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Channel: Anthon St. Maarten Psychic Medium | Discover Your Destiny - Blog

The Courage To Live And Let Live

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The only way we are really going to make the future work is by allowing others to do their 'own thing' in their own way. Our future survival and evolution as a species will not be found in sameness, alikeness, similarity, or coercion. Instead, we must build a new global civilization based on expanding diversity, variety, assortment and multiplicity. Yet, there is one fundamental condition - for it to be successful it must be achieved in harmony with others and our planet.
From the perspective of the old mainstream view of our world, such a future world of unhindered diversity appears quite impossible and non-sensical, because that would mean that everybody does their own thing in their own way. And that seems really counter-intuitive... even dangerous. A disaster waiting to happen!  

History has taught us that individuals doing things their 'own way' eventually manifests itself as selfishness, greed, creed, personal preference, chauvinism, dogma and ego-centered beliefs - which has caused most of our wars, the establishment of our borders, the separation between the rulers and subjects, and the division between rich and poor. Yes, excessive egoism is probably the root cause of the ‘haves-and-have-nots’; of crime and corruption; and all manner of misery in the world.
Throughout history we have always had one person, or group, or nation forcing their views, beliefs, desires or ambitions upon another. Maybe this is what caused this mess we are in to begin with? But it is my belief that from a new paradigm and a radically different worldviewwhich has been gradually surfacing all over the globe, we will in time also discover that through individuation we can accomplish a new integration. We will find that we can achieve a collective, harmonious existence as Individuated Superhumans in a newly, co-created reality. The only missing link is our current lack of spiritual awareness.
The primary threat to nature and people today comes from centralising and monopolising power and control. Not until diversity is made the logic of production will there be a chance for sustainability, justice and peace. Cultivating and conserving diversity is no luxury in our times: it is a survival imperative ~ Vandana Shiva
In 1897, Ralph Waldo Trine wrote in In Tune With The Infinite, “If you preserve your individuality then you become a master, and if wise and discreet, your influence and power will be an aid in bringing about a higher, a better, and a more healthy set of conditions in the world”.

There is no need for us all to be alike and think the same way, neither do we need a common enemy to force us come together and reach out to each other. If we allow ourselves, and everyone else, the freedom to fully individuate
 as spiritual beings in human form, there will be no need for us to be forced by worldly circumstances to take hands and stand together. Our souls will automatically want to flock together, like moths to the flame of our shared Divinity, yet each with wings covered in the glimmering colors and unique patterns of our individual human expression.
This co-conscious, co-creative approach is now entirely attainable, for the first time in human history, because we now have the necessary science and technology to make it perfectly possible and within our reach to ‘each do our own thing’ - without harming, limiting, bothering, or judging each other!
Many clues that the world is ready for this long-overdue, new worldview and scientific paradigm is to be found in recent advances in science and philosophy, including Quantum Physics and New Thought concepts like the Holographic Universe, Reality Tunnels, Quantum Healing, Deliberate Creation and Conscious Evolution.

Further evidence is also emerging from our fast evolving technology, which has brought us new levels of connectivity and increased personalization and customization of many aspects of our daily life, including global social networking with whomever we choose, and instant information distribution geared to our personal preferences and fields of interest.

Our physical world seems ready and able to accommodate the needs of the spiritually awakened new Superhuman. The constraints or demands of our material world are not the real problem; it is our own spiritual awareness and philosophical wisdom that is lagging behind.


​Excerpt adapted from the book Divine Living: The Essential Guide To Your True Destiny by Anthon St. Maarten.

© 2012 Anthon St Maarten

About The Author

Anthon St. Maarten is an international psychic medium and destiny coach. He is also a sought-after inspirational speaker, metaphysical teacher and spiritual author, with a special interest in New Thought spirituality, metaphysics, sacred sites, parapsychology, mediumship and psychic phenomena. He is the author of the bestselling spirituality handbook Divine Living: The Essential Guide To Your True Destiny. Anthon's psychic reading and consultation services are available online and by phone to clients globally.

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The Everyday Miracle Of Everywhere Magic

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Seeing the world through glittering eyes is no longer a walk in the park for the spiritual optimist. There is such a lack of awe these days; so little wonder. Our society has successfully stripped itself of most of its metaphysical marvels. Yet, magic prevails everywhere for those who still seek to find it. Despite our cynical age of scientific skepticism, techno-futurism and neo-draconian politics, the mystical and miraculous continues to endure in the hearts and minds of those who choose to believe.
I have seen evidence of this everyday magic in my work with many people all over the world, as well as upon many of my travels.

I have known it in the devoted spiritual practices and manifesting projects of my clients. I have observed it in the heroic metaphysical endeavors and healing miracles of my colleagues.

And I have even witnessed it at almost every birthday party I have ever attended. Yes, most of us have at some point in our lives whispered a silent wish over the candles on a cake!

I have also noticed humanity’s steadfast faith in the sparkling coin wishes tossed into the Trevi Fountain in Italy; in an old well on the Acropolis in Greece; and in the cooling pond at the Roman Baths in England.
I have also found it engraved on the love locks attached to fences, gates and bridges in Paris, Rome, London and Madrid… the keys thrown away to set the intention of everlasting, unbreakable love.

Yes, I have witnessed this unyielding belief in something greater than ourselves in many weird and wonderful places. The most memorable recent example was a Spaniard named Pablo, who builds sandcastles for a living on the beaches of Southern Europe. I encountered him near the Faro de Maspalomas lighthouse in Gran Canaria some weeks ago. “Never allow others to destroy your freedom of self-expression,” he told me in no uncertain terms.
Above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you, because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places. Those who don't believe in magic will never find it ~ Roald Dahl
Apparently, it has happened on occasion, while his back was turned, that adult holiday-makers would purposely stomp all over one of his sand art creations… in a bizarre, spiteful attempt to destroy his meticulous work. At other times the weather simply does not play along, leaving his art a muddy mess.

But Pablo’s spirit is not easily crushed. He immediately sets out to rebuild his magnificent designs every time this happens. The title inscribed on his artwork that day simply read, Dreams Come True.
We tend to forget who we really are, and where we come from. These days there are those who feel that we have become spiritual beings having a post-human experience in a dystopian age. One certainly does not have to venture too far to find evidence for such a dim view. Look no further than social media, and the messy politics in the mainstream news. The average television and smart phone screen has for the most part become a barren wasteland of spiritual deprivation.
Yet, amongst all of the fear-mongering, doom prophecy, hopelessness, conspicuous consumption, character assassination and a pervading lack consciousness and scarcity mentality, some of us continue to witness daily moments of magic, miracles, unconditional love and divine grace. For it is our original nature to seek and find spiritual significance and synchronicity.

It is easy in this day and age to forget our own divinity and disregard how powerful we really are. But, there is nothing under the sun that shall ever defeat the soul, or eradicate the spirit. Regardless of our flawed human form, we remain powerful points of consciousness created in the image of the Divine. In spite of the total onslaught on our mystical heritage, and the daily risk of being ridiculed for engaging in the magical thinking of children, we all remain powerful creators on a holy mission. Whether we believe it, or not.
So, while some may choose to live in a world which they perceive to be spinning out of control, while the powers-that-be dictate what they choose to believe, we all remain spiritual beings first and foremost. Each and every one of us is the powerful creator of our own reality experience. We are the magical children of God, the progeny of Original Consciousness, the blessed offspring of the Divine Source. And therefore some of us have no choice but to secretly continue watching the world around us with eyes of wonderment, and revel in stolen moments of magic. If only more of us would choose to do it more often.

There are many places one can find everyday magic and miracles. From our own daytime imaginings and nightly dreams, to the superstitions and traditions of our families and tribes (the Sunday lunch chicken wishbone was often a major 'bone of contention' in my family). And from the inconceivable innovations of the arts and sciences, to the supernatural magnificence of the natural world and the entire cosmos. Signs of unexplained mystery and divine intervention is evident the world over. Magic truly is everywhere.
In these times we now face a very simple choice. We can celebrate our spiritual heritage by becoming more aware of the mystical in our everyday lives, and reclaim our innate divinity to honor our eternal connection to the Great Beyond. Or, we just can let society and popular culture choose what we may see, and let our naked emperors or our peers choose what we must believe. We can decide to master the art of deliberate creation, or we can let others shape our reality on our behalf. Can you guess what the rest of the world has planned for your future happiness and fulfillment? Not very much at all.
That's the thing with magic. You've got to know it's still here, all around us, or it just stays invisible for you ~ Charles De Lint
We carry within us all the mystical power we need to transform our world. To turn on this magic you can start by turning off the news. And how about ignoring the toxic trolls on your social media feed, and instead reaching out in person to your brother and sister with some practical kindness and unconditional love. It is also never too late to seek out those moments of mysterious synchronicity and thrive in your connectedness to something much greater than yourself.
Let us persist in looking for the signs and messages from beyond. Let us make an effort to count our blessings. Let us continue to hear the whispered voices of our ancestors, and listen to the calling of The Great Spirit. Like wide-eyed children, let us go forth and find the enchantment that is around us every day. We will always find what we seek, simply because we choose to look for it. For as the coin wishers and love lock owners of the world already know… a little everyday magic can go a very, very long way.

© 2017 Anthon St. Maarten

About The Author

Anthon St. Maarten is an international psychic medium and destiny coach. He is also a sought-after inspirational speaker, metaphysical teacher and spiritual author, with a special interest in New Thought spirituality, metaphysics, sacred sites, parapsychology, mediumship and psychic phenomena. He is the author of the bestselling spirituality handbook Divine Living: The Essential Guide To Your True Destiny. Anthon's psychic reading and consultation services are available online and by phone to clients globally.

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Coming Out Of The Psychic Closet

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A well-meaning friend recently sent me a “Happy Father’s Day” meme. At first, I was a little surprised, since I don't have any children, and my dad passed away many moons ago. Then I thought about it again, and responded, “Much appreciated! I am very proud of the man I raised myself to become.”  Yes, indeed. Growing up psychic and sane was certainly no mean feat, since my childhood resembled a combination of the movies 'Matilda' and 'The Sixth Sense,' with a sprinkling of 'The Jerry Springer Show', all set against the backdrop of 'The Handmaid’s Tale.' 
For many years, I thought I was just really stupid, or weird, even crazy. Many of my earliest memories are of vivid extra-sensory experiences and sometimes traumatic paranormal events. Growing up psychic is certainly not for sissies. I woke up many nights with what I perceived to be 'shadow people' standing next to my bed. I still don't like to talk about those days.

​I am a psychic medium by birth, but only discovered this fact much later in my life. ​There were many signs and synchronicities over the years, of which some were quite exceptional, but due to my stubborn rejection of my psychic heritage, I only managed to connect all the dots many years later.  I inherited my psychic ability from my paternal grandmother. Throughout my childhood my dad used to tell us amazing stories of his mother, and how she used to talk to dead people and foretell the future by looking into people's teacups. 
Family legend has it that as a young woman she was an 'Irish beauty' with pale skin and piercing violet eyes. She was admired, but also feared by some in the small town where she lived in the 1940s and 5o's. Some of the locals would actually cross the road to avoid her. Apparently, word had gotten around that whenever she talked kindly to strangers, someone in that particular family was going to get sick... or kick the bucket... or both! Poor grandma, I'm sure she meant well. However, whenever they needed their fortunes told, or had problems with paranormal activity in their homes, they always knew where to find her. According to my dad, she was a badass 'ghostbuster' in her day!
I suspected at a very young age that there must be something terribly wrong with me. I was clearly very different from other children, and it was confirmed soon after my 5th birthday, when the headmistress at kindergarten peppered my tongue with cayenne, in front of the whole school, for telling “tall tales” about a mysterious “angel man” watching over us from the corner of the playground, as well as the sad little "ghost girl" who used to play with us on the merry-go-round. Apparently, I was upsetting the other kids, and some of their parents.
As a matter of fact I had a terribly traumatic childhood. But afterward I sort of reraised myself ~ Michael Gruber
At first I thought everyone saw, heard and sensed the same things I did, but on that momentous day in daycare, it became very clear that this was not the case. 

​The name-calling and bullying escalated by the time I went to school. I was a gifted, unusual child growing up in a very religious and politically conservative society. Nevertheless, I was intuitively drawn to the mystical and the paranormal from a very early age,
My mom was not impressed, for example, when she discovered one day that her missing glass bowl had been turned upside down and used as a ‘crystal ball’ to do readings for some of the kids in the neighborhood. Not to mention the fact that those kids were a little freaked out too! What can I say... we had no computer games in those days.

​Growing up in Apartheid South Africa, my childhood environment was shaped by a government policy known at the time as 
Christelike Nasionale Opvoeding (Christian National Education). This restrictive policy was geared towards social engineering and allowed very little religious or ideological freedom. The Calvinistic and highly chauvinistic values of the regime were drilled into us, and we were programmed not to question authority, and to comply with the prescribed cultural and social expectations of our community. 
I see dead people...
​In this stifling environment I was obviously soon misunderstood, ostracized and bullied, to the extent that I began to view my highly sensitive nature and psychic heritage as a shameful secret... as some kind of personal ‘disability.’

​To be sensitive, emotional and spiritually aware are still taboos in this world, especially for young men. Combine that with being an empathic ‘new age weirdo’ who talks to dead people... and you have the perfect breeding ground for shame, self-hatred and public humiliation. The fact that my parents were emotionally absent, and not at all nurturing or supportive, did not make things any easier. 


​I soon realized I had to wear a mask and pretend to be what I am not, for fear of rejection and ridicule. I fervently began to resist my extra-sensory experiences. My fascination with all things metaphysical soon became my ‘dirty little secret.’  
At least I no longer blurted out the secrets of unsuspecting adults at social gatherings, which often caused many red faces and awkward silences around coffee tables and barbeque fires. I'm sure many folks were quite relieved that I opted to keep my mouth shut.

​I was fortunate to grow up with a lot of books in my childhood home, and I became the proud owner of a public library card as soon as I could read. Just like Roald Dahl's character, Matilda, books really were my saving grace. In my late teens, I was fortunate to discovered the classic book, An Experiment with Time by J.W. Dunne, and this helped me a great deal over the years to understand and interpret my dreams, which is a skill I now effectively use in my work. The most important thing I learned from Dunne’s book was that I was not the only guy in the world who sees the future in his dreams.
Matilda’s strong young mind continued to grow, nurtured by the voices of all those authors who had sent their books out into the world like ships on the sea. These books gave Matilda a hopeful and comforting message: You are not alone ~ Roald Dahl
Oddly, books also brought me a fleeting 15 minutes of popularity among my peers. I was around 13 years old at the time and I used to secretly read books about divination, the paranormal, and mediumship, in the school library. It was the safest, most peaceful place for me to hide from the bullies during school breaks.

​One day three older girls noticed the palmistry book I was reading, and the leader of the pack came over and asked me what it was about. Not used to this kind of attention, especially from older kids, I proceeded to spill the beans, before I even considered how she might respond. Instead of being shocked or amused, she asked me if I could “tell fortunes." Without any hesitation, I said yes. She immediately beckoned her friends over, and insisted I read their palms. 
I actually knew very little about palmistry, but I was born with the ability to ‘see’ and ‘feel’ things when I touch someone, or hold an object that belongs to them. So, one by one I took their eagerly upturned hands and gave the first psychic readings of my career. I will never forget the expression on their faces as I talked about their problems at home, their schoolwork issues, and all the drama of their teenage romances and the boys they secretly had crushes on. 
 
Word spread of the geeky kid in the library who tells fortunes, and soon there was a mob of youngsters waiting for me at the library every day. The library became my ‘psychic parlor’ and a refuge for all the teenage angst of the senior girls. But my newfound fame was short-lived, because the crowding and noise got so out of hand that the school’s librarian had no other choice but to put an end to it. She also sent me to the headmaster’s office, where I received a beating with one of the canes from his extensive collection - for being a disruptive influence, and for doing “the devil’s work.” The following week, at Monday morning assembly, he read from scripture and sternly warned the student body against the evils of witchcraft and satanism. I was just thankful he never called my parents. 
Grandma Dolly was a badass ghostbuster in her day.
For a long time, after my stint as the ‘teenage library psychic,’ I refused to publicly acknowledge the existence of psychic or paranormal phenomena. I had by now gone thoroughly undercover, and deep into the psychic closet. Yet, I still was frowned upon by teachers, and rejected and tortured by many of my peers, for daring to be different from the norm. I was a weird kid. Period.
 
On my 16th birthday my father gave me a yellowed, sealed envelope from my grandmother, which she handed to him a few months before her passing. It contained a short letter to his eldest child, explaining my psychic heritage. The letter also contained a St. Christopher pendant, which she said I should wear for my protection. I did not take any of this very seriously at the time, and disregarded all of it as the 'woo-woo' ramblings of an old lady. Sorry grandma, I will apologize to you in person someday, when I finally get back to the Other Side.
For many years, I had a problem with intense anxiety and I frequently experienced acute panic attacks. The problem was so severe when I was about 4 or 5 years old, that I had to be rushed to the emergency ward on more than one occasion, and once had to be hospitalized, because I would literally stop breathing. My dad told me years later that on that particular day I was so uncontrollably hysterical, it took the physical strength of two nurses, my dad and the doctor to pin me down for an injection.

