18 minute read
Notes of Caution
received during your meditation. Also make a note of the intention that you set, so that you can refer back to it to use again or see how it changes as you progress through your transformation.
It’s exciting to realize the potential you hold and to practice skills you might not have known you had before. As you move through the rest of the book, it’s good to keep some notes of caution in mind so that your experience remains a positive one. First I’ll address tips of ethical and safe practice, and from there I’ll go into ways your practice might actually negatively impact you. As you open up to this subtle energy, there can be some unexpected and unwanted side effects. I don’t want this to take you by surprise. Being aware of the potential for these issues will eliminate some of the confusion and can help you head off those problems right away if they come up.
Safe and Legal Practice of Subtle Abilities These first couple of notes on safety and ethics won’t really apply until you’re sharing your abilities with others, but I include them here so they’re not missed, and just in case you dive into sharing your abilities with others sooner rather than later.
In some places there are still laws against providing things like psychic readings or healing sessions, so be aware of what is and is not allowed in your location. For example, in New York fortune telling is a misdemeanor offense.8 Laws like section 365 of Canada’s criminal code (which was finally repealed in 2018) were said to have been passed specifically to protect people from those pretending to practice witchcraft. But even if you don’t identify yourself as a witch, these types of laws may still apply to elements of what you’re practicing.
8. “Penal Law: Article 165.35—Fortune Telling,” New York State Law, accessed August 31, 2021, https://ypdcrime.com/penal.law/article165.php#p165.35.
These laws are usually framed as being anti-witchcraft or anti-fortunetelling. Their intention is usually said to be to protect people from being conned out of large sums of money and also to protect them from “supernatural threats” where the practitioner states there is the potential for harm and then claims that for a certain payment they can eliminate the threat.9 However, even in instances where no threat was made, where large sums of money were not part of the exchange, and where the person providing the service showed evidence of special training and true belief in their practice, convictions have still been made. Only a few years before Canada’s Witchcraft Provision was repealed, one assessment of it was that “the status quo appears that any representation of supernatural power outside of dominant religious contexts will trigger prosecution and conviction.”10
While of course it’s good to prevent true fraud, where these laws exist the line is often incredibly murky and subject to discrimination and abuse. Who determines what is legitimate and what is pretend or fraud? What one person views as legitimate practice another might consider to be criminal. What is prophecy, religion, or spiritualism to one person could very well be “pretend” to someone else. Many feel these types of laws are a form of modern-day witch-hunting and persecution. One study found that they disproportionately impact women and certain racial and religious groups, and they’re noticeably a form of patriarchal suppression, “suppressing women’s powerful positions in the community as healers, midwives, and holders of holistic herbal and agricultural knowledge.”11
There are those who do take advantage, faking or making use of their abilities at the expense of others and for their own benefit. As with anything, one bad apple can ruin the bunch. Think of a physician greedily peddling a false cure. If you’re left burnt by such an experience, you’re likely to distrust future interactions with all other physicians. But that doesn’t mean that all physicians
9. Natasha Bahkt and Jordan Palmer, “Modern Law, Modern Hammers: Canada’s Witchcraft Provision as an Image of Persecution,” Windsor Review of Legal and Social Issues 35 (December 2015): 133, https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2606165. 10. Bahkt and Palmer, “Modern Law, Modern Hammers,” 135–136. 11. Bahkt and Palmer, “Modern Law, Modern Hammers,” 125.
are equal to the one who crossed you. In fact, all the rest you encounter may be very honest in their efforts to heal. The same is true in the world of intuitives. Some are noble, filled with a desire to share their skills for the benefit of others. Some are not. And in an effort to weed out those dishonest practitioners, laws have gone too far in some cases, painting with a broad brush that impacts even those who are honest in their practice.
In the United States these types of restrictions are found in individual community laws or codes. In many instances they’re recognized as being very out-of-date and something that most people don’t even know is on record. Once these laws are dredged up (often in instances of religious discrimination), it can be an opportunity for discussion, improved community awareness, and hopefully adjustment or removal of the law/code.12
This information isn’t meant to scare you away from your practice. Instead, it’s designed to make you even more aware of where your reservations may be coming from and, if and when you find yourself ready, to help you move forward with sharing your abilities safely. While such a law may never end up being an issue (or may be deemed so out-of-date that it’s not even valid if it does come up), it’s still good to know whether there are existing laws that could potentially be used against you.
