy is the only human superpower - it can shrink distance, cut through social and power hierarchies, transcend differences, and provoke political and social change. ~ Elizabeth Thomas I can even feel the anxiety some people feel in the pit of their stomach when they are telling a lie, or feel their heartbeat increase when they are feeling guilty. If the lady in front of me at the supermarket is getting angry I might feel her blood pressure rising, and possibly perceive additional information about her personal life that may cause her to be so impatient and irritable. But that does not mean that I necessarily identify with her feelings (empathy) or feel sorry for her (sympathy). I simply experience what she is feeling and I know why she is feeling that way, even if it makes no sense to me personally. ​In the past, before I understood my empathic nature, I often did not know where some of these feelings and sensations were coming from, or what they meant? Unconscious empaths often walk around like unsuspecting energy sponges, and can obviously suffer much discomfort and distress as a result. Empaths who are unaware of their clairempathic ability typically absorb all kinds of unwanted emotional and somatic energy wherever they go, without understanding, for example, why they suddenly feel nausea or vertigo; or why they are suddenly overwhelmed with extreme sadness and anxiety, when there is nothing in their environment to be sad or anxious about; or why their positive state of mind has suddenly changed to a really foul mood the moment they walked past someone in the street. ​ To me this is the most evident difference between empathy and clairempathy. Empathy involves an affective (emotional) and cognitive (thought) process based on observation, logical thinking, perspective-taking, reasoning and an appropriate emotional response. Clairempathy, on the other hand, is an energy perception or clairsentient response that has no rational, logical or emotional origin. When someone is limping down the street, it is not something I will only consider or think about once I actually see them walk by. In fact, I do not even have to see them, or know them personally. I might feel that person limping long before they even come around the corner! Whether I can, or wish to relate to what is wrong with them, is of no consequence. ​This is another clear distinction between the empath and the sensitive person. Unlike highly sensitive people, empowered empaths can experience and relay all manner of very upsetting feelings or disturbing symptoms without bursting into tears... or even batting an eyelid. It is a myth that empaths are sitting around feeling sad or depressed all day because we struggle to deal with all the suffering in the world. Empaths did not come into this world to be victims, we came to be warriors! ​With that said, I do have to confess that I am known by many of my clients and colleagues to sometimes break down in 'snot and tears' when a psychic reading reveals some information that tugs at my heartstrings. That is indeed true, but that is not because I am an empath! I perceive the sorrowful information because I am an empath, but I only cry with my client because I am a highly sensitive person. Not all empaths are cry babies like me, okay? And I typically only cry when I personally relate, based on my own life experiences or simply because I really have a personal affinity for that particular client. So, basically I am being empathic and empathetic at the same time. See what I mean? ​Reputable psychics and mediums will actually tell you that they usually do their best readings and predictions when the energy information they translate for their clients make absolutely no sense to them at the time. The less the psychic's ego and personal opinions interfere with the reading process, the better. In fact, a reader who constantly expresses too much sympathy and empathy during a reading is probably not doing a very good job, since both sympathy and empathy are both a highly personal perspective. If I always share my client's feelings, or feel sorry for them, I am not using my clairempathic ability to the best of my ability, because I am obscuring the energetic information or spiritual message with my personal feelings of empathy and sympathy, probably based on my personal values and life experiences. Feeling constantly upset, drained or depressed, or sorry for yourself and the whole world, does not an empath make! Clairsentience Versus Clairempathy Empathic ability (or clairempathy) is actually not a distinct psychic ability in its own right. It is just one expression of the more generally familiar psychic ability known as clairsentience . The term ‘sentience’ refers to awareness , or consciousness of a sensation or a feelin g. Sentience does not involve thought, or logic, or reason, as one would often find in normal empathy, where you would use reason, logic and your personal memories to consider how the other person must be feeling. The emphasis in clairsentience is on feeling or sensing, instead of rational thinking. Clairsentience therefore means ‘clear sensing or feeling’. It is the ability to perceive extra-sensory information about people, places or objects, by sensing it energetically . It is a form of energy perception which is experienced as a tactile, physical sensation, or an emotional feeling. To my knowledge and experience, clairsentience is the foundation for all other psychic sensitivities and often the first psychic ability to emerge in children. Typically, it is also the first psychic sense to be experienced by adults who develop their extra-sensory abilities later in life. In fact, I have never heard of a psychic or a medium who does not have some form of clairsentient ability, or who does not somehow use clairsentience in their work. Clairsentience typically manifests in four major ways that are all somehow related, but the phenomenon differs from person to person: Intuition Extra-sensory presentiment, also known as gut feelings, hunches, inklings, 'sneaking suspicions', premonition and foreboding, It's 'that feeling in one's bones' or 'funny feeling''.​ You can read more about my views on this particular subject in another blog post titled Intuition - The Unconscious Language of the Soul . Clairempathy (clear emotional feeling or sensing) The extra-sensory perception of past, present and future emotional energy connected to people in this life, and also in the afterlife. Yes, the dearly departed may not be having those actual human feelings anymore, but they certainly make me feel them to get their message across during mediumship readings! Clairsomatica (clear bodily feeling or sensing) Extra-sensory perception of physical sensations and symptoms. The term 'somatic' comes from the Greek words soma meaning 'body' and somatikos meaning 'of the body' or 'physical'. Somatic energy perception is more often experienced by mediums and medical intuitives, and may include all manner of symptoms, such as pain, nausea, vertigo, fever, congestion, and pressure or impact to the chest, or as paranormal tickling, chills, goose bumps, or sensations of being touched, as well as temperature changes and hair standing on end.​ ​ Clairtangency (clear touching) Also known as 'psychometry'. The extra-sensory ability to touch an object and read its energy imprints, which can be emotions of the person who owns the object, or past, present, future information associated with the object’s owner. The word "tangent" comes from the Latin tangere , which means 'to touch'. When a psychic medium is performing 'psychometry' she is applying her ‘clairtangent ability’ or using clairtangency, often combined with intuition, clairsomatica and clairempathy. For example, energy healers and medical intuitives may have the ability to scan a person’s body with their hands to read symptomatic energy. Psychometry is also used by psychic investigators in forensic work , such as murders and kidnappings, by reading crime scenes or objects belonging to victims and suspects. Highly Sensitive Person (HSP) Versus Empath The final important distinction that must be made in this context is the difference between the Highly Sensitive Person (HSP) and the Empath, which is my main concern when it comes to the misuse of the term ‘empathy’. A Highly Sensitive Person (HSP) has the innate trait known as ‘high psychological sensitivity’. According to experts the highly sensitive individual processes sensory data much more intensely and thoroughly, due to biological differences in their nervous system. The term Highly Sensitive Person (HSP) was coined by Dr. Elaine N. Aron in 1996, and it has been gaining popularity ever since, mainly because it presents the HSP in a much more positive light. Sadly, HSPs are now increasingly being made to believe that they are all psychics, which may be undoing some of the wonderful work people like Dr. Aron have been doing. Being an HSP is often confused with shyness, introversion, social anxiety or fearfulness. HSPs are therefore often misunderstood by parents, teachers and the community, while this trait is actually quite normal. It is believed that one in every five people are highly sensitive, which means that it is not a disorder. The trait is actually found in many animals too and it is believed to be a survival strategy of being observant before acting. According to Dr. Aron, "the opposite of a highly sensitive person is a person who takes many risks”, in other words someone who “acts without reflecting very much”. The brain of the HSP has been found to actually work slightly differently, making them more aware than others of subtleties in their environment, and noticing more things when they interact with other people. The HSP is also easily overwhelmed and over stimulated when situations become too intense or confusing. The HSP trait is not a new discovery, but it is still misunderstood. HSPs are often told that they must ‘man up’ or to ‘not be so sensitive’. Now do you see why I sometimes cry when I do psychic readings? It is unfortunate that many HSPs are not aware of their true nature and are not gaining access to accurate self-help information and professional support, because they have been told by well-meaning, but misguided folk that they are ‘empaths’ or ‘sensitives’ or ‘intuitives’. Sure, some HSPs just so happen to also be psychic, but this is not as common as some would have us believe. The popular myth about psychological sensitivity, and its uncritical association with psychic ability, is a tragic state of affairs, because many HSPs continue to misjudge their own personalities and sometimes they really struggle in life, because they do not have an accurate understanding of what makes them 'tick'. Instead of receiving the support, guidance and sense of belonging that will allow them to thrive as HSP, they are being misdirected and taken advantage of by people who sell psychic development books, courses and healing sessions; not to mention the trauma and confusion highly sensitive children experience due to the misinformation being fed to their parents. Imagine having an excited ‘psychic stage mom’ breathing down your neck, pressuring you to act more esoterically and other-worldly, because she read on some website that you are a highly gifted little empath in the making, when in reality you are just a shy, sensitive kid who does not like noisy people and chaotic environments, and you just like to check things out carefully, before you take any action. Sensitive Or Psychic? Don’t just accept someone else’s misguided assumption that you are an empath, or that your sensitive nature is due to your innate psychic ability. It could save you a lot of frustration, confusion and disillusionment, and may prevent you from wasting precious time and resources looking for spiritual or paranormal answers to something that is a perfectly natural trait in about 15 to 20% of the general population. Yes, it is definitely true that most psychics, mediums and healers also happen to be highly sensitive. It obviously does tend to come with the territory, but one does not have to be highly sensitive to actually have a psychic ability or to be a powerful energy worker. Furthermore, not all people with strong intuition, or a highly sensitive nature is necessarily psychic. Bottom-line, if you are psychic you will know it! Not every emotionally intuitive or socially sensitive person is therefore required to report for 'psychic duty’. Don’t miss your true soul purpose and life calling because of the misconstrued ideas others have about extra-sensory perception and psychic ability. You may very well be highly sensitive because you have some other life mission of great importance. In my destiny coaching practice I have seen that HSPs are typically meant to do great things and they often touch many lives with their work. HSPs are here to help make the world a better place in many diverse ways, beyond the scope of psychic of mediumship work. If you suspect that you may be a Highly Sensitive Person (HSP), you can start by taking Dr. Aron’s self-test on her website. By the way, there may actually be some reason for alarm concerning the declining levels of empathy in our society. According to recent research at the University of Michigan the empathy levels of college students have dropped significantly since the 1980’s, with an especially dramatic decline over the past decade. To make matters worse, during this same period levels of narcissism among college students has reached new heights, according to research at San Diego State University. One possible reason for this decline may be our increased social isolation, and the growing dehumanization of people due to technology. You only have to read some of the really cruel and callous comments so many people post on social networking and video sharing sites these days, to find the necessary evidence. Maybe empathy will one day really become a rare gift in a merciless world devoid of any emotional concern for others? © 2011 Anthon St Maarten ABOUT THE AUTHOR Anthon St. Maarten is a psychic medium and destiny coach with a global clientele of thought leaders, business executives, celebrities, politicians, academics, and luminaries in the arts and sciences in more than thirty countries spanning five continents. He is also a metaphysics teacher, psychic development coach, podcaster, and spiritual blogger. Anthon is a hereditary psychic medium in professional practice since 2004 and a liberal arts post-graduate with a major in psychology . Anthon publishes the spiritual life design blog, The S Word , and is the author of Divine Living: The Essential Guide To Your True Destiny and The Sensible Psychic: A Leading-Edge Guide To True Psychic Perception.

Do you believe that your life path is entirely pre-destined? Some people do. They prefer to see themselves as helpless puppets on a string, hanging around, while fate takes its course. For them the future is firmly carved in stone. Their destiny is pre-determined and their life path non-negotiable. The writing is on the wall. Period. I call it 'being a marionette.' During psychic readings , the 'm arionettes' are typically only interested in what will happen to them and when it will happen to them. They show no interest in the possibility that they have much more control over their destiny, and that they can make great things happen for themselves, and by themselves. Indeed, there is much for them to learn from the story of Pinocchio , who dreamed of becoming a real boy and set out on a brave adventure to achieve his goal! The Marionettes appear to be unwilling to accept the fact that they can change the course of their lives, or prevent personal calamities from occurring. Neither do they realize that they can get what they want from life so much sooner, and enjoy those outcomes for so much longer. They can also achieve far better results, whether some of the twists and turns were pre-destined for them, or not. There is an unseen life that dreams us. It knows our true direction and destiny. We can trust ourselves more than we realize and we need have no fear of change ​~ John O’Donohue I have never been able to understand why anyone would prefer to merely cruise along, like a tourist through their own life? Like a robot or puppet acting out a pre-written script, believing one has no control over your destiny or fate? Why would you ignore the opportunity to be truly alive and experience the divine power of your own free will? Do they not realize that this is the very reason we came here in the first place? We came for the experience, the adventure, the fun, the drama and the sheer thrill of it all! Sadly, the Marionettes might have to come back and do the whole thing over again someday. Their souls get stuck in a rut. Their incarnations can also become somewhat like habitual supermarket shopping trips when they plan and design their next physical life experience, between this lifetime and the next. They will just buy the same old toothpaste or washing powder their mother, grandmother and great grandmother preferred, each and every time, life in and life out, for as long as it takes, or possibly for all eternity. If you listen closely you can actually hear spirit sighing. Such a dull business indeed? No change, no risk, no adventure. No challenging choices, or brave decisions. The Marionettes do not like such things. Pushing their cosmic shopping trolleys around is exhausting enough as it is. Oh, the burden of bad karma ! And if their favorite product is way past its sell-by-date, they can always blame the Manufacturer. Personally, I prefer not to go through a repeat version of my current lifetime. I would much rather move up a notch, or two, or at least come back and have another amazing, but very different experience. To me the alternative is too ghastly to contemplate. Why would I want to waste a whole lifetime, only to return and relive it, like the endless re-run of a failed sitcom on cable TV? The jokes only stay funny for so long, you know what I mean? ​ Marionettes also go through a lot of unnecessary pain, suffering and misfortune in their lives. Much of this can be prevented, or at least be alleviated. Too often I have to be a helpless bystander, watching these clients turning themselves into powerless victims of their circumstances. They become martyrs to their own fear, laziness or indecision and they are unwilling to change their self-destructive ways. ‘Denial’ is not a river in Egypt, that’s for sure! As if cruising along is not boring enough, some Marionettes take their tedious road trips to an even more pointless, mind-numbing level altogether. Not only are they content to sit back and wait for Fate, Chance, Luck and Destiny to drag them by the hair along their ‘pre-written life path’, but they also recruit psychics, mediums and astrologers to join them on this lacklustre, uninspiring journey to nowhere. One of the annoying things about believing in free will and individual responsibility is the difficulty of finding somebody to blame your problems on. And when you do find somebody, it’s remarkable how often his picture turns up on your driver’s license ~ P.J. O’Rourke Now, asking a psychic for some directions along the way may seem like a step in the right direction, but in this case the psychic is usually not invited to act as a tour guide. Quite the contrary. No, the Marionettes merely need their psychic advisor to provide a detailed itinerary. They want a pre-designed schedule for the trip; a full-color brochure of their future. And so, the Marionettes travel daily through the most amazing and exotic locations in the human experience, without noticing or enjoying a single sight, sound or tourist attraction. Instead they yawn, cry or whine, while they read their brochures repeatedly…staring with great long-suffering at the colorful snapshots provided by their favorite fortune-teller. They care only about getting to the next pre-determined destination. What happens along the way is of little consequence. And the fact that they may pass by several shortcuts along the way, well, that is also irrelevant. The Marionettes never get to feel the wonder of the monsoon rain on their faces or the miracle of the desert winds in their hair. Heck, they don’t even get off the bus, when it is time to re-fuel or change a flat tire. No, the Marionettes prefer to just hang around in the stuffy cabin, while patiently waiting for predictions to come true and outcomes to manifest, without any active input or participation. Ironically, for the Marionettes the long-anticipated outcomes are often an anti-climax and a non-event. Not playing 'snakes and ladders' usually leads us to finish yet another round of life’s game without feeling any real sense of achievement or fulfillment. This is what they had been waiting for all this time? So, they wandered through the maze via the long and difficult route. Well done. Now what? Life is what happened to them while they were waiting for the master plan to unfold. The future is not some place we are going, but one we are creating. The paths are not to be found, but made. And the activity of making them changes both the maker and their destination. ~ John Schaar One can clearly see the evidence of a person’s level of self-determination and spiritual growth by simply looking at the kind of information that comes through for them during psychic readings. People who know what they want and know where they are going, often receive very clear and specific details about outcomes and timelines during readings. They are typically aware of their own power, or are at least keen to increase their awareness, and they often reap the rewards their status as co-creator brings. They even receive clues to alternative routes and fun stops along the way. Reading for them always feels like being part of a treasure hunt; an extreme sport of some sort. But for the Marionettes, who are out of touch with themselves and live without any real purpose, the content of their readings can be somewhat like the twilight zone. Certainly not the highlight of any reader’s day. Marionettes show little interest in how they can improve their life, gain wisdom, develop spiritually or meet their true destiny. They have no idea where they are heading, or what they really want. They are definitely not ready to make any choices or decisions. Yet, they expect a clear indication of the outcome. Due to their indecision and passive inertia their readings often become blurred. Predictions become mere probabilities; time frames remain vague, outcomes appear fluid and uncertain. The psychic usually knows the general direction of where their Marionette clients are heading, but how soon they will get there usually remains to be seen. The psychic is also relatively powerless to reduce the amount of trauma that will be experienced along the way. Warnings and advice often fall on deaf ears. The Marionettes will eventually get to each of their pre-determined destinations. All roads do lead to ‘Rome’. But they will probably take the longest route with the most obstacles. And they will have as little fun as possible getting there. If you suspect that you may be a Marionette, you need to know that your future is not entirely pre-determined. There is also no such thing as ‘fate’ or ‘bad luck’. There is only destiny and free will . Destiny is the cards we are dealt in this lifetime. Free will is how we play them. Any successful card player will tell you that the secret to success lies in a combination of opportunity and strategy. They will also tell you that it is possible to win the jackpot with a weak hand, or lose millions with a royal flush. It is all about the attitude, the faith, the patience, the confidence, the self-control, the focus and, most of all, the timing. Yes, most of the major events in our lives are predestined. You can identify them easily, because they are the events and circumstances that are truly beyond your control. These are the signposts and pit stops we have planned for ourselves, like an elaborate obstacle course, before we entered into this lifetime. Pre-determined events and outcomes serve as the highlights and low-points for our roller-coaster ride through life. They are destined to happen to us, one way or the other. But how good or bad the actual experiences are, how much time they require and what route we take to get to each of them, all depends on what we think, feel, decide, choose and ultimately do. When life gives you lemons, you don’t make lemonade. You use the seeds to plant a whole orchard and build a new lemonade brand - an entire franchise! And once you have had enough fun being the CEO of your lemonade empire, you sell your stock, buy a flying carpet and travel to Atlantis or The Pleiades. Along the way you could visit each of the Seven Wonders of the World, and maybe meet The One with whom you always wished to ride off into the sunset. Or you could just stay on the Destiny Bus, and drink lemonade someone else has made...from a can. © 2010 Anthon St. Maarten ABOUT THE AUTHOR Anthon St. Maarten is a psychic medium and destiny coach with a global clientele of thought leaders, business executives, celebrities, politicians, academics, and luminaries in the arts and sciences in more than thirty countries spanning five continents. He is also a metaphysics teacher, psychic development coach, podcaster, and spiritual blogger. Anthon is a hereditary psychic medium in professional practice since 2004 and a liberal arts post-graduate with a major in psychology . Anthon publishes the spiritual life design blog, The S Word , and is the author of Divine Living: The Essential Guide To Your True Destiny and The Sensible Psychic: A Leading-Edge Guide To True Psychic Perception.