​The first time I personally became fully aware of having these panic attacks, and that they were linked to something beyond this world, was when I was about 7 years old and in the second grade. I was sitting on the living room floor one afternoon, paging through a book, when suddenly an intense sense of dread engulfed me. At the same time an ominous 'shadow' descended upon our home, as if the sky had suddenly turned overcast outside. The living room became gloomy as if it was suddenly twighlight. Someone... or something... was in that room with me. I remember feeling somehow very angry...when the pages of the book in front of me began to vigorously page all by itself... from cover to cover... rapidly... like someone flicking through a deck of cards! I was beyond myself with terror! I ran for dear life,  jumping over furniture and just about diving through the front door to get out of that house! Outside the sun was shining brightly and it was still a beautiful, peaceful summer's day. I refused to go back into the house for the rest of the afternoon, patiently waiting on the front lawn, until my parents came home from work.
​As a child I felt myself to be alone, and I am still, because I know things and must hint at things which others apparently know nothing of, and for the most part do not want to know ~ C.G. Jung
Soon after, I woke up one night from some kind of bad dream. Crying inconsolably, I ran to my parents' bedroom, where my mother lay sleeping alone. My dad was not yet home. Mom could make no sense out of what I was trying to say. She thought I was simply afraid of the heavy thunderstorm outside. Apparently, I was sobbing and repeatedly crying, "Daddy has the moon on his face...!" Later that night the phone call came. My father had been in a head-on collision and had not been wearing his seat-belt.  He went through the windshield, head first. The shattered glass cut into his face, leaving a large, deep wound shaped like a half moon across his forehead. He carried that scar for the rest of his life.
By the way, that 'self-paging' book was certainly not the first or last time that telekinetic phenomena happened around me. Psychokinetic occurrences are an almost normal, although very infrequent part of my everyday life since I can remember. For example, it is not unusual for me to somehow crash computers and cash registers everywhere I go, when I am out and about on a particularly emotionally distressed day! A few people in my life have also learned not to stand under any exposed overhead light-bulbs, whenever I'm around, as they do tend to unexpectedly explode from time to time. Same thing happens with street lights. One of the funnier instances occurred inside a grocery store in 2009, on a quiet weekday morning. I was walking down the cereal aisle, minding my business, when a piece of PVC water pipe mysteriously became dislodged and dropped from the ceiling, missing my head by inches. Fortunately, I only had a scratch on my face and my shirt was covered in a muddy slush. Interestingly, most of these everyday 'disturbances' subsided and even disappeared once I began working full-time as a psychic professional.

One of the most traumatizing and memorable anxiety attacks happened during the school holidays in the early part of 1983. I was 16 years old at the time and waiting for a bus in Church Street in Pretoria, South Africa, when I was suddenly overcome by the most horrible sense of dread. The anxiety was so overwhelming that I could hardly breathe. I had no idea what might have caused this suffocating feeling, but I just new that I was in extreme danger... and I immediately had to get out of that area! At first I walked, but eventually ran like an insane person for about 2 km (1.3 miles). 
 
Then, just as suddenly as it came, the feeling was gone. I came to an exhausted halt, drenched in perspiration, yet utterly calm and relieved. This inexplicable incident was soon forgotten, but in recent years I accidentally discovered its true meaning, after sharing some of my childhood experiences with a fellow psychic. I had never made the connection before, but after doing some further research, I soon realized that a few months after my panic episode, on the afternoon of May 20th, 1983, at least 16 people were killed and about 130 injured in a car bomb explosion in Pretoria. The explosion happened outside the Nedbank Square building on Church Street, at the height of the city's rush hour…just a few steps away from where I had been standing on that day when that dreadful panic attack hit me! So much for psychic overload and being an energy sponge. To this day I wonder if I could have made a difference at the time, had I been more empowered with a better understanding of why I was experiencing these bizarre things. 
In my early 20’s, I was referred to a therapist by my doctor, in the hope of overcoming my anxiety. It was a miraculous synchronicity that I went to see this particular therapist, because he just happened to be a mainstream psychologist who was also interested in alternative spirituality, energy work and holistic healing. For obvious reasons, he never admitted any of this to me at the time, I only figured it out many years later. Instead of just doing the usual psychotherapy, we also did past life regression and energy healing. At the time I did not understand what he was trying to accomplish; I thought he was teaching me some kind of self-hypnosis. And I thought his therapeutic skills sucked, because he spent most of his time sitting back in his armchair with his eyes closed.
Living a spiritual life may not be easy. It demands total authenticity. It brings you to dance to a unique song that only you can hear fully, and sometimes you dance alone because no others can hear the music ~ Debra Moffitt
After many sessions, during which nothing much happened, I had a major breakthrough one day. I remember suddenly feeling an intense ‘explosion’ in the are of my solar plexus, as if a floodgate had burst wide open. I was pinned to the couch by a powerful stream of energy rushing through what felt like a churning ‘cavity’ in my stomach. It was like a tornado drilling right through my spine,  and into the floor below me. It was the most astonishing thing I had ever felt. After the initial shock, an incredible sense of relief and freedom washed over me. The therapist asked me what I was feeling, but I was unable to speak. I was completely paralyzed, as if in a trance. Silent tears were running down my face, and I felt profoundly calm, blissful and at peace.
Years later, I figured out that what I had experienced was an unblocking of my solar plexus chakra, which is the energy center for mental understanding of our emotional life. Interestingly, the spiritual lesson of this chakra is to achieve self-love, and acceptance of our place in the stream of life. The solar plexus chakra is often linked to issues relating to self-image or self-esteem, oversensitivity to criticism, fear of rejection, and fears of our secrets being found out. The information stored in this energy center also relates to personal power, our sense of belonging and the consciousness of self within the Universe . It is the basis for a positive, healthy self-image and connection to one's personal spiritual path and life calling. ​Based on my childhood experiences, I clearly was a prime candidate for developing a problem in this area! Not that any of this mattered much to me at the time. All I cared about was the fact that I never again experienced a single panic attack since that day.
The 1990 paperback that launched my career.
On my final visit to the unorthodox ‘shrink,’ he unexpectedly gave me as parting gift a paperback copy of the book Mind To Mind: The Secrets Of Your Mind Energy Revealedby the late Betty Shine. She was a renowned psychic medium and healer in the United Kingdom, and her book helped me find my way back to who I really was. It opened up a whole new world for me, very far removed from the books on palmistry I used to read in the school library. 
 
I soon started doing some of Betty’s meditation exercises. My favorites were Journey to the Centre of the Universe and The Auric Egg. Betty’s exercises became the foundation for my personal psychic re-attunement and my ultimate spiritual awakening. Little did I know at the time that these exercises would eventually become spontaneous experiences that came and went for the next decade. There was a long period when I had recurring dreams and out-of-body experiences of returning to that spiritual ‘university’ on the edge of the Universe, for more and more ‘lessons.’

Betty's book and grandma's pendant were also not the only unusual, synchronistic gifts I received along the way. While I was a senior at university, for example, I became acquainted with a new student, named Rudy. Our friendship was brief, but to this day his synchronous appearance in my life intrigues me. How exactly it happened remains a mystery to me, but one day he just unexpectedly showed up at my door with an unusual gift in a brown paper bag. It was a brand new deck of Rider Waite® Tarot cards.
It was not my birthday, or any other special occasion, so I asked him the reason for this unusual gift. His answers still haunts me to this day. “It is best to receive your first deck as a gift, instead of buying it yourself,” he said. Then he left. A few days later I heard that he had dropped out of school and I never saw him again. Sadly, that deck of cards ended up being burned in a bonfire later that year, which a friend and I felt compelled to make in the backyard when we became reborn Christians for a period of time.

In 1996, I  experienced three consecutive blackouts, or fainting spells, a few weeks apart. I simply fell unconscious for no apparent reason. Twice I badly injured myself, and still have the scars on my left ear and the right side of my forehead. On all three occasions I had profound out-of-body experiences (ODEs). I remember feeling like I was floating and seeing my own body lying on the floor. Then it felt like I was moving very rapidly through a dark tunnel… to a place of safety. It felt like all the sacred knowledge and deepest truths of the Universe were surging through my very being. I also felt intense emotions of well-being, and joy, and peace. It was unbelievable, and so pleasant, that I did not want to return, but I kept hearing a far-off voice telling me that I had to go back, because my work was not done. I felt annoyed that anyone would expect me to go back, but I was being sucked violently back into my body and waking up feeling disoriented, and really miserable. 

The weird blackouts happened within a period of one month, and I have never experienced anything like it again. After the third incident, I was tested extensively in a medical lab for every possible cause, but nothing was found. They did blood tests, had me running on a treadmill, and even took an MRI scan. Nothing. My doctor was puzzled. Nobody could explain what may have caused me to just fall unconscious, without anything being wrong with my physical health. In fact, I was extremely fit at the time, since I worked part-time as an aerobics and yoga instructor. I was also enrolled for a personal fitness trainer certification course in those days, and it was a source of great amusement for the other students, when I showed up for lectures with a black eye and swollen forehead. Nobody believed my story that I had just fainted for no reason,  and they teased me endlessly about “getting wasted and beat up in a pub brawl!”
When we are children we seldom think of the future. This innocence leaves us free to enjoy ourselves as few adults can. The day we fret about the future is the day we leave our childhood behind ~ Patrick Rothfuss
I had sensed that something significant happened during those blackouts, but I never would have thought that those fainting spells had in fact been near-death experiences (NDEs). The descriptions I read of other people’s NDEs were generally different from what I had experienced, so I did not know what to make of it. Amazingly the answer came to me courtesy of a skeptic! According to research conducted by Dr Kevin Nelson, a leading advocate for brain-based theories for NDEs, the leading cause of near-death experience is fainting. Although Dr. Nelson does not believe that there is anything spiritual about NDEs, he certainly helped me find some answers about my own spiritual and psychic awakening. 
After these experiences, my psychic awareness rapidly began to increase and intensify, although I still did not take it very seriously and kept it secret from friends and family. After all, I had majored in Psychology in the early 90s and knew very well where people ended up who claimed they ‘saw things’ or ‘heard voices’. I had no intention of becoming just another psychiatric statistic. But after several further traumatic life events, and strange disruptions in my professional and personal life, I eventually could no longer avoid the inevitable. I increasingly felt a sense of urgency to fulfill my true life purpose, whatever that may be. I also continued to have vivid dreams and other psychic and paranormal experiences, which I ignored to the best of my ability. Eventually, I could no longer keep up the pretense.
The breakthrough came at a point in time when my life seemed to have spiraled completely out of control. I had reached the stage where I simply felt I had nothing more to lose, and I had finally also lost the will to continue the charade. It all came to a dramatic climax, when I found myself late one night searching Google for the most effective, and least messy methods of suicide... until I experienced an unforgettable metaphysical encounter, which ultimately led to a profound spiritual awakening. It may seem somewhat shocking for me to say this, but today I believe that this was the best thing that could have happen to me at that time. While I thought I was giving up on my crazy life, and throwing in the towel, what really happened was that I finally surrendered my resistance to my true self.
 
At first, I smelled a strangely pleasant odor that I suddenly remembered very vividly from my childhood. This distinctive scent always preceded the ‘floating bubbles of light’ which I used to often see as a child. I had completely forgotten about those experiences, yet here they were again... the flickering light specks that look like ‘bundles of fireflies.' The smell they came with was like electricity, or ozone. It was not unpleasant, simply unusual. For a long time I had no way of describing it, until I bought a small air purifier a few years ago. I soon discovered that the faint smell of ozone, which is generated in small quantities by the negative ions from the purifier, was rather similar in scent.
In an expanding universe, time is on the side of the outcast. Those who once inhabited the suburbs of human contempt find that without changing their address they eventually live in the metropolis. ~ Quentin Crisp
Then a strangely familiar voice spoke to me telepathically. I remember it telling me to be grateful to be alive; that I live in an abundant Universe, that my life was meant to be happy and joyful, and that I had a unique purpose and a special mission to fulfill in this lifetime. I suddenly remembered where I heard that voice before! It was the voice of my ‘imaginary’ playmate ... that very same ‘angel man’ who watched over me on the playground! He was the one who spoke for the ‘others’, the one who was always there when ‘they’ came to visit. When I started working professionally a few years later, he introduced himself to me as “Jordan.” And as time passed, I discovered that his name was actually “Yarden" from the original Hebrew יַרְדֵן, meaning “the descender,” or “to flow down,” or “descending from above.”
It was also revealed to me that the word Yarden consists of the Hebrew letters Yud Resh Dalet Nun, read from right to left. My jaw dropped when I uncovered the meaning of every syllable and I soon realized that "Jordan" was much more than just an individual spirit guide, or my personal guardian angel. Yarden was not a person or a singular being, he was a group of entities, a universal energy, an infinite intelligence.

Yud is the 10th letter of the Hebrew alphabet and means "hand." The Zohar states that the Yud represents the head of all creatures, and in the Sephrotic tree the Yud symbolizes wisdom - the stage of concealment which precedes its development into a state of expansion in understanding. Yud is the smallest letter in the alphabet, yet is frequently associated with the large concept of emanation, the highest level in the Four World paradigm of Kabbalah. Resh is the 20th letter of the Hebrew alphabet and means "beginning" or "head". Resh literally means "there is a beginning." Dalet is the 4th letter of the alphabet and means "door" or "doorway." Nun is the 14th letter of the Hebrew alphabet and means "shine, sprout, spread," According to the ancient Kabbalistic text,The Bahir, the bent Nun represents the spinal cord through which the body is fed by the brain​. Go figure.

To this day I find it quite mind-boggling when I think of that incredible moment. Behind my desk, in front of the flickering screensaver on my laptop computer, intending to plan my own demise... I experienced instead a deeply significant spiritual breakthrough. I was confronted with an overwhelming and sudden awakening to my spiritual origins. I was reconnected with my inner divinity and higher self in a very powerful way. ​I still did not know what I was going to do going forward, but I finally felt free in that moment to fully acknowledge who I really was, for the first time in my life. For weeks afterwards I was like a hung-over, dazed Rip van Winkle, who had finally woken up after spending many years in a restless, feverish sleep. I was now perceiving with astonishment a sparkling, new, mystical world through the eyes of a newborn. ​​ After that fateful night, my life took a remarkable turn for the better. 
Crossing Over with John Edward was the final puzzle piece.
My daily, humdrum existence changed, in radical ways I could have never imagined. In time everything in my environment began to shape and rearrange itself around me. I experienced one synchronistic event after the other. It was as if the right people and the most perfect opportunities just flowed towards me and crossed my path in a miraculous chain of events. I received daily signs and intuitive confirmations, and at night my dreams were filled with ideas and visions of what needed to be done the next day. The confusing riddle that was my ‘dirty little psychic secret’ finally began to fall into place, and gradually my life began to transform. 
​In my youth it was near impossible to find any reliable information on alternative spirituality, metaphysics, psychic phenomena and the paranormal. In those days we did not have films and television shows like The SecretPsychic Kids: Children of the Paranormal or What The Bleep Do We Know?  There were also no Long Island or Hollywood mediums, or any cable TV for that matter.  Bear in mind that I basically grew up without television, since it was only introduced to South Africa when I was in my early teens, but I did spend a lot of time in the movies. The closest thing I had to a psychic role-model in those days was the actress Sissy Spacek in the classic Stephen King film Carrie, as well as the stereotypical gypsy fortune-tellers and their crystal balls in my dad’s old comic books. The metaphysical books I could find in the school library were on subjects like the evils of witchcraft, or how Harry Houdini became a debunker of mediumship.  No wonder it took me decades to figure out what all the ‘strange things’ were that I was seeing, hearing and feeling!  Fortunately, with the dawning of the new millennium, came the TV show Crossing Over with John Edward, which brought me the final missing puzzle piece. Seeing someone whom I could actually identify with, doing this kind of work out there in public, like it was the most natural thing in the world, gave me the courage to finally come out of the psychic closet myself. 

Today, my quest continues to liberate others from dogma, ignorance, prejudice and fear, and inspire people to live their life by design and fulfill their true destiny. My early life experiences compel me to search for more answers, and it continues to inspire me to teach and write. 
The confusion and frustration I had to endure as a child, often due to ignorance, fear and intolerance, made me vow to research, learn and share as much as I could about alternative spirituality, psychic phenomena, parapsychology, the paranormal, and metaphysics. If I can spare just one sensitive child unnecessary trauma, inspire just one adult to come out of the 'psychic closet’, or save just one Indigo soul’s life from ending in tragedy, then the bewilderment I had suffered as a child would all be worth it.

© 
2017 Anthon St Maarten

About The Author

Anthon St. Maarten is an international psychic medium and destiny coach. He is also a sought-after inspirational speaker, metaphysical teacher and spiritual author, with a special interest in New Thought spirituality, metaphysics, sacred sites, parapsychology, mediumship and psychic phenomena. He is the author of the bestselling spirituality handbook Divine Living: The Essential Guide To Your True Destiny. Anthon's psychic reading and consultation services are available online and by phone to clients globally.

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Psychic Protection 101 - Grounding, Centering And Shielding

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​It is recommended to begin all spiritual activities, meditations, intuitive development exercises, as well as energy or healing work, with a basic psychic protection routine. A well-designed grounding, centering and shielding meditation or visualization exercise will create a solid safeguard and meditative energy foundation for any kind of spiritual practice session. 
Centering is the process of anchoring and centralizing your inner, non-physical being within your physical body, while grounding (or earthing) refers to strengthening or reaffirming your connection with physical reality, the secular world and planet Earth.

​Centering and grounding is therefore aimed at 
stabilizing yourself energetically, by firmly setting a mindful, harmonious balance between your body and soul, between the spiritual and the secular, between the physical and the metaphysical. Being grounded and centered is to feel safe and securely anchored in the physical world, while opening up to increased energy flow, and metaphysical or spiritual input.

