Thoughts on Psychic Abilities

(From the Wednesdays in Chicago Spiritism Classes June 21, 2017)

Note: The interview below was with Kurt Leland, an author who has written several books. His website is www.KurtLeland.com. There are additional insights from James Van Praagh’s website http://www.vanpraagh.com/. James is a medium who has authored ten books, and he also offers classes, appears frequently on television, and at his own events.

QUESTION: A lot of people are interested in developing their psychic powers. What advice would you give them?
KURT LELAND (KL): When we hear a term such as psychic powers, we tend to think of them as something other than normal, from an unknown realm or level of being - or something to be afraid of or acquired by force or practice. Typically such abilities might be called telepathy, precognition, clairvoyance (seeing auras), second sight (perceiving spirits), remote viewing, astral travel, or even a "magical influence" over people and events. I think of psychic powers as the natural coexistence of living within and evolving our human bodies. My advice to people who want to develop so-called psychic powers is not to target specific name-brand abilities, but rather to develop your existing abilities and see what shows up. 

JAMES VAN PRAAGH (JVP): In Greek, the word psychic means “of the soul”, and that is the secret to enhancing your intuition. To access the voice of your soul, you must turn down the noise and static of everyday life – even if it’s just for a few minutes a day. You can do this by meditating, journaling, or by taking a quiet, mindful walk. Practice this every day and you will find your connection to your own “inner knowing” and to the Spirit world growing stronger. All mediums are psychic, but all psychics have not necessarily developed to the point where they can communicate with the Spirit world as a medium. Spirits vibrate at a much higher frequency than the living. In order to bridge the gap and make a connection, a medium must raise his or her own vibration higher and, in turn, Spirit has to lower its vibration so the two can meet. 

QUESTION: Why would you say people today feel so distant from those unseen, subtle levels or abilities?
KL: They are locked in their mental material bodies, as a result of family and social conditioning, and materialism leads to skepticism. An overdeveloped mental body is like an overdeveloped physical body – the focus is becoming one thing (muscle-bound), which reduces the flexibility or ability to see anything else. A mind that is only focused on increasing size and strength (with mathematical, linguistic, and reasoning abilities) is also reduced in flexibility or receptivity. 

The mental body becomes like a fearful teenager hiding in his or her bedroom, with thoughts speeded up through stimulation by social media, electronic devices, and computer games, and dominated only by a series of likes and dislikes. This results in anxiety, indecisiveness, and black-and-white thinking. To the mental body isolated in this way, the physical body seems bent on betraying us, there’s no soul, or inner spirit to guide us, and the whole purpose of life seems to be managing our anxiety. 
Think of the body as needing three distinctive things: 
- The physical body needs experiences that are based on the senses – exercise, healthy food, beautiful surroundings, bare feet on the grass or beach, maybe a satisfying sex life. 
- The emotional body needs authentic heart-to-heart connections with others. 
- The mental body needs the experience of a community of others who share our beliefs and values, which helps us to define our usefulness and purpose. 
Acting in a humanitarian manner, feeling, thinking, and serving is when our spiritual powers begin to unfold, as we are using our physical, emotional and mental bodies all at once. We start seeing with our inner senses, providing new ways of looking at the world we normally experience in just one category. 

QUESTION: Whom would you advise not to undergo psychic development?
KL: Anyone who is anxious, depressed, or prone to exaggerated states of enthusiasm or elation or to the point of obsessive or addictive behavior. These states strain in the relationship between our body and the consciousness that we call ourselves. Those issues need to be overcome before psychic development can be pursued safely. 

The problem with anxieties and fears is that they attract what we are afraid of, resulting in interactions with undesirable spirits. Undesirable interactions may also occur with depression. The problem with enthusiasm or elation is that it makes everything we experience seem more glamorous than it really is, resulting in self-deception or deception by prankish or malevolent entities. We need to learn how to maintain a balanced, clear-headed perspective as we investigate the possibilities of our own abilities. 

JVP: There are different levels of consciousness and other dimensions of life that exist beyond the physical one. Think of the vastness of the universe – and it will make sense that spirits don’t necessarily communicate as you would expect them to. Spirit communication is like speaking a foreign language. Words might not have a common meaning but images and emotions are universal. I receive these psychic images from spirit as images or emotions, and it’s my job to interpret these messages. 

