VooDoo

Overview of VooDoo

Introduction

Voodoo is a system of beliefs, a religion, and a practical magical system with its roots in black Africa.The centers from which voodoo spread thorugh the world and developed are Benin, Togo, Burkina Faso, south-east Gana and Senegal in Africa, where the terms Vodou, Vodoun, Vudu and Vudun are in use, and Haiti, where the term Voudon is in use.The Haiti islands are a specific background, where a special system developed , that consists of original elements and cults form black Africa mixed with creole legacy and catholic cult; further mixing with catholic cults and religion is noticed in Brasil, but we will deal with this later on.
The foundations of voodoo lie in the worship of ancestors and a multitude of Loa or deities, as well as a supreme being, the creators of all Universe.The basic purpose of voodoo as a practical system is to influence daily life, and to communicate with ancestors and deities through which that influence is made possible, and also the travel of the man's soul into spiritually higher realms.Although there are a multitude of Loa (this term signifies the singular as well the plural), we will focus our attention only on main Families of Loa, which are three in number, and which are common to all systems of voodoo.The Loa are forms given to manifestations of the divine force, in order to make easier the communication between them and the human race.That communication is not possible with the Creator, the Supreme Beings, who are away and beyond the realms of human existence, and serve as the upholders of the Creation, the Ones who make certain that all functions well and flows in its course; a good parallel would be Orlog, the eternal law, above humans and gods, from the ancient nordic tradition.Now we will deal with those Supreme Beings and the Loa.

The Supreme Beings

These are the Creators and upholders of the Universe.The common names for this Being are Mawu,Mahou or Mau, Olorun, Oniyama and Olodumare, in different traditions; as said before, these beings cannot be contacted and nothing can be asked of them; it is the Loa who serve this purpose, the intermediate between the Supreme and humanity.In Rada, one of the three main families of Loa, Damballah and Ayida-Wedo are also respected and worshipped; these male and female Supreme Beings are symbolised by two snakes surrounded by rainbows; these two are also of the supreme gods, but their purpose is to give love to all Creation; but, since they cannot understand human tongues, we are again compelled to address the Loa for our purposes.

The Loa

There are three main families of the Loa:

1.Rada Loa: this is a very old family, consisting mainly of benevolent Loa.The most important are Legba, Loko, Ayizan and Erzulie.Their traditional colour is white.

2.Petro Loa: a young Family, very practical and magical.It developed in the New world, so it has not a completely african background.It is said that it formed in the year 1768., on Haiti, through the medium Don Pedro, who himself became a Loa after his death.Other most important Loa are Marinette, Ogun and Carrefour.This family's colour is red.

3.Ghuede Loa: this family consists of the spirits of the dead.They are very powerful in the arts of healing and children protection, but are also tricksters.There are many Loa in this Family, but the most important is the Baron Samedi, who is also called Baron Cimitiere, Baron LaCroix, and Maman Brigitte or Grande Brigitte, where ''Grande'' stands for ''Granny''; she is the female complementary to Baron Samedi, and some say that she is his wife and consort.They are both guardians and protectors of graves and cemeteries, and crossroads, and particularly the central points of the crossroads.Their colours are black and purple, and also red.


The most important Loa

Baron Samedi

He is usually visualised as a man in a black suit, with a skull for his head, black sunglasses, black hat and cotton in his nostrils, just like a corpse ready for burial the Haiti way.He stands in the center of the crossroads, through which souls travel to Guinee (the astral counterpart of Africa, which symbolises the common home of all men, and whose center is Ville-aux-Champs,a city which could be viewed as paradise or Tiphareth); as such he posesses the keys to life, death and resurrection; he's also a very sexual Loa, and is sometimes portraited with his phallus in erection.He loves tobacco and rum.



Bacalou Baca

He is usually viewed as an ''evil'', or ''black'' Loa; he is respected mostly by the ''fazer les zombies'', the black magicians who turn men into zombies, and the ''servir-aux-deux-mains'', magicians who do not practice black magic as a rule, but offer such services for money.

Papa Leghba

He is the Opener of the Gates, spiritual and material, the absolute Initiator, who, as such, is often identified with Christ.He makes possible the communication with the Loa, and is the guardian of spiritual crossroads.He is one of the most revered Loa, and si saluted first in all ceremonies.He is usually represented as an old man smoking a pipe.

Erzulie

A female Loa who has several forms; as Erzulie Freda, she is the epitomy of female sensuality and beauty, the goddess of luxury, love, jewels, and precious stones; her colours are pink, blue and gold.In the form of Erzulie Dantor, she is an old woman with many scars, who in one hand holds a knife, and in the other protectively holds a child; she protects woman and children, and is also associated with protection of gay men and women.She is laso, sometimes and in certain cults, represented as the Black Madonna.She is also Erzulie La Sirene, a form which probably derives form the ancient nigerian snake-goddess Ezi-Aku.

Ogoun

The great Loa of the Rada Family; he also has different forms.This is a male Loa, with all male and martian qualities; he is a warrior, ruling over thunder, storms, swords and all weapons of steel, and guards and protects the warrior in battle.His are the steel and red colur, the colour of blood.As Ogun Badagris, he is a phallic and magical Loa who helps in divination and foretelling, and as Ogun Fer, he is a pure warrior.