You may ask why you would attempt to increase your awareness of your physical body, and earthly reality, when you are going to be engaging in spiritual or metaphysical activity? 
Why would you want yourself, and the ground beneath you, to feel ‘more real’ and tangible, whenyou are going to venture into the deepest recesses of subconscious unconsciousness? I always liken it to the exploration of a deep, mysterious cave. The best way not to get lost while you are venturing deeper and deeper into that unfamiliar grotto is to tie a long roll of string to the entrance of the cave, so that you can follow it back on your way out. Grounding, centering and shielding is like having your sailboat firmly anchored on the open sea, while you are scuba diving nearby to explore the unknown depths of the ocean.
There are many creative ways you can achieve a deeply grounded, centered and shielded state of being at the beginning of your spiritual practice sessions. I believe it is best to intuitively find what works best for you as a unique individual. In my work with students and clients over the years, I have found that no two people are intuitively and spiritually ‘wired’ in the same way. You can use the following general guidelines to design your own grounding and centering process.

Sacred Space

Find a quiet place free from distractions to do your spiritual exercises. The best place for this would be the 'sacred space’ you created for your daily spiritual practice. More information about how to create a sacred space in your home or office can be found in my book Divine Living: The Essential Guide To Your True Destiny.

Meditation Music

Use music, if it will aid you. I like to use instrumental music when doing spiritual or energy work, as I find it helps me to focus. However, it is vital to choose appropriate music that will not be distracting or dominating. You do not want the music to stimulate your imagination and begin to color your intuitive impressions, so that it loses validity or accuracy. If music distracts you, don’t use it at all. Also, using music during exercises for clairaudience, for example, makes no sense as it will most likely drown out any auditory impressions you may perceive.

Comfortable Positioning

Sit or lie in a position that is comfortable and which allows you to fully relax. If you experience any discomfort, adjust your position until your find something that works. Creating a closed energy circuit can be of great value. This is done by crossing your legs at the ankles and interlocking your hands or finger. This will greatly enhance your grounding and provide a stable basis for energy flow.

Mindful Breathing

Close your eyes and focus on mindful breathing by diverting your attention to the natural flow of your breath. Become more conscious of your breath. If you find it helpful you can do a specific meditation or yoga breathing exercise to establish a base, before going into natural, mindful breathing. Do not put any further effort into your breathing. Simply allow your breathing to flow easily and spontaneously, while you merely observe it happening. 

As you increasingly focus on your breathing, begin to slow down your thoughts. Disengage your mind. Discontinue all thinking and shut down any ‘self-talk’ that may be going on in your head. Let your active mind become quiet. Clear your mind of all conscious thought. Use visualization if you find it helpful. For example, imagine your mind being the tranquil, reflective surface of a lake without any ripples, or imagine your mind to be like an empty, white screen. Do not allow your mind to wander. Simply relax and try to think of absolutely nothing.  Ask also your emotions to become calm. Evoke from within a sense of neutral serenity, of inner peace. Become emotionless. Disengage your senses. Stop paying attention to your sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch sensations. Focus on experiencing the stillness. Embrace the silence within.

If any thoughts, feelings or physical sensations emerge, simply accept each one of them as they come. Give them the space to come and go, but do not judge your thoughts and do not get involved with your feelings. If at some point you do become distracted by a thought or feeling, simply take note of it for a moment, and then gently return your attention back to your breathing. Remain aware of the ebb and flow of your breathing and feel yourself come to rest in this present moment. 

Progressive Relaxation

Once you have settled into the rhythm of your breathing, begin to progressively relax different sections of your body, focusing on one area at a time. Ideally, start from your feet and work all the way up to the top of your head. Focus on one area at a time and feel those muscles and organs relax. 

​Beginners often find it useful to first tense the muscles in every area and holding the contraction for a few moments, and then releasing it completely and feeling the area relaxing. This creates a more tangible sensation to ensure a deeper level of relaxation. 


​Notice any physical sensations you are having that may be distracting or that may interfere with your process. Simply take note of the feeling or sensation for a moment, and then gently return your attention back to your relaxation process. Focus on your body becoming perfectly calm, relaxed and still. Once you have achieved a perfectly relaxed, mindful state, you are ready to proceed with your grounding, centering and shielding exercises.

Aura Cleansing

It is a good idea to start your energy protection process with some form of psychic cleansing visualization. For example, imagine yourself taking a 'spiritual shower' under a waterfall or in the ocean, and see how the healing water splashes over you, washing away all negative energy 'leftovers' or spiritual attachments that might be hanging around in your energy field, or aura. Another cool option is to visualize a bright spotlight, or a powerful lazer beam, or even a magic wand (sort of like a dental curing light) that emanates healing energy. Use this light to scan your aura from top to bottom, neutralizing and 'sterilizing' any unwanted energetic debris from your energy field.

Solid Centering

Begin by solidifying your center. Centering is about finding that quiet, inner core of your being. Simply go within and sense where your center is. I find for many people this is usually in the area of the solar plexus, although I have worked with people who felt it in the root or sacral chakras, or even in the heart chakra.

Sometimes it is useful to use a visualization if you find it challenging to locate your center, for example, visualizing that you are the core of a lotus flower. Once you have found your center or core, feel it stabilize and becoming 
solid and fixed, then attach it to your grounding cord (see next step) and proceed to ground your energy to the earth below you.

Grounding Cord

Once you are mindfully centered, the next step is to 'earth' yourself with an energy grounding 'cord​.' Grounding creates a firm loop or circuit for energy flow.

​Once again this is up to your creative imagination. The idea is to direct your energy in such a way that you become firmly grounded to the earth below you. This can be achieved by simply visualizing a strong cord or ‘steel chain’ that anchors you to the center of the earth, or imagine yourself  as an ‘old oak tree’ with thick, sturdy roots growing deeper and deeper into the ground. A root chakra meditation or visualization exercise can also be introduced as part of your grounding process.

​A misconception about grounding is that it keeps you from somehow being ‘airy fairy’ or ‘ditsy’, as if you might levitate and float away... giggling... into a twilight world of rainbows and unicorns! Actually, the real purpose of grounding or earthing is not to ‘tie you down.' Instead it can be likened to the earthing or grounding of the electricity circuit in your home. Similar to a house's earth leakage, all unwanted energy is redirected through your ‘grounding cord’ and discharged into the earth, which serves to protect you. Another suitable metaphor is a lightning conductor, which is basically 
a metal rod attached to an exposed part of a tall building or other structure, which serves to divert potential lightning strikes harmlessly into the ground.

Psychic Shielding

The final step in the process is to erect a protective psychic shield around you. Find an image or shield concept that works for you. It can be anything that you personally relate with, and will provide you with a sense of safety and security. There are many ways to do this, for example surrounding yourself with a golden ‘wall of energy’, or creating a ‘glass sphere’ around you, or seeing yourself in a ‘circle of white light’, or placing a series of ‘mirrors’ facing outwards to form a protective ring around you.

Whatever ‘shield’ you choose to use, ensure that you visualize it having two distinct qualities: your mind must perceive it as impenetrable and unbreakable so that it is strong, safe and secure enough to keep all unwanted influences or negative energy out, while still being permeable or porous enough to allow all wanted input and positive energy in. For example, instead of putting up an iron ‘wall’ around you, visualize yourself inside a steel ‘cage’ or a metal ‘sieve’. A wall is solid, a cage or sieve is not. Yet, they are equally strong.

Your shield does not have to be realistic or practical. Use your imagination to create whatever shield works best for you intuitively. You may also prefer to combine your spiritual protection shield with a prayer blessing or invocation, depending on your personal belief system.The most important thing is that whatever shield you create must be 
believable to your subconscious mind and must make you feel secure. If it is not making you feel safe, it will only serve to distract you, which will cause your protective energy to waiver. The aim of these kinds of visualizations is to direct and maneuver energy using your mental focus. 

You should now be firmly centered, grounded and shielded and your rational mind disengaged enough for you to be ready to begin your spiritual growth exercise, intuitive development activity or energy work. Initially, you may find that developing your basic process takes some time and you will not always be completely succesful with every attempt. But with regular, frequent practice you will become more proficient and the process will begin to flow more easily and automatically and ultimately become second nature.

Excerpt adapted from the book Divine Living: The Essential Guide To Your True Destiny.

© 2017 Anthon St. Maarten

About The Author

Anthon St. Maarten is an international psychic medium and destiny coach. He is also a sought-after inspirational speaker, metaphysical teacher and spiritual author, with a special interest in New Thought spirituality, metaphysics, sacred sites, parapsychology, mediumship and psychic phenomena. He is the author of the bestselling spirituality handbook Divine Living: The Essential Guide To Your True Destiny. Anthon's psychic reading and consultation services are available online and by phone to clients globally.

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Psychic Prediction - Free Will, Fate Or Divine Destiny?

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Psychic reading is often assumed to be synonymous with fortune-telling, and while they may seem similar on the surface they are in fact two very different practices. Psychic reading is a spiritual practice... a sacred portal to manifesting your true destiny. Fortune-telling, on the other hand, is a fallacy and potentially dangerous and destructive.
Yes, fortune-telling is a myth. Nobody can ‘tell your fortune' for the simple reason that you don’t actually have a 'fortune.' Your fortune is something you create every day through your beliefs, thoughts, choices, decisions and actions. You are a spiritual being continuously seeking physical expression in your current incarnation. And therefore you are the creator of your own reality experience, and the designer of your own destiny. Your fate is ultimately in your own hands (albeit with a little help from the Divine).

Fortune-telling, however, claims that your future is carved in stone and your destiny consists of a rigid, preordained program which you are obliged to stick to unfailingly. But your life path has not been strictly scripted like the plot for a movie or a stage play, which you have to monotonously act out every day… scene by scene… minute by minute…until the final curtain.
We certainly did not come into this time-space reality to be mere puppets or robots passively going through the motions of a pre-determined fate. What would the point be of such a dull and totally predictable affair… over which we have absolutely no control? Yet, there are many ‘prophets’ who find these inevitable, unyielding life forecasts every day in their teacups, crystal balls and oracle cards. Their fantastic tales are often also heavily sugar-coated, in order to feed their querents whatever good news they wish to hear, or they are rife with fear-mongering and doom prophecies about unavoidable future calamities and tragedies. And some people actually believe them (sometimes with dire consequences). 
God isn't about making good things happen to you, or bad things happen to you. He's all about you making choices - exercising the gift of free will. God wants you to have good things and a good life, but He won't gift wrap them for you. You have to choose the actions that lead you to that life ~ Jim Butcher
A client once impatiently reprimanded me, "I don't want any coaching or advice, just give me the predictions!" I then had to explain to her that I am a psychic medium, not a fortune-teller. Does that mean I never predict the future? Actually I do. In fact, psychic prediction is an essential component of the daily work I do with clients all over the world. Yes, I absolutely do forecast and predict (often with uncanny accuracy according to the testimonials and feedback I receive), but my readings are not fortune-telling. A genuine psychic reading is never purely about casino jackpots, job offers, good fortune or meeting tall, dark strangers. Neither does it predict unavoidable tragedy, disease, or death.

​The fundamental difference between psychic reading and fortune-telling is rooted in the age old philosophical debate of determinism versus free will. Since ancient times we have been asking the question, “What determines our destiny?’ We have actually spent a lot of time and energy over many centuries to try and figure out who really is in control of our fate. We have even spilled much blood and caused much suffering in our efforts to prove which laws, deities or divine powers are really running the show.
To have free will implies that our own, individual intent determines the course of our life, while determinism implies that our fate is determined by external forces beyond our control. So, which is it? Do we have free will and 'personal agency' which allows us to make our own decisions in this lifetime, and choose for ourselves the doorways and winding paths we wish to pursue? Or is our life story rigidly preordained in such a way that, should we somehow be able to rewind it like an old-fashioned video tape and relive it all over again, exactly the same things would happen to us, in exactly the same way, at exactly the same time, and in exactly the same order? Well, we still have not found the conclusive answer to this conundrum, and I don’t believe we ever will. We are after all not meant to know all the answers to all the mysteries of the Universe, despite the fact that some scientists may believe they are privy to this possibility.
The act of fortune-telling implies that our lives are indeed ruled by some sort of dreary determinism, while psychic reading, on the other hand, is a spiritual or metaphysical exploration of our future as determined by our free will. A genuine psychic reader does not make sweeping statements like, “You will meet a handsome stranger and marry him... then you will win the lottery… then you will be diagnosed with a dreaded terminal disease… and finally you will die a tragic and untimely death." 

Fortune-telling is typically very simplistic and rigidly focused only on the future, rather than taking a holistic, multi-dimensional view of life that includes the past, present and future. And often there is also a complete disregard for the complex interaction of body, mind, soul, spirit and the eternal laws of the Universe. Sure, we all sometimes wish the winding road of life was really all that simple and straightforward, but from your personal experiences you must know by now that this is not the case. Looking back over your life, I am sure you can see how your choices and decisions over the years, both good and bad, have pretty much brought you to where you find yourself today.
Everything happens through immutable laws. Everything is necessary... It would be very comic that one part of the world was arranged, and the other were not; that one part of what happens had to happen, and that another part of what happens did not have to happen ~ Voltaire
Instead of making sweeping one-dimensional statements, a psychic reading delivers a snapshot of your current life circumstances, as you have manifested it thus far, as well as the past influences and choices that brought you to this current moment, together with predictions of the most likely future outcomes (provided you stay the course and make no changes to the direction you have chosen). 

In best case scenarios, a psychic reading will confirm that you are already on the right path. However, when a psychic reading reveals the probability of an undesirable future outcome, it will also be accompanied by divine guidance and sound spiritual advice on how to change it, or even avoid it. But it is unlikely that you will ever receive this kind of information from typical fortune-telling.
That being said, it is important to understand that we are not always entirely in control of our own fate. I have seen in my work that there are indeed moments in life when people encounter events and circumstances that they never chose for ourselves, nor willingly invited into their lives. Sometimes things happen to us that are beyond our control, and outside the scope of our free will. And sometimes really bad things happen to really good people. But please know that these ‘ill-fated’ contrasting experiences, however unfortunate, traumatic, unfair or disastrous they may seem at first, always serve our highest good and a divine purpose in the end. A reputable psychic will help you to see and understand this, while a fortune-teller most likely will not.

​So, what causes these predestined ‘misfortunes’ in our lives? And who or what is responsible for them, since we do not create it for ourselves? In my experience they stem from the following origins.

Destiny & Life Design

Working with thousands of clients over the years, it has become abundantly clear to me that we do arrive on this planet with some sort of preliminary life design. This ‘life plan’ is basically a custom-designed outline of the entire experience, which acts as a blueprint or road map for our amazing physical journey.  And built into this life plan are certain milestones and obstacles that have been selected to emerge along the way.  

Our life plan is however not carved in stone. It is more like an itinerary, instead of a detailed script. It maps out the defining moments or route markers for our journey, which includes certain predestined events and contrasting circumstances and experiences that will arise throughout the course of our lifetime. It is what we may refer to as fate, luck, or God’s will. These are the events and experiences in our lives we cannot always control or avoid, for better or worse.

Predestined contrasting events are mainly designed to add depth and dimension to our life experience. They literally are the spice of life! Without the contrasts created by loss, disappointment and adversity, it is unlikely that we will ever experience true joy and fulfillment, or treasure our real blessings. I always say, if we never experience the chill of a dark winter, it is very unlikely that we will ever cherish the warmth of a bright summer’s day.
Let others lead small lives, but not you. Let others argue over small things, but not you. Let others cry over small hurts, but not you. Let others leave their future in someone else’s hands, but not you ~ Jim Rohn
In more extreme versions, the life plan of some spiritual seekers may also require that they go through a ‘Dark Night of the Soul’ at some point in their life. This ultimately informs and shapes their unique soul purpose and life calling as they journey through their current lifetime. The archetype of the Dark Night of the Soul is a concept I strongly identify with, since I have gone through the experience myself. If you are currently going through such a profoundly challenging time in your life, know that this too shall pass. Personal suffering ultimately inspires many people to much greater heights, and it will most likely do the same in your life, should you choose to remain true to your life plan.

When this kind of ‘life design data’ comes up in psychic readings, it usually surfaces at the most opportune moment and always for good reason. We only receive in a psychic reading what is most necessary and beneficial to us at that particular moment in time. Nothing more, nothing less. These prophetic revelations are, however, the exception and not the rule, and they are the closest one will ever come to fortune-telling in any psychic reading. It is actually one of the most exciting aspects of the psychic medium’s work, and obviously the part my clients love the most!
However, what always distinguishes such prophetic psychic predictions from fortune-telling is that it is always accompanied by some form of spiritual guidance or esoteric wisdom. Even in worst case scenarios, where you really have no control over what will happen, you should at the very least be offered a sensible explanation for why something is meant to happen in your life, and what you are meant to gain from it.

For example, I once did a consultation for a lady who was very much distraught by the terrible prophecy of a fortune-teller several years prior. Apparently she was told that she will have her heart broken repeatedly, she will never know love, she will never be married, and she will end up living a very lonely life! No further explanation or reason was offered. No guidance or consolation. No method in the madness, nor ghost in the machine. Nothing. Maybe the fortune-teller was in a really foul mood that day...

​It may seem silly that this kind of ridiculousness can create havoc in someone’s life, but it almost destroyed my client's sanity. She firmly believed this 'prophecy' to be true, and it subsequently caused her to sabotage and derail all of her relationships, gradually destroying her happiness, and almost crushing her spirit. Fortunately, she found me before it was too late, so that I could set the record straight and get her back on track. It was also not the first time I had to clean up the mess created by an ill-advised fortune-telling episode, and it certainly was not the last. I have come to accept it as an occupational hazard that comes with the territory. 
Being the soothsayer of the tribe is a dirty job, but someone has to do it.

​By the way, I cannot remember that I have ever encountered a client whose psychic reading revealed that they were meant to remain single all their life? And if I ever do, I am very certain that I will receive additional information from spirit to explain why this must be so, and what purpose it will serve in that person’s life. Our lives are never a mistake. Misfortune is never our true destiny. However, most fortune-tellers will never tell you this.

