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Merriam Webster Dictionary defines consciousness as “the quality or state of being aware especially of something within oneself.” Yet scholars and scientist across the globe have a hard time defining this state of being in such a simple format.

Some assert that the term consciousness refers to the many thoughts, perceptions, emotions, moods and awareness of the self. Yet the Stafford Encyclopedia of Philosophy states that the word “conscious” and “consciousness” are both umbrella terms used to describe a variety of mental phenomena.

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Popularity: 64% [?]

“If God had a name, what would it be
And would you call it to His face
If you were faced with Him in all His glory”

            Singer and song writer Joan Osborne released this popular American song in 1995. As this song title implies the audience is asked to contemplate what it would be like if God was “one of us.” The question remains, what if God is just an average person, would this God necessarily be male. And does having a male dominated religion affected society and its people’s sense of trust and belonging? This question surfaces in an age where faith is being lost and loneliness prevails.

            Contemporary Christian beliefs dictate that the face of God is of a man. But religious beliefs that pre-date Christianity bring forth the female image of the great goddess or the divine feminine. The feminine presence can be found in some form in all religions just as her male counterpart. Another universal element is that the feminine presence generally encompasses all that is natural and earthy as well as instinctual. When it comes to wounds that strike the soul we need a mother for guidance and when nature has taken its course it is mother to whom we return. 

            The Divine Feminine goes by many names including the Great Goddess of Western Paganism, the Blessed Mother in Christianity and Mother Earth. The image of this Great Mother or Divine Feminine has been revered for centuries before Christianity as the fertile womb which gave birth to everything. Today that womb is still considered to be the place of intuition, revelation and communication with the unseen.

            According to Anne Baring’s book “The Divine Feminine”, the Great Mother was the embodiment of the sky, earth and underworld. “She was the great pulse of life reflected in the rhythm of the moon, the sun, the plants, trees, animals and human beings,” she states. “All these were her children and she was the numinous presence within her manifest forms, continually regenerating them in a cyclical process that was without beginning and without end.” From this description it becomes clear that the Divine Feminine is symbolic of the natural courses of life as well as the intuition and divine presence associated with faith.

            The Divine Feminine is resurfacing in our culture as the bearer of faith and solace. In a increasingly terrifying world it is the soothing grace of a mother that we seek. “With the love of the mother and trust in her presence, the child grows in strength and confidence and delight in itself and in life,” Baring said. “Its primary response is trust.” And as we learn to trust our instincts we regain the relationship with a consciousness that has been largely ignored.

Popularity: 65% [?]

            Merriam Webster’s dictionary defines chakras as “any of several points of physical or spiritual energy in the body according to yoga philosophy. The word chakra literally means wheel in Sanskrit and can be traced back to the late 1800’s.

            What Merriam Webster does not state is that there are seven chakras and they are located parallel to the spine. These pinpoints of energy command the mental properties and impact our attitudes about life. They range from the root chakra which is the grounding force that allows the physical self to claim its territory to the crown chakra which is the awareness force that allows the self to be spiritually aware of the world. In order for these different energies to be influential they must be considered “open” or active. If one chakra is not active then the others ones will often compensate for the missing energy and become “overactive.” Balancing the chakras is the ideal way to bring harmony into your being.

            The first chakra is the root chakra. This chakra is often associated with the color red and is located at the base of the spine. As indicated from its location this chakra is influential in grounding and allowing the physical self to feel “at home.” This chakra dictates ones ability to be welcome and belong to any given situation. It dictates self preservation and the will to live. When this chakra is open you will feel secure in the world. This is also the most obvious starting point to begin to open the chakras. In order to open a chakra it is important to feel welcome in the word.

            The next chakra is the Sacral. Associated with the vibrant shade of orange this energy source commands feelings and sexuality. Located below the belly button the sacral stimulates creative life forces. This chakra governs the reproductive system as well as the digestive system and is known as a health related energy center. This energy source also lends fluidity and grace to our lives as it allows us to connect with others through desires, sensation and movement.

            Next is the Solar Plexus or the power spot.  This chakra is located behind the stomach and below the breastbone. Associated with the color yellow this area is about asserting yourself in a group. When this chakra is open and active you will confident in groups and have positive self-esteem. However, indecisive and passive behavior often indicates a closed Solar Plexus. Domineering and aggressive behavior could indicate an over-active Solar Plexus.

            The fourth chakra is aptly named the Heart. Located in the center of the chest this chakra is associated with the color green. It commands love, hope and compassion. An active and vital Heart chakras allows us to lve deeply and feel compassion for others. As the center chakra is a series of seven it also allows use to balance opposites such as male and female or black and white.