What is one of the most valuable commodities that anyone can possess in this day and age? What is the one precious thing we all seem to lack? Have you guessed what this ‘eighth wonder of the world’ is? Well, it is the virtue of patience, of course! I believe that, given the opportunity, some of us would even trade all of our earthly possessions for a lifelong supply of this magical substance. A lifetime supply of patience is the one thing that can secure us so much happiness, inner peace and long-term fulfillment. The Dutch say that “a handful of patience is worth more than a bushel of brains”. There is no doubt in my mind that should some genius be able to develop a magical formula to capture patience in a bottle, that person would overnight become the wealthiest person on the planet! ​The patent holder for patience will not only rule the world, but will also put many of us out of work. The global service industry, for one, will experience a major downturn in customer demand. With so many suddenly patient souls on the planet, there will be less need for some of the jobs that typically deal with the impulsive, hot-headed and intolerant side of human nature. Patience and perseverance have a magical effect before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish ~ John Quincy Adams If everyone could take a pill to become instantly self-restrained, tolerant and long-suffering, many professionals would have to be made redundant, including customer complaint managers, divorce lawyers, emergency room nurses, traffic officers, therapists and, of course, psychic advisors. The newly founded ‘Patience Company’ will no doubt become the most powerful corporation in the world. They would probably expand their range very quickly, to include tempting product variations like Patient Persistence, Peaceful Perseverance and Powerfully Present. These life changing potions will permanently alter our reality as we know it. It will in time deliver to us much of the joy and fulfillment so many of us desire. Imagine the possibilities of having no more ‘road rage’ along your life path. There will be less broken relationships, less bad decisions, less spoilt chances…no more arguments, regrets, misunderstandings, impulsive assumptions, reckless behavior or jumping to ridiculous conclusions. No more sleepless nights. With true patience we will find it so easy to peacefully wait our turn; we will be content to give the cycles of life the benefit of the doubt. With lasting patience in our pocket, we will no longer have the need to pressure the world around us to immediately comply with our needs; neither will we have the tendency to want to control everything. We will have lasting inner peace and we will simply trust in the flow of life. We will not have the compulsion to act impulsively, before we consider the future consequences of our words and deeds. We will have confidence in the successful outcomes of our manifested desires, even if it takes a hundred years to accomplish. We will accept that when we ask it will be given, one way or the other, and always when the time is right. We will intuitively know that everything is as it is intended to be, every second of every day. We will understand that the 'Law of Attraction' is not the name of a fast-food restaurant. Over the years, I have seen how a lack of patience, uncontrolled emotions and rash actions can crush dreams, destroy lives and wreak havoc in relationships. It does not surprise me that patience features as one of the most valued virtues in many religions, including Judaism, Islam and Christianity. Buddhism regards it as one of the perfections that must be achieved on the path to Enlightenment. One moment of patience may ward off great disaster. One moment of impatience may ruin a whole life ~ Chinese Proverb ​I constantly advise clients to remain calm, be patient and allow the future to unfold in its own time. To very little avail. Those who do heed my advice always reap the rewards in the end. But they are few and far between. Many simply cannot conquer the urge to act before the time is right; they find it hard to contain their emotions – be it anger, anxiety, desire or desperation. They do not see that patience is sometimes the best form of action. If only they would accept that the human ego is fueled by fear and petulant self-interest, and realize that when the ego takes over in any situation you are bound to get way ahead of yourself, and it will usually lead you to make a royal mess of things. Patience is the antidote to the restless poison of the ego . Without it we all become ego-maniacal bulls in china shops, destroying our future happiness, as we blindly rush in where angels fear to tread. In these out-of-control moments, we bulldoze through the best possible outcomes for our lives, within a matter of minutes, only to return to the scene of the crime later… to cry over spilt milk. Then the process of picking up the pieces begins, trying in vain to salvage what may be left of the opportunities and future prospects we have now annihilated. More often than not the damage simply cannot be undone. How many times have I heard the sad words: “If only I had listened to your advice, if only I waited a little longer?" Our lack of patience comes from our fear of the unknown, and our intolerance of uncertainty. We are reluctant to accept that nothing is ever certain or secure in our human experience. The only security we really do have in this lifetime is the knowledge that there is absolutely no certainty. There is no such thing as a ‘sure thing’ when it comes to the human condition, except for the fact that this lifetime will eventually come to an end for all of us. Sir Francis Bacon said that “if we begin with certainties, we shall end in doubts; but if we begin with doubts, and we are patient in them, we shall end in certainties.” Our increasingly fast-paced society and constant technological advancement also does not serve us well in the patience department. We like to call it ‘efficiency’ and ‘progress’, but how are we supposed to teach our children the virtue of patience, when they live in a world where just about everything is easily accessible, and often instantly available? All it takes is one swipe of a credit card, or the click of a mouse button. No wonder we have so little forbearance, and zero perseverance. How can a society that exists on instant mashed potatoes, packaged cake mixes, frozen dinners, and instant cameras teach patience to its young? ~ Paul Sweeney Some of us have become so ridiculously impatient that we cannot even wait for the world to end in its own good time. Oh no, some of us demand an immediate apocalypse , be it this year or the next. And for those who are privileged to be chosen to survive there must be an instant DNA upgrade included in the deal ... non-negotiable. Immediate gratification is what we have come to expect and demand. Meanwhile Planet Earth revolves around her axis unperturbed and Mother Nature patiently goes about her daily business, as she always has, doing her utmost to heal the damage and destruction we leave in our wake. She will continue to see us come and go, untroubled by our petty human dramas, whilst the Universe will continue to leisurely work in its many mysterious ways. I deal with the aftermath of impatience almost every day in the work that I do, and I can assure you that there truly is wisdom in having some patience and fortitude. There is freedom to be found in letting go of our rigid, premature expectations. If only we could stop jumping up an down, and not try to drive square pegs into round holes. If only we could refrain from peeking at the cards of others, before they lay them out on the table, or quit tampering with the unripe fruit of our destiny. ​If only we could relinquishing our unyielding ideas of how things must be, and how quickly they must come to pass. If we could just cut loose and surrender to the boundless possibilities that await us. If we could just kick our heels up and run spontaneously wild with the mysteries of life. If only we had a some patience in a bottle ... how smooth the ride would be! © 2011 Anthon St Maarten ABOUT THE AUTHOR Anthon St. Maarten is a psychic medium and destiny coach with a global clientele of thought leaders, business executives, celebrities, politicians, academics, and luminaries in the arts and sciences in more than thirty countries spanning five continents. He is also a metaphysics teacher, psychic development coach, podcaster, and spiritual blogger. Anthon is a hereditary psychic medium in professional practice since 2004 and a liberal arts post-graduate with a major in psychology . Anthon publishes the spiritual life design blog, The S Word , and is the author of Divine Living: The Essential Guide To Your True Destiny and The Sensible Psychic: A Leading-Edge Guide To True Psychic Perception.

The new year has kicked off with yet another batch of psychic predictions from all over the globe. It has become an annual tradition to predict as much doom and gloom as possible, and this year the custom was once again upheld with much enthusiasm and zeal. The usual depressing prophecies and upcoming disasters were numerous this year, coupled with some mindless trivia about celebrities and movie stars. Why? Because bad news and gossip sells. It is what most people like to hear and it is what most people like to fear. Scientific studies have shown that people prefer bad news in the media. They find it more interesting, respond to it more often and remember it much longer. They also pass the news on to others at a much faster rate. I guess it is in our nature, because knowing the bad news before everyone else might just give us a better shot at survival. Not wanting to be left out of the loop, psychics, mediums and astrologers from all over the world have once again chimed in this year with the usual sensational, high-drama stuff. This year's predictions include several massive earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, mysterious diseases, floods and fires – enough to cause many a panic attack and sleepless night. Not to mention all the political upheaval, economic disaster, crime and high-profile kidnappings that have also been lined up for the year ahead. If you keep on saying things are going to be bad, you have a good chance of being a prophet ~ Isaac Bashevis Singer The additional celebrity gossip about Hollywood marriages, break-ups and babies is simply meant to soften the blow; a feeble attempt at 'sugar-coating' and click-baiting. It is the clumsy, modern day version of good news. It also serves to entertain those who could care less about serious world events. And as is customary, the skeptics also went to town with this year’s predictions. Some had a field day mocking all the ‘fortune tellers’ by providing their own set of silly predictions for the next year, while the rest spent hours tracking and tracing last year’s failed predictions, to see how many got it wrong after all. Of course, a few careers took a temporary nose-dive because of this, and a few reputations were once again burnt at the stake. No medals were handed out to the ones who got it right last year. Neither will any statues be erected. So much negativity, cynicism and fear. I find it difficult to relate, because most of this stuff is on the fringe of my reality tunnel . You see, I choose to live in a world where good things also sometimes happen to good people; in a place where there is joy and hope for the future, and where people sometimes dare to be happy and live their lives to the fullest. Now, I am not suggesting that disastrous natural phenomena do not occur from time to time. Neither do I deny the fact that humanity is capable of extreme evil and malice. I grew up witnessing such things, in a country where hatred and violence was the norm. Yes, these things have been a part of my reality since I can remember. But, today I am guided by Spirit and as I grow older and wiser, I increasingly prefer to expand my consciousness and create my reality in such a way that it also includes the good, the positive and the uplifting. ​ We are all co-creators of our shared reality and each day we contribute to this hologram of collective consciousness with our thoughts, emotions, words and deeds. However, our personal power to co-create our world also brings with it serious responsibilities . It is our divine duty to consider the well-being of our fellow-man and our planet. It also brings with it the choice to contribute to the co-creation of a better, brighter future – or not. I am not suggesting that psychic predictions should always be happy and upbeat, or blind to the truth. In a truly intuitive and spiritually aware society (which we are currently not), the prediction of cataclysmic world events should serve as a blessing to mankind. In ancient times the tribe did not solely entrust their destiny to their chief or king, but also to the shaman who advised him. A prophet is not without honor except in his own country among his own people ~ Sun Ra Personal predictions and warnings work a charm in the lives of my clients every day. Why would the same principle not apply to organisations, governments, nations and countries? Sure, there is not much anyone can do about an impending volcanic eruption in Indonesia or Italy, but a well-timed prediction could at least serve as fair warning to the people in that area. Unfortunately, history has shown repeatedly that legitimate predictions of major world events tend to be ignored or ridiculed, often with tragic consequences. It is the price humanity pays for its skepticism, complacency and lack of spiritual consciousness. This tendency is as old as time itself. Throughout human history every generation has had a 'crazy' Noah building an arc! Let’s face it; people did not even take an experienced war veteran and corporate security expert like Rick Rescorla seriously. He initially predicted the possibility of a basement bomb exploding in the World Trade Center and that is exactly what happened in 1993. Well, one would think he would at least have been taken more seriously after that, but once again he was pretty much ignored when he predicted that the next attack would come from the air, which is exactly happened on September 11, 2001. We are seeing terrorist attacks on federal government... excuse me, federal buildings… And also the New York Trade Center... the World Trade Center in 2002, with something, with a terrorist attack ~ The Jamison Twins Rescorla simply ignored the complaints of office workers when he insisted they participate in regular evacuation drills; and on 9/11 he also refused to follow the order from officials not to evacuate World Trade Center Tower Two, after the first tower had been hit. Fortunately, Rick Rescorla’s perseverance and his contempt for complacent bureaucracy ultimately saved the lives of at least 2700 people. If a natural-born leader and stubborn personality like Rick Rescorla could not get his warning through to people, what are the odds that anyone would ever take seriously the ramblings of an ‘airy-fairy’ psychic? It is documented fact that The Psychic Twins, Linda and Terry Jamison, predicted a terrorist attack on the World Trade Center two years before it happened. Their prediction was recorded in 1999 on the Art Bell Show on Coast to Coast AM. Clearly nobody took much notice at the time. But skepticism is not the only reason people often disregard authentic predictions. Apart from mankind’s tendency towards laziness, cynicism and complacency, the false prophets among us are also to blame. Too many fake predictions are whipped up every new year for entertainment purposes, with the secret hope of promoting someone’s career or to sell more books or tickets. This kind of self-serving sensationalism does nobody any good in the greater scheme of things. In my experience, true prophecies and spiritual messages of global importance do not come on demand, much less for entertainment purposes. When these prophecies do come forth, they are channeled through those who are of pure intent and who have a selfless heart. The receiver in turn will pass along the message to whom it may concern, without any fanfare or publicity. The receiver of the message may, of course, choose to listen or not, at their own peril. Furthermore, if a volcano is destined to erupt in Indonesia or Italy, you can be sure that Spirit is most capable of communicating the warning to a gifted Indonesian or Italian, instead of some celebrity psychic on the other side of the planet. Then Jesus told them, “A prophet is honored everywhere except in his own hometown and among his relatives and his own family.” ~ Mark 6:4 There are lightworkers and spiritual messengers in every community, and every nation, and every country, and they mostly perform their divine duty behind the scenes. And should publicity, fame or public recognition seek them out, it will be to create awareness and serve the greater good – certainly not their ego. We can expect even worse fear-mongering and psychic showcasing next year, because as you probably know the Mayan long-count calendar will be grinding to a screeching halt in 2012 . There are those who believe that this foretells all kinds of terrible calamities, including the end of the world. And there is very little time left to sell all those 2012 books. The end is indeed nigh. Next time you read a list of new year’s predictions, consider if they have been published in order to save lives and make the world a better place? Ask yourself whether those messages were channeled by the owner of a selfless heart, or have they been concocted simply to stroke an ego or make a few bucks? It is easy to separate the wheat from the chaff. Simply trust your gut. You have been blessed with an unfailing inner guidance system. Learn to follow your intuition, use your common sense, and don’t believe everything you read. © 2011 Anthon St. Maarten ABOUT THE AUTHOR Anthon St. Maarten is a psychic medium and destiny coach with a global clientele of thought leaders, business executives, celebrities, politicians, academics, and luminaries in the arts and sciences in more than thirty countries spanning five continents. He is also a metaphysics teacher, psychic development coach, podcaster, and spiritual blogger. Anthon is a hereditary psychic medium in professional practice since 2004 and a liberal arts post-graduate with a major in psychology . Anthon publishes the spiritual life design blog, The S Word , and is the author of Divine Living: The Essential Guide To Your True Destiny and The Sensible Psychic: A Leading-Edge Guide To True Psychic Perception.