QUESTION: Why do mediums sometimes get the wrong message? 
JVP: Because the spirits communicate in symbols, mediums can’t always interpret symbols correctly. For example, a spirit might be touching her throat – which could have something to do with a necklace or the fact that she had lost her voice, or that she had a medical issue involving her throat. 

QUESTION: Why is so much of society today dead set against believing in the existence of the psychic realms? 
KL: Religious teachings in many cultures indicate that such things are distractions on the spiritual path and possibly the product of malevolent beings such as the Christian devil. Scientific materialism has persuaded us that psychic realms, spiritual paths, malevolent beings, and the devil are nothing but superstitions. 

The scientific view that the physical body is a machine that gradually wears out and needs to be ‘fixed’ by an ever-expanding medicine chest of only partially effective remedies. The metaphysical view that the body is a conscious entity that needs care, that it could be our friend, and that we might have ways of learning from it.. As humans, we have the potential to rise from lowest physical level to the highest spiritual range, as we explore and develop our multidimensional humanity – and our ability to respond appropriately to each other and to other realms and beings for the mutual benefit of all.

Chicago - January 1, 2017

(Note: These notes were authored by Denise)
Attendees: Sonia, Denise, Frank, Emiliano, Esperanza, Isabel, Ron, Xavier

Instead of a regular session, we decided to hold a class.  Sonia saw a white light in the corner as she was reading the opening prayer. One of the prayers we were directed to say was the prayer for St. Francis for Frank. (Note: The prayer for St. Francis is a Catholic prayer, it is not a prayer for spiritist sessions.)

A message was received about our need to have correct thinking – negative thoughts always want to overthrow the positive.  Emiliano related that as Sonia was reading the prayer for St. Francis, Frank was given an object but he was unsure if Frank received it.

Our discussion then turned to a comment made by Don Juan stating that the work waits for Nelson to reappear; all agreed that the work continued and progression was being made while Nelson is away on vacation or visiting other places.  There is no need to wait for Nelson for the work to be done or for any progression (group or individual) to be made. 

We discussed that when a message is received by a medium, they should not interpret the message, but give the message as it was shown to them.  With everything that happens to us, there is a lesson that we need to learn and then move forward as a better person.  Emiliano believes that he receives messages through dreams which he has been writing down.  (Read more about dreams and spiritism here:

https://nwspiritism.com/your-destiny/how-to-interpret-dreams-the-spirit-world-guides-us-in-our-sleep/)

We have also read passages from Kardec's The Spirits’ Book.  Questions 403 – 404 regarding dreams and their meaning. (see the two questions below)

403. Why do we not always remember our dreams? 
“Sleep is only rest for the body, and the spirit always remains active. The spirit is partially free while sleeping, and communicates with loved ones, in both this world and other worlds. As the body is heavy and material, it is difficult for it to retain possession of the impressions received by the spirit during sleep, because those impressions were not received through the physical organs.” 

404. What should we think of the significance attributed to dreams? 
“Dreams are not indications of the future, as is often alleged by fortune-tellers. It is absurd to believe that a certain kind of dream reveals the occurrence of a specific event. However, they are indications in the sense that they present images which are real for the spirit, though they may have nothing to do with its present physical life. In many cases, dreams are a memory, and sometimes an intuition, of the future, if permitted by God, or the vision of something that is taking place in some other place to which the soul has traveled. Have you not heard of the many instances proving that individuals may appear to friends and family in dreams, warning them of what is happening to them? What are apparitions, if not the soul or spirit of individuals who are communicating with you? When you are certain that what you saw has actually taken place, is it not proof that it was not a figment of your imagination, especially if what you saw was something that you had not thought of when you were awake?” 

Emiliano dreamt that the group was going to disintegrate because another group pushed us out of the temple (see question 404 above: "It is absurd to believe that a certain kind of dream reveals the occurrence of a specific event.")  Emiliano said that in his dream, three spiritual priests had arrived, and they were praying and bowing. These priests left to go look for Nelson because they knew we had disappeared from the center. 

We were reminded of a quote from the bible, “Where there are two or more gathered there I shall be.” (from Matthew 18:20)

Isabel then related that Ron has epilepsy, and he has had seizures in the past, but since he has been regularly attending our sessions, he has not had any episodes in the last two years.