Carrefour or Kalfu

''Carrefour'' means ''crossroads''.This Loa controls the crossroads, but the points further away form the centre; he controls the evil spirits, and measures the misfortune, death and disease to be led from the spiritual world into ours.He is the Lord of spells, magic and sorcery.Although he is not the most favourite Loa, he is very respected.

Marassa Jumeaux

These are the divine twins; the Lords of justice, happiness and spiritual wealth.They symbolise the dual nature of the Universe (or Multiverse, as Thorsson would say), and the nature of men and gods and their interaction.


Religions and systems closely conncted to voodoo


Santeria

''Santeria'' means ''the way of saints''.This religion rerspects the Supreme beings Olorun and Olodumare, male and female, the Cretaors of the Universe, and the lower spirits, the Orisha, and also the Ara Orun, ''people of the sky'', who are the souls of the ancestors.This religion derives form the old Lukumi religion, practiced among the Yoruba people, and this word Lukumi derives form the ancient word Olukumi, which means ''my friend''; I think that this word explains a lot of the interaction between the Orisha, the ancestors and the faithful.Santeria, as is today, appeared for the first time in XVIII century on Cuba.As the religion of the slaves, it was practically outlawed, and hence the identification of many Orishas with catholic saints, which served as a disguise for them and thie cult.This religion is ''responsible'' for connecting voodoo with the sacrifice of animals, since it is regular poractice to sacrifice chickens, in order to satsify the Orishas thirst for blood, which is satisfied when the mediums, posessed by the spirits, drink the blood of ther animals.However, this practice is discarded by the esotheric voudon of the adept Michael Bertiaux, who will be adressed shortly.

Umbanda

This is a union of spiritualism, catholic cult and ancinet afro-brasilian voodoo cults.It was made manifest by the medium Ze'lio Fernandinho de Soares in the early XX century.The name itself derives form the angolan word ''K'imbundu'', which means ''to practice religion''.The Umbandas worship the Orishas, disguised as catholic saints, and the spirits , who again divide into two ''falanga'':

-Caboclo, the spirits of the brasilian Indian tribes, who give knowledge about the herbs and their use, and the forces of nature, and

-Pretos Velhos, the spirits of black slaves, who give aid in times of suffering.

The main spirits are Yemanja, a female principle symbolised by the ocean s and the seas, and Oxum, another female principle symbolised by the waterfalls and rivers, Xango, the male principle of justice and law, symbolised by the rocks and mountains, Ogoun who is of course the protector of soldiers and warriors, and Exus, male and female spirits who are intermediates between different Loa families and betwen the Loa and men.

Candomblé

A religion mainly based in Brasil and surrounding countries; it venerates Olorun as the Creator and Orishas as his messengers and servitors.A number of catholic saints are also respected.Candomble is also called Macumba, especially in the area of Rio de Janeiro, but these two are very different.The main Candomble ritual is ''toque'', which consists of the preparatory part, made only by the priests and initiates, and the festive part, in which the mediums are ''ridden'' by the orishas, and all ends with a banquet.

Macumba or Quimbanda

Macumba is a Bantu word; although this religion is somewhat similar to what is mentioned above, it is very much connected with european witchraft and sorcery, therefore a very practical religion who indulges into practices of white nad black magic as well, most often necromancy.Preparation of potions, poisons, spells and dolls is often precticed.The two most important Loa are Exu and Pomba Gira.Exu is the protector of crossroads in more practical and material way, the giver of happiness and misery, and connected with all things pertaining to death, also a psychopomp, also venerated in santeria cult. Pomba Gira is considered to be his wife and consort; she emanates femininity and sensuality, and desire.

Hoodoo

This is probably the most ancient form of voodoo; it was imported to Americas with the arrival of the first black slaves.It is based on spells, sorcery, working with herbs, potions, and communication with spirits.The word Hoodoo derives from the Ewe people word ''hudu'' which designates someone practicing magic.Hoodoo was brought to its heights by the Adept Michael Bertiaux, with whom we will deal shortly.The main aim of Hoodo is to give its practicioners access to ''supernatural'' forces in order to gain influence and control daily life, form gains in gambling, success in love, obtaining knowledge etc.The peculiarity of Hoodoo is that it has no hierarchy, no prescribed religious services and no priesthood.All this is accomplished through communication with Hoodoo spirits, who assure that the practices will be successful, and who give the petitioners what they want.


Michael Bertiaux, Lucky Hoodoo, Esotheric Voudon
and organisations Ordo Templi Orientis Antiqua and Societe La Coulevre Noire


The most advanced and practical form of Hoodoo, and probably of all voodoo is the system of the esotheric voudon of the adept Michael Bertiaux, working through his magical Orders Ordo Templi Orientis Antiqua(OTOA) and Societe La Coulevre Noire (LCN).
THis sytem is thoroughly explained in his capital book ''The Voudon-Gnostic Workbook''; we will say only that its basis is the communication with the Lucky Hoodoo spirits, who in their turn are the spirits of the powerful magicians form the lost continent of Atlantis, and who continue to practice their magic on the ocean flor even today, and the older they get, the more power they gain.The practice consists of a simple ritual of showing devotion to the Spirits and of placing oneself in their service, and a small daily ritual thorugh which a magician shows them respect and devotion.This system is worked on in Bertiaux's magical Orders OTOA, which is based on the combination of the gnostic-hermetic european traditions and haitian metaphysics, and the LCN is based solely on studying the voudon gnosis and afro-atlantean mysteries in their purest form.