Many empaths and highly sensitive people believe that certain difficult or unpleasant people they encounter in life are "psychic vampires" or "energy thieves." These psychogenic leeches or emotional parasites are believed to "drain" or "steal" the energy of their vulnerable, unsuspecting victims. In truth, this is a myth and a gross misconception that does not serve the highest good of those who choose to believe it. No one can "steal" your energy. I used to think this way too in the past, until I came to understand some universal truths about the matter that radically changed my perspective. It is simply impossible for someone else to drain your energy without your involvement. To believe that this is possible implies that there is a limited source of energy that we must share and compete for. This reeks of lack consciousness and a scarcity mentality, the very things that cause so much conflict, rivalry, antagonism, struggle and suffering in the world. The spiritual truth is that there is an unlimited source of psychic energy and spiritual abundance available to all of us, if only we allow it to flow freely into our reality experience. We all have a right to it, and there is more than enough to go around for everyone! Our energetic well-being is ultimately not determined or bestowed upon us by others. Instead, we are responsible for our own vibrational energy. Living a fulfilling, purposeful, joyful and energetically healthy existence is entirely within our own control, should we choose it and claim it. All we need to do is tap into the infinite source of universal abundance and energetic well-being that is freely available to all of us. Living a fulfilling, purposeful, joyful and energetically healthy existence is entirely within our own control , should we choose it and claim it. We all come from this Universal Source. We are all manifested energy vibrations, powerful points of consciousness, bright particles of light within the Greater Light, and we will forever be expressions of the Divine Source in all its fullness and magnificence. Your energetic existence, your consciousness, is sacred and eternal. It cannot be drained, stolen or taken away from you! But then the question is, what happens when we do have those unpleasant encounters with so-called 'energy leeches' that leave us feeling drained, depressed, or emotionally exhausted? The reality is we have all had conflicting experiences with people who others might call "energy thieves." Sometimes they leave you feeling low, sad, tired, or even depressed, and the next time they have absolutely no effect on your state of well-being. Why is that? In these instances, you did not sacrifice or unknowingly lose any of your energy; you simply allowed negative, toxic energy to flow into your reality experience that disrupted the harmony and balance of your own energy state. They did not steal your energy; you gave away your power. You gave up control and allowed them to violate your energy equilibrium. Any time you experience people as "draining," you need to consider the very real possibility that your own energy state or mindset was already shaky to begin with. The so-called "energy vampire" simply stepped into your barely calm energy field and tipped the scales. Their presence was simply the last straw that broke the camel's back. It may also be wise, but difficult, to take a brutally honest look at some of the recent vibrational signals you have been sending out yourself prior to your encounter with the "thief" or "vampire." Were you possibly entertaining thoughts and feelings of anger, sadness, envy, revenge, frustration, resentment, hatred, rivalry, or self-pity? These are all heavy, dense, lower vibrations that are sure to weigh you down and open up some cracks in your overall energetic balance. Consider the possibility that you may have invited that encounter with the energy thief into your life. Like does tend to attract like. This disruption of our energetic balance and well-being due to the presence or influence someone else is often due to a temporary lack of focus, or simply an instability in your own energy state. It is easy to find evidence of this in your daily life. It only happens to me when I have neglected my daily routine of spiritual and physical self-care, such as adequate sleep, healthy eating, exercise, meditation, affirmations, energy shielding and taking some time to relax or enjoy leisure activities. Your energetic existence, your consciousness, is sacred and eternal. It cannot be drained , stolen or taken away from you. This disturbed state of energy is known as psychic oversensitivity or psychic overload . You may be more susceptible to this because you are more open and sensitive to spiritual or psychic energies. If you don't take care of yourself, you are sure to feel depleted all the time. Some symptoms of psychic oversensitivity include feelings of exhaustion, anxiety, restlessness, sadness, depression, extreme sensitivity to the moods of others, and a lack of mental focus. Fortunately, this imbalance is typically also easily corrected by immediately changing your thought pattern, emotional focus, and state of mind, followed by some grounding and breathing exercises, channeling negative energy back to its source, meditation, visualization, prayer, and so on. Once you have regained your balance and tapped into that amazingly steady stream of wellness, the next step is to get your self-care habits back on track on a more permanent basis. Prevention is always better than cure. I used to believe that I was an "energy sponge" on my legs, "absorbing" a lot of negativity around me and having my energy "stolen" from me. I suffered from panic attacks and constant mood swings and could never understand why I felt compelled to avoid crowds and public places. When I discovered the truth about my highly empathic nature, I discovered ways to shield myself, balance my energy, and maintain my psychic equilibrium. They are not thieves or vampires, merely energetically challenged and their presence upsets the energy balance of others wherever they go. I sometimes still jokingly refer to myself as "the boy in the bubble," after the 1976 made-for-TV movie starring John Travolta as a boy born with a deficient immune system, leading to a life of isolation in a controlled environment to avoid exposure to germs and disease. I also live in a "protective bubble" of psychic energy at all times. But that doesn't mean I'm a hapless, vulnerable victim. It means that I am empowered and fully in charge of who and what I allow into my energy field and tolerate in my reality experience. The next time an 'emotional leech' or 'energy thief' crosses your path, thank them for being your guide to greater spiritual awareness, personal growth and energetic well-being. Be grateful for the valuable lessons you can learn from them, and later share your newfound sense of freedom and mastery with them. They are not thieves or vampires, merely "energetically challenged" and because they are energetically unbalanced and stifled, their presence upsets the energy balance of others wherever they go. Sadly, the energetically challenged in our world have as much right and free access as anyone else to the unlimited supply of Universal Life Force and Divine Abundance that underlies all existence. But they are either unwilling, unaware, or simply unable to do so, typically due to one or more of the following reasons: Spiritual Unconsciousness Some people are spiritually unconscious, deeply skeptical, extremely atheistic, or disconnected from their inner divinity. They lack soul awareness. For these people, human existence is devoid of any transcendent meaning, and morality and values are subjective or arbitrary constructs. Focusing on life as a nihilistic struggle without meaning or purpose is energetically draining and obviously limits their connection to Source Energy. Karmic Carelessness Some people squander all their energy creating negative karma instead of spiritual well-being because they are morally unconscious, careless, or irresponsible. They are unaware of the consequences of their actions, or simply do not care about the karmic implications of their actions. Buddhist teachings call this avijjā , which means "ignorance" or "lack of awareness," and it is considered one of the root causes of human suffering. In terms of Christian theology, these people essentially waste all their energy indulging in the seven deadly sins or vices: pride, envy, anger, laziness, greed, lust, and gluttony. As a result, they have little energy left to pursue true happiness, joy, fulfillment, purpose, and inner peace. Thought Dysfunction Chronic negativity, fear, pessimism, obsessive worry, pessimism, and catastrophizing are energetically draining ways to occupy one's mind. People who constantly engage in these types of toxic thought patterns and negative mental habits are always running low on psychic energy and thus also wreaking energetic havoc wherever they go. Unhealed Trauma Traumatic life experiences can have a very negative effect on a person's outlook on life and set the stage for constant energetic challenges. It takes a lot of energy to carry the heavy emotional burden of unhealed psychic wounds. It is essentially an energetic "ball and chain" that not only leaves some people without energy reserves for well-being, joy, happiness, inner peace, or love, but also makes them very burdensome to be around. Ancestral Legacy Some people unknowingly carry the burden of generational karma, or the energy imprints of a toxic ancestral legacy. Patterns of harmful behavior, trauma, abuse, scapegoating, or dysfunction are sometimes passed down through many generations within a family, or even entire communities and nations, ultimately affecting not only the psychological well-being, relationships, and quality of life of the heirs, but also their energetic balance. Dealing with the effects of these legacies is energetically taxing until the person develops awareness and is able to address and heal these energy issues. Toxic Environments The energetic environment in which a person grows up or lives can also be very detrimental to their energetic state. Upbringing, cultural background, or other social and environmental factors can contribute to a person's worldview, beliefs, and attitudes that cause them to be constantly energetically challenged. It also leads to the development of energy-disturbing thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that they adopt in order to adapt and survive in their environment. If your own spiritual well-being is in disarray and your self-care is lacking, you are of little help to those who are 'energetically challenged.' Psychic hygiene isn’t a bougie luxury—it’s a necessity. Prioritizing your own vibration is like securing your auric oxygen mask before helping others. If you choose to get involved without the necessary psychic armor in place, you do so at your own risk. And if you do, then don’t complain about others being 'energy thieves' or 'psychic vampires.' Always remember that there are only two kinds of people who can "drain" your energy: those you love and those you fear. In both cases, it is you who let them in. They did not force their way into your aura, nor did they force their way into your reality experience. No one can make you feel different unless you allow yourself to feel different. Your energy is yours and yours alone to do with as you please, for better or for worse. Everyone deserves to live a full and joyful life. Energy love begins at home. Surround yourself with positivity, protection and personal power. Not only will you feel good when you are aligned with the goodness of the universal energy source, but you will also be more empowered to teach and guide the "energetically challenged" by your example. In this way, we can ultimately have fewer negative souls around us and share our beautiful planet with so many more happy, positive people. It is your divine right and spiritual duty to protect your energy field from unwanted influences. In the wise words of Mahatma Ghandi, "Do not allow anyone to walk through your mind with their dirty feet. © 2010 Anthon St. Maarten ABOUT THE AUTHOR Anthon St. Maarten  is a psychic medium and destiny coach with a global clientele of thought leaders, business executives, celebrities, politicians, academics, and luminaries in the arts and sciences in more than thirty countries spanning five continents.

Clairgustance is probably the most rare and unusual of all psychic perceptions. It is the nonsensory perception of gustatory or ‘taste’ impressions. Psychics and mediums with this psychic preference experience various mental ‘taste’ and ‘flavor’ impressions. The term gustance means ‘pertaining to taste' or 'tasting’ from Latin gustatus ‘sense of taste; a taste,’ and gustare ‘to taste,’ from root geus- ‘to taste; or to choose.’ What might the purpose of such an odd psychic preference be? Well, it does come in handy. Forensic or medical psychics and mediums, for example, benefit greatly from the ability to perceive ‘taste’ impressions relating to chemicals, drugs, or even blood. These psychic impressions can offer clues to the cause of disease, or how a victim was kidnapped or murdered. Some medical psychics and mediums can perceive taste impressions of foods, substances, and flavors that indicate nutritional shortages and other health issues. For example, tasting ‘chocolate’ while channeling for a patient might indicate they have a magnesium deficiency. A ‘saline’ taste may signify a sodium deficiency, while the taste of ‘blood’ or ‘raw meat’ could point to a chronic iron or vitamin B deficiency. Tastes of medicinal substances can also indicate probable causes of illness, or what kind of treatment to seek. Scarcely one person in a thousand is capable of tasting the happiness of others ~ Henry Fielding Clairgustant spirit mediums sometimes rely on their tasting ability to channel afterlife validations. In this case the taste impression is associated with the former human personality of the spirit entity, or the special relationship the soul identity had with their family while they were in this life. The ‘taste’ impression usually identifies exactly whose energy is ‘coming though’ from the other side. For example, few things are more validating in a mediumship reading than a ‘cinnamon taste’ reminder of granny’s home-baked biscuits made from her secret recipe, or the ‘sweet and sour’ memories of a beloved sibling’s favorite ketchup brand, which he always smothered his food with at family gatherings. In physical mediumship, various oral sensations, such as dry mouth, belching, hiccups, and salivating are also reported by some mediums. The Brazilian physical medium Amyr Amiden, for example, is able to anticipate his manifestations of unusual stigmata whenever he experiences an ‘acidic taste.’ [1] But psychic taste impressions are not only applicable to the dearly departed and nonphysical spirit entities. Psychics also experience tastes associated with the living. For example, when I am about to receive a phone call from one of my closest friends, I always get a strong taste of Cabernet Sauvignon, his favorite red wine cultivar. He is an avid wine collector and connoisseur, and whenever we meet, he always opens a bottle. Over the years, I have come to associate this taste with his personal ‘energy signature.’ Surprise visits from him are therefore impossible, try as he might! But I do not experience these clairgustant impressions very often, and fortunately I usually have to deal mostly with pleasant flavor impressions, whenever it does occur in a channeling session. The worst I typically perceive is the strong taste of ‘cigarette butts’ or ‘ashtray,’ when I channel for clients who are avid smokers — to the extent that I sometimes even experience a ‘choking’ sensation during those readings. Some psychics and mediums, however, report much stranger and more unpleasant taste perceptions, including ‘rubber, charcoal, urine, and bile.’ Clairgustant psychics and mediums typically also perceive clairolfactory or psychic smell impressions that accompany these taste perceptions. It is logical that this mental partnership would exists in a metaphysical context, since our ordinary perception of taste and smell also go hand-in-hand. In fact, without smell people are unable to accurately distinguish most tastes. Research on psi phenomena relating to gustation is limited, but some evidence has been reported in related studies. Researcher Frank Podmore demonstrates in his telepathy experiments, for example, the telepathic transference of simple sensations, including taste, between two subjects in various states of consciousness. Experimenters (senders) tasted certain substances and then asked the participants (receivers) to describe what they were tasting. Vinegar was described as a “sharp and nasty taste;” port wine as “between eau de cologne and beer;” and nutmeg initially as “peppermint” and then “no, what you put in puddings…nutmeg."[2] In a systematic investigation of psychometry or ‘token object reading,’ early psychic researcher Joseph Rhodes Buchanan studied an American Civil War general who experienced an unpleasant ‘metal taste’ whenever he touched brass objects. Inspired by this discovery, Buchanan soon found that many of his own psychometry students were able to identify various unseen metals, wrapped in paper, purely through touch. [3] Buchanan then went on to experiment with impressions of taste by asking students to touch envelopes containing various substances, like sugar and salt, and even emetics (medications used to induce nausea and vomiting) and found many of them susceptible to these influences. [4] The Russian psychic Nina Kulagina was observed being able to telekinetically spin a compass; stop a pendulum or change the direction of its swing; as well as prevent a scale from unbalancing. She would lose as much as two kilograms (4.4 pounds) of body weight during these psychokinetic demonstrations (more than would typically be lost in a similar period by means of strenuous physical exercise). Furthermore, she reported other adverse physical effects, including the perception of a ‘metallic taste’ in her mouth. [5] Excerpt from The Sensible Psychic: A Leading-Edge Guide To True Psychic Perception . © 2022 Anthon St. Maarten REFERENCES [1] Wehrstein, KM (2018). Amyr Amiden (Physical Medium)’. Psi Encyclopedia. The Society For Psychical Research. [2] Podmore, F. (1894). Apparitions And Thought-Transference; An Examination Of The Evidences For Telepathy. Walter Scott. [3] Abreu, N. & Riise, T. (2018). Ordinary People, Extraordinary Experiences: Real Cases Of Transformative Phenomena. Independently Published. [4] Buchanan, J.R. (1885). Manual of Psychometry. Holmax Brothers. [5] Wehrstein, KM (2021). Nina Kulagina. Psi Encyclopedia. The Society For Psychical Research. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Anthon St. Maarten is a psychic medium and destiny coach with a global clientele of thought leaders, business executives, celebrities, politicians, academics, and luminaries in the arts and sciences in more than thirty countries spanning five continents. He is also a metaphysics teacher, psychic development coach, podcaster, and spiritual blogger. Anthon is a hereditary psychic medium in professional practice since 2004 and a liberal arts post-graduate with a major in psychology . Anthon publishes the spiritual life design blog, The S Word , and is the author of Divine Living: The Essential Guide To Your True Destiny and The Sensible Psychic: A Leading-Edge Guide To True Psychic Perception.

