Search

Is everyone psychic? Not in my experience. I believe psychic ability is an innate talent or gift aimed at the specific Life Calling of some individuals, while intuition is a highly personal aspect of everybody's inner spiritual guidance system. We all possess innate, natural intuition, whether we are conscious or unconscious of it – but not everyone is born psychic. Natural intuition is highly personal and mostly about taking care of our own personal needs . Psychic ability on the other hand shifts the so-called 'sixth sense' or extra-sensory perception (ESP) from the personal sphere into the realm of the impersonal . Intuition is our direct inner guidance from our Divine Self towards achieving our unique Soul Purpose and Life Calling. Psychic ability on the other hand dwells in the realm of the selfless, prophetic and archetypal . ​Psychics, mediums and healers are channels, messengers, conduits or surrogates , which means that they do not only receive personal inner guidance from their own Divine Self, but they also have the capacity to receive and translate guidance on behalf of their fellow man. These perceptions or messages may come from the other person’s Higher Self, or courtesy of non-physical entities. The information also comes from the Divine Source, God, or Collective Unconscious. Psychics, mediums and healers therefore have the natural ability to allow energy to flow through them to others, and on behalf of others. We all grow up with the weight of history on us. Our ancestors dwell in the attics of our brains as they do in the spiraling chains of knowledge hidden in every cell of our bodies ~ Shirley Abbott ​ I do not claim to know all the answers to the mysteries of the Universe, but in my experience psychic ability is hereditary. There is however much disagreement on this subject. Many in my field of work agree there is an undeniable genetic link ; while some believe that psychic ability is merely developed intuition and that anyone can achieve this level of extra-sensory perception, while others are of the opinion that a combination of nature and nurture is required to produce a truly talented psychic. I also believe that 'nurture' plays a role in activating psychic genetic potential in an individual, but this does not happen by accident, or coincidence. My conviction that there is a definite genetic connection is based on the fact that I am a hereditary psychic myself. I inherited this ability from my paternal grandmother. Many fellow psychics also report knowing of psychic family members , especially grandparents. For some reason the ability often skips one generation in many families. Many colleagues I have spoken to all report that they had exceptional extra-sensory experiences in their childhood, or that they knew from a very young age that they were different from other children. You often also find a strong extra-sensory bond between twins and siblings, and in some cases an incredible psychic connection is shared by identical twins, such as the famous psychic twins Terry and Linda Jamison. This psychic connection often found with twins clearly suggests that there must be an underlying genetic component to psychic ability. I have been asked why it is then that some psychics, if they were in fact born that way, only discover or develop their abilities much later in life? In my experience, especially from psychic development courses I have conducted over the years, some people are born exceptionally gifted and simply don’t know it; or they suppress it initially, when they first discover it. For this reason some people only develop their psychic ability much later in life, often due to significant life events. In many cases it even seems that these life events may in fact happen to force them to become aware, or to accept their life calling. ​ For example, people who have had a near-death experience (NDE) sometimes report an increase in their psychic ability after the event. For others their psychic abilities surface during, or after times of severe physical or emotional trauma, such as intense stress, serious illness, major accidents, or exposure to extreme physical danger. There are also known cases of psychics whose paranormal abilities surfaced or intensified due to brain injury. For example, the famous psychic medium Edgar Cayce fell off a fence post on his parents farm around age three and reportedly hit his head on a piece of wood with a nail protruding from it. The nail punctured his skull and caused injury to his brain, but there were no serious consequences, except that he became the most documented psychic in human history. I am the family face: flesh perishes, I live on, projecting trait and trace through time to times anon, and leaping from place to place over oblivion ~ Thomas Hardy