New Orleans voodoo

Maybe the greatest respect for the spreading of interest of voodoo is to be given to New Orleans, the city which has , with its colourful and mixed legacy, springing form the melting-pot of religions and cultures, always been considered the voodoo-town.
It has been so since the first slaves arrived, and it is so today.The ''golden age'' of voodoo in New Orleans was definitely the time between the years 1820. to 1860.Voodoo ceremonies were held publicly, on the renown Congo square, and mainly on Sunday, the free-day of the slaves.They were held by the balck slaves coming directly form Africa, and also by the Creole population; but the Creole thing is considered to be ''only'' the veneration of their african roots, without the necessary undersatnding of the rituals, but the slaves were in touch with the current, and their ceremonies were outright voodoo rituals in public.The 1830s were the time of Maman or Mambo Marie Laveau, the first voodoo priestess to be publicly known and accepted; she was a freewoman of Creole background, and was so respected that the New Orleans elite came to visit her for her services, and she was even allowed to practice her rituals behind the New Orleans cathedral.However, after the civil war, voodoo was practically oulawed, but that was short-termed, and it flourished again, as it flourishes today.
The men who gave great service to voodoo were, of course, the earliest blues musicians form New Orleans; particularly Dr.John, who took his name after the name fo John ''Dr. John'' Montenet,m a renowned voodoo magician, and of course Robert Johnson, who allegedly sold his soul to the ''devil'', famous for his song ''Devil and Me''.There are some voodoo element sin dixie, but in a much smaller manner.

Voodoo rituals

There are as many rituals as there are voodoo families; we will consider only the basis of every voodoo ritual.It consists of:

-A feast before very ritual
-Making of a veve, or a ritual sigil pertaining to a specific spirit involved in the ritual, or a sigil that symbolises the request that is to be gratned by the spirits, or most often both
-Using of instruments, mainly drums and rattles
-Singing of songs pertaining to the spirits and the purpose of the ritual
-Ritual dancing
-In some cults, mostly Santeria, sacrificing of animals, a dog, a sheep, a goat or a chicken.





Religions similar to voodoo

Obeah

Obeah or Obi is the term for sorcery in language of the Ashanti people.It is practiced foremost on Jamaica, but also in Trinidad and Tobago, Belize and Bahamas.Its roots lie in Western and central Africa; its baisi is sorcery, very similar to Hoodoo sorcery.The practice consists mainly of preparing potions, amulets and talismans.The term Obeah is also important in the thelemic universe.

Kumina

This system is based in eastern Jamaica.It has two pillars: one is the communication with the souls of the ancestors, thorugh medianic posession, and the other is the communication with ''nkisi'', spirits who are an amalgam of the souls of the ancestors and some natural forces.


Palo

Very similar to Kumina, Palo is practiced mainly in Cuba and Dominican Republic.The mephasisi is on the forces of nature, and natural objects such as trees, stones, branches, streams are considered to be of great power.

Spiritual Baptism Church

An afro-caribbean religion combining elements of old african religions and protesthantism, borught here by the balck soldiers who served under British flag in the american Independence war.It is also called a ''shouting church'', since its faithful clap hands and shout when they ''catch the spirit''.





Voodoo is a very colourful religion who attracts much interest and followers.This is because it has no dogma, no strict hierarchy, no burden of original sin, no threat of Hell, it is close to nature and, above all, it has the subconscious appeal that leads us far away, to a world far beyond the known and official history; a primal world before the beginning.It leads us to Guinee, the primeval home of all mankind, and gives us the possibility to communicate with our ancestors, the ancestors of all men, the benevolent Loa, who will lead us by their wisdom to Ville-aux-Champs, the City in the Fields, the final resting place of the soul.

Artefact Recalls Witches' Shadow

Artefact recalls witches' shadow


A chilling reminder of our superstitious past has been unearthed from a rural farmhouse.

By Greig Watson

The "witch bottle" was discovered buried in old foundations in the Lincolnshire village of Navenby.

Containing bent pins, human hair and perhaps urine, the bottles were supposed to protect a household against evil spells.

Dated to about 1830, it is evidence the fear of dark forces persisted far longer than previously thought.

Discovered by accident during building work, the artifact initially sat unrecognised in a cupboard. Jo Butler, the house's owner, described what they found.

She said: "The builder was breaking up foundations with a pick and he came across the bottle.

"We saw it contained metal bits and this kind of strap but had never heard of witch bottles and put it under the stairs."

It was only recognised when taken to a open evening held by the archaeology department of Lincolnshire County Council.

He said: "It was an incredible moment. It was the first one I had physically seen and they are really quite rare artifacts, so to have that handed in was quite something."

The "bottle", in this case more likely to have been a glass inkwell or candlestick, had been damaged during discovery but still had its contents.

Mr Daubney said: "It seems a bit like voodoo, using human hair and pins but it's not entirely clear why these items where used.

"One theory is that the pins were put in urine so when the witch went to the toilet, it felt like they were passing the sharp metal.