The extrasensory psychic ability of clairempathy or ‘psychic empathy’ is not yet recognized in mainstream science, but that does not make it any less bona fide for the highly sensitive people who experience these empathic psychic phenomena as a daily reality. Despite the lack of academic interest, and contrary to widespread skepticism, there is a growing body of anecdotal evidence and a significant collection of scientific data steadily gaining momentum to offer intriguing clues to the psycho-physiological experiences of empaths, intuitives, sensitives and psychics all over the world. I am a clairempath. I feel what other people feel. I experience inexplicable extrasensory perceptions of other people’s emotions, mood states, subconscious motivations, and even their physical or medical symptoms. It happens without me having to see them, or knowing anything about them. Touching others, or being in close proximity to them, elicits more intense empathic perceptions , but it is not necessary for me to have direct contact or personal interaction with others in order to have a direct experience of their underlying feelings and intentions. Empathic psychic ability or clairempathy is a clairsentient psychic ability. Clairsentience refers to the ‘clear’ sensing or feeling of extra-sensory information. In my experience this process of sensing is due to some form of energy transfer between me and other people. There is an energy interaction or energy exchange that takes place between me and them. I experience these vivid psychic or paranormal impressions of other’s energy on a daily basis, and I utilize it to the best of my ability in my work as a professional psychic medium, consulting with clients all over the world. The term ‘sentience’ refers to awareness, or consciousness of a sensation or a feeling. Sentience does not involve thought, or logic, or reason. It involves spontaneous feeling or sensing, instead of rational thinking or deduction. Clairempathy therefore is an energy perception, or sentient response, that has no rational or logical origin. It is a form of perception which is experienced as a tactile, physical sensation... or an emotional feeling. My clairsentient or clairempathic experiences are uncanny and very real, as many of my friends, family and clients will attest. In exploring the limits of consciousness...we are indeed challenged by the spirit of our own epoch. In spite of the persuasiveness of conventional wisdom, consciousness may in fact have transtemporal aspects, and if so, the hard problem of consciousness takes on a mysterious new gleam ~ Dean Radin As is the case with all forms of extra-sensory perception (ESP) and paranormal ability, clairempathy or ‘psychic empathy’ is not yet recognized by the mainstream scientific community. However, that does not make it any less bona fide to me. For me it is a daily reality, despite the lack of scientific evidence to explain or justify my (sometimes traumatic) personal life experiences. And contrary to persistent mainstream skepticism regarding the existence of empaths and psychic phenomena, there is a growing body of anecdotal evidence and scientific data gaining momentum in this highly neglected field of study. Liberated by globalization and social media technology, a rising international community of empaths, psychics, energy healers and highly sensitive people have been sharing in recent years their often deeply personal experiences of these so-called paranormal or ‘supernatural’ phenomena. Online forums, social media support groups and consultation services for this purpose are expanding in cyberspace, as more of us are coming together to exchange information about our empathic psychic experiences. Our real life stories are increasingly coming out of the ‘paranormal closet’ and into the public domain. This growing collection of anecdotal evidence cannot be disregarded or ignored indefinitely. English author Quentin Crisp famously stated, “In an expanding universe, time is on the side of the outcast. Those who once inhabited the suburbs of human contempt find that without changing their address they eventually live in the metropolis.” Psychic ability, extra sensory perception (ESP) and paranormal phenomena remain neglected fields of study in scientific research, for various reasons. The good news is that at least some new scientific evidence has been emerging over the years to offer clues towards a future technical understanding of psychic sensitivity, clairempathy and related empath experiences. Below are some of the more significant scientific discoveries in this arena. Mirror-Touch Synesthesia Synesthesia, oddly described by some in the medical community as a ‘disorder’, is basically the extraordinary ability some people possess to simultaneously perceive something through more than one of the senses. Perception with one sense triggers a simultaneous and corresponding perception in another sense. For example, synesthetes can ‘see sounds’ or ‘taste words’ or ‘feel smells.’ In some forms of synesthesia the person might perceive symbols, shapes, letters, or numbers with an accompanying sensory perception of color, flavor or smell. Mirror-touch synesthesia and pain synesthesia are versions of this phenomenon which causes the synesthete to feel a similar sensation in the same part of their body as another person. For example, seeing someone else being pinched on their cheek, would cause the synesthete to feel a similar sensation on their own cheek. Scientific studies have not only provided clear evidence for the existence of this type of synesthesia, but have also shown that it correlates with extraordinary or heightened empathic ability. Electromagnetic Biocurrents Some researchers not only believe that both the human brain and heart generate significant electromagnetic energy fields, but that the heart is in fact the most prominent source of biocurrents in the body. For example, one study measured in an electrocardiogram (ECG) the heart’s electrical field as being about 60 times greater in amplitude than that of brain waves. There is still controversy and disagreement on this subject, but as new technology emerges we will hopefully find a new ways to study electromagnetic processes in the human body. The ultimate question this hypothesis raises is whether the human body merely processes incoming electromagnetic information via the five senses, or does the heart and mind also send out electromagnetic information about our thoughts and feelings? In other words, are we merely receivers of electromagnetic stimuli, or do we also generate and transmit electromagnetic data to the world around us? For example, one study provided intriguing evidence that an exchange of electromagnetic energy produced by the heart occurs when people touch each other, or are in close proximity to each other. The electrocardiogram (ECG) signal of one person was shown to register in another person’s EEG, as well as other areas of the other person’s body. The signal was strongest when the subject were in direct contact, but was also detectable when they were in close proximity to each other, without any physical contact. Mirror Neurons Have you ever noticed that you experience similar sensations in your body when watching a highly engaging activity on television, for example someone participating in an extreme sport, or an actor fighting for his life in a horror film? Why is that when you see an athlete jump for a slam dunk, or a car going over a cliff, you can actually feel the sensation of your own heart racing, or your stomach turning? Scientists attribute this experience to the existence of mirror neurons , a specialized type of brain cell in the frontal cortex. These specialized brain cells do not only respond when we perform an action, they also respond when we see someone else performing the same action. The neural mechanism is involuntary and automatic, which enables us to watch other people and instantly know what they are feeling or experiencing, without having to first think about it Distant Intentionality Have you ever felt someone staring at you, and when you look up or turn around, you catch them in the act. Studies have shown that between 68% and 98% of the population sometimes sense the unseen gaze of another person. Known as Distant Intentionality, this feeling of being stared at has been demonstrated with varying degrees in research studies . A meta-analysis concluded that there are definitely hints of such an effect, but also a shortage of independent replications and theoretical concepts for this phenomenon. Distant Physiological Correlations Can signals travel between the nervous systems of two people who are not in direct physical contact with each other? Several scientific studies have demonstrated that the physiology of one person can affect, or elicit similar responses in another person’s physiology over a distance, without direct touch or contact. For example, in a study of extrasensory electroencephalographic (EEG) induction between identical twins, alpha rhythms were elicited in one of the twins as a result of mechanically stimulating such rhythms in the other twin. Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen (EPR) correlations were also observed between two human brains when pairs of subjects were allowed to first interact with each other, and were then separated inside semi-silent Faraday chambers . One subject of each pair was then stimulated by flashing lights, which caused the other subject to show ‘transferred potentials’ similar to those evoked in the stimulated subject. In other words, the person not exposed to the light flashes had a similar response in their body over a distance. Emotional Contagion Emotional contagion is a psycho-physiological phenomenon in which one person's emotions and behaviors have been shown to directly trigger similar emotions and behaviors in other people. It is an instantaneous and unconscious process of transmission, through which emotional states or moods literally spread like ‘social viruses.’ Interestingly, some people have a natural ability to transmit these mood changes to others, while some people are more susceptible to be ‘contaminated’ by them. Research also demonstrated that we seem to automatically synchronize our moods with each other in social settings, and that this plays an important role in establishing emotional rapport and ensuring smooth interaction with others. Mass Psychogenic Illness Mass Psychogenic Illness (MPI) or Mass Hysteria is a well-documented phenomenon in which a group of people, crowd or community experience a spontaneous outbreak of similar physical symptoms, behaviors, or psychological stress. Many such outbreaks have been documented in schools, work environments and communities all over the world. Scientists still have no viable explanation for this kind of collective obsessional behavior, or so-called ‘epidemics of the mind.’ For example, one of the more bizarre cases was 'The Dancing Plague' of 1518 which occurred in Strasbourg, France. Hundreds of frenzied people spontaneously started dancing in the streets, leading to several deaths due to heart failure, strokes or exhaustion. Another documented case was The Tanganyika Laughter Epidemic of 1962 in which the villagers in several neighboring communities in Africa engaged in unstoppable laughter for months, after a group of students at a boarding school in Kakasha triggered the giggling. The villagers simply could not stop laughing, and some experienced pain, fainting, skin rashes, bouts of crying and respiratory problems. Physiological Presentiment All of us have experienced gut feelings, forebodings or intuitive hunches about future events that later turned out to be true. There is compelling evidence that the body’s perceptual apparatus may be continuously scanning the future, and that our bodies receive and process information related to intuitive perception. Experiments have demonstrated, for example, that the body can in fact respond to an emotionally arousing stimulus seconds before it is actually experienced. Several studies have been done to measure whether the human nervous system is able to correctly anticipate future events. Some studies focused primarily on electrodermal activity (EDA), while others explored different physiological measurements, including functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and heart rate variability. All of them reported consistent results and demonstrated a small, yet statistically significant form of precognition or presentiment in the human nervous system. One surprising study found that the human heart appears to receive and respond to intuitive information, and that a our heart rate slows down significantly prior to observing future emotional stimuli, as compared to calm stimuli. The human heart was shown to anticipate future emotional responses to external events. Not only is the heart apparently involved in the processing and decoding of intuitive or precognitive information, but it appears to be processed in the same way as conventional sensory input. Neuroscientific Altruism Researchers in the field of Neuroscience have used brain imaging and behavioral studies to demonstrate that the amygdala, a set of neurons located deep in the brain, is significantly larger in people who display traits of extreme altruism, or selfless compassion. The amygdala, which plays an essential role in our processing of emotions and social functioning, has also been found to be considerably smaller in the brains of psychopaths, who are known for their extreme lack of empathy. Furthermore, it was also discovered that the brains of altruists are in general larger than that of the average person. Empath experiences and psychic abilities are not the only unexplained phenomena that continue to challenge the modern scientific mind. A growing number of research studies have also yielded in recent years statistically significant results for other psi phenomena closely associated with psychic empathy, including telepathy, distant healing, survival of consciousness and mind-matter Interaction. Furthermore, researchers are yet to produce feasible explanations for, among other, recorded events of paranormal activity, historic cases of premonition, the phenomenon of military intuition (described by soldiers as the ‘spidey sense’), the mechanism of déjà vu, a plethora of reported near-death and related metaphysical experiences, and the mystifying inner workings of the mind-body connection and the placebo effect, to name but a few. Just because these phenomena have not been measured or feasibly explained, does not mean they do not exist. The thousands of people having these experiences cannot all be deluded or functionally insane! For the psychic empath extra-sensory perception and sentient energy exchange is a daily reality and deeply personal matter. I am fortunate that I have an educational background in Psychology and Sociology, and that I have become empowered as an empath through my personal spiritual practice and professional endeavors. After much initial bewilderment in my youth, I have over the years gained a much better understanding of my psychic and paranormal experiences through my own ongoing research, study and experimentation. But for many other people who share my experiences, the journey remains confusing or frustrating, sometimes embarrassing, and even traumatic. The current lack of scientific support and mainstream skepticism is not helping to alleviate our plight. The field of social neuroscience and in particular the investigation of empathy is still very young, and the latter has not even reached its adolescence yet. Having had such a promising and eager childhood, though, it seem reasonable to expect that with further aging, we will develop more elaborate theoretical models and more rigorous empirical tools to ultimately gain more conclusive insights ~ Lammab and Majdandžić ​But I rest assured in the knowledge that progress in science, and a paradigm shift, sometimes comes as a surprise when it is least expected. It is a well-known fact that all the pieces of the puzzle do not always fit when it comes to scientific data collection and interpretation. And sometimes scientists choose to ignore these discrepancies as irrelevant, or not belonging to the subject at hand, or simply dismiss it as a misinterpretation of the data, especially if it does not meet their original objectives, or the needs of whoever funds their research projects. Despite all this, anomalies will continue to come along from time to time that violate expectations, or even clash with currently held beliefs about the laws of the universe. There are many examples of scientific exceptions to the rule which was once rejected as ‘fringe science’, but eventually became accepted as mainstream thought, including The Big Bang theory, Heliocentrism, and the fact that germs cause disease, to name but a few. I have faith in modern science and technology to change our world for the better. ​I also firmly believe in the power of Divine inspiration and intervention which shapes and guides our existence in this time-space reality. When the student is ready the teacher will appear. As a species we may not be ready for a complete revelation or true understanding of the experience of being an empath, intuitive, sensitive, or psychic. But in time these personal experiences will be confirmed by innovative technologies and new scientific discoveries. In the future the psychic empath will inhabit the mainstream metropolis of human understanding. © 2018 Anthon St. Maarten ABOUT THE AUTHOR Anthon St. Maarten is a psychic medium and destiny coach with a global clientele of thought leaders, business executives, celebrities, politicians, academics, and luminaries in the arts and sciences in more than thirty countries spanning five continents. He is also a metaphysics teacher, psychic development coach, podcaster, and spiritual blogger. Anthon is a hereditary psychic medium in professional practice since 2004 and a liberal arts post-graduate with a major in psychology . Anthon publishes the spiritual life design blog, The S Word , and is the author of Divine Living: The Essential Guide To Your True Destiny and The Sensible Psychic: A Leading-Edge Guide To True Psychic Perception.

It is not true that we are meant to live a challenging, tormented life to learn certain spiritual or life 'lessons.' Believing that we are flawed, broken beings who have come here to 'learn' a few things the hard way, is merely a justification some 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 anticipated. If someone's circumstance offers a plethora of opportunity, while their life is seemingly awash with a "weeping and gnashing of teeth," it is usually because they choose it to be so. The hardship and suffering we see in this world is man-made. Misery is something we often tend to 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." The 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. The only thing suffering teaches us is that we are capable of suffering ~ Melvin Jules Bukiet 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!” 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. Voluntary suffering results from not being in alignment with your higher self and your true destiny. Planet Earth is not a cosmic classroom or a dungeon of punishment. It is a playground, an adventure camp, a leading-edge laboratory of expansion and creation. 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 or pain, to make you a 'stronger person' or a 'more spiritual being.' You are not going to receive some kind of divine medal, or academic achievement star next to your name, when you finally kick the bucket. 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 newfound 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, victimhood and a scarcity mentality. There is no beauty in sadness. No honor in suffering. No growth in fear. No relief in hate. It’s just a waste of perfectly good happiness ~ Katerina Stoykova Klemer Believing that we are here to learn through our mistakes, receive punishment for our bad karma, or fix issues from a past life, is an insult to our true spiritual heritage. It supports the assumption that Spirit, Source or God is somehow incompetent, or made some sort of mistake. 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 ignorant. 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. And once we have begun to achieve that, we are meant to teach, guide and heal others. We are meant to be of service and make the world a better place. Does this mean that the suffering and deprivation of, for example, innocent children, the frail, or the elderly, is also a self-inflicted choice? Certainly not. But somewhere, somehow their suffering came into existence because of choices the rest of us made... or did not make. It certainly was not Spirit, Source, or God's choosing. We have created a manic world, nauseous with the pursuit of material wealth. Many also bear their cross of imagined deprivation, while their fellow human beings remain paralyzed by real poverty. We drown in the thick sweetness of our sensual excess, and our shameless opulence, while our discontent souls suffocate in the arid wasteland of spiritual deprivation. Instead of using the suffering of the innocent as a justification to excuse ourselves from our own voluntary misery, we should strive to find inner healing and realignment with our inherent spiritual nature and purpose. For without it we are of no use to the rest of humanity, and certainly incapable of truly serving the planet. Healing the world starts with healing yourself. Starving children, tortured animals, or victims of genocide, are not the ones reading this message. This was not written for them, or about them. If you wish to end suffering in our world, you can begin by ending your own suffering and getting on board with life.​ You may not like to hear this in the midst of your current agony and anguish, but you are indeed 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, to contribute to the expansion of the universe and the greater good. ​​ I have always held firmly to the thought that each one of us can do a little to bring some portion of misery to an end ~ Albert Schweitzer Why do bad things happen to good people? Mostly it is our own doing. We create most of our own reality experience. If you look back in honest retrospect you will often find the choice or decision that brought you to your moment of calamity. The rest is universal law, and Divine intervention. Without contrast this journey would be a monotone, uninspiring affair that will not ignite within us the desire to achieve, discover and create more. If we never experience the chill of a dark winter, it is very unlikely that we will ever cherish the warmth of a bright summer’s day. Nothing stimulates our appetite for the simple joys of life more than the starvation caused by sadness or desperation. In order to complete our amazing life journey successfully, it is vital that we turn each and every dark tear into a pearl of wisdom, and find the blessing in every curse. 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 seeking a thrilling reality experience. Combined with your spiritual quest, your human mission in this lifetime is to create or achieve 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. There is profound power in leading an ordinary life. 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 ABOUT THE AUTHOR Anthon St. Maarten is a psychic medium and destiny coach with a global clientele of thought leaders, business executives, celebrities, politicians, academics, and luminaries in the arts and sciences in more than thirty countries spanning five continents. He is also a metaphysics teacher, psychic development coach, podcaster, and spiritual blogger. Anthon is a hereditary psychic medium in professional practice since 2004 and a liberal arts post-graduate with a major in psychology . Anthon publishes the spiritual life design blog, The S Word , and is the author of Divine Living: The Essential Guide To Your True Destiny and The Sensible Psychic: A Leading-Edge Guide To True Psychic Perception.