            Chakra five is know as the Throat. Located at the throat it is therefore related to communication. The Throat is associated with the color blue and has much to do with we relate to the world through sound.

            After the Throat comes the Third Eye. This chakra is located in the middle of the forehead and is often depicted with the color purple. It represents seeing in both the physical and non-physical realms. When open and functioning properly this chakra allows us to understand both the world around us and our place among it.

            The last chakra is one associated with much idealism. It is the crown and commands consciousness. This chakra is what connects us with knowledge of the world beyond the physical sense. When cultivated properly this chakra, located at the top of the head, brings us wisdom and spiritual connection.

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            The Sixth Sense is more than a movie written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan. Extrasensory perception or ESP refers to sensory information received without the aid of the other five senses, sight, scent, touch, taste or smell.

            In many ways ESP is just like the other senses. But it does not have a physical place of origin and it does not depend on the other senses in any way. ESP is a natural ability that includes intuition and meditation to sense information that may not otherwise be obvious.

            Although society embraces diversity the psychic is often shunned. Today most cities boast alternative medicine practitioners, various religious establishments and a plethora of eastern inspired activities including mediation groups and Zen master gardening groups. However, the psychic is not often considered a serious enterprise. And since we live in a culture that touts the mantra “seeing is believing” it is of little doubt that skepticism is king when it comes to psychic abilities and belief in the paranormal.

            None-the-less psychic abilities are innate in all of us. And just like the talent of a musician perfection comes with practice. In order to cultivate this sense which has been buried under the physical senses you must begin the journey inward.

            There are several different types of psychic abilities including clairvoyance, clairaudience, clairempathy, psychometry, psychokinesis, intuition, telepathy, mental influence, psychic healing and auric sight.  Each of these special abilities encompasses a different approach to learning information that does not otherwise have a place in the material world.

            Clairvoyance, clairaudience and clairempathy allow the user to clearly sense information via sight, hearing or emotion. The clairvoyant can see a scene or mental image within their mind depicting psychic information. Someone utilizing clairaudience often hears information that the physical ears cannot and clairempathy includes the ability to detect the attitude or emotions of others.

            Psychometry is the ability to perceive information through touch. Many of us have seen this skill utilized in television. The image of a psychic holding onto a murder weapon and envisioning the crime or touching the hand of someone who a recently suffered the loss of a loved one and seeing that persons face are both examples of psychometry.

            Psychokinesis is another form of psychic abilities that has become popular in Hollywood. This skill is includes the ability to move objects using the power of the mind. Intuition, on the other hand, is a more common psychic ability that includes the well known “gut feeling.” Intuition is the direct perception of information or ideas.

            Telepathy and mental influence are more advanced types of psychic abilities that include mind reading and the ability to influence the minds of others. Psychic healing allows its user to treat and cure illnesses by generating healing energy and transferring it to the patient.

            Auric sight is a less well known psychic ability that allows its user to see the aura of another person. The aura is an energy field that radiates from people. The colors and vibrations of an aura tell information concerning that person’s health and emotions.

Popularity: 84% [?]

If you are serious about learning to be Psychic, you should consider this this toolkit. This kit contains seven different techniques to help you get the most from your psychic abilities. Each one comes with its own exercises or a how-to guide enabling you to make use of them INSTANTLY.

These tools and techniques will help you get answers to any question, discover secrets about people’s personalities, create your own future, communicate with spirits, improve your relationships and much, much more. You’ll also find out methods to combine techniques for more power and effectiveness.

One of these techniques is called Dowsing, a form of divination which has become quite commonplace over the years. We’ve all seen someone dangling a wedding ring from a piece of thread over a pregnant woman’s belly, in an attempt to tell if the unborn child will be a boy or a girl; or the man with a fork-shaped stick trying to locate water in the desert.

These are both examples of how psychic techniques have become interwoven into the fabric of everyday life.

So go on - try it yourself!

Now, most mediums make contact with the spirit world through clairvoyance and other psychic methods. Previously, we have discussed the third eye, also known as the brow chakra, located in the center of the forehead. (Chakras are explained in detail in the first part of the learn to be psychic course.)

This brow chakra is a psychic’s most powerful link with the psychic energy and the energy of the spirit world. And so it makes sense that you need to be able to ‘open’ your third eye and let those energies in.

There are plenty of exercises in the course to help make it as easy as possible for you to open your third eye and access your sixth sense and clairvoyant skills.

Here’s just one technique you can use to stimulate and gently open your third eye…

• Close your eyes and relax.
• Do some deep breathing to help you focus.
• Keep your eyes closed and try to picture the third eye (or brow chakra) located in the center of your forehead.
• Imagine a beam of light coming -into- the brow chakra and opening it up gently from outside.
• Keep calm and try not to force anything. Let the light enter your third eye and expand within it.
• Remain relaxed and try to get a sense of what you are feeling.