I do feel that psychic ability is a combination of both nature and nurture, as is the case with any other talents, genetic inclinations, or biological predispositions we may be born with. In my view psychics are born with a latent hereditary or genetic capacity , but their ability is further developed by their upbringing, their childhood environment, education and life experiences. I also believe we choose these environments, circumstances and experiences before we come into this lifetime. We choose it to give us the best possible chance of activating our psychic genes, in order to ultimately fulfil our life calling. In my case, however there was very little ‘nurture’, because I grew up in a society and home environment where my psychic abilities were not encouraged. In fact, I got into serious trouble for it in school, during my early teens. Adults were often shocked or annoyed when I blurted out their deepest secrets in front of strangers, and children were fearful, because I sometimes pointed out the presence of spiritual entities or ‘things’ they did not see. I eventually believed that my psychic ability was something to be ashamed of and I suppressed it for many years . I did have a near-death experience in my late 20’s. I also experienced several other major life events that have contributed to the sharpening of my psychic abilities . But none of these experiences were the original source or cause of my extra-sensory ability, because I was aware of having extra-sensory awareness and paranormal perceptions from a very young age. I have also never attended any psychic development courses or mediumship circles. But my childhood environment and early adulthood experiences certainly did enhance my psychic sensitivity and spiritual awareness. We can all learn to develop our innate abilities; it does not necessarily mean we will all excel at it. Most of us can learn to play the piano, or draw pictures, or play basketball and soccer. Some of us will even learn to do these things extremely well, but not all of us have the kind of talent that can be nurtured for us to become the next Ludwig van Beethoven, Pablo Picasso, Luciano Pavarotti, Barbra Streisand, Meryl Streep or Michael Jordan. I do not, however, support the idea that hereditary psychics, mediums and healers are somehow spiritually superior or more highly developed. I do not subscribe to any kind of hierarchy, or a 'chain of command' in the spiritual sense. There is no 'pecking order' in the spiritual realm, because that would imply that in our original spiritual state some of us were ‘imperfect’ or more ‘flawed’ than others, before we came into this lifetime. It is my conviction that in our original spiritual state we are breathtakingly perfect, completely harmonious and utterly flawless. Some of us are not ‘better’ or 'more evolved' spiritual beings than others. That kind of thinking smacks of the values of the old think Material Ego or False Self. Rank, status, levels, and hierarchy are all man-made concepts often used to oppress, suppress, control and exclude others. In my mind these things are not of Spirit. So, if psychics are not spiritually more evolved, why are they born with these 'special psychic genes’ or into psychic families? And what does genetics or heredity have to do with spirituality and the paranormal anyway? Well, it is quite simple, really. To have exceptional psychic ability is a Life Calling and therefore a life purpose or spiritual mission that the psychic, medium, channeler or healer decided upon as part of their Life Plan, before they came into this lifetime. As a soul incarnating with the life mission to act as an energetic conduit or surrogate on behalf of others, they will need the right kind of physical instrument or material form to get the job done, as well as the ideal nurturing environment . They will need a human body that is genetically equipped with the necessary capacity for receiving, processing and transferring significant amounts of metaphysical energy at high frequencies and intensities. In other words, the soul who plans to enter into the Life Calling of a psychic, medium, channeler or healer chooses before birth a set of parents from a certain family with a history of developed psychic talent, which evolved through many generations, who will provide the ideal genetic make-up, combined with the necessary environmental influences needed to ultimately fulfill their Soul Purpose and Life Calling. Similarly, Beethoven, Picasso, Pavarotti, Streisand, Streep and Jordan also chose their parents and genetic heritage, which ultimately enabled them to do what they do best. ​ Excerpt from the book, Divine Living: The Essential Guide To Your True Destiny. © 2012 Anthon St Maarten 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.

