Last Saturday Emily came running into my bedroom and said, “Mommy, we lost a turtle. We can’t find him. Help us!”

A little background. I got my kids each a red-eared slider baby turtle earlier this year. The kids adore playing with them and do a pretty good job of taking care of them. Emily diligently cleans their cage without me asking, and she makes sure they have food, drops, and minerals to keep them healthy. Sometimes when the turtles are roaming free of their tanks, the kids wander into another room for a minute and when they come back, they can’t find their turtles. I’ve admonished them about this many times, not to leave their turtles unattended. In every case we’ve found the turtles hunkered down in a dark corner of the room.

Not so on this fateful Saturday morning. I asked what happened. Emily said, “We were playing with them in your office and Kyle told me to come look at something in his room, so I did, and when we got back, we could only find Fortune Cookie, but not Smoothie.”

I got up to help them look, figuring it would be a piece of cake to find the turtle. Emily said they’d only been away for a few minutes. How far could a baby turtle get in a few minutes?

I spent the next 20 minutes pouring through every nook and cranny of my office. The closet, behind the desk, behind the credenza, inside boxes and bags. Hmm, no turtle. I was sort of stumped. I’d checked everywhere a turtle could reasonably crawl or climb, and I couldn’t find him. I started to worry a little.

“Emily, are you sure he was in this room?”

“Yes.”

“Are you sure you were only gone for a few minutes? Like are we talking 2 or 8?”

“Maybe 5 minutes, Mommy.”

Shoot, in 5 minutes the turtle could easily make it to another room. We had to expand our search into the kids’ rooms. I assigned each child an area to search and they got busy. I searched my office again, from stem to stern, but still nothing.

We searched for about an hour and came up empty handed. I was worried he’d gotten past us all and might even be downstairs. Kyle had to go to a play date so I dropped him off really quick and then Emily and I spent literally the next 2 hours tearing up the house looking for our little guy. We couldn’t find him. I knew he must be somewhere, but I didn’t know where. Emily started to cry, blaming herself for losing the turtle. She asked what would happen to him if we didn’t find him. I told her if we didn’t find him soon, he would probably die from lack of food and water. She started sobbing after that. I was pretty sad myself, and quite distraught.

I didn’t know what to do. I had exhausted all of my ideas. Emily came to me a little while later and said, “You’re psychic, can’t you just find him?” Smart kid! In fact, I’d written an article called How To Find Lost Items Using Psychic Abilities. Finding lost items has never been a strong suit for me, though, and when people ask me to help them find lost items psychically I usually have to refer them to someone else. I can find the lost threads of a career, but when it comes to finding physical objects I’m nearly blind. But I decided to give it a shot.

I tuned in clairvoyantly and asked my guides where the turtle was. I saw an image of my big, heavy credenza in my office. And I saw an image of the turtle huddled back there in the dark.

I went back to the credenza in my office and looked behind it. I had to use a flashlight to see back there. There were a lot of plugs and phone wires. I couldn’t move the credenza as it weighs hundreds of pounds, so I shone the flashlight every which way I could in order to see every nook and cranny back there. I didn’t see the turtle. I was frustrated and sad. I considered moving the credenza but that would involve me taking everything off it and I still wasn’t sure I could move it myself. I was reasonably certain the turtle wasn’t back there because I couldn’t see him.

We gave up looking. I put a bowl of food and water near the credenza because of all the places I thought he would be, I still somehow felt he was there or near there. And we went on about our day, always looking at the floor for the turtle.

Saturday passed and we all went to bed sad.

On Sunday we made another search. I had read online that they might be able to survive up to a week without food and water. The pet store had told me not to keep him out of the water for more than 2 hours so I thought he was a goner for sure. Sunday night we went to sleep, beginning to accept we would never find him.

On Monday, the housekeeper came to clean and I told her to be on the lookout for the turtle, and not to suck him up in the vacuum. She knew how much we loved our turtles and she was sad right there with us. Every time I tuned in to the turtle’s energy I saw the credenza in my mind. But I had checked the entire credenza, front and back, and even in the cupboards, but he wasn’t there. I assumed my intuition was on the fritz.

On Monday afternoon, I picked Steve up from the airport. I told him about our turtle and he started asking me about my search pattern. When I told him that I felt he was behind the credenza but upon examination saw that he was not, Steve said, “Well could he be UNDER the credenza?”

I said, “There is no under. It’s flush against the carpet.”

He said, “In the front, sure, but often with that type of furniture it’s raised in the back and even hollow underneath so you can get wires through there.”

“What?!?! Oh my God! I didn’t know that!! He’s probably under the credenza then! That’s got to be it. It would make perfect sense!”

He said, “You’re welcome!”

I raced to get the kids from school and as soon as we got home I put my hand behind the credenza and could feel that the back was indeed raised and hollow! I commanded the children to start getting everything off the credenza. Books, papers, CDs, and office supplies were flying off the shelves.

Once it was empty I tried moving the credenza, but it was too heavy still and wouldn’t budge. Emily offered to help me but I was worried she would be crushed. I called upon every bit of strength I could muster and was able to move the credenza… a millimeter. Emily wedged herself behind the credenza and pushed with all her might. I’ll be damned, that credenza started moving! Strong little child (or I’m exceptionally weak!). With both of us working at it, we were able to swing one side out from the wall. Emily got her face down on the carpet and looked underneath the credenza with her flashlight. “There he is Mommy! He’s right there! I can’t reach him, but he’s there!”

I said, “Does he look like he’s moving?” She said, “No.” I silently prayed, “Please don’t let us have come this far only to pull out a dry dessicated husk of turtle!”

I moved in, looked under the furniture and saw him, huddled, not moving. My arm couldn’t fit under the furniture so I told the kids to find me a stick or something I could use to pull him out. We ended up with a hanger. I used the hanger to hook him and pull gently towards me. He wasn’t trying to get away or move and I feared the worst.

When I got him all the way out his head was pretty huddled in his shell, but after a few seconds he started wiping his head with his paw. He was alive! We immediately put him in some water and got him some food. We were extremely relieved and happy to have found him alive. And Emily spent the rest of the day nursing him back to health and hovering like a worried mother. We discussed why you never leave turtles unattended.

In looking back on the incident, I realized that my intuition had accurately shown me where he was, I just didn’t investigate far enough. I discounted my intuition because I couldn’t see how it was logically possible.

Do you ever do that? Receive intuitive information that doesn’t make logical sense so you discount it as false or a flight of fancy? How many times have I done this myself? Believe me, I’m not immune to the intuition/logic dilemma. Steve took my intuition and figured out how it could make sense. It was through a combination of intuition and logic that we found our turtle.

Intuition is a really powerful tool. Logic has its place as well. Without logic, in this case, I never would have found our turtle until it was too late. Use your intuition to gather and receive information and then use your logic to take appropriate and wise action. Maybe your intuition will someday save a life.

© 2009 by Erin Pavlina.

Related posts:

1. How To Tell the Difference Between Your Ego, Logic, Spirit Guides and Intuition
2. Pesky Logic
3. Always Listen to Your Intuition
4. The Intuition Workshop
5. Getting Back to Love

I’m really excited to offer this program. I’ve put a lot of careful thought and attention into creating a program that covers not just how to do readings, or how to develop your intuitive skills, but also how to run a professional intuitive business. I’ve done the training with some students already and it was so fabulous and so fun that I couldn’t wait to get more people trained.