Destiny & Co-Creation

Although we are the creators of our own life experience, and we by and large hold the reigns of our own destiny, we also co-exist in a shared reality experience which we co-create with others every day. Not only does our free will operate within the confines of this collective consciousness, but the free will of others also have a profound effect on our daily lives and various aspects of our destiny. 

​The future of your romantic relationship or marriage, for example, is not determined solely by you, but also by your partner’s free will choices and decisions. And what happens at work is seldom only your call (even if you are self-employed) since your customers, colleagues, employers and even the local culture and global economy, all determine the future of your career, or business. 
There is no chance, no destiny, no fate, that can hinder or control the firm resolve of a determined soul ~ Ella Wheeler Wilcox 
You are also not solely responsible for the election of certain political candidates, nor do you control the bad decisions made by your government. Neither can you alone be held accountable for all the misguided trends in mainstream popular culture, for example.

​​For this reason a legitimate psychic reading will always focus on what you 
can control, instead of what you cannot control. And what you cannot control is what other people are going to think, say or do. Neither can you control the flow of the Universe, the forces of Nature, or the will of God.
So, what can you control? What are you responsible for? Although you contribute to shaping the reality we live in, and although the Universe yields to your desires, and molds itself around your energetic intentions, the only thing you can ultimately control is yourself, and how you are going to choose to think, feel and act in any given situation. This is where our true power lies in being the masters of our own destiny: self-awareness, self-realization and spiritual growth through individuation, transcendence and service.

​When a genuine psychic reading reveals unwanted outcomes in your future involving the free will choices of others, you will be spiritually counseled on how to reduce its probability, or at least be advised how to better manage those predicted outcomes, even if you cannot entirely control them. Fortune-telling, on the other hand, typically does not offer this facility. Usually you will merely be informed that your spouse will leave you for someone else, for example, or that your boss will fire you. And that will be that. Period. Unless you consulted the kind of fortune-teller who would then proceed to sell you a 'love potion', 'curse removing candle' or 'magic spell' to influence the free will of others or change the outcome of your terrible fate.

Destiny & Divine Intervention

Some of the predestined events in our lives truly are ‘acts of God.’  Sometimes these major contrasting events in our lives serve as safety mechanisms, to protect us from our own free will, should we not stick to our original life plan, or should we make some bad choices and decisions along the way. And sometimes they kick into gear as trigger mechanisms, when we have drifted from our life path… or got stuck next to the road. These contrasting events then ignite a major life transition, or launch a whole new chapter in our lives. Or they push us in a different direction, or they elevate us to higher level. Divine intervention always changes our lives, often in very significant, and even radical ways. Whatever the aim may be, these 'acts of God' always happens at the right time and place, and for the right reasons. It is always meant to serve a higher purpose and the greater good, and it always end up being in our own best interest - even if we cannot see it at the time.

​Who or what is responsible for these life-changing events? Your interpretation will depend on your personal belief system, spiritual conviction, or religious orientation. Whoever or whatever you may choose to attribute it to, these preordained events are never designed to punish, curse, or destroy us. That is not the nature, nor the purpose of divine intervention. But fortune-tellers seldom tell you this.

​It is also important to know that predestined contrasting events due to divine intervention, are seldom revealed to us in psychic readings before they happen, for obvious reasons. Surely, it will no longer be an ‘intervention’ if we are prematurely forewarned that our apple cart is about to be upset, or that life is planning to throw us a major curve ball! But whenever life does unexpectedly rock your boat with one of these major contrasting experiences, a genuine psychic reading will reveal the true nature of such a predestined event or circumstance, and offer an explanation for why it has occurred, and how to best deal with it going forward. A good psychic reading empowers you to live your life by design. Fortune-telling typically does not offer you this option.

Destiny & Fortune-Telling

The real hazard of fortune-telling is not so much that it exempts us from personal responsibility, or that it leaves little room for personal choice or spiritual growth. It has a far more ominous, hidden danger in its potential for becoming a deeply destructive force in your life. In fact, I have seen how fortune-telling can potentially derail a life plan and literally interfere with God’s work. No wonder some folks describe fortune-telling as the ‘devil’s work.’ In have personally witnessed the damaged lives and broken hearts that sometimes result from the aftermath of a misguided fortune-telling.
There is a vitality, a life force, an energy, a quickening that is translated through you into action, and because there is only one of you in all time, this expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and will be lost ~ Martha Graham
You see, the predictions of fortune-tellers sometimes actually do come true - not because those events were predestined in someone’s life, but because the person chose to believe the words of the fortune-teller, and thus set the spiritual wheels in motion to create, attract and ultimately manifest the predicted outcome into their life. In other words, they basically allowed the fortune-telling to interfere with their free will and redesigned their original life plan as a consequence. And as you may well know from movie caricatures and psychic cartoons… fortune-tellers traditionally have a reputation for being ‘negative nellies’ and’ debbie downers.’

​My advice is to be careful about who you choose to consult with, and what information you choose to include in your personal vision for your future. Trust your intuition, and use your common sense.
Legitimate psychic readings aim to inspire, enlighten, and uplift, and they never predict unavoidable tragedy, disease, and death. Real psychic readings will show you many of the options and possibilities available to you, and reveal a variety of probable and alternative outcomes for your future. And in times of need, a genuine psychic reading will come and find you when you get lost on a stormy night.

​Fortune-telling, on the other hand, typically does not offer the above prospects. It is instead nothing more than a rigid road map through an often very dark tunnel. There is only one direct path. Only one single route. It has a beginning, middle and (usually dramatic or tragic) end. You enter at birth, and exit when you croak. And you have no choice or control over what happens to you along the way. If anyone ever attempts to reduce your divinely inspired, many-splendored life plan to such a one-dimensional, trivial affair… do yourself a favor and grab your wallet, and run.

© 
2018 Anthon St. Maarten

About The Author

Anthon St. Maarten is an international psychic medium and destiny coach. He is also a sought-after inspirational speaker, metaphysical teacher and spiritual author, with a special interest in New Thought spirituality, metaphysics, sacred sites, parapsychology, mediumship and psychic phenomena. He is the author of the bestselling spirituality handbook Divine Living: The Essential Guide To Your True Destiny. Anthon's psychic reading and consultation services are available online and by phone to clients globally.

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Claircognizance - The Gift Of Psychic Knowing

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Claircognizance may not be the most glamorous psychic ability, but it is arguably the most underrated and misunderstood of all the psychic senses. On the surface it appears lackluster as a sixth sense, but it is actually a profound and powerful psychic gift. Claircognizance is often also a source of much amusement and even hilarity in my work as psychic medium. And that’s not all… it also happens to be the psychic ability that most frequently gets me into a lot of trouble in my personal life. Why? Well, because I tend to know stuff that I am not supposed to know!
Claircognizance or ‘clear knowing’ is the pathway of extra-sensory perception (ESP) that manifests as spontaneous factual knowledge and information. At times it also produces baffling insights, deep inherent wisdom, and even inspired ideas and solutions to complex problems.

This psychic ability causes people like me to know things spontaneously, without any rational explanation for why we know it. We simply know something, the same way you would know which way to turn on the hot water tap in your bathroom…but without ever being shown how to do it.


Claircognizance is therefore the ESP pathway which enables many psychics to discern factual information about your past, present, and future. Yes, that is how they tend to know things about you.
This intrinsic psychic knowledge does not turn up as a result of logical deduction, reasoning, or direct observation using the normal senses. Instead, the gifted claircognizant perceives sudden, spontaneous flashes of insight. They unexpectedly know certain facts, or they have an instant understanding regarding a question or a pressing life situation. The information basically arrives like a clear message directly delivered to the psychic’s conscious mind, without any preceding logic, thought process, or reasoning. Unlike the legend of a young Isaac Newton, who allegedly discovered gravity when an apple hit him on the head, the claircognizant psychic does not need any external ‘falling fruit’ to get his inspired ideas. The information just spontaneously rises to the surface of the mind.
You have powers you never dreamed of. You can do things you never thought you could do. There are no limitations in what you can do except the limitations of your own mind
~ Darwin P. Kingsley
In parapsychology this phenomenon of having psychic knowledge of the past, present and future is known as retrocognition and precognition. Cognition refers to the mental action or process of knowing, understanding and acquiring knowledge. Retrocognition, also known as post-cognition, past evocation, or ‘flashbacks,’ therefore refers to having inexplicable knowledge of past events which could not have been learned, logically deduced or inferred by normal means of perception. Simply out, it is the prophetic ability to discern the past. Claircognizant psychics may already know what happened to you, without you having to tell them the details of your past. In my experience, retrocognition is not only related to our current lifetime, but it is also associated with all forms of past life regression.
Precognition or prescience, on the other hand, refers to a prior knowledge of future events. It is the prophetic ability to identify the outcome of future events, or to know what will happen… before it actually happens. Precognition is sometimes also called future sight or prophetic vision and therefore often confused with clairvoyance (psychic seeing). Although psychic knowing can be accompanied by clairvoyant visions and mental imagery, the claircognizant psychic does not necessarily always ‘see’ the future outcome in his mind’s eye. Instead, he just knows what will happen, or why it will happen, and so forth. Precognition, in my experience, is also associated with other paranormal phenomena, such as déjà vu and precognitive dreams.

For me, the experience of claircognizance is mostly a subtle, spontaneous knowing. It is similar to the free recall of my own memories and personal knowledge, but also very different in the sense that it is foreign, unfamiliar knowledge that shows up in my mind, which is typically from beyond the realm of my own experience. I basically know spontaneous things about complete strangers, in the same way I know things about myself. But the things I know about them is not necessarily related to anything I have experienced, or already know myself.  At times, claircognizance can also be very dramatic in the form of amazing ‘aha’ epiphanies and unexpected ‘light bulb’ moments.

There have been countless occasions over the years where I would tell a client something factual, and often extraordinary, about themselves or their life, and they would gasp with breathless surprise, “Oh my word, how on earth did you know that!” Sometimes they are truly shocked, puzzled, perplexed, even disturbed that I would know such deeply private things about them. Some folks simply become downright suspicious, especially those who have never been exposed to genuine psychic work. Yes, believe it or not, but sometimes a psychic can be ‘too psychic’ for some people’s liking!
And after all these years of working professionally as a psychic medium, I still don’t always know how to respond appropriately to such astonishment. In the early years, I used to just giggle nervously, not knowing what to say. Or I would be so taken aback that I would just remain silent… somewhat embarrassed and completely gob-smacked. These days, I just say, “Uhm, is that not why you contacted me… because I know things?”

​My discomfort in these moments probably stem from the many unpleasant childhood experiences I had in this regard. I used to be that annoying, nosy little kid who would blurt out adult secrets. And I had a knack for spilling the beans at the most inappropriate time… usually about matters nobody was supposed to know about. Soothsayer of the tribe, indeed! Of course, this landed me in serious trouble on several occasions… and it still does sometimes. These days I don’t get punished by my parents for it anymore, but it does complicate my friendships, social interactions and family life.
The choice is ours to walk in the light of God's knowledge, or we will walk in our own dismal darkness
~ Scott F. Neve

For example, I have this dreadful habit of finishing other people’s sentences for them, because I often already know what they are going to say. And as a 'straight-shooting’ empath it can be extremely frustrating to listen to people lying, not only to me, but also to themselves, while I know the opposite of what they are saying to be true. In my professional work this is useful. It is why many clients consult with me - to gift them their truth. But in my personal life it can wreak havoc. Over the years, I have lost many friendships due to my uncanny ability to be a ‘mumbo-jumbo chainsaw’… only to receive sincere apologies from those former friends years later… about me being right after all and how they wish they had listened to me in the first place.
The reason I am usually confident to stick out my neck about the claircognizant stuff I know, is mainly because the mental information I perceive is usually supported by a strong sense of knowing that the information is valid, accurate and true - despite the lack of any logical explanation or physical evidence. As a rule psychic knowing is typically confirmed by an underlying clairsentient sensation, or an empathic feeling, or accompanied by a strong intuition, such as a ‘hunch’ or a ‘gut feeling.’ For example, when I know something really disturbing about someone, I would not just know some of the factual information, but I would also get ‘goose bumps’ or feel a shiver down my spine, while the hair on the back of my neck stand on end. I call this sensation ‘getting the heebie jeebies.’  What I know is therefore echoed by what I sense or feel.

The fact that psychic knowing is typically supported in this way by the other psychic senses, is  the very reason why claircognizance is often misrepresented or misunderstood in the field of psychic work. Claircognizance is very frequently described as a form of sentience, empathy, or intuition. But feeling an emotion or an intuitive hunch, or sensing a foreboding or presentiment about something, is not the same as actually knowing something. Many empaths, for example, believe their experiences to be examples of claircognizance,  while what they are experiencing is actually clairsentience (sensing) or clairempathy (feeling).
This also clarifies the fundamental difference between precognition and premonition. The two terms are often used interchangeably, but they actually refer to two distinctly different psi phenomena, which are associated with distinctly different psychic abilities, or ‘clair senses.’  A precognition (advance knowing, foreknowledge) is a cognitive, cerebral, mental, intellectual knowing. A premonition (advance warning, foreboding, presentiment) is a non-cognitive, affective, emotional, intuitive sensation, or feeling.

For example, we sometimes have an ominous gut feeling that something really bad is going to happen, but we have absolutely no idea what it might be? We only figure it out once it actually happens. This is a classic example of having a premonition. It is just a sensing or a feeling. But sometimes we know beforehand that someone is going to call us, and then the phone rings and it is the person we expected. This is an example of precognition. It is an accurate prior knowing. We know a specific person would call us, and they did.
If you don't have knowledge, your life will not go forward, instead it will be the same every day ~ S M Revanth
How do we receive this psychic information or ‘knowings’? And where does the information come from? Some paranormal experts and parapsychology theorists believe it to merely be the result of telepathy, mind-reading, thought transference, or some sort of astral projection. In my experience, it goes beyond such a simplistic mechanical explanation. I believe both the origins of psychic information, as well as the process of delivery, is essentially spiritual or divine in nature. It is the result of metaphysical ‘data’ being downloaded from the akasha, or , or matrix… or what I simply refer to as the ‘big computer in the sky.’ In other words, my psychic information does not come from other people… it comes from the spirit realm.
I further believe this metaphysical process of extra-sensory ‘data download’ to be the basis of all forms of mediumship, psychic ability, prophecy, channeling, artistic inspiration, technological invention, and scientific innovation. Sometimes the data arrives as visions (clairvoyance), sounds (clairaudience), sensations (clairsentience), feelings (clairempathy),  smells (clairolfaction),  or tastes (clairgustance). And sometimes it simply shows up as mental thoughts or factual ‘knowings.’

Claircognizance, like all of the psychic abilities, is therefore a form of divine inspiration. In ancient Greek mythology this process was believed to be the work of inspirational goddesses known as the Muses, but the phenomenon is best expressed in the words of the famous German composer, Johannes Brahms,  who said: “The powers from which all truly great composers like Mozart, Schubert, Bach and Beethoven drew their inspirations, is the same power that enabled Jesus to do his miracles.” It also reminds me of the French composer Charles-François Gounod, who was once asked how he came up with all his beautiful melodies, to which he replied: “God sends me down some of his angels and they whisper sweet melodies in my ear.”

© 2018 Anthon St. Maarten

About The Author

Anthon St. Maarten is an international psychic medium and destiny coach. He is also a sought-after inspirational speaker, metaphysical teacher and spiritual author, with a special interest in New Thought spirituality, metaphysics, sacred sites, parapsychology, mediumship and psychic phenomena. He is the author of the bestselling spirituality handbook Divine Living: The Essential Guide To Your True Destiny. Anthon's psychic reading and consultation services are available online and by phone to clients globally.

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The ​Scientific Evidence For Psychic Empath Phenomena

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The extra-sensory paranormal ability of clairempathy or ‘psychic empathy’ is not yet recognized in mainstream science, but that does not make it any less bona fide for the highly sensitive people who experience these empathic psychic phenomena as a daily reality. Despite the lack of academic interest, and contrary to widespread skepticism, there is a growing body of anecdotal evidence and a significant collection of scientific data steadily gaining momentum to offer intriguing clues to the psycho-physiological experiences of empaths, intuitives, sensitives and psychics all over the world.
I am a clairempath. I feel what other people feel. I experience inexplicable extra-sensory perceptions of other people’s emotions, mood states, subconscious motivations, and even their physical or medical symptoms. It happens without me having to see them, or knowing anything about them. Touching others, or being in close proximity to them, elicits more intense empathic perceptions , but it is not necessary for me to have direct contact or personal interaction with others in order to have a direct experience of their underlying feelings and intentions.

Empathic psychic ability or clairempathy is a clairsentient psychic ability. Clairsentience refers to the ‘clear’ sensing or feeling of extra-sensory information. In my experience this process of sensing is due to some form of energy transfer between me and other people.
There is an energy interaction or energy exchange that takes place between me and them. I experience these vivid psychic or paranormal impressions of other’s energy on a daily basis, and I utilize it to the best of my ability in my work as a professional psychic medium, consulting with clients all over the world.