Are you aware of the fact that you may have missed a miracle or two on your way to work or school today? When last did you stop to smell the roses? Count any blessings lately? There are many things that may be considered as lacking in the world today, and there are many lightworkers, dreamers and spiritual activists who make every effort to remind us of these missing elements. But one aspect that is too seldom addressed is our lack of true appreciation and gratitude . ​ Spiritual seekers tend to be very keen to beat the drum of abundance – which is too often merely a thinly disguised obsession with material wealth and earthly comforts. We simply take too much for granted every day; blessings of Joy, Beauty and Divine Grace are seldom acknowledged in our lives. How spiritually aware can we truly be if we hardly ever stop to smell the roses? ​ Have you heard the story of the internationally acclaimed violinist who disguised himself as a street busker with a baseball cap, and then proceeded to play Bach undercover at a metro subway station? To speak gratitude is courteous and pleasant, to enact gratitude is generous and noble, but to live gratitude is to touch Heaven ~ Johannes A. Gaertner An email outlining this intriguing story has been circulating since December 2008. There have been claims that it may be a hoax, or an urban myth, but it is indeed a true story. The event was captured on video with a hidden camera. ​ Washington Post columnist Gene Weingarten created this interesting social experiment, with the assistance of renowned violinist Joshua Bell . He wanted to find out if people would notice music played by a celebrated artist, compared to that of an ordinary street musician. Would they even bother to stop and listen? Joshua Bell was awarded the Avery Fisher Prize in 2007 and has sold more than 5 million copies of his first recording, which remained at the top of the classical music chart for over 50 weeks. Surely, a classical instrumentalist of his caliber performing in public would instantly be noticed, or even recognized by some people. But sadly that never happened. Bell played for 45 minutes at L’Enfant Plaza in Washington, D.C. on January 12, 2007. More than a 1000 people passed by in that short period, and they all basically ignored the virtuoso. Only seven people stopped for a moment to listen, and only one recognized him at all. Bell collected a whopping $32.17 from 27 charitable passersby. Just three days prior, he played at the Symphony Hall in Boston, to a sold out audience who paid around $100 per ticket for the relatively good seats! Gene Weingarten won the Pulitzer Prize for feature writing in 2008 for his article Pearls Before Breakfast , which he wrote about this experiment. Audio and video recordings of the event are available at the Washington Post website. The email that has been circulating reads as follows: ​"A man sat at a metro station in Washington DC and started to play the violin; it was a cold January morning. He played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time, since it was rush hour, it was calculated that thousand of people went through the station, most of them on their way to work. Three minutes went by and a middle aged man noticed there was musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried up to meet his schedule. A minute later, the violinist received his first dollar tip: a woman threw the money in the till and without stopping continued to walk. A few minutes later, someone leaned against the wall to listen to him, but the man looked at his watch and started to walk again. Clearly he was late for work. The one who paid the most attention was a 3 year old boy. His mother tagged him along, hurried but the kid stopped to look at the violinist. Finally the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children. All the parents, without exception, forced them to move on. As each day comes to us refreshed and anew, so does my gratitude renew itself daily. The breaking of the sun over the horizon is my grateful heart dawning upon a blessed world ~ Terri Guillemets In the 45 minutes the musician played, only 6 people stopped and stayed for a while. About 20 gave him money but continued to walk their normal pace. He collected $32. When he finished playing and silence took over, no one noticed it. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition. No one knew this but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the best musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written with a violin worth 3.5 million dollars. Two days before his playing in the subway, Joshua Bell sold out at a theater in Boston and the seats average $100. ​ This is a real story. Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station was organized by the Washington Post as part of an social experiment about perception, taste and priorities of people. The outlines were: in a commonplace environment at an inappropriate hour: Do we perceive beauty? Do we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognize the talent in an unexpected context? ​One of the possible conclusions from this experience could be: if we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world playing the best music ever written, how many other things are we missing?” ​ Sources: Gene Weingarten , The Washington Post ; Barbara and David P. Mikkelson, Snopes.com ; David Emery, About.com . © 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.

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.

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.

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.