Remember that defining moment recently, when the novel coronavirus finally made its way into your everyday reality? Your spiritual well-being and metaphysical beliefs were probably the last things on your mind. In fact, the spiritual meaning of this pandemic will not be a major consideration for most at this time. But in the dark, difficult days that still lie ahead, the Covid-19 pandemic will increasingly reveal its profound spiritual truths. And in its devastating aftermath, we will have no choice but to acknowledge and embrace its spiritual significance in our post-pandemic reality. When Covid-19 was officially declared a global pandemic, and made its unwelcome way into international news headlines, many people reverted to the ‘first law of nature.’ They responded instinctively with their best personal strategies for self-preservation. Some hysterically stockpiled a lifetime supply of hand sanitizer and toilet paper, while others stubbornly gathered en masse at street festivals, religious gatherings, and even at their nearest beach, despite medical experts and authorities advising against it. Many simply carried on with life ‘as normal’, until they could no longer ignore the writing on the wall. Meanwhile, the least anchored among us, tried to alleviate their overwhelming anxiety and confusion by seeking certainty in fake news, superstition, and the outlandish fearmongering of conspiracy theorists. Some went into hardcore survival mode, compelled by their lack consciousness and a scarcity mentality, while others still continue to choose the path of least resistance: denial . And in-between these polar opposite responses, the best, and worst examples of human behavior continue to surface all over the world. In times of trauma and extreme crisis, the true nature of our values, priorities and beliefs tend to be blatantly exposed. We are clearly not a generation that will be remembered for our personal accountability, spiritual wisdom or metaphysical maturity. Yet, I believe that even the most careless and bizarre responses we have been seeing in our communities are not simply a symptom of people’s ignorance, recklessness, weakness, or selfish egotism. Their conduct is not a result of their lack of humanity, but rather due to their lack of spirituality . For in times of trauma and extreme crisis, the true nature of our values, priorities and beliefs tend to be blatantly exposed. And goodness me...namaste...have some of us been caught with our pants down! Many of the irresponsible actions and peculiar coping strategies we have been witnessing in recent weeks, reveal just how out of touch humanity has become with its true spiritual origins. Many clearly do not realize that they are spiritual beings having a human experience. They do not recognize themselves as divine beings on a sacred soul adventure. They do not understand that they are powerful points of consciousness; expressions of the Divine Source; particles of light in the spectacular daily miracle of life. Many among us have very little, if any sense that there is something greater than themselves that makes our world go round. And they also have no idea how much their every word and deed impacts everyone and everything around them. Until now, that is. As a society we have generally lost our sense of spiritual purpose and meaning. There is a lack of understanding of the metaphysical part we play in the greater scheme of things. As a global community we lack spiritual substance. And this absence of spiritual awareness and inner connection has become glaringly evident in the callous, careless manner we tend to treat each other, as well as our unashamed disregard for all other sentient beings with which we share this planet. ​Our co-created world is currently not a very nice place. We have been increasingly plundering our natural habitat, and poisoning our environment. We have been slavishly following unstable, corrupt leaders, while we worship many false gods and narcissistic idols, and lash out daily at each other on social media. We have created a manic world nauseous with the pursuit of personal pleasure and material wealth, while our discontent souls have been increasingly suffocating in the arid wasteland of our spiritual deprivation. We are clearly not a generation that will be remembered for our personal accountability, spiritual wisdom or metaphysical maturity. A Show-Stopping Pattern Interrupt Is it therefore any wonder that the time had finally come for a major change, a colossal shift, a profound reawakening, a global step back? And the novel coronavirus has delivered exactly that to us, in no uncertain terms: a show-stopping pattern interrupt that will forever change our worldview! Covid-19 is so much more than just a nasty new disease, a scientific anomaly, a tragic twist of fate, or an everyday inconvenience for those who still believe all of this is just an ‘overblown hoax.'’ ​Spirit can only communicate with us on our current level of understanding, and our spiritual habits at that time will determine what the format will be. So, at this time in human history, the Divine apparently had no other option but to sternly address us as a collective, in a way that none of us could willingly ignore, or completely disregard. For the first time, in a very long time, the Divine has now intervened on a global scale. While in our arrogance we were busily building our 'towers of Babel,' the Big Computer in the Sky decided it was time to hit a global reset button we did not even know existed. The time had come for a total reboot. And in truth, it is what we all have been asking for with our thoughts, words and deeds... what we have been setting an intention for. For we are the creators of our own reality experience and co-creators of our global reality. And when we ask, it is always given, but not always in a way we might expect or anticipate. Many of us wanted drastic change in our world, and now it has finally arrived. Does this mean the pandemic is a stern ‘act of God’ to punish mankind for its spiritual barrenness? No, definitely not. For only contrast is of Spirit. Suffering at the hand of an ‘angry god’ is a man-made notion. The Divine does not chastise or rebuke, it guides and teaches for the greater good. ​The shadows of life add spiritual depth and dimension to our human journey, like route-markers along our path. But these times of adversity are never intended to dominate our life with darkness, neither do they determine our ultimate destiny. What we learn from these contrasting experiences is all that truly matters in the end. The Surprise Element Of Divine Intervention Very few appear to have had the privilege of much foresight in the arrival of this pandemic, and as usual the voices of those who predicted it were largely ignored. But the ‘surprise element’ is to be expected when there is to be divine intervention on a global scale. The great equalizer indeed. ​The closest I personally came to any sense of what was coming, were the repeated messages of caution I had lately been channeling for many of my clients during consultations - especially for those who are business owners, entrepreneurs and investors. I warned them to get their affairs in order, for the global economy was heading for another major downturn. Since late 2018, I had been increasingly having the premonition that there would be another major economic recession in the foreseeable future, similar to the financial crisis we experienced a decade ago, possibly even worse. But this time the financial industry, banks, hedge funds and mortgages would not be the root cause. ​Some of my clients were not amused when I warned them of this. And when they asked me why this would happen, my sense was always that the cause would be somehow political in nature. I suspected we might be heading for a major war, or possibly some sort of civil unrest or upheaval. The fact that it might actually be due to a new viral disease was not revealed to me at the time. Today, I understand why. ​In my personal life, I at least had the privilege of some foresight, when spirit began to encourage me to prepare myself many weeks ago, which made it possible for me to go into voluntary self-isolation two weeks prior to authorities announcing an official lockdown in my country. Of course, I might add that as a highly sensitive empath, I have been practicing social distancing for most of my life anyway, which helped me to adapt quite easily to being in so-called ‘self-quarantine.’ In that sense it has been pretty much 'business as usual' for me. While in our self-absorbed arrogance we were eagerly building our towers of Babel, the Big Computer in the Sky decided to hit a global reset button we did not even know existed. Interestingly, in recent weeks I have also become intensely aware of the increased presence of the collective energy of many departed family members around me, more so than at any other time in my life. If you are experiencing the same at the moment, know that they are here at this time to support, guide and protect us. It reminds me of the words of Linda Hogan, "Suddenly all my ancestors are behind me. Be still, they say. Watch and listen. You are the result of the love of thousands." So, while many people were rushing around to stock up on essentials in recent weeks, or getting their affairs in order at home and the office, I had already settled into my ‘new normal,’ and could begin to focus more of my time and energy on my spiritual practice, as well as being of continued service to my clients all over the world. Courtesy of my self-imposed lockdown, I had the luxury of spending more time than usual in daily meditation, and continue to do so. I have been doing this mainly for the purpose of channeling information, because I feel it my duty as a lightworker to gain a greater understanding and spiritual insight into what is currently happening in our world. ​ So, what are the spiritual lessons this global pandemic is delivering to us? Well, the following is what Spirit has revealed to me so far: Brave New World, Bright New Future ​Disasters and crises have always been ruthless, yet very effective spiritual teachers. There are many spiritual life lessons to be learned at this time, which will be much needed when begin to rebuild our post-pandemic world. First, let me reassure you that we will recover from this crisis. This too shall pass, but our world will never quite be the same again. And although it will be somewhat different in many respects, it will definitely also be better. Please know that there is much method in all the current madness. Blessed are they who will grow to understand the spiritual significance of this global pandemic, and awaken to its messages of universal truth. For they will be the spiritual warriors of a brave new world; the wayshowers to a brighter future; the architects of an improved civilization. The Spiritual Necessity Of Deep Contrast Covid-19 is reminding us that one of the principle spiritual forces that governs our human journey is the notion of ‘contrast.’ In the book of Genesis, for example, night and day was created first and foremost, before anything else. Similarly, the black and white duality of the Yin and Yang symbol in ancient Chinese philosophy represents this immutable Universal Law of Polarity . Contrast is the basis of our physical life experience. A shining light has no purpose when there is no darkness to define its brilliance. Life will always have its ups and downs. These experiences of contrast is what we knowingly signed up for before we arrived on the planet. We knew before we came that we would face both love and fear, prosperity and hardship, abundance and deprivation, joy and suffering, wellness and dis-ease. Without the balancing properties of contrast our human journey would actually be a monotone, uninspiring affair that will not ignite within us the desire to achieve, discover and expand as spiritual beings in human form. Extreme darkness rekindles the radiant flame of the human spirit. Know that once this bitter cup has finally passed, our world will be a much better place . ​Indeed, much grief, despair and suffering will ultimately result from the ravages of this global epidemic. Everyone’s life will be touched in some way, and we will face challenges we never before imagined possible. But in time, much good will come from all of it. The light at the end of this tunnel is much brighter than many will be able to see at this time. Many are saying that our lives ‘will never be the same’ after this, but what they fail to also add is that our lives will be better than it has been before. Deep contrast is the birthplace of great innovation and reinvention. It is the catalyst for miraculous healing, and the inspiration for crystal clarity of what we truly desire as co-creators. Extreme darkness rekindles the radiant flame of the human spirit. Know that once this bitter cup has finally passed, our world will be a much better place for it. In the happier, healthier days yet to come, we will turn the dark tears of this uncertain time into many precious pearls of wisdom. We shall find many unexpected blessings in this curse, for years to come. The Simple Joys Of Gratitude At the very least this pandemic will teach us to revere and appreciate life more. It will show us what it means to be truly mindful and present in the now, and how to savor the sweet nectar of even the most ordinary moments. We will find a new appreciation for the simple joys of life, while it exposes our attachment to meaningless material things and superficial pursuits. Many of us will learn that even the most dedicated spiritual practice is meaningless when we are controlled by our daily obsessions and the things we own. For where our treasure is, there also is our heart. ​Instead of constantly yearning for something bigger and better, despite everything they already have, many will now discover for the first time the true meaning of gratitude, and realize that it is in fact the antidote to the emptiness and discontent in their daily lives. No matter what, or how little we may have, there are always many awesome things to be thankful for. Sadly, the only time we usually recognize these gifts in our life, is when a major change in our life circumstances forces us to take another hard look, and count all of our blessings for a change. The Oneness In Our Separation Covid-19 is the great equalizer that does not care who you are, or where you are from. It does not choose to infect only certain humans, based on their religion, race, nationality, sexual orientation, level of education, or material wealth. It does not observe title, success or status. It is coming for all of us in some way, even those who may not experience any symptoms, as well as those who may never become infected at all. In the end it will impact all our lives: socially, culturally, and most of all economically. Nobody will be immune to its future impact. The coronavirus pandemic is a sobering reminder of the Universal Law of Divine Oneness . There is a reason why the Golden Rule of ‘treating others as you want to be treated,’ is a prevalent concept in most world religions and spiritual traditions. We are all connected. We are one. And we cannot escape our responsibility towards each other, even in this time of increased social isolation and unprecedented physical separation. For until we all learn to think more universally, instead of separately, there will never be a brighter future for any of us. We are not living among each other; we are living through each other. For the truth is that our world has become what each one of us have chosen it to be. The co-created world we live in is a collective product of all the thoughts, ideas, opinions, attitudes, values, choices, decisions, and actions each and every one of us have brought to the table. ​Our every thought and action affects the thoughts and actions of every other person in our world. Our dysfunctional world is not the product of just one person. Not one of us has the right to say, “I am good, I am kind, I am mindful, I am too cool for school! The state of our world is not my fault, or my problem.” The truth is, we all share in a co-created reality that is only as strong as its weakest members, and whether we like it or not, we are indeed each other’s keepers. ​The sooner more of us will contemplate the Oneness of our being and the connectedness of everything in our Universe, the sooner we will be able to manifest a better world for all. Understanding our universal connection, and our responsibility to one another, is the only way we will ever know lasting joy, peace, happiness and fulfillment in this world. For even the most sheltered and fortunate among us, will at some point suffer the loss of luxury, privilege or liberty due to our attitude of disconnect. Until we all learn to think more universally , instead of separately, there will never be a brighter future for any of us, much less for our children. ​There is no such thing as the ‘personal good,’ there is only the greater good, and the highest good for all. The same pain, fear, love and joy that runs through your veins, runs through everyone else's in this world. And the current impact of the Covid-19 pandemic is concrete, undeniable evidence of this universal spiritual truth. May this new virus teach us new patterns of thinking about how we impact each other. May it force us to reconsider our place and our role in society. May it teach us new levels of kindness, compassion and charity. For we are not living among each other; we are living through each other. Blessed Are The Mindful Blessed are the mindful and the spiritually aware in these traumatic times, for they will be calm and flexible in the darkest of days. Their spirituality will be an indispensable compass, and anchor during this pandemic. For to make the most of our journey in this lifetime, and to fulfill our true destiny as spiritual beings, we must be able to trust in our divine power to adapt and transcend. Our inner core of divine connection is what keeps us grounded, centered and serene when the world around us seems to be falling apart. As this pandemic rages on, the spiritually faithful will be savoring the rewards of their continued devotion to their inner divinity and higher consciousness. It is in times like these that our spiritual practice makes all the difference. The same will not hold true for those who have been neglecting the inner world, and the Great Beyond. Those who no longer believe, or have never believed in anything, will have much less to hold on to, and very little to keep them grounded. Tragically, they have become so caught up in the trappings of their material reality, that they no longer feel connected to anything greater than themselves. And for them this will not be an easy time. Whatever your spiritual beliefs or religious convictions may, or may not be, the Covid-19 pandemic will be an undeniable spiritual wake-up call for all of us. It is reminding us that life is short, precious and sometimes full of uncertainty. And if the rampage of the coronavirus does not get your spiritual attention, I’m not sure what will. For typically we tend to only reach out to Spirit in times of unbearable or unforeseen life events. And this time we truly are in serious trouble! ​Nothing sparks a renewed interest in our spiritual beliefs quite like a global disaster. The spiritually careless among us will be forced to take another look at the face of God during this crisis. Even the most skeptical and atheistic among us will have to somehow contemplate their values, opinions and beliefs about the nature and meaning of their existence. Mind, body and soul…none of us will emerge from the current mayhem unscathed. The Global Vision Quest There is a rite of passage in traditional shamanism known as a vision quest . It requires the seeker to spend a significant period of time alone in nature, often without food, water, or shelter, until he receives a vision for his life’s purpose from the Great Spirit. During his time of isolation and deprivation, the initiate is forced to face his deepest fears and insecurities, and must strive to gain greater clarity about the meaning and purpose of life. The Covid-19 pandemic will indeed be such a ‘vision quest’ for many of us. The Covid-19 pandemic brings us many opportunities for personal and spiritual growth. Social distancing, self-isolation, quarantine and a general slowdown, are creating a unique opportunity to 'amp up' our daily spiritual practice, and rekindle our relationship with our Higher Self, Spirit, Source, God, the Divine. Nothing gets in the way of love​. Generosity of spirit empowers us to perform miracles and wonders. The disruption of our normal routine and the suffering of loss, offers us a period of divine grace to truly reconsider our core morals, values and beliefs, as well as the meaning and purpose of our lives. Make the most of this window of opportunity, for it is a period of divine grace. ​Idle days spent in isolation will teach us many valuable lessons about the true meaning of love, compassion, kindness, humility, integrity, faith, hope, courage, perseverance, and especially forgiveness. Some will experience intense grief and bereavement that will rekindle their faith in this time, or cause them to find new purpose in their lives, while others will simply lose their innocence or complacency. Most of all this crisis will reveal to us the true meaning and value of service. For we all share only one common purpose or calling in this life, and that is to be of service . Service to each other, to the fauna and flora of our planet, to the natural environment, and to Spirit. May this global crisis teach us to give to others in the same way that others have given to us. May we all discover new ways to make the world a better place. May we also learn that nothing gets in the way of love, and that generosity of spirit empowers us to perform miracles and wonders. ​Everything we experience in life has a spiritual significance. No event or circumstance is ever random, arbitrary, or a coincidence. Every moment matters. And right now humankind is going through a significant moment; a collective spiritual growth spurt; a period of deep contrast; a profound metaphysical realignment; a dark night of the soul ; a great global awakening. How we will recover and heal from this pandemic as a collective, and how we will apply the spiritual truths it has so unpleasantly delivered to us, remains to be seen. Visualize The Cure, Not The Calamity Meanwhile, wherever you a may be the in the world, know that you are never alone. We are all in this together, and Spirit always has your back, even in the most desperate moments when everything seems hopeless. During the difficult days ahead, do not believe all the dysfunctional noise and fearmongering. Those anxious, hysterical voices are only out there because they do not have a spiritual practice or inner compass, and they currently have a lot of idle time to broadcast their fake news and toxic negativity. The rest of us are too busy with real efforts to stay safe, support each other and help the world heal from the true effects of this pandemic. How do we heal our world, and return to the 'new and improved' normal? The answer is simple. Pray. Meditate. Fantasize. Imagine. Daydream. Visualize. Every day. Set an intention for science and technology to manifest the necessary treatments and interventions soon, instead of obsessing over who is to blame, or getting caught up in self-pity, conspiracy theories, conflict, lack consciousness, or a scarcity mentality. What we focus on is what will become our reality, and we now need all hands on deck. If more of us confidently intend the manifestation of the solution, instead of debating the problem, we will reach critical mass and tip the scale much sooner! There is no future in the past, and fearful worrying is just a way to create more of what we do not want. Visualize the cure, not the calamity. It is my prediction that, once our collective consciousness has gained critical momentum, divinely inspired medical science and technology shall find the prevention and cure. ​No matter how this new virus may impact your life, always remember that you are a divine being, and creator of your own reality experience. Don’t give away your power to anyone or anything. And to take back your power in any given situation, begin by focusing on the things you can control - the thoughts you choose to think is usually the best place to start! We exist in a co-created reality, in which we cannot always choose all our circumstances. But how we think and feel about any given situation is always our choice. Life is not always easy, or fair, and contrast is a necessary part of our spiritual journey in this lifetime. But fear, self-pity, or feeling defeated, is not the way to deal with it. Stay strong and move forward one day at a time. This too shall pass. ​​© 2020 Anthon St. Maarten ABOUT THE AUTHOR Anthon St. Maarten is a psychic medium and destiny coach with a global clientele of thought leaders, business executives, celebrities, politicians, academics, and luminaries in the arts and sciences in more than thirty countries spanning five continents. He is also a metaphysics teacher, psychic development coach, podcaster, and spiritual blogger. Anthon is a hereditary psychic medium in professional practice since 2004 and a liberal arts post-graduate with a major in psychology . Anthon publishes the spiritual life design blog, The S Word , and is the author of Divine Living: The Essential Guide To Your True Destiny and The Sensible Psychic: A Leading-Edge Guide To True Psychic Perception.

