Tuesday, October 7, 2008

A Beautiful Mistake

My fears over the past few years have changed drastically. I am now afraid I will be arrested. One of these days, I am certain a police officer will arrest me for erratic driving while inebriated, but she will be wrong. I will be driving while being a hot potato.

This is because when my twins are riding in the car with me, they demand to listen to the Wiggles. If you are unfamiliar with the Wiggles, they are an Australian Group of middle-aged men who dress up in Star Trek-like uniforms of various floral colors, and sing and dance. I saw them in concert once, but please don’t tell anyone. I felt guilty for laughing because somehow, they had to know, we parents were not laughing with them.

It’s not just the Wiggles I’m required to dance to in the minivan. B-I-N-G-O can send me fetching the Excedrin, and after those Christmas CDs in January, I have been known to relocate the wine to the top shelf of the fridge. Other moms seem to understand this. One of my best girlfriends is a little tea pot.

If you asked about my biggest fear on October 7, 2004, I would have told you it was being psychic. My psychic abilities came flooding into me that month, and I’ve never since been quite the same. I could see and hear ghosts just like Melinda Gordon, and then God added clairvoyance to the recipe and I was really half-baked. I couldn’t make it stop.

I asked God to take it all away, and if I was meant to have it, I asked Him to give it back as I could deal with it. Being able to see ghosts so vividly scared me the most, so I have only regained a portion of this ability, and I’ve accepted it kicking and screaming. I am writing my story for a book I hope to complete by the end of the year, but for many others who write me today with similar tales, I want to offer a lifeline.

I saw my first ghost when I was a little girl, and it scared me. When I told my parents, they told me I was imaginative and I should go sing Silent Night and not mention it again. Remember, this was an era when mothers didn’t worry about sending their kids to school without a gun, and married T.V. couples slept in separate beds and reproduced by being imaginative. So, I didn’t mention it again. I learned to ignore, make excuses, and fit-in. That is, for about thirty years, give or take a few.

I’m sure my parents shared the same ideals as the parents of others who write me now about their gift (it took me two full years to stop calling it a curse). When parents are not accepting of their psychic child, or are scared themselves, our perception as the psychic child is that the world will feel the same. I’m not sure that’s far off the mark, either. I also know that having psychic abilities suddenly, or having psychic experiences can be terrifying and very draining.

I didn’t want this, I didn’t ask for this, and more than anything, I wanted to get rid of it. However, I only found books on how to become more psychic. At the time, I found it humorous that so many people actually wanted this ability for themselves. To me, it proved there were a lot of people who were not in their right mind, and they were not the psychic ones! I even thought about moving, but then I heard a voice say I would have this ability no matter where I lived; it was now mine. I had no choice but to surrender.

Here is my best recommendation for your surrender:

Prayer. Prayer is highly underrated, and it works. I prayed to learn how to control this ability, and I was taught through feelings and experiences. I also pray for guidance, wisdom, strength, and protection.

There are those who ask me whether they should go to London or Paris, or if they should take out loans for their businesses, or if they should leave their husbands. My advice is always the same- pray. I’m no one’s On-Star, and I can’t guide folks through every turn just because I have psychic abilities, and I wouldn’t if I could. Prayer is the answer.

Have Faith and Do Not Fear. Fear is an emotion that is attractive to negative entities. When you begin to fear, make a conscious decision not to let it overcome you, and then put it out of your mind. If you pray to your higher power, and have faith that nothing bad will happen to you, you are protected. Faith and prayer are inextricably linked, and the application of faith and prayer goes far beyond protection.

Accept Yourself. We live our lives for a reason. The world is a university and a playground, and if we knew what to expect we would never grow and learn. Take the punches and grow wiser as a result. If your sister wants to shun you, remember, you can say,”I told you so” for an eternity.

Surrender. Inherent in surrendering is self acceptance, but it goes even further. We have to learn we can’t control everything in our lives, and we have to stop fighting what we can’t control. Doing so holds us back in reaching our goals in this life.

Take Control. While surrendering is letting go of our control issues, taking control of our abilities and surroundings is important and distinctly different. Many people who contact me have ghosts that won’t leave, or who frighten them. You can’t get rid of a ghost by asking it to leave if it is convenient for them. You must take control and tell the ghosts in a courteous, yet stern manner, they are not allowed to frighten you and that they have to leave, if this is a problem for you or your children. Remember, ghosts were people too, and you wouldn’t just let anyone in your house to hang out during dinner. Ghosts are not pets either, and most of the time, they get the message and move on. If it is not a human entity bothering you, that is cause for bigger guns which I will not discuss here.

Journaling. I would suggest keeping a journal to catalog what is happening to you. Writing about our experiences helps us to accept them, work through them, and let go. You will always have them to reflect upon and see how far you’ve come, and how you’ve grown. Experiences that do not make sense today may have clarity next year.

Meet Like Minds. Find people you can trust who understand your abilities and will listen. There are hundreds of groups on MySpace, FaceBook, IamHaunted and many other sites. You may meet people through paranormal groups, religious groups, or events. Share with those whom you trust and those who won’t judge you.

Read. The more you read, the more you’ll understand about the other side and what is happening to you. A great place to start is a trilogy by Elsa Barker. In 1912, this young woman was minding her own business when she became suddenly psychic. Through automatic writing, the spirit of an acquaintance, Judge David Hatch, took her pen and began to write through her hand. It wasn’t long before she could hear, and she scribed three books which were big news in the day, detailing life on the other side. You can download the books for free on my site at www.investigativemedium.com/resources . I also recommend authors John Edwards, Gary Schwartz, Betty Eadie, Raymond Moody, and of course my book, available in 2009.

Meditate. Prayer and meditation helps us make sense of the messages we receive. Although it can be difficult at first, meditation is important because it helps alter our state of consciousness to bring us closer to the other side. Meditation brings discipline, concentration and practice with our abilities, which helps us have more clarity and less confusion.

There are videos and documentaries you can also watch on the Ghost Channel (www.GhostChannel.TV), and I typically have my events and lectures posted on my site, investigativemedium.com, if you are ever interested in coming and learning more in the Mid-Atlantic area.

Just know you are not alone, and you can learn to control your abilities through prayer and meditation. You may soon find that like me, you are the beneficiary of a beautiful mistake, and I wouldn’t trade my gift for anything in the world.