If you are currently facing a difficult period in your life, please do know that it will not last forever! Better days will be knocking on your door in due course. Time does not only heal all wounds, it also reveals to us the method in all the madness we had to go through. We are often blinded by our own trauma or suffering. For example, earlier today one of my clients begged me to explain to her why she has been having such “bad luck” lately. What had she done to deserve this hell she is going through? ​In my experience, the pain or anguish we experience in our lives always turns out to be a blessing in disguise, one way or another. But in the midst of our misery it is obviously difficult to see this clearly and objectively. ​What my ‘bad luck’ client did not know, before she called, was that she has healing in her hands, and that all her torment was empowering her to heal others in the future. She knows that now, although I suspect she does not believe me yet! In time her true destiny will be revealed to her. When I stand before thee at the day’s end, thou shalt see my scars and know that I had my wounds and also my healing ~ Rabindranath Tagore It is an undeniable fact that we humans tend to take things for granted very easily. Due to our inherently inquisitive and hedonistic nature, and our constant need for excitement and novelty, we tend to lose interest all too soon in all the good things we have going for us in our lives. We seldom count our blessings! Without the contrasts created by loss, disappointment or suffering, it is unlikely that we will ever truly treasure the real blessings in life, like our health, our talents and our family and friends. 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. Yes, life can be challenging, with a few brilliant peaks, and many dark valleys. But that is why we are here. We are spiritual beings seeking human adventure. We certainly did not sign up to come into this world for a perpetual snooze-fest! Whatever it is you are going through right now, you may want to consider the possibility that we create many of these life challenges for ourselves, before we come into this lifetime. I do believe that we design our own life plan, like a thrilling obstacle course, before we are born. We incarnate into the physical realm, armed and ready with a blue print or road map for exploration of new horizons. Yes, your life is an adventure of continued expansion and evolution into higher consciousness! In order to complete this amazing journey successfully, it is vital that we turn each and every dark tear into a pearl of wisdom, find the blessing in every curse. Do not imagine for one moment that I make these sweeping statements lightly. Believe me, I have not had an easy life. Far from it. Like many fellow seekers, I also went through a Dark Night of the Soul , only difference being that mine lasted longer than most. It started in my pre-teens and continued well into adulthood. For most of my life my psychic heritage and my empathic nature was a burden, a curse and a shameful secret. I experienced much abuse, prejudice, social alienation and personal suffering because of it. I also faced many additional personal obstacles and challenges. I walked the valleys of the shadows of life for a very long time. Today I know and accept that I was meant to be a guide, advisor and healer for others. If I had not gone through all my personal trials and tribulations , I would be pretty useless to others, and my psychic gifts would have been neglected or even completely lost, or wasted. I also discovered over the years Carl Jung’s archetype of the wounded healer , which explains the road I had to travel to where I am today. The wounded healer is empowered by his own healing journey. I have seen the darkness of human misery, and I survived to tell others what a beautiful blessing life truly is. Personal suffering inspired me towards much wisdom and compassion, and it can do the same in your life! I live in constant gratitude and appreciation for all that I have experienced, because it enables me every day to help and support others; to heal broken hearts, transform lives and guide people on their path towards personal fulfillment. Instead of choosing the role of martyr or victim, know that once you liberate yourself from your ego-based suffering , you will become a source of great comfort for others . Once your ‘dark night’ has passed, nobody else will be better suited to teach the valuable life lessons that you had to learn yourself, through so much misery and sacrifice. During these trying times do not settle for bitterness, self-pity or resentment. Embrace instead the divine miracle of your path to greater awareness and understanding. Acknowledge your growing empathy for others, and validate and cherish those people who stand by you, for better or worse. We heal the past by living in the present and visioning the future we deserve. There is much light at the end of this tunnel, and some day soon you too shall find that silver lining. © 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.