All science is divinely inspired. It is a miraculous gift, a sacred mandate, an act of divine providence. It is channeled from beyond this world. Scientific discoveries and technological innovations are gracious blessings from Spirit, godsends from the Divine, manna from the Heavens. Why then are some of the so-called enlightened and spiritually conscious among us still choosing to wear their ‘tin foil hats?’ Science and spirituality, by their very nature, have traditionally always been at odds, and there is a fundamental ideological reason for it to be at cross-purposes. The point of departure for any scientific endeavor is always a position of doubt, questioning, skepticism, and even disbelief. In the eyes of science nothing is real or true, until proven otherwise, and this requires hardcore evidence. According to science, if you cannot observe something, or somehow measure it, it simply does not exist. Spirituality, on the other hand, operates from a position of faith, belief, conviction, hope, acceptance, and even certainty. To be spiritual is to believe in the unseen, the unknown, the ethereal. Science deals in the physical , while spirituality embraces the metaphysical . And by their very nature, this is how it must be. But it is therefore also highly unlikely that science and spirituality will ever be the best of friends. Throughout human history, hardcore classical scientists have considered all forms of spirituality and metaphysics as nothing more than ignorant superstition, while religious fundamentalists have branded scientific pursuit and innovative technologies as a godless sacrilege, condemning science for its arrogant interference with the natural order of things by ‘trying to play God.’ It does astonish me that so many 'spiritually aware' people in this day and age can still be so hostile towards modern science and technological invention, when in truth it is divinely inspired. In the 1600’s, for example, the astronomer Galileo Galilei spent the final years of his life under house arrest, after he was branded a heretic for claiming that the Earth revolves around the Sun. And strangely, there are still people today who believe the Earth to be flat, and that the Sun rotates around us, as if the past 400 years of scientific achievement never happened. Galileo must be turning in his grave. Despite the fundamental disparity and age-old animosity between science and spirituality, it does astonish me that so many spiritually aware people in this day and age can still be so hostile towards modern science and technological invention? The first irony is the fact that both the spiritualist and scientist share the same passion in life: they are both striving to gain a better understanding of our worldly existence and the many remarkable mysteries of the Universe. Yet, they refuse to see eye to eye. But the absurdity goes much deeper than that. It is even more astounding to me that so many ‘highly conscious’ and ‘spiritually awakened’ individuals can remain so bitterly antagonistic towards the many miracles and wonders of scientific discovery, when in truth all of science and technology is divinely inspired. Consider, for example, the fact that several of history’s most famous and influential scientists, including Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin, Albert Einstein and Marie Curie, were all theists. In other words, they were not just seekers, but also believers. They all had a spiritual belief system that included believing in the existence of a Higher Power or a Creator God that intervenes in the miraculous workings of the Universe. A lesser known example is the number of scientists who have stated that the original inspiration for their significant discoveries came to them in a dream . René Descartes who created the field of analytical geometry; Dmitri Mendeleev who invented the Periodic Table; Niels Bohr who received the Nobel Peace Prize for conceiving the model of the atom; and Albert Einstein who conceived the Theory of Relativity, all claimed that the spark of inspiration for their ideas came to them courtesy of their dreams. ​Not From Me, But From Heaven, Comes All You see, scientists do not invent or discover amazing new things entirely of their own accord. The miracle of science is not a creation of man, it is merely channeled by humanity. All science is a sacred inspiration received from the Divine, the Original Source, God, the Universe, Great Spirit, the Creator, the Universal Life Force. Science is a miraculous gift from the heavens, a sacred mandate, an act of divine providence. Scientific imagination originates from beyond this limited time-space reality and the feeble human mind. True scientific ingenuity is not of this world. ​This universal truth was more widely understood by the ancients. Greek mythology, for example, features in its pantheon of deities the minor goddesses known as the Muses, whose job it was to guide, protect and inspire the visual arts, music, literature, and the sciences. Each of the nine muses, meaning ‘guiding spirit’ or ‘source of inspiration,’ was responsible for presiding over a particular art or science. Today we still ‘muse’ over something when we deeply think, ruminate on, dream, ponder, or contemplate important matters. Oh. if only more of us would do more musing more often, then our world might be a much more sensible, safe place... ​In 1759, after his final performance, the beloved Baroque composer George Frideric Handel , received an ecstatic ovation from his audience. Blind and very sickly at the time, he refused to take any of the credit for himself, and instead cried out, “Not from me, but from Heaven, comes all!” ​​Oddly, most spiritually aware people today have no problem accepting that creative art is inspired by the Divine. Just one glance at the breathtaking beauty and grace of the natural world is enough proof that its Creator must be the Ultimate Artist. I doubt any deeply spiritual person will ever dispute this. The Divine indeed does loves beautiful things! If scientific discovery and technological innovation are blessings from the Spirit Realm, godsends from the Divine, why then do so many in the spiritual community still insist on looking a ‘gift horse in the mouth?’ The Italians say, “Hell is crowded with ungrateful wretches .” Maybe the Italians have a point. Similarly, artists and creatives are often valued by the spiritual community as divine messengers and channelers, or even as the new shamans of contemporary society. Both the visual and performing arts have always had its central place in many spiritual practices, religious ceremonies and devotional rituals. What would most forms of spirituality and religion even be without the presence of music, dance, literature and the visual arts? ​Yet, when it comes to the many wondrous marvels of modern science, some believers fail to recognize or appreciate it being equally the result of divine intervention. If scientific discovery and technological innovation are blessings from the Spirit Realm, godsends from the Divine, manna from Heaven, why then do so many in the spiritual community still insist on looking a ‘gift horse in the mouth?’ The Italians say, “Hell is crowded with ungrateful wretches.” Well, maybe the Italians have a point. Surely, both physics and metaphysics reside on the same continuum of an expanding Universe, and surely, they must both be expressions of the same, original Divine Source of Intelligent Design that is responsible for the creation of our magnificent Universe? And just as scientists subscribe to different theories and research methodologies to explain natural phenomena, similarly spiritual seekers explore supernatural phenomena through diverse practices, belief systems and wisdom traditions. Are we then not all children of God? Boogeymen Tin Foil Hats To me it seems only logical that spiritually aware people, who are sincerely seeking enlightenment in their lifetime, would automatically and enthusiastically want to include the wonders of science and technology in their quest for the truth? The desire to gain a deeper understanding of the mysteries of the Universe, and of divinity and higher consciousness, surely must also consider the wonders and miracles to be found in the natural world. Why then are some of the so-called ‘enlightened’ among us still choosing to wear their boogeymen tin foil hats ? Of course, it is also true that science has on many occasions been abused for corrupt and destructive purposes. One of the most disgraceful examples of this is how the original curiosity of a small group of nuclear physicists, to better understand the ultimate nature of matter, was eventually perverted to create the deadliest weapon of war. Let us also not forget the inhumane cruelties and other abuses certain practitioners of science continue to inflict on vulnerable people, the animal kingdom and the natural world. Indeed, not all practical applications of science have always had the best interests of all God's creatures at heart, nor has every scientist in history had the most noble of intentions. Let it be known, that while pure science, and its many wonderful discoveries, is a manifestation of divine providence as a result of sacred inspiration, its prostitution and abuse for the evils of greed, power and political gain is a man-made travesty! These deplorable practices are certainly not of God. Like the arts, science is graciously and generously gifted to us, to make our world a better and safer place. May the karmic heavens therefore have mercy on those who choose to exploit it for any other purpose. Science is a heavenly gift to the people. It does not belong to the merchants, money lenders and Pharisees, who have turned the temple of science into a den of thieves. The Monstrous Evil Of Ingratitude ​ With all that in mind, let us consider the state of our world today, where we now find ourselves in the grip of a terrible global pandemic. As a generation, most of us have never before been exposed to this kind of adversity, and it certainly brought out the best and worst in many of us. In times of trauma and extreme crisis, the true nature of our values, priorities and beliefs do tend to be blatantly exposed. And many of us, including the so-called spiritually aware, have certainly revealed our true colors in recent months. ​Let it be known that while pure science, and its many wonderful discoveries, is a manifestation of divine providence and a result of sacred inspiration, its prostitution for the evils of greed, power and selfish political gain is a man-made travesty. One would think that in such a dire time of stress, fear and anxious uncertainty we would absolutely thank our lucky stars for how far we have progressed with our sciences and technologies! Our ancestors certainly did not have the same kind of luxury during the Black Death of the 1300’s, for example, or the Third Cholera Pandemic of the 1800’s, or even the so-called Spanish Flu of 1918. ​Yet, instead of going on our knees every day to express our gratitude and appreciation for living in such a privileged, easy time of progress, where our scientists are able to develop the necessary medical interventions and will be able to give our normal lives back to us, some among us have instead chosen to invest their precious time and energy in fear-mongering doom prophecies, or spreading of disinformation and conspiracy theories that ridicule medical science, while showing no compassion or consideration for the daily hell our healthcare providers, frontline workers and the frail elderly all over the world currently have to endure.​ The poet Edward-Pickering Rich once wrote that ingratitude is so monstrous and so dark a crime that "none but devils ever practice it.” Well, if you look at our society today, one must wonder if it is truly limited to the devils only? For grotesque ingratitude and privilege these days seem to be the spiritual disease of our time, and it is apparently practiced by many who claim to be spiritual proponents of compassionate, unconditional ‘love and light.’ Frogs And Spiders In The Oil And Cheese It took science centuries to discover and fully understand the invisible world of microbes, infectious disease and epidemiology. Until that breakthrough happened, humanity had to find other ways to explain what was causing all the horrid disease and death during previous plagues and pandemics . Their ignorant speculation of course included all manner of absurd superstition and bizarre beliefs in those dark days. For example, during the Plague of Cyprian, that afflicted the Roman Empire from about AD 249 to 262, it was widely believed that the disease could be contracted simply by looking into the face of someone who was infected. And during the Bubonic Plague, said to be the deadliest pandemic recorded in human history, some people chose to believe it was simply a punishment from God, while others were more ominously convinced it was a secret conspiracy by the Jews against the Christians. According to historian Samuel K. Cohn, a monastery chronicle written at the time of the plague, describes, for example, the “horrible means by which the Jews wished to extinguish all of Christendom, through their poisons of frogs and spiders mixed into oil and cheese.” ​Indeed, these wild beliefs were so rampant at that time that modern historians cannot say for sure if more people died in that period due to the actual plague, or a as result of the persecutions which caused many to be violently massacred. Roy Wentz writes on History.com that “pandemics have long bred prejudice and mistrust, and fueled longstanding biases, as traumatized communities have looked to blame others as unclean or malicious spreaders of disease.” One can accept in retrospect that the blatant and sometimes shocking ignorance and bigotry of our ancestors existed in a time long before the microscope was invented. But, exactly what is our excuse today? Do we not now live in a digital information age, where we are supposed to have easy access to reliable sources of information and global communication? Do we not also live in a time of great scientific understanding and technological achievement? Compared to our superstitious, misguided ancestors, we now live in a miraculous, blessed, privileged time! One can accept in retrospect that the blatant and sometimes shocking scientific ignorance of our ancestors existed in a time long before the microscope was invented. But exactly what is our excuse today? And yet, today, in the year 2020, some of us still see our way clear to primitively indulge in ridiculous conspiracy theories and bizarre ideological rhetoric, ranging from ‘bioengineered viruses masterminded by evil billionaires,’ to ‘genetic mutations induced by 5G cell phone technology.’ ​I mean, how on God’s good earth did the recent miracle of a new vaccine, for a potentially deadly disease, become a ‘black, transgendered, Marxist plot to control the world?’ The mind truly boggles. And the Angels must certainly weep. Could the actual problem be that some of us have become so arrogant and complacent, surrounded by all our plush, modern comforts and our opulent privileges, created in most part, by the way, with the gift of science and technology , that we now find it impossible to accept what those who live in less advantaged parts of our world have come to know as a daily fact of life: that the world we live in is still a primal, untamed place where new infectious diseases, without a known cure, can suddenly spread like wildfire? Have we really become so spoilt and entitled with the blessings of an easy, comfortable life (courtesy of modern science, medicine and technology) that we actually believe the natural evolution of disease has been eradicated by the brilliance of mankind, and that every newly mutated microbe must therefore have been concocted in a laboratory, or a boardroom? ​Diseases have come and gone for millennia. Our ancestors dealt with this reality, generation upon generation since the dawn of time. What then gives some of us the idea today that we have somehow become untouchable to such things, or too 'high and mighty' to succumb to the powers and unpredictable ways of Mother Nature? Have we forgotten that Gaia, the ancestral mother of all life, has always been a force not to be trifled with? Out Of The Darkness, Into The Light Each one of us arrives in this physical world with a soul mission and a life calling. We are all expected to offer our unique legacy and contribution in this lifetime, in return for the privilege of experiencing this thrilling physical adventure. We all have a calling of service to either the spirit realm, our fellow human beings, the animal and plant kingdoms, or the natural environment. And modern science and technology is one of the manifestations of that sacred calling. ​Our scientists and inventors are not the enemy. Many of them are Lightworkers with a sacred mandate from the Divine. Whether both spiritual extremists and skeptical researchers choose to believe it or not, scientists and spiritualists are all simply doing God’s work. And by exploring the workings of the Universe they bring us all a little closer to our true spiritual origins and the loving embrace of God. Divine calls us out of the darkness into the Light. And scientific advancement is a fundamental expression of that sacred calling . Let us for once show some appreciation, gratitude and respect. So, whether we choose to prioritize science or spirituality in our lives, or a combination of the two, I believe it is all the same expression of our innate spiritual mission. We are after all spiritual beings having a physical experience. We are all expressions of Divine Consciousness in human form. ​We were created in the image of God, not to rest on our laurels or be passively stagnant, or much worse regress and deteriorate to ancient levels of ignorance and stupidity. Instead we are meant to expand, evolve, advance, prosper and transcend. God expects it of us. ​Our souls are points of consciousness carrying with it the creative spiritual DNA of the original Creative Force. The Divine calls us out of the darkness, into the Light. And scientific advancement is a fundamental expression of that sacred call. Not only did the Covid-19 pandemic serve as a massive spiritual wake-up call for humanity, but in future it will prove to be the source of marvelous new innovations, great advances in human achievement, and many positive changes in our world. Revolutionary new scientific discoveries and technological innovations that will profoundly enhance the quality of our lives will emerge from this dark time of deep spiritual contrast, just like Isaac Newton discovered the Law of Gravity in quarantine during the Great Plague of London in 1665. I also predict a coming time of much celebration, a zesty new enthusiasm for life, and a renewed vigor and hope for the future. Some of the best years for our generation are still ahead of us, and there is much to look forward to. And we will have divinely inspired science and technology to thank for much of it! So, let us for once show some appreciation, gratitude and respect. In closing, let me just say this. If you are fortunate to live in a developed, first world country, where you will soon have the privilege of choice, and you still prefer not to be vaccinated for Covid-19, the rest of us absolutely respect your decision. However, please be so kind to send your unused vaccine to those of us who live in places where we do not enjoy the same kind of luxury. There are many vulnerable people here in my country, for example, who will welcome with much gratitude and appreciation every vaccine that can be spared. This time of contrast shall separate the wheat from the chaff. The wise will strive to manifest a brave new world, while the foolish and unkind will suffer for their lack of common sense. And when the storm finally subsides, many will wake up on the wrong side of history. Until then choose your beliefs wisely, for they will become your reality. ​ ​© 2020 Anthon St. Maarten ABOUT THE AUTHOR Anthon St. Maarten is a psychic medium and destiny coach with a global clientele of thought leaders, business executives, celebrities, politicians, academics, and luminaries in the arts and sciences in more than thirty countries spanning five continents. He is also a metaphysics teacher, psychic development coach, podcaster, and spiritual blogger. Anthon is a hereditary psychic medium in professional practice since 2004 and a liberal arts post-graduate with a major in psychology . Anthon publishes the spiritual life design blog, The S Word , and is the author of Divine Living: The Essential Guide To Your True Destiny and The Sensible Psychic: A Leading-Edge Guide To True Psychic Perception.