The term ‘sentience’ refers to awareness, or consciousness of a sensation or a feeling.  Sentience does not involve thought, or logic, or reason. It involves spontaneous feeling or sensing, instead of rational thinking or deduction. Clairempathy therefore is an energy perception, or sentient response, that has no rational or logical origin. It is a form of perception which is experienced as a tactile, physical sensation... or an emotional feeling. My clairsentient or clairempathic experiences are uncanny and very real, as many of my friends, family and clients will attest.
In exploring the limits of consciousness...we are indeed challenged by the spirit of our own epoch. In spite of the persuasiveness of conventional wisdom, consciousness may in fact have transtemporal aspects, and if so, the hard problem of consciousness takes on a mysterious new gleam ~ Dean Radin
As is the case with all forms of extra-sensory perception (ESP) and paranormal ability, clairempathy or ‘psychic empathy’ is not yet recognized by the mainstream scientific community. However, that does not make it any less bona fide to me. For me it is a daily reality, despite the lack of scientific evidence to explain or justify my (sometimes traumatic) personal life experiences. And contrary to persistent mainstream scepticism regarding the existence of empaths and psychic phenomena, there is a growing body of anecdotal evidence and scientific data gaining momentum in this highly neglected field of study.  

Liberated by globalization and social media technology, a rising international community of empaths, psychics, energy healers and highly sensitive people have been sharing in recent years their often deeply personal experiences of these so-called paranormal or ‘supernatural’ phenomena.
Online forums, social media support groups and consultation services for this purpose are expanding in cyberspace, as more of us are coming together to exchange information about our empathic psychic experiences. Our real life stories are increasingly coming out of the ‘paranormal closet’ and into the public domain. This growing collection of anecdotal evidence cannot be disregarded or ignored indefinitely. English author Quentin Crisp famously stated, “In an expanding universe, time is on the side of the outcast. Those who once inhabited the suburbs of human contempt find that without changing their address they eventually live in the metropolis.”

Psychic ability, extra sensory perception (ESP) and paranormal phenomena remain neglected fields of study in scientific research, for various reasons. The good news is that at least some new scientific evidence has been emerging over the years to offer clues towards a future technical understanding of psychic sensitivity, clairempathy and related empath experiences. Below are some of the more significant scientific discoveries in this arena.

Mirror-Touch Synesthesia

Synesthesia, oddly described by some in the medical community as a ‘disorder’, is basically the extraordinary ability some people possess to simultaneously perceive something through more than one of the senses. Perception with one sense triggers a simultaneous and corresponding perception in another sense. For example, synesthetes can ‘see sounds’ or ‘taste words’ or ‘feel smells.’  In some forms of synesthesia the person might perceive symbols, shapes, letters, or numbers with an accompanying sensory perception of color, flavor or smell.

Mirror-touch synesthesia and pain synesthesia are versions of this phenomenon which causes the synesthete to feel a similar sensation in the same part of their body as another person. For example, seeing someone else being pinched on their cheek, would cause the synesthete to feel a similar sensation on their own cheek. Scientific studies have not only provided clear evidence for the existence of this type of synesthesia, but have also shown that it correlates with extraordinary or heightened empathic ability.

Electromagnetic Biocurrents

Some researchers not only believe that both the human brain and heart generate significant electromagnetic energy fields, but that the heart is in fact the most prominent source of biocurrents in the body. For example, one study measured in an electrocardiogram (ECG) the heart’s electrical field as being about 60 times greater in amplitude than that of brain waves. There is still controversy and disagreement on this subject, but as new technology emerges we will hopefully find a new ways to study electromagnetic processes in the human body.

The ultimate question this hypothesis raises is whether the human body merely processes incoming electromagnetic information via the five senses, or does the heart and mind also send out electromagnetic information about our thoughts and feelings? In other words, are we merely receivers of electromagnetic stimuli, or do we also generate and transmit electromagnetic data to the world around us? 

For example, one study provided intriguing evidence that an exchange of electromagnetic energy produced by the heart occurs when people touch each other, or are in close proximity to each other. The electrocardiogram (ECG) signal of one person was shown to register in another person’s EEG, as well as other areas of the other person’s body. The signal was strongest when the subject were in direct contact, but was also detectable when they were in close proximity to each other, without any physical contact.

Mirror Neurons

Have you ever noticed that you experience similar sensations in your body when watching a highly engaging activity on television, for example someone participating in an extreme sport, or an actor fighting for his life in a horror film? Why is that when you see an athlete jump for a slam dunk, or a car going over a cliff, you can actually feel the sensation of your own heart racing, or your stomach turning?

Scientists attribute this experience to the existence of mirror neurons, a specialized type of brain cell in the frontal cortex. These specialized brain cells do not only respond when we perform an action, they also respond when we see someone else performing the same action. The neural mechanism is involuntary and automatic, which enables us to watch other people and instantly know what they are feeling or experiencing, without having to first think about it.

Distant Intentionality

Have you ever felt someone staring at you, and when you look up or turn around, you catch them in the act. Studies have shown that between 68% and 98% of the population sometimes sense the unseen gaze of another person. Known as Distant Intentionality, this feeling of being stared at has been demonstrated with varying degrees in research studies. A meta-analysis concluded that there are definitely hints of such an effect, but also a shortage of independent replications and theoretical concepts for this phenomenon.

Distant Physiological Correlations

Can signals travel between the nervous systems of two people who are not in direct physical contact with each other? Several scientific studies have demonstrated that the physiology of one person can affect, or elicit similar responses in another person’s physiology over a distance, without direct touch or contact. For example, in a study of extrasensory electroencephalographic (EEG) induction between identical twins, alpha rhythms were elicited in one of the twins as a result of mechanically stimulating such rhythms in the other twin.

Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen (EPR) correlations were also observed between two human brains when pairs of subjects were allowed to first interact with each other, and were then separated inside semi-silent Faraday chambers. One subject of each pair was then stimulated by flashing lights, which caused the other subject to show ‘transferred potentials’ similar to those evoked in the stimulated subject. In other words, the person not exposed to the light flashes had a similar response in their body over a distance.

Emotional Contagion

Emotional contagion is a psycho-physiological phenomenon in which one person's emotions and behaviors have been shown to directly trigger similar emotions and behaviors in other people. It is an instantaneous and unconscious process of transmission, through which emotional states or moods literally spread like ‘social viruses.’

Interestingly, some people have a natural ability to transmit these mood changes to others, while some people are more susceptible to be ‘contaminated’ by them. Research also demonstrated that we seem to automatically synchronize our moods with each other in social settings, and that this plays an important role in establishing emotional rapport and ensuring smooth interaction with others.

Mass Psychogenic Illness

Mass Psychogenic Illness (MPI) or Mass Hysteria is a well-documented phenomenon in which a group of people, crowd or community experience a spontaneous outbreak of similar physical symptoms, behaviors, or psychological stress.  Many such outbreaks have been documented in schools, work environments and communities all over the world. Scientists still have no viable explanation for this kind of collective obsessional behavior, or so-called ‘epidemics of the mind.’

For example, one of the more bizarre cases was The Dancing Plague of 1518 which occurred in Strasbourg, France. Hundreds of frenzied people spontaneously started dancing in the streets, leading to several deaths due to heart failure, strokes or exhaustion. Another documented case was The Tanganyika Laughter Epidemic of 1962 in which the villagers in several neighbouring communities in Africa engaged in unstoppable laughter for months, after a group of students at a boarding school in Kakasha triggered the giggling. The villagers simply could not stop laughing, and some experienced pain, fainting, skin rashes, bouts of crying and respiratory problems.

Physiological Presentiment

All of us have experienced gut feelings, forebodings or intuitive hunches about future events that later turned out to be true. There is compelling evidence that the body’s perceptual apparatus may be continuously scanning the future, and that our bodies receive and process information related to intuitive perception. Experiments have demonstrated, for example, that the body can in fact respond to an emotionally arousing stimulus seconds before it is actually experienced.

Several studies have been done to measure whether the human nervous system is able to correctly anticipate future events. Some studies focused primarily on electrodermal activity (EDA),  while others explored different physiological measurements, including functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and heart rate variability. All of them reported consistent results and demonstrated a small, yet statistically significant form of precognition or presentiment in the human nervous system.

One surprising study found that the human heart appears to receive and respond to intuitive information, and that a our heart rate slows down significantly prior to observing future emotional stimuli, as compared to calm stimuli. The human heart was shown to anticipate future emotional responses to external events. Not only is the heart apparently involved in the processing and decoding of intuitive or precognitive information, but it appears to be processed in the same way as conventional sensory input.

Neuroscientific Altruism

Researchers in the field of Neuroscience have used brain imaging and behavioral studies to demonstrate that the amygdala, a set of neurons located deep in the brain, is significantly larger in people who display traits of extreme altruism, or selfless compassion.

The amygdala, which plays an essential role in our processing of emotions and social functioning, has also been found to be considerably smaller in the brains of psychopaths, who are known for their extreme lack of empathy. Furthermore, it was also discovered that the brains of altruists are in general larger than that of the average person.
Empath experiences and psychic abilities are not the only unexplained phenomena that continue to challenge the modern scientific mind. A growing number of research studies have also yielded in recent years statistically significant results for other psi phenomena closely associated with psychic empathy, including Telepathy, Distant Healing, Survival of Consciousness and Mind-Matter Interaction.

Furthermore, researchers are yet to produce feasible explanations for, among other, recorded events of paranormal activity, historic cases of premonition, the phenomenon of military intuition (described by soldiers as the ‘spidey sense’), the mechanism of déjà vu, a plethora of reported near-death and related metaphysical experiences, and the mystifying inner workings of the mind-body connection and the placebo effect, to name but a few.  Just because these phenomena have not been measured or feasibly explained, does not mean they do not exist. The thousands of people having these experiences cannot all be deluded or functionally insane!

For the psychic empath extra-sensory perception and sentient energy exchange is a daily reality and deeply personal matter. I am fortunate that I have an educational background in Psychology and Sociology, and that I have become empowered as an empath through my personal spiritual practice and professional endeavors. After much initial bewilderment in my youth, I have over the years gained a much better understanding of my psychic and paranormal experiences through my own ongoing research, study and experimentation. But for many other people who share my experiences, the journey remains confusing or frustrating, sometimes embarrassing, and even traumatic. The current lack of scientific support and mainstream skepticism is not helping to alleviate our plight.
The field of social neuroscience and in particular the investigation of empathy is still very young, and the latter has not even reached its adolescence yet. Having had such a promising and eager childhood, though, it seem reasonable to expect that with further aging, we will develop more elaborate theoretical models and more rigorous empirical tools to ultimately gain more conclusive insights ~ Lammab and Majdandžić
But I rest assured in the knowledge that progress in science, and a paradigm shift, sometimes comes as a surprise when it is least expected. It is a well-known fact that all the pieces of the puzzle do not always fit when it comes to scientific data collection and interpretation. And sometimes scientists choose to ignore these discrepancies as irrelevant, or not belonging to the subject at hand, or simply dismiss it as a misinterpretation of the data, especially if it does not meet their original objectives, or the needs of whoever funds their research projects.

Despite all this, anomalies will continue to come along from time to time that violate expectations, or even clash with currently held beliefs about the laws of the universe. There are many examples of scientific exceptions to the rule which was once rejected as ‘fringe science’, but eventually became accepted as mainstream thought, including The Big Bang theory, Heliocentrism, and the fact that germs cause disease, to name but a few.
I have faith in modern science and technology to change our world for the better. ​I also firmly believe in the power of Divine inspiration and intervention which shapes and guides our existence in this time-space reality. When the student is ready the teacher will appear. As a species we may not be ready for a complete revelation or true understanding of the experience of being an empath, intuitive, sensitive, or psychic. But in time these personal experiences will be confirmed by innovative technologies and new scientific discoveries. In the future the psychic empath will inhabit the mainstream metropolis of human understanding.

© 
2018 Anthon St. Maarten

About The Author

Anthon St. Maarten is an international psychic medium and destiny coach. He is also a sought-after inspirational speaker, metaphysical teacher and spiritual author, with a special interest in New Thought spirituality, metaphysics, sacred sites, parapsychology, mediumship and psychic phenomena. He is the author of the bestselling spirituality handbook Divine Living: The Essential Guide To Your True Destiny. Anthon's psychic reading and consultation services are available online and by phone to clients globally.

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Empath Empowerment In The Age Of Narcissism

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How will highly sensitive people survive the new Age of Narcissism? How will empaths hold on to their sanity, well-being and inner peace, while they brave a growing toxic storm of psychic pollution in today's society. An epidemic of sociopathic attitudes, values and morals is slowly spreading like a virus through our global village. Narcissism, self-entitlement and a lack of empathy are fast becoming the toxic hallmarks of the digital age. And caught in the midst of this global whirlpool of poisonous psychic energy, is the empath, the intuitive, the highly sensitive person, who is finding it increasingly difficult to stay afloat. 
Despite the vast collection of empath resources available to us these days, including online coaches, therapies, books, websites, courses, workshops and podcasts , all aimed at educating and empowering the highly sensitive person and emotionally intuitive empath, our plight remains an ongoing struggle. Many of the customary strategies and guidelines are not really working for us. Empaths everywhere are increasingly finding it difficult to cope. Our predicament is real, and it’s serious. And I believe we mostly have only ourselves to blame.

To explain my unconventional view on this subject, I need to start off with the following disclaimer: if you are reading this article in the hopes of finding further confirmation bias for all those lame empath stereotypes, you will be very disappointed.
In this essay you will not find the customary self-indulgent ideas and self-righteous beliefs about what it means to be an empath, which is so fervently advocated by some members of our community. So, please be forewarned. This blog post is definitely not intended to lament our empath wounds, celebrate our shared ‘victimhood,' or throw another highly sensitive ‘pity-party.’ Ain’t nobody got time for that! This blog post instead aims to truly empower and give sanction to awakened, conscious empaths to fulfill their true destiny

Why is rising narcissism the foremost threat to the empath community? It’s simple really: narcissists are the polar opposite of empaths. One of the primary defining traits of pathological narcissism is a complete lack of empathy. Narcissists are devoid of compassion, and generally incapable of truly caring about anyone or anything except themselves... and those things that serve their own agenda.  In stark contrast, empaths tend to be the exact opposite, sometimes to their own tragic detriment. Ask any empath who has survived an abusive relationship with a gaslighting narcissist…they will know what I am talking about. While narcissists cultivate chaos and destruction, empaths tend to care more about the well-being of others than their own. The question is: why are empaths wired this way?
Our society is becoming increasingly geared towards toxic individualism, deluded self-importance, extreme entitlement and neonarcissism. We even have cool slogans and hashtags for it these days, such as “haters gonna hate” and "sorry not sorry." ​
A growing collection of research studies show that our society is becoming increasingly geared towards toxic individualism, deluded self-importance, extreme entitlement and neonarcissism, while we are also becoming less empathetic and civically-oriented compared to previous generations. We even have cool slogans and hashtags for it these days, such as “haters gonna hate” and "sorry not sorry." 

People today are also less likely to be concerned about serious social problems and the state of the natural environment. Empathy, compassion, and contributions to charity are also on the decline. These days folks are more interested in the trappings of success, image, money and fame, and much less inclined to be of service, or to give back to their community. ​Instead, blatant narcissism is increasingly being celebrated and worshipped... ranging from bratty toddlers and teenage divas, to self-obsessed social media influencers, entertainment racketeers and political supervillains. If you don’t believe me, take another critical look at your social media feed, or today's mainstream news.
So, what is the solution for empaths? How do we survive this mayhem? Do we avoid engaging with mainstream society as much as possible? Should we just steer clear of all the narcissists, bullies and mean people? Many of us have tried that already, with limited success. Unfortunately, the situation is no longer that simple. The state of affairs in our world has become much more ominous and deeply pervasive. Empaths are not only facing the threat of rising levels of individualistic narcissism and psychopathic self-entitlement, but we are also confronted by a global shift towards collective narcissism and a mean-spirited bully culture. There is a disturbing new upward trend in political polarization, religious extremism, prejudice, bigotry and real hatred everywhere.
Toxic tribalism is also rearing its ugly head, and increasingly we are witnessing the signs of collective entitlement and an arrogant attitude of narcissistic superiority among a growing number of countries, nations, social and cultural groups, religious organizations and political parties. Worst of all, our collective narcissism and sense of entitlement as a species is gradually destroying the planet we inhabit, since we believe as a collective that we are the 'crowning glory' of all creation. Narcissism, the lack of empathy, and relentless entitlement, is present in the very air we breathe these days.

I predicted this ominous shift back in the day of all the 2012 predictions and the Mayan Calendar hype. In those days many empaths, metaphysicians, spiritual gurus, channelers and members of the New Age community were gearing up for a major global spiritual awakening, a massive shift in collective consciousness. Many believers were convinced that we were rapidly ascending to a new level of higher consciousness and a blissful, utopian existence. A new world was fast dawning, and soon we would be leaving behind the heavy, dense atmosphere of this three-dimensional world in some sort of rapture… and ascend to a fifth dimensional, heavenly new reality, where things will be so much better.
Lightworkers and empaths have not been arriving on this planet in droves over the past century to lead a cheerful carnival parade into a perfect new earth realityThere is still massive amounts of work to be done before we enter that promised land.
Well, that shift indeed is taking place, but much slower than anticipated. And as I expected, the birth pains of this transition process is becoming arduous, agonizing and even brutal, especially for the highly sensitive empath. Our planetary evolution was never going to be a walk in the park.

​The truth is, lightworkers and empaths have not been arriving on this planet in droves over the past century, because we were coming here to lead a cheerful carnival parade into a perfect new earth reality. Quite the contrary! There is still massive amounts of work to be done before we can even begin to imagine entering that promised land. And know this: things are going to get much worse, before they get any better. The pendulum of universal law must first complete its swing in the extreme opposite direction.
Empaths merely avoiding the stark realities of our modern world is not the solution. In fact, hiding from the world is the worst thing we can do at this time in human history. It is a betrayal  of our true value and purpose, and our sacred mandate. There is no running away from who empaths were designed to be… and what we came here to do. One of the central features of being an empath is our inherent desire and our gifted ability to nurture, comfort, heal, guide, and harmonize, to help make the world a better place. The empath is wired for peace, love, healing and harmony.  To feel, to nurture, and to care, is our calling in this lifetime. It is why we were born this way. Avoiding what is wrong in our world is not what we came here to do.