Becoming a professional intuitive isn’t just for psychics, it’s for any service professional who works with people to help them make their lives better. That includes coaches, counselors, therapists, hypnotherapists, reiki practitioners, healers, speakers, and trainers.

I’ve posted an information page so you can read all the details about the program and sign up if you’re ready. Like I mentioned, I personally train all my students, and I keep class sizes small at just 2-6 people per training, and I don’t take just anyone. If you’re already intuitive and you want a career as a professional intuitive, I can get you ready for a new career, or an expansion of your current professional services, in just one week.

Learn more about the Professional Intuitive Training program and find out why it’s one of the best ones out there! This is the program I wish had been available to me when I was first starting out.

© 2009 by Erin Pavlina.

Related posts:

1. News and Announcements – June 16, 2010
2. Does the energy of your sitter affect the intuitive reading?
3. The Intuitive Readings: An Update

First, some basic definitions:

Demon: A demon is a non-corporeal entity that has never been human (and never will be human) that lives on another plane of existence. Demons are evil sons-of-bitches that seek only to hurt and harm tasty folks like us. You don’t want to call a demon, play with a demon, or invite a demon to dinner. They’re bad news all the way around.

Possession: Possession happens when a demon gains entrance to our plane by hopping a ride on a human. They move the human’s soul aside and take up residence in the human’s body. Finding out that you are possessed by a demon is about the worst news you can ever get. Yes, it’s even worse than finding out your stock portfolio is now worth 10 cents. Possession is something you want to avoid at all costs.

Hauntings: Hauntings happen when a human dies and refuses to cross over and go into the light. They fight to stay on our plane but, without a body, they are fighting a losing battle. In order to stick around, they must siphon energy from a person or people to sustain themselves. So they attach themselves, usually to a place, and usually the place they died, and suck off the energy of whoever is currently living in the house or visiting. You are a tasty snack, even when you don’t shower. I know, it’s crazy right?

Negative Entity Attachment: An NEA is more serious than a haunting because the spirit that didn’t feel like crossing over attaches itself to one person and siphons their energy. So you could be at the mall, at your boyfriend’s house, or on the moon and they’re still going to stay stuck to you. It’s like they’ve got a hook in you and you’ve got a new friend for life. You don’t want an NEA. The people most susceptible to NEAs are emo teenagers. More on that in a bit. NEAs don’t usually possess you, they don’t have the strength. But they will drain your energy to a point where you could potentially be open to possession by a demon.

Low Vibrational Beings: If you do any sort of astral projecting, sleep paralysis, or advanced lucid dreaming, you may come across low vibrational beings (LVBs). These are beings that are not demons and are not human spirits that refused to cross over. They are simply other beings that are living on another plane who feed off fear energy, so when you inadvertently or on purpose cross into their world, they will attack you like piranha. You have only yourself to blame. It’s like going into the shark tank without a cage. You’re in their world. I don’t recommend stepping into those worlds if you can help it.

High Vibrational Beings: The flip side of the LVBs are the HVBs. You can step into other planes of existence that aren’t all fear related. You can step into realms where the beings there are super high vibration. Instead of being attacked you will be showered with love. This is a good thing! Go often, bring flowers, and be nice lest they kick you out.

So how do you know what you’re dealing with?

Demons: If you are being attacked by a demon you will develop severe mental impairments (true psychological causes MUST be ruled out before you jump on the “I’m possessed, help me please” bandwagon.) There will also be significant paranormal activity going on around you including items being thrown across the room, doors opening and closing by themselves, bad smells, and being physically attacked (scratched, thrown around, raped, slapped, etc.). Your personality will undergo a significant change (again, psychological causes must be ruled out), and your family and friends will know something horrible is going on with you. Seek the help of a priest or demonologist who has experience expelling demons. Run, don’t walk to your nearest professional.

True demon possession is extremely rare! Angels guard the entrance to our world and don’t let the demons cross into our plane. When it does happen, it’s because someone opens a door using their free will and invites the demon in. Some people think calling a demon into our realm is nifty and will make for an interesting Saturday night. These people are dumb, and are sure to be eaten first. People who are shamed into believing they are devil-spawn sometimes open themselves to possession because some overly religious parent or pastor tells them they are lower than dirt and need to be cleansed. It’s horrible. The demons wait for such openings. But again, true demon possession is almost impossible so don’t worry too much.

Hauntings: If you live in a haunted house you should find a medium or other professional trained to help the stubborn spirit move on. You can try cleansing your house using sage and ritual and white light, but if you’re not familiar with how these things work, you should hire a professional.

Negative Entity Attachments: In my practice, while doing readings, I have come across maybe 20 people who actually have a true negative entity attachment. There’s only one way to get rid of the NEAs: you must raise your vibration, keep it raised, and fall out of vibrational harmony with being someone’s snack. To use an analogy, attracting an NEA is like spreading honey on your body and laying down near an ant hill. If you don’t want the ants crawling all over you, wash the honey off your body and stay away from the ant hill. An NEA is only there with your consent, so once you cut the cords, you will be free. People most susceptible to an NEA are people in the vibration of guilt, shame, fear, anxiety, and depression, and to a lesser extent, people in the vibration of anger and pride. An NEA can’t feed off someone in the vibration of love, joy, compassion, gratitude, etc. You can release an NEA yourself or you can utilize the help of a professional like myself or anyone in the energy healing arena. If you keep your NEA, you will eventually be so physically and energetically drained that you will either want to commit suicide or you will fall into a deep depression. I should mention here that technically demons and low vibrational entities also qualify as NEAs, but the solution is the same. Raise your vibration!

Low Vibrational Beings: If you are going to swim with the sharks, for heaven’s sake protect yourself! If you astral project take your guides with you, surround yourself with white light, and go in with a high vibration, not fear. If you are being bothered by low vibrational beings call out to the angels for help. They will help you; it’s part of their job description.

High Vibrational Beings: You’ll know it’s an HVB you’re dealing with because you will feel love pouring into you. Pure and simple. It’s like being snuggled and rocked by your mom in her big fluffy bathrobe while eating a homemade chocolate chip cookie. Not to be missed.

I hope that clears things up a little bit. The best way to avoid being bothered by negative, energy-sucking baddies is to make sure your vibration is high. It’s like closing the screen door so they can’t get into your house. If they do make it in, zap ‘em with your electric fly swatter or show them out humanely. But never, ever, feed them after midnight!

© 2009 by Erin Pavlina.

Related posts:

1. Is possession possible?
2. The Dangers of Astral Projection
3. How do I protect myself and my room when I astral project?

Here you are in the middle of a crisis, another disaster, one failure on top of another, universe smooshing you to the ground, stepped on like a bug on the bottom of the shoe of life. Where is your guidance now? Where is the Divine Source when you need it? Why aren’t the guides helping you!?

Hear this now. Your guides will always come for you. But how can I be sure? Because this is true love. You think this happens every day?

The truth is, your guides do not abandon you. They signed up for this gig knowing there would be challenges and heartache. More likely you’ve either abandoned them, you stopped listening to their advice, or you can’t hear them even though you want to. It is especially during times of crisis or emotional hardship that your guides try their hardest to send you help. But you’ve got to know what it looks like, sounds like, or feels like or you might miss it.

Wouldn’t it be great if you could just get a letter in the mail from your spirit guides telling you exactly what you need to do to make your life better? We all wish it was that straightforward. Unfortunately, guides can never find a pen, and a stamp costs a bazillion dollars per ounce to mail from the ether. So we’re left with signs, signals, synchronicities, or a really good intuitive who can tell you what your guides want you to know.

Your best bet is to learn how to hear, see, feel or know your guides. To do this, you need to know what your intuitive modalities are. I’ve written a nifty article on this topic, so please read it when you’re done with this one: How To Recognize Your Intuitive Modality. After you have determined the ways in which you receive intuition, you should use that modality to connect with your guides. I wrote another nifty article to help you with that called Spirit Guides: Who are they and how do you connect with them?

The best and most common way people connect with their guides is through meditation, but there are certainly other ways as outlined in the above article. But if you don’t have the time or inclination to learn how to speak to your guides directly, rest assured they will come to you. Usually they send signs, signals and synchronicities to help guide you to the person, place or plan that will help you the most. Do you know when you’re getting a sign or some guidance? Here are some articles that outline how you can tell:

Spirit Guides at Starbucks
Like Rats in a Maze
Interpreting Synchronicities From Spirit
How Should You Communicate with Your Spirit Guides?

Life is not trying to punish you. Sometimes you make decisions that lead to physical hardship or emotional pain and suffering. That’s when learning and growth happens.

If you aren’t sure what your guides are trying to tell you, you can book an intuitive session with me and I will tell you. But honestly, it’s best to learn how to do this on your own because you can’t keep going to an intuitive for advice when you have a problem. One time, when you’re really stuck, yes that’s appropriate. I can also help you understand your intuitive modalities and give you some advice on how to connect with your guides specifically. Let’s meet them together so you can form a relationship with them that will last a lifetime… because that’s how long they’ll be with you.

© 2009 by Erin Pavlina.

Related posts:

1. How Should You Communicate With Your Spirit Guides?
2. How To Tell the Difference Between Your Ego, Logic, Spirit Guides and Intuition
3. Are guides always wiser than us?

Answer: While this may seem like a silly question, there is actually some truth to the notion that a photo can capture your soul. But probably not in the way these cultures are thinking.

At all times a person is broadcasting his energy. An intuitive person who knows how to tune in to another person’s broadcast can get information about the person. Energy contains information, and if you can receive it and translate it, you can know things about a person that they’ve never conveyed to you with word or deed.

When you take a picture of someone, you are taking a snapshot of their energy. A photo can be used as a tuning guide. It’s like someone saying, “This guy broadcasts on channel 101.7.” When I look at a photo, if I purposely open myself up to it, I can instantly receive a download of information about the person. Some of the information I can get from a photo includes financial situation, whether they are single or in a relationship, their level of self esteem, their connection to humanity, how well they express themselves to others, their level of connection with their own intuition, and how connected they feel to Source. And that’s just in the first 5 minutes. After that, I can use the energy in the photo to connect with their life story, so I can pick up details about their career field, accidents they had as a child, what kind of parental energy they were raised with, whether they are considering a career move and to what career, what their fears and worries are, what they struggle with, etc. Then I can tune in to their spirit guides to find out what they most need to know to help them on their path. That’s pretty much what happens when I do my intuitive readings.

So I would say that while a photo cannot capture your soul in the sense that you then no longer have a soul, a photo can capture your energy and transmit information about you to others. This is one way that a psychic detective can intuit the perpetrator of a crime by looking at mug shots of previous offenders, or by looking at photos of suspects.

So beware the camera if you are hiding something. A photo locks in your frequency and an intuitive can use it discern information about you. This doesn’t mean an intuitive can determine your deepest, darkest secret just from a photo. Things you shield and keep hidden will remain hidden. A photo is a window to your soul, but not a wide open door.

© 2009 by Erin Pavlina.

Related posts:

1. Soul Mates vs. Soul Connections
2. Do you believe in Soul Mates?
3. Does the energy of your sitter affect the intuitive reading?

Answer: I guess it depends on the way you look at it, but there is a possibility that you may hear something from your spirit guides that you’re either not expecting to hear, not wanting to hear, or not ready to hear. After all, if you know what they’re going to say, there’s little point in getting a reading except as validation or confirmation of what you know.

By and large, however, your guides will tell you what you most need to know to move your life in a direction that will benefit you. So if that means addressing your bulimia, your gambling habit, your drug abuse, etc. then they might bring it up, yes. But bear in mind that if you’re doing something to yourself that is slowing you down or holding you back from what you want, then why shouldn’t they bring it up? When they do, they will also offer advice on how to overcome the destructive habit. If you’re not ready to let it go, that’s your choice, but at least listen to what they have to say.

Could the guides tell you something negative that is outside of your control, such as an impending death or something equally frightening? I have definitely done readings that started out with strong warnings in the area of health or personal safety. I recall reading for one client and as soon as we got on the phone I knew her husband was suffering from sleep apnea, that he needed a CPAP machine at night, that he was not using it, and because of this, he was in true and real danger of death, and soon. She told me I was right about all of that and she would take great steps to ensure her husband wore his breathing apparatus. Did she want to know that? Probably. Did she think to ask that? No. The guides jumped in because he was headed down a path that they felt led to sure death.

People have sometimes asked me if I can see a loved one dying soon. The guides will answer that question. I always tell people not to ask a question unless they’re ready for the answer. I’ve never done a reading where guides predicted a death that would occur by accident; it’s always been related to a health condition, known or unknown to my client. Accidents would be hard to predict since they are just that – accidents – and involve the free will of potentially hundreds of people all needing to be in the right place at the wrong time.

Sometimes it’s emotional pain people don’t want to know about. Will the guides tell you that your partner is cheating on you, or that your children are lying about their whereabouts, or that your friends are talking about you behind your back? Not usually. Unless you ask directly, they likely won’t offer that kind of information. Instead, they will focus on what you need to know, do or change to move in the direction you want to go. But if you ask the question, you will get an answer, it may not be what you’re expecting, but you will definitely get an answer.

Guides are gentle, loving, and kind. They care about your well being. They are continually broadcasting information to you that’s designed to help you attract what you need and what you desire. If you listen and act on what they tell you, chances are excellent you will see amazing progress and growth in your life. If you’re ready for that boost, and you need help tuning in to get their messages, you can book a reading with me. If you’re not ready for the truth, then wait.

© 2009 by Erin Pavlina.

Related posts:

1. Have you ever foreseen your sitter’s death in a reading?
2. Is it cheating if I get a psychic reading?
3. Should I buy a reading with you as a gift for someone?

I smiled.  This was going to be fun.  I started knocking on the watermelons.  She knocked, I knocked.  We compared sounds.  Definitely differences in how they sounded.  She was pretty sure the hollow-sounding ones were the good ones.  We started banging on those watermelons like they were drums.  Pretty soon we had a nice beat going.  We were really enjoying ourselves, smiling, laughing, comparing. 

Soon we had each picked a watermelon, hoping we’d made the right choice.  I took her over to the cantaloupes and taught her what the produce guy taught me about picking a good one.  When you smell it, it should smell like a ripe cantaloupe already (or very nearly so).  If it has no smell, leave it be.  She thanked me for my tip and we each picked a nice ripe cantaloupe.

I enjoyed my experience with her.  I love connecting with strangers.  We wished each other well and went on about our shopping.  In a minute, I saw this lady’s husband come up to the cart carrying a bag of something green.  He said, “Come on, stop fooling around.  We’ve got things to do.”  And that’s when I saw her energy plummet.  All the joy left her in moments, sucked into the vortex of joylessness.  I watched from afar as he continued to lecture her on being serious, staying focused, and getting things done.  I heard her respond with phrases like, “Okay dear.  Yes dear.  Fine, fine.  Whatever.” 

As I continued shopping, I ran into them in the aisles as we were going at roughly the same pace.  Her energy was still low when I ran into her in the cereal aisle.  I said, “So how do you pick ripe cereal?”  She got this funny look on her face, like she suddenly wasn’t invisible, then started laughing.  And we started tapping and drumming on the cereal boxes with childlike glee.  Her energy was back up.  Her chakras were open.  Her husband wasn’t near her.  We had a good chuckle and continued on.  Her husband came back to the cart and didn’t even say a word, but I saw all her joyful energy leave her again.  She looked down at the ground and pushed her cart without saying a word to him.  He was going on about prices being too high and complaining about some other things.

I don’t know if they were just having a bad day or if this was the norm in their lives, but I got the sense that she spent more time taking care of him and his needs than her own, and I also got the sense that she desperately wanted to experience more joy in her life but was often stunted by the energy of her husband, and potentially other people.

Have you experienced the energy plummet?  You’re having a great time, your energy is high, you’re in a nice high vibrational state, and an event, a person, or a situation suddenly brings your energy down?  What’s happening and what should you do when this happens?

At all times you are broadcasting your energy to the world, whether you’re in a high vibrational state or a low one.  As you interact with people, they are brushing up against your energy field, and you’re interacting with theirs.  So if you’re having a great time, and you come across another person having a great time, your energies are going to mingle and you’ll probably both be having a better time in seconds!  If your energy is super low and you come into range of another person who is low, neither one of you will be in a vibrational state to uplift the other, so your energies will remain low, and potentially get worse if you both start complaining about your problems or life situation.

But what happens when a high vibration meets a low vibration?  The stronger field will begin to affect the weaker field.  By stronger I mean the person more committed to maintaining their energetic state.  In the case I outlined, it was the husband.  The woman immediately caved to his energy, she didn’t put up a fight at all.  I’m guessing it’s because they run this pattern often and she often fails so just capitulates to save time and struggle.  She’s been conditioned.

Have you ever been in a situation where you’re with someone vibrating at a totally different frequency than you?  If so, you know what I’m talking about.  If they’re low and you’re high, you might refer to them as a buzzkill.  If you’re the low one and they are high, you might tell them they are being insensitive to your misery.  Misery loves company, right?  So if you’re miserable then your field is going to naturally try to lower someone else’s.  Sometimes that works, and sometimes it doesn’t, and they leave you to your misery.  But one thing is certain… when two fields of opposite polarities engage, eventually the stronger field will influence the weaker one.

Is there a defense?  What if you don’t want to be brought down off your high?  Could the woman in the grocery store have done something to make her field stronger?  The answer is consciousness.  You must consciously decide what your vibration is going to be.  It’s literally like putting up a shield.  So if someone comes to you complaining, their waves will bounce harmlessly off your consciousness shield. 

Here are the steps you can take to guard yourself when your vibration is high and you’re about to interact with another person:

Step 1:  Identify the vibration of the person you’re interacting with.  Is it high or low?

Step 2:  If you want your vibration lowered, let them in and let their energy overtake yours.  It won’t take long.  If you don’t want to be sucked into the vortex of low energy, go to step 3.

Step 3:  Recognize the push and pull of energy between you and stay strong in your field.  Conscious awareness and intent are all it takes to stay in your high vibrational state.  Refuse to sink to their state.  As their energy creeps into yours, push back by staying positive and in your joy.  You might even raise their vibration if they’re willing.

Step 4:  Remove yourself from the situation if you need to.  And if you’re constantly brought down by the same person, consider removing them from your life.

You are responsible for your vibrational state.  You can put yourself in any state you want by consciously choosing your emotions.  And if you’re in a low vibrational state, raise your vibration.  Do you want to be at the mercy of someone else’s vibrational field?  Or do you want to decide how you feel?  Really, the choice is yours.

Own your vibration and guard it from those who seek to lower it.  You will experience more joy and resourcefulness if you can keep your vibration high.

© 2009 by Erin Pavlina.

Related posts:

1. Raising Your Vibration Audio Program
2. How To Raise Your Vibration When You Feel Fear
3. How To Raise Your Vibration

Medium
A medium will connect with your deceased loved ones on the other side.  Consult a medium when you want validation or confirmation that your loved ones are still around and watching over you.  No medium can guarantee that a certain spirit will come through, though, so be open to other relatives or friends who want to come through with messages for you.  A medium does not usually advise you on career, relationships, finances, health, but are often capable of doing so.

Psychic
A psychic is going to tell you things about yourself and your past that you already know to confirm and validate that they are indeed receiving information from the other side.  Then they are going to tell you what’s coming up in your future.  Since you have free will, you can avoid anything negative that the psychic sees coming up for you.  A psychic will not always tell you about other paths that might serve you better; rather the psychic will simply tell you where you’re going to end up if you stay on the path you’re on and leave it up to you to change course. 

Intuitive Counselor
An intuitive counselor is a psychic who helps you understand why you’re in your current situation and how to get where you want to go in the future.  Like a psychic, an intuitive counselor will use her abilities to accurately identify what’s going on in your life (i.e. career, relationships, health, etc.), and then she will consult with your spirit guides to reconnect you with your life purpose and get you on track to fulfilling that purpose.  Like a therapist, an intuitive counselor will often identify areas of emotional blocks, limiting beliefs, and barriers that are keeping you from achieving your goals and being happy.  Unlike a traditional psychologist or therapist where you may spend years working on an issue, an intuitive counselor can often release your blocks in one session because she is tuned in to your spirit guides who know exactly what will help you move forward. An intuitive counseling session is a powerful growth tool that can shave years off your personal development.

Channeler
A channeler opens his energy to other beings who come through with messages usually designed to provide understanding about issues related to being human.  Channelers usually don’t give personal advice, but rather comment on humanity’s trajectory as a whole; more of a universal guide with information that applies to all of us.  People can be conscious channelers, where they are aware of everything the celestial beings are saying, or they can be unconscious channelers, completely removed from their bodies during a session with no recollection of what was said.   Channelers are also referred to as trance channelers because they usually must go into trance to make a connection with the beings they are channeling.

Diviners
Diviners use items such as tarot cards, pendulums, crystals, or the I Ching to divine answers to your questions.  They can advise you in the areas of career, relationships, finances, health, etc, using their divination tools to deliver messages from your guides.  Usually diviners have psychic abilities such as clairvoyance, clairaudience, or clairsentience, but sometimes diviners have simply studied how to interpret their tools and don’t need advanced psychic abilities at all to help you.

Angel Therapists
Angel therapy is a spiritual healing practice where the practitioner connects with your angels to provide you with guidance, wisdom, insights, comfort, and healing when you need it most.  Angels provide protection and emotional comfort during trying times in our lives.  If you are suffering emotionally, then finding an angel therapist could be just the right thing for you.  Often religious people who don’t feel comfortable seeing a psychic can comfortably retain the services of an angel therapist.

Psychic Detective
Psychic detectives use their psychic abilities to assist law enforcement, detectives, and private citizens by uncovering information designed to lead to the capture and arrest of people who break the law.  They can be useful in finding lost items as well.  Generally, psychic detectives work with the police or private investigators, but some also do private psychic readings for people.

Astrologer
An astrologer looks at the alignment of your planets at the time of your birth to predict events, situations, and issues you are here to work on in this incarnation.  They can sometimes tell you what’s coming up for you, and they can also detect information about your past incarnations as they relate to current issues you’re working on.  Astrologers can also tell you what your dominant personality traits are, and how you will relate to other people, such as future partners, by looking into the compatibility of your charts.  An astrologer is sometimes psychic, but doesn’t have to be in order to work up your chart for you.

Numerologist
Numerology is the study of numbers and their symbolism.  A numerologist can determine your personality, strengths, weaknesses, talents, and life obstacles by studying information like your date of birth, your name, or your address.  Here again a person does not have to have any psychic ability to practice numerology, but some do have psychic abilities that they use to assist in the interpretation of the numbers’ meanings.

Medical Intuitive
A medical intuitive specializes in identifying problems or issues you’re having in your physical body that may have an energetic cause.  A medical intuitive can help diagnose an ailment you’re having, and also help determine the underlying spiritual reason that you developed the problem.  In doing so, you can correct your energetic imbalance which should have a positive effect on your physical condition.  Sometimes medical intuitives will comment on other areas of your life, but that is generally not their purpose.

Past Life Therapist
A past life therapist will often use hypnosis or other meditative techniques to help you remember past life events (and sometimes future lives as well!).  In so doing, a past life therapist can help you identify the cause of blocks or fears that are presenting to you in this life that may be holding you back from achieving your goals.  Remembering your past lives is not usually necessary for most people, but it can give you tremendously valuable insights as to areas where you are blocked, phobic, or extremely gifted.

Parapsychologist
A parapsychologist is someone who has made a study of the paranormal.  These people are more scientist than psychic.  Parapsychologists don’t usually consult with individuals.  Instead, they are doing research and studying paranormal activity.  However, if you have a question or want information about the paranormal, a parapsychologist is a good resource.

Demonologist
A demonologist is someone who studies demons, plain and simple.  They know how to identify, handle and expel demons or other negative entities that might be bothering you.  Hopefully you will never need to consult a demonologist, but if you do, be thankful they exist.

Exorcist
Yes, exorcists do exist.  If you think you or a loved one are being possessed by a demon, you’ll want to find an exorcist.  Find a priest or minister trained in the art of exorcism.  You can also find some psychics who have studied exorcism.  Just be sure to get someone who knows what they’re doing and has experience actually exorcising demons.  It’s tricky business and best not left to amateurs.

Reiki Practitioner
Reiki (pronounced ray-kee) practitioners channel energy from the Universe to heal, reduce stress, and relax their clients.  Reiki masters have studied the art of drawing energy from Source through their hands and into your energy field.  Sometimes Reiki practitioners can pick up information from your auric field and identify issues or problems that need work.  Some can even pick up information about past life traumas.

Psychometrists
Psychometrists can divine information about people and events simply by holding an object that belongs to a person or that has been present at an event.  Psychometrists can read the history of an object just by touching it or being near it.  They are reading the imprint of energy left behind on the object.  If you own something or inherit something and you don’t know its history, a psychometrist may be able to help you.

Those are just 16 of the more common types of psychics out there.  There are many more professions that use some form of psychic abilities including shamans, dream walkers, pet psychics, spiritual healers, precognitives, remote viewers, alchemists, soul realignment practitioners, feng shui consultants, etc.

Also, professional intuitives could have more than one specialty.  For example, I am a psychic, a medium, and an intuitive counselor.  Depending on my clients and their needs, I wear one or all of those hats during a reading.  I have some talent and ability at channeling, which is something I haven’t done much publically but may at some future date.  I’ve studied Reiki but it’s not for me, and I’ve done some work for law enforcement as a psychic detective, but that’s also not a path that pulls me strongly.  Because of my lifetime of paranormal experiences, I am often consulted by those who have negative entity attachments or who are haunted by ghosts who won’t go away.  I’ve gone on “missions” with paranormal researchers, aka ghost hunters, but that’s also not something I spend a lot of time doing.

Within each specialty you’ll even find sub-specialties.  Some intuitives specialize in career advice but don’t know much about ghosts.  Some like to channel messages of love and  hope, but can’t tell you that you’re about to be laid off.  Some are airy fairy and some are very grounded and analytical.  When you consult an intuitive do a little research to make sure you’ll be working with someone who can help you in the area in which you need help.  Make sure you’re connecting with someone who comes from love and a strong desire to help you.  Avoid the frauds, charlatans, and darkworkers who use fear to scam you out of your money.  Always read testimonials, get referrals from friends, ask questions about their specialties, and see if you feel called to consult them.  Just remember to seek out the specialist who can help you best and respect the fact that all intuitives have their own strengths and weaknesses, just like specialists in other fields.

It takes training, commitment, time, and love to be a professional intuitive.  When you select a psychic, choose one that is completely dedicated to their craft and has a good reputation.  Don’t tell the psychic your life story before you have the consultation; it leaves them with little information they can use for validation.  Likewise, don’t clam up your energy so tight that your psychic has nothing to work with.  Be open, honest, and ready for a life-changing experience.

© 2009 by Erin Pavlina.

Related posts:

1. Can a Medium Pick Up On a Code Word?
2. Are Women More Psychic Than Men?
3. Flexing Your Psychic Muscles

Answer:  Generally speaking, no, the dead do not miss the living.  I know that sounds horrible, but let’s look at death from their perspective so you’ll understand why they don’t miss us like we miss them.

When your loved one dies, he’s greeted on the other side by loved ones who have crossed over before him.  He goes back to the light of Divine Love.  To say he’s in a better place is an understatement.  He’s happy, blissful even.  It’s as exciting as winning the lottery.  He goes through his life review, understanding and comprehending the lessons and experiences he had in life.  He makes peace with himself, and crosses right on over into bliss.

The dead are aware, however, that those of us left behind are having a much harder time dealing with what we perceive as a loss, because we, the living, think the person is gone to a galaxy far, far away.  Our dead loved ones try to get our attention, to let us know they are just fine and playing Bingo in the sky with your old dog, uh … Bingo.  For them it’s like looking through one way glass where they can see us but we can’t see them.  So they wave their arms, stomp up and down, scream to us, but we can’t hear them.  How frustrating do you think that is for them?

So next they try getting our attention in other ways.  They send us dreams telling us they’re fine.  We discount those as “just dreams.”  They knock pictures off the wall.  We discount those as the house settling or the kids running amok.  They waft specific smells our way.  “Does anyone smell freesia? Didn’t grandma like freesias?  Weird.”  They put significant songs on the radio, drop change in front of our feet, make the rocking chair rock all by itself, and we chalk it all up to imagination or wishful thinking.  So finally they just sit and hold us with their incorporeal arms, trying to comfort us physically without a physical body to do it with.

And they listen.  They listen to our prayers and eulogies, our anger, our sadness.  And they watch.  They watch us cry, sleep, and cry some more.  They watch us slowly put our lives back together.  They feel joy when we have a victory over our grief.

But they’re also spending their time getting to know the other side and reconnecting with people there.  They realize that no one really dies, we simply transform.  This is nothing to be sad about.  It’s something wonderful.  If the living could remember that the dead are not truly gone, it could lessen our grief.  We grieve over our loss, over the loss of their presence in our lives.  And yes, that is a real loss, but it is not a complete, never-going-to-see-you-again loss. 

Honor the dead.  Share your joy and love with them.  Cast love energy their way.  And try to feel the love energy they’re casting back at you.  A medium can help you reconnect, but a medium is unnecessary if you open your heart and remember that the dead don’t leave us, so they don’t miss us.  Remember them and cherish your memories.  You can keep the connection alive by talking to them and acknowledging their presence at special family events.