The current state of the world is no doubt the 'winter of discontent' for our generation. 'Pandemic fatigue’ or ‘covid burnout’ has been taking its toll on even the most resilient, spiritually grounded, and level-headed among us. Nobody has been immune to the ravages of the past year's challenges. But how we ultimately emerge from this time of extreme contrast will be a make-or-break free will choice. How we spiritually manage the remainder of these difficult days will determine the next chapter of our life and serve as a springboard for the rest of our journey in this lifetime. We recently reached the one-year mark in an ongoing global crisis and it has certainly not been rainbows, butterflies, or unicorns. In fact, it has been an annus horribilis in every possible sense. The Covid-19 pandemic is without a doubt one of the most challenging experiences of spiritual contrast many of us will have to face in our current lifetime. Those of us who are spiritually aware and committed to an awakened, conscious lifestyle have been aware of the spiritual significance of these dark and difficult times. We have been valiantly embracing the many opportunities for personal empowerment and soul growth this time of deep contrast has been presenting to us. Some with more success than others. There is, however, one valuable spiritual prospect that many seekers and believers are currently blissfully unaware of, or not taking full advantage of. Many do not seem to understand that we have a powerful window of opportunity currently open to us that can set in motion the future fulfillment of our most cherished life goals, and the manifestation of our most ambitious hopes, dreams and desires. Contrast is the spiritual spice of life. It's a foolish mistake to assume that when the going gets tough, the magic must stop. Now is the ideal time to manifest miracles . Our future is not tomorrow. The future is what we are creating today. Right now. It's a foolish mistake to assume that when the going gets tough, the magic must stop. The darker and more difficult the times, the more vital it becomes to hold on to your dreams and launch new rockets of desire. Now is in fact the ideal time to manifest miracles! The most fertile time for manifesting abundance , prosperity, joy and fulfillment is not during the happy, carefree days of our life, when we are cruising along on autopilot and everything is peaceful and prosperous. Quite the contrary. Our innate desire as spiritual beings to expand, achieve, prosper, and fulfill our true destiny is seldom fueled by times of comfort, ease, and abundance. It is actually during the darkest, most challenging times of deep soul contrast, spiritual adversity and intense trauma and suffering that we realize what truly matters and learn to appreciate even the smallest blessings in our lives. It is only when we have experienced the chill of a brutal, grim winter, that we can begin to fully cherish the warmth of a bright summer’s day. Contrast is the spiritual spice of life. The past year has been exactly such a stark wake-up call. Many of us have found a new awareness of our true priorities, hopes and dreams. Sadly, not everyone will maximize their chances of successfully manifesting these newfound dreams and goals. In fact, some will stumble out of the Covid arena bruised and battered with little to show for surviving the battle, despite the current opportunities presented to them. Other will simply return to the comfort zone of their pre-pandemic life. And tragically, some will be worse off than they were before this existential storm. Some will stumble out of the Covid arena bruised and battered with little to show for surviving the battle. For the spiritually savvy person this is make-or-break time . And contrary to all the doom prophets and naysayers, there is much to look forward to. The spiritually wise and metaphysically empowered will however come out of these times ready to embrace a meaningful new life of joy, fulfillment, abundance, prosperity, combined with a heightened level of empathy, social responsibility and spiritual wisdom. How you consciously manage the remainder of this challenging time will determine the next chapter of your life. It will lay the foundation for what you will manifest in the medium-to-long-term future, while setting the scene for what to expect from the rest of your journey in this lifetime. Now is certainly not the time to be complacent or despondent. For the spiritually savvy person this is make-or-break time. It’s very much now , or never. And contrary to all the doom prophets and naysayers, there is so much to look forward to for those of us who will be ready to embrace the many blessings and opportunities I foresee in our future. Many revolutionary innovations and unexpected new possibilities will come forth from these difficult times, like lotus flowers blooming brightly in the morning light from the messy, murky waters of a dark night. Now is absolutely the time to 'get all dressed up while there is still nowhere to go.' Now is the time to rise up and embrace the life lessons and spiritual growth opportunities all of this contrast has delivered to us and use it to recalibrate our consciousness, realign our energy and reinvent our lives for the better. Contrast is a gift of divine inspiration . Now is the time to redesign your destiny and set your intentions for manifesting a new and improved future reality. And this is how you can start achieving this today: Adjust Your Attitude The first step in beating back ‘pandemic burnout’ and setting in motion the manifestation of your bright new future is to choose how you are going to think and feel about the current circumstances. I foresee that we are still much less out of the woods than many currently may want to believe. In many places we are still set to hit rock-bottom and in others the aftermath of the pandemic will in time reveal even more losses, trauma and collateral damage. The effects and influences of this novel coronavirus will reverberate for many years to come. There is only one sensible path when we are confronted with such an agonizing, frustrating co-created circumstance, over which we have little control as individuals. Instead of hopelessly trying to change the situation, it makes much more sense to adapt our attitude and change ourselves. It is spiritually foolish to constantly row upstream and fight the currents of life, or passively wait for the tides to change. To get to our destination, we must calibrate our inner compass, adjust our sails to the winds, and look up at the guidance of the stars. This does not mean we surrender or give up. Quite the contrary. It means we harness the contrasting energy of the times and make the absolute most of the circumstances exactly as they are right now. Everything happens for a reason and spiritually mature, empowered people accept personal responsibility for their daily reality experience. The renowned Austrian psychologist Viktor Frankl referred to this as “the last of the human freedoms: to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.” Frankl discovered this universal truth during his time as a teenage prisoner in various Nazi concentration camps during the Second World War. Everything was taken from him: his freedom, his family and friends, his clothes and possessions, his name, and even the hair they shaved off his head - except for the one remaining freedom we all possess: the ability to choose how he was going to think and feel in that dreadful situation. The positive, hopeful, determined attitude he chose in the end ensured his survival and he went on to become a celebrated neurologist, psychiatrist, philosopher and author who fulfilled his true destiny and lived out his life until the age of 92. The only true human freedom we have is the ability to choose our attitude in any given set of circumstances. You absolutely do have a choice at this moment in time. We always have a choice. Make the better choice today. It will be wise to assess your attitude and mindset going forward. A pessimistic, cynical outlook, toxic anger and frustration, or a victim mentality, will not invite new blessings and miracles into your life. Trust me on that. It will only serve to rub salt in the wounds and add further insult to injury. Choosing a hopeful, enthusiastic, courageous, even excited outlook will instead empower you to manifest a better, brighter future. You absolutely do have a choice at this moment in time. We always have a choice. Make the better choice today. Change Your Thoughts To take back your power in any given situation, focus on the things you can control. The thoughts you choose to think is usually the best place to start. Your fears, worries and false beliefs do not keep you safe. They keep you small. When you are trapped in negative, pessimistic thought patterns, your mind is no longer free to set new intentions, nor visualize a brighter future. For that is how we create: with our consciousness; with everything that goes on in our mind. Manifesting is a dual process governed by two universal spiritual laws, namely the Law of Creation and the Law of Attraction. You can read more about this in my book Divine Living: The Essential Guide To Your True Destiny . The bottom-line is that manifesting is a two-sided process of both creation and attraction . We must create (plan, design, envision, imagine) what we want, and then attract those creations into our reality experience. We do this by resonating with, or becoming a match to the energy frequency of whatever we wish to manifest. Like attracts like. Birds of a feather flock together. Until we match the energy, our wishes cannot become manifest. How bright or bleak is your current vision for the future ? If you don’t like what you currently find in the corridors of your mind, now would be a vital time to sort that out as soon as possible. Therefore, the next hurdle to overcome in these tough, crazy times is to be wise about what we are choosing to create. We create with our consciousness. Thoughts become things. What we think about, what we focus on and pay attention to, what we choose to believe, all adds up to what will ultimately become our manifested reality. We are the creators of our own reality experience, therefore we must be mindful about what we choose to think and believe, for this will determine our destiny and the outcomes of our future reality experience. Consider what you have been consciously, and subconsciously creating in your mind lately. Take stock of your thought patterns and mental processes. How bright or bleak is your current vision and outlook for the future? Do you even have a proper vision for your future? If you don’t like what you currently find in the corridors of your mind, now would be a vital time to sort that out as soon as possible. Shift Your Focus If you do find yourself engaging in a lot of negative thought patterns at the moment, it is very likely that your pessimism, fear and doubt may be caused by your current choice of mental focus. Consider for a moment what you have been feeding your mind lately. What have you been paying most attention to in the world around you. Here’s the deal: a better, brighter future cannot emerge from the ashes of a contrasting experience if we continue to dwell on the past, or obsess over the unpleasant details of the current manifested reality. There is no future in the past, and what is evident today, will no longer be true tomorrow. Empowered manifestors are masters of their own mind . They are not slaves to self-limiting beliefs, nor servants to small-minded views of the world. Empowered manifestors are masters of their own mind. They are not slaves to self-limiting beliefs, nor servants to small-minded views of the world. Now is the time to carefully consider what you are choosing to focus on, think about, pay attention to and believe. Yes, things are difficult and chaotic right now, but get over it. Instead of focusing on what is , or how bad things may appear to be right now, what you should be doing more of is focusing on what you wish to see, experience and manifest in the future. Use the remainder of this difficult time to focus more on what you do want for your future. Set your intention to manifest solutions, instead of obsessing over problems that you cannot change or control. Visualize the cure, stop feeding the calamity. Focusing on everything that is wrong or missing in your life today will not serve to invite tomorrow’s joy, fulfillment, success, abundance, or prosperity. Instead of investing your divine creative energy by focusing on the negative aspects and every grim detail of the current reality, you will be wise to direct your focus towards what you envision, wish for and desire for the future. Clarify Your Goals Times of contrast are not intended to be an everlasting pity-party of fear, despair, victim mindsets, lack consciousness and a scarcity mentality. Yes, initially when disaster and tragedy strikes, contrast is meant to turn our world upside down, because the ensuing wave of chaos, misery and anguish is what will ultimately push us forward to a newfound awareness of life’s joys and blessings we otherwise usually take for granted. But once we have been rudely awakened and radically confronted by such an experience of contrast, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and get ourselves back on track with renewed strength, wisdom, clarity, determination, and ambition. From the contrast must arise a new vision for our future. This is the dualistic dynamic of this spiritual adventure we signed up for in this lifetime. Like it or not, this is how we roll as spiritual beings in human form. The unwanted aspects of the current reality is meant to give rise to new rockets of desire . Find those rockets now, so you can launch them and set the wheels of your future manifestations in motion as soon as possible. If you currently find your attention and focus morbidly turning to what is , instead of what can be, use those moments of negativity as an opportunity to consider what you truly want instead. For that is what contrast is meant to teach us. It is supposed to show us what we do want , not just what we don't want . From our agony, grief and suffering must emerge new desires, hopes and dreams for the future. This is the true purpose of spiritual contrast. Without contrast there is no growth, innovation, renewal or expansion. Even Mother Nature knows that a perpetual summer makes no sense. There must be a winter. The cold months of the year strengthen the roots of trees and enable plants to store energy for renewed growth. In fact, the harsher the winter, the more the plant kingdom thrives when the warm sunshine returns. The unwanted aspects of the current reality is meant to give rise to new rockets of desire. Find those rockets now, so you can launch them and set the wheels of your future manifestations in motion as soon as possible. Don’t be tempted to indulge in pessimism, negativity or self-pity during the rest of these dark, difficult times. Use the contrast as it was intended: to serve as fuel for discovering new goals and dreams. Begin to focus on what you want, instead of what you do not want . Focus on the possibilities. The limitations will take care of itself. Release Your Resistance Figuring out what we yearn for and truly desire is, however, the easier past of successfully working through a time of contrast. And this is where even more of us are currently floundering. Some may have already found crystal-clear clarity in recent months regarding their hopes and wishes for the future, but many of those post-pandemic dreams will fall through the cracks and go up in smoke because their owners lack energetic resonance and alignment with what they are hoping to attract and manifest. When we are indulging in negativity and hopelessness we are perpetuating an energy frequency that creates resistance to new blessings and opportunities from entering our life. It pushes the good stuff away and blocks our progress. We can only attract what our energy is resonating with today, not what we hope to be energetically compatible with tomorrow. There is also no point in sending out energy that is telling the Universe, God, Spirit, Source what we do not want , or how much we despise the mess the world has become this past year. Stating the obvious of what is with our energy signal will not transform those things we do not want. It will merely recreate it, or worse, invite even more of that negativity into our life. Resistant energy prevents new miracles from manifesting. This current existential drama is co-created and divinely ordained. It is beyond our individual choosing or control and it must unfortunately play itself out to its bitter end. While you wait out the storm, focus instead on aligning yourself with the next chapter of your life. The most self-empowering step you can therefore take in the remainder of these difficult time is to release the energetic resistance you may have been cultivating by pushing against the circumstances of the pandemic. Let go of the struggle, release the frustration, stop fighting the tide! It is what it is. This current existential drama is co-created and divinely ordained. It is beyond our individual choosing or control and it must unfortunately play itself out to its bitter end. We exist in a co-created reality in which we do not always choose all the outcomes and circumstances. Much of our shared reality is manifested in collaboration with the rest of humanity, and on top of that some of it is also chosen for us by divine intervention. There are times in our life when God, Spirit, Source, the Universe, decides what is best for us. But how we choose to think and feel about a given situation is always our free will choice . While you wait out the storm, focus on aligning yourself with the next chapter of your life and begin to prepare yourself for your amazing future. Many souls are spiritually and mentally lounging around these days, wasting precious time, or feeling miserable, hopeless, bitter, or sorry for themselves. There is absolutely no worse death curse than the humdrum daily existence of the living dead. Do not allow yourself to become a part of it. Instead, use this time to get ahead of the game! Love Your Neighbor The most powerful way you can beat back the ‘pandemic blues’ and ensure the successful manifestation of your dreams and wishes is to practice empathy, compassion, gratitude and unconditional love. These are the prime energy frequencies for attracting miracles and wonders! There is much suffering and despair in our world today. Many have lost their livelihoods. Many have lost their loved ones. Many are grieving or struggling with their mental health. Many are fighting for their very survival in emergency rooms. Many have also gone hungry, while some have been complaining about gaining weight during lockdown and “getting a tan from their refrigerator light." While in some places in the world local authorities are having to coax their citizens into get vaccinated by offering them financial rewards, entertainment and free donuts, there are places where people do not even have access to a hospital bed or oxygen, much less the luxury of choosing to get vaccinated, or not. These challenging times demand that we all check our privilege . The pandemic has exposed many inequalities, disparities, and social injustices in our world. We have a collective responsibility as co-creators to do something about it. These challenging times demand that we all check our privilege . The pandemic has exposed many inequalities, disparities, and social injustices in our world. It has also revealed the extreme ignorance and lack of education in our society regarding science and technology . We have a collective responsibility as co-creators to do something about it. For if we do not correct these wrongs, we will all suffer for it in the end and more global events of contrast will be coming our way. Instead of complaining about ‘pandemic fatigue,’ it may be more useful to find ways to be of service to others when there is currently so much opportunity to do so. Empathy, compassion and social responsibility is sorely lacking in our world today. To be blessed, we must bless others. To manifest miracles in our own lives, we must create miracles in the lives of others. The most powerful key to successful manifesting is to practice gratitude. The more sincerely grateful we are for every blessing in our life, no matter how big or small, the more our energy resonance will attract more new blessings to be grateful for. And the most powerful expression of gratitude is to be generous and big-hearted in sharing our blessings with others. Respect Your Grief For some of us it is currently more difficult to set new intentions for the future. There is a time and place for everything. If you have suffered the loss of a loved one this past year, be kind and gentle with yourself. You may not be ready right now to implement the guidelines offered in this article. Instead your starting points should be to make every effort to process your grief first. And you have every tight to do it in your own time and in your own, unique way. Grieving is highly individual and personal. It is perfectly normal and acceptable to express your true feelings, whatever they may be. Whether you feel sad, angry, depressed, lonely or afraid - all of your feelings are valid and should be respected and authentically expressed. Do not allow others to dictate to you how your bereavement should be dealt with, or how you are supposed to think and feel. Take your time and deal with your loss in your own way. Grieving is not subject to a random schedule or timeline. Allow yourself as much time and space as you need to work through your unique thoughts and emotions. Be patient and compassionate with yourself and others. Know that this too shall pass . In time, you will find your way through the contrast. It will not be easy or predictable, and some days will be worse than others, but eventually you will get to higher ground. Do not be too proud to seek help and support from others. Reach out if you need a shoulder to lean on, or a friend to talk to. There is always someone out there who cares, no matter how isolated you may feel at this time. Also, make a real effort to support yourself daily with self-care. You may not always be in the mood to take good care of yourself, but do whatever you can, when you can. Try to at least get some sleep, eat healthy, take breaks and relax, do some exercise, meditate, pray, journal, socialize, get out of the house. Self-care and spiritual practice will empower you on even the most difficult days. Know that this too shall pass. In time, you will find your way through the contrast. It will not be easy or predictable, and some days will be worse than others, but eventually you will get to higher ground. Your heart will become lighter and your soul will regain balance. Until then, whatever you do, do not try to suppress or ignore your true feelings. Denying how you really feel will not bring your to a place of acceptance and healing. Once you feel ready to proceed with everyday life, return to this blog post and apply the rest of the guidelines described here. Find Your Purpose This time of intense contrast has been inviting many of us to contemplate the true meaning and purpose of our life. If you went into this pandemic with a lack of purpose or life goals, chances are this is no longer the case. If so, then it is now time to begin taking more practical steps towards making your newfound purpose a reality. And if you have not yet figured out what your life purpose or calling is, now is the ideal time to explore it with more sincerity and determination. The first thing you can do to connect with your life purpose is to boost your daily spiritual practice. To connect with you life calling your inner guidance system needs a broadband connection to the ‘big computer in the sky.’ A dial-up connection is not going to cut it. If you are really stuck then contact me for a destiny coaching consultation. Visualize Your Future Now is the time to launch new ‘rockets of desire,’ not wallow in misery over what used to be, or should have been, or could have been. Pandemic fatigue is essentially just a symptom of clinging to the past and desperately wanting to return the ‘good old days’ that were not necessarily all that great, if you carefully think about it. Contrast enriches life. Was your life really all that picture perfect before the pandemic? If not, why obsess over it? Begin to imagine instead your brand-new post-pandemic life. The end is in sight. A new epoch, a time of great joy, celebration, abundance, and adventure, is looming on the horizon. Be wise and get ready . The restrictions and limitations currently placed of our daily lives is therefore not a prison sentence. It is a wonderful opportunity to amp up our spiritual and metaphysical practices. Now is the time to create, to visualize, to set powerful intentions for the future. The temporary ‘new normal’ is not a curse, it is a blessing in disguise. It offers us a unique period of grace to envision and prepare for the future, and calibrate and align our energy with the outcomes we intend to manifest in the years that lie ahead. Instead of getting sucked into downward daily spiral of fake news, social media drama, pandemic fatigue, frustration and self-pity, use this time wisely to apply as many manifesting techniques and spiritual practices as you can lay your hands on. Create a vision board, start a gratitude journal, write a set of morning affirmations, recite a daily prayer, make a shopping list of your wishes, goals and desires, do visualization exercises, perform a manifesting ritual, experiment with dreamwork, listen to subliminal recordings, stream some guided meditations, write a letter to yourself from your future self. Meditate. Pray. Chant. Journal. Visualize. Fantasize. Imagine. Daydream. Every day. The end is in sight. A new epoch, a time of great joy, celebration, abundance and amazing adventure is looming on the horizon. Be wise and get ready. ​​© 2021 Anthon St. Maarten ABOUT THE AUTHOR Anthon St. Maarten is a psychic medium and destiny coach with a global clientele of thought leaders, business executives, celebrities, politicians, academics, and luminaries in the arts and sciences in more than thirty countries spanning five continents. He is also a metaphysics teacher, psychic development coach, podcaster, and spiritual blogger. Anthon is a hereditary psychic medium in professional practice since 2004 and a liberal arts post-graduate with a major in psychology . Anthon publishes the spiritual life design blog, The S Word , and is the author of Divine Living: The Essential Guide To Your True Destiny and The Sensible Psychic: A Leading-Edge Guide To True Psychic Perception.