​Empaths did not come into this world to be victims and dropouts. We came to be healers, rescuers, teachers, guides, warriors, and saviors, at a pivotal time in human evolution. Empaths are lightworkers, and more and more of us are arriving on the planet every day, because we are meant to courageously guide the human race into the dawning of the new Age of Aquarius, the era of the Water Bearer, the forthcoming astrological age of love, brotherhood, unity, integrity teamwork, group culture, social justice and technology. Jesus of Nazareth, one of the central figures of the Piscean age, predicted this transition in Luke 22:10, when his disciples asked him how they should prepare for the Passover, which commemorates the exodus from slavery… and also was to be the Last Supper before the Crucifixion. "As you enter the city, a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him to the house that he enters,” Jesus said. 
The birth of the Age of Aquarius is not an easy one and is currently wreaking havoc, and causing much pain, as the world begins to make room for the new era that is to replace the old dogmatic regime of the Piscean Age. The outdated morals, beliefs and values of the Age of Pisces is now being exposed, taken to pieces, re-evaluated and dismantled on all levels, including in politics and government, religion, corporate culture and the economy, as well as in our personal lives and relationships. So, while the world may appear to be falling apart these days, we are actually in the process of a great transition or shift to a better future world. And empaths, sensitives and intuitives are meant to be of service to the world in this challenging time, as wayshowers, pioneers, healers, motivators, activists, role-models and pathmakers. We are supposed to be the guiding lights of a global shift in consciousness, and the brave leaders of a global transformation. Why then are so many of us still cowering in some forsaken, sad corner, feeling overwhelmed, confused and sorry for ourselves?
Empaths are meant to be of service to the world in this challenging time... as wayshowers, pioneers, healers, activists and pathmakers. We are supposed to be the guiding lights of a global shift in consciousness, and the brave leaders of a global transformation. 
​The time has come for us to rise up! There is so much to be done, and we certainly have our work cut out for us. For despite all the cool self-importance and greedy self-entitlement of our modern society, statistics show that we are not becoming any happier, or feeling any more joyful or fulfilled. In fact, research shows that depression, anxiety, loneliness, addiction and suicide is on the increase, especially among the younger generation. This is in part due to the unrealistic expectations created by digital technology and popular culture, which often does not match everyday reality, as well as a world increasingly becoming devoid of empathy and compassion.

​And how is it even possible that, after all the progress we have made as a species, there are still starving children, abused animals, human rights violations and large scale genocide to be found in our world today? If Jesus was present in human form on the planet today, I doubt he would be hiding out in La-La-Land… and neither would he be taking any silly selfies!
Empaths can no longer stand idly by, while the world is suffering… no matter how difficult it is for us to breathe the current ‘toxic air of narcissism.’ Empaths are the shamans, healers and soothsayers of the tribe. We are often misunderstood, shamed and even demonized by a society that has normalized a destructive bully culture, in which we are scoffed at for being ‘too sensitive’ or ‘emotionally intense.’ In truth, we are destined to save those who mock and marginalize us. We will see who has the last laugh. The popular notion that empaths are nothing more than highly sensitive ‘sissies’ who must constantly protect themselves from sensing or feeling too much, is not just ignorant and condescending… it is downright disrespectful of the gifts and blessings we bring to this world. 
We are much more resilient and hardwired for struggle than we have been made to believe… or choose to believe. I first became aware of this problem myself back in 2010, when I submitted an article entitled Psychic Vampires and Energy Thieves, to a prominent online social forum for empaths. Despite my best intentions, the moderators rejected my article, stating that they cannot publish it due to its ‘disturbing’ title and subject matter. They felt it might be too distressing and deeply upsetting for their highly sensitive members. Seriously? I was gobsmacked… not sure whether I should laugh, or cry.
​It really is high time that we empaths and sensitives get over our victim mentality, self-imposed isolation and learned helplessness, and embrace our true calling as powerful energy diviners and alchemists. We were originally designed to transmute the negative, narcissistic energy we encounter in this world, and transform it into peace, love, harmony, and compassion. Our job here is to ‘spin straw into gold’... but without the help of the evil Rumpelstiltskins of the world. Like King Midas, we have a mythical ‘golden touch’… or better yet, a magical heart of gold capable of great empathic magic and miracles. Our gift of empathy and our highly sensitive nature are not shortcomings, weaknesses or disabilities - they are our skills, strengths and superpowers! We are not losers, we are superheroes. We are David against a ghoulish Goliath. And we are much stronger and more powerful than we realize.

​​
Highly sensitive people are too often perceived as weaklings or damaged goods. To feel intensely is not a symptom of weakness, it is the trademark of the truly alive and compassionate. It is not the empath who is broken, it is society that has become dysfunctional and emotionally disabled. There is no shame in expressing your authentic feelings. Those who are at times described as being a 'hot mess' or having 'too many issues' are the very fabric of what keeps the dream alive for a more caring, humane world. Never be ashamed to let your tears shine a light in this world.

How To Thrive As An Empath

So, how do empaths brave this new zeitgeist… and armour up to enter the arena? Well, the first thing we may want to do is stop using self-defeating terms like ’empath survival.’ Empath empowerment is a much better concept. We did not come here merely to survive..we are here to thrive! ​Furthermore, we certainly do not need more of the mutual coddling, communal pity parties, sensitivity stereotyping, and rehashed ‘survival tips and tricks.’ Enough already. 

​The time has come for us empaths to ‘get over’ ourselves. We need to go hardcore, and we need all hands on deck. There is much work to be done and time is of the essence. We need to get on track with our own mission by cultivating the necessary knowledge, skills and lifestyle habits needed to claim back our true power and pursue our sacred spiritual purpose. In the words of Horace Mann, "we should all be ashamed to die until we have won some victory for humanity."

To really thrive as a highly sensitive empath in the era of neonarcissim you may want to consider the following practical guidelines and strategies to empower yourself.

Conquer Your Demons

We cannot bypass or avoid the need for healing on the road to empath empowerment. This is the first vital step, without which the rest of the journey is doomed to fail. Healer, heal thyself. Too many empaths are braving this new age damaged and unhealed. They have forgotten who they really are, they have been told they are useless and weak. They do not know their own strength and power, and many are giving up. Some empaths have already aborted the mission in recent years, through self-destructive choices and suicide, while others remain trapped in tragic, aimless lives of self-imposed suffering, learned helplessness, victimhood, and self-pity. Those who are struggling to cope are often also self-medicating with alcohol, food, sex, drugs or over-the-counter medication, with disastrous consequences.
​Saving others begins with rescuing yourself. Healing the world begins with facing yourself in the bathroom mirror.
So, let’s get real here. If we are going to make any useful difference to ourselves and our new world, we are going to have to be brave and clean up our act. Period. True empowerment starts with dealing with any addictive behaviors, substance abuse, childhood traumas, relationship abuse and all other psychological wounds, issues and hang-ups that may be holding us back. Empowered, healed empaths are highly self-aware and know their own triggers and manage their weaknesses. They have also broken the cycle of narcissistic abuse in their lives.
​If you have been avoiding truly dealing with the damage you may have sustained as a highly sensitive being born into a ruthless world, then it is time for you to step up and do the necessary work to find your personal healing. Conquer your inner demons. For until you completed your own journey of healing, you are relatively useless to the rest of us. Saving others begins with rescuing yourself. Healing the world begins with facing yourself in the bathroom mirror… getting down on your knees in meditation… or laying back on a therapist's couch. There are no shortcuts here, and the healing process can be painful and arduous. But it must be done. Knuckle down and do the work.

Evacuate Your Comfort Zone

To become a truly empowered empath it is vital that we cultivate psychological hardiness and emotional resilience, by gradually building a greater tolerance for stress, adversity and change. It starts by accepting that human life is a never-ending journey of losses, challenges, beginnings and endings. It also starts with accepting personal responsibility for our well-being, and taking control of our lives. How we choose to look at life’s challenges, how we reframe them, and how we adapt to them, determines how well we will cope in the end.

Empowered empaths take a genuine interest in other people and have a healthy curiosity about  the world, instead of feeling alienated, distancing themselves from other people, and cutting themselves off from the world. The empowered, resilient empath also understands that control is something that comes from within, and not from the world around us. Our sense of control is often based on our own flawed perception, rather than actual reality and objective facts. Empowered empaths focus on what they can actually control in their lives, instead of obsessing and worrying about the things they have no control over. They do not settle for powerlessness, or believing that their life is controlled by fateful external forces. 
Empaths are emotion warriors equipped with a secret weapon which I call empathic edge. We have the superior capacity to process and transform emotional energy in all its weird and wonderful manifestations.
Empowered empaths also embrace the fact that change is the norm in our daily lives, as opposed to predictable certainty, security and stability. They understand that change is not a personal threat or curse, but instead a blessed opportunity for personal growth and expansion. They also realize that negative, toxic energy is not the enemy, but instead the very ‘straw’ from which we are meant to spin the ‘gold’ of love, peace and harmony.

The best way to build psychological resilience and hardiness, is to leave your empath comfort zone, and actually 
enter the arena of life. You have to start taking some calculated risks, put yourself out there, and actually experience life, for better and worse. And when you get knocked down (which you will) you get up and dust yourself off, work through it, and try again. You reflect on what happened and learn how to better deal with it next time. 
As empaths and highly sensitive people we tend to get knocked down more often, and also more easily… but only at first. Our recovery may also be more arduous and slow to begin with. But once we find our feet and become fighting fit, we become unstoppable… and can ultimately bounce back without even breaking a sweat! Why? Because empaths are emotion warriors equipped with a secret weapon which I call empathic edge.

​Empathic edge is our superior capacity or talent for analyzing, comprehending, processing and dealing with feelings and emotions. So, once we find our stride (down there in the ruthless, brutal arena) we begin to truly harness our elite ability to run circles around even the worst emotional setbacks life may throw at us and the people we care about. We were born with the innate tools to process and transform emotional energy in all its weird and wonderful manifestations… much more efficiently and effectively than most people. So, why would we be afraid? Bring it on!

Streamline Your Lifestyle

​One of the defining features of an empowered empath’s way of life is that they have streamlined and decluttered their lifestyle in such a way that they have access to more of the people and things that they need to feel calm, happy and at peace. They have also released all the sabotaging crap and toxic relationships that does not serve them, or holds them back. To become more empowered as an empath we must release what no longer serves us.
Get rid of all those wretched empath labels and ​self-sabotaging stereotypes.
​Let go of the fears, doubts, narrow-mindedness, and limiting beliefs. Time to accept that you are enough. 
So, you may need to move to that cheaper home, change your dead-end job, file for that long-overdue divorce, or simply turn off your television set. Do whatever you know you need to do to find your bliss. True warriors cannot go to battle stressed out, and dragging tons of excess baggage and useless dead weight. Get rid of it! ​Depending on how toxic your environment and your relationships are, this is a process that may take some time. No matter how impossible it may seem at first to let go and liberate yourself, know that all things are possible with the right attitude and enough determination. Where there is a will, there is always a way. Find it.
​And while you are at it, clean up your self-esteem. Get rid of all those wretched empath labels and self-sabotaging stereotypes. Let go of the fears, doubts, narrow-mindedness, and limiting beliefs. Time to accept that you are enough. In the words of Marianne Williamson, "​Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, 'Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?' Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world."

Pursue Your Life Purpose

In my experience the only empaths who really live happy, fulfilled lives are the ones who have gained an understanding of who they really are and why they are here, and who have found their unqiue way to be of service to the greater good. The most important key to empath empowerment is recognising your life purpose and true calling, and then striving to accomplish it. You arrived on this planet with your highly sensitive nature and your empathic talents and abilities for a reason. You are a sensitive superhero on a sacred mission. Your life as an empath is a gift to this world. So, what have you done with yours today?
Your life as an empath is a gift to this world. So, what have you done with yours today?
By the way, none of us hit the ground running when we arrive here. Typically we only take up our calling and fulfill our true purpose later in life, once we have completed the necessary preparation. We must first gather all the data we need, do the necessary reconnaissance, condition ourselves for battle, face some hard knocks, setbacks and obstacles, and gain some valuable combat experience, before we are ready to embark on our hero’s journey.

​If you already know what you are meant to do.. then get on with it! If you have a defined, clear purpose, then stop procrastinating. The world needs all the help it can get. What are you waiting for? 

​And if you have no clue yet what you are meant to contribute, then begin to make an effort to find out. You need to do some serious soul-searching and figure out what your gift is to this world. What is your mission, what is your message? What are you meant to contribute to make this world a better, safer, happier, more loving and compassionate place? What is the legacy you hope to leave behind someday? What did you come here to do? Your divine self is fully aware and informed of your reasons for being here. Your higher self is after all the architect and designer of your current life journey. The answer will come from within when the time is right. Meanwhile, follow your heart and listen to your inner guidance. We are guided every moment of every day towards our true destiny. Seek and ye shall find. Follow the breadcrumbs through the forest.

Express Yourself Creatively

Empaths do not have to be an artists, but at least ​stop hiding from the world and find your way to express yourself. The options and possibilities are plethora: dance, fitness, sports, science and research, motivational speaking, comedy, music, singing, songwriting, theatre and acting, writing, journaling, blogging, spiritual practice, energy healing, drawing, painting, knitting, sewing, craft-making, film making, graphic design, cooking, gardening, landscaping, fashion and beauty, carpentry, building, repairing, charity work, fundraising, activism and protesting, and so on.

​Why? Because some empaths are emotional hoarders. They become dysfunctional and suffer neurosis because they do not have effective means to transmute and release all of the emotional energy they absorb. Like scrooges they hold onto it, internalize it, cling to it... only to become frustrated, overwhelmed and psychologically poisoned. Empaths are not only designed to attract and absorb emotional energy from others, we are also meant to transform and project it for the greater good. We have a powerful ability to emotionally affect those around us. We have the power to shift people, Your deep emotionality and sensitive acuity does not belong to you, it belongs to the world! Empaths are meant to express their feelings and transform emotional energy into gilded miracles and magic that makes this world a better place. Find your way of doing this in a positive way. It will empower you and even re-calibrate your own energy.

Unleash Your Inner Warrior

​Empaths are not meant to be victims, we are hardwired to be emotional warriors. To own your empath power and accomplish your life mission successfully, you must adopt the habits of a highly-conditioned ‘soldier’ and cultivate the traits and lifestyle of true warrior. We have no chance of healing or saving the world with an army of lazy, unhealthy, demotivated, uninspired, unreliable and untrustworthy 'deadbeats.'
Elite warriors require elite ‘training.’ Their very survival depends on it! We have no chance of healing or saving the world with an army of lazy, unhealthy, demotivated, uninspired, unreliable and untrustworthy 'deadbeats.' 
To unleash your inner warrior you will need energetic endurance, mastery and control.  Warriors need to be fighting fit - mind, body and soul. This means that you may need to make some significant changes in your lifestyle and daily habits. You may also need to adjust some of your dysfunctional behavior patterns and become more disciplined in how you manage your life. Elite warriors require elite ‘training.’ Their very survival depends on it! Take care of your mind through continued study, research, reading and further education. Sort out your body and your health by making the necessary changes to your diet, nutrition, exercise and fitness, as well as any self-sabotaging lifestyle habits. And amp up your spirituality. Start taking better care of yourself... mind, body and soul.
​Also, true warriors live with honor, integrity and moral certitude. Are you trustworthy and reliable in your daily life? Do you change your mind a lot? Always making excuses? Do you avoid your commitments? Are you inconsistent or insincere? Do you manipulate, lie, cheat, steal, gossip? This is not the true nature of the empath. If you want to become truly empowered, then become  true to your word, and your inherent empathic nature. Be kind. Be honest. Keep your promises. Lead by example. Do the right thing. Become the change that you wish to see in the world. Live an authentic, honorable life. And keep it real.

Amp Up Your Spiritual Practice

There is no way empaths can become fully empowered without a consistent, disciplined daily spiritual practice, for without faith, hope and inner guidance, warriors soon lose their way…and possibly their life. To become a truly empowered empath, you need to adopt a hardcore approach to your spiritual practice. As highly sensitive beings we need our spiritual life to be on steroids, if we are to have any real chance of thriving in this world!

Empaths must be able to trust their intuition and follow their inner guidance system at all times. They must be spiritually aware enough to be able to interpret their dreams, identify signs and synchronicities, and clearly hear their inner voice. This is tricky if you are still on an old-fashioned ‘dial-up connection’ to the Big Computer In The Sky. That kind of ‘wishy washy’ spiritual connection is slow, unreliable and limiting. Empaths need a broadband or satellite connection to get the job done! And the only way to achieve that is through consistent daily spiritual practice involving, for example, meditation, breathing exercises, energy hygiene, self-healing and psychic protection work, especially psychic grounding and shielding. We also need some solitude and recreational time out…some ‘me time.’

​To become an empowered empath you need to adopt a consistent daily spiritual practice and self-care routine that works for you, and make it a natural part of your daily lifestyle, like brushing your teeth. It is absolutely necessary and will make a massive difference in your life. Not only does spiritual practice energize, restore, heal and protect the empath, it also increases our awareness and inner guidance. It sets our target for the real work we came to accomplish in the Age of Narcissism.

© 2019 Anthon St. Maarten

About The Author

Anthon St. Maarten is an international psychic medium and destiny coach. He is also a sought-after inspirational speaker, metaphysical teacher and spiritual author, with a special interest in New Thought spirituality, metaphysics, sacred sites, parapsychology, mediumship and psychic phenomena. He is the author of the bestselling spirituality handbook Divine Living: The Essential Guide To Your True Destiny. Anthon's psychic reading and consultation services are available online and by phone to clients globally.

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The Spiritual Significance Of A Global Pandemic

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Remember that defining moment recently, when the novel coronavirus finally made its way into your everyday reality? Your spiritual well-being and metaphysical beliefs were probably the last things on your mind. In fact, the spiritual meaning of this pandemic will not be a major consideration for most at this time. But in the dark, difficult days that still lie ahead, the Covid-19 pandemic will increasingly reveal its profound spiritual truths. And in its devastating aftermath, we will have no choice but to acknowledge and embrace its spiritual significance in our post-pandemic reality.
When Covid-19 was officially declared a global pandemic, and made its unwelcome way into international news headlines, many people reverted to the ‘first law of nature.’ They responded instinctively with their best personal strategies for self-preservation.

Some hysterically stockpiled a lifetime supply of hand sanitizer and toilet paper, while others stubbornly gathered en masse at street festivals, religious gatherings, and even at their nearest beach, despite medical experts and authorities advising against it. Many simply carried on with life ‘as normal’, until they could no longer ignore the writing on the wall.

Meanwhile, the least anchored among us, tried to alleviate their overwhelming anxiety and confusion by seeking certainty in fake news, superstition, and the outlandish fearmongering of conspiracy theorists.
Some went into hardcore survival mode, compelled by their lack consciousness and a scarcity mentality, while others still continue to choose the path of least resistance: denial.  And in-between these polar opposite responses, the best, and worst examples of human behavior continue to surface all over the world. 

Yet, I believe that even the most careless and bizarre responses we have been seeing in our communities are not simply a symptom of people’s ignorance, recklessness, weakness, or selfish egotism. Their conduct is not a result of their lack of humanity, but rather due to their lack of spirituality. For in times of trauma and extreme crisis, the true nature of our values, priorities and beliefs tend to be blatantly exposed. And goodness me...namaste...have some of us been caught with our pants down!
In times of trauma and extreme crisis, the true nature of our values, priorities and beliefs tend to be blatantly exposed. We are clearly not a generation that will be remembered for our personal accountability, spiritual wisdom or metaphysical maturity.
​Many of the irresponsible actions and peculiar coping strategies we have been witnessing in recent weeks, reveal just how out of touch humanity has become with its true spiritual origins. Many clearly do not realize that they are spiritual beings having a human experience. They do not recognize themselves as divine beings on a sacred soul adventure. They do not understand that they are powerful points of consciousness; expressions of the Divine Source; particles of light in the spectacular daily miracle of life. Many among us have very little, if any sense that there is something greater than themselves that makes our world go round. And they also have no idea how much their every word and deed impacts everyone and everything around them. Until now, that is.

As a society we have generally lost our sense of spiritual purpose and meaning. There is a lack of understanding of the metaphysical part we play in the greater scheme of things. As a global community we lack spiritual substance. 
And this absence of spiritual awareness and inner connection has become glaringly evident in the callous, careless manner we tend to treat each other, as well as our unashamed disregard for all other sentient beings with which we share this planet. Our co-created world is currently not a very nice place. We have been increasingly plundering our natural habitat, and poisoning our environment. We have been slavishly following unstable, corrupt leaders, while we worship many false gods and narcissistic idols, and lash out daily at each other on social media. We have created a manic world nauseous with the pursuit of personal pleasure and material wealth, while our discontent souls have been increasingly suffocating in the arid wasteland of our spiritual deprivation. We are clearly not a generation that will be remembered for our personal accountability, spiritual wisdom or metaphysical maturity.

A Show-Stopping Pattern Interrupt

Is it therefore any wonder that the time had finally come for a major change, a colossal shift, a profound reawakening, a global step back? And the novel coronavirus has delivered exactly that to us, in no uncertain terms: a show-stopping pattern interrupt that will forever change our worldview! Covid-19 is so much more than just a nasty new disease, a scientific anomaly, a tragic twist of fate, or an everyday inconvenience for those who still believe all of this is just an ‘overblown hoax.'’ 

​Spirit can only communicate with us on our current level of understanding, and our spiritual habits at that time will determine what the format will be. So, at this time in human history, the Divine apparently had no other option but to sternly address us as a collective, in a way that none of us could willingly ignore, or completely disregard. For the first time, in a very long time, the Divine has now intervened on a global scale. While in our arrogance we were busily building our 'towers of Babel,' the Big Computer in the Sky decided it was time to hit a global reset button we did not even know existed.

The time had come for a total reboot. And in truth, it is what we all have been asking for with our thoughts, words and deeds... what we have been setting an intention for. For we are the creators of our own reality experience and co-creators of our global reality. And when we ask, it is always given, but not always in a way we might expect or anticipate. Many of us wanted drastic change in our world, and now it has finally arrived.
Does this mean the pandemic is a stern ‘act of God’ to punish mankind for its spiritual barrenness? No, definitely not. For only contrast is of Spirit. Suffering at the hand of an ‘angry god’ is a man-made notion. The Divine does not chastise or rebuke, it guides and teaches for the greater good. ​The shadows of life add spiritual depth and dimension to our human journey, like route-markers along our path. But these times of adversity are never intended to dominate our life with darkness, neither do they determine our ultimate destiny. What we learn from these contrasting experiences is all that truly matters in the end.

The Surprise Element Of Divine Intervention

Very few appear to have had the privilege of much foresight in the arrival of this pandemic, and as usual the voices of those who predicted it were largely ignored. But the ‘surprise element’  is to be expected when there is to be divine intervention on a global scale. The great equalizer indeed. ​The closest I personally came to any sense of what was coming, were the repeated messages of caution I had lately been channeling for many of my clients during consultations - especially for those who are business owners, entrepreneurs and investors. I warned them to get their affairs in order, for the global economy was heading for another major downturn.
While in our self-absorbed arrogance we were eagerly building our towers of Babel, the Big Computer in the Sky decided to hit a  global reset button we did not even know existed.
Since late 2018, I had been increasingly having the premonition that there would be another major economic recession in the foreseeable future, similar to the financial crisis we experienced a decade ago, possibly even worse. But this time the financial industry, banks, hedge funds and mortgages would not be the root cause.

​Some of my clients were not amused when I warned them of this. And when they asked me why this would happen, my sense was always that the cause would be somehow political in nature. I suspected we might be heading for a major war, or possibly some sort of civil unrest or upheaval. The fact that it might actually be due to a new viral disease was not revealed to me at the time. Today, I understand why.
In my personal life, I at least had the privilege of some foresight, when spirit began to encourage me to prepare myself many weeks ago, which made it possible for me to go into voluntary self-isolation two weeks prior to authorities announcing an official lockdown in my country. Of course, I might add that as a highly sensitive empath, I have been practicing social distancing for most of my life anyway, which helped me to adapt quite easily to being in so-called ‘self-quarantine.’ In that sense it has been pretty much 'business as usual' for me.

Interestingly, in recent weeks I have also become intensely aware of the increased presence of the collective energy of many departed family members around me, more so than at any other time in my life. If you are experiencing the same at the moment, know that they are here at this time to support, guide and protect us. It reminds me of the words of Linda Hogan, 
"Suddenly all my ancestors are behind me. Be still, they say. Watch and listen. You are the result of the love of thousands."

So, while many people were rushing around to stock up on essentials in recent weeks, or getting their affairs in order at home and the office, I had already settled into my ‘new normal,’ and could begin to focus more of my time and energy on my spiritual practice, as well as being of continued service to my clients all over the world. Courtesy of my self-imposed lockdown, I had the luxury of spending more time than usual in daily meditation, and continue to do so. I have been doing this mainly for the purpose of channeling information, because I feel it my duty as a lightworker to gain a greater understanding and spiritual insight into what is currently happening in our world.

So, what are the spiritual lessons this global pandemic is delivering to us? Well, the following is what Spirit has revealed to me so far:

Brave New World, Bright New Future

​Disasters and crises have always been ruthless, yet very effective spiritual teachers. There are many spiritual life lessons to be learned at this time, which will be much needed when begin to rebuild our post-pandemic world. First, let me reassure you that we will recover from this crisis. This too shall pass, but our world will never quite be the same again. And although it will be somewhat different in many respects, it will definitely also be better.

Please know that there is much method in all the current madness. Blessed are they who will grow to understand the spiritual significance of this global pandemic, and awaken to its messages of universal truth. For they will be the spiritual warriors of a brave new world; the wayshowers to a brighter future; the architects of an improved civilization.

The Spiritual Necessity Of Deep Contrast

Covid-19 is reminding us that one of the principle spiritual forces that governs our human journey is the notion of ‘contrast.’ In the book of Genesis, for example, night and day was created first and foremost, before anything else. Similarly, the black and white duality of the Yin and Yang symbol in ancient Chinese philosophy represents this immutable Universal Law of Polarity.  

Contrast is the basis of our physical life experience. A shining light has no purpose when there is no darkness to define its brilliance. Life will always have its ups and downs. These experiences of contrast is what we knowingly signed up for before we  arrived on the planet.  We knew before we came that we would face both love and fear, prosperity and hardship, abundance and deprivation, joy and suffering, wellness and dis-ease.
Extreme darkness rekindles the radiant flame of the human spirit. Know that once this bitter cup has finally passed, our world will be a much better place.
Without the balancing properties of contrast our human journey would actually be a monotone, uninspiring affair that will not ignite within us the desire to achieve, discover and expand as spiritual beings in human form.

​Indeed, much grief, despair and suffering will ultimately result from the ravages of this global epidemic. Everyone’s life will be touched in some way, and we will face challenges we never before imagined possible. But in time, much good will come from all of it. The light at the end of this tunnel is much brighter than many will be able to see at this time. Many are saying that our lives ‘will never be the same’ after this, but what they fail to also add is that our lives will be better than it has been before. 
​Deep contrast is the birthplace of great innovation and reinvention. It is the catalyst for miraculous healing, and the inspiration for crystal clarity of what we truly desire as co-creators. Extreme darkness rekindles the radiant flame of the human spirit. Know that once this bitter cup has finally passed, our world will be a much better place for it. In the happier, healthier days yet to come, we will turn the dark tears of this uncertain time into many precious pearls of wisdom. We shall find many unexpected blessings in this curse, for years to come.

The Simple Joys Of Gratitude

At the very least this pandemic will teach us to revere and appreciate life more. It will show us what it means to be truly mindful and present in the now, and how to savor the sweet nectar of even the most ordinary moments. We will find a new appreciation for the simple joys of life, while it exposes our attachment to meaningless material things and superficial pursuits. Many of us will learn that even the most dedicated spiritual practice is meaningless when we are controlled by our daily obsessions and the things we own. For where our treasure is, there also is our heart.

​Instead of constantly yearning for something bigger and better, despite everything they already have, many will now discover for the first time the true meaning of gratitude, and realize that it is in fact the antidote to the emptiness and discontent in their daily lives. No matter what, or how little we may have, there are always many awesome things to be thankful for. Sadly, the only time we usually recognize these gifts in our life, is when a major change in our life circumstances forces us to take another hard look, and count all of our blessings for a change. 

The Oneness In Our Separation

Covid-19 is the great equalizer that does not care who you are, or where you are from. It does not choose to infect only certain humans, based on their religion, race, nationality, sexual orientation, level of education, or material wealth. It does not observe title, success or status. It is coming for all of us in some way, even those who may not experience any symptoms, as well as those who may never become infected at all. In the end it will impact all our lives: socially, culturally, and most of all economically. Nobody will be immune to its future impact.

The coronavirus pandemic is a sobering reminder of the Universal Law of Divine Oneness. There is a reason why the Golden Rule of ‘treating others as you want to be treated,’ is a prevalent concept in most world religions and spiritual traditions. We are all connected. We are one. And we cannot escape our responsibility towards each other, even in this time of increased social isolation and unprecedented  physical separation. 
For until we all learn to think more universally, instead of separately, there will never be a brighter future for any of us. We are not living among each other; we are living through each other. 
For the truth is that our world has become what each one of us have chosen it to be. The co-created world we live in is a collective product of all the thoughts, ideas, opinions, attitudes, values, choices, decisions, and actions each and every one of us have brought to the table.

​Our every thought and action affects the thoughts and actions of every other person in our world. Our dysfunctional world is not the product of just one person. Not one of us has the right to say, “I am good, I am kind, I am mindful, I am too cool for school! The state of our world is not my fault, or my problem.” The truth is, we all share in a co-created reality that is only as strong as its weakest members, and whether we like it or not, we are indeed each other’s keepers.

​The sooner more of us will contemplate the Oneness of our being and the connectedness of everything in our Universe, the sooner we will be able to manifest a better world for all. 
Understanding our universal connection, and our responsibility to one another, is the only way we will ever know lasting joy, peace, happiness and fulfillment in this world. For even the most sheltered and fortunate among us, will at some point suffer the loss of luxury, privilege or liberty due to our attitude of disconnect. Until we all learn to think more universally, instead of separately, there will never be a brighter future for any of us, much less for our children.

​There is no such thing as the ‘personal good,’ there is only the greater good, and the highest good for all. The same pain, fear, love and joy that runs through your veins, runs through everyone else's in this world. And the current impact of the Covid-19 pandemic is concrete, undeniable evidence of this universal spiritual truth. May this new virus teach us new patterns of thinking about how we impact each other. May it force us to reconsider our place and our role in society. May it teach us new levels of kindness, compassion and charity. For we are not living among each other; we are living through each other. 

Blessed Are The Mindful

Blessed are the mindful and the spiritually aware in these traumatic times, for they will be calm and flexible in the darkest of days. Their spirituality will be an indispensible compass, and anchor during this pandemic. For to make the most of our journey in this lifetime, and to fulfill our true destiny as spiritual beings, we must be able to trust in our divine power to adapt and transcend. Our inner core of divine connection is what keeps us grounded, centered and serene when the world around us seems to be falling apart. As this pandemic rages on, the spiritually faithful will be savoring the rewards of their continued devotion to their inner divinity and higher consciousness. It is in times like these that our spiritual practice makes all the difference.

The same will not hold true for those who have been neglecting the inner world, and the Great Beyond. Those who no longer believe, or have never believed in anything, will have much less to hold on to, and very little to keep them grounded. Tragically, they have become so caught up in the trappings of their material reality, that they no longer feel connected to anything greater than themselves. And for them this will not be an easy time.

Whatever your spiritual beliefs or religious convictions may, or may not be, the Covid-19 pandemic will be an undeniable spiritual wake-up call for all of us. It is reminding us that life is short, precious and sometimes full of uncertainty. And if the rampage of the coronavirus does not get your spiritual attention, I’m not sure what will. For typically we tend to only reach out to Spirit in times of unbearable or unforeseen life events. And this time we truly are in serious trouble!

​Nothing sparks a renewed interest in our spiritual beliefs quite like a global disaster. The spiritually careless among us will be forced to take another look at the face of God during this crisis. Even the most skeptical and atheistic among us will have to somehow contemplate their values, opinions and beliefs about the nature and meaning of their existence. Mind, body and soul…none of us will emerge from the current mayhem unscathed.

A Global Vision Quest

There is a rite of passage in traditional shamanism known as a vision quest. It requires the seeker to spend a significant period of time alone in nature, often without food, water, or shelter, until he receives a vision for his life’s purpose from the Great Spirit. During his time of isolation and deprivation, the initiate is forced to face his deepest fears and insecurities, and must strive to gain greater clarity about the meaning and purpose of life. The Covid-19 pandemic will indeed be such a ‘vision quest’  for many of us.

The Covid-19 pandemic brings us many opportunities for personal and spiritual growth. Social distancing, self-isolation, quarantine and a general slowdown, are creating a unique opportunity to 'amp up' our daily spiritual practice, and rekindle our relationship with our Higher Self, Spirit, Source, God, the Divine. 
Nothing gets in the way of love​. Generosity of spirit empowers us to perform miracles and wonders.
The disruption of our normal routine and the suffering of loss, offers us a period of divine grace to truly reconsider our core morals, values and beliefs, as well as the meaning and purpose of our lives. Make the most of this window of opportunity, for it is a period of divine grace.

​Idle days spent in isolation will teach us many valuable lessons about the true meaning of love, compassion, kindness, humility, integrity, faith, hope, courage, perseverance, and especially forgiveness. Some will experience intense grief and bereavement that will rekindle their faith in this time, or cause them to find new purpose in their lives, while others will simply lose their innocence or complacency.
Most of all this crisis will reveal to us the true meaning and value of service. For we all share only one common purpose or calling in this life, and that is to be of service. Service to each other, to the fauna and flora of our planet, to the natural environment, and to Spirit. May this global crisis teach us to give to others in the same way that others have given to us. May we all discover new ways to make the world a better place. May we also learn that nothing gets in the way of love, and that generosity of spirit empowers us to perform miracles and wonders.

​Everything we experience in life has a spiritual significance. No event or circumstance is ever random, arbitrary, or a coincidence. Every moment matters. And right now humankind is going through a significant moment; a collective spiritual growth spurt; a period of deep contrast; a profound metaphysical realignment; a dark night of the soul; a great global awakening. How we will recover and heal from this pandemic as a collective, and how we will apply the spiritual truths it has so unpleasantly delivered to us, remains to be seen. 

Visualize The Cure, Not The Calamity

Meanwhile, wherever you a may be the in the world, know that you are never alone. We are all in this together, and Spirit always has your back, even in the most desperate moments when everything seems hopeless. During the difficult days ahead, do not believe all the dysfunctional noise and fearmongering. Those anxious, hysterical voices are only out there because they do not have a spiritual practice or inner compass, and they currently have a lot of idle time to broadcast their fake news and toxic negativity. The rest of us are too busy with real efforts to stay safe, support each other and help the world heal from the true effects of this pandemic. 

