“Telling the future” is both a time-honored description of what psychics do and a completely inaccurate assessment of what psychics do. Even though we are labeled “fortune tellers” by the press and media, most reputable intuitives would tell you that the future is simply not tellable. I am not even sure there is such a thing as a future.

What I mean by that is that the future is not set in stone. No one can look into your life and tell you with certainty what will happen. Events are not determined until they occur. And, since time is an illusion, I believe that we can change the past as easily as we can the future (which will most certainly change the future, but that is a topic for another column).

So, what good are psychics then? In these days of rapid change and uncertainty, that is actually a really good question to ask. I don’t do private sessions anymore, but that is not because I don’t believe they are valuable. A good psychic has the ability to see your present…your now…with a clarity that you might lack. He or she can tell you what is going on in your life, what may be holding you back from being all you desire and then see potential pathways of events that may occur if you continue to do what you are currently doing.

I would turn in my membership card to the psychic club if I actually thought I could predict the future. I just do not want to know or be responsible for giving that information to others. Think about it. The only 100 percent accurate prediction anyone can make is that each of us will die. Do you really want to know when and how? How would your life change if you knew you would get divorced in ten years or if you knew your job would be terminated? For that matter, how would you live if you knew you would win the lottery in five years, fall madly in love with someone new or write a best-selling novel?

My point is that if you had that knowledge, it would change how you currently live and view the world. Then, those changes would alter your future and the forecast would turn out to be “wrong.”

When I look into the “future” for people, what I am actually doing is seeing a myriad of potential paths. Generally one of the paths glows brighter than the others. I take that as an intuitive sign that the path is the most likely one for that person. However, if the person changes herself, her mind, or if something else happens, that pathway might dim and another take on the glow.

What is happening lately is that our pathways are morphing and changing with such rapidity that I get dizzy looking at them. I might glance into my psychic roadmap in the morning and see one brightly lit path. By afternoon that path may have completely disappeared and another one risen to take its place. As our world barrels down the road to the new era we are beginning, our paths are changing almost daily. Not only is the future not carved in stone…it is not even written in pencil anymore.

Like it or not, there is very little that is certain in this world, now or in the future. It is no wonder that many of us feel like we are in a speeding car without a steering wheel. Like it or not though, we are in charge of our lives and responsible for the things that do and will happen to us. The hallmark of this new era is that we all develop and nurture our intuitive ability. Then, on a daily or perhaps constant basis, we can ask our intuition for guidance. We can glance at the pathway, change what we don’t like and follow what we do. To live freely and joyfully, we need to live in the now, altering and changing our paths daily to meet our needs and desires.

I am a great believer in psychic guidance from others. Because we have such strong emotions about ourselves and our paths, we can’t always see what is in front of our psychic noses. So, continue to get readings. There are some absolutely amazing psychics in the Twin Cities and elsewhere who can be of great help to you. In addition, make it a daily practice to sit for just a moment, ask for the day’s path and then follow it if you like it and change it if you don’t.

Our consciousness and social circle allows us to recognize our talents or makes us suppress or even fear them as something “un-normal,” “un-real” or scary. Our immediate family is the first to suppress our abilities in childhood. Based on their reaction to our stories and sights, we discover that not everyone receives the same visual and/or sound impressions. We discover that eye sight and inner sight are two different things.

Children are aware of the “other” world(s) and are very lucky when they have a family that is understanding and supportive. Many children are blamed for making up stories, and as a result they shut down their gift(s). To uncover these talents as an adult is a lot of work. We have to work through a lot of fear, which has been socially implanted.

So are you psychic?

If you ever encountered an experience where you sensed that something would happen, and it later did, chances are you have psychic talent. We all have that inner voice and connection. It is just a matter of allowing ourselves to listen to it.

In recent years, more people worldwide have been acknowledging their spirituality and psychic talent. Part of a planetary wake-up call, they have chosen to honor and cultivate their awareness. As people wake up in such a way, they often experience the urge to make total life changes. Facing sudden inner knowing about which path to follow, they change their life’s direction without looking back. Many give up their previous mere existence and careers (material riches) after such an awakening and change to a much more fulfilling experience of living. Others remain hesitant and full of fear to let go of the known for something unknown.

When you decide to proceed, be aware that it will take years of dedicated learning and practice.

1st Mega Aura-Palooza

11th annual LHSC Psychic Fair
May 16-17 • Lake Harriet Spiritual Community, 4401 Upton Ave. , Minneapolis • 612.922.4272
This established annual event in Linden Hills will feature readings from dozens of the Midwest’s finest mediums, psychics, animal communicators, aura photographers and body workers. The Psychic Fair also will feature many unique vendors selling crystals, jewelry, chainmail, pagan books, tarot decks, stained glass, African art and more. This weekend event is part of the larger Linden Hills Neighborhood Festival. So spend the day in the neighborhood because there is plenty to do. Get a reading or massage under our domed sanctuary vortex and try the delicious African food provided by Assase Ya. Shop the many neighborhood garage sales. Then, enjoy a delightful stroll through the restaurants and shops of the Linden Hills neighborhood, or enjoy a walk around the lake. LHSC has been a major Twin Cities force in facilitating individual and community healing and connectedness with the greater universe for decades. Besides this popular weekend event, LHSC has an abundance of classes and ongoing events.
www.LakeHarrietSpiritualCommunity.org

I believe the psychic boundaries we, as a species, have nurtured and defended for so many years are now failing us. I also think this is a good thing. I have been doing psychic work for many years and have been teaching classes in intuitive development for about 25 years. Just in the last year I have noticed that the natural ability of my students has increased dramatically. As a species, we are becoming increasingly able to pick up on occurrences outside of our usual ability to know and to feel emotions belonging to others.