The prophets, the gurus, the philosophers and all of their disciples may have been on to something all along. Like it or not, it appears each and every one of us is required to become a mystic, a god in our own way. And we do have that responsibility towards our fellow man. It is no longer only about ourselves. If you and I truly want to survive and have a better quality of life, we are going to have to jump on to the spiritual bandwagon. ​It is easier than you may think. To kick-start a more brilliant future we simply need to acknowledge the fact that we are more psychic than physical. Now take a deep breath and relax - nobody said anything about getting togged up in saffron robes. Neither did I suggest pagan rituals or flying to Africa to adopt an orphan. Only you can own your inner power and u nlock your spiritual potential for a brighter future. No robes, rituals, or exotic pilgrimages required. All that is needed, is for you and me to find a way to help push the evolution of man forward and truly make the world a better place. We are the masters, the creators of our own reality. You and I are, in fact, potential gods. If you are at this point considering burning me at the stake or at the very least making a phone call to your pastor, rest assured, it is not my intention to slate anyone’s religion. If your current belief system can assist you in making the evolutionary leap with the rest of us, please be my guest. However, if a few guilty prayers or Tarot readings every other weekend is your idea of being spiritual, we are going to have to leave you behind when the ‘rapture’ occurs. Furthermore, if your religious convictions require or, even worse, encourage you to be biased, rigid, bigoted, authoritarian, prejudiced, dictatorial, intolerant, narrow-minded, dogmatic, blinkered or cruel, I beg you on behalf of all of humanity to kindly reconsider! A few of us may think that we prefer our modern status as absolute individuals or religious fundamentalists. Some of us may continue to believe that acquiring more material possessions, business success, political achievement, sensual satisfaction or fame is the true path to enlightenment. ​​Others trust that the day we finally meet the boy-next-door will make it all seem worthwhile. But deep-down most of us have come to realize the disturbing truth. Spirituality is a necessity, not a luxury. It provides a framework for moral and ethical guidance, a source of comfort during challenging times, and a sense of community and belonging. Many philosophical and religious traditions emphasize the importance of spiritual awareness as a pathway to fulfillment and purpose in life. Critical Spiritual Mass If you remain skeptical, let me ask you this. If your life thus far has been so meaningful and remarkable, why are you feeling so lost, bored and disillusioned? If having all this personal freedom is so phenomenal, why are we feeling so frustrated and jaded? If family, friends or love-for-the-weekend is all we need, then why are we so disconnected and isolated – why are we so lonely? If dogmatic religion is the only true answer, why are we still killing or starving each other to prove that my god is better than thine? And, by the way, have you had a good, solid look at the state of your tap water recently? Fact is, we need to reach a critical spiritual mass as soon as possible. It appears to be the only answer. Nothing else seems to have worked very well thus far. Corporations and media moguls have become our false prophets . Technology and trade our false idols. Sedated Souls & False Idols The problem is that our innate fear of the unknown and our inability to think out-of-the-box makes us cling to the past and the familiar and the predictable. We continuously recycle old ideas and outdated commandments to solve our present day problems. Too many of us remain stuck in the age of Humanic Man. We continue to search for the answers by applying reason, exerting control, following regimens or establishing rigid rules and regulations. Many of our artists, philosophers, innovators, scientists and entrepreneurs have been swept away by the tyranny of linear thinking, the mass media and materialistic pursuit. We continue to wage wars, and in spite of everything we have suffered there are yet more rumors of wars – across borders and in our streets. Corporations and media moguls have become our false prophets. Technology and trade our false idols. Meanwhile, our imagination-deprived children are increasingly being medicated or incarcerated to sedate the soul and suppress the spirit. If you so wish, please go ahead... explain to me how all of this is working for us? Obviously, most of us feel no urgent need or desire to save the world, or for that matter, the noisy people living next door. But one thing is sure, if we are to have any chance at improving our quality of life and find ultimate peace of mind, you and I are going to have to make several significant changes to our culture and our society. Merely maintaining the status quo is just not going to cut it. © 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.

I don’t know about you, but I am pretty sick of modern society as we know it and I want things to be different. There must be a better way, right? We have finally evolved ourselves into a culture of self-inflicted misery based on a cynical approach to life. We need a new direction. We desperately need a global spiritual awakening, a divine revolution, a mystical uprising. ​ The only other alternative seems to be a major natural disaster beyond our wildest expectations, something catastrophic which will force us to look at each other differently and move towards solidarity. For many centuries we have tried and tested a variety of political systems. All of them have failed dismally. The small groups of people who lead our nations remain incapable of sticking to ideals for the greater good. If only more of us were better equipped to hear the call of our inner voice , we may eventually have no further need for secular authority. ​ Eventually they always end up furthering selfish secular interests at the expense of others - and we don’t often see anyone complaining about this. If only more of us were better equipped to access the collective unconscious and hear the call of our inner voice, we may eventually have no further need for secular authority. Our natural resources are being depleted and our civic consciousness has become eroded. If only more of us accepted that everything around us belongs to all of us, would we not cease to compete for the rightful resources we simply need to share? Neither is there a need for crime, unemployment and a loop-holed legal system. If I simply accept that I am my brother’s keeper, why should anyone have to suffer? Hendrik van Loont​ wrote, "The world is in dreadful need of men who will assume the new leadership – who will have the courage of their own visions and who will recognise clearly that we are only at the beginning of the voyage, and have to learn an entirely new system of seamanship." © 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.

