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

The most common psychic experience, yet also one of the most intriguing and underestimated, is the phenomenon of psychic intuition or clairintuition, also known as premonition, presage, foreboding, presentiment, and informally as ‘gut feelings’ or ‘hunches.’ The term intuition derives from Latin intueri meaning ‘to look at, consider,’ and intuicioun meaning ‘insight, direct or immediate cognition, spiritual perception.’ The mainstream notion of ‘intuition’ is however rife with myth, misconception, and even controversy. This muddle is in part due to different fields using the term to mean different things. “Given this range of uses, nothing can be said about intuition in general,” remarks philosopher Richard Rorty. [1] For example, psychologists define intuition as ‘unconscious thought,’ [2] or ‘unconscious pattern-matching cognition’ [3] , while in spirituality and metaphysics intuition is customarily regarded as an innate spiritual knowledge. It is in fact described by mystics and spiritualists of many traditions throughout the ages [4] , while occultists, esoteric scholars and metaphysicians conceive of it as the true ‘sixth sense.’ The phenomenon of 'intuition' or authentic psychic foreboding is generally misconceived by science and misconstrued in popular culture. Dictionary definitions of intuition range from it being ‘direct access to unconscious knowledge,’ or ‘inner sensing and insight,’ to ‘unconscious cognition,’ or ‘the ability to understand something instinctively, without any need for conscious reasoning.’ For both the practicing and developing psychic or medium it is vital to understand the true nature and role of intuition in the context of authentic psychic perception, beyond these misconstrued popular notions. INTUITION & INSTINCT Primitive man relied heavily on his everyday intuition. He thought in images and symbols, listened to his ‘inner voice,’ and followed his ‘gut.’ Early man fluently spoke the language of the soul, the metaphysical dialect of his spiritual origins. Intuition is the ‘native tongue’ of the mind-soul. It transcends the everyday time-space reality and the physical senses. We are all born with this innate ‘soul language,’ because we are spirit beings in human form. Orthodox science however typically argues that intuition is merely an ‘evolutionary intelligence’ that developed from our primitive, animalistic survival impulses and instincts. Statements like ‘rely on your instinct’ and ‘trust your gut’ are therefore often used interchangeably. It is typically assumed that instinct and intuition are the same thing, but this notion is based purely on a physical, ‘mind-brain’ view of consciousness and does not accurately reflect everyday intuitive experiences. Psychologist Marcie Boucouvalas writes “the intuitive realm has been functional since the dawn of humanity” and “we are all still pioneers and pilgrims on the pathway of better understanding human consciousness.” She believes it essential to transcend the traditional ‘either, or’ way of thinking about rational and intuitive modes of knowing. She adds however that “even if one accepts the validity of intuition, questions beckon.” Is the source of knowledge outside of and beyond the senses, located in a capacity of the human species that we do not yet fully understand? Or does it originate in the senses at a less than conscious level of awareness? [5] Neuropsychiatrist George Dearborn finds intuition is indeed “outside the range of physiology and neurology and is an unconscious process of the mind .” [6] Psychologist Mike Arons says the ‘problematic status’ of intuition is “somewhere between the instincts and the gods,” and the scientific ‘muddle’ around it is due to “skeptical rationalism which is a reactive pole to blind faith.” This has caused the notion of intuition to be either discounted or dismissed. He proposes instead that intuition is supraconscious and its study should thus include spiritual and transpersonal considerations, instead of only pure rationalism.” [7] The human body speaks in urges, impulses, and physical needs, while the soul speaks in premonitions , forebodings, hunches, and gut feelings. As spiritual beings we indeed have physical bodies with certain natural drives and impulses, like the ‘fight or flight’ response when we sense danger, or primal urges to seek out pleasure and avoid pain. These primal instincts have not evolved or changed much since prehistoric times. Despite our many modern advances and sophistication, we remain subject to our primitive instincts. [8] However, as you know from your own intuitive experiences (such as knowing who is calling you before the phone rings, or thinking of long-lost friends and later bumping into them) we cannot attribute all of our gut feelings, hunches, premonitions, and forebodings to mere ‘instinct,’ or a simplistic urge for ‘physical survival.’ In my experience instinct is the subconscious language of the mind-body , while intuition is the subliminal language of the mind-soul . The human body speaks in urges, impulses, and physical needs, while the soul speaks in premonitions, forebodings, hunches, and gut feelings. Intuition is an omniscient, archetypal, transcendental wisdom. It is the core dialect of our inner divinity, our spiritual origins, the eternal soul. We cannot fully access the sagacious, omniscient wisdom of the higher self, or divine self, or spirit through pure human intellect, logic, reason, and analytical thought alone. Instead, we need the ‘soul language’ of our metaphysical ‘inner guidance system.’ Intuition is an aspect of our spiritual essence; an awareness arising from our metaphysical resonance with the universal consciousness or the akashic field. We all experience this mind-soul resonance daily, in the form premonitions, forebodings, hunches, gut feelings, and so on. It is a soul language we are all born with, and it can be further fostered through various spiritual practices, such as meditation, dreamwork, and divination. Ralph Waldo Emerson says, “belief consists in accepting the affirmations of the soul; unbelief, in denying them.” In the book Edgar Cayce on Religion and Psychic Experience , author Harmon Hartzell Bro writes that Cayce recommended that should we seek psychic experiences in our daily life, it should ideally be in the context of spiritual growth, learning about ourselves, or helping others. [9] Of course, as human beings, psychics and mediums also speak the everyday ‘soul language’ of intuition. However, when we channel or read, the intuitive impressions we perceive are not merely ‘inner guidance’ impressions, but instead clairintuitions. Clairintuitive psychic perceptions are not personal spiritual insights or private affirmations, but instead transpersonal and universal insights and affirmations, essentially resulting from an enhanced mind-soul dialect we are ‘wired’ to speak. Clairintuition is an expanded lexicon beyond the everyday language of the soul. It is a supernatural perception aptitude or gift, and not merely a form of ‘developed’ inner guidance. PSYCHICS & INTUITIVES It has become the trend in recent years for some psychic practitioners to refer to themselves as ‘sensitives’ or ‘intuitives,’ instead of using the term psychic . This is mainly a consequence of the negative connotations often associated with the word ‘psychic,’ especially in the mainstream media. For example, reporter Lisa Held writes, “while psychics have traditionally profited from claiming to predict the future or communicating with deceased relatives, many are now working in the general field of wellness, calling themselves ‘intuitives’ or ‘intuitive healers,’ who channel ‘energy’ that helps people discover what they want out of life.” [10] Intuitive counselor Susan King confirms, “I call myself an intuitive because I think it takes away any barriers and removes potential erroneous stereotyping.” [11] Journalist Sara Coughlin notes “as mystical as the professional title ‘intuitive’ might sound, the [intuitives] we spoke with described their abilities in highly sensible, practical terms. Intuition is like a muscle — you need to train it and use it regularly to maintain its strength. Intuition is best utilized if channeled through a more tangible medium, like numerology or tarot. And, most resoundingly, they also made it clear that everyone, spiritual or not, does have a sense of intuition that they can hone beyond that gut feeling. It's just up to the individual whether they choose to do so or not." [12] Psychic ability is an expanded capacity for supernatural perception that transcends the personal sphere of everyday intuition. Clairintuition is not merely a ‘honed gut feeling.’ Although it is indeed true that as spirit beings we all have a built-in capacity for intuition, authentic psychic channeling or reading is in my experience certainly not merely a form of ‘honed intuition.’ Everyone does experience precognition, presentiment, and premonition, because it serves to guide us on a daily basis as metaphysical beings on a spiritual mission — whether we are conscious of it, or not. However, this kind of everyday intuition is personal, private, and individual, and mostly focused on one’s own needs, as well as the welfare of your loved ones. In her best-selling book Anatomy of the Spirit: The Seven Stages of Power and Healing medical intuitive Carolyn Myss agrees, “intuition is neither the ability to engage prophesy nor a means of avoiding financial loss or painful relationships. It is the ability to use energy data to make decisions in the immediate moment.” Patent psychic ability or the expanded capacity for supernatural perception transcends the personal sphere of everyday intuition. Clairintuition is not merely a ‘honed gut feeling.’ In fact, many people often fail to recognize their gut feelings and tend to disregard their hunches — only to later realize its validity, or discover its true meaning (sometimes with disastrous, even tragic consequences). Psychics and mediums however perceive profound transpersonal impressions of clairintuition, mostly on behalf of others . Ironically, we tend to be better at channeling these perceptions for others, instead of for our own benefit! Intuition is an aspect of the inner guidance system or our ‘spiritual GPS,’ while psychic perception is transpersonal, prophetic, omniscient , and numinous. Clairintuitive perception is not merely developed inner guidance or ‘honed intuition.’ It is metaphysical gift of prophetic intuition on ‘supernatural steroids.’ PRECOGNITION & PREMONITION Researchers generally do not apply distinct, separate terms for various forms of predictive psychic perception, as parapsychology traditionally does not distinguish between different forms of prophetic psi. Instead, the term precognition is generally used as an umbrella term to represent all forms of foreknowing (claircognizance), foreseeing (clairvoyance), forefeeling (clairempathy), foresensing (clairsomatica), and foreboding or forewarning (clairintuition). However, psychics and mediums know from direct experience that using such a broad term for all these nuanced prophetic phenomena is an underestimation and a gross misrepresentation of predictive psychic perception. It is not as if new terms must be invented for these concepts, because appropriate, distinguishing terms for these predictive phenomena already exist in the dictionary! Classic terms like prescience, presentiment, premonition, and presage have been around for centuries, yet one is unlikely to find them in modern scientific papers, much less in psychic blogs and social media posts. Prescience : foreknowledge, advance insight, anticipation of the course of future events, divine omniscience. Presentiment: to feel beforehand, a foreboding, an intuitive feeling about the future, a feeling that something will happen, a feeling that misfortune or calamity is coming. Premonition : forewarning, advance warning, prior notice, a strong feeling that something is going to happen Presage: something that foreshadows or portends a future event, a foretoken, a prophetic foreboding, an intuition or feeling of what is going to happen in the future, something sensed beforehand. With the advent of a Newtonian worldview and mechanistic, reductive science, these long-standing, time-honored terms have regrettably become outmoded archaisms. Our ancestors conceived these linguistic concepts to communicate their everyday mystical experiences. Yet, you will not find these terms, for example, in the American Psychological Association’s (APA) online dictionary. [14] The only related terms I found listed are precognition, retrocognition and premonitory dream. It is in fact peculiar that in both psychology and psi research the concept of ‘premonition’ is mostly only found in the context of dream phenomena , as demonstrated by the aforementioned example. Science apparently accepts the possibility that premonitions may occur in dreams, and even in altered states of consciousness, but when a premonition or presentiment occurs in the realm of waking awareness, it can only be a conscious or unconscious ‘precognition.’ True psychic perception is so much more than mere ‘mind-brain’ cognition . In fact, the APA essentially agrees, as it states that cognition is only one of the three traditionally identified components of ‘mind,’ along with affect (feeling) and conation (motivation). Yet, when it comes to predictive psychic phenomena, only one of these three ‘components of mind,’ receives attention and recognition in parapsychology? To my knowledge the APA currently offers no ‘affective,’ nor ‘conative’ terminology for what it calls ‘the purported ability to see or experience future events through some form of extrasensory perception.’ [15] I suspect the concept of precognition has been adopted as the preferred scholarly term because it is more empirically convenient and academically conceivable. The reductive notion of focusing on psi ‘cognition’ only, and the absence of clear terminological distinctions that reflect the fundamental differences between various clairsapient and clairsentient psychic perceptions, is in my view another result of the ‘arranged marriage’ between parapsychology and orthodox science. A recent neuroscience study proposes, for example, that all emotions are merely ‘cognitive states resulting from the gathering of information.’ Conscious experiences, regardless of their content, arise from one system in the brain. Specifically, the differences between emotional and non-emotional states are the kinds of inputs that are processed by a general cortical network of cognition, a network essential for conscious experiences. [16] But philosophers, spiritualists, metaphysicians, occultists, and mystics, including psychics and mediums, have through the ages always known we are not merely ‘computerized robots,’ or ‘information-processing machines.’ Instead, we are inspired, directed, guided, and protected every day by our feelings and intuitions — by ineffable, subjective, and mostly non-cognitive presentiments, premonitions, forebodings, forewarnings, hunches, and gut feelings. Yet, conventional science reduces these prophetic ‘qualia’ — that sometimes save lives and prevent disasters and tragedies — to one simplistic umbrella concept of ‘precognition’ and ‘ anomalous cognition.’ On February 26, 1993, financial executive Barrett Naylor had a premonition, while stepping off a train in New York's Grand Central Station. He felt he should immediately turn around and go home. He followed this gut feeling, which probably saved his life, as later that day a bomb detonated below the World Trade Center, where his office was located. Amazingly, Naylor experienced a similar foreboding eight years later, on the morning of September 11, 2001. Once again, it saved his life. Later he confessed that he felt guilt and regret for not sharing his premonition with others, as he believes it might have helped to save more lives before the attack on the World Trade Center. [17] On the evening of Wednesday, March 1, 1950, a Nebraska church exploded five minutes after the weekly choir practice was supposed to start. Miraculously no one was injured, as the church building was inexplicably empty that evening. All the choir members were ‘coincidentally’ and unusually late for the weekly rehearsal. [18] Although some choir members had mundane reasons for being tardy, including car trouble and overnapping, others had no specific reason to explain why they were late that night. [19] Did the choir members all have a foreboding premonition? If so, it was a shared intuition that was either subconscious or unconscious, but certainly not something of which they were ‘cognitively’ aware. Yet, parapsychology calls it ‘precognition.’ I suspect the concept of precognition has been adopted as the preferred scholarly term because it is a more empirically convenient and academically conceivable concept, while ineffable, old-world notions like presage, presentiment and premonition are inconvenient carriers of esoteric, supernatural, numinous, or mystical connotations. But using terms like these to differentiate between sapient and sentient psychic impressions is necessary in developing a universal psychic vocabulary, as it more accurately reflects and represents our true psychic experiences. For example, not all psychics and mediums have a claircognitive psychic preference for ‘foreknowing.’ They might not necessarily ‘know’ or ‘understand’ something beforehand, but they do ‘feel’ or ‘sense’ it, or even ‘see, hear, taste, or smell’ it. Psychic mind-soul perception is much more than mere ‘mind-brain cognition.’ To clarify the intuition 'muddle' it is therefore necessary for the concept of clairintuition to be clearly differentiated from other types of prophetic or predictive psychic impressions. For a more accurate new conceptual model of psychic perception, I therefore propose the following terms to distinguish distinct types of prophetic or predictive psychic impressions, according to the relevant ‘clair’ preference: Premonition : clairintuitive foreboding Precognition : claircognitive,prescient foreknowing Presentiment : clairempathic, affective forefeeling Prognosis : clairsomatic, somatosensory foresensing Presage : clairsensory apprehensions of foreseeing, forehearing, foresmelling; foretasting; foretouching Excerpt from The Sensible Psychic: A Leading-Edge Guide To True Psychic Perception . © 2022 Anthon St. Maarten REFERENCES [1] Rorty, R. (2021). Intuition. Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Encyclopedia.com. [2] Sinclair, M. (2011). Intuition And Unconscious Thought. Handbook Of Intuition Research. Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd [3] Rosenblatt A.D. & Thickstun, J.T. (1994). Intuition And Consciousness. The Psychoanalytic Quarterly. [4] Intuition. (2018). New World Encyclopedia. NewWorldEncyclopedia.org. [5] Davis-Floyd, R & Arvidson, P.S. (2016). Intuition: The Inside Story: Interdisciplinary Perspectives. Routledge. [6] Dearborn, G. V. N. (1916). Intuition. Psychological Review. [7] Arons, M. (1993). Instinct, Intuition And Supraconscious: De-Alienating Reflections. The Humanistic Psychologist. [8] Nicholson, N. (1998). How Hardwired Is Human Behavior? Harvard Business Review. [9] Harmon, H. (1970). Edgar Cayce On Religion And Psychic Experience. Paperback Library. [10] Held, L. (2019). Psychic Mediums Are The New Wellness Coaches. The New York Times. Nytimes.com [11] Garfinkel, P. (2015). Don’t Call Her A Psychic: ‘Intuitive Counselor’ Susan King Sets Up Shop At Hotel Bel-Air. Los Angeles Times. [12] Coughlin, S. (2018). We Asked 5 Spiritual Workers To Define ‘Intuition’ - Here's What They Said. Refinery29.com [13] Myss, C. (1996) Anatomy of the Spirit: The Seven Stages of Power and Healing. Harmony. [14] APA Dictionary Of Psychology. (2021) American Psychological Association. Dictionary.apa.org [15] Precognition. (2021). APA Dictionary Of Psychology. American Psychological Association. Dictionary.apa.org 16] New York University. (2017) Emotions Are Cognitive, Not Innate, Researchers Conclude. ScienceDaily. [17] Naylor, B. 20/20: The Sixth Sense: ‘Seeing The Future’. Oct 26, 2012. ABC News. [18] Nichols, L. (2010). Remember The Miracle: Church Explosion 60 Years Ago Not Forgotten. Beatrice Daily Sun. [19] Edeal, G. (1950). Why the Choir Was Late. Life Magazine. 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.

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.

A well-meaning friend recently sent me a “Happy Father’s Day” meme. At first, I was a little surprised, since I don't have any children, and my dad passed away many moons ago. Then I thought about it again, and responded, “Much appreciated! I am very proud of the man I raised myself to become.” Yes, indeed. Growing up psychic and sane was certainly no mean feat, since my childhood resembled a combination of the movies 'Matilda' and 'The Sixth Sense,' with a sprinkling of 'The Jerry Springer Show', all set against the backdrop of 'The Handmaid’s Tale.' For many years, I thought I was just really stupid, or weird, even crazy. Many of my earliest memories are of vivid extra-sensory experiences and sometimes traumatic paranormal events. Growing up psychic is certainly not for sissies. I woke up many nights with what I perceived to be 'shadow people' standing next to my bed. I still don't like to talk about those days. ​I am a psychic medium by birth, but only discovered this fact much later in my life. ​There were many signs and synchronicities over the years, of which some were quite exceptional, but due to my stubborn rejection of my psychic heritage, I only managed to connect all the dots many years later. I inherited my psychic ability from my paternal grandmother. Throughout my childhood my dad used to tell us amazing stories of his mother, and how she used to talk to dead people and foretell the future by looking into people's teacups. Family legend has it that as a young woman she was an 'Irish beauty' with pale skin and piercing violet eyes. She was admired, but also feared by some in the small town where she lived in the 1940s and 5o's. Some of the locals would actually cross the road to avoid her. Apparently, word had gotten around that whenever she talked kindly to strangers, someone in that particular family was going to get sick... or kick the bucket... or both! Poor grandma, I'm sure she meant well. However, whenever they needed their fortunes told, or had problems with paranormal activity in their homes, they always knew where to find her. According to my dad, she was a badass 'ghostbuster' in her day! As a matter of fact I had a terribly traumatic childhood. But afterward I sort of reraised myself ~ Michael Gruber I suspected at a very young age that there must be something terribly wrong with me. I was clearly very different from other children, and it was confirmed soon after my 5th birthday, when the headmistress at kindergarten peppered my tongue with cayenne, in front of the whole school, for telling “tall tales” about a mysterious “angel man” watching over us from the corner of the playground, as well as the sad little "ghost girl" who used to play with us on the merry-go-round. Apparently, I was upsetting the other kids, and some of their parents. At first I thought everyone saw, heard and sensed the same things I did, but on that momentous day in daycare, it became very clear that this was not the case. ​The name-calling and bullying escalated by the time I went to school. I was a gifted, unusual child growing up in a very religious and politically conservative society. Nevertheless, I was intuitively drawn to the mystical and the paranormal from a very early age. My mom was not impressed, for example, when she discovered one day that her missing glass bowl had been turned upside down and used as a ‘crystal ball’ to do readings for some of the kids in the neighborhood. Not to mention the fact that those kids were a little freaked out too! What can I say... we had no computer games in those days. ​Growing up in Apartheid South Africa, my childhood environment was shaped by a government policy known at the time as Christelike Nasionale Opvoeding (Christian National Education). This restrictive policy was geared towards social engineering and allowed very little religious or ideological freedom. The Calvinistic and highly chauvinistic values of the regime were drilled into us, and we were programmed not to question authority, and to comply with the prescribed cultural and social expectations of our community. In this stifling environment I was obviously soon misunderstood, ostracized and bullied, to the extent that I began to view my highly sensitive nature and psychic heritage as a shameful secret... as some kind of personal ‘disability.’ ​To be sensitive, emotional and spiritually aware are still taboos in this world, especially for young men. Combine that with being an empathic ‘new age weirdo’ who talks to dead people... and you have the perfect breeding ground for shame, self-hatred and public humiliation. The fact that my parents were emotionally absent, and not at all nurturing or supportive, did not make things any easier. ​I soon realized I had to wear a mask and pretend to be what I am not, for fear of rejection and ridicule. I fervently began to resist my extra-sensory experiences. My fascination with all things metaphysical soon became my ‘dirty little secret.’ At least I no longer blurted out the secrets of unsuspecting adults at social gatherings, which often caused many red faces and awkward silences around coffee tables and barbeque fires. I'm sure many folks were quite relieved that I opted to keep my mouth shut. ​I was fortunate to grow up with a lot of books in my childhood home, and I became the proud owner of a public library card as soon as I could read. Just like Roald Dahl's character, Matilda, books really were my saving grace. Books nurtured, guided and comforted me as a child. Books were my substitute parents and teachers, when the adults in my life failed me. In my late teens, I was fortunate to discovered the classic book, An Experiment with Time by J.W. Dunne, and this helped me a great deal over the years to understand and interpret my dreams, which is a skill I now effectively use in my work. The most important thing I learned from Dunne’s book was that I was not the only guy in the world who sees the future in his dreams. Matilda’s strong young mind continued to grow, nurtured by the voices of all those authors who had sent their books out into the world like ships on the sea. These books gave Matilda a hopeful and comforting message: You are not alone ~ Roald Dahl Oddly, books also brought me a fleeting 15 minutes of popularity among my peers. I was around 13 years old at the time and I used to secretly read books about divination, the paranormal, and mediumship, in the school library. It was the safest, most peaceful place for me to hide from the bullies during school breaks. ​One day three older girls noticed the palmistry book I was reading, and the leader of the pack came over and asked me what it was about. Not used to this kind of attention, especially from older kids, I proceeded to spill the beans, before I even considered how she might respond. Instead of being shocked or amused, she asked me if I could “tell fortunes." Without any hesitation, I said yes. She immediately beckoned her friends over, and insisted I read their palms. I actually knew very little about palmistry, but I was born with the ability to ‘see’ and ‘feel’ things when I touch someone, or hold an object that belongs to them. So, one by one I took their eagerly upturned hands and gave the first psychic readings of my career. I will never forget the expression on their faces as I talked about their problems at home, their schoolwork issues, and all the drama of their teenage romances and the boys they secretly had crushes on. Word spread of the geeky kid in the library who tells fortunes, and soon there was a mob of youngsters waiting for me at the library every day. The library became my ‘psychic parlor’ and a refuge for all the teenage angst of the senior girls. But my newfound fame was short-lived, because the crowding and noise got so out of hand that the school’s librarian had no other choice but to put an end to it. She also sent me to the headmaster’s office, where I received a beating with one of the canes from his extensive collection - for being a disruptive influence, and for doing “the devil’s work.” The following week, at Monday morning assembly, he read from scripture and sternly warned the student body against the evils of witchcraft and satanism. I was just thankful he never called my parents. For a long time, after my stint as the ‘teenage library psychic,’ I refused to publicly acknowledge the existence of psychic or paranormal phenomena. I had by now gone thoroughly undercover, and deep into the psychic closet. Yet, I still was frowned upon by teachers, and rejected and tortured by many of my peers, for daring to be different from the norm. I was a weird kid. Period. On my 16th birthday my father gave me a yellowed, sealed envelope from my grandmother, which she handed to him a few months before her passing. It contained a short letter to his eldest child, explaining my psychic heritage. The letter also contained a St. Christopher pendant, which she said I should wear for my protection. I did not take any of this very seriously at the time, and disregarded all of it as the 'woo-woo' ramblings of an old lady. Sorry grandma, I will apologize to you in person someday, when I