Like all things, this is a good-news-bad-news sort of a thing. I had a call a few days ago from a woman who said, “I guess this is what you feel like all the time.” She went on to tell me how she had been in line at the post office when she thought, “Well, at least I don’t have a family member in the hospital.” A few minutes later, the man behind her answered his ringing cell phone to learn that a loved one had just been taken to the hospital.

Later that day, she was in the grocery store and realized she was picking up on the emotions or thoughts of the other people in the store. She told me, “I had a strange thought, ‘What would it feel like to have MS?’ Shortly thereafter, I saw that the check out girl wore a medic alert bracelet for MS.”

Today I received an e-mail with much the same story. The writer said, “I had this strange thought that I was an amputee, and later that day I ran into not one but two amputees.”
Both of these people had one question for me. It was, “How do I get this to stop?”

As Bob Dylan once wrote, “The times they are a changin’.” We are becoming increasingly and unpredictably psychic, and much of the information we are receiving is about something that we don’t particularly want to know. There are also some very interesting ethical questions that arise as we become more aware of what is going on with other people and what they are thinking and feeling. Are we becoming psychic voyeurs?

My response to the two inquirers discussed above is that it is important for us to be able to use our intuition on command, not let it run rampant over us. We need to learn not only how to access it, but when to turn it off.

I will readily admit that I am not an expert at turning it off. I have noticed that in the last year or so I am becoming somewhat of a recluse. It is uncomfortable for me to go to places where there are a lot of people, especially if they are emoting a lot. So, I tend to stay away from parties, bars, shopping malls, hospitals and the like. I also am much more careful about who I invite into my home, as I notice that their energy can linger after their bodies leave.

I don’t think the answer is for us all to stay home alone. After all, we can pick up information on people no matter how far away they are. As with most things, the answer lies in the power of intention. We need to become purposeful in our use of intuition, turning it on (and off) at our command.

Also, perhaps, we need to be less “leaky” with our emotions. As we become a species of empaths and psychics, it might be considered “yelling” in public if we become highly emotional.
These are all very interesting issues that will continue to arise as our species marches on toward our intuitive evolution. I welcome your thoughts and ideas about these issues. You can e-mail them to me at kharwig@mac.com and I will share them in further columns as we continue the dialogue of how to develop as an intuitive race.

So, as most people would do, I freaked out, questioned myself and put my psychic abilities to sleep. That lasted about a year – until I heard my own dog, Java, speak to me. It was clear as a bell, so I knew I needed to do something about it or I would lose my innate ability forever.

Trust created transformation – really trusting what I was receiving and having the confidence to share it with others. Sounds easy, but it wasn’t. The easy part was to believe that being psychic was possible and having a desire for more. For years, my sister and I have been able to read each other’s minds. It happened frequently with other people I was close to as well, but now the animals wanted to share.

What has transpired over the years is my ability to trust myself and trust in Spirit for what I’m receiving. Whether I’m talking with animals, plants or people – living or deceased – there’s a level of confidence that has blossomed.

I’m a believer that we all have the innate ability to connect with plants, animals and people on many different levels. By living a healthy life of a good diet and exercise, learning to quiet our minds, having a spiritual practice in place and being open to possibility, great things can happen.

In my 41 years in Earth School, I’ve learned that being normal means living to my highest potential – using the gifts I’ve been given and sharing them with the world.

What gifts will you unwrap today?

But it made me wonder: How much of my psychic abilities do I use on a day-to-day basis, and if I thought back to my childhood, could I remember times that I might have been using psychic abilities?

I remember the words "little miss know-it-all" or the saying "you think you know everything." As a young child, I would look up to these adults and wonder why they were being so hurtful with their words. Because to the best of my knowledge, I was usually right. I knew when someone was lying to me. I knew what someone was trying to say and also what they were trying not to say. I had dreams that came true and a closeness with my Creator that wasn’t from anything I was exposed to.

I remember at the age of 2, riding in the car with my family one night and looking out the window and knowing there was a higher power – knowing that I was safe and loved.

Yes, we are all born with psychic abilities. How we use them, trust them and further develop them depends on many things. We need families to be open and accepting. We need to be free from the fear that some try to instill in us. We need to recognize the inner knowing that teaches us what feels right and what doesn’t.

One of the most important occurrences in my life as a psychic is when I experience an open connection with my Creator, Angels and Spirit Guides. I work with them and give them many thanks. I have had the honor of being able to travel within the universe and experience all of their unconditional love.

Do we need to read books? Do we need to take classes? If yes, what books and classes do we need to take? First you must open up and allow your highest power to guide you in a direction that feels right. Feels good. You might be content with how you use your psychic gifts in your everyday life. You may only need to have a little more information on how to better use your psychic gifts in your day-to-day life.

I am one of five members belonging to The Circle MPLS. We have had workshops called Conversations with Psychics in the Cities. We cover many areas including psychic abilities in a question-and-answer setting. For those who like to read, I suggest books. I’ve read dozens of books written by John Edwards, James Van Praagh, George Anderson, Sylvia Browne, Doreen Virtue and Echo Bodine to name a few. If you feel that part of your life path is to use your gift to help others, then I would suggest a class. I went to a psychic development class taught by Echo Bodine at her Center in Minneapolis. I am sure there are others, but I loved Echo’s books and was so excited to learn that she lived in Minneapolis and taught classes here.