Another bible quote: “Lord, make me an instrument of your peace”  (Note: This is not a quote from the bible, although the bible mentions peace many times, (see: https://www.openbible.info/topics/lord_make_me_an_instrument_of_thy_peace) The "Lord, make me an instrument of your peace," is another Catholic prayer to Saint Francis, and although it's a nice thought, it has nothing to do with the bible or with spiritsm.)

Sonia related that Nelson has shared a part of what is coming in the following year: A balance.  Xavier noticed a very tall figure standing next to him and he was given the impression of a detective.

Closing Prayer

After the Wednesday Class - June 28,2017

In attendance: Bernardo, Carmen, Denise, Gabe, Isaac, Jeff, Nelson and X

Spirit 1 (via Nelson): When Bernardo arrived for our class on negative energy, Nelson immediately noticed that there were negative spirits with him.  At the end of the class, a laughing, mocking spirit decided to sit:

Spirit (to Bernardo): Be careful who you call!  (reeling with laughter)  He calls us, but he doesn't know who arrives to answer him!  He likes calling on saints. I appeared as St, Martin de Porres (a Peruvian Catholic saint of mixed race).  He calls on the saints and the spirits and I show up (laughing, almost unable to speak) and he thinks he has power!  Every day we receive his calls.  (Carmen coached the spirit)  He's my friend, and now you tell me that I have to leave him?  Who will answer his calls?  He calls us to provide miracles for his family (with blood and ice).  I hear everything he thinks.  He seeks, he waits, and we give him a small result - so he keeps calling us back.  He asks us, 'Cure her blood (in regards to his daughter),' and I go over there with injections, and all of us laugh so much!  (to Bernardo)  Don't be scared, you know you call me!  We come to him to help, because he thinks he has power, but we have the power.  He needs to be careful when he calls, because the ones who show up (laughed) are not the ones he thinks!  He invited us here, but I do not like being here, because I cannot do what I want. He keeps asking how much time he has left (Bernardo is obsessed with finding out exactly when he will die), and I tell him some random amount of days, and then he runs to her (Carmen) in fear!  It's so funny!  I disguise myself, and I like fooling him.  Sometimes I send someone else, depending on what he asks for (to Isaac and X)  Hey boys, what would you like?  A girlfriend, car, money?  I can call one of my boys, but they need to do what I say.  We work together.  We are not doing bad things, he just keeps asking for the impossible.  Let me look into my crystal ball (demonstrated) and decide what we tell him (laughed), let me look into this ball and tell him when he will die!  It's close to 2024, or at least that's what we told him!  His bed sheets get hot.  He wonders why they start out ice cold, but then I get in them, and they are hot! (Bernardo agreed)  He feels me immediately.  Don't call us, and we will stop showing up!  They tell me to count everyone.  We are three bosses, eight soldiers, and six mocking clowns - but it's seven when you count me.  We needed to be there for him so he would make himself think.  He hasn't learned that everything has a consequence - don't ask, or we will show up!  But now, we are all leaving together.  (laughter)  And St. Martin de Porres (the saint that Bernardo was praying to) is coming along with us!

Nelson's guide ushered the group of spirits out.  Caballito offered advice to Bernardo and answered a couple of questions, and Nelson closed with a prayer.

Avoiding Negative Energy

(From the Wednesdays in Chicago Spiritism Classes - June 28, 2017)

In many of our sessions, we are often advised (especially the mediums) to "protect ourselves" from negative spirit energy. What does this mean, and how can we do it? 

What are negative energies?
They are unpleasant energies that can build up over a period of time, sometimes for hundreds of years or longer. The main cause for negative energy is undesirable human emotions and actions (such as anger, jealousy, violence, etc.). Our mood may become worse around certain people and/or in certain places, and we may find that we lose a lot of energy (feeling drained or tired) in these circumstances. We may also have a problems such as insomnia, poor sleep, nightmares or low energy levels due to negative energies. If the negative energy issue is not addressed, it may lead to chronic fatigue, frequent colds, illnesses or other physical/mental problems. 