If you would like to know more about how to learn to be psychic, visit That Psychic Girl for more information.

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            Picture the scene. A crowded shop in a busy alley filled with books, strange smelling incense and astronomy charts. An old woman shrouded in all black sits at the back of the shop petting her black cat and waiting to read palms or tell fortunes from a crystal ball. This is just one way to view the typical stereotypes of what and who a psychic is.

            But could a psychic instead be the kind man at the Post Office that gives you mail every day.  What about your child’s Kindergarten teacher? Everyone has the potential to be a psychic but before embarking on the journey of developing extrasensory skills some misconceptions need to be addressed.

            As humans we experience life through our five senses, sight, scent, touch, smell and hearing. However extrasensory perception or ESP bypasses the senses to provide information without any physical source.

            Many people encounter their own ESP on a daily basis but the incidents are so ordinary they are generally forgotten. ESP is not necessarily a dramatic experience. Despite dramatic representations of ESP in mystery novels and popular television series in real life it could be a “gut feeling” or a flash of a face in a dream. Because these experiences are generally subtle many people consider them to be a mere coincidence.

            From a scientific standpoint there is still speculation concerning the validity of ESP. And it can be argued that no matter how testing is conducted there may always be skepticism. However, much data has been collected and many studies do indicate that ESP is a very real phenomenon. The term “extrasensory perception” was first used by scientist J.B. Rhine in the early 20^th century. Rhine along with his wife Louisa did much work establishing ESP as well as parapsychology as a scientific field. But despite these advances universally scientists still question the existence of ESP.

            Historically ESP is not a new idea. Specifically in the Mesopotamia and Egyptian regions there are accounts of ESP activity recorded dating back more than two thousand years. These societies believed in psychic dreams and took council from dream interpreters.

            Although ESP is not new in itself the study of it is. And since there is still no conclusive data concerning paranormal experiences ESP still isn’t given its scientific dues. However, one fact has been established and that is the fact that ESP is not a simple concept. There are many different forms of psychic ability as well as different types of experiences and people who have encountered them. Some psychic experiences are shrugged off as coincidences or instances of déjà vu.

Popularity: 68% [?]

There are myths around meditation - what it will do, what it won’t do, how it works.  This article looks at three of those myths.

MYTH NO. 1 - Meditation takes years of practice and requires super-human powers of concentration.

This is totally false. Meditation is simply a skill that anyone can learn. It takes little more than the ability to breathe deeply, close your eyes and focus on something. You can focus on a color, a shape, a sound, an object, a face, or anything that helps you block out the world around you.

You don’t need to wear fancy clothes or chant silly incantations. But then again, you can if you want to. And that’s another point to remember. Meditation is a personal experience: you do it the way you want to by following the techniques that suit you and your lifestyle.

MYTH NO. 2 - In order to meditate, you have to empty your mind.

This is also completely false. You probably already realize that it’s physically impossible to empty your mind. No matter what you do, there’s always something going on in there. Even when you’re asleep your mind is working away, sifting through information from your day and sorting things out for later use. Rather than thinking about emptying your mind, instead you should think about filling it with just ONE idea and trying to focus on that. That’s what REAL meditation is.

The ability to focus on a single thought is probably the only difficult part of meditation. And once you get the hang of that, with help from all the exercises included with this course, you’ll be able to meditate almost anywhere and at any time that’s convenient for you.

MYTH NO. 3 - Real meditation requires you to get into the Lotus position.

Are you kidding? Meditation is a thoroughly personal experience. It doesn’t require you to position your body in any special way. Crossing your legs in a way that is incredibly uncomfortable is NOT going to help quieten your mind!

There are many schools of meditation and special exercises from “international meditation gurus”. However the simple truth is that whatever works for you, works for you. There are no right and wrong ways to meditate.

Popularity: 66% [?]

            Everything under the sun is composed of energy. This energy field is called an aura and it has been depicted in art and literature throughout history. Traditionally the aura has been associated with halos on the heads of angels or a radiating light coming from religious icons. However the aura is more than poetic inspiration. Everyone has an aura. And with training everyone can learn to see them.

            This distinctive atmosphere acts as a barometer of energy fields within the body signaling illnesses as well as gauging personality traits. By learning about auras you can increase self awareness as well as gauge the intentions and health of the people around you.

            The First Law of Thermodynamics says that energy under normal conditions cannot be created or destroyed, simply transformed from one type of energy to another. Throughout the day each person gives off energy that changes and evolves as their bodies carry out the functions of life and our emotions rule our chemical makeup. The aura itself is not just one energy field but several fields blending together and sending out information about the person or place it inhabits.