I also feel it is important to know that not all of us were meant to be the psychic in the booth. When I connect with my Creator, Angels and Guides, I am given visions. I am able to hear and see those who have crossed over, and I feel the needs of those who I am reading. In this lifetime I am aware that these gifts are a part of me – a part of me to share and a part of me to help and teach others. More important than being psychic is to open up others to the knowledge that they may have forgotten: The knowledge of our own power. This includes our innate psychic abilities.

Using our psychic abilities needs to be for the highest good of ourselves and others. If we abuse this given gift, then we will not succeed or benefit in the use of them.

As one of the five members of The Circle MPLS, LLC, I am able to further my psychic abilities. We gather together for galleries, expos, private parties and events. We use our given psychic gifts to guide people on their highest spiritual path. This I have chosen. This is my path. What is yours?

Now, I’m also finding out that re-building the connection is easier said than done – and that’s the point of this article. Those of us who would trade our left arm to be able to see, do, hear and feel some of the psychic things we witness and read about need to find introductory tools that provide personal, verifiable feedback all along the path from tin cans back to the equivalent of speed dialing.

As I searched for and tried different ways to reconnect, I discovered that being able to see, hear and/or feel my inner psychic (a.k.a. my intuition and my higher self) amounts to the ante into the poker game of the spiritual side of life. Seeing auras, feeling and adjusting energy blockages and flows, hearing or sensing our guides, receiving messages in our dreams, traveling out of our bodies, using a pendulum or dowsing rod, etc., all depend on a strong intuitive connection. Until we have that, the rest is just interesting reading.

So, how does a newbie learn to "hear" his or her inner psychic again? Well, I’m doing a number of things that are helping:

Use a set of oracle cards.

I bought the Ask Your Guides card deck. Sometimes the messages seem off-target, but their usefulness and accuracy amaze me often enough to confirm there’s something real going on. Using the cards reminds me that I can personally connect with my inner psychic, even at this stage, and even though it’s not a two-way conversation yet.

Meditate using Hemi-Sync Metamusic CDs.

I’ve practiced a few different approaches to sitting meditation. On occasion, I’ve sunk deep enough to feel a shift and a bit of quiet space open up. Then, during a session, a medium suggested I look into The Monroe Institute. I overcame my reluctance and purchased one of their Hemi-Sync CDs at an Edge Life Expo. Listening to it while meditating takes me to that "deep space" every time! I now own several CDs and seldom meditate without them. It’s great to feel the shift and that peace daily, and I hope that repeated visits to that deep space will make it easier and easier to connect with my inner psychic.

Talk to your guides.

A medium told me my guides are glad to solve mundane problems so that I have more time to work on the important stuff and fewer irritations to mess up my vibration. Ask for help avoiding traffic, finding a good parking spot, getting errands done quickly, whatever. For example, I used to work outdoors and avoiding rain was a big plus. So, I asked for the rain to stop before I arrived at a job site – and it did more times than coincidence would explain. I don’t get consistent results yet, but at this point, I’m settling for tools that provide just enough proof and feedback to keep me on the path and this tool serves that purpose.

Study the book The Astonishing Power of Emotions.

I have come to believe that the biggest hurdle to accessing my innate psychic abilities is my learned habit of not living in the present. I spend a lot of time worrying about the future. I spend just as much time analyzing the past. All that thinking stirs up emotions, mostly negative, and it doesn’t leave much time for living in the present. And I understand that the present is where my higher self lives all the time. This book provided a useful mental framework that explained why I was feeling so bad so often and how those feelings are really just a message from my higher self to guide me back to the present and keep me on my path. The best part is that Abraham gives us practical tools to strengthen this emotional guidance system. Also read Ask And It Is Given for even more tools (called "processes"). More often than not, the tools actually work in the real world – a very rare occurrence in my experience so far.

Get your aura photo taken.

A local psychic named Bobby Sullivan has the knowledge and the equipment to take aura photos. He includes a short reading of the aura, too, for $20 – it’s a bargain. You get a bit of insight and a bit of inspiration, and you come away with an amazing photo you can pin up to remind yourself of your true nature. I’ve crossed paths with him twice so far at a psychic fair and the Edge Life Expo and the photos and my aura changed in interesting ways each time. I’m waiting for the next time!

Visit a psychic or a medium.

This helps me in a few different ways. First, it’s like the difference between going to see a master pianist play Beethoven and just listening to a CD. The live experience inspires and amazes while the CD entertains. Second, my guides typically provide some useful insights and advice. Lastly, I’m reminded that I’m not alone in my quest; I have a lot of friends and family keeping an eye on me from the other side and helping whenever possible.

Be ready to talk yourself out of feelings of envy and frustration that will creep in if you compare your talents to the professional’s. And take the pro’s advice (whatever’s not directly from your guides or loved ones) with a grain of salt – most pros can no longer identify with where beginners are at, so their suggestions often end up more advanced than we can handle.

Take the gentleman who came in with chronic depression, secondary to a sub-optimally functioning liver. Although he had no idea that his liver was the major cause of his debility, he stated that for the first time in his life he had purchased beets at the grocery store the previous day and he had no idea why. He had never eaten beets and did not even know how to prepare them. He offered this information to me after I had recommended to him that he eat beets daily as part of his program for healing his liver.

Or take the woman who brought in her mother who had been diagnosed with breast cancer and was due for surgery in one week. They came to me for advice on what they could do to help the body heal itself. Our consultation was brief, maybe 40 minutes all told. During this time it became obvious that the mother and daughter had a very strong sense and faith in the universal power that pervades all of us and its ability to heal. It was this faith that caused that tumor to dissolve over the next few days so that at the time of surgery it could not be found.

There are countless cases of children healing themselves. Small children have not yet lost their intuitive/psychic ability to know what is good for them. The common craving for sour foods for example demonstrates a child’s need for foods that would stimulate healthy functioning of the liver and gallbladder, as sour is a flavor that helps these organs.

Unfortunately, for many children this beautiful intuitive impulse is satisfied with non-food sour candies. If your child craves sour, please provide it in a healthy, organic, whole foods form. Offer organic lemons – rind and all – or apple cider vinegar water (mix to child’s taste about 1 teaspoon per 6 ounces of water, and a little honey if necessary) or sauerkraut (the real kind e.g. Power Kraut, Veggie Delight). Children will eat as much as they need and then quit. Forcing them to eat more is counterproductive.

The craving is correct – "I want sour…!" – and as parents we should heed that craving and provide a real food source. Sour optimizes the liver and gallbladder, which work hard in growing children, providing mental sharpness and calmness, healthy ligaments and tendons, a robust immunity, a happy stomach and gut, and normal hormonal levels among many other functions. A child’s intuitive attraction to good and healing foods can be adversely affected by parents, other children and the media.

Adults, of course, still have these intuitive abilities, too. Our problem, of course, is our heads. They get in the way. That pesky left analytical mind tends to override our intuitive abilities. The gentleman mentioned in the first example bought those beets on that particular day because he – like many other patients – relaxed his worrying left brain, allowing his intuitive mind to guide him. He did this on that day because he knew he was going to see somebody tomorrow who was going to take over the responsibility of making decisions for him.

Maybe we need to institute a Headstop program for adults. Headstart is great for helping little ones get ready for our left-brained world, but at some point a balance must be made. For those adept at psychic ability, you know the importance of relaxation, emptying the mind and allowing our innate intuitive/psychic powers to work.

Whether it’s rubbing a spot on the body that "feels" like it needs a rub (probably a reflex point asking for some activation to support an organ that needs help) or eating a food that you suddenly crave (always consider the flavor or feeling and a healthy source for it) remember that your body is always trying to lead you to that which is healthy and good for you. You need only to get out of its way, get your thinking, analytical mind out of the picture and surround yourself with that which is healthy and natural and you will do the right thing.

The mother who was told that there was no more that could be medically done for her child gathered up the child in her arms and took her home to die. Holding, rocking and loving that child 24 hours a day, she loved it back to health and a full life. Always follow your heart. It will never fail you, and it is a direct line to your psychic abilities.

But hey, you’ve got to relax to hear what it says.

Uncovering my abilities had much to do with sorting out the various sources of information to which I always had access. I learned to operate what I think of as my "inner sound board," a contraption full of knobs, dials and switches used to figure out what inner voices were saying what. Whether inner children with unprocessed emotional junk, the voices of my parents or other authority figures that I’d internalized somewhere along the way, Spirit Guides or the spirits of dead people, or my intuitive and psychic sense, the first step was sorting them out.

Each of us has intuition and psychic abilities. The route to developing them will differ for each of us, but follows a generalized script that includes learning to tell apart the various voices we carry in us all the time. Below are some thoughts on each and tips to learn to tell them apart.

Inner Children. Each time something frightening, unpleasant or traumatic happened to you when you were a child, you were imprinted by your strong desire to avoid repeating a similar situation in the future. Now, you’re likely carrying a host of these little inner kids who frequently advise you about how to avoid the kind of pain and unhappiness you experienced long ago. Each of those now helping you run your life needs to be heard, and you must take care of the need they had at the unhappy times when you were younger which, no matter what they say, always boils down to some combination of acceptance, love and safety. Offer them this now and they’ll be happy, and will begin to work with you instead of feeding you fear.

Parental/Authority Voices. We all internalize the ideas, opinions, strategies and fears of our parents and other authority figures. Whether we embrace or reject them, they’re a part of the foundation we carry into our later life. They’re gifts from those people (even if we don’t like them!), tools they thought would best serve us in our own lives. Our judgments about the right kinds of work, relationships and life path often stem from what we learned from our parents about the right ways to live and reasons for living. We need to decide if we want to hold onto and perpetuate them, or let them go.

Spirit Guides. Each of us has Spirit Guides available to support us in making choices that serve our highest good. What they offer is loving support for your ongoing development. If a voice you identify is judgmental or fearful, or in some other way not loving, it’s not from your Spirit Guides!

Deceased People. Those who are psychically open may attract the spirits of deceased persons. Their agendas differ. Some are entirely kind, some are not, and some are simply afraid of what’s happened to them (not all know they’re dead). If you experience this, you may have feelings, thoughts and fears you’re very sure do not belong to you. Say "All energies that do not belong to me I send back to Source!" and say "No, thank you!" to any energy that makes you uncomfortable in any way.

Intuition/Psychic Sense. We each have an inner knowing that can come through once we learn to sort out all the other kinds of voices. It’s just there, waiting for us. Learning to differentiate between all of these others leaves you better able to focus on and amplify your natural intuitive and psychic senses. Without the static and white noise of what isn’t really you, you’ll see that all the information you need is available to you at all times.

Twin Cities Psychic Symposium returns to Earle Brown Heritage Center, 6155 Earle Brown Dr., Brooklyn Center, MN, which offers free parking. General admission is $6, or free with the purchase of a speaker ticket in advance at 763.427.1312 or at the door. Intuitive readers set their own rates for readings.

The following three workshops will present information and intuitive guidance at the event:

• "Animal Communication Seminar" with Lena Swanson – 11 a.m.-1 p.m., $19 - An incredible two-hour condensed version of Lena Swanson’s renowned full-day animal communication class. Imagine using telepathy to understand what your animals are trying to tell you and to speak with them in a way they can understand. Learn how to have a dialogue with your companion animals about how they feel, why they bark non-stop, don’t use the litter box or other behavior issues. In this class, explore basic techniques of communicating with animals. Use what you learn to deepen your relationships with domestic animals, wildlife and all of nature. Expand trust in your own intuition to help you in all walks of life. Have fun and feel supported as you enter the rich world of animal communication. Lena Swanson’s holistic healthcare practice focuses on achieving and maintaining wellness for both people and animals through a variety of personal services. Lena is a professional animal communicator, shamanic healer, past life regression facilitator, Reiki Master and a consultant in the use of flower essences and essential oils. Begin creating a better life for you and your animals by signing up today and receive a voucher for 10 percent off any of Lena’s full-day classes.

• "Messages of Hope" with Kathryn Harwig – 1:30-3:30 p.m., $22 - In these times of tough economic issues and world unrest, how can we feel joy and peace? All of us have guides and other sources of intuitive information that can help us make the right decisions and weather the storms of change. Kathryn will speak briefly on how to listen to and hear this information. The majority of her time, however, will be in giving intuitive answers to questions from the audience. Come prepared to learn how to listen to your inner knowing and then bring your questions to ask Kathryn and her guides, The Light Collective. Kathryn Harwig is an internationally acclaimed author, speaker, trainer and attorney. She is the author of four books and has a monthly radio segment on WCCO 830AM radio. She hosts a monthly intuitive forum and is a regular presenter at Edge Life Expos & Events.

• "Guided By Spirt" with Robert Baca – 4:00-6:00 p.m., $22 - Robert will demonstrate his ability to communicate with the Other Side. In addition to delivering messages, Robert will be sharing his knowledge and guiding you to raise your own awareness. He will give you insight on developing your psychic, intuitive and meduimship skills. Robert will be on hand to personally answer your spiritual development questions.

For advance tickets, call 763.427.1312. For complete details online, please visit www.edgelife.net/expos/current_event.html.

It was hard to ignore the psychic messages. Learning history was often a rediscovery of things I knew – not about everything, but about certain times and places. I had no idea where the knowledge came from, but I sometimes annoyed teachers and fellow students with my "know it all" confidence about things I couldn’t have known. Eventually I stopped. Once a person closes themselves off and rejects psychic information, it becomes very difficult to rediscover those connections.

Everyone is born with some psychic gifts. Female (and also male) intuition are real. The feelings of foreboding we get about certain people or situations is real. As we mature, many are taught to ignore their psychic gifts like I was. However, I never forgot that once I had this gift. As an adult I sought more information, so I read extensively: Roberts, Browne, Cayce, Bodine, Chopra, Redfield and many more authors.

As I read I developed my own understanding of God, The Universe and Everything. I formed a "unified theory" that was reinforced through studies of religions, metaphysics and science. Through my studies, I arrived at conclusions that were reinforced by the claircognizance that made me the "know it all" when I was young. I started reclaiming my psychic gifts.

When the time was right, synchronicity led me to take hands-on healing classes. After many lessons in a number of modalities, my head learned to allow my intuition to direct my healing work. My hands tingled when I was near someone I could help. The more I practiced, the better the resulting healing. Eventually I picked up on things related to the person I was working on. Unfortunately that led to becoming a psychic sponge, picking up on everyone’s troubles. I became more moody, short tempered and intolerant.

The person that I had become was a beast. Members of my healing group suggested meditation. After meditating regularly for a month, even my students saw the difference in me. I was noticeably more calm and easy going. I still find meditation to be a valuable tool in staying balanced and giving me stronger psychic connections to my guides and angels.

The next step in my journey was to take classes directly from a master psychic, Echo Bodine. In her classes I learned how to prevent psychic headaches, to remove the energetic residue that I picked up from others and a number of methods to receive psychic information. These classes taught me how to get and give information. When the classes ended, I needed more practice and got it through advanced classes and the Practice Circle at Lake Harriet Spiritual Community. I’ve found that this practice time has been extremely valuable in learning how to hear, see and feel messages from my guides and angels.

Eventually, five of us from Echo Bodine’s classes and the Practice Circle formed a company, The Circle MPLS, LLC, and started doing readings professionally. While I still consider my primary calling healing, I also give psychic readings through The Circle. Our monthly galleries and our Conversation nights at Echo Bodine’s Center provide further proof to me of the importance of using psychic gifts for the benefit of others.

You can develop your innate psychic gifts. Meditation helps some. Others never shut it down in childhood and have always enjoyed the ability to hear and see messages from the other side. Most of us benefit from classes that teach us how to use our gifts wisely, how to protect ourselves from dark energy, and how to open and close our third eyes – skills that are learned from an experienced mentor or teacher.

If you want to be able to hear the subtle whispers of spirit, silence is one important quality to nurture in your life. If you cannot quiet all the chatter in your outward life or the inner chatter of your own brain, you will have a hard time discerning the voice of your intuition.

Spending time every day, if possible, or at least a few times a week, in meditation will help you be able to sort out what are just random thoughts and what may be the voices of your spirit guides or higher self. Meditation does not have to be just sitting and trying to clear your mind while listening to your breath. It can be anything that stills the constant banter going on in your brain. You can get CDs with guided meditations, you can do a mindful activity such as gardening, exercising or dancing or you can listen to music and see where your imagination will take you.

Imagination is very closely linked to psychic ability, but it does take practice to be able to tell the difference between daydreaming and receiving psychic information. One way to do that is to write down whatever comes to you during your meditation time. Keep a journal with all the little things that you see, hear or feel. Then review it on a regular basis to see what came of it all.

Eventually, you will be able to tell and feel the difference between your daily thoughts and wishes and the ideas that come to you from spirit that are there to guide you in your life. If you find the messages aren’t making much sense or seem garbled, it’s OK to ask for clarification. Sometimes it is like tuning in a radio station. You have to fiddle with the knobs a bit to get the right frequency.

Another key component is trust. You must not only trust that you can develop this ability, but you must trust it when it happens and act accordingly. For instance, if you get a hunch that you should call a friend because they may be in need, call them! It may turn out to be nothing, but then again, you may just brighten the day of someone who was silently crying out for some love.

You should also be willing to trust your intuition even if you never know if it was accurate, such as feeling strongly that you should take a different route home from work. You may never know the reason why you felt the need to do that, but you need to trust that it was worth the trouble. I found that the more I listened to my little "hunches" and acted on them, the stronger they became. You also need to stop writing them off as coincidence. I’m sure you have heard many people say there is no such thing as coincidence. I agree. I think coincidence and serendipity are just different words for divine intervention. Spirit is talking to us all the time just waiting for us to really listen.

Finally, it is always good to be thankful for all our abilities, especially ones we want to develop. When you find you were right on about something, pause and say a little "Thank You" to the universe for the gift you have received. Or I should say, for the gift you have just noticed, because it is something we all have and sometimes we just need to acknowledge it to help it grow.

The thing about being a psychic is that people expect me to know more than I really do. Prediction is uncertain at best, especially when it involves global events. Still, it is the end of the year and a few ponderings about 2009 seem called for.

What my guides tell me is that we are thoroughly in the midst of the changes predicted by so many for the years around 2012. They say that the world will not end, but that it will most certainly change dramatically. This is much less likely to be because of earthquakes and other natural disasters (although there will certainly be some of those) than it will be on a financial and security basis. The very core of what we have been led to believe – and our "destiny" – has changed.

At some level, those of us in the United States have been taught that things always increase. Stocks inevitably go up, incomes increase, houses get larger and increase in value, and our children are raised with more expectations and privileges than we had. Even when that does not end up being true in our own lives, some part of us believes that it is our heritage and right.

The prophecy and legacy of 2012 is bringing that into question. My guides tell me that we are being ushered into the dawn of a new Aquarius. It will be a time of "brotherhood and understanding" when resources are more equally shared by all. Isn’t that what we all wanted? Then why is it hurting so much?

I am reminded of the immortal words of John Lennon:

Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world…

You may say I’m a dreamer
But I’m not the only one
I hope someday you’ll join us
And the world will be as one

Hmmm. I remember how touched I was by the words of this song. Then I see how it is now coming into play. And how I am not all that thrilled by losing MY possessions and am having a little bit of hard time with the idea of not being greedy. I guess it was far easier to sing the song than it is to really be willing to share MY stuff and money with the rest of the world.

My guides tell me those of us who have been envisioning world peace and brotherhood have, in fact, materialized much of the global financial "crisis." Our intention-setting has started a new change in the world economy. It hurts a little.

In the years to come, some of us might have less stuff than we used to think we needed. We might have to move to smaller homes that are closer to where we work. Our big cars might be replaced by smaller, more efficient vehicles. Maybe we could share a lawn mower with our neighbors or car pool to save gas.

Nobody, including me, wants to go "backwards" in our financial well-being. But, lots of us wanted to Imagine the world as one. Talk about giving the universe mixed messages. Now is our time to figure out what really is important to us.

We can whine about it (believe me, I am), but we can also look at the bigger picture and smile a little. Enjoy the changes, my friends.

It is so important for us right now as human beings to help each other develop spiritually. Spiritual Development is not something that was meant to be done alone, in a monastery or in seclusion. We are meant to be in the world together experiencing everything we possibly can and loving every minute of it, because we are learning – and that is so important. Things are changing in our world today and we are faced with a lot of change. This change is meant to help us to grow spiritually at a much more rapid rate than in times past.

As a young girl, I made a promise to myself that I would never get stuck and stop growing. I never wanted to get old (this is what I said at the time). I thought that when people got old they stopped growing spiritually. Now that I am older, I have learned that it is not so much age, but a choice. As we continue to grow, things can get harder and we can choose to stay put for a while until we get our bearings down. For me, I never want to slow down for too long. I feel like I came here to do so much work that there isn’t time to take a break. Perhaps my break will come when I am on the other side.

I am currently working with a group of ladies. We call ourselves The Circle Mpls, LLC. There are five of us. We are all psychic, but we all work a little differently. We have combined our gifts and created multi-perspective psychic readings. Our mission is to help guide people on their highest spiritual path through psychic consultation and discussion. We are not merely here as psychics, but as souls on a mission for spiritual development.

When I give psychic readings, I always ask the universe to give me the information that is for the client’s highest good. I work very hard to keep my own thoughts and opinions out of the reading and simply channel information that is for the highest good of all. I do so with the intention of helping people on their spiritual path. When I am working with individuals who are seeking help with their spiritual development, things within me begin to light up. Just by helping them to grow spiritually, I am growing as well. In every reading that I give, I try to learn something about myself. I look at things within others and see if perhaps we share a common thread. Something they may be struggling with will be something I have been working on. Suddenly, as the information is given to them, something clicks and I get it too.

I encourage you all to continue to grow spiritually, at the pace that is right for you. We all grow and learn in our own unique way, and it is important for us all to remember and honor that within ourselves. And if some things take a little longer to learn, then remember to thank yourself for allowing the proper time to really understand what it is that you are experiencing.

The times when we feel like we simply cannot go any further are the most essential times of our spiritual growth. This is when you know you are in it and really truly experiencing the things you came here to learn.

Lisa Williams, an internationally acclaimed medium and clairvoyant who has an amazing ability to communicate with loved ones and friends who have passed on to the “other side” — former host of Lifetime TV’s “Life Among the Dead” and author of a memoir of the same title — will return to the Twin Cities on Friday, Oct. 10, for an Edge Life presentation at Earle Brown Heritage Center in Brooklyn Center, Minn.

For one night only, she will present a special one-hour V.I.P. “Intimate Conversation with Lisa Williams” from 6:30-7:30 p.m, during which guests will enjoy an extra hour with Lisa before they join her in exclusive front seating during her Main Event from 8-10 p.m. V.I.P. tickets are $119 for three hours with Lisa Williams. Main Event tickets are $33 and $59, all available online at Edgelife.net/tickets or toll-free 1.888.810.2065. For those who wish lodging near the event, Edge Life has negotiated a flat $79 rate for single or double rooms at the nearby Crowne Plaza Hotel. Call 763.566.8000 [toll-free hotel reservations 1.800.593.5708] and ask for the Edge Life Group rate.

Lisa Williams, born in Birmingham, England, and raised just south of the city in the smaller town of Redditch, has known of her abilities as a psychic and medium since the age of 7, but she didn’t accept her psychic talents until her grandmother, who was a well-known psychic, died in 1996. After graduating from school, she traveled about London and in the north of England. Williams was discovered by Merv Griffin and she hosted the hit show “Lisa Williams: Life Among the Dead” for two seasons on Lifetime TV. She also has appeared on “Oprah,” “Good Morning America,” “Larry King Live” and “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”

Her highly anticipated memoir was released in April (the paperback is due in February 2009). In her book, Lisa shares memories of her earliest psychic experiences and her gradual acceptance of her gift, and she recalls many of the amazingly accurate communications she has shared with believers and skeptics alike. Lisa reveals exactly what it’s like to live surrounded by spirits every day, and she recounts the joy she feels in bringing solace to those who have lost someone dear and the insights she has gleaned about spiritual phenomena, hauntings, psychic healing and the afterlife.

Lisa Williams was kind enough to speak by phone with us from her home in California about her upcoming event in the Twin Cities…and about life in general.

What did you want to be when you were little?
Lisa Williams: When I was little I had no idea. But when I was probably about 12, I wanted to be a physical education teacher, which in the end I studied for and hated the job.

How old were you when you realized you were not like other children in terms of your psychic gifts?
LW: I’d been seeing dead people like since the age of 3. It really became noticeable when I was 7 — and it was all because of an incident that happened with a friend of mine. I had no idea that she could not do it. I had no idea that no one else could do it, that it was just me.

What happened then?
LW: We were having a sleepover and she said, “Let’s see if you’ve got the gift,” because my grandmother had the gift. I really had no idea what she was talking about. I was thinking, “What is the gift?” The next thing I know, we were playing around with a load of books that were on a shelf and she asked me to think of the book that she was holding onto the spine of. I couldn’t see the books. It was fairly dark, and suddenly I chose the book that she was holding onto. I did that eight times and it freaked us both out!

Do you think the gift is passed down in families?
LW: Yeah, I do. I do think it’s passed down to a degree. My grandmother had it. My aunt had it, and now I’ve got it, so I do think it definitely runs in the family.

And you’ve written about your son picking up on spirits, as well.
LW: Yeah, he does. He picks up on spirits. He’s got a very strong healing ability, as well. So yes, he’s very, very sensitive.

What would little Lisa say to the person that you have become?
LW: Little Lisa would say, “Thank you.” Because really, as little Lisa I was born with an active imagination and was never really allowed to talk about it in front of my parents, but now I’m taking it into the mainstream. So yeah, I think that’s what she would say. It’s like, “Well done — and good for you, and thank you.”

How did your parents respond to your experiences? Were they open to psychic phenomena at all?
LW: Well, my mum was, because obviously my grandmother did it, but she always compared me to my grandmother. It was always, “Your grandmother was brilliant.” She never really assessed my own abilities. My father just didn’t want to believe, didn’t want to go there, didn’t want to understand, and he still doesn’t because he’s very, very skeptical. If he can’t feel it or put a quadratic equation to it, then he doesn’t want to know. So, yeah, my mum is a little bit more open and my father is so very, very skeptical.

How does a Lisa Williams presentation compare with programs we have seen by John Edward or other notable mediums?
LW: I think it’s very different. The format is very different. We all help each other in different ways. I look at John Edward and admire him. I admire James Van Praagh. But really, and I can only go with the comments that people have actually said, their comments are that I am younger and I bring it a little bit more into the mainstream. I’m normal, not the tie-dye psychic — and I’m compassionate. So I really think it’s just my personality that is the big difference between me and the others.

What can guests to your event in October in Minnesota expect to experience?
LW: A lot of fun, first of all. It’s certainly not boring. Sometimes I’ve had people who have honestly thought I was a stand-up comedienne. I’ve even had to say, “Shut up, stop laughing, someone’s dead here!” because I always say it’s a family event. You people will find closure.

I will do readings, obviously. People will get a lot of closure. People will find that they are picking up on things from other people’s readings — but it will be a lot of fun. It will take people on a roller coaster of emotions.

I always say that even if people are skeptical, just come along and experience it, because actually it’s hilarious. My husband sits down and he’s like, “Lisa, you are just hilarious on stage.” That’s because I take on the personality of the spirit. If the spirit comes back drunk like he used to be, then I will act drunk. If someone has one leg, I will start falling over. It’s stupid things like that. But it’s actually reality for me. We’ve obviously got the serious side where we find solutions to the murders and a lot of other information.

I imagine a lot of people who come to see you hope that you’re able to help them, but you can only help a small portion of the people there, right?
LW: Yeah, and as much as I try to help as many people as I can, I just can’t get behind everyone. I always say if you want me to get around to you all, get your sleeping bags and get in line, because you’d be there for days. I always find that the people who need readings will get them. Some spirits want to come through and say hi. Some people want to come through and tell you where they stashed all their hard-earned cash, that it’s in the mattress in the spare bedroom. And then some people just want to tell you exactly who the murderer is and what happened before they died. So, everybody’s different.

What’s the most challenging aspect of being a medium?
LW: Of course it’s my career, it’s my job, but I see it as my vocation in life to help people. I don’t see it as challenging. I think the hardest thing for me is actually not being able to help those I’m reading for, because they don’t want to be helped. That’s really the toughest thing.

I understand that it was never your dream to be on TV and do the Hollywood thing. How did the two seasons of “Life Among the Dead” change you?
LW: I don’t think it’s changed me as a person. All my friends tell me that I’m still the same girl that I was four or five years ago, even before I stepped on the plane to come to Hollywood. I think really what it’s done is given me the opportunity to help so many other people out there, and that’s how it’s changed. It hasn’t changed me as a person.

Of course, I live in a great place. I’m now in a better situation. I can provide for my family, but really it’s just given me the ability to help more people, which was my aim — and to really bring this out into the forefront and make it acceptable and normal, as a normal person, having a normal life, and be accepted.

Are you still working on a new television program?
LW: We are still working on a new program, yes. It will be coming out this fall, in October. I think we’ve got a possible date slated for it. It’s going to be a daily show, just for a week. They’re just giving me a pilot, so we will be tracking it for a little while to see how it works. It’s still going to be with Lifetime TV.

I understand that you wanted a different format than “Life Among the Dead.” What can people expect to see?
LW: I certainly thought in “Life Among the Dead” that there were a lot of parts that were a lot of fun, but I felt as though it needed to be more about everyday life. I’ll just give you a typical example. A lot of people have lost a child out there, and I really want to focus maybe one program on how to deal with the loss of a child and incorporate readings and possibly share information on support groups for these people. I think that we can deal with everyday topics, everyday tragedies, in a very light and easy way and actually give people help and encouragement along the way.

How do times of war — and even cataclysmic disasters when so many people are dying on the planet, such as what we are experiencing now — affect you as a medium?
LW: It affects me in two ways. It affects me personally as a human being, naturally. It’s very difficult, because it’s very close to your heart. As a human being, I can’t comprehend why these things would happen.

But as a medium, I get told that things happen for a reason. It was when I predicted the tsunami that it really hit me. All those thousands of people died, but it brought the world together, working together. I do think with natural disasters and the war that it brings a lot of people together and it unites us. But as a person, I just can’t comprehend it. I just think it’s awful.

When you said that, it reminded me that when somebody passes away, it does the same thing. It brings people together.
LW: Of course it does. They always say that things happen for a reason and that death is supposed to happen for a reason. It unites us or breaks us. I really do think that these things come to happen for these reasons, but there’s no excuse for it.

I remember my father saying, “If there was a God, he wouldn’t take children away from their parents,” and hence, that’s the reason why he’s very skeptical.

I actually said to him, “You know, I have worked with so many parents who actually believe if their child wouldn’t have died, they would not be on the pathway that they are on now. Maybe they’ve broken up and found their ultimate soulmate, or maybe the parents actually stayed together and worked together, whereas before it was all about the kid and this time it’s all about them.” I do understand it, but again, there’s no excuse for it.

Overall, why do you do what you do?
LW: That’s a tough one, because it’s like I have no choice in many ways. If I decided to stop it, which I’ve tried before, it doesn’t go away. It continues and continues and continues. I didn’t really go out one day and say, “OK, I’m going to be a medium.” I do this because I help so many people, and I do it because I feel I have a calling to help many people.

Many years ago when I was a child, my calling was to be a nun. I always wanted to follow the pathway of spirituality, and I always thought I’d be a nun. Strange as it was. I was not brought up Catholic. I was actually Christian, but I always thought I needed to follow a pathway of spirituality and now I’m going about it, but in a totally different way.

Visit Lisa Williams’ website and blog at www.lisawilliamsmedium.com.