Where do these negative energies come from?
Although human thoughts and emotions are the most frequent, there are many sources for negative energy. The negative energy may be intentional or unintentional:
Human: Any form of self-defeating emotion or thoughts such as pessimism, anger, or jealousy, can build up in the atmosphere. If we (or someone else) has those types of thoughts, negative energy is automatically projected in our direction. Because negative spirits are attracted to negative energy, those thoughts can draw negative spirits to us.
Spirit/Entities: As with human thoughts, any emotion that is not positive from a spirit can linger and build up in the atmosphere of a room or house. Or like the spirits, the energy can travel with us, in our minds.
Natural Energies: They are found all around us in the environment. When high levels of unnatural energies are present, they can cause people to become depressed and anxious. 
Technology: Many of our modern gadgets (such as cell phones, microwaves and computers, among others) can create negative energy.
Objects: Antiques or second-hand objects can hold the energies of the people who once owned them. This may happen with handmade objects such as works of art or homemade crafts. We may be initially attracted to these objects because they resonate within our perispirit. But if the creators or the previous owners had emotional or mental health problems, those negative energies might also be attached to the objects. 

Why would spirits send us negative energy?
Negative energy that is paranormal doesn't have to be an actual spirit. There could be residual energy from events that happened many years before, leaving a stain on the environment of a room or an entire house. When there is a spirit presence, it doesn't necessarily mean that it is an evil spirit. We may encounter confused, trapped earthbound spirits who are depressed or scared, and those negative emotions will affect us. When we come into contact with this low energy from a spirit, it may cause adverse affects (such as feeling tired, low in mood, or having headaches). 

How can we recognize negative energy?
With negative spirit presences, there are signs that can be picked up by our physical senses, and with certain feelings that can affect us mentally:
- Bad odors of unknown origin that manifest spontaneously and disappear quickly
- Strong feelings of oppression and of being constantly watched
- Experiencing powerful negative emotions and images that we normally do not suffer
- Disturbed sleep due to noises, movement of objects, smells, or bad dreams
- A room or an entire house may feel very heavy and uncomfortable to be in 
- Nausea, headaches, or other ailments that disappear or ease up after leaving a location 

How do we repel the negative spirit energies?
Regardless of where the negative energy comes from, the same basic techniques can be used to cleanse the atmosphere and make it a healthier and a more refreshing area to live in. Positive energies will dissolve the negative ones, but we need to arrange for the positive spirits to help protect us against the negative ones. Negative thoughts can be canceled or extinguished by directing a positive thought of the same, or greater strength at it. When they meet, the negative thought will dissolve. 
- Tell the spirit to leave. Be firm, control your fear, and let the energy know it is not welcome
- Ask for help and understanding at a Spiritist Center
- Use a spiritist cleansing technique (such as burning sage)
- Change your behavior to discourage additional, similar spirit energies 

Where does the negative energy go? 
When the positive spirits predominate, many of the negative entities can be permanently removed to other spirit worlds. In other words, the negative energy now feels uncomfortable (because the positive energy is stronger) so it is removed or relocated. 

How can we generate positive thoughts to protect ourselves? 
This can be achieved with prayer or visualization. A common example of visualization is to imagine yourself surrounded by a protective bubble of light. We might also imagine ourselves as a hot ball of light - like the sun - radiating a hot, bright, light outward to remove the dark. Our protection needs to be stronger than the negative energy, and in some cases, that might mean that we need to remove ourselves from the source of the negative energy. We are told to apply sun screen to protect ourselves from the rays of the sun, but the only way to be truly protected would be to remove ourselves from the sun. 

The best way to receive help from positive spirits is by requesting it with prayer. How would we structure such a protection prayer? Ask for:
- Protection against all that is not of or from the light (for entities alive and dead)
- Healing help on all levels (for the person sending the negative thoughts and for yourself). Love, light and healing energies are not just something that we need, they are also useful for those who are working against our spiritual progression. 
- Guidance with our life. Maybe we did something to someone (dead or alive, and in the past or the present) and now we need to assure that our intentions were understood. Mention a specific thing you may have said or done, or ask for general spiritual help with becoming a better channel for love, light, healing, guidance and inspiration. 

Remember that our own negative thinking and emotions can weaken or reduce our protection. And keep in mind that things may take time. Some people may think that praying for one night and imagining white light around them for five minutes will solve all of their problems. This is unlikely. Suppose that negative energy had built up around you and your home for ten years. Do you think it would be reasonable to expect it to go away in five minutes? Think of it this way: If you had a cigarette lighter, could you melt an iceberg? Of course, but it would take you much longer than five minutes. Be patient and persistent. 

Chicago - