Answer:  Not usually, no.  In my many experiences of being outside my body I was unable to move objects in the physical world either through touch or telekinesis.  Nor would I necessarily expect to be able to affect physical reality while on the astral plane.  Let’s look at it logically.

Your physical body vibrates at a certain density, a lower density than your energetic or astral body.  So your physical body is fully capable of grasping a cup, opening a door, and walking around for example, because those objects are on the same plane as your physical body.  Your astral body is energy without physical form and is roaming around on a different plane.  Just as in your physical body you cannot “touch” anything on the astral plane, so too on the astral plane you cannot “touch” anything on the physical plane.

One of the reasons you can so easily float through a wall or window while in an astral state is precisely because the wall exists on the material, physical plane, where you are no longer vibrating.  You may see the wall in your astral state, but it is not on the same plane as you anymore so you easily pass through it like it isn’t there.  One thing that can affect how well and how easily you move through the wall, though, is your expectation of being able to do so.  Many people, when they first go astral, assume they must maneuver around physical objects; but soon you learn that you can easily fly, float or fling yourself through them quite easily.

One thing you can do to the physical world while in an astral state is be sensed by people who are awake.  I’ve had experiences where I was astral, floated on over to a friend’s house while they were awake, tried to get them to see me or notice me, and have them tell me the next day they “felt my presence” at the same time I was there.  This is difficult however.  Most people who are awake are not at all attuned to the astral plane.  That would be like tuning in to a cable channel you don’t normally get just to see if something other than static is coming through at that moment.

I do believe, though I’ve never personally experienced it, that it’s possible with great effort to do something to the physical world while in an astral state.  If you’ve seen the movie, Ghost, with Patrick Swayze, he eventually learns how to move a physical object (the penny) but it takes great effort.  You have to force the energy of your astral body to vibrate at a lower density to bring it into phase with the physical object you’re trying to move.  That’s tough.  So while I believe in theory it could work, I think you’d have to really practice and spend a lot of time trying in order to get it done.

Meeting up with another astral person is possible while in an astral state, because you’ll come into phase with them.  Both of you would have to be astral at the same time and know where to meet and when.

If you are an accomplished astral projector and you have managed to affect the physical world while astral, please report your story in our forums, as I’m very interested to hear your account.

© 2009 by Erin Pavlina.

Question: What do you think about Indigo children?
Answer:  I’m not big on the whole label thing.  Crystal, indigo, purple, polka dots, plaid, it’s all the same to me.  Some children are pre-wired to be more aware and connected to their higher selves, and some aren’t.  Some kids are incarnating with specific missions and specific purposes that will have a global impact.  But you know what?  They’ve been doing that for eons.  Now we have a pretty label.  If you need to categorize your child, that’s your choice. 

Question:  Do you believe in astrology or horoscopes?
Answer:  I am not an expert at astrology and I haven’t investigated it enough to comment on whether I think it is real or not.  I suggest you talk to astrology experts and get their take on astrology.  I’m a Cancer with Libra rising and a Virgo moon, though.  If anyone knows what that means, contact me.

Question:  If I have to have an abortion to save my life, is that a sin?
Answer:  No.

Question:  Is levitation possible?  If so, do you know how I can do it or who I can learn from?  Have you ever done it?
Answer:  I have never levitated.  Like you I’ve heard tales of this ability.  I would start with the people who claim to be able to do it and go from there.  Report back when you find out something.

Question:  How can I use the law of attraction and the law of detachment at the same time without canceling each other out?
Answer:  With the law of attraction you want to get clear on your intention and become a vibrational match for it.  The law of detachment is about not being attached to a certain outcome.  Think of the story of the man in the flood who is sitting on his roof waiting to be rescued.  He wants to be rescued and thinks God is going to save him.  People come in a boat and helicopter to save him but he resists their attempts and says, “No no, it’s okay.  God will save me.”  When he gets to Heaven he complains and God says, “I sent you a boat and a helicopter.  What more did you want?”  The man was a vibrational match for being rescued but he was attached to that manifesting a certain way (e.g. the mighty hand of God).  Cast your intention out upon the water and let the universe decide how best to manifest the details.  You might be getting what you asked for and not even be noticing it.

Question:  Do you think climate change will be a huge problem people have to deal with in the future?
Answer:  Sure.  Climates change, people adapt.  If you want to know more about this, consult a professional in the field.

Question:  Are we ever going to be finished incarnating?  When does it stop?
Answer:  When you no longer choose to “play the game” it stops.  Every incarnation is your choice.  Every time you come here, you learn.

Question:  Can spirit guides or angels contact you in “human” form?
Answer:  I have never experienced this so I can’t say for sure, but I think that in a severe situation an angel can take human form, but not a spirit guide.  I think it’s more likely, however, that they urge and nudge an already incarnated human to help you out when you’re in trouble.  Read Spirit Guides at Starbucks.

Question:  If I know something bad is going to happen to someone but they won’t listen to me, and it happens, am I somehow responsible?
Answer:  You are not responsible for anyone’s life.  Divest yourself of the idea that you can cause anyone to do anything.  People make their own choices.  Some may choose to listen to you and some won’t.  Having foreknowledge of an event means you can help them, but if they don’t want to listen, there’s nothing you can do.  Try not to feel guilty.  You did the best you could.

Question:  Can you affect physical reality while in a lucid dream?  Like turning on a television in a dream causes it to turn on in real life?
Answer:  No.  When you are lucid dreaming you are in the dream plane, the dream construct, which is inside your mind.  However, if you were astral instead of just in a lucid dream, then yes you could affect physical reality here on our plane.  Difficult but definitely possible.  Astral project responsibly, young man!

Question:  How can I get an astral sword like the one you made when you were younger and kicking demon butt?
Answer:  Visit my astral store.  Due to high demand we’ve just started stocking astral swords.  Just teasing.   Truthfully, you create your astral sword as an extension of your energy and intent.  You’ll need to use willpower and some of your astral essence to form it. 

Question:  Is it possible to recognize someone in this life as someone you knew in a past life?
Answer:  Absolutely.  Souls can recognize each other.  It’s a beautiful thing really.  How will you know?  You’ll just know.  You may not know who they were to you but that’s not as important as recognizing them.  Er, unless you’ve got some karma to work out with them and then you should watch your back.

Question:  What is my higher self doing while I’m in this incarnation?
Answer:  Watching, guiding, helping, and maybe chortling a little bit.

Question:  How can you claim to be psychic when everyone knows all psychics are frauds?
Answer:  You again?  I thought I got rid of you in my last Quick Answers to Quick Questions.

Question:  I need to contact my deceased father.  Can you help?
Answer:  Yes, book a reading.
Question:  Is my mom okay?  She died recently.
Answer:  I’m sure she’s fine, but if you want to communicate with her through me you can book a reading.
Question:  Can you tell my dad on the other side I love him?
Answer:  You can tell him yourself.  He will hear you more strongly than me because of your connection with him.
Question:  My dog recently crossed over.  Did he make it?
Answer:  I’m sure he’s fine but if you want you can book a reading with me and we’ll find out together.
Question:  If I book a reading with you, will you be able to connect me with my deceased (mother, father, sister, aunt, uncle, cousin, pet?)
Answer:  I’ll try.  No guarantee they will come through.  But we’ll give it a shot.

Question:  Do you need my birth date and the location where I was born to do my reading?
Answer:  Not remotely.  I don’t even need to know your name.  I just need your voice and a photo (or to be in person with you).  I connect through the energy of your voice or body.  During a reading you can ask about other family members and I do not need their photo or their voice as I will already be connected to YOUR guides.  But photos help me tune in and you’ll get a lot more information if you send me a photo of everyone you want to ask about.

Question:  Can you tell during a reading if my spouse is cheating on me?
Answer:  I’ve noticed the guides have a tendency to not want to reveal concealed information.  It’s there for a reason.  You may need to take action to discover it on your own.  But often they will tell my sitters if they have good reason to suspect something like that is going on.

Question:  I don’t want to have kids.  Is that alright?
Answer:  Yes.  Knowing what you want in life is really important.  If you don’t want children you shouldn’t have any.  You’re not broken.

Question:  I really want to talk to my deceased mother.  How would I go about doing that and knowing it’s real?
Answer:  When we know the person it can be hard to get validation.  That’s why mediumship is so great.  If you go to a medium and they are able to tell you something they couldn’t possibly have known, you get your validation.  When we’re trying to tune in to our own deceased relatives, that’s much harder.  You are the only one who can determine if the energy you’re feeling is really them or not.  For me, I rely on “the dreams.”  These are the ones where you just know their consciousness is really there communicating with you.

Question:  I don’t believe in lucid dreaming.  It just doesn’t seem possible to be awake in a dream.  Can you prove it’s real?
Answer:  I find this question so odd I don’t even know how to answer it.  It’s like asking me if peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are real.  Go have one for yourself and you’ll have your answer.  Until then, I wouldn’t go around telling people you don’t believe in lucid dreaming.  It just makes you look dumb.

Question:  Can you tell me who the spirit is who is throwing stuff at me in my trailer?
Answer:  Book a reading.

Question:  Is there a reason psychics tend to work independently of each other?  Is it jealousy?
Answer:  Another odd question.  That’s like asking why three surgeons aren’t performing your appendectomy at the same time.  You only need one psychic if they’re good.  Remember that different psychics have different specialties, though, so find one that specializes in the way you need.  Just like you wouldn’t ask your podiatrist to perform heart surgery, so too you shouldn’t go to a medium if you want career advice, and you shouldn’t go to an astrologer if you want to communicate with your deceased mother.

Question:  Why do you charge so much for readings?  You can still make a good living if you charged only 30% as much as you currently do.
Answer:  My prices are based on value and demand.  If I cut the reading price to 30% of what it is now, my waiting list would seriously be a year long.  Can you imagine needing a reading today and having to wait a year to get it?  The most popular psychic mediums have waiting lists that span 3-5 years!  There are plenty of psychics in the sea.  Find one in your price range.  If you feel a specific psychic is what you want, pay them their asking price.  If they’re able to charge so much and still get tons of business, chances are they’re worth their price.  You get what you pay for and quality counts.

Question:  Is Bigfoot real?
Answer:   I have no knowledge in this area.  But if you see him, let me know.

Question:  Will my boyfriend marry me and will my family be well off financially?
Answer:  Book a reading.  The short answer, though, is that if you want something you’re responsible for making it happen.

Question:  Can you help me find my missing Ipod, camera, wedding ring, cat, etc…?
Answer:  First you need to know why it got lost in the first place.  What lesson are you being taught?  Or you need to learn how to keep track of your things better.  Seriously, I don’t find missing objects.  But there are psychics who specialize in this area.  If it were me, I’d start with logic, then move on to intuition, and then prayer.  One of them will probably work.

Question:  Do you believe in aliens, abductions, UFO’s and all that sort of thing?
Answer:  I want to answer this question very badly but the time is not right and there’s a chip in my head preventing me.  Someone help me.

Question:  How do I know if my loved one crossed over?
Answer:  Book a reading.  Most of the deceased people I’ve been in contact with are fully crossed over, but I do sometimes encounter someone who is resisting that.  Usually in the case of suicide.  If I can get them “on the line” so to speak then we’ll know for sure.

Question:  My soul mate died recently and I have not felt her energy since she crossed over.  I am so sad over her loss and was expecting to feel her around me a lot since I’m very open to that sort of thing.  Where is she?  Is she lost?
Answer:  When we cross over we aren’t automatically able to project our energy back to this physical frequency so easily.  It takes skill, time, and patience.  I’ve seen guides bring through recently deceased people because they can’t come through on their own just yet.  And I’ve also encountered extremely strong spirits who can easily communicate with me shortly after they’ve died.  Give it some time.  Send her love energy.  She’s not likely lost.

Well that’s it for now folks.  Feels good to clear out some of those questions!  If you have a question that hasn’t already been answered, feel free to submit it.  Remember that Ask Erin questions are answered publicly, not privately, and there’s no guarantee your question will be chosen.  The best way to get an answer is to send a short question whose answer will benefit many.  If you really need to hear from me directly, use my Contact Form or book a reading.  Current wait times are 3-5 weeks.

Be at peace.  Be kind.  Express love.

© 2009 by Erin Pavlina.

Steve has posted the podcast on his site.  Read his blog entry to see a list of topics we cover in the program.  We may do something like this again since it was fun and relatively fast.

Enjoy!

© 2009 by Erin Pavlina.

I was probably around 20 years old and commuting from home to college.  My car at the time had a busted flywheel.  If you know anything about flywheels you know that each time I tried to start my car it would make this horrific, loud grinding noise that could be heard down half a block.  Sometimes it would take 10-20 attempts to get my car started.  It embarrassed me every time but I didn’t have the money to get it replaced so I just lived with it.

So one day I was heading out to school.  I left my house and got into my car, dreading whether this would be one of the occasions where my flywheel wasn’t being cooperative.  But before I even turned my car on I turned my head and saw a strange man walking up to the corner (we lived on a corner).  Sick feelings of dread washed over me when I saw him.  He was dressed oddly for the weather.  It was hot but he was wearing a thick pair of pants, sweater, and a thick jacket over that.  His hair was dark and totally wild.  And he looked like he was in a state of decay.  That’s how I would describe him.  His skin was sallow, wrinkly, leathery, and yellowish. 

He lumbered up to the corner, his gait zombie-like, staring straight ahead without moving his head.  He creeped me out.  I went to start my car.  Grind.  Damn.  He heard the noise and turned towards me.  We made eye contact and he smiled at me in a sick, leering way.  I could almost hear him thinking, “Ah, fresh meat.”  But what really scared me was that he started walking towards me in this unusually slow, methodical way.  I quickly tried to start my car again, feeling very trapped and helpless.  Grind!  No!  Stupid car!

He continued walking towards me, his smile getting wider.  I just knew that I did not want this man getting any closer.  I felt like he was going to try to do something very bad to me.

I tried my car again.  Grind!  Come on, Universe!  Give me a break!

He kept coming towards me.  Now I felt like one of those teenage girls in a horror movie.  I wasn’t sure if I should get out of my car and run back into my house.  I locked the doors.  He kept coming.  He was only 5 steps away from my car now.

I looked down at my keys and said a quick and silent prayer to whatever angels were listening to please get my car started.  I tried one more time and the car started!  Victory!  I looked up to see where he was and he was gone.  Just vanished.  That freaked me out more than anything.  He was just steps from my car and then all of a sudden he was gone.  The area where I lived was wide open.  I had to know where he’d gone so I left my car running (I’m no dummy) and got out of the car to find him (okay maybe I am a dummy).

I ran to the crossroads and looked up and down every street and he was nowhere.  There’s no way he could have gotten far and there’s no way I couldn’t have seen him wherever he went.  He just vanished.  I got back in my car and drove around the area a little but never saw him again.

Who or what was he?  At first I just thought he might have been a homeless man wandering the neighborhood.  Maybe a sick perverted bastard or something, because that leering smile he had plastered on his face left no doubt in my mind that he was going to eat me or worse when he got to my car.  But when he vanished in just the 2 seconds I looked down at my keys I started thinking that maybe he was something else.  Demon?  Undead zombie thing?  I really don’t know. 

But you better believe I got my flywheel fixed a few days later! 

Happy Halloween!

© 2009 by Erin Pavlina.

I was in my late teens (17-19, something in there) and I was dating a guy whom I’ll call Jared.  One day we were in my bedroom just having a conversation when it turned ugly, and we ended up having a very bad argument.  I remember some very cruel things were said.  Jared was sitting on my bed and I was sitting on my floor. We were really going at it.  No one else in my family was home so they weren’t hearing this intense argument.

We were having the argument at 6pm and somehow, and for some odd reason, we both just fell asleep.  At 6pm.  He on my bed and me on my floor.  Now I never ever slept anywhere but my bed because I had “enchanted” it with all kinds of charms and warding spells to protect me when I slept.  This was during the height of my astral warrior experiences, and I was as good as dead if I was ever caught off guard.  So falling asleep on my floor was extremely unusual for me.  We literally both just went to sleep.  We didn’t discuss it, didn’t have any end to the argument, we both just petered out and fell asleep.

I woke up in near total darkness.  The glow of the clock was the only light source.  It read exactly midnight.  I was very confused at first as to where I was, but the hard surface of the floor and my strange vantage point reminded me of what had happened earlier.  I saw Jared asleep on the bed.  I couldn’t believe it was midnight.  Was my family home?  Why didn’t they wake us?  With four other people living in the house, I was sure someone would have looked in on me and wondered why Jared’s car was still parked outside.  But the house was quiet.

I felt something was terribly wrong.  Just a really intense, strong feeling that something was out there and it was evil.  Against my better judgment, I decided I had to go downstairs and look around.  In my “human-form” for lack of a better term, I was a scaredy cat.  In my astral warrior form, I was rockin’, so it was pretty odd for me to have the courage to go walking around my house in the middle of the night.  But I was compelled.

I got up silently, not wanting to wake Jared.  I went down our creaky stairs and landed in our dining room.  There was a crackling energy in this room that was just barely registering in my mind.  I crept into the kitchen and felt like something was watching me.  I had shivers running up and down my spine.  I felt this urge to go outside, but a voice warned me it was a trap.  I decided I’d better get back upstairs where it was safe, so I headed back towards the dining room.  I thought I saw a red orb bobbling around just outside the dining room window.  That was it for me!  I raced upstairs and got back to my room, panting with fear. 

Instead of waking Jared up, I laid back down on the floor and decided I would have to go astral to find out what was up and also because I wanted my light sword with me.  I initiated the astral separation by inviting that tingling, vibrational, high frequency sound into me that accompanied my astral projections.  I separated from my body, peering down to make sure it was there.  I donned my astral accoutrements (sword and light body armor) and put a shield around my body. 

First I scanned my bedroom.  I could see Jared on the bed, and all seemed well.  I retraced my earlier steps by going downstairs into the dining room.  Immediately I peered out the dining room window where I had seen the orb and this time I saw a dark figure with gleaming red eyes, and ears near the top of his head (batman style) instead of where human ears would be located.  He beckoned at me to come outside.  It was compelling, but I resisted the urge.

I had never encountered this type of being before, but I knew if I went outside he would have the upper hand, so I decided to reinforce the inside of my house so he couldn’t get in.  Using my light sword, I shot light all around the dining room area.  I saw him recoil from the light, turn into a red orb, and fly away.  I thought all was well.  I flew back upstairs intending to return to my body.  When I got back to my room, however, he was standing between me and my body!

He was more than just a dark figure now.  He had a yellowish face, red eyes, the strange ears at the top of his head, and he was wearing a dark cloak.  He hissed at me, “Are you sure you want to go back to your body?”  I replied forcefully, “Yes, God damn you!” and he snarled at me and flew out my window.  I immediately jumped into my body and tried to reconnect so I could wake up.  But I was having trouble.  I was stuck in the astral realm.  This had happened to me on several other occasions and usually I just needed to lower my vibration to merge back into an appropriate state with my body, but I was too keyed up and frightened.  So I got back up and went to Jared’s form on the bed.

As soon as I got near him, his astral hands snaked out and grabbed me around the neck and he started choking me.  I said, “Jared, Jared, stop it!  It’s me, Erin.  You’ve got to wake up.”  He came to astral awareness and sat up in my bed (his body still lying prone).  “What’s happening?” he asked me.  I replied, “There’s something in here with us.  You’ve got to wake up so you can wake me up.  Just shake me so I can get back into my body.  Hurry!  He could come back at any moment.”  He said, “Okay okay, no problem” and promptly laid back down.  I went back to my body but nothing happened.  “Jared!” I yelled.  He astrally woke again and I said, “Jared, you forgot to wake up!  Hurry, you’ve got to wake me up.”  He said he was having trouble waking up too and couldn’t help me.

Frustrated, I got back into my body and concentrated really hard on reconnecting.  Normally this wasn’t difficult for me, but for some reason I was having a hard time getting back in my body.  Eventually, I got back in.  I stood up and rushed to wake Jared.  I shook him and as he woke, his hands grabbed me around my neck and he flung me onto the bed.  It seemed like he was still asleep.  After just a few moments though, he became fully conscious and before I could say anything (I was trying to access my crushed larynx) he said, “Oh my God, Erin.  I just had the craziest dream.  I dreamed there was a vampire in the room.  I saw you come in and then he flew out the window.  You got on the bed and tried to wake me up but I was choking you.  I thought you were the vampire and I was going to throw him out the window.  But I realized it was you.  I couldn’t wake up, even though I knew it was a dream.”

I couldn’t believe he remembered the experience.  I told him about what happened to me.  I started crying as I realized how close we came to having a real problem.  I don’t know what would have happened to him or me if I hadn’t scared the vampire off.  We were both a little freaked out about the experience.  I crawled into bed with him, our argument forgotten.

In the morning I asked my parents what happened between 6pm and midnight.  They said they never thought to check on me and didn’t even know Jared had spent the night.  The whole experience was odd and unusual from beginning to end.

I encountered the astral vampire just one more time.  He was hovering near my window beckoning me to come outside.  I knew it was a trap, but I had a plan, so I allowed him to think he was going to succeed and that I was “under his spell.”  As soon as I flew outside, he grappled onto me, but I was ready for him.  I pushed him to the ground with great force and plunged my light sword into his heart.  There was a look of surprise on his face as he turned into black smoke and seemed to seep into the ground.  Buffy, eat your heart out! 

I don’t know much about astral vampires.  I don’t know who they are, where they come from, what they want, or how they operate.  I just know that when something threatens me, it’s going to get a light sword in the chest.  I never slept on the floor again though.  No need to be reckless…

© 2009 by Erin Pavlina.

We went on our merry way.  A short while later Steve took Emily into the Sponge Bob 4D simulator ride and Kyle and I decided to sit on a bench and rest our weary feet.  We were sitting next to this other lady and chatting a bit.  All of a sudden, the roller coaster comes whizzing by at high speed.  We were sitting in front of a very small piece of track high above us.  But as it passed by, I suddenly felt a sharp sting in my leg.  It felt like I got shot with a BB gun.  I looked down and saw that a piece of the roller coaster had flown off as it passed by and struck me in the leg!  It was a large screw with a washer and another piece I couldn’t identify.  I was in shock for a moment and then I realized that I had to get someone’s attention.  I’m no engineer.  What if this piece was critical?  What if the roller coaster was about to fly apart or something?  So I quickly got the attention of a park attendant.  She radioed for an engineer to come to our location.  When he saw the piece I was holding he looked panicked and instantly got on his radio and told the roller coaster ride operator to stop the ride immediately.  The attendant asked me if I was injured.  I had totally forgotten that!  I pulled up my pant leg and saw that my skin was not punctured.  It just felt very bruised and there was a red mark where I got hit.  Thank goodness I was wearing jeans.  I think it blunted the blow.

People around me who heard the story were amazed that I wasn’t injured, given the size of the piece that flew off and how fast it must have zinged off of there.  I realized how lucky I was that this piece didn’t hit me in the face or hit my 3 year old son! I also realized how lucky I was that it did hit me!  What if the piece had flown off and landed in a planter box and no one noticed?  People would have been riding a broken roller coaster.

They asked me to stay where I was so they could get security over to fill out an accident report.  They offered us a free ride on their trampoline and of course apologized profusely for the incident.  The roller coaster was out of commission and did not pass by us again.  After a while they came and told me they repaired the ride and it was safe again.  They thanked me for alerting them to the problem right away as it had probably saved lives.  I don’t know if they were exagerating or not, but I was glad nonetheless.  It was then that I remembered the image I had gotten from my guides.  And I realized that it could well have been a premonition.  I was in the right place at the wrong time and got hit with an apparently critical piece of roller coaster.  Because of that they were able to fix the ride and make it safe again.  Would it have jumped the track and killed someone if that hadn’t happened to me?  I don’t know.  I doubt it.  What are the odds right? 

When Steve and Emily came back I told them what happened.  Steve was amazed this all happened while he and Emily were on their ride.  I think we had more excitement than they did!  Emily enjoyed her free ride on the trampoline and we concluded our experience and went home.  Just another day in the life of a psychic.

© 2009 by Erin Pavlina.

For me, doing the show was not about fame or even spreading a message.  If you recall, I was asked to do the show at a time when I was just beginning my life as a medium.  Doing the show gave me the confidence and courage to come out publicly about my abilities and begin doing readings professionally.  It simply had to happen this way.

We filmed in there for 6 hours, so obviously what you saw was an extremely edited version of what we did.  What I saw Criss do after our segment had nothing to do with our investigation.  I am not aware of any little girl named Mary who died in the hotel.  We picked up on a baby crying in room 34, not a young child.  I can’t comment on his seance since it was nothing like a real seance; there was no actual medium present.  But he put on a good show.

You saw the Northwest Arkansas Ghost Connection team, the paranormal investigators who were there with me.  They actually showed Mike getting that high EMF reading on the chair I directed him to, but you don’t hear me directing him there.  And you saw Danny, the cameraman, getting sick inside the room where the murder/suicide took place, as he handed off his camera to someone else so he could get out of there.  Danny is the one I did a reading for at the request of his deceased grandmother who came to me days before the filming and told me to give a message Danny, the cameraman.  You also saw me with Lori, who had a very emotional reaction in the room with the crying baby.  I knew they would show that scene since it was dramatic.

People have commented that I seemed cool, collected, and in control.  I was.  Although I was creeped out by the negative energy in that one area, and I was certainly creeped out by the dust, mold, mildew and bats flying over my head, I was at a very high vibrational state that day and nothing paranormal was bothering me.  I did find it interesting that others with me were having physical reactions to being in the room with the murderous spirit.  That fascinated me.

Of course, I am glad I did the show, but I’m disappointed that you all didn’t get to see more.  I’ve been looking around for other ghost hunts to attend locally, and I finally hooked up with the Las Vegas Paranormal Investigators.  I’m going on my first “call” this Saturday, so I’ll report back on that experience.  Should be fun!

Thanks to everyone for your interest in seeing me on the show.  It’s time to move on to the next adventure!

© 2009 by Erin Pavlina.

The Las Vegas Paranormal Investigator team was there and we had a great chat about ghost hunting and my experience filming an episode of the Criss Angel show.  I told them I wanted to go on a ghost hunt with them the next time they went out.  We’ll see what happens. 

Later that evening, Chris Fleming was scheduled to do a seance.  I hadn’t been to a seance in about 15 years so I was anxious and excited to go to another one.  I wondered if I would pick up on any of the spirits present.  I introduced myself to Chris during the party and I asked him all sorts of questions about his process and how he connects with the deceased.  He was a little vague and I thought his answers were a little odd.  They didn’t make any sense to me.  Once I told him I was a medium myself I noticed he got anxious and actually started backing away from me.  Chris has his own weekly television show on the Biography channel called Dead Famous.  I wasn’t sure what to make of Chris but I decided to see how the seance went before I drew any conclusions about this young man.

When it came time to do the seance the room was set up with three concentric circles so that everyone could participate and see.  Chris asked me to sit right behind him to buttress his energy while he did the seance.  He asked two other mediums to sit to his right and left to balance the energy of the people around him.  There was one young child in the room and Chris put him next to me so that I could protect him.  I took that job very seriously and put most of my energy into protecting him.  Children are more susceptible to psychic energy and Chris told me that untoward things have happened to children during his seances.

Chris set up a voice recorder so that later he could see if it picked up any spirit voices.  The members of the paranormal investigator team were positioned to take video and photographs throughout the seance.  Chris cleared the area with sage and got to work. 

The first thing that happened to Chris was that he seemed to get possessed by a spirit.  I’ve never witnessed anything like that and honestly I didn’t believe he was possessed.  But what do I know?  He blurted out a message but no one claimed it.  Next he mentioned names of deceased people and asked if anyone in the room knew who they were.  Well, once someone claimed the deceased person, Chris was unable to get any more information that made any sense to the living person.  Either he was having a really off night or he just wasn’t any good.  He mentioned probably 15-20 names of deceased people but got little to no information beyond that. 

He asked if any of the other mediums in the room were picking up on anything.  I wasn’t, but I will say that my energy was focused elsewhere and when I tried to tune in I found I couldn’t tune in to anything, which was really weird for me.  It was like someone had blindfolded me and put ear plugs in my ears.  It’s hard to explain but it felt like my radio had been muted.

Chris got “taken over” by spirits a few more times.  It was all very dramatic but I don’t think it was real.  He admitted at the end of the evening that he didn’t seem to be performing very well and he seemed annoyed with himself.  I don’t think Chris is a phony, but I don’t think he’s as good as he should be for someone who has a weekly tv show.  And there was something just a tiny bit shifty about him.

So when I say it was a spooky seance, I mean it was spooky because I expected some real results from someone of his stature and saw nothing to convince me that anything paranormal was going on.  I’ve never tried doing a seance myself so I don’t really know what’s involved.  Still, it was an interesting experience and I’m glad I went.  Hopefully I’ll get the opportunity to attend something similar in the future, with different results.    

© 2009 by Erin Pavlina.

What do you want to be when you grow up?

When people asked me this question growing up I had three answers at various stages of my youth:  a teacher, the President of the United States, and “of service, I want to help others.”  I wanted to be a teacher because that’s the only job I ever really saw in action.  I wanted to be the President so I could fix everything I thought was wrong with the world.  And as I grew older, into my teen years, I had witnessed so much suffering that I decided I needed to help people; I wanted to be a hero and fight injustice. Also, throughout my childhood, beginning at age 4, I had a deep and abiding interest in the paranormal, largely due to all the experiences I was having.

A psychic reading with Char

In 10th grade, my mom and aunt gifted me with a reading by Char, the psychic.  Char is a truly gifted and wonderful psychic who is fairly popular these days, God bless her.  She was my hero back in 10th grade.  My mom went with me for the reading since I was underage.  When I asked Char what I would be doing professionally, in the future, she actually said, and this is a direct quote:  “Interesting.  I see you doing what I’m doing.”  My heart soared!  I mean, the excitement was overwhelming!  But then she looked at me and said, “Erin, just because you’re interested in something doesn’t mean you have to do it professionally.”  Why did she say that to me?  Hopes dashed, confusion, huh?  She told me she saw me writing nonfiction and helping a lot of people.  I asked her about becoming a parapsychologist and she told me it wasn’t as glamorous as people thought.

College walks into my life

When it came time to decide my major in college, I was torn between Physics and Psychology.  I wanted to know and understand how the universe worked, and I also wanted to understand how people worked.  But since I was pretty lousy at math and science, I chose to major in Psychology.  I have to admit that a part of me wanted to major in Parapsychology but there weren’t too many schools offering such programs, and I was too chicken to leave home.  However, before deciding firmly, I did contact Dr. Thelma Moss, a professor at UCLA who was a parapsychologist (featured in Poltergeist actually).  I asked her about the profession and she warned me not to go into it because it was mostly statistics.  Bummer.  There was that math thing again.  And she said there was no money in it and no one believed the research either.  So I chose Psychology.

Years of Study

I got my Psychology degree with little fanfare, but by this point I realized I didn’t want to be a therapist.  We were taught that to be a therapist you had to distance yourself emotionally from your clients or you would take on too much of their suffering and you needed to be able to slough it off at the end of the day.  That didn’t sit well with me at all.  I was so empathic.  I couldn’t imagine treating people like their feelings weren’t affecting me.  I didn’t know what to do, so I turned myself back towards physics by entering a graduate program in Human Factors Engineering.  My goal was to work for NASA in the space program and help humans adjust to the rigors of space, psychologically.  I know… it was a stretch, but it’s all I had.  Or was it?

Enter Steve

Steve and I met while I was in my last semester of graduate school.  I was about to head to Texas for a PhD program but my heart was with Steve and I decided to stay.  I took a lousy job as a receptionist just to pay the bills and complained bitterly to Steve every day how much I hated my job and how I didn’t know what to do.  He said, “What would you do if you knew you couldn’t fail?”  I replied, “That’s easy. I would write a book.  I’d be an author.”  He said, “Then do it!”  Long story short, I wrote my first novel in just 16 days about my experiences in high school with the paranormal.  A chapter a day.  It was easy!  And Steve read my story and said it was a B+.  High praise.  I tried to get it published but got rejected by all 3 publishers I sent it to.  What a dolt I was to let that stop me.  But I didn’t have my personal power button turned on back then.

Adrift

Adrift and undecided, I went to work with Steve at his company, Dexterity Software.  I really enjoyed working with Steve.  We were engaged by this point so I figured that helping him was helping us.  When our publishing deal went south, I was really adrift.  I took a temp job to pay the bills while we got ourselves back on our feet.  I started my web consulting business as well, with moderate success.  Web development was a far cry from psychology though.  I also started VegFamily magazine which was a little closer to my heart because I was helping people raise their vegan kids confidently.  I did what I could to help us survive, but I was not living a life on purpose.

The Exercise

A couple of years ago, Steve had me sit down and do an exercise.  I call it the Heart, Body, Mind, and Soul exercise.  Steve discusses this in his article, Living Congruently.  The exercise asks you to answer these four questions:

• What do you want to do? (desire)
• What can you do? (ability)
• What should you do? (purpose)
• What must you do? (need)

Then you look at your list and try to see if there’s anything or any thread that made all four lists.  For example, one of my talents is writing music.  That landed in my “What can you do?” category. But it wasn’t in any of the others.  Explore the universe landed in my “What do you want to do?” category but didn’t make the cut in any of the others.  However, I did notice there were a few things that landed in all four categories.  They were:

• Help bring the planet to a state of love, peace, and harmony.
• Explore and utilize my paranormal abilities in service to others.
• Communicate, through writing, what I know and what I remember about Source, life, and the universe.
• Help people and end suffering.

Purpose emerges

Okay, so now what?  When I looked at my list all I saw was, “Give this woman a cape and some super powers and sic her on the bad guys.”  I waited, but my cape never arrived in the mail.  Must have gotten lost.  I considered creating another online magazine that would explore life, the universe, and everything.  I considered getting into politics so I could get in there and start making changes.  I thought about writing another book.  I even considered going back to school to finally become the parapsychologist I think I was supposed to be, but the math requirement hadn’t changed.  Darnit.

I was using a control strategy to try to figure out what to do.  I brought my lack of success to Steve (as usual) and he said, “Ever since I’ve known you, you’ve been interested in the paranormal. You’ve had more real experiences than anyone I’ve ever known.  If you had all the money in the world you would still be interested in the paranormal and pursue it.  I don’t think you realize that your purpose has been chasing you since you were a child.  Why do you think you had all those experiences growing up?”  He was right.  The paranormal followed me my entire life; my interest in it never waned.

Letting go and allowing purpose to find me

Back in college I tried so hard to bury my intuitive abilities so I could be normal.  Now I realized I had to unbury them so I could help people.  But how?  I reopened my heart chakra.  I had a long chat with my guides who were happy to see I was listening to them again.  I released all the fears I had about going public about my abilities.  I began meditating again.  I turned my “radio” back on and turned up the volume.  I immersed myself in the paranormal up to my eyeballs.  I allowed it back in. 

I told the spirits that I was ready and willing to help people, and they made me able.  Once that contract was signed, my abilities grew so fast and so quickly. My head was spinning (not Exorcist style!) and I could barely keep up with the tasks they were giving me.  Appear on the Criss Angel show, meet Doreen Virtue and get confirmation, give psychic readings to friends, family, and then total strangers.  Start a blog and start telling people what I know.  Begin seeing and hearing dead people.  Boost my abilities through practice.  Meet John Edward.  Form a psychic development group so I could practice my abilities and be around other people into the paranormal.

If someone had told me last year that I would be a professional psychic medium today I would have thought they were smoking crack. 

Finding your purpose

I am literally living a dream, people.  I have never been so happy and fulfilled in my life.  I really think that each of us has a similar path to purpose.  Do the exercise I did and see what emerges.  Don’t be afraid to dream.  Don’t be afraid to embrace your true desires.  Don’t worry about the how, just handle the why and the how will come.  Get back in touch with your true self, not the one created by fear and ego and years of schooling.  Who are you really? Why did you come here?  What is in your heart, your body, your mind, and your soul?  What does your spirit yearn for?  What would you do if you knew you couldn’t fail?  What interests would you have if you were financially free?

Do not give up on finding your purpose.  Find your purpose and you will find nirvana.

© 2009 by Erin Pavlina.

If you’ve listened to my podcast over at Steve’s site on Lucid Dreaming then you’ll know that I’m an accomplished lucid dreamer with some advanced skills.  In the podcast, I alluded to something that I now would like to share.

It started during naps.  About 40% of the time that I take a nap, I will have a lucid dream.  Years ago I laid down to take a nap and something unusual happened.  I had a dream that I woke up in a strange bed.  I was in a loft with wooden floors and the bed I was lying in was pushed up against a wall with a small circular window.  There was this sort of ladder going down into the main part of the small dwelling that I was in.  I carefully climbed down the ladder.  On a table in front of me I saw an amethyst wand.  It was beautiful.  And in the room was an old woman sitting in a rocking chair.  She looked up at me and smiled and said, “Ah, I see you’re awake.  Are you feeling better now?”  Confused I asked her who she was and she laughed like I was asking her what color the sky is.  She said, “Why don’t you take a walk and clear your head?  You’ve been asleep for a long time.”

I was lucid.  I knew I was Erin Pavlina, home asleep in my bed, but I was very conscious here in this dream.  I decided to walk outside and check things out.  Outside I discovered I was on some sort of boardwalk.  Ocean was around three sides of me, and the little dwelling I’d come from was more like a lighthouse or something similarly small, that jutted out on this boardwalk.  People were everywhere and it was daylight.  The air had that certain feel to it … it was alive, it had energy.  People smiled and seemed to be going on about their business.

I walked down the boardwalk and took note of all manner of places and things.  I spent probably 20-30 minutes just walking around and getting the lay of the land.  I didn’t speak to anyone but there were many friendly faces smiling at me.

I made my way back to my dwelling and walked inside.  The old woman was cooking something on a little stove.  I noticed the wand on the table and said, “Can I take a look at that?”  She replied, “Well of course, silly.  It’s yours after all.”  Intrigued I walked up to the crystal wand and took it.  There was some serious energy flowing through this thing.  I told her I needed to get going and she said, “So soon?  But you just got back.  Please come back soon, honey.”  I was thinking, “Er, yeah right.  No problem,” but I didn’t say that.  I went up the ladder, laid down in the bed with the crystal wand and “went to sleep.”  I woke up in my real bed at home.  I was just a little weirded out but not terribly so.

Okay now here is where the story gets interesting.

The next time I took a nap I woke up back in that same bed!  It was night time and no one else seemed to be awake.  I climbed down the ladder, went outside, saw a storm was brewing, lightning everywhere, and no one was around.  I will say the air had a more sinister air to it but I really think that was just my own fears welling up.  I walked around town again and recognized all the places I’d seen before.  I went back to my “bed” and went to sleep.  I woke up back in my real bed at home.  Totally weirded out.

This pattern continued.  Nearly every time I took a nap I found myself waking up in this strange place.  It got to the point where I was now recognizing familiar faces and saying hi to them.  I started meeting people whose names I could recall while I was there.  I often passed by the little Mexican restaurant that was by the fire station and stop to chat with a few people eating on the veranda.  I remember once getting a tour of the fire station.  And one time I found a lovely park and sat and played with some children in the sand.  I recall someone asking me if I liked working with children and I remember replying that I did.

I started calling this place “Naptown” because it was the little town I woke up in when I would take naps.  One day I even discovered that I had acquired a job in Naptown.  I was a daycare worker, watching kids while their parents worked.

Finally the day came where I decided to see how much my will could affect Naptown.  The next time I found myself there, I quit my job.  People fussed and asked me what I would do now and I was like, “Who cares?  This is just a dream right?  I can do anything I want.”  They looked at me quizically like I’d grown horns or something.  No one else in Naptown seemed to understand that they were just figments of my imagination.

I noticed that time continued on in Naptown even if I wasn’t there.

I tried a few other jobs in Naptown because I felt like I was supposed to work or something.  But one day I quit my job as a waitress and decided to recreate myself as someone very rich.  I remember commissioning someone to build me the mother of all mansions.  The next time I visited Naptown I owned a beautiful mansion.  It must have had about 15 bedrooms, it was 4 stories, and it had a dungeon and a moat (not sure why but it did).  And so when I would “wake up in Naptown” now I was waking up in my own master retreat.  I used to put things in drawers and when I would return they were still there! 

Okay, if I haven’t lost you yet, check this out.  After literally years of having these Naptown experiences, I started to enjoy my visits to Naptown.  I was leading an entirely different life there.  Whenever I was there I had full memory of my life there and everything that had passed during all my previous visits.  I started making plans for my future in Naptown.  I expanded on my mansion too.  I invited certain people that I really liked in Naptown to come live in my mansion and take care of it while I was away.  I started visiting Naptown at night too, instead of just during my naps. 

Did the people in Naptown know about my other life?  I told a few of them but they thought I was crazy.  So I just kept it to myself and enjoyed my life there.  When I’m in Naptown I feel like that is my real life.  When I’m here, I feel like this is my real life.  But my life here has way more continuity than my life in Naptown.

Some strange and dark things have happened in Naptown too.  There is a dark energy that plagues Naptown at night, and everyone pretty much goes home after dark.  There is a strange polarity there that I can’t quite explain.  I’ve battled minions of this dark energy, and I’ve encountered Him twice but it was a standoff.  He is totally intrigued by my presence and I am, frankly, terrified of his power.  He keeps trying to get me to join him to rule Naptown.  It’s so Darth Vader.  My mansion is a magical fortress that he cannot penetrate, though he has tried many times.  The people that I entrust with my mansion while I’m away are well trained in astral battle.

So what happened to the old woman who was with me when I first woke up?  I recall going back to that dwelling at some point and she told me it was time for her to go.  And I said, “Go?  But you’ve got to tell me who you are and who I am and why I’m here and well, just everything!”  And she smiled wisely and said, “I’m just a Watcher.  My assignment was to watch over you until you came back and keep you safe.  Now that you’re here and you remember why you’re here, it’s time for me to go.”  And I said, “But I don’t know why I’m here and I don’t know what this place is.  Tell me!”  And she said, “You’re the light to His darkness.  Now there is balance.  Now there is hope.”  She got into a little boat that moved silently through the water.  I tried to follow her but I could not.  I even took flight (it was a lucid dream after all!) and there was an impenetrable barrier at the edge of the ocean.  I couldn’t follow her.  But I flew up high enough to discover that Naptown is an island, and I explored every nook and cranny and kept hitting that strange barrier.  It kind of felt like Naptown was in a snow globe.

I’ll be honest.  I have NO idea what Naptown really is.  An alternate reality?  A parallel universe?  A dream plane?  A special spot on the astral plane?  A snow globe on God’s shelf?  Just the musings of an overactive imagination?  I don’t know.  But I know that time passes there even when I’m not there.  I know I’ve got a rockin’ mansion in Naptown, some good friends, and some amazing magical swords.  I’ve got an amethyst wand that has a treasured place in my mansion because I think that’s somehow involved in bringing me there.  I have to say that although it’s a nice place to visit, I wouldn’t want to live there.

Does anyone else have a special place they’ve visited in their dreams repeatedly?  What do you think that is?  Is it real?  I’d love to hear your thoughts on this.

© 2009 by Erin Pavlina.

I was living at home, and my car at the time was a white Buick.  One night while sleeping I had a strange dream.  In the dream a phone rang and I answered it.  A woman’s voice said, “I have just seen the lights of Christ!”  And I’m like, “Huh?  Er, I think you have the wrong number.”  I hung up in the dream but she called back and said, “I have just seen the lights of Christ!”  Insistent little bugger.  I said back, “Um, maybe you meant to call someone else.  I have no idea what you’re talking about.”  She said, “No, I called the right person.”  And hung up.

Next thing I know, I’m waking up to hear my real phone ringing.  That got my adrenaline pumping.  The clock read 1:37.  I picked it up and my dad picked up the line in his room.  A man said, “Hello, this is your security patrol.  We were cruising around your house a few minutes ago and everything was fine, but then we made another pass and we noticed the lights on your Buick parked out front are on.  You might want to come out and turn those off.”  Weird.  So my dad said, “It’s your car, you go turn them off.”  I pleaded with him to do it because I didn’t want to go outside in the dark (total scaredy cat) but he insisted.

I put on my slippers and a robe, grabbed my keys, and headed outside.  The security patrol waved to me and took off.  I couldn’t figure out how the headlights of my car went on all by themselves.  But I slipped into the locked vehicle and turned them off (the high beams were even on!).  I locked the door and went back to sleep.

The next morning I got in my car and turned it on.  Whoa!  Every single electronic thing in the car had been turned on!  The windshield wipers started going, the radio was turned up to its loudest level, and the air-conditioning knob was turned to full blast.  Scared me half to death.  I sat in the car trying to figure out how on earth this had happened.  I still don’t know to this day.

Lights of Christ indeed…

© 2009 by Erin Pavlina.

But you all know how the universe works.

A week later, I went to the John Edward website and clicked on Events.  As “luck” would have it, he was going to be in Las Vegas doing a seminar.  Wow.  I wondered if I could get a press pass to cover the event and report about it on Steve’s blog or my own.  So I sent his “people” an email letting them know about Steve and my work and asking for a press pass for the event.  After a week I got no response.  Suddenly I realized what a dolt I was being.  John Edward doesn’t get to Vegas very often, believe me, and to let this opportunity pass without seeing him was simply not going to happen to me.  I bought a ticket to the Thursday, July 13 show for $175. 

On Wednesday, July 12, I got sick with an illness that one of my children brought home from school.  I had a long talk with the angels, specifically Raphael, and prayed to please be well enough to attend the show the next day.  To improve my chances of getting well I decided I would need to totally rest on Thursday to be well enough to get to the show Thursday night, so I cancelled all my commitments for that day. 

On Wednesday night I went to sleep praying I would make it to the John Edward show at all.  And in my fevered state, I had a dream…

I dreamed that I went to the John Edward show and decided to sit in the middle section near the back.  In the dream, John Edward came out on stage and started his readings with that very section!  I saw John’s deceased father standing behind him on stage, very proud as if to say, “That’s MY boy.”  During a break in the show, someone brought John Edward a Diet Coke.  I took note of that.  And then in the dream, John asked people if they had any questions.  I was selected to ask a question, but someone asked a question before me.  In the dream I was planning to ask John how he shuts himself off after doing readings all night, but another dream character asked that exact question right before me.  So when John turned to me to ask a question I couldn’t think of another one.  I told him I was going to ask that exact same question and he said, “I hope you have a backup question then.”  In the dream, I did not, and missed my opportunity to ask him anything.  I woke up.

Okay now it’s Thursday.  I’m feeling a little better but not tip top.  I did everything you can possibly think of to get myself well including taking a long nap.  Before I went to the show I told all of my deceased relatives to go get in line on the other side so they could come through.  But I added, “if it’s for the highest good of all,” because I didn’t want to take a reading from someone who needed it more than me.  But I did ask my guides for a sign to validate everything that’s happening to me and left it at that. 

I waited in line for one hour with other enthusiasts biting my tongue when people around me said, “I wish I knew a medium I could get a reading from.”  I didn’t want to make it known that I was a psychic because I didn’t think that was too cool to be proselytizing for business, plus I’m still working on my mediumship skills.  I’m no John Edward to be sure!  But it was fun hearing people talk and just being a fellow fan.

Next, we went inside.  I was one of the first 50 people to go in so I could have basically chosen where I wanted to sit.  The back middle called to me, but I went against my gut and sat in the third row, on the end, so I could see him more clearly.  I was pretty sure he would not be reading for me since I don’t really “need” to connect with my deceased relatives.  I can already do that on my own, and I knew there would be hundreds of other people there who really needed that connection and validation that their loved ones on the other side were okay.

The show began and I have to say I was thrilled to be sitting that close to John Edward.  I imagined myself on stage (and got a wee bit terrified) and realized how important it is to keep going to Toastmasters.   As my dream seemed to prophesy, he went right to the back middle section and started his readings.  By the time a half hour had passed, he’d read for everyone in that section.  There’s a good chance I would have been one of them, but again, I really didn’t feel I needed the validation as much as others there clearly did.  But that was the first part of my dream that came true.

John was amazing.  There’s just no other word to describe him.  He did a fantastic job validating details for these families and I’m certain he brought comfort to people who have lost their loved ones.  He’s also really funny, which is important to the other 500 people who aren’t getting a reading.

After a break he asked if anyone had any general questions to ask him.  My hand didn’t go up fast enough and he selected three people to ask him questions.  Ah well.  Still enjoying myself.  At the end of the night, after doing 2.5 hours worth of readings, he again asked if there were any questions.  I immediately raised my hand, intending to ask him the very question from my dream.  He picked three people (I was #2) and we were each given a microphone.  The staff person told me to stand up while #1 was asking her question so that John would know where I was.  Before anyone asked a question, a staff person brought John a Diet Pepsi.  Hmm.  That triggered the memory from my dream of him getting a Diet Coke.  Pretty close.  So the first woman asks her question: “John, what do you do at the end of a show to close down your connection?”  WHAT?!?!?!  Oh my God!! That was my question!  My dream was coming true and I knew what was coming next.

I was standing there like a deer caught in the headlights.  I knew I had less than a minute to think of a new question because I didn’t want to lose my opportunity to ask a question and connect with him even for that brief moment.  But all I could think of was that my dream was coming true.  I was panicking.  I was drawing a complete blank.  And then John finished answering the question (I didn’t even hear his answer as the blood was pounding in my head from shock and panic), and he turned to me.

I said the first thing that came to mind.  Here is what I rambled:  “Okay, this is kind of trippy.  I was going to ask you the exact same question she asked you. But what’s really weird is that last night I had a dream that I came to the show and was selected to ask you a question and a woman asked my same question before I could.”  So the audience is now laughing and I went on and said, “And then you said…” and before I could tell him what he said in the dream, he said it in real life!!  He said to me, “Well I hope you have a back up question…” and I was saying the same thing as he said it, “I hope you have a back up question.”  To which the audience really reacted because now my dream was coming true in front of 500 people.  Then I said, “I don’t have a back up question and I didn’t in the dream either.”  Now people are really laughing.  So I said, “But my question was basically, do you have a process that you go through after doing a seminar to shut down your connection to the other side.”  So he went through a more detailed explanation of what he does after a show, which is to do a meditation as soon as his head hits the pillow.  He said he can’t go to sleep until he’s shut it all off (something I’ve been working on as well.)

So after he tells me this (I’m still standing with the microphone) he turns to me and says congenially, “So what else happened in the dream?”  And I told him about the Diet Coke and about his father being behind him and he confirmed that his dad was with him during the readings.  And then he says something like, “So you had like a total premonition of what was going to happen tonight. You’re probably very psychic.  You should develop your abilities and do this professionally.”  To which the audience laughed.  I just smiled and sat myself down.  I could hear one of my spirit guides laughing in my ear as she said, “There’s your validation.  Happy now?”  Indeed I was.

It’s been a while since I had a dream that came true like that.  Although I would have loved the opportunity to sit down with John one on one and ask him questions about his process, I was still elated to have been able to see him work in person.  I have no doubt that sometime in the future I will get my opportunity.  The timing is not quite right just yet.

But it just goes to show you, dreams really can come true.

© 2009 by Erin Pavlina.

A week later I was doing an email reading and the metaphorical image I was sent pertained to a wooden throne with a crown on top.  The next day I happened to go into a furniture store I’ve never been in and deep in the corner of this store I stopped dead in my tracks.  Right there before me was the exact throne I saw in my vision.  Down to the exact detail of the crown on top of the throne.  I literally stood there with my mouth gaping open for a few minutes as I absorbed the staggering coincidence.  This piece of furniture was so out of place in this store.  It was like it was put there as an afterthought. 

In another reading I did recently the image included a scene from a Star Trek: Next Generation episode where Riker is given Q-like powers and gives Geordi the ability to see without his visor.  The metaphorical image I was getting was all about Geordi and his visor and how important that extra sight was to him.  The very next day as I was flipping channels I saw that exact episode on television.