They are still there, you can still talk to them, and they still see you and care about you.  They know you’re sad, but they know life is an amazing gift and experience, and they want you to enjoy yours to the fullest extent possible.  When you’re ready, move on with living your life. You will see your loved ones again.

© 2009 by Erin Pavlina.

Related posts:

1. Q&A on the Dead and the Afterlife
2. The Dead Speak
3. Can Dead People Negatively Affect Your Life?

Your Aura
Auras are fields of luminous energy that surround a person like a halo, and can be seen or detected by those with intuitive abilities either with their physical eyes or their third eye (i.e. mind’s eye).  Auras contain various colors, and the master intuitive can detect a person’s dominant energies by the color of their aura.  Each color conveys a different meaning.  When I was a child a psychic told me my aura was yellow and that meant I was smart, logical, and inquisitive.  Over the years my aura changed to green and purple which I was told meant I was spiritual and compassionate.  Sometimes I was told my aura was purple around my head and yellow around my body.  It seemed my aura was like a mood ring and changed colors with my emotional state.

Auras can be affected by the energies of people around us.  If you’re having a conversation with a person who is intimidating you, likely your aura will shrink back as the other person’s energy pushes against it.  If you’re feeling powerful and unstoppable, your aura will be thick and strong, and it’s unlikely you’ll feel intimidated by another’s energy.  When you’re in love, your aura will reach out to lightly brush against the aura of the person you love, and they will combine to create a field of light around the two of you (awwww).  As you move apart, pieces of your energetic field will remain with your loved one.

People with powerful auras will have a lot of charisma.  Celebrities or politicians are a good example.  Anyone that has a strong presence, who can draw a crowd, likely has a thick aura.  On the other hand, people who are fearful, anxious, or shy will often have a very thin aura.  If you are unhealthy, there may be areas of black in your aura.  If you are meditating or doing spiritual work, you could emanate gold, white, or purple energy. 

If you are practiced at energy work, you can also inject colors into your aura when you need them.  Yes, you can manipulate your aura to send off subtle, or not so subtle, cues into the atmosphere.  If you’re about to make a big sales presentation you might want to inject some red into your aura.  If you’re about to break up a fight, you might want to inject some gold or green into your aura.  What you emanate can influence someone else so emanate responsibly.  

To sum up, your aura is the energetic field that emanates from your body and indicates your general mood, state, or way of being.  It can be adjusted consciously if you are practiced and skilled at energy work.  It can change quickly based on your current situation.

Your Chakras
Chakras are energy centers inside your body that are anchored in place.  Each chakra relates to a different aspect of your life and each chakra is a certain color.  Your root chakra, for example, relates to security, stability, and abundance, and is red.  Your heart chakra is green and relates to compassion, connection with others, and love.  Your throat chakra, which is blue, relates to your ability to communicate and express yourself.

I see chakras.  In fact, when I do my intuitive counseling sessions the first thing I do is look at your chakras because they tell me the story of your situation.  If I see a tiny root chakra I know you’re not experiencing abundance or you’re living at home with your parents or are a student.  If I see a large wide open root chakra I know you’ve got plenty of money or you’re in a stable and secure situation.  I use your chakras to diagnose your life situation.  The chakras tell the story.  If I see tiny pinpricks of light in every chakra, that tells me you’re considering suicide or are very depressed.  Sometimes I’ll see light from one chakra encroaching on another, and sometimes I’ll see chakras that are slightly out of place.  All of this information helps me tune in to my client.  Once I’ve got the story, I use my clairvoyance and clairaudience to talk to your spirit guides and get specific information about how to help you in the areas of your life such as career, relationships, health, finances, spirituality, etc.

While auras can be adjusted based on current mood and intent, your chakras are more anchored and rooted.  It takes real change in your life to create a change in your chakras.

To sum up, your chakras are a reflection of your life situation.  An intuitive can use chakras to diagnose your current areas of strength and weakness and then guide you on how to make changes in your life that will later be reflected in changes in your chakras.

***
If you see me at a party or an event, don’t ask me what color your aura is.  Ask me about chakras instead.  While there is nothing wrong with knowing your aura colors, your aura can change with your mood.  It’s the chakras that tell the story of your life.

© 2009 by Erin Pavlina.

Related posts:

1. How do you open and close chakras?
2. Chakras
3. How To Tell the Difference Between Your Ego, Logic, Spirit Guides and Intuition

Answer:  The answer to that question depends on what happened in your previous life and whether or not it’s affecting this one.

When I do readings, sometimes, but not always, the guides will show me details of a person’s previous life.  I know that when a past life is brought up during one of my readings that it’s because the previous life holds clues to something that’s challenging to my client in this life.  Otherwise, past lives don’t usually come up in my readings.

Past life recall can be a wonderful and interesting experience, so if you’re interested in what you were doing or who you were in a past life, by all means look into it.  Hypnosis is a good tool to recall past lives, a good psychic can tune in to your past lives, or you can even do it by yourself using various techniques and methods.  Look up Brian L. Weiss for more information on past lives or learn how to access your Akashic Record.

I want to reassure you, though, that you do not need to know about your past lives in order to achieve what you want in this one.  If remembering past lives was so crucial to success in this one, they would be a lot easier to recall.  You have access to all the information you could ever need about how to overcome life’s challenges and manifest your desires.  Your guides, higher self, the angels, and even Source directly can help you.  Or you can simply learn to hurdle your obstacles using good old fashioned truth, love, and power.

All that being said, sometimes a past life offers a definitive clue to something that’s keeping you stuck in this one.  Usually when past life information comes up in my readings, my client suffered an early death, (usually via murder, accident, or suicide), and didn’t get to complete the lessons they came to learn.  When this happens, you can carry over some of those lessons and pick them right back up in this life.  Think of it like a do-over or like repeating a course in college.  Life will give you another chance to complete the “course” you were taking in your previous “semester.” 

So if you’re feeling particularly stuck in this life or if you seem to keep attracting the same lessons over and over again, you may find a clue in a past life or you may not.  Your problem may simply have manifested in this life. 

Past life recall can definitely give you clues about fears you have in this life.  For example I can’t wear turtle necks, scarves, or choker necklaces thanks to being hung in a previous life.  I know people who are claustrophobic due to being buried alive in a previous life.  And I know a person who fear dogs today because they were hunted down and mauled by a group of them in a past life.  If you have unreasoning fears that don’t seem to pertain to anything that happened to you in this life, it definitely could have been a past life situation.

If you do decide to look into your past lives be sure not to give them too much power.  They can assist you by providing insight, but if you put too much energy into them you’ll forget what you’re doing in this life.  Pay attention to what’s going on now.

© 2009 by Erin Pavlina.

Related posts:

1. Past Lives
2. Ask Erin: How do I let go of my past?
3. How do you open and close chakras?

When tragic deaths occur sometimes people want to consult a medium right away.  They want answers and comfort.  They want to know if the deceased made it to the other side or if they are stuck in limbo.  Sometimes they want details of a murder so they can find the perpetrator.  Sometimes they simply want to know why.

But should you consult a medium in the early days following your loved one’s death?

No, it’s not a good idea.  Here’s why:

Grief is a barrier to connection
When I read for people who are deeply in the throes of grief their sadness affects my ability to tune in.  When I open up to spirit I am also opening up to my client.  Because of my empathy, I feel the emotional pain of my client deeply.  To connect with a deceased person I have to stay objective and neutral.  So I have to tune out my client’s grief which means I’m closing a channel that could otherwise be useful to me in creating a strong connection with the deceased loved one.  It affects the strength of the connection.  I can still do it, but not as easily or well.

The deceased need time to learn how to connect with a medium
If you were suddenly thrown into a country where you didn’t speak the language, how long would it take you to be able to communicate effectively with the people around you?  When someone crosses over they are not automatically able to connect with a human medium to send messages to their loved ones.  They have to learn how to do it.  Every medium works slightly differently, so the deceased person has to figure out what frequency the medium is on and match it.  Mediums use clairvoyance, clairaudience, clairsentience and claircognizance to connect with those on the other side.  A deceased person sometimes comes to me in images, or talks to me in my head, or makes me feel what they felt when they died.  There are many variables which have to line up for me to make a connection, and working with newly deceased energy is like talking to a newborn.

The deceased may not be ready to talk
I know you want to hear from your loved ones immediately, but they may not be ready to talk.  There’s a lot going on for them.  They might still be processing their own death and may not even be aware that someone is trying to communicate with them.  They sometimes need to get situated, work out some karma, find their way “home” before they can relax and consider the needs of those they left behind.  Be patient.  Sometimes another deceased relative will speak on behalf of the new arrival.  Be open to whoever wants to come through with information.

Answers may not be available
You want answers.  You want to know why your loved one was taken from you or why they chose to leave so soon or so suddenly.  Sometimes answers are forthcoming and sometimes they’re not.  Sometimes it’s not for you to know why, in the grand scheme, a person left this incarnation.  Perhaps you’ll never know, or perhaps you’ll see why later.  Sometimes it’s part of a major growth experience for you, and giving you answers without you searching for them robs you of that growth experience.  If deceased loved ones could tell us everything there was to know about life and death there would be a lot of lottery-winning psychics on Earth right now!  We may not be privy to the reasons why.  Trust in the universe, and know that you will someday reunite with your loved one on the other side and know for sure what happened.

So when SHOULD you consult a medium?
You should consult a medium when your grief is under control and not raw.  Usually three months is the minimum amount of time you should wait after someone has died before consulting a medium.  Longer if you’re still grieving really hard.  It’s not that you have you wait until you no longer care about your deceased loved one, it’s that you need to be strong and open, and not falling down under the weight of grief.  You want to lend the medium your strength, not ask her to hold you up while also dialing the other side. 

Will the deceased send signs or signals when they are ready to communicate?
Yes.  If a deceased person is interested in communicating with the living, they can learn how.  Knocking down photos, sending a scent into the air, stopping your clocks or your electronics, coming to you in dreams, coming to others in dreams to get a message to YOU, leaving coins in odd places, putting “their” song on the radio when you’re thinking about them, and cold breezes are just a few of the ways the dead will try to communicate with you.  Be on the lookout and pay attention.  When you start getting signs, it’s a good bet a medium will be able to reach the deceased person.

Will the deceased name their killers or provide other useful information regarding their death and/or life?
Yes absolutely.  I’ve done readings where dead people name their killer, describe details of their accident for investigative purposes, and even mention where to find the will or important papers.  Doesn’t happen all the time.  I can’t force information out of the dead.  I can only pass on what they’re willing to give.  Sometimes a deceased person will go on and on about one of their kids and not the other.  Doesn’t mean they loved them any less; could simply mean one of the kids is in a more emergent situation than the other.  The dead have a perspective that is very different from our own.  We can’t really understand why some information is shareable and other information must remain secret.  When you get to the other side, take it up with them.

To summarize, consulting a medium should be done only if you need closure and certainty.  Having validating evidence come through is extremely comforting to the living.  But wait a bit for things to settle down, for you to get through the intense grief, and for your loved ones to learn how to communicate with the medium.  Your loved ones are in good hands on the other side.  Don’t worry about them.

© 2009 by Erin Pavlina.

Related posts:

1. Can a Medium Pick Up On a Code Word?
2. Connecting With The Dead During Readings
3. How do you prevent unwanted communication from the other side?

Answer:  Both your higher self and your spirit guides are there to help you navigate your way through life, but they do serve different purposes and roles, so let’s talk about who you should consult and when.

A reminder that your higher self is your true essence, your soul, who you are when the veil that shrouds life is pulled back and you remember exactly who you are and where you came from.  Your higher self is the part of you that is most conscious, the operator to your avatar.  It’s like if life was a video game, the incarnated you is the character and the higher self is the gamer sitting behind the scenes eating pizza and drinking soda while influencing and guiding the character through the game of life.

Your spirit guides, on the other hand, were chosen by your higher self to help keep you on track as you navigate the maze of your life.  They are celestial beings who may or may not have ever been incarnated as humans, but are qualified to guide you.  Their job is to follow the boss’s orders and get you from point A to point B with as much learning, growth, happiness, and joy as possible.

I like to think of the higher self as the CEO of your company, and the spirit guides as managers.  Your higher self is the visionary, the leader, the one calling the shots, and your guides implement the strategies and directives set forth by your higher self.

So who should you consult when you need advice, help and answers?

In general, you would consult spirit guides when you want to know what’s coming up on your path.  Should you go left or right at the crossroads?  Should you study abroad?  Should you move to a new city?  Should you date the guy you met in your history class?  And so forth.  Your guides will be able to help you see where each path leads so you can make a good choice.

Your higher self, on the other hand, is a good person to consult when you want to remember your connection to Source, when you want to remember your message and why you incarnated, when you need love and support, and when you want to feel strong and empowered.  It’s not that your higher self can’t help you make a decision, but that’s really what the guides are best at. 

Commune with your higher self, consult your guides.  That’s my motto.

The reason I commune more often with my higher self than my guides is because at the moment my life is flowing totally easily and effortlessly in the direction I want it to go, so my guides are kicking back, taking a smoke break, and patting themselves on the back.   I enjoy meeting with my higher self in my garden because it’s peaceful and I like her energy.

I suggest you connect with both your higher self and guides, just understand where each is focused and how each can help you best.

© 2009 by Erin Pavlina.

Related posts:

1. How Should You Communicate With Your Spirit Guides?
2. How To Tell the Difference Between Your Ego, Logic, Spirit Guides and Intuition
3. Guided Meditation as a Tool for Speaking with Spirit Guides

Answer:  Often people tell relatives, “If you make it to the other side, I’ll know you’re really there if you come through a medium with this code word.” It’s a nice idea, and in theory it should work.  I personally have never received a code word from a deceased person while doing an intuitive reading, but nor has anyone asked me to see if I could get one. 

As a psychic medium, receiving information psychically is not as easy as listening to someone on the other end of the phone just talking to you.  It’s not like we hear someone say, “Hey Erin, my name is Joe Smith and I’m happy to be talking with you today from the other side.  Could you please tell my son that the will is in the top left drawer of my study and the password for my computer is Ulysses.”  It just doesn’t come through that clearly most of the time. 

Psychics receive information energetically, on a frequency I couldn’t even begin to fathom as I’m not a psychic linguist or quantum physicist.  It’s like being immersed in a language you don’t know, and after years you eventually pick up on what certain sounds mean.  Only in the case of a psychic, no one is teaching you how to translate the energy, you just have to learn through trial and error and practice.  Eventually your connection gets stronger and your ability to fathom the meaning of the energetic signals gets clearer.  The more you work with your guides, the more you develop a shorthand way of communication, with them using certain symbols to mean certain things.  For example, when my guides show me a diamond symbol over a person’s chakra I know it’s their symbol for the fact that this client has professional level abilities related to that chakra.  So if I see a diamond over their third eye I know the person is capable of being a professional intuitive or already is one.  If I see a diamond over their throat chakra I know they are a professional singer or speaker or writer (or some other form of communication).

I am clairaudient, which means I do hear the guides talking to me, and sometimes I do hear things word for word.  I’ve had guides and deceased relatives come to me with a phrase so specific it feels like it took all of their energy to fine tune the beam in order for me to receive the transmission in its most pristine and unsullied form.  I am then able to pass it along easily as it’s already come to me pre-translated.  Yes, this makes my job easier and I love it when it happens, but for most of a reading I’m receiving impressions that I must translate. 

Spirits do not speak in man-made languages.  It’s not like you’ve got people over there speaking Chinese or English or whatever.  They communicate with energy.  So let’s say you’re recently deceased and your son goes to a medium.  Desperate to get a message to him that you’re alright, you try to form the code word but hey, you don’t have a mouth or vocal cords.  How are you going to get the message to the medium in a way she’ll understand?  You could push an image into her mind and if she’s clairvoyant she might get it.  You could send a sound wave and hope you’ve formed it correctly so that the medium interprets it correctly and it doesn’t come through garbled or like static.  You could try sending a feeling (how do you send “Ulysses” as a feeling?) and hope the medium is clairsentient.  Do you think it’s easy for a deceased person to communicate with a medium?  It’s not!  Often times the spirit guides have to bring messages through because the deceased person is incapable of expressing themselves using the language of energy.  There have been many readings I’ve done where I’m getting messages from spirit guides that are being relayed for the deceased person.  In some readings I’m communicating with the deceased person directly.  I never know what I’m going to get until I tune in.

I personally think a code word is a great idea.  But make it something easy for a medium to receive and for your relative on the other side to send.  If your word is, “serendipitous” come on!  Give us a break.  That’s never going to make it through the system.  Think of something that could be easily sent visually, that has a simple sound to it, or that could be felt, smelled, or tasted.  Some ideas would be a rose, a cat, a hat, a cat in a hat (just kidding), but you get the idea.  Simple sound, simple visual.  Then when you’re having a reading with a medium be on the lookout for the code word.  She might not know she’s receiving a code word; it might come to her in a way she thinks is metaphorical.  If your code word is rose, for example, and she says, “Your mom keeps handing me red flowers and they smell divine,” she could be picking up on the coded message even though she isn’t saying the word “rose.”  Maybe she’s seeing rosy cheeks.  Or the medium might say, “She’s saying you view the world through rose-colored glasses.”  We could simply be misinterpreting the nature of the communication.  So you’re going to have to be on the lookout.  It’s not like the spirit is going to say, “Hey Erin, can you please tell my daughter the code word is blue.  I’d sure appreciate it.”

When a medium is working, he or she should be able to relay information to you that validates the presence of the deceased relative in a way that you will find confirming.  For all we know, spirits aren’t allowed to pass on a code word.  Maybe it violates their prime directive.  I know that when I’m working I’m not able to extract information from a guide or spirit.  I have to let them do the talking and be patient as they choose how to answer the questions they’re given. 

Bottom line … I think a code word is a valid covenant to make.  I’ll probably set one up with my own parents just to see what happens.  But I wouldn’t hold your breath on receiving it during a reading.  Stay open to what the spirit wants to communicate, look for and expect validation on the part of the medium, and if the medium is close let them know.  We might make it look easy, but it’s not.  Tuning in, especially to deceased relatives, is difficult and takes a lot of practice to be able to pass on messages accurately.  It would be awesome if someone could invent a translator that would accurately translate energy into English.  Until then, we have to decrypt the energy the best way we can.

© 2009 by Erin Pavlina.

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You go to a cheap psychic, the kind that charge like $5 or $10.  You think, “What the heck?  It’s only a few bucks.”  You listen as the psychic tells you astoundingly accurate things about yourself.  But at the end of the reading, this con artist tells you that there is a dark energy around you, that you are cursed, or that something terrible is about to befall you, but for $200 they can remove this dark energy/curse and heal you.  Frightened, you pony up the money, the “psychic” performs a flashy ritual (chanting, candles, arm waving, etc.) and tells you that you’re cured.  Or she might tell you to check in with her in a week to see if the energy is clear.  If you actually do go back to her, at the next meeting you’ll be told the negative energy is much stronger than she thought and it’s going to cost $3,000 to clear it.  It’s at this point that I hope you have a moment of clarity and call the police on her, but sadly some people do fall for this scam.

The people who write to me say, “But she was so accurate.  She told me all kinds of things about my life that were true, so why wouldn’t I trust her that I was cursed?”  And that’s why this scam works.  Sometimes the con artist is actually a gifted psychic but is simply a darkworker, using her real abilities to scam people out of their money because it’s easier and faster than giving a real reading one time to a client she may never see again.  In other cases, the person isn’t using intuitive abilities at all but is instead using cold reading techniques to fish for information and make claims that are pretty much true for everyone.  You must be on guard for this.

I was telling someone on our discussion forums recently that in the more than 1500 professional readings I’ve done for people, I’ve encountered perhaps a dozen or less people who were actually being “haunted” by a negative energy or had a negative entity attachment.  In all cases, I taught those clients how to clear the situation on their own and had them check in with me in a week to make sure it was gone, all at no extra charge.  For those who couldn’t clear it on their own, I cleared it for them at no charge.  If someone is actually being haunted, it’s best if they use their own power to clear it, otherwise they’re giving their power away to the psychic or the thing haunting them.  I empower people to raise their vibration so negative energy sloughs off of them.

You may be thinking, “I would never fall for something like that.  I wouldn’t go to a cheap psychic.”  Watch out for the freebie too.  Sometimes these con artists will go up to people in a crowd like at a mall or grocery store, selecting people they believe to be gullible or low in personal power.  They’ll say something like “The spirits are telling me you’re having a rough time in life right now and I just wanted to tell you that things are going to get much better soon.”  The mark, sensing no scam in progress because no money has changed hands says, “Why  yes, I am feeling challenged.  Life is so hard.  It’s all out of control.”  The con artist reels you in with more generic information designed to get you to trust them (after all, they’re not getting paid) and at the end tells you that your big problem is this curse or dark entity attachment and that they feel sorry for you.  You say, “Oh my goodness, I didn’t know.  Is that something you can help me with?”  The con hedges a little and says, “Um, well, yes sure.  I mean I could clear that up for you in a few minutes, but I charge $200 for that service.”  You eagerly fork over the cash and you’re done, conned hook, line, and sinker.  You tell your friends what happened and they tell you that you got scammed.  You protest, saying, “No, he didn’t ask me for any money, he just gave me a free reading and I was the one who asked him to clear the curse for me.”  It’s too late.

A reputable psychic empowers her clients and conveys honest information during a reading.  An ethical psychic does not use fear to control her client into spending more and more money with them for false rituals, charms, and curse removal.  Be cautious and aware out there.  Reputable psychics will charge a fair price for their service based on skill and demand; not a super low price designed to get you on the hook for more expensive services.  Get referrals to a great psychic from people that you trust.  Read testimonials to help determine if a psychic is legitimate. 

As in any industry, there are real professionals with real skills out there using their abilities for nefarious purposes.  Be on guard so you don’t fall victim to this common psychic scam.  In the process, don’t assume all psychics are frauds, charlatans, and scam artists.  Find a psychic aligned with the light, who seeks to empower you to make good decisions that will benefit you and humanity.   

This has been a public service announcement from your friendly,  neighborhood psychic.

© 2009 by Erin Pavlina.

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