"Such traditions do tend to linger in more rural areas like
Lincolnshire and Norfolk but this is very rare"
Adam Daubney - Finds Liaison Officer

"What the bottles were intended to do was bounce back spells on the sender.

"Even if you did not know who the witch was, you would make one of these and sit back to see who died, then that person was the witch."

Death sentence

Britain in the late 1500's, and for 100 years after, was gripped by the "Witchcraze".

This saw hundreds of women persecuted and sometimes executed, for alleged involvement in black magic.

The most famous British trials were at North Berwick, in Scotland, in 1591 and Pendle, Lancashire in 1612.

Most "witches" were hanged, rather than the burning at the stake of popular imagination.

Protecting hearth and home from such malignant forces took various forms, including putting shoes beneath the floorboards and walling up cats.

Witch bottles, often made from stoneware, were most common in the 1600's, at the height of the witchcraft scares.

The Navenby example, however, has been dated at 1830, a time when such beliefs were thought to have been dying out.

"This late date is really incredible," said Mr Daubney. "Such traditions do tend to linger in more rural areas like Lincolnshire and Norfolk but this is very rare."

He added: "It could be either that the people who made this really believed in witches or it could be a kind of harmless tradition, a little like throwing salt over your shoulder.

"But the care with which this has put together, with a leather strap to hold it, could suggest the former."

The bottle is being conserved and will go on display at the Museum of Lincolnshire Life in Lincoln.

Source: BBC Unexplained Lincolnshire

Developing Your Psychic Abilities

People frequently ask how they can "become psychic" or develop what psychic abilities they have. Here's the good news: we are ALL already psychic! Some of us are more naturally developed, but each of us can work on developing our psychic abilities further. First here's a brief explanation of the types of psychic ability:

Clairvoyance (clear-seeing)

Having "visions", seeing images (still or moving) on the inner screen of the mind (eyes can be open or closed). Also includes seeing auras, apparitions, angels, etc. In other words, seeing beyond the physical. The area of the body that receives the psychic impressions for this sense is located in the center of the forehead (the Third Eye).

Claircognizance (clear-knowing)

Having knowledge of certain situations/people/places without having any information to facilitate such knowing. This can be things of the past, present or future (premonitions). A common statement from people who are strong in this ability is, "I don't know how I know, I just know." The location for this sense is on the top of the head (the Crown chakra).

Clairaudience (clear-hearing)

Hearing voices, music and other sounds that do not have a physical source. This can include hearing voices of those on the "other side" (deceased people), our guardian angels or spirit guides, our higher selves, or God/dess. This can also include hearing voices/music/sounds that are actually echoes of the past - this happens alot in haunted buildings). The locations for this sense are on each side of the head, just above the ears.

Clairsentience (clear-feeling or clear-sensing)

"Feeling" things about people or situations that we otherwise could not know. People who are strong in this ability often talk about having "gut feelings" about things, and are usually very sensitive to energies and emotions of other people. Negative energies can often cause a wrenching or queasy feeling in the abdominal area. This sense can also warn of problematic upcomings or situations (having a "bad" feeling about something). This sense is located in the solar plexus.

Clairalience (clear-smelling)

Smelling things that have no physical source. Very common in haunted areas, but can also be an indication that a deceased loved one is with us (i.e. smelling your mother's favorite flower suddenly while in a closed room during winter). It can be their way of contacting us, letting us know they're around.

Clairhambience (clear-tasting)

Tasting things without having eaten them. Most often relates to spirit communication, as with Clairalience.

Developing Your Psychic Abilities

You have probably already recognized one or two of these traits within yourself. Most people are strong in one or two of these senses, and not so strong in the rest. While you can learn to develop all of these senses, most commonly you'll end up relying on the one or two you are naturally strongest in. Very often, people say that they don't seem to have control over these abilities, it just happens "when it wants to". By working on developing these skills, we make it easier to use them on demand.

Below are some exercises to help you develop your own psychic abilities. Before beginning, sit in a quiet room where you will not be disturbed, and do some slow, deep breathing until you are in a calm, relaxed state. Visualize soothing white light encasing you, infusing you with peace and calm, surrounding you with powerful protection. Empty your mind of all worries and let the white light erase all tension from your body. When you have reached a state of inner calm and relaxation, you are ready to begin. (Note: while working with these areas, you may experience certain sensations such as tingling, warmth, or coolness. This is normal, and it's okay as long as it isn't causing you any discomfort. If you feel any tightness or strain, you are focusing too hard. Try to relax your focus a bit.)

Clairvoyance Exercises

When just beginning to work on developing your clairvoyance, I suggest that you do the exercises with your eyes closed. This will reduce distractions. Once you become more familiar with the third eye, you'll discover that you can access it easily whether your eyes are open or closed. To begin, close your eyes and see the "inner screen" of your mind. Do you see anything? Sometimes you'll see moving lights or shapes in the blackness, other times you may not. Stay like this for a moment, paying attention to anything you see. Now shift your focus slightly up, toward the center of your forehead (eyes still closed). Visualize this area of your forehead "opening", like an expanding circle. You are now accessing the third eye center. Don't force it or strain too hard, you'll only end up giving yourself a headache! Just sit quietly, focusing on this area of your inner vision, and notice if you see anything. Don't be discouraged if you don't right away. With frequent practice, you will develop. If you are already fairly well developed in clairvoyance, you may see faces, shapes or images without having to wait too long.