Our world seems to be in political, cultural, and environmental chaos. But we are also living in great times! We are witnessing the dawn of a new age of conscious evolution that has the long-term potential to completely transform humanity and the world as we know it. Yes, the world has gone a little crazy. But there is method in the madness. The "mess" we have made is part of our evolutionary process. We did not get here by accident. It's all part of a divine plan, an evolutionary blueprint. Philosopher Gerald Heard recognized this fact decades ago when he speculated in his 1964 book The Five Ages of Humanity on the evolutionary growth of our cultural consciousness and the psychological makeup of modern man. He proposed that in prehistoric times we were largely primitive and content with our daily existence. We were essentially 'pre-individual' and 'co-conscious.' There was little awareness of "me, myself, and I." And because of our ancestors' pre-individual state of mind, they lived together in perfect harmony...most of the time! While our world seems to be in political, cultural and environmental chaos, we are also living in great times Of course, the state of 'pre-individuality' became very dull and boring after a while. The humdrum existence of Co-Conscious Man must have been remarkably uninspiring, with everyone thinking the same way and no new ideas coming to the fore. Over time, the need for adventure, exploration, and novelty grew, paving the way for the emergence of Heroic Man. We began to strive for more. To be bigger, better, stronger. But all the conquests and victories of the heroic period brought us very little satisfaction, because our mental capacity meanwhile increased and our consciousness shifted from outer adventure to inner discovery. Humanity had reached adolescence. As expected, the world then increasingly became a very confusing place. We needed answers, we needed guidance, and we needed belief systems and moral values. Thus, Ascetic Man emerged and created the world's great religions. But in the name of our religions, we also destroyed many of our fellow human beings in order to promote or protect what we had come to believe. As an unwelcome bonus to this newfound sense of higher purpose, we thus inherited a great deal of guilt, shame, and further confusion. The Age of Indigo Man is the dawn of the Age of Aquarius. It is the advent of a new age of conscious evolution Then Humanic Man came to the rescue with the arts and sciences. The individual escaped the confines of the collective tribe. We pursued logic, rational analysis, and the subjugation of the subconscious. The collective unconscious became increasingly dismissed, and humanity's spiritual interconnectedness began to suffer. Meanwhile, we moved on to increasingly destroying our environment and initiating the potential collapse of our natural resources. According to Heard, we are now living in the age of Leptoid Man, or as I prefer to call it, the Age of Indigo Man. While our world seems to be in political, cultural and environmental chaos, I believe we are actually living in great times! What we are currently witnessing is simply growing pains or an initial 'new world disorder.' The Age of Indigo Man marks the dawn of the Age of Aquarius. It is the advent of a new age of conscious evolution as proposed by the late Barbara Marx Hubbard and other thought leaders such as Deepak Chopra, Ervin Laszlo, Jean Houston, Barbara Brennan and Ken Wilber. The idea of conscious evolution is rooted in the understanding that humanity has reached the capacity to intentionally guide its own evolution. It emphasizes the role of global human consciousness and personal awareness in shaping the future of both the individual and the co-created collective. Key principles associated with this concept include: Awakening Consciousness We are living in a time of gradual global awakening to a higher level of consciousness. There is a shift in perspective and awareness that is allowing a growing number of people around the world to awaken to the fact that we are all an integral part of a larger, interconnected whole. Collective Co-Creation We are all active participants in the process of creating our collective reality and future. We have a co-creative relationship with the unfolding of evolution, in which we direct our personal growth and spiritual expansion, as well as contribute to global evolution and the expansion of the universe. Personal Responsibility Conscious evolution automatically implies personal responsibility for our personal growth, spiritual expansion, and highest good. It implies a commitment to self-awareness, accountability, and self-mastery, as well as a meaningful contribution to the broader evolutionary process and greater good. Emergent Spirituality A global awakening to higher consciousness is leading more and more of us to explore our connection to a greater purpose and our true spiritual origins. There is a growing shift away from a materialistic worldview to one that embraces a deeper, more spiritual understanding of life. Positive Visioning Conscious evolution is encouraging more of us to envision a more positive, hopeful future. Spiritually awakened people around the world are increasingly cultivating a new vision for our world that is more peaceful, harmonious, and sustainable, where all living beings and the planet can thrive. Collaborative Action Conscious evolution is not only a philosophical or spiritual concept, but also a call to action. It encourages us to come together and collaborate on projects and initiatives that contribute to the positive evolution of humanity and the protection of our planet. Joining our minds, hands and hearts is the only way to effectively address the global challenges we face today. Evolutionary Leadership We need to pursue and promote a new form of leadership rooted in a solid understanding of conscious evolution. We must elect and follow evolutionary leaders who inspire and guide others toward positive and transformative change. The time has come to reclaim our transcendental values — even if we cannot yet prove them all scientifically! We must recognize the urgent need for all of us to leap into a much broader and higher level of consciousness. We have reached a new stage in our evolution and we must either accept personal and spiritual responsibility, or face global catastrophe. This is our ancestral and karmic legacy and our only true destiny. © 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.