PRACTICE Preparing for Safe and Legal Practice
While the potential legal issues involved in practicing your psychic abilities can all feel really overwhelming, breaking those issues down into some smaller actionable steps for solution can help things feel more manageable.
Start Here Start by reviewing your local laws/codes. Go to the city or county website and search for “codes” or “ordinances.” Within those ordinances (usually
12. Heather Greene, “Virginia Priestess Raises Concerns Over Discriminatory Town Code,”
The Wild Hunt, May 11, 2014, https://wildhunt.org/2014/05/virginia-priestess-raises -concerns-over-discriminatory-town-code.html.
listed as “chapters”), if there’s a search feature, you can search for terms like “witchcraft,” “magic,” “fortune telling,” and “psychic.” If you aren’t able to find the information this way or you don’t have internet access, you can call your city hall or county seat to request the information.
Obtain What’s Needed for Safe and Legal Practice Within your local laws, you might find that you’re required to have a permit or license to practice. Or you may only be able to practice in certain locations, such as within a store but not at a fair or on the street. You might have to register, pay a fee, get a background check, have your fingerprints on record, or something else entirely!13 Review those details and assess what you need to do in order to practice legally in your area.
In my case, I was specifically interested in laws related to the combination of intuition and energy healing. If this is your interest as well, know that in some locations it’s illegal to touch people in a professional context unless you have a license to practice, such as for a physician, massage therapist, or religious figure. If you don’t have a formal license in one of those categories already, you can become a licensed minister. Even without an interest in energy healing, some intuitives also go this ministerial route, taking an oath and clarifying to their clients that they’re offering life coaching or spiritual counsel. In the recommended resources section, I’ve included one such organization where you can become a minister with a small donation. You would then need to register this with your county office or potentially any other town that you’re practicing in.
It’s also good to consider having liability insurance. If you practice in person, this would apply if someone were to fall or be injured in some way. You could obtain this through the insurer that you already use for your home insurance. I’ve also included a couple of organizations in the recommended resources section that provide coverage for energy medicine and bodywork professionals.
13. Elizabeth Dias, “In the Crystal Ball: More Regulation for Psychics,” TIME, September 2, 2010, http://content.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,2015676,00.html.
In addition, consider having your clients sign a liability form before they have a session with you. This could include a disclaimer clarifying that you’re not a medical professional and that the reading is for entertainment purposes only. While the note of entertainment may not truly represent your beliefs, it’s language that’s often recommended as protection for the reader and as a disclaimer for the client. A sample release of liability form is included in appendix 1.
In some locations the acceptance of money, whether it’s a charged fee or given as a donation, constitutes a contract between the two parties. I state this because some people recommend that you accept donations as a way to get around potential legal issues (again, check your local laws). To avoid client dissatisfaction or conflict, you might also guarantee your sessions, letting potential clients know that if they aren’t satisfied, you’ll reimburse their payment. Similarly, it can be a good idea to inform them of your cancellation policy, letting them know how far ahead of the session they would need to cancel in order to not be charged or to receive a refund.
And, of course, for legal reasons make sure you declare any income that you make from this work when doing your taxes.
Challenging a Law If you become aware of an outdated law that’s discriminatory of your rights and you want to challenge it, you can contact your city or district attorney. You should be able to find their contact information through your county website. If you find yourself in conflict and need support, you could also try reaching out to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), Lady Liberty League (LLL), or Americans United for Separation of Church and State (Americans United or AU for short). See the recommended resources section for more on these organizations.
Ethics in the Practice of Subtle Abilities In addition to all those legal details, it’s good to keep in mind the ethics around the use of your subtle abilities and how you’re putting them into practice.
This will also help to make sure you don’t unintentionally cross the line into illegal practice.