finally get back to the Other Side. For many years, I had a problem with intense anxiety and I frequently experienced acute panic attacks. The problem was so severe when I was about 4 or 5 years old, that I had to be rushed to the emergency ward on more than one occasion, and once had to be hospitalized, because I would literally stop breathing. My dad told me years later that on that particular day I was so uncontrollably hysterical, it took the physical strength of two nurses, my dad and the doctor to pin me down for an injection. ​The first time I personally became fully aware of having these panic attacks, and that they were linked to something beyond this world, was when I was about 7 years old and in the second grade. I was sitting on the living room floor one afternoon, paging through a book, when suddenly an intense sense of dread engulfed me. At the same time an ominous 'shadow' descended upon our home, as if the sky had suddenly turned overcast outside. The living room became gloomy as if it was suddenly twighlight. Someone... or something... was in that room with me. Then, I remember feeling somehow very angry...when the pages of the book in front of me began to vigorously page all by itself... from cover to cover... rapidly... like someone flicking through a deck of cards! I was beyond myself with terror! I ran for dear life, jumping over furniture and just about diving through the front door to get out of that house! Outside the sun was shining brightly and it was still a beautiful, peaceful summer's day. I refused to go back into the house for the rest of the afternoon, patiently waiting on the front lawn, until my parents came home from work. ​As a child I felt myself to be alone, and I am still, because I know things and must hint at things which others apparently know nothing of, and for the most part do not want to know ~ C.G. Jung Soon after, I woke up one night from some kind of bad dream. Crying inconsolably, I ran to my parents' bedroom, where my mother lay sleeping alone. My dad was not yet home. Mom could make no sense out of what I was trying to say. She thought I was simply afraid of the heavy thunderstorm outside. Apparently, I was sobbing and repeatedly crying, "Daddy has the moon on his face...!" Later that night the phone call came. My father had been in a head-on collision and had not been wearing his seat-belt. He went through the windshield, head first. The shattered glass cut into his face, leaving a large, deep wound shaped like a half moon across his forehead. He carried that scar for the rest of his life. By the way, that 'self-paging' book was certainly not the first or last time that psychokinetic or telekinetic phenomena happened around me. Psychokinetic occurrences are an almost normal, although very infrequent part of my everyday life since I can remember. For example, it is not unusual for me to somehow crash computers and cash registers everywhere I go, when I am out and about on a particularly emotionally distressed day! A few people in my life have also learned not to stand under any exposed overhead light-bulbs, whenever I'm around, as they do tend to unexpectedly explode from time to time. Same thing happens with street lights. One of the funnier instances occurred inside a grocery store in 2009, on a quiet weekday morning. I was walking down the cereal aisle, minding my business, when a piece of PVC water pipe mysteriously became dislodged and dropped from the ceiling, missing my head by inches. Fortunately, I only had a scratch on my face and my shirt was covered in a muddy slush. Interestingly, most of these everyday 'disturbances' subsided and even disappeared once I began working full-time as a psychic professional. One of the most traumatizing and memorable anxiety attacks happened during the school holidays in the early part of 1983. I was 16 years old at the time and waiting for a bus in Church Street in Pretoria, South Africa, when I was suddenly overcome by the most horrible sense of dread. The anxiety was so overwhelming that I could hardly breathe. I had no idea what might have caused this suffocating feeling, but I just new that I was in extreme danger... and I immediately had to get out of that area! At first I walked, but eventually ran like an insane person for about 2 km (1.3 miles). Then, just as suddenly as it came, the feeling was gone. I came to an exhausted halt, drenched in perspiration, yet utterly calm and relieved. This inexplicable incident was soon forgotten, but in recent years I accidentally discovered its true meaning, after sharing some of my childhood experiences with a fellow psychic. I had never made the connection before, but after doing some further research, I soon realized that a few months after my panic episode, on the afternoon of May 20th, 1983, at least 16 people were killed and about 130 injured in a car bomb explosion in Pretoria. The explosion happened outside the Nedbank Square building on Church Street, at the height of the city's rush hour…just a few steps away from where I had been standing on that day when that dreadful panic attack hit me! So much for psychic overload and being an energy sponge. To this day I wonder if I could have made a difference at the time, had I been more empowered with a better understanding of why I was experiencing these bizarre things. In my early 20’s, I was referred to a therapist by my doctor, in the hope of overcoming my anxiety. It was a miraculous synchronicity that I went to see this particular therapist, because he just happened to be a mainstream psychologist who was also interested in alternative spirituality, energy work and holistic healing. For obvious reasons, he never admitted any of this to me at the time, I only figured it out many years later. Instead of just doing the usual psychotherapy, we also did past life regression and energy healing. At the time I did not understand what he was trying to accomplish; I thought he was teaching me some kind of self-hypnosis. And I thought his therapeutic skills sucked, because he spent most of his time sitting back in his armchair with his eyes closed. After many sessions, during which nothing much happened, I had a major breakthrough one day. I remember suddenly feeling an intense ‘explosion’ in the are of my solar plexus, as if a floodgate had burst wide open. I was pinned to the couch by a powerful stream of energy rushing through what felt like a churning ‘cavity’ in my stomach. It was like a tornado drilling right through my spine, and into the floor below me. It was the most astonishing thing I had ever felt. After the initial shock, an incredible sense of relief and freedom washed over me. The therapist asked me what I was feeling, but I was unable to speak. I was completely paralyzed, as if in a trance. Silent tears were running down my face, and I felt profoundly calm, blissful and at peace. Living a spiritual life may not be easy. It demands total authenticity. It brings you to dance to a unique song that only you can hear fully, and sometimes you dance alone because no others can hear the music ~ Debra Moffitt Years later, I figured out that what I had experienced was an unblocking of my solar plexus chakra, which is the energy center for mental understanding of our emotional life. Interestingly, the spiritual lesson of this chakra is to achieve self-love, and acceptance of our place in the stream of life. The solar plexus chakra is often linked to issues relating to self-image or self-esteem, oversensitivity to criticism, fear of rejection, and fears of our secrets being found out. The information stored in this energy center also relates to personal power, our sense of belonging and the consciousness of self within the Universe . It is the basis for a positive, healthy self-image and connection to one's personal spiritual path and life calling. ​Based on my childhood experiences, I clearly was a prime candidate for developing a problem in this area! Not that any of this mattered much to me at the time. All I cared about was the fact that I never again experienced a single panic attack since that day. On my final visit to the unorthodox ‘shrink,’ he unexpectedly gave me as parting gift a paperback copy of the book Mind To Mind: The Secrets Of Your Mind Energy Revealed, by the late Betty Shine. She was a renowned psychic medium and healer in the United Kingdom, and her book helped me find my way back to who I really was. It opened up a whole new world for me, very far removed from the books on palmistry I used to read in the school library. I soon started doing some of Betty’s meditation exercises. My favorites were Journey to the Centre of the Universe and The Auric Egg. Betty’s exercises became the foundation for my personal psychic re-attunement and my ultimate spiritual awakening. Little did I know at the time that these exercises would eventually become spontaneous experiences that came and went for the next decade. There was a long period when I had recurring dreams and out-of-body experiences of returning to that spiritual ‘university’ on the edge of the Universe, for more and more ‘lessons.’ Betty's book and grandma's pendant were also not the only unusual, synchronistic gifts I received along the way. While I was a senior at university, for example, I became acquainted with a new student, named Rudy. Our friendship was brief, but to this day his synchronous appearance in my life intrigues me. How exactly it happened remains a mystery to me, but one day he just unexpectedly showed up at my door with an unusual gift in a brown paper bag. It was a brand new deck of Rider Waite® Tarot cards. It was not my birthday, or any other special occasion, so I asked him the reason for this unusual gift. His answers still haunts me to this day. “It is best to receive your first deck as a gift, instead of buying it yourself,” he said. Then he left. A few days later I heard that he had dropped out of school and I never saw him again. Sadly, that deck of cards ended up being burned in a bonfire later that year, which a friend and I felt compelled to make in the backyard when we became reborn Christians for a period of time. In 1996, I experienced three consecutive blackouts, or fainting spells, a few weeks apart. I simply fell unconscious for no apparent reason. Twice I badly injured myself, and still have the scars on my left ear and the right side of my forehead. On all three occasions I had profound out-of-body experiences (ODEs). I remember feeling like I was floating and seeing my own body lying on the floor. Then it felt like I was moving very rapidly through a dark tunnel… to a place of safety. It felt like all the sacred knowledge and deepest truths of the Universe were surging through my very being. I also felt intense emotions of well-being, and joy, and peace. It was unbelievable, and so pleasant, that I did not want to return, but I kept hearing a far-off voice telling me that I had to go back, because my work was not done. I felt annoyed that anyone would expect me to go back, but I was being sucked violently back into my body and waking up feeling disoriented, and really miserable. The weird blackouts happened within a period of one month, and I have never experienced anything like it again. After the third incident, I was tested extensively in a medical lab for every possible cause, but nothing was found. They did blood tests, had me running on a treadmill, and even took an MRI scan. Nothing. My doctor was puzzled. Nobody could explain what may have caused me to just fall unconscious, without anything being wrong with my physical health. In fact, I was extremely fit at the time, since I worked part-time as an aerobics and yoga instructor. I was also enrolled for a personal fitness trainer certification course in those days, and it was a source of great amusement for the other students, when I showed up for lectures with a black eye and swollen forehead. Nobody believed my story that I had just fainted for no reason, and they teased me endlessly about “getting wasted and beat up in a pub brawl!” When we are children we seldom think of the future. This innocence leaves us free to enjoy ourselves as few adults can. The day we fret about the future is the day we leave our childhood behind ~ Patrick Rothfuss I had sensed that something significant happened during those blackouts, but I never would have thought that those fainting spells had in fact been near-death experiences (NDEs). The descriptions I read of other people’s NDEs were generally different from what I had experienced, so I did not know what to make of it. Amazingly the answer came to me courtesy of a skeptic! According to research conducted by Dr Kevin Nelson, a leading advocate for brain-based theories for NDEs, the leading cause of near-death experience is fainting. Although Dr. Nelson does not believe that there is anything spiritual about NDEs, he certainly helped me find some answers about my own spiritual and psychic awakening. ​ ​After these experiences, my psychic awareness rapidly began to increase and intensify, although I still did not take it very seriously and kept it secret from friends and family. After all, I had majored in Psychology in the early 90s and knew very well where people ended up who claimed they ‘saw things’ or ‘heard voices’. I had no intention of becoming just another psychiatric statistic. But after several further traumatic life events, and strange disruptions in my professional and personal life, I eventually could no longer avoid the inevitable. I increasingly felt a sense of urgency to fulfill my true life purpose, whatever that may be. I also continued to have vivid dreams and other psychic and paranormal experiences, which I ignored to the best of my ability. Eventually, I could no longer keep up the pretense. The breakthrough came at a point in time when my life seemed to have spiraled completely out of control. I had reached the stage where I simply felt I had nothing more to lose, and I had finally also lost the will to continue the charade. It all came to a dramatic climax, when I found myself late one night searching Google for the most effective, and least messy methods of suicide... until I experienced an unforgettable metaphysical encounter, which ultimately led to a profound spiritual awakening. It may seem somewhat shocking for me to say this, but today I believe that this was the best thing that could have happen to me at that time. While I thought I was giving up on my crazy life, and throwing in the towel, what really happened was that I finally surrendered my resistance to my true self. At first, I smelled a strangely pleasant odor that I suddenly remembered very vividly from my childhood. This distinctive scent always preceded the ‘floating bubbles of light’ which I used to often see as a child. I had completely forgotten about those experiences, yet here they were again... the flickering light specks that look like ‘bundles of fireflies.' The smell they came with was like electricity, or ozone. It was not unpleasant, simply unusual. For a long time I had no way of describing it, until I bought a small air purifier a few years ago. I soon discovered that the faint smell of ozone, which is generated in small quantities by the negative ions from the purifier, was rather similar in scent. 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. ~ Quentin Crisp Then a strangely familiar voice spoke to me telepathically. I remember it telling me to be grateful to be alive; that I live in an abundant Universe, that my life was meant to be happy and joyful, and that I had a unique purpose and a special mission to fulfill in this lifetime. I suddenly remembered where I heard that voice before! It was the voice of my ‘imaginary’ playmate ... that very same ‘angel man’ who watched over me on the playground! He was the one who spoke for the ‘others’, the one who was always there when ‘they’ came to visit. When I started working professionally a few years later, he introduced himself to me as “Jordan.” And as time passed, I discovered that his name was actually “Yarden" from the original Hebrew יַרְדֵן, meaning “the descender,” or “to flow down,” or “descending from above.” It was also revealed to me that the word Yarden consists of the Hebrew letters Yud Resh Dalet Nun, read from right to left. My jaw dropped when I uncovered the meaning of every syllable and I soon realized that "Jordan" was much more than just an individual spirit guide, or my personal guardian angel. Yarden was not a person or a singular being, he was a group of entities, a universal energy, an infinite intelligence. Yud is the 10th letter of the Hebrew alphabet and means "hand." The Zohar states that the Yud represents the head of all creatures, and in the Sephrotic tree the Yud symbolizes wisdom - the stage of concealment which precedes its development into a state of expansion in understanding. Yud is the smallest letter in the alphabet, yet is frequently associated with the large concept of emanation, the highest level in the Four World paradigm of Kabbalah. Resh is the 20th letter of the Hebrew alphabet and means "beginning" or "head". Resh literally means "there is a beginning." Dalet is the 4th letter of the alphabet and means "door" or "doorway." Nun is the 14th letter of the Hebrew alphabet and means "shine, sprout, spread," According to the ancient Kabbalistic text,The Bahir, the bent Nun represents the spinal cord through which the body is fed by the brain​. Go figure. To this day I find it quite mind-boggling when I think of that incredible moment. Behind my desk, in front of the flickering screensaver on my laptop computer, intending to plan my own demise... I experienced instead a deeply significant spiritual breakthrough. I was confronted with an overwhelming and sudden awakening to my spiritual origins. I was reconnected with my inner divinity and higher self in a very powerful way. ​I still did not know what I was going to do going forward, but I finally felt free in that moment to fully acknowledge who I really was, for the first time in my life. For weeks afterwards I was like a hung-over, dazed Rip van Winkle, who had finally woken up after spending many years in a restless, feverish sleep. I was now perceiving with astonishment a sparkling, new, mystical world through the eyes of a newborn. ​​ After that fateful night, my life took a remarkable turn for the