            Auras are comprised of seven layers. Each one is more refined than the previous one. Each layer is representative of different elements of your being. The first layer, the etheric layer, is representative of health. In a healthy person this energy field will be bright and radiant but a sick person will give off a pale and sickly etheric. The next energy field is the emotional stockroom known as the emotional layer. The emotional layer is followed by the mental layer which can identify lack of will power. Next on the energy field is an intense layer known as the astral layer. This energy spectrum reflects matters of the heart. This is the link between body, mind and spirit and should be a large and bright light source in a person who engages in healthy relationships.

            Each layer is becoming more refined and difficult to see as we get to the fifth layer known as the etheric template which reflects communication and creative expression. The next layer is comprised of the visual senses. This layer known as the celestial layer represents a person’s view of the world. And the last layer is called ketheric layer which indicates a person’s openness to the world.

            In combination with brightness each person aura is color coded to reflect their health and personality.  Although there are several layers of an aura there is generally one predominant color that describes a person’s personality. The colors tend to be a variation of red, green, blue, white, orange and purple. Each color represents specific traits.

            For example purple represents the inclination toward spiritualism. Violet shades are indicative of artistic expression, intuition and sensuality. Reds represent action, stamina and excitement. Dark red shades bring groundage and survival instincts into the mix. Orange is the color of optimism. A person with an orange aura is positive, action oriented and adventurous. White offers a changing personality that encompasses spirituality as well as healing properties. Green is a natural color that denotes the ability to lead as well as teach. This person is a gracious host or hostess and the most socially adept. Blue hues are the most peaceful aura colors. A person with a blue hued aura is caring and sensitive as well as a spiritual seeker.

Popularity: 64% [?]

Now, if you think seeing into the future is impossible, then you’re in for a pleasant surprise!

Not only is it possible, it’s actually easier than you ever imagined. It takes practice, of course, but heck - what doesn’t?

Try these simple tests out on yourself throughout for the next day or two. Don’t worry about being right: just go with your instincts and let your intuition guide you.

PREDICTING THE FUTURE

• Guess how many pieces of mail you will receive on any given day. 
• Guess how many of your colleagues at work will be wearing ties/ hoop earrings/ black shoes/ skirts/ hats etc. Pick a different item each day for variety. 
• When the phone rings, guess if the caller will be male or female, young or old, someone you know or a stranger, pleasant or cantankerous! 
• When you’re out shopping, guess how much your receipt will come to. Guess what the salesperson’s name is. 
• When you’re driving, guess what the car in front of you is going to do next.

Keep in mind that being ‘right’ isn’t the only objective, although obviously that will make you feel terrific!

The important point to remember is that by allowing your intuition (your gut feelings and first impressions) to guide you, sooner or later you will become so ‘tuned in’ to it that your guesses will become more and more accurate. And then you really WILL be able to predict the future. How cool is that?

Once you’re able to follow your intuition you’ll automatically become more receptive to psychic stimuli, whatever the source. That means it will be easier for you to access your clairvoyant and telepathic skills.

Remember, clairvoyance refers to the psychic ability to have visions, whether these are actually seen with the eyes or experienced through the third eye. Telepathy is of course the proper name for what has become more widely known as mind reading.

Now, mind reading is not a new thing…

People have been doing it for centuries. You yourself have probably had the same thought as another person at the same time. They might have even remarked to you something like ‘you must be psychic!’ And they were right: you are!

Unlike some of your other psychic powers, mind reading requires at least two people, a sender and a receiver. Naturally you don’t need to read your own mind, so there has to be at least one other person involved. You’ll probably discover that at first you’re better at one aspect than the other, in other words that you find it easier to send or receive messages. But with practice you can learn to do both equally well.

You can use this simple exercise to find out which one of these is your stronger talent.

• When the phone rings, if you know who’s on the other end before you pick it up, you’re probably a good receiver.
• If you’re thinking about someone close to you and they get in touch with you soon afterwards, particularly if it’s sooner than they would normally do so, then you’re probably a good sender.

• Sit in a coffee shop or restaurant at one end of a shopping mall while your friends or family go off and get on with their shopping. 
• Give them time to disappear, and then set off when you’re ready to find them. 
• Focus on your thought energy and concentrate on one person at a time. 
• Visualize the person’s face and imagine the sound of their voice.
  
• Send your thought energy out to the person you’re looking for. 
• Listen and feel for any response to your thought energy. 
• As soon as you get any kind of signal, go where it takes you.

Popularity: 82% [?]