During another reading the image I saw was of the silver grill of a black Rolls Royce (or Mercedes, I confuse the two) bearing down upon me, where my perspective was such that I was at ground level.  A few weeks after that reading I saw that very same scene at the beginning of the X-Men 3 movie.  It was like pieces of these metaphorical images were manifesting for me.

In another reading, the Wizard of Oz played a prominent role, and the next day I caught a Chef Boyardee commercial where the Tin Man was being chased by a bunch of hungry people.

These are just a few of the examples I can remember off the top of my head.  I’ve had probably 2 dozen of these “sightings.”  But it’s as if the spirits are sending me these signs as confirmations that the information I’m receiving is definitely from them and not my own ego or logic.  It’s like a nod from the spirits every time I see one of the metaphorical images manifest.

I’m getting more and more clarity as I do each reading.  I can feel my connection with the ether getting much stronger, and I am so thrilled.  And I want to send out a big thank you to the spirits for confirming these images I’m seeing by sending me so many signs.  Keep ‘em coming!  I hear you! 

© 2009 by Erin Pavlina.

I’ve learned a lot these past two weeks.  For one, I learned I need an appointment book, because managing all these appointments was a new experience for me.  I’ve also learned that 6 readings a day is my limit, otherwise my energy gets a bit drained.  And many of my web clients are getting a “busy signal” this week because I’m so busy with readings.

I’ve also been noticing an increase in all of my abilities the more I do this.  Before I was getting mostly metaphorical images (which I’ve since read is very common among clairvoyants).  But I started inviting people’s higher selves into my garden (the place where my higher self hangs out) to sit on a bench with me to just get their messages directly.  That allowed me to bypass some of the metaphorical imagery I was getting and get the messages faster and more clearly.  I still use the metaphors because they are so rich in detail, but now I can get clear auditory messages directly from spirit guides and people’s higher selves.  So the readings are becoming richer in that respect.

I’ve become good at opening the channel, but lately I’ve realized I need to learn how to shut it down better when I’m done with a reading.  I started noticing a significant drain in my energy after I’d done too many readings in a row.  So I’m now learning how to close the connection when I’m done with it.  It’s sort of like everyone’s higher selves were still hanging out in my garden having tea and cookies and I had to send them all home.

I’m really enjoying this process a lot and I am grateful to you all for allowing me into your hearts and souls to help you on your paths.  Some of you are wondering why I am unable to tell you exactly what to do next.  I can’t, and neither can your guides.  They are not here to tell you what to do, only to help you with whichever direction you choose.  They know where you really want to go, so they will send signs and signals to help you on your way, but ultimately, all decisions are yours.  The best use of my abilities is to have some idea of where you want to go and use me to check in with your higher self and guides for confirmation or advice.  In some cases, I’ve had guides say, “yes yes, that’s a good move!” and in some cases I’ve had guides say, “No no, don’t do it!  Bad move, bad idea, just stop right there, mister!”  I do get specific advice from the guides, but it may seem generic to the people I’m reading for.  Advice like, “Take more walks in your garden,” or “Meditate on your chakras.”  When you really want to know what career you should switch into and your guide tells you to meditate on your chakras you can get a little impatient, but please remember that their advice is coming from a very deep 4th dimensional level.  Listen to it and take it to heart.

Always remember that when a psychic tells you something very specific such as “you will have a baby in 2 years” or “you will move to a new career in three months” that it’s still up to you and your free will to accept or reject that future.  The psychic is just reading the energy as it now stands.  In other words, she is correct at the time of the reading but you can always change your outcome using your free will, so be careful how you act on that information.

In terms of connecting with deceased loved ones, I’m finding that I can’t just find someone in the ether using 1-800-dial-the-dead.  I’ve had only one reading so far where a deceased relative made herself known to me 5 minutes before I phoned the couple for their reading.  She gave me such detailed and intriguing information that the couple was able to confirm and I think I was more blown away than the couple I was reading for!  I definitely plan to work on the mediumship part of my abilities as time goes on.

If you are interested in having me read for you, I highly recommend the phone reading.  People who have had the phone readings are able to get much more clarity on their questions than people who get the email readings.  Email readings are best when you just want to connect with your guides or higher self and get their message.  But if you want to know what’s coming up in your life or where you should go next, definitely get a phone reading.  I’m also doing a limited number of in-person readings, so if you are planning a visit to Las Vegas you might enjoy meeting with me.  Those readings are longer and there’s a much better chance I will connect with a deceased relative.

Again, thank you to everyone I’ve read for so far.  Your feedback is very valuable, especially on the email readings.  Many of you have written to tell me that something your guide told you is exactly what you had recently journaled about or meditated about, etc.  I am finding that most of you are already vibrating at higher than average frequencies.  I am also finding many of you wanting to move in a more spiritual direction in your life and career and I think that’s wonderful.  I’m glad to be able to help you on your way.

I’m continually adding to the Readings FAQ as I’m receiving more great questions whose answers will benefit many.  And I’ve created an order form for the readings that you can use to pay via credit card (in addition to paypal) and which will also make it faster for me to set up your appointments.

That’s all the news from here. I am hoping to get back to regular blogging soon and have a number of topics coming up shortly that I think you’ll find very interesting.

© 2009 by Erin Pavlina.

Answer: According to Wikipedia, black magic is the branch of magic that is used to perform evil acts or that draws on malevolent powers.  I think that’s a fair description of black magic and I would agree with that definition.

What you have to understand is that it’s the intention of the person casting the “spell” that determines if the magic is “black” or “white.”  White magic is performed by people who intend to manifest something, but not at the cost or detriment of anyone else.  Their motto is “An’ it harm none, do as thou wilt.”  Black magic is performed by people who are intentionally trying to hurt someone or who don’t care who suffers for them to obtain what they want.

Can black magic be used against a good person?  Yes, of course.  Whether it works or not is another story.  But if you are a good person who resonates at a low vibrational frequency, such as with fear, guilt, or shame, then you are more susceptible to the effects of black magic.  If you are someone who resonates at a high frequency of love, joy, and compassion, you are unlikely to be negatively affected by the intentions of dark spell casters.  Their spells will just bounce off your psychic shields.

What are spells anyway but the powerful projection of an intention?  Get a group of people together to cast the same spell (i.e. the same intention) and you magnify the chances of it occuring.  Just like in Steve’s 1 million dollar experiment, but note that the intention he and the other experimenters are holding is “in an easy and relaxed manner, in a healthy and positive way, in its own perfect time, for the highest good of all, I intend $1,000,000 to come into my life and into the lives of everyone who holds this intention.”

People who perform black magic may not even know they’re doing it.  When you say, “I hope you get run over by a car!” to someone in anger, you are casting black magic.  Alternatively, when you say, “Have a great day!” or “May you find peace and everlasting love in each other’s embrace” then you are casting white magic spells.  You don’t need candles and incense to cast spells.  Spell casting comes from your heart.  All the other accoutrements just enhance it and makes your intention stronger.

If someone is casting black magic on you what should you do?  Purify your thoughts, purify your body, raise your vibration.  Then imagine all of the negative energy this person has sent you, collect it into a ball, and throw it into the sun.  Do not throw it back on the other person as then you are performing a borderline evil act yourself.  Just put it in the sun.  And finally, send loving, healing energy to the person you think has cast a black magic spell on you.  Yes, you read that right.  Bless them and pray for them.  It’s like casting your own white magic spell on them.  More of that kind of magic just might save the world.  

© 2009 by Erin Pavlina.