better. My daily, humdrum existence changed, in radical ways I could have never imagined. In time everything in my environment began to shape and rearrange itself around me. I experienced one synchronistic event after the other. It was as if the right people and the most perfect opportunities just flowed towards me and crossed my path in a miraculous chain of events. I received daily signs and intuitive confirmations, and at night my dreams were filled with ideas and visions of what needed to be done the next day. The confusing riddle that was my ‘dirty little psychic secret’ finally began to fall into place, and gradually my life began to transform. ​In my youth it was near impossible to find any reliable information on alternative spirituality, metaphysics, psychic phenomena and the paranormal. In those days we did not have films and television shows like The Secret, Psychic Kids: Children of the Paranormal or What The Bleep Do We Know? There were also no Long Island or Hollywood mediums, or any cable TV for that matter. Bear in mind that I basically grew up without television, since it was only introduced to South Africa when I was in my early teens, but I did spend a lot of time in the movies. The closest thing I had to a psychic role-model in those days was the actress Sissy Spacek in the classic Stephen King film Carrie, as well as the stereotypical gypsy fortune-tellers and their crystal balls in my dad’s old comic books. The metaphysical books I could find in the school library were on subjects like the evils of witchcraft, or how Harry Houdini became a debunker of mediumship. No wonder it took me decades to figure out what all the ‘strange things’ were that I was seeing, hearing and feeling! Fortunately, with the dawning of the new millennium, came the TV show Crossing Over with John Edward, which brought me the final missing puzzle piece. Seeing someone whom I could actually identify with, doing this kind of work out there in public, like it was the most natural thing in the world, gave me the courage to finally come out of the psychic closet myself. Today, my quest continues to liberate others from dogma, ignorance, prejudice and fear, and inspire people to live their life by design and fulfill their true destiny. My early life experiences compel me to search for more answers, and it continues to inspire me to teach and write. The confusion and frustration I had to endure as a child, often due to ignorance, fear and intolerance, made me vow to research, learn and share as much as I could about alternative spirituality, psychic phenomena, parapsychology, the paranormal, and metaphysics. If I can spare just one sensitive child unnecessary trauma, inspire just one adult to come out of the 'psychic closet’, or save just one Indigo soul’s life from ending in tragedy, then the bewilderment I had suffered as a child would all be worth it. ​© 2017 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 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.

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. Helping the energetically challenged must always be done from a strong foundation of personal and spiritual self-care. Psychic hygiene and energetic well-being is a matter of always putting on your own oxygen mask before trying to help others who are struggling. If you are out there trying to rescue the energetically deprived without your bulletproof psychic vest, you do so at your own risk and to your own detriment. And if you do, then do not complain about them being "thieves" or "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.

Clairsomatica or psychic somatosensation is a valuable form of psychic perception that until now has been largely underestimated and misunderstood. These profound psychic 'sensations' are perceived by gifted psychics, mediums and energy healers as mental impressions and psycho-physical embodiments of touch, pressure, vibration, temperature, proprioception, pain, and various other medical symptoms and bodily sensations. The supernatural perception of physical sensations and bodily symptoms has traditionally never been adequately acknowledged as a distinct psychic phenomenon — to the extent that it did not even have an appropriate name. Instead, this remarkable psychic perception preference was mistakenly referred to either as clairtangency (psychic touch) or psychometry, or merely considered to be a ‘subtype' under the ill-conceived ‘clairsentience' umbrella. The term ‘clairtangency’ is totally inadequate in this context, as it linguistically refers to only one aspect of physical sensation, namely touch or tactile perception. Psychic sensation is however not only perceived as impressions of ‘touch,’ but also as perceptions of pain, temperature, proprioception, and pressure. Labelling all psychic sensation impressions as ‘clairtangent’ is therefore a misnomer. I have devised the more sensible psychic term of clairsomatica, to elevate this class of psychic impression from its traditional underestimation as merely being a clairsentient ‘subtype.’ The lack of an appropriate term for this type of psychic impression does the psychic abilities of some of the world’s most gifted medical mediums, energy healers, and forensic psychics a gross injustice. For this reason I have devised the more sensible psychic term of clairsomatica, to elevate this class of psychic impression from its traditional underestimation as merely being a clairsentient ‘subtype.’ The term clairsomatica distinguishes somatosensory or somatic perception from all the other psychic perception preferences. Somatic means ‘pertaining to the body.’ It derives from French somatique and directly from the Latinized form of Greek sōmatikos, ‘of the body,’ as well as from sōma or sōmatos meaning ‘the body.’ The somatosensory system in the human body involves the perception of touch, pressure, pain, temperature, position, movement, and vibration. It is spread throughout the body and consists of sensory receptors and neurons in the skin, muscle, and organs, as well as the central nervous system. Somatosensation is a mixed sensory category of physical sensations, which includes: mechanoreception (touch, pressure, vibration) thermoreception (temperature) proprioception (motion, body position) equilibrioception (balance) nociception (pain) Clairsomatica therefore encompasses all forms of psychic somatosensation typically perceived by psychics and mediums as impressions or embodiments of touch, pressure, vibration, temperature, proprioception, pain, and other bodily sensations and medical symptoms. Clairsomatic perceptions commonly experienced by clairsomatic psychics and mediums include: tickling sensations in various areas of the body, but especially the face, back, neck, and hands pressure on the crown of the head chills or goose bumps hair standing on end sensations of being touched or even pushed sudden temperature changes in rare instances sensations of physical trauma, or even ‘blows’ to the body. A haunting example of clairsomatica is reported in the case of the Stans Poltergeist in Switzerland in the 1860’s. Suddenly I felt a soft rustling of the hairs on my left temple, as if caused by a playing finger. Thinking that someone wanted to wake me, I grasped at it with my left hand and felt a soft warm little hand - I felt quite distinctly the thumb and finger. As I did, so it softly withdrew in the direction of the window, where I saw, in sharp relief against the shutters, a dark shape moving slowly backwards and forwards.[1] For awakening clairsomatics these embodied psychic sensations can be unpleasant, disconcerting, even disturbing and traumatic at times. Exceptionally gifted clairsomatics experience all manner of temperature changes, unusual aches and pains, physical discomforts, ‘creepy’ sensations, and a plethora of medical symptoms, including pain, headache, nausea, fatigue, tinnitus, and vertigo. GHOST SYMPTOMS For some this psychic preference can create challenges in their personal life, as some clairsomatics, despite being in perfect health, can ‘feel physically sick’ or experience shared ghost symptoms with a partner, close friend or relative who is suffering an actual illness or disease. Clairsomatics sometimes even experience this psychic version of an 'ailment' without being aware of the other person’s condition. One of the unpleasant ways I sometimes experience this phenomenon is when I do a reading for someone who has a cold, the flu, seasonal allergies, or is simply a heavy smoker. I have, for example, experienced burning sensations in my chest; felt congested and suddenly began to cough inexplicably; and I have even felt my eyelids and nose itching, and so on. There have been times when I would physically ‘choke up’ as I start talking to a client on the phone; or I might develop a headache; or feel intense anxiety, as I prepare to call them. I recall a funny episode when a client awkwardly apologized to me when this happened: “Sorry, I was so nervous to talk to you, I chain-smoked several cigarettes before you called!’ As a child, I frequently had distressing clairsomatic experiences. For example, I felt physically ill and extremely uncomfortable in the presence of people who were suffering from an illness. I was even hospitalized due to this on at least two occasions that I know of. The doctors’ official explanation at the time was that I suffered from some sort of ‘asthma,’ but today I know it was due to an anxiety response brought on by extreme experiences of clairsomatica. Some clairsomatics can experience shared ghost symptoms with a partner, close friend or relative who is suffering an actual illness or disease. I also vividly remember the specific clairsomatic experience that prompted me to consciously begin suppressing these unpleasant impressions. I was attending a children’s theatre performance when I was about ten years old. I was sitting a couple of seats away from a girl about my age, who I later noticed had a broken arm in a cast. It started with me feeling a numb, aching pain and an itching sensation in my right arm, which I perceived for the duration of the show, and quite some time after. Eventually my discomfort became so unbearable, I leaned forward in my seat, with my aching arm bent under my chest, in an attempt to relieve the discomfort. Then I looked over to the side and noticed a cast on the girl’s arm. I instantly experienced another clairsomatic sensation, in which I felt myself ‘falling,’ and then I clearly felt the ‘cracking’ blow to my arm. It was so vivid, it made me sit back up in shocked surprise! The incident was a very unsettling experience at a time in my life when I was old enough to realize for the first time that I could physically ‘feel’ what other people feel. I certainly did not want to have another experience like that, so I deliberately began to suppress my clairsomatic perceptions, and somehow became quite skilled at blocking it out as I grew older. These days, I am less distressed and proactive in managing these experiences, but I generally still make efforts to avoid it. Clairsomatica is something I have never fully embraced, much less attempted to further develop, despite the fact that many clients and friends have told me over the years that they experience a sense of well-being when I’m around, or that I exude some sort of ‘healing energy’ when I channel for them. It certainly explains why strangers tend to follow me around in public places and constantly gravitate towards being in my personal space. CAUSE OF DEATH In mediumship readings, I sometimes experience a more tolerable version of clairsomatica, when I perceive the deceased person’s cause of death. For example, I might feel pressure or tension in the area of my chest, which usually indicates a heart attack, or a sensation of discomfort in the lower part of my torso, which signifies a lung condition or difficulty breathing, and so on. I have also felt ‘blows’ to my body, which usually indicates some sort of accident or violent trauma. I only experience these physical causes of death in ways that are already familiar to me. In other words, I know what chest pain, or the sensation of respiratory inflammation feels like, but I do not have first-hand experiences of what it feels like to be ‘run over by a truck,’ for example. In such cases, I might perceive the information as another type of psychic impression, such as a clairvoyant vision, for example. I recently did a reading for someone whose mother had been brutally murdered several years ago. The client later explained that the perpetrator not only shot the victim, but also drove over her lifeless body with his truck. I have obviously never experienced anything like this myself, so instead of physically embodying this cause of death, I instead perceived a clairvoyant memory flash of a similar scene in the television series The Righteous Gemstones (2019), which I had been binge watching at the time. Not knowing what had happened to her mother, this unusual vision initially seemed bizarre to me, but the client instantly understood its significance. BODY PSI Parapsychology research data for clairsomatic perception is limited and traditionally focused mostly on its role in extreme psi or ‘paranormal’ phenomena, such as spirit possessions, poltergeists, and physical mediumship, as well as mental health pathology – and apparently with much skepticism. For example, physician William Hammond, an outspoken critic of spiritualism, who considers mediumship a ‘mental illness,’ argues that the psychic impressions of being ‘touched’ that some mediums attribute to spirit activity are “merely symptoms of nervous derangement of some kind.”[2] Parapsychologist Christine Hardy however confirms data from spontaneous cases and informal investigations suggest that psi information is indeed sometimes ‘felt’ by the receiver. She calls it a tele-empathicsensation that matches the sender's experience. According to Hardy, this concept of ‘body-psi’ has been formally explored in experiments (such as remote staring), to demonstrate the autonomic system reacts to unconscious psi information.[3] Parapsychologist Dean Radin reports psychophysiology has become increasingly important in the study of various psychic phenomena. Psychophysiology studies mind-body interaction using empirical techniques to identify correlations between inner, subjective experience and objective, measurable bodily responses, such as that of the nervous and cardiovascular systems. Radin says this approach provides objective ways to probe the unconscious mind, which is where psychic information is thought to first arise.[4] Such impressions, operating below the level of conscious awareness, can manifest as subtle changes in the body and may be noticed in the form of chills, stomach clenching or other visceral sensations, heart palpitations, and the presence of goose bumps.[5] Radin concludes that studying these types of psi phenomena are challenging, but that it is viable and that there is a growing interest in this research approach in both psychology and the neurosciences. Detection of unconscious influences in bodily reactions does not provide the same type or level of detail that is available to conscious awareness. But it does provide a way to explore mental activity that is otherwise not available. Using such techniques, telepathy has been explored by looking for correlations in brain activity between pairs of isolated or distant friends. Clairvoyance and precognition have been studied by measuring changes in brain activity, heart rate, skin conductance, and pupil dilation when a person accurately versus inaccurately describes targets distant in space or time. Precognition has been studied by measuring physiological responses before being exposed to unpredictable stimuli.[6] POLTERGEIST SOMATICA Clairsomatic symptoms have interestingly been found to have an inverse relationship with poltergeist activity, which modern researchers argue might be evidence of alterations in the psychophysiology of the so-called poltergeist ‘agent.’ A poltergeist is traditionally believed to be a mischievous ghost or a supernatural being that is responsible for physical disturbances, such as making loud noises and moving objects. The German term poltergeist literally means ‘noisy spirit,’ from poltern ‘make noise, rattle’ and geist ‘ghost.’ The modern hypothesis for poltergeist phenomena is however that it is due to psychokinetic influence by a living ‘agent,’ instead of it being a spirit haunting. Poltergeist phenomena are typically linked to a specific living person, and it usually only happens in the presence of that person.[7] Parapsychologist William Roll finds that when an agent exhibits certain psycho-physical symptoms, the poltergeist phenomena often tend to calm down, or even subside completely. Roll identified this oddity in at least three poltergeist cases he investigated. For example, in one case the paranormal activity subsided after the agent had suffered a bout of epileptic seizures that required hospitalization, and only resumed again once he was treated for it.[8] In another case the poltergeist activity abated when the agent suffered migraine headaches and vomiting episodes, and only flared up again once she had received treatment for these symptoms.[9] PSYCHIC HYGIENE I find the above poltergeist discovery intriguing in the context of my own psychic practice. I believe psychic channeling, mediumship, and energy healing are a calling, and that regularly practicing these gifts or abilities enhances the health and well-being of the practitioner. In fact, I find it odd when other psychics, mediums, and healers complain about constantly ‘feeling drained’ due to the energy demands of their work. For me, the experience is quite the opposite. I find psychic channeling rather energizes me and improves my health and well-being (unless I really overdo it by working too much). It is in fact when I am not working for lengthy periods of time that my health and well-being begins to suffer. I therefore compare psychic work to ‘going to the gym,’ or ‘donating blood.’ It promotes the psychic or medium’s health and well-being. I believe psychic channeling improves auric integrity and balances the flow of chi (universal life force) in the psychic, medium, or healer’s energy field. Psychics and mediums are ‘wired’ to channel or read, and if we do not do it on a regular basis, both our mental and physical health and wellness begin to suffer. In fact, I consider it a functional spiritual necessity, or even a kind of ‘metaphysical hygiene.’ Frequent psychic channeling improves auric integrity and balances the flow of chi (universal life force) in the psychic, medium, or healer’s energy field. I further suspect this may be an underlying cause of mental and physical health problems for many spiritually ‘gifted’ people, especially those who are lazy and negligent, in denial, or simply resistant to their metaphysical abilities. I know of a few colleagues who experienced a marked improvement in their health and well-being once they embraced their gifts and abilities, overcame their hesitance, or resolved their lack of self-trust and self-worth and began to consistently practice psychic, mediumship, or energy healing work. I further believe science might discover new avenues of understanding should it begin to approach psychic phenomena more often from a premise of it being adaptive, rehabilitative, purposeful, healing, or even divinely ordained — instead of attributing it to psychosomatic neuroses, psychopathology, or neurological malfunction. CRISIS SOMATICA Similar to clairempathic phenomena, clairsomatica is also reported in cases of crisis impression, where subjects experience ‘shared illness’ or ‘dying symptoms’ at the time of the crisis. For example, a man whose father was dying was awakened at the exact time of his passing by intense feelings of ‘suffocation,’ while his father was in fact drawing his final breaths in a distant location. I remember grabbing my mouth, forcing it open to help me breathe. I was fighting for all I was worth, but the pains were now unbearable.[10] Author Paul Hawker reports the case of a woman who was awakened one night by the sound of her ‘heart breaking.’ I know it sounds really odd, but that's what it was. I heard it crack and felt my chest sort of splitting. The next day, while driving to work, she suddenly felt a sensation of 'pressure' on the side of her face. I distinctly remember the pressure was that of a cheek lightly pressed against mine, sort of cuddling me. The feeling I was filled with at this time was one of love and support — it felt fine. I then felt a hand holding my hand and 'felt' it had no middle finger. I knew this because there was no pressure in this area. And then it dawned on me. I realized it was my dad's hand; he'd lost his middle finger in a building site accident.[11] Later that day, her husband informed her that her father had passed away during the night from a heart attack. PSYCHOKINETIC SOMATICA Clairsomatica has also been documented in a successful series of psychokinesis experiments conducted from 2013 to 2015 in an Argentinian laboratory with a factory worker named Ariel Farias, who had the ability to raise a table’s legs off the floor by simply placing his hands on it. What makes this study notable in terms of clairsomatica is that Farias reported ‘feeling a sensation of heat’ in his hands whenever he was able to lift the table. However, temperature measurements showed his hands and forearms were in fact cold while he was performing telekinesis, leading researchers to conclude that the experience of heat in his hands is a purely subjective sensation.[12] Farias also reported feeling as if he was ‘merging with the table’ during successful trials. The very moment the table began to move, he felt sensations similar to those felt by an airline passenger when the plane takes off. He also said that when the table leg rises, it’s ‘similar to when you put on your shoes; at the beginning you feel the difference between bare and covered skin, but in a few seconds, you forget this difference and begin to feel the shoes as a part of you.’ He also described the inverse sensation (removing one’s shoes) when the force disappears, and the table leg falls down to the floor.[13] MIRROR-SYNESTHESIA Scientific evidence for clairsomatica has further been documented in studies of a special form of synesthesia known as mirror-synesthesia or pain synesthesia. Mirror-synesthetes feel a matching sensation in the same part of their body as another person. Seeing someone else being pinched on the cheek, for example, would cause the mirror-synesthete to feel a similar sensation in their own cheek. These studies not only provide unmistakable evidence for the existence of this type of synesthesia,[14] but also that it is not merely a form of vicarious empathy [15] and that it correlates with increased levels of emotional empathy.[16] Neurologist and researcher Joel Salinas estimates about 1.5% of the general population experiences this phenomenon, which he describes as a neurological trait, instead of it being a ‘disorder.’ Salinas, known as ‘the doctor who can feel your pain,’ is himself a mirror-synesthete. He says it enables him to feel the emotional and physical experiences of his patients. He describes it as a ‘heightened empathic ability’ that offers him invaluable clues about how to see life from other people’s perspective.[17] Just walking around every day, I feel strangers hurting, and I feel it so thoroughly and completely ~ Megan Pohlman Journalist Erika Hayasaki reports the case of mirror-synesthete Carolyn Hart who wanted to become a physical therapist, but the pain and discomfort she would have to constantly share with her patients would have been too much for her to tolerate, so she became a massage therapist instead. Hart describes her “most flagrant mirror-sensorial perception” as “pain shooting down my legs when I see other people’s wounds and injuries.” When she sees another person being touched, she experiences ‘a gentle perception that tickles her skin.’ She also perceives similar sensations whenever she sees another person being bumped or shoved. But, if the contact becomes more aggressive, for example if I witness a person body-slammed, then I don’t feel that ticklish exteroceptive sensation. Instead, I will feel what I call synesthesia-for-pain…which feels like bolts of electricity coursing down the back of my legs.[18] Synesthete Maureen Seaberg describes the similar case of Megan Pohlman, a pediatric nurse who literally feels the pain of her young patients. Pohlman says, “just walking around every day, I feel strangers hurting, and I feel it so thoroughly and completely.” Allan Doctor, a pediatric intensive care physician who has worked with Pohlmann for many years, says her abilities are indeed remarkable. For example, nurses often ask for additional pain medicine or sedation when a child has high blood pressure or heart rate, which then prompts him to investigate whether the cause is, in fact, pain, or something else, like a fever. “Megan’s reliability in sensing when they really are in pain or anxious, versus other causes, is unusually acute.”[19] Excerpt from The Sensible Psychic: A Leading-Edge Guide To True Psychic Perception. © 2022 Anthon St. Maarten REFERENCES [1] Joller, M. (2015). Stans (Switzerland) Poltergeist. Psi Encyclopedia. The Society for Psychical Research. [2] Hammond, W.A. (1876). Spiritualism And Allied Causes And Conditions Of Nervous Derangement. G.P. Putnam’s. [3] Hardy, C. (2000) Psi As A Multilevel Process: Semantic Fields Theory. The Journal of Parapsychology. [4] Carpenter, J. (2012). First Sight: ESP And Parapsychology In Everyday Life. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. [5] Beloff J. & Rhine, J. B. (1981). On The Nature Of Psi. Journal of Parapsychology. [6] Radin, D. (2016). Presentiment. Psi Encyclopedia. The Society for Psychical Research. [7] Williams, B. (2019). Psychological Aspects In Poltergeist Cases. Psi Encyclopedia. The Society for Psychical Research. [8] Solfvin, G. F. & Roll, W. G. (1976). A Case Of RSPK With An Epileptic Agent. Parapsychology Review. [9] Roll, W. G. & Tringale, S. (1983). A Haunting-Type RSPK Case In New England. Research in Parapsychology. Scarecrow Press. [10] Fenwick, P & Fenwick, E. (2008). The Art of Dying. Bloomsbury Academic. [11]Hawker, P. (2000). Secret Affairs Of The Soul: Ordinary People's Extraordinary Experiences Of The Sacred. Wood Lake Publishing Inc. [12] Braude, S. E (2018). Ariel Farias. Psi Encyclopedia. The Society for Psychical Research. [13] Gimeno, J. & Burgo, D. (2017). Laboratory Research On A Presumably PK-Gifted Subject. Journal Of Scientific Exploration. [14] Ward J. & Banissy M.J. (2015). Explaining Mirror-Touch Synesthesia. Cognitive Neuroscience. [15] Rothen N. & Meier B. (2013). Why Vicarious Experience Is Not An Instance Of Synesthesia. Frontiers In Human Neuroscience. [16] Ward, J. et.al. (2018) The Relationship Between Mirror-Touch Synaesthesia And Empathy: New Evidence And A New Screening Tool. Cognitive Neuropsychology. [17] Salinas, J. (2017). Mirror Touch: Notes from a Doctor Who Can Feel Your Pain. HarperOne. [18] Hart, C.C. (2017) Reflecting on Mirror-Touch. Carolyncchart.com [19] Seaberg, M. (2018). Meet the Nurse Whose Superpower Is Feeling Your Pain – Literally. Glamour.com. 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 unlock 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.

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