• Share messages that you’ve received through your intuitive abilities only when asked or given permission. • Be clear with potential clients about what they should expect from a session with you. Describe your process, letting them know what you do and don’t do. For example, you won’t diagnose or treat illness because you aren’t a medical practitioner. • Be careful with the words you use. Words have power! Be cautious especially on the topics of predicting death, medical events or illness, and infidelity. Kristy Robinett clarifies with this example: “Never tell someone their significant other is cheating, even if you see/sense it. Instead, word it as, ‘I see fractures in your relationship. You may want to seek out couples therapy to better your communication and strengthen the relationship.’” Or, if you’re receiving a message that someone is indeed near death, you could encourage the client to go visit that individual. Similarly, always take care that what you’re saying isn’t expressed in a way that’s diagnosing or treating any known or suspected condition. Instead, you could share that you’re sensing it would be a good idea for the client to see their physician. This caution is important not only for legal reasons if you’re not a medical professional but also out of consideration for the other person. John Holland states, “It’s important to keep in mind impression versus expression and the way you say things. If I’m with a friend and I psychically feel a spot on their chest, I am not going to turn to the person and say, ‘Do you have a tumor?’ I will say, ‘Do you have a chest issue?’ There’s a big difference with the words that you use. You have to be careful how you express what you’re intuitively getting, because you could scare people.” We’ll cover some of this more in chapter 4 when we talk about whether to do something with what you’re picking up on or whether you should just let it be.
• Don’t exaggerate or embellish the intuitive information that comes to you. Be honest about what you’re getting. • Let the client know that what you share is not black-and-white but is for their consideration and is open to interpretation. They should know that no matter what is said, they have free will and should decide what does or does not resonate with them. • Don’t allow a client to become dependent on you. Make sure they understand that you’re a regular person and you don’t have all the answers. If they seem to need more than an occasional session can offer, it might be good to encourage them to seek a professional therapist for counseling. Be aware of what else they might need that’s beyond the boundaries of what you can offer them. • Keep sessions confidential. • Do not offer sessions when you’re ill or under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
Negative Side Effects of Opening Up Energetically There can be some negative side effects from opening yourself up to subtle energy connections. While I’ve been receiving spirit communication since around age fourteen, I ended up mostly shutting it down until my early twenties. Before I closed myself off, I taught myself how to channel through automatic writing. However, the messages were frustrating and often became looping nonsense, as though someone was just messing with me. At times I would also hear spirits as background noise, like static on a radio with moments of coherent breakthrough. This was especially prevalent while I was getting ready for school in the mornings. It was not a positive experience. The chattering was negative and intrusive. To try to drown it out, I would recite lines, sing, or read the shampoo bottle label in a hyperfocused way while I showered. Eventually I just gave up on the automatic writing for a while, and thankfully the chatter also eased off when it was clear that I wasn’t giving it my attention.
My understanding now is that my energy was extra vulnerable because of my younger age and the fact that I hadn’t yet established strong bound-
aries in the subtle realm, let alone in the physical one. Setting boundaries is something we can intentionally work on, but to some degree it’s something we also grow into. We learn who we’re okay with letting in and who we aren’t through trial and error. In short, I needed to establish my footing more in this world before I delved so much into the other. The fact that I was extra vulnerable right after spending time in the dreamworld helps support this assumption.
If you’re younger, it doesn’t automatically mean you’ll have the same experience I did. And if you’re older, it also doesn’t mean you’re immune to these types of negative side effects. No matter who you are or whatever your age, if you begin exploring your energetic abilities and find that you have some negative experiences, first work on mastering practices that help keep you focused on your own energy instead of trying to reach out and connect with energy outside of yourself. Here are some exercises in this book that you might find helpful:
• Grounding Yourself Back into the Physical World (on page 35 at the end of this chapter) • Tuning In (on page 42 in chapter 2) • Clearing Your Subtle Energy and Setting Energetic Boundaries (on page 52 in chapter 2)
If you find that you’re still having negative experiences, you may need to press pause on all of this and step away from spiritual and energetic exploration for a time. Focus your energy on being and growing within your physical space instead. Give it some time, and then when you feel like you’re ready to try again months or maybe even years later, you can give it another go.