Distinctive smell perceptions have long been associated with a variety of psychic and supernatural phenomena. Some psychic mediums with this unusual talent rely on their ability to ‘smell spirit’ in order to validate loved ones who have crossed over, or to identify the presence of spirit entities. Some psychics also use this rare psychic ability to gain insight into events of the past, present and future. It is the unique psychic ability known as clairolfaction, the gift of psychic smell. Psychic smell or clairolfaction is a lesser-known psychic preference involving olfactory or smell perceptions, which may include both pleasant aromas and putrid odors. The term olfaction means ‘sense of smell, faculty of smelling,’ from Latin olfacere ‘to smell, get the smell of,’ and olere ‘to emit a smell.’ However, despite clairolfaction being a rare phenomenon there are many synonyms in everyday use for this psychic perception preference, including: Clairosmesis from Greek osmēsis, from osmasthai to smell, perceive by smell. Clairessence derived from ‘ingredient which gives something its particular character,’ as in ‘distilled oils from plants, fragrance, perfume.’ Clairscent from Old French sentir "to feel, smell, touch, taste; perceive;’ and Latin sentire ‘to perceive, sense, discern.’ Clairalience (etymological origin unknown) In psychology and medicine, smelling an odor that is not physically present in the environment is considered to be an olfactory hallucination, or a medical condition known as phantosmia, or ‘phantom smell.’ Cacosmia , its ‘unpleasant’ version is however found to be more common and typically described as the phantom smell of something burned, foul, spoiled, or rotten. [1] While distortion in ordinary smell perception does indeed occur and certainly requires medical attention, assuming that ‘phantom smells’ are always due to hallucination or medical pathology does not explain why some psychics, mediums, healers, exorcists, and paranormal investigators experience these unusual smell perceptions, while their normal smell otherwise remains unaffected? Clairolfaction is not frequently acknowledged or discussed in the psychic community, probably because it is not a common psychic preference. It is most often associated with unusual mediumship experiences and spirit phenomena. Whether it is purely a mediumship phenomenon, or simply misunderstood or underreported by psychics is unclear, but accounts of this phenomenon traditionally focus mostly on extreme paranormal phenomena, such as poltergeist activity and demonic possession. The case files of paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren include, for example, numerous accounts of foul ‘cacosmic’ odors and bizarre smell phenomena, such as those in the book In a Dark Place . [2] Psi research data on clairolfaction further appears to be limited mostly to physical mediumship, for example the anecdotal accounts of physical mediums Indridi Indridason and Franek Kluski. Indridason produced a fragrant smell when he was channeling, as well as other smells, such as seaweed. These smells would sometimes cling to other people after he touched them. [3] Various odors also permeated Kluski’s body during séances, including the smells of fruit, leaves, flowers, incense, disinfectant, animal smells, rotting flesh, sweat, and dirty clothing. These smells reportedly clung to him for a long time and were emitted from different parts of his body. [4]   It is unfortunate that psychic smelling is generally overlooked in both psi research and the psychic community, as smell perceptions are some of the most psychologically and emotionally meaningful ‘qualia’ people experience. “Not only is it a chief component of taste,” writes Amelia Buckley, “but it holds the key to our emotions. It is a primary factor in memory and can manipulate our feelings in a way that sight or sound can’t quite do.” [5]   Memories, imagination, old sentiments, and associations are more readily reached through the sense of smell than through any other channel. ~ Oliver Wendell Smell is indeed a powerful sense. We all experience smell associations that instantly take us back to moments of heightened emotion or special memories. It is no accident, for example, that when we experience a negative intuition or gut feeling we say things like, ‘I smell a rat,’ or ‘it smells to high heaven,’ or ‘something smells fishy.’ Smells have the unique ability to immediately evoke emotions or trigger vivid memories. No other sense can so instantly bring back a meaningful moment from the past, or invoke the memory of a special person or event. This class perception phenomenon is an exceptionally meaningful aspect of channeling or reading for those practitioners who do experience it. Clairolfactory psychics and mediums tend to also perceive clairgustance or psychic taste impressions along with certain smell perceptions. It makes sense that this mental partnership would exists in a metaphysical context, since our physical perception of taste and smell also go hand-in-hand. SMOKE & PERFUME The most commonly reported experiences of psychic smell involve the smell of a deceased loved one’s perfume, as well as smells associated with cigarette and cigar smoke. I had a very striking personal experience of this while having lunch at a restaurant one day, when I began to smell the stench of second-hand tobacco smoke. I complained to the waiter, as it was supposed to be a non-smoking area, but both my companion and the waiter were perplexed, as neither of them smelled anything, and there was clearly nobody smoking inside the venue? Driving home, I soon realized the truth. Whoever had been ‘stinking up’ the restaurant was now also ‘chain-smoking’ inside my car. Later that evening, the ‘culprit’ made himself known during a mediumship reading. The first thing I said to my client was, “whoever the person is you were hoping to connect with today, I can already tell you one thing for sure…he must have smoked like a chimney!” She confirmed that he indeed used to smoke two to three packs a day. Smoke and perfume are however not the only smell perceptions clairolfactors perceive. In readings I have perceived the smell of flowers (especially roses), perfume or cologne, cigarette smoke, leather, incense, spices, fresh bread, fast food (hamburgers and pizza), animals (including dogs, cats, and horses), sea water, and even ‘wet sand.’ Sometimes these smell impressions can be very unpleasant, but fortunately for me that does not happen very often. Foul smells I have had to endure include urine, dirty laundry, and chemicals (alcohol, turpentine, and disinfectant). I have however heard of psychics and mediums who smell even worse things, like ‘burning rubber,’ ‘wet dog,’ and ‘rotting eggs.’ Paranormal investigators also report in books like Exposed, Uncovered & Declassified: Ghosts, Spirits, & Hauntings: Am I Being Haunted? the smell of sulphur as one of the classic signs of a haunting or demonic activity. [6] [7] OZONE ORBS The most interesting aspect of my own ‘smelling ability’ is an unusual odor I began perceiving early on in my career. While I am channeling, spirit energy at times manifests clairvoyantly in the periphery of my ordinary vision as light orbs of ‘flickering, floating lights,’ comparable to ‘seeing stars,’ or the ‘flashers and floaters’ you see after looking into a bright light. These orbs usually bring with it a distinctive smell. The best way I can describe it is that it smells like ‘electricity’ or ‘ozone.’ It is not unpleasant, simply unusual. For a long time, I had no way of describing it, until I bought a small air purifier many years ago. I soon discovered that the faint smell of ozone, generated in small quantities by the negative ions from the purifier, was quite similar. I have since discovered I am not the only one to experience this phenomenon and that similar cases have been reported physical mediumship. A well-documented example is a report by psi researcher Gustave Geley of a séance conducted by physical medium Franek Kluski on March 17th, 1920, during which he produced ‘phosphorescent lights smelling of ozone.’ From these lights, floating in the air, came what looked like shining smoke, accompanied by a very strong smell of ozone, which the participants smelled until the end of the séance. Some of the participants were touched by what seemed like a shining, flowing stream which over a period continued to shine on the hands, hair, and faces which it touched. The little fires, which kept appearing in increasing numbers, started to travel through the medium and come out of him . [8] In Other Realities?: The Enigma of Franek Kluski’s Mediumship author Zofia Weaver writes that according to Geley’s records ozone was the most frequent odor occurring around Kluski during his séances and was often associated with these ‘highly phosphorescent, moving lights.’ [9] AUSPICIOUS AROMA I have been rather fortunate with clairolfaction, as I have in recent years begun to experience an unusual phenomenon of foreboding or portentous clairolfaction that is exceptionally positive, pleasant and uplifting. I suspect it may be something I have been experiencing all my life, but for some reason I only became aware of it more recently. I have also not been able to find any information on this phenomenon. I call it auspicious aroma . Merriam-Webster defines auspicious as ‘having qualities which inspire hope’ and ‘pointing toward a happy outcome,’ while an aroma is ‘a sweet or pleasant smell,’ as well as a ‘special quality or impression associated with something.’ My ‘auspicious aromas’ are pleasant, happy, comforting ‘smells’ that are mostly indescribable, but always a good sign. One of the only significant associations I have been able to make thus far was a smell perception that somehow reminded me of the pantry in my maternal grandparents’ home (one of my favorite places when I was a child). The feeling I have when I perceive these smells is vague excitement and a sense of joy. I have found that they are always a good omen or foreboding that something good, positive, reassuring, or fortunate is about to occur in my life. For me it is essentially the ‘phantom smell’ version of finding a four-leaf clover or seeing a shooting star. Science writer Alexandra Michel argues that psychology textbooks have taught us for decades that there is a clear line of distinction between perception — how we see, hear, touch, taste, and smell — and higher-level cognitive processes that allow us to integrate and interpret our senses. Yet, emerging interdisciplinary research is showing that the delineation between perception and cognition may be much blurrier than previously thought…New findings also show that our so-called low-level perceptual processes, such as smell, may actually be much smarter than previously thought. Discerning exactly what is top-down or bottom-up may be far more complicated than scientists once believed. [10] Neuroscientist John McGann uses cutting-edge techniques to explore the neurobiology of sensory cognition in smell. He uses the olfactory system as a model to investigate neural processing of sensory stimuli. He argues that our nose knows more than we realize. He believes the myth that our ability to smell is ‘non-essential’ is a serious mistake that has caused science to neglect research in this critical and mysterious part of the human mind. [11] In a recent series of experiments McGann discovered that “it was like the information coming into the brain from the nose already had the memory of bad things incorporated into it.” [12] In other words, we appear to be able to ‘know’ or ‘predict’ information from a smell, before the actual smell information even reaches our brain for sensory processing. MEDICAL OLFACTION Similar to other psychic preferences, clairolfactory psychics and mediums also develop personal symbolism or subjective associations with their psychic smell perceptions. For example, I can tell someone is terminally ill whenever I smell ‘rotting peaches.’ This association comes from an early childhood experience when I was about five years old. While visiting my grandparents, they introduced me to a sickly little girl who lived across the street from them. The day we met she was playing outside with her older brother. He was gently pushing her in a makeshift swing attached to the overhanging branch of a large peach tree. The instant I saw her, it seemed like the bright sunlight of a perfect summer’s day suddenly vanished. A dark, depressing shadow descended for me over everything, and I was overwhelmed by a sense of profound sadness, anxiety, despair. In that gloomy moment, the air was thick with the unpleasant odor of rotting peaches on the ground around us. I felt that she was extremely sick and dying, and so I came to associate the ‘peach smell’ with terminal illness. Years later, I was told that soon after we met, she had passed away from leukemia. Clairolfaction is especially meaningful in the context of health and healing, as some medical psychics, mediums and energy healers report the ability to ‘smell disease,’ or detect the early symptoms of illness, or identify affected areas of the body through smell impressions. Research in this field is limited, but there has been renewed interest recently due to Joy Milne who unknowingly smelled her husband had Parkinson's disease — over a decade before his symptoms became severe enough for him to seek help and be diagnosed. Despite a keen sense of smell since childhood, Milne never realized she had a ‘superpower,’ until the couple attended a support group for people with Parkinson's. There were many people gathered in the room and as soon as she walked in, she realized they all had the same ‘greasy, musty smell’ she begun smelling on her husband many years earlier, before he was diagnosed. Once she realized the connection, they approached a researcher in regenerative medicine, but he dismissed her claims, thinking it was impossible. Several months later, he heard about research that showed dogs could smell cancer, [13] which reminded him of Milne. He then invited her to participate in an experiment in which she was asked to smell T-shirts worn overnight by two groups: people who had Parkinson's, and a control group. Not only was she incredibly accurate (she only made one mistake), but she was even able to tell if a person was in the early or late stages of the disease. [14] [15] Interestingly, there is another case of a man who happens to suffer from Parkinson’s hallucinations, during which he smells a ‘noxious skunk-onion excrement odor’ that would suddenly intensify two to three hours before a weather storm, and would last until it has passed. According to a 2013 study he is the first reported case of ‘weather-induced exacerbation of phantosmia.’ [16] Excerpt from The Sensible Psychic: A Leading-Edge Guide To True Psychic Perception . © 2022 Anthon St. Maarten REFERENCES [1] Leopold, D.A. (2002). Distortion Of Olfactory Perception: Diagnosis And Treatment. Chemical Senses. [2] Warren, E & Warren, L. (2014). In A Dark Place. Graymalkin Media. [3] Haraldsson, E. (2018). Indridi Indridason (Medium). Psi Encyclopedia. The Society for Psychical Research. [4] Weaver, Z. (2018). Franek Kluski. Psi Encyclopedia. The Society for Psychical Research. [5] Buckley, A. (2020). Stop And Smell The Roses! An Ode To The Most Beguiling Sense. OptimistDaily.com [6] Pye, M. et. al. (2011). Exposed, Uncovered & Declassified: Ghosts, Spirits, & Hauntings: Am I Being Haunted? New Page Books. [7] Wilson, C. (2015). Mysteries: An Investigation Into The Occult, The Paranormal, And The Supernatural. Diversion Books. [8] Weaver, Z. (2015). Other Realities? The Enigma Of Franek Kluski’s Mediumship. White Crow Books. [9] Weaver, Z. (2018). Franek Kluski. Psi Encyclopedia. The Society for Psychical Research. [10] Michel, A. (2020). Cognition and Perception: Is There Really A Distinction? Association For Psychological Science. PsychologicalScience.org [11] McGann, J.P. (2017). Poor Human Olfaction Is A 19th-Century Myth. Science. [12] Science Podcast: 13 December Show. Listen To Stories On Fear-Enhanced Odor Detection. Science.org. [13] Experimental Biology. (2019). Study Shows Dogs Can Accurately Sniff Out Cancer In Blood. ScienceDaily.com. [14] An Unlikely Superpower. (2020). Invisibilia: Season 6, Episode 3. Npr.org. [15] Trivedi, D.K. et. al. (2019). Discovery Of Volatile Biomarkers Of Parkinson’s Disease From Sebum. ACS Central Science. [16] Aiello, S. R. & Hirsch, A. R. (2013). Phantosmia As A Meteorological Forecaster. International Journal Of Biometeorology. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Anthon St. Maarten is a psychic medium and destiny coach with a global clientele of thought leaders, business executives, celebrities, politicians, academics, and luminaries in the arts and sciences in more than thirty countries spanning five continents. He is also a metaphysics teacher, psychic development coach, podcaster, and spiritual blogger. Anthon is a hereditary psychic medium in professional practice since 2004 and a liberal arts post-graduate with a major in psychology . Anthon publishes the spiritual life design blog, The S Word , and is the author of Divine Living: The Essential Guide To Your True Destiny and The Sensible Psychic: A Leading-Edge Guide To True Psychic Perception.