Once you begin to develop, you might want to try remote viewing. Sit quietly and visualize a place other than where you are. You might try visualizing your parents' home, your place of work, or even another room of your house. Shift your focus upward to the third eye area and see if you pick up anything that may be happening in that other place. Make a note of what you see, and then try to verify it and see if you were correct. For example, before going to work, sit quietly and try to "see" what a particular co-worker will be wearing that day. Make a note of any impressions you get. When you get to work, see if you were correct. See if you can tell what's happening in your best friend's home at the moment you are remote viewing, then call her/him and ask what they were just doing. I think you may be surprised by how often you will be correct. And of course with frequent practice, you'll be even better!

People who are fairly well developed in clairvoyance may often "see things" out of the corner of their eye. In buildings where there is paranormal activity, this is quite common. You might see streaks or orbs of light, you might see a shadow pass by, or an actual silhouette of a person or animal. But when you turn your head to get a better look, it's gone. Why is that? Because when you turn to FOCUS on something, your physical eyes assume the majority of the focus. Try a little experiment right now. Look straight ahead at a particular object (the computer screen is fine). Notice that you can see out of the corners of your eyes (this is your peripheral field of vision). Even while keeping your gaze focused straight ahead, you can still see to the right and left. You are more apt to see something non-physical out of the corner of your eye simply because your focus is relaxed in that area. Now try another experiment. Look straight ahead, but relax your entire focus. Let your eyes go slightly "out of focus" so that everything looks kind of blurry or hazy. In this state, your third eye will take over while your physical eyes are resting. Keep doing this and you may start seeing all kinds of things, from apparitions to auras!

Claircognizance Exercises

While sitting quietly, close your eyes and focus your attention on the top of your head. Visualize a large funnel or cone above your head, the narrowest point just above your head, extending upward to the widest point, about a foot above your head. Notice any impressions you receive, no matter how faint or unusual they may be. You can do this while thinking about a specific event or situation, and see if you can predict certain things, such as things that might happen to you that day, or perhaps people you will run into unexpectedly. Or you can just do this in a general way, by opening yourself to whatever may come through. It is important to acknowledge what you receive. Don't just chalk it up to imagination right away. Make a note of what you perceive, no matter how strange or farfetched it might seem at first. With practice you'll discover your accuracy improving, and likely this ability will begin activating itself without any effort on your part. You'll be one of those people who say, "I just know."

Clairaudience Exercises

Close your eyes to minimize distractions, and focus your attention on the left and right sides of your head, just above your ears. Feel those areas "opening", like widening circles. Do you hear anything? You might not at first, it may take time and practice. What types of things will you hear, you ask? You might hear voices or muted conversation (often it's too faint to make out exactly what's being said), you might hear music (again, it might be faint), or a host of other sounds. Once you begin to develop this sense, don't be surprised if divine guidance comes in this way! One morning as I was leaving the house, I got into my car and very clearly heard a male voice say, "Don't speed". There wasn't a physical person in the car besides me, so I figured it must be one of my spirit guides speaking. "Okay," I said, "I won't speed." But I was late for an appointment and soon forgot that advice. Once I got on the freeway, I stepped hard on the accelerator. Thankfully I was only going about 10 mph over the speed limit, because as I rounded a bend, there were two police cars parked on the median with radar on! Whoops! They didn't pull me over though. I was lucky that time, what if there had been an accident waiting for me rather than a potential speeding ticket? Now I make a point to ALWAYS listen to the guidance I receive, whether I hear it, see it, feel it or "know" it! You should do the same. Don't doubt yourself or ignore what you hear.

Now, when I talk about "hearing" as in clairaudience, it's not quite the same as hearing with our physical ears. Most often these sounds come through as thoughts. You know that voice you talk to yourself with in your mind? Like when you're wondering what you need at the grocery store, "Hmm, I'm pretty sure we have enough paper towels at home, but I'm not sure....maybe I should buy some just in case. Oh, and I can't forget tomatoes..." THAT voice. You're not actually hearing anything physically, you're hearing clairaudiently. It's the same when you hear voices of spirits, spirit guides, angels, and even God/dess. You might hear these things as if it was your own inner voice speaking, or you might hear it in a different voice. Very rarely will the voices be loud and "external". Usually you hear it quietly inside your own mind. In the case of hauntings, the voices can be loud and sound external. Sometimes it's so loud they sound like they're shouting directly into your ear. But even so, it is still clairaudience, since they don't have vocal cords to speak with.

Clairsentience Exercises

Close your eyes and focus on your solar plexus (the solar plexus is located between the chest and the navel - in other words, your upper abdomen). Visualize this area opening, like a widening circle. Do you sense anything? If you are alone in the room, you might not. This sense very often picks up vibrations from other people and places. If you're picking up your own vibes, you likely won't feel anything noticeable. However, you could try thinking about a certain upcoming event, a potential job or mate while keeping this area open too. Do you get anything then? Pay attention to what you feel when you think about certain things, and note any impressions you get. I learned a long time ago to always pay attention to my gut feelings. The few times I didn't, I regretted it! My motto since then has been, "When your gut says no, you say no."

People who are strong in this sense are often referred to as "sensitives" and will frequently have "gut feelings" about certain people and situations. These feelings can be very strong, such as a clenching or wrenching of the abdominal area, or they may be fainter, such as a fluttering, tightening or mildly queasy sensation. Have you ever met someone and taken an instant dislike to them? And if asked to explain your dislike, you could only say, "I don't know why, I just have a bad feeling about him." This is clairsentience, and most often these types of gut reactions end up being accurate, even if there isn't any verifiable information to go along with it at the time.

Sensitives often find themselves bombarded by random emotions that are hard to decipher. Crowded public places are especially hard for sensitives, and many of them avoid this type of gathering. Many of these people think something is wrong with them, or that they're suffering from a phobia of some kind. What's really happening is that they are picking up the emotions of other people in these crowded places! Below I will offer tips to help with this.

Clairalience and Clairhambience Exercises

These two senses are harder to develop, and most of us won't have a need to develop them. They're more secondary psychic senses, except perhaps for mediums and psychics. If you do wish to develop these senses, begin to develop an awareness of what you are smelling and tasting at any given moment. Pay attention while in meditation to any smells or tastes you get. Can these be explained by anything in the room or perhaps in a nearby room? Could the scent be drifting in from an open window? Pay attention to the smell of a room when you walk into it. Open your mouth slightly, allowing the air to touch your tongue. Most often you will smell and taste things that are going on in the room at that moment. For example, if you do this in a restaurant, you will likely smell food, various perfumes and colognes, or perhaps cigar smoke or cigarette smoke. Are there any other scents you pick up that don't seem to belong? Like in a restaurant that doesn't allow smoking, you wouldn't smell cigar smoke. If you do, think about why. Is there a lounge nearby that people are smoking in? Did the restaurant used to allow smoking and the smell still lingers? If you are at home and you smell something like this, first look around and make sure that no one has indeed been smoking (or if you smell flowers, look around for a possible source of the scent, etc.). Is there a window open? Could the scent be coming from a neighbor's house? If you can't find anything, think about family members or friends who this may apply to (deceased or living). Could they be thinking about you or "dropping in" to pay you a visit? In all cases, try to find any logical explanations there might be first. Air fresheners, scented candles, potpourri, old furniture or even nearby houses can often trick us into thinking we're using our psychic senses when in fact we are not.

Triggering Between Psychic Senses

Remember that your psychic senses can often work together just as your five physical senses do. I call this "triggering". For example, when doing spirit communication work, I will most often sense a spirit first, and then I get a mental image of what the spirit "looks like" (or what they looked like in life). I might get a sense of age, hair color, stature or build, clothing or the type of person they are. I might even know certain information about them, such as things they've done, their name, etc. In this type of case, what I feel (clairsentience) triggers what I see (clairvoyance), and even what I know (claircognizance). Sometimes I'll hear something (clairaudience) and get a feeling about it (clairsentience). Or I might suddenly "know" something (claircognizance) and also have a bad "feeling" about it (clairsentience). It takes practice to decipher exactly what you're seeing, hearing, feeling and knowing. Sometimes you won't be able to tell what came first, the feeling or the knowing, the hearing or the seeing, the tasting or the smelling. And it doesn't really matter too much, as long as you're getting the information you need. In time you'll begin to gain a better understanding of how your own psychic senses work together. It's different for everyone, so be patient as you learn to work with these skills.

Trust Your Intuition

When you first begin to practice using your psychic senses, you might get impatient with yourself and wonder if you'll ever get it right. Don't do that! As with anything else in this life, practice makes perfect! The more you work with these abilities, the better you will be with them. Don't discount the information you're getting. If you can verify it, go ahead and check. If not, then just acknowledge that you received it. You never know, it just might end up happening in the future! I find it helpful to jot down any impressions I get in a journal. That way I can go back and check if any of them came true at a later time. You'd be surprised how many things you can predict.

Does this mean that you'll never be wrong? Of course not! If we were all-seeing and all-knowing, we wouldn't be human, would we? As much as we work on developing our psychic abilities, there will still be times when we aren't accurate. That's okay. Sometimes our imaginations take over, that's all. With practice you'll get a lot better at knowing what is a true psychic impression and what is your imagination.

Psychic Information in Dreams

Can psychic information come in dreams? YES! In fact that's very common. Remember though that dreams are very often symbolic rather than literal. Just because you dream of someone dying in a car crash doesn't mean it's going to happen! The car crash could be symbolic of something else in their lives, or in your life (obstacles, transformation, starting down a new path in life, etc.). It will be tremendously helpful for you to study symbolism and learn what various symbols mean to you. Don't rely too heavily on "known" symbolic meanings though. It's a good place to start, but ultimately you should think about what various symbols convey to YOU.

Premonitions & Prophetic Dreams - The Darker Side

With psychic ability, we often get the "bad" along with the good. When we develop our psychic senses, we are open to receiving all kinds of information, and this can include premonitions of upcoming events. This can be difficult, especially when we sense a loved one's impending death or illness. Sometimes we can do something about these events, and sometimes we cannot. I wish I could offer more helpful advice about this, but all I can say is, "use your best judgment". I don't advise going around spouting off to people that they're going to die, even if that's what you're sensing. This will only frighten them and make them think you've lost your mind. Psychic ability is a big responsibility, and we have to use it as such. Here are two good examples:

Several years ago one of my coworkers was talking to me about her son. She was telling me that he'd been sick recently, with a fever, vomiting and extreme fatigue. As she talked, I suddenly had what I call a "psychic flash", a very quick clairvoyant vision. I saw her son's circulatory system, all the veins and arteries running through his body. Immediately after that I saw the words, "cancer in the blood". The vision was there and gone in a millisecond. At this stage of my life, I wasn't at all sure of my abilities, so I figured it was my morbid imagination taking over and dismissed it from my mind. As the weeks wore on, this coworker kept telling me that her son was still sick and the doctors couldn't figure out what was wrong with him. Every single time she spoke to me about her son, I had the same psychic "flash" of his circulatory system, and the words, "cancer in the blood". And every time I had that flash, I'd berate myself for being morbid and push it out of my mind again. I'm sure you can guess what's coming next.

Exactly five weeks after my first psychic flash of this woman's son, he was diagnosed with leukemia. I cried for days over that, and felt tremendous guilt. What if, by saying something, I could have given him a head start on treating this disease, five weeks earlier? What if he died, all because I didn't open my mouth? It took me a long time to get over that, a long time of dealing with "what ifs". Even though I wish I had given her an inkling of what I was seeing, I still don't think it would have been wise for me to say, "Oh, it's cancer in his blood!". What I could have done though, is say something like, "Have them check his blood, I feel it's important for them to check his blood." But it's too late now. I never did tell my friend about my visions, I couldn't see how that would help anything. (Note: After his diagnosis, he underwent many months of intense chemotherapy treatments and eventually went into remission. But the last I heard, he had had a recurrence. I've since lost touch with his mom, so I don't know for sure how he is now.)

The other example is quite different. I'm going to keep the details vague because my family doesn't realize I had this premonition, and I don't see why they should know about it now. A couple of summers ago, I went to visit some family members. Upon walking into the house, I noticed a brilliant green aura surrounding one of those family members. As I looked at this aura, I had a sense that his time on this earth was growing short, and he wouldn't be with us too much longer. I had no reason to think this, because he wasn't sick at all. He was elderly, but in great shape. Like I used to do so often, I just dismissed it from my mind. Four months later he was diagnosed with cancer, and he died a few weeks after that. This situation is very different than the other one, simply because it was this family member's time to pass on. Nothing I said or did would have made a difference. It was his time to leave this earth, and I picked up on it. End of story.

I have often wondered why I'm given information like this, when it's clear I can do nothing about it. What's the point? I've come to realize that when you're open psychically, you get whatever there is, the good and the bad. If you refuse to accept the bad, you also shut out the good. When you're open, you're open and all you can do is use your best judgment on when to say something about what you sense, and when to keep your mouth shut. Always consider the other person's feelings about what you might say. Try to help in any way you can, but also realize that they may not want to know. Respect that and accept it. Let go of what you cannot control.

Help for Psychically Sensitive Souls

As I stated above, sometimes people who are too open psychically can find crowded places extremely painful and uncomfortable. This especially applies to people who are strong in clairsentience, but it pertains to the other senses as well. In these situations, sensitives often feel bombarded with psychic impressions, emotions, thoughts and a flood of information from the people around them and even from the building they are in. There are many methods of reducing this psychic "noise". Experiment and find which one works best for you. Here are a couple of ideas:

Close the reception areas - above I mentioned where the psychic reception areas are for each psychic sense. If you feel bombarded with unwanted information, focus on "closing" those areas to shut it out. Just like you visualized those areas opening during the exercises, visualize them closing now. You could also visualize a shield of protective energy covering them, blocking out unwanted impressions. You may not need to do this with ALL of the reception areas, especially if you're only strong in one or two psychic senses. If this applies to you, just focus on closing those that you're strongest in.

"Zip up" a shield of protective energy - visualize a big "pouch" of energy, like a sleeping bag. It can be any color you wish, whatever is most soothing to you. I usually use white, but that's my preference. Visualize yourself stepping into this pouch of energy, and pulling it up and around you. Pull it all the way over your head so you are completely encased in its protective warmth. Then "zip" it up, just like a sleeping bag. You are now encased in a shield of energy. This works very well and I've used it many times myself.

Fun Exercises to Develop Your Psychic Abilities

Here are some more fun exercises to try, by yourself or with others:

~* A good way to test your psychic skill is to have a friend or family member cut out pictures from magazines (or use actual photographs) and seal each one in an envelope (without you watching obviously). Make sure it's an envelope you can't see through! If you're doing this with a friend, have them prepare your pictures, and you prepare theirs. When you're ready, take one of your envelopes and hold it in your hands. Try to see if you can pick up any information about what's in the picture. Jot down any impressions you get. Don't worry about being wrong, and don't judge or rationalize what you sense. Simply make a note of it. When you don't feel like you're getting anything else from the picture in the envelope, open it and see how accurate you were. Don't be surprised if you pick up a lot of information about the picture without completely describing the whole thing. For example, you might pick up certain colors or objects in the picture, but not all of them. Sometimes you may be totally off and get the whole thing wrong. That's okay! Keep practicing and you'll be surprised at how good you can get at this.

~* Cut out squares of different colored construction paper. Try to stick with the primary colors, such as red, green, blue, yellow, orange, black, etc. Make the squares the same size, 5" x 5" is good. Have a friend blindfold you (make sure you can't see!) and hand you one sheet of paper at a time. Then try to "feel" what color it is.

~* Sit back to back with a friend (or you can do this with you and your friend in different locations), and have her think about a very specific item. Have her focus on "sending" you the information psychically, and try to pick up on what she's thinking. Have a pad and pen with you, and jot down any impressions you receive.

~* Before going somewhere, try to sense how many people will be there when you arrive, or how many cars will be in the parking lot. (Obviously, you want to do this only with small gatherings, otherwise you'll be there counting all day!) You could also try to sense how many pieces of mail you will receive that day, or who's calling on the phone before you pick it up (or even just try to sense if the caller is male or female).

Good luck and have fun! :-)

http://www.wingsforthespirit.com

The Damned

In today's society the strange are not very accepted, and often complain about it despite the fact that the worst they get are stares and maybe an otherwise avoidable traffic ticket or two. I personally find it ridiculous, because these people choose to be different unlike people with the misfortune of being born with deformities, just like I've chosen, but refuse to accept the consequences of their decision. It is for this reason that I've decided to post about people who chose to be different back in the old days, and sometimes were just accused of being different, and the price they had to pay in the end. Maybe this will shut those emo kids up for a while...

Accused witches

Witches and those like them have been around sense the dawn of time, though it was only during the introduction of Judo-Christianity that they were deemed evil and spawns of Satan. According to recorded history it became a common practice around the early 1400's. It is unfortunate that the gospel itself brought them no harm, but as it always goes when you present a complicated idea to a mass of stupid people something always goes horribly wrong.

The people targeted with the accusation of witchcraft were on occasion practitioners or unrelenting pagans, but far more often than not they were just the mentally ill, the misunderstood or the poor. What is currently known as schizophrenia was first viewed as prophetic ability, whereas the person could converse with spirits and the deceased. Upon the introduction of Christianity, they were believed to hold the power of Discernia, which is the ability to detect and communicate with angels or demons, and sometimes both. Over time, as often happens with oral tradition and old works of religious documentation, Discernia was somehow either forgotten or scewed into the belief that these people were possessed by demons. The sufferers were first taken to a holy man for exorcism either once or a few times, depending on the importance or wealth of the person, and when this yielded no results the individual was either run off from the village or killed.

The impoverished rarely followed the common etiquette of the towns people, and this was generally because they couldn't afford to. The women couldn't by the clothes to cover themselves, had little opportunity to properly wash, and in desperate times even engaged in prostitution in a last effort to feed themselves. It is for these reasons that when it came to the poor the women were almost always the ones accused. Methods for doing away with accused witches of all kinds include the following:

• Throwing them into the river: If they floated they were witches and were burned at the stake and if they sank they were dead anyway from drowning. The conviction in the case of witchcraft was almost always the death penalty as well.


• Burning: Either at the stake or thrown onto a pile, this was a popular method. Many believed destroying the body in this manner eliminated the possibility for them to return from the dead. Also, when burned on a pile the towns people would often throw their belongings into the pile with them, in a effort to rid themselves of potentially cursed items.


• Stoning: Back in the ancient days a stoning would involve throwing rocks at someone until someone made a fatal blow. However, by the time the witch hunts began the people would just assume dig a shallow hole in the ground and pile rocks on top of the unfortunate victim. This led to the crushing of the ribcage and eventual suffocation.

The Left-handed

According to statistics today, only 3 out of every 100 people are left-handed. Scientists believe it is not hereditary, but I am left-handed and so is my father so the odds are against them on that one. Once considered little more than an interesting trait, the left-handed were eventually considered children of the devil somewhere through the course of history, and were treated as such. The term left is actually Latin for sinister, which tells you for just how long the left side has been associated with the evil and just plain bad. In the early middle ages children were beaten and sometimes killed for using their left hand. Believe it or not, left-handed children were being encouraged and even forced to use their right hand as recently as fifty years ago. I personally knew an old woman who told me herself that as a child in school they would tie her left hand to her desk so she was forced to write with her right one. She was ambidextrous as a result.

The Deformed

In today's society those burdened with deformities suffer the incessant gawking of the public every time they have to go out on common endeavors that we participate in without incident every day. Believe it or not, it has been worse. Back in the fifties was around the time the government started to help the deformed rather than just hide them, by offering funded income and medical insurance to aid them in any complications they might face due to their illness. However, as recently as the early 1700s infants born deformed were severely neglected and often left to die. Further before that almost every culture would abandon them entirely and races like the Vikings would actually leave a sick infant naked in the snow over night. If the child survived it was allowed to live. If not, well, you get the idea.

To those lost to the ignorance and unsettling violence innate to human beings, I'd like say something you've been needing to hear for all of these years: We miss you, we love you, and on behalf of mankind - we are sorry. And for those of us both chastised and chastising, the moral of the story is stop complaining - It could always be worse.

Source: http://strigoiii.blogspot.com/

*Personal Note: I am also Left-Handed and of the Left-Handed Path [neither are related]