In my own experience, when I came back to actively engaging with my energetic abilities, I knew that if I was going to make any attempt at communication through automatic writing (something we’ll get into more in chapter 3), it would be in order to receive a very purposeful and specific message. It would not be to sit and just see who and what came through. I intentionally make the window of practice very brief. Spirit knows this of
me now. If they want me to “get” it, they know they need to impress upon me that they have a message to share and I’ll then go get pen and paper and bam, they’d better be ready with something short and quick. Once it’s briefly recorded, we’re done.
Symptoms from Clearing Energy That You No Longer Need While spiritual and intuitive development can be fun, it’s not all play. Often we’re creating energy shifts within ourselves, moving stuff around, and clearing out junk. When we open ourselves up to subtle abilities that have been shoved to the back corner for most of our lives, there can be some intensity as we open back up to this energy. This can lead to things like spontaneous remembrance of current-life trauma; visions of past life recall; emotional symptoms such as weepiness, irritability, or anger; and physical symptoms like headaches and fatigue. You may also experience intense emotional shifts and feelings of confusion about what’s going on. This process can also be emotional for the fact that it may be the first time in a very long time that you’re finally letting yourself be who you’ve always wanted to be.
All of this is an opportunity for healing but is a bit like detoxing your physical body. Before the benefits are realized and the junk is moved out to make room for healing, it can be uncomfortable. As you acclimate, practice self-care and be gentle with yourself in these moments. Get some extra sleep, take a bath, journal your thoughts, take a walk, get out into nature, or do whatever else you do to soothe yourself in healthy ways.
Becoming Obsessive It’s important to avoid becoming overly focused on the subtle and spiritual experience. While exploration into your secret psychic life is great, remember that you still live in the physical world and ensure that you aren’t getting lost in Spirit. While subtle exploration can be an incredibly nurturing part of your life, it should not feel like it’s your everything or that it’s the most important thing. It is only one sliver of the pie making up your life on earth.
Sometimes it can be easy to become hyperfocused on your spiritual inner world as a form of escapism or running away from your life in this world. While it can be great to develop our understanding and abilities in the subtle world, we still need to participate in this concrete life as well. Intentionally working to maintain a balance between both sides is key.
If you find that you can’t stop thinking about messages you’re receiving, you’re seeing absolutely every little thing as a potential sign, you’re overly anxious about what it all means, or you’re falling down rabbit holes of trying to psychically solve murders or other traumatic unsolved mysteries that are not a part of your life, then it’s time to reel your energy back in. You only have so much to work with, and you might be giving too much of it away. Feelings of anxiety and worry, cyclical thoughts, tension, and an overall sense of “ick” are all signs you’re using your skills in ways that aren’t beneficial to you. It’s time to refocus in order to avoid burnout. Practices around grounding and setting boundaries can be helpful in addressing this point.
Intentionally grounding into your physical body and the immediate space around you is an important mindful practice. This is especially true if you’re “coming back” from an intense subtle spiritual experience and will come in handy as you work your way through the rest of the book and beyond. Whether you are doing a reading, have a spontaneous vision, are in deep meditative communion, or are participating in some other high-vibration activity, grounding is a very helpful close to such practices. If you’re noticing looping or anxious thoughts, grounding can also come in handy to pull you out of your headspace or fight-or-flight mode and center yourself back in the present moment. Here are some potential grounding options to choose from:
• Go out into nature. • Wash your hands and splash your face with cold water.
• Eat something. • Take a shower or soak in a bath. • Clap your hands and stomp your feet. • Do an aerobics session or some other form of physical exercise. • Play with your animal companion. • Get your bare feet touching the earth. • Bake something. • Spend time in the garden. • Smell an uplifting scent, such as a favorite perfume or essential oil. (Citrus is especially mood-enhancing.) • Shift your focus by stating out loud five things you see and five things you hear in your immediate environment. • Shift your focus by choosing a physical object to hold or touch and study all of its details very closely.
We’ve covered a lot in this chapter alone! I hope the initial practices have helped ease you into the deep work that can come about when connecting with the secret psychic side of yourself. Let’s take it a step further now and dig into the foundational details of working with our intuition.
