Intuition

Most of my regular visitors know that I've been working pretty hard lately at developing my psychic intuition (and listening to it). And I think I'm now at the point where I'm open to impressions. They don't come at me all the time, and usually it's subtle but powerful.

Point in case: My best friend in Ottawa, 7 months pregnant. She's due May 28th. She and I start talking, she jokes that her husband thinks it'll be the 15th instead. It was like a microwave-esque DING! in my head. I said not only did I agree, but I would put money on it.

Beginning of the week, I checked in with her. She hadn't dropped yet and it didn't look like she would be having the baby this week. Tuesday her water broke. But the hospital sent her home. She went back on Wednesday and delivered her baby boy around 11:15pm Wednesday, May 14th.

I was off by 45 minutes.

Now this might not seem that impressive, but considering my recent streak of not only predicting birthdays, but knowing when friends and family are pregnant before they do... it would seem I've got a relatively clear channel, right??

Except for yesterday. Yesterday I was SURE I was going to hear back about a job I applied for. I was CERTAIN. Certain like I was about the birthdays, certain like I was about my brother's wife being pregnant... CERTAIN. But nothing happened. No call, no email. And I'm a bit stunned.

I guess I "get" that we can't be right all the time - and that there are a lot of factors that come into play, like free will. Did something change? Did I change the event by knowing it was coming or was my desire for the event so powerful that I somehow convinced myself that it was true?

What tricky waters to navigate!

I guess I should let that be a lesson to me, though, that intuition can be fooled by the ego - that one can want something so much that one can convince themselves it will come to pass.

We'll see what happens, if anything. I'll keep you posted.

What Bakes My Noodle

One of my favourite parts of The Matrix is when Neo (Keanu Reeves) goes to see the oracle.

Oracle: I'd ask you to sit down, but, you're not going to anyway. And don't worry about the vase.
Neo: What vase?
[Neo turns to look for a vase, and as he does, he knocks over a vase of flowers, which shatters on the floor.]
Oracle: That vase.
Neo: I'm sorry--
Oracle: I said don't worry about it. I'll get one of my kids to fix it.
Neo: How did you know?
Oracle: Ohh, what's really going to bake your noodle later on is, would you still have broken it if I hadn't said anything?

And so it is with psychics. One can never entirely get around the fact that the very act of getting guidance might change your course.

Case in point: the house my husband and I just bought.

I called my psychic a week ago for help with the house-hunting. She described a yellow-brick bungalow on a hill, with hardwood floors throughout.

We bought a yellow-brick bungalow on a hill, with hardwood floors throughout.

Now. I would love to say that I would have picked it regardless of whether or not I had had that reading... but the fact of the matter is that I can't know that for sure. Just like Neo can never know if he would have shattered that vase if the oracle hadn't mentioned it and he hadn't turned to see what she was referring to.

But all I know is that for those of us who happen to have psychics we trust, or guides of any kind, in this world or the other, the fact is that they are a part of our path. I think they're in the equation already.

That is to say, I was always going to buy that house, because I was always slated to talk to Angie first.

But it's still fun to wonder about these sorts of things. I like paradoxes. The universe wouldn't be much fun without them.

If you haven't seen the Matrix - the clip is below.

Clairvoyants, Psychics and Hacks - Oh My!

Back from my holiday but not quite in the swing of things just yet. I promise to get back into the habit of thinking deeply and blogging about interesting things shortly.

In the meantime, I am getting excited about this weekend - mostly because of my annual present to myself... a psychic reading from my good friend Angie Aristone. She's a wonderful woman who always points me in the right direction... or at least to the right book (and sometimes that's all you need).

If there's anyone reading this who hasn't ever had a reading by a legitimate medium/clairvoyant, I highly recommend it. That being said, I fear that for every legitimate one there are ten hacks waiting to take your money. I have personally had some hilarious readings by the worst kinds of hacks (mostly at psychic fairs, which bring them out in droves).

How to tell a hack from a real psychic... (in my humblest opinion)

1) Hacks use props. Now... I will say that tarot cards are great tools, and sometimes necessary for beginners and those trying to tap into their intuitive powers for the first time but experienced, gifted psychics would probably see them as a crutch. Same goes for crystal balls (oh god), pendulums, candles, ouija or any other kind of physical tool. The best psychics I've come across don't use anything except maybe a tape recorder, for your benefit.

2) Hacks will bombard you with "proof" of their gift. Call it massive overcompensation, a hack will feel compelled to tell you just how good they are - they may have testimonials by the truck load, celebrity endorsements or my personal favourite - pictures of their aura. All of this will undoubtedly PROVE that they are talented and that you should pay them more money. Personally, every celebrity-endorsed psychic I've ever gone to (there have been a few) has been completely and utterly full of $#^&.

3) Hacks charge by the minute and/or can be found in the yellow pages. Please. A good psychic rarely needs to advertise. The few ones I know have a very steady client base and months waiting lists. They don't need psychic fairs or midnight television ads to drum up business. Want a good psychic? Get a referral from someone you trust. Word of mouth generally yields the best candidates.

4) Hacks ask a lot of questions. Don't get me wrong... there's no fault in trying to clarify something. From time to time Angie may get an image or in some instances a full-blown movie playing in her head. She'll describe it, in vivid detail... and may ask something like - is that your grandfather or uncle? But it's a far cry from general questions some "psychics" ask like "did you recently finish some kind of schooling or take some classes?" ... questions like these apply to almost everyone in their 20s - and are easy fishing techniques to get info off of you. A good psychic should give you validations, not ask for them.


All in all it may be hard for some to find a psychic they trust. But talking with the other side or getting clues about future events is a real thrill. Everything, of course, should always be taken with a grain of salt, because let's not forget we all have free will - and psychics can only tell you what is most probable to happen.

That being said, I can't wait to find out what my next couple of years will probably yield.

Trusting and Then Knowing

I've been having some adventures lately testing my own psychic waters. Part of the problem, I think, has always just been a trust issue. I don't trust my instincts, or at least I haven't in the past...

But lately this seems to be changing, and the more validation that comes my way, the more I trust.

Let's take the example of a couple weeks ago. I was sitting at work when out of the blue I 'felt' that a friend of mine was pregnant... and it soon became a knowing... and so I emailed her. She wrote me back to say that she was terribly busy and also pretty sure that she wasn't with child. Okay, so I was wrong. Or was I. I was slated to dine with another close friend that night who, the minute I saw her confessed that she was expecting. So I was right, just a little off about who it was...

I've been trying to trust those little intuitions as they come, but it gets a bit tricky sometimes when the ego gets in the way... you might want something to happen and that feeling can sometimes get in the way of the truth.

And so, I'm putting this one out there, because it's important to me that I be honest about my predictions. And a prediction isn't worth anything unless you put it out there for scrutiny.

So here's the story..

My sister-in-law is pregnant and desperate to deliver already. She, however, isn't due for another two weeks. She can't wait to meet her little man. I thought maybe I could help her by touching base with the little guy on the other side and asking him when he was planning on coming.

So I meditated, met up with my spirit guide Rose and asked if I could have a chat with my nephew. She brought him along and I asked when he was coming. He held up his hand in a peace sign, meaning two. I had a strong feeling that that meant 2 days.

*UPDATE* My sister-in-law is feeling a little funny in her lower abdomen... today might be the day (and really, if the baby comes anytime between today or tomorrow I'll get my validation!!)

**UPDATE** My sister-in-law has gone into labour and will be delivering on Valentine's Day. Her labour started exactly 2 days and 3 hours after my 'meet' with the little man on the other side. Hallelujah! Validation! And a nephew! Too exciting..

Let's Evolve, Shall We?

I've now heard from a few sources that the times they are a changin'... That there is a new level of awareness in the world, that people are opening up to new possibilities, that kids are being born who are special, psychic, attuned to the universe and in possession of unique gifts (like this little girl.

This isn't a new statement. It probably started in the 60s - along with the birth of all things 'new age' - there has been talk of changes. Big changes. Age of Aquarius and all that jazz.

But what I find so interesting is that for the first time I actually think we might all be planning for it. And here goes another wacky Diana theory.

Television and film, media in general serves a greater purpose than just turning us into automatons who run out and buy the cars 'they' tell us to. I think television and film reflects society back to us. This works because media is driven by the consumer, they make what we want to watch. And what we want to watch is dictated by the kinds of things we value. I Dream of Jeannie clearly reflected our sentiment towards the place of men and women. Will & Grace reflected a growing acceptance and comfort with homosexuality just as Sex and the City reflected a new modus operandi - namely the pursuit of glamour, shoes and love and/or sex.

Shows succeed or fail based on ratings, in other words, a show's success depends on the number of people who like the subject matter - and whether or not that show "speaks to us" and our current condition. Last year alone I recall a number of series that didn't make it past pilot. But there was this one series that not only made it - it became a smash success, maybe even the most popular series of 2006.

It wasn't a terribly novel concept - in fact, it's almost daringly close to another series - a movie series, based on a comic book series - but it obviously struck a chord. The topic? Ordinary human beings who exceed ordinary human potential. Heroes may be comic book fodder, but it asks us to look at the evolution of our own species. Have we really reached our limit? Or are we all Hiro Nakamura, staring at the clock, knowing.. feeling that we could stop time with enough effort... is that why we rejoice in watching him succeed?



There has been a lot of talk about how humankind is no longer evolving, that instead we are evolving through our technology - that our next logical step will be to integrate ourselves with computers for maximum potential. Well, yeah, partially, but I think there's an important evolution that also needs to take place, and it's on a more personal level. And that is achieving our own personal maximum.

Maybe that means that we learn how to harness our energy - for the purposes of healing, fueling or otherwise. Maybe it means that we start taking psychics and mediums seriously, and garner information only accessible through communication with the other side (I heard that's how the Sumerians got all their info).

Another important evolutionary step, I feel, would be for all of us to live with more compassion. Because if there were more compassion, there would be less war. And where there was suffering, there would not be hopelessness.

Fate Cookies

I love fortune cookies. They're fun. I love stupid machines that claim to read your palm for 25cents. I even love stupid con-artists who claim to read your palm for $25. I recently put $1 into a Zoltar machine in San Fransisco (only half expecting to be turned into an adult - thanks to all the Tom Hanks/ 80s movies fans who got that reference)...

And yet.

I constantly struggle with the notion of fate. It's a tough pill to swallow to be sure. And I've never felt entirely comfortable with it, but I'm slightly more uncomfortable with the notion that it doesn't exist, and that the universe is a chaotic web of chance.

And yet.

I can't accept that everything is entirely planned. I can't accept this partly because my ego needs to believe that it is making important choices and that it is in the driver's seat.

And yet.

I have had the fortune of meeting a very talented medium. She's pretty much the closest thing to evidence I've ever encountered when it comes to proof of the afterlife. And it always freaks me out when she nails the details of future events, only to be validated years later.

But how, I ask, could she so accurately predict future events if things aren't predestined? What are they seeing if it's not just a page in the all-knowing bible of things to come?

The fancy-pants scientist in me wants to talk about how once two subatomic particles touch, they will forever remain connected, no matter the distance. It's called nonlocality. My inner geek wants to concoct some kind of science fiction about how our future exists in another dimension, and is only a potentiality - the product of my subatomic particles affecting those future particles ... Or something. I can almost picture it as an ever-changing mass of probabilities that at any moment can be seen - that is to say that a psychic can tap into this - take a snapshot of the landscape and describe it back to us. But in a way, it's only true at that very moment. In that very moment, it is our current trajectory - a very probable outcome.

Or maybe I defer to my belief that we plan our lives before we're born... And although we're driving the course on auto-pilot, we were the ones who built the road.

I don't know. But the truth of the matter is, half of me loves the comfort of the thought that it's all already in the works, and that the universe is working it's mysterious magic to bring me everything I need to accomplish what I set out for.

The other half of me is wondering who on earth would throw out all these fortune cookies!

Go With Your Gut!

A really great thing happened to me shortly after listening to John Edward's (the medium) audio book series on developing your psychic self: I started listening to my instincts. Not just listening, but trusting.

It's almost funny how often we don't trust our instincts. We second-guess ourselves until we're wrapped in confusion and directionless. But once you open yourself up to the universe, you have to be prepared to accept things, almost without doubt.

And then things start to get really interesting.

Like the fact that two weeks after my brother and his wife conceived, I knew she was pregnant. We hadn't spoken and they had been trying for almost a year - so there was no reason that on that particular day, riding the streetcar to work, that I would know that she was pregnant. Of course, the next time I spoke to my brother I urged him to have her test - and sure enough, I was right.

Lucky for me, these little things are starting to happen more and more frequently, and with it, my confidence is soaring as well. If I get a 'feeling' about something, I follow through. I trust it. I even say it out loud to someone, just so I can't trick myself later.

I think we're all just a little bit psychic (some more than others) but we've all stopped trusting ourselves. We've also stopped listening. But for those of us who can always use a little extra guidance, I think it's an amazing help to have that sixth sense.

In a way, it doesn't matter what the source is... But it is still something neat to think about. Is it coming from within, are you tuned into the collective unconscious - plugged into the mainframe? Or it is external sources, loved ones who have passed on whispering into your 'third ear'.

Well, whatever it is. I'm thankful for it. I'm especially thankful for it today.