Do you increasingly feel that your life has no meaning? Has God gone blind or deaf? Why are we so disconnected? Why are we so lonely, bored, tired, frustrated? Why is our society and environment in such disarray? The misery of modern existence is not just your imagination. There is no melodrama in what many of us perceive as a world gone mad. But you may also be surprised to learn that our predicament is not as bad as it seems. Our existential chaos is not the work of a wrathful God. Humanity may seem to be headed for catastrophe one way or another, but we are actually headed for a brighter day — as long as we have people like you and me on board. The most pessimistic among us may anticipate calamity or utter ruin of biblical proportions. Our future on earth does seem destined for disaster. Depending on your background or religious beliefs, you may even see this as an undeniable fact. It is reasonable to be somewhat uneasy about our future, but there is no need to be overly concerned. How can this be? Well, because many of us have made a simple choice, a life-changing decision. And now it is your turn. Only you can awaken your inner divinity to emerge as a titan of spiritual enlightenment. You can continue to chase your own tail in the world economic circus to earn more, own more, control more, fear more, and destroy more. You can drown yourself in information overload or choose to lounge around in la-la land - drugs, sex, television, dogmatic religion. You can continue to hop from relationship to relationship, repeatedly change careers, move from country to country, or adopt several different religions. These are all very worthwhile pursuits, even if they don't bring you lasting peace or fulfillment. On the other hand, you can immerse yourself in our true collective destiny. You can awaken your inner divinity to emerge as a titan of spiritual enlightenment. You can save yourself and you can save me. You can help to save us all. Yes, you. Our fate does not depend solely on government officials, activists, billionaires, church leaders, or social media influencers. The future also depends on you too. It is time to awaken. Our future is in your hands. It may come as a surprise, but many people now know that the quality of our lives is entirely up to us. Yes, we create our own reality. And those who know this also realize that we have a divine duty to change our ways and the world we live in for the better. When you know this, you also know that the solution is simple. Each of us has a job to do, a duty to ourselves, to others, and to the planet. The daily foundation of your life should be your spiritual awareness. It is not about making more money, having more children, or chaining ourselves to endangered trees (although you are welcome to keep up the good work). If we are to have any chance of making life on this planet joyful, peaceful and deeply meaningful, for ourselves as well as future generations, we must expand ourselves spiritually. There, I said it. The S-word! Spirituality should become the daily foundation of your life, if it is not already. Finding your soul purpose in a chaotic world is vital. I speak from experience because I deal with this truth every day in my work with people around the world. Should you choose to embrace your spiritual path, you will have the power to change far more than just yourself, your community, or your nation. You have within you the potential to help change our species for the better. Now, becoming more spiritual in this 'insane asylum' we used to call Mother Earth is easier said than done. Many of us simply have no idea how to go about it. And if we do, will it really make a difference? This is what I hope to reveal to you in my books, blog posts and channeled readings: your inner divinity, your true destiny and the real meaning of your life, and how to finally grab hold of your soul plan and life purpose to make a real, lasting difference and start living your best life! © 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.