How do we heal our world, and return to the 'new and improved' normal? The answer is simple. Pray. Meditate. Fantasize. Imagine. Daydream. Visualize. Every day. Set an intention for science and technology to manifest the necessary treatments and interventions soon, instead of obsessing over who is to blame, or getting caught up in self-pity, conspiracy theories, conflict, lack consciousness, or a scarcity mentality. What we focus on is what will become our reality, and we now need all hands on deck. If more of us confidently intend the manifestation of the solution, instead of debating the problem, we will reach critical mass and tip the scale much sooner! There is no future in the past, and fearful worrying is just a way to create more of what we do not want. Visualize the cure, not the calamity. It is my prediction that, once our collective consciousness has gained critical momentum, divinely inspired medical science and technology shall find the prevention and cure.

No matter how this new virus may impact your life, always remember that you are a divine being, and creator of your own reality experience. Don’t give away your power to anyone or anything. And to take back your power in any given situation, begin by focusing on the things you can control - the thoughts you choose to think is usually the best place to start! We exist in a co-created reality, in which we cannot always choose all our circumstances. But how we think and feel about any given situation is always our choice. Life is not always easy, or fair, and contrast is a necessary part of our spiritual journey in this lifetime. But fear, self-pity, or feeling defeated, is not the way to deal with it. Stay strong and move forward one day at a time. This too shall pass.

​© 2020 Anthon St. Maarten

About The Author

Anthon St. Maarten is an international psychic medium and destiny coach. He is also a sought-after inspirational speaker, metaphysical teacher and spiritual author, with a special interest in New Thought spirituality, metaphysics, sacred sites, parapsychology, mediumship and psychic phenomena. He is the author of the bestselling spirituality handbook Divine Living: The Essential Guide To Your True Destiny. Anthon's psychic reading and consultation services are available online and by phone to clients globally.

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The Sacred Gift Of Science And Technology

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All science is divinely inspired. It is a miraculous gift, a sacred mandate, an act of divine providence. It is channeled from beyond this world. Scientific discoveries and technological innovations are gracious blessings from Spirit, godsends from the Divine, manna from the Heavens. Why then are some of the so-called enlightened and spiritually conscious among us still choosing to wear their ‘tin foil hats?’
Science and spirituality, by their very nature, have traditionally always been at odds, and there is a fundamental ideological reason for it to be at cross-purposes.

The point of departure for any scientific endeavor is always a position of doubt, questioning, skepticism, and even disbelief. In the eyes of science nothing is real or true, until proven otherwise, and this requires hardcore evidence. According to science, if you cannot observe something, or somehow measure it, it simply does not exist.

Spirituality, on the other hand, operates from a position of faith, belief, conviction, hope, acceptance, and even certainty. To be spiritual is to believe in the unseen, the unknown, the ethereal. Science deals in the physical, while spirituality embraces the metaphysical. And by their very nature, this is how it must be. 
But it is therefore also highly unlikely that science and spirituality will ever be the best of friends. Throughout human history, hardcore classical scientists have considered all forms of spirituality and metaphysics as nothing more than ignorant superstition, while religious fundamentalists have branded scientific pursuit and innovative technologies as a godless sacrilege, condemning science for its arrogant interference with the natural order of things by ‘trying to play God.’

In the 1600’s, for example, the astronomer Galileo Galilei spent the final years of his life under house arrest, after he was branded a heretic for claiming that the Earth revolves around the Sun. And strangely, there are still people today who believe the Earth to be flat, and that the Sun rotates around us, as if the past 400 years of scientific achievement never happened. Galileo must be turning in his grave.
It does astonish me that so many 'spiritually aware' people in this day and age can still be so hostile towards modern science and technological invention, when in truth it is divinely inspired.
Despite the fundamental disparity and age-old animosity between  science and spirituality , it does astonish me that so many spiritually aware people in this day and age can still be so hostile towards modern science and technological invention?

The first irony is the fact that both the spiritualist and scientist share the same passion in life: they are both striving to gain a better understanding of our worldly existence and the many remarkable mysteries of the Universe.  Yet, they refuse to see eye to eye.

But the absurdity goes much deeper than that. It is even more astounding to me that so many ‘highly conscious’ and ‘spiritually awakened’ individuals can remain so bitterly antagonistic towards the many miracles and wonders of scientific discovery, when in truth all of science and technology is divinely inspired.
Consider, for example, the fact that several of history’s most famous and influential scientists, including Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin, Albert Einstein and Marie Curie, were all theists. In other words, they were not just seekers, but also believers. They all had a spiritual belief system that included believing in the existence of a Higher Power or a Creator God that intervenes in the miraculous workings of the Universe.

A lesser known example is the number of scientists who have stated that the original inspiration for their significant discoveries came to them in a dream. René Descartes who created the field of analytical geometry; Dmitri Mendeleev who invented the Periodic Table; Niels Bohr who received the Nobel Peace Prize for conceiving the model of the atom; and Albert Einstein who conceived the Theory of Relativity, all claimed that the spark of inspiration for their ideas came to them courtesy of their dreams.

​Not From Me, But From Heaven, Comes All

You see, scientists do not invent or discover amazing new things entirely of their own accord. The miracle of science is not a creation of man, it is merely channeled by humanity. All science is a sacred inspiration received from the Divine, the Original Source, God, the Universe, Great Spirit, the Creator, the Universal Life Force. Science is a miraculous gift from the heavens, a sacred mandate, an act of divine providence. Scientific imagination originates from beyond this limited time-space reality and the feeble human mind. True scientific ingenuity is not of this world.

This universal truth was more widely understood by the ancients. Greek mythology, for example, features in its pantheon of deities the minor goddesses known as the Muses, whose job it was to guide, protect and inspire the visual arts, music, literature, and the sciences. Each of the nine muses, meaning ‘guiding spirit’ or ‘source of inspiration,’ was responsible for presiding over a particular art or science. Today we still ‘muse’ over something when we deeply think, ruminate on, dream, ponder, or contemplate important matters. Oh. if only more of us would do more musing more often, then our world might be a much more sensible, safe place...

​In 1759, after his final performance, the beloved Baroque composer, George Frideric Handel, received an ecstatic ovation from his audience. Blind and very sickly at the time, he refused to take any of the credit for himself, and instead cried out, “Not from me, but from Heaven, comes all!”

​​Oddly, most spiritually aware people today have no problem accepting that creative art is inspired by the Divine. Just one glance at the breathtaking beauty and grace of the natural world is enough proof that its Creator must be the Ultimate Artist. I doubt any deeply spiritual person will ever dispute this. The Divine indeed does loves beautiful things!
If scientific discovery and technological innovation are blessings from the Spirit Realm, godsends from the Divine, why then do so many in the spiritual community still insist on looking a ‘gift horse in the mouth?’ The Italians say, “Hell is crowded with ungrateful wretches.” Maybe the Italians have a point.
Similarly, artists and creatives are often valued by the spiritual community as divine messengers and channelers, or even as the new shamans of contemporary society. Both the visual and performing arts have always had its central place in many spiritual practices, religious ceremonies and devotional rituals. What would most forms of spirituality and religion even be without the presence of music, dance, literature and the visual arts?

​Yet, when it comes to the many wondrous marvels of modern science, some believers fail to recognize or appreciate it being equally the result of divine intervention. If scientific discovery and technological innovation are blessings from the Spirit Realm, godsends from the Divine, manna from Heaven, why then do so many in the spiritual community still insist on looking a ‘gift horse in the mouth?’ The Italians say, “Hell is crowded with ungrateful wretches.” Well, maybe the Italians have a point.
Surely, both physics and metaphysics reside on the same continuum of an expanding Universe, and surely, they must both be expressions of the same, original Divine Source of Intelligent Design that is responsible for the creation of our magnificent Universe? And just as scientists subscribe to different theories and research methodologies to explain natural phenomena, similarly spiritual seekers explore supernatural phenomena through diverse practices, belief systems and wisdom traditions. Are we then not all children of God?

Boogeyman Tin Foil Hats

To me it seems only logical that spiritually aware people, who are sincerely seeking enlightenment in their lifetime, would automatically and enthusiastically want to include the wonders of science and technology in their quest for the truth? The desire to gain a deeper understanding of the mysteries of the Universe, and of divinity and higher consciousness, surely must also consider the wonders and miracles to be found in the natural world. Why then are some of the so-called ‘enlightened’ among us still choosing to wear their boogeyman tin foil hats?

Of course, it is also true that science has on many occasions been abused for corrupt and destructive purposes. One of the most disgraceful examples of this is how the original curiosity of a small group of nuclear physicists, to better understand the ultimate nature of matter, was eventually perverted to create the deadliest weapon of war. Let us also not forget the inhumane cruelties and other abuses certain practitioners of science continue to inflict on vulnerable people, the animal kingdom and the natural world. Indeed, not all practical applications of science have always had the best interests of all God's creatures at heart, nor has every scientist in history had the most noble of intentions.
Let it be known, that while pure science, and its many wonderful discoveries, is a manifestation of divine providence as a result of sacred inspiration, its prostitution and abuse for the evils of greed, power and political gain is a man-made travesty! These deplorable practices are certainly not of God. Like the arts, science is graciously and generously gifted to us, to make our world a better and safer place. May the karmic heavens therefore have mercy on those who choose to exploit it for any other purpose. Science is a heavenly gift to the people. It does not belong to the merchants, money lenders and Pharisees, who have turned the temple of science into a den of thieves.

The Monstrous Evil Of Ingratitude

​With all that in mind, let us consider the state of our world today, where we now find ourselves in the grip of a terrible global pandemic. As a generation, most of us have never before been exposed to this kind of adversity, and it certainly brought out the best and worst in many of us. In times of trauma and extreme crisis, the true nature of our values, priorities and beliefs do tend to be blatantly exposed. And many of us, including the so-called spiritually aware, have certainly revealed our true colors in recent months.
​Let it be known that while pure science, and its many wonderful discoveries, is a manifestation of divine providence and a result of sacred inspiration, its prostitution for the evils of greed, power and selfish political gain is a man-made travesty.
One would think that in such a dire time of stress, fear and anxious uncertainty we would absolutely thank our lucky stars for how far we have progressed with our sciences and technologies! Our ancestors certainly did not have the same kind of luxury during the Black Death of the 1300’s, for example, or the Third Cholera Pandemic of the 1800’s, or even the so-called Spanish Flu of 1918.

Yet, instead of going on our knees every day to express our gratitude and appreciation for living in such a privileged, easy time of progress, where our scientists are able to develop the necessary medical interventions and will be able to give our normal lives back to us, some among us have instead chosen to invest their precious time and energy in fear-mongering doom propheciesor spreading of disinformation and conspiracy theories that ridicule medical science, while showing no compassion or consideration for the daily hell our healthcare providers, frontline workers and the frail elderly all over the world currently have to endure.​
The poet Edward-Pickering Rich once wrote that ingratitude is so monstrous and so dark a crime that "none but devils ever practice it.” Well, if you look at our society today, one must wonder if it is truly limited to the devils only? For grotesque ingratitude and privilege these days seem to be the spiritual disease of our time, and it is apparently practiced by many who claim to be spiritual proponents of compassionate, unconditional ‘love and light.’

Frogs And Spiders In The Oil And Cheese

It took science centuries to discover and fully understand the invisible world of microbes, infectious disease and epidemiology. Until that breakthrough happened, humanity had to find other ways to explain what was causing all the horrid disease and death during previous plagues and pandemics. Their ignorant speculation of course included all manner of absurd superstition and bizarre beliefs in those dark days.

For example, during the Plague of Cyprian, that afflicted the Roman Empire from about AD 249 to 262, it was widely believed that the disease could be contracted simply by looking into the face of someone who was infected.  And during the Bubonic Plague, said to be the deadliest pandemic recorded in human history, some people chose to believe it was simply a punishment from God, while others were more ominously convinced it was a secret conspiracy by the Jews against the Christians.
According to historian Samuel K. Cohn, a monastery chronicle written at the time of the plague, describes, for example, the “horrible means by which the Jews wished to extinguish all of Christendom, through their poisons of frogs and spiders mixed into oil and cheese.”

​Indeed, these wild beliefs were so rampant at that time that modern historians cannot say for sure if more people died in that period due to the actual plague, or a as result of the persecutions which caused many to be violently massacred. Roy Wentz writes on 
History.com that “pandemics have long bred prejudice and mistrust, and fueled longstanding biases, as traumatized communities have looked to blame others as unclean or malicious spreaders of disease.”

One can accept in retrospect that the blatant and sometimes shocking ignorance and bigotry of our ancestors existed in a time long before the microscope was invented. But, exactly what is our excuse today? Do we not now live in a digital information age, where we are supposed to have easy access to reliable sources of information and global communication? Do we not also live in a time of great scientific understanding and technological achievement? Compared to our superstitious, misguided ancestors, we now live in a miraculous, blessed, privileged time!
One can accept in retrospect that the blatant and sometimes shocking scientific ignorance of our ancestors existed in a time long before the microscope was invented. But exactly what is our excuse today?
And yet, today, in the year 2020, some of us still see our way clear to primitively indulge in ridiculous conspiracy theories and bizarre ideological rhetoric, ranging from ‘bioengineered viruses masterminded by evil billionaires,’ to ‘genetic mutations induced by 5G cell phone technology.’

​I mean, how on God’s good earth did the recent miracle of a new vaccine, for a potentially deadly disease, become a ‘black, transgendered, Marxist plot to control the world?’ The mind truly boggles. And the Angels must certainly weep.


Could the actual problem be that some of us have become so arrogant and complacent, surrounded by all our plush, modern comforts and our opulent privileges, created in most part, by the way, with the gift of science and technology, that we now find it impossible to accept what those who live in less advantaged parts of our world have come to know as a daily fact of life: that the world we live in is still a primal, untamed place where new infectious diseases, without a known cure, can suddenly spread like wildfire? 
Have we really become so spoilt and entitled with the blessings of an easy, comfortable life (courtesy of modern science, medicine and technology) that we actually believe the natural evolution of disease has been eradicated by the brilliance of mankind, and that every newly mutated microbe must therefore have been concocted in a laboratory, or a boardroom?

​Diseases have come and gone for millennia. Our ancestors dealt with this reality, generation upon generation since the dawn of time. What then gives some of us the idea today that we have somehow become untouchable to such things, or too 'high and mighty' to succumb to the powers and unpredictable ways of Mother Nature? Have we forgotten that Gaia, the ancestral mother of all life, has always been a force not to be trifled with?

Out Of The Darkness, Into The Light

Each one of us arrives in this physical world with a soul mission and a life calling. We are all expected to offer our unique legacy and contribution in this lifetime, in return for the privilege of experiencing this thrilling physical adventure. We all have a calling of service to either the spirit realm, our fellow human beings, the animal and plant kingdoms, or the natural environment. And modern science and technology is one of the manifestations of that sacred calling.

​Our scientists and inventors are not the enemy. Many of them are Lightworkers with a sacred mandate from the Divine. 
Whether both spiritual extremists and skeptical researchers choose to believe it or not, scientists and spiritualists are all simply doing God’s work. And by exploring the workings of the Universe they bring us all a little closer to our true spiritual origins and the loving embrace of God.
Divine calls us out of the darkness into the Light. And scientific advancement is a fundamental expression of that sacred calling. Let us for once show some appreciation, gratitude and respect.
So, whether we choose to prioritize science or spirituality in our lives, or a combination of the two, I believe it is all the same expression of our innate spiritual mission. We are after all spiritual beings having a physical experience. We are all expressions of Divine Consciousness in human form.

​We were created in the image of God, not to rest on our laurels or be passively stagnant, or much worse regress and deteriorate to ancient levels of ignorance and stupidity. Instead we are meant to expand, evolve, advance, prosper and transcend. God expects it of us.

​Our souls are points of consciousness carrying with it the creative spiritual DNA of the original Creative Force. The Divine calls us out of the darkness, into the Light. And scientific advancement is a fundamental expression of that sacred call. 
Not only did the Covid-19 pandemic serve as a massive spiritual wake-up call for humanity, but in future it will prove to be the source of marvelous new innovations, great advances in human achievement, and many positive changes in our world. I also predict a coming time of much celebration, a zesty new enthusiasm for life, and a renewed vigor and hope for the future. Some of the best years for our generation are still ahead of us, and there is much to look forward to. And we will have divinely inspired science and technology to thank for much of it! So, let us for once show some appreciation, gratitude and respect. 

In closing, let me just say this. If you are fortunate to live in a developed, first world country, where you will soon have the privilege of choice, and you still prefer not to be vaccinated for Covid-19, the rest of us absolutely respect your decision. However, please be so kind to send your unused vaccine to those of us who live in places where we do not enjoy the same kind of luxury. There are many vulnerable people here in my country, for example, who will welcome with much gratitude and appreciation every vaccine that can be spared.

This time of contrast shall separate the wheat from the chaff. The wise will strive to manifest a brave new world, while the foolish and unkind will suffer for their lack of common sense. And when the storm finally subsides, many will wake up on the wrong side of history. Until then choose your beliefs wisely, for they will become your reality. 

© 2020 Anthon St. Maarten

About The Author

Anthon St. Maarten is an international psychic medium and destiny coach. He is also a sought-after inspirational speaker, metaphysical teacher and spiritual author, with a special interest in New Thought spirituality, metaphysics, sacred sites, parapsychology, mediumship and psychic phenomena. He is the author of the bestselling spirituality handbook Divine Living: The Essential Guide To Your True Destiny. Anthon's psychic consultation services are available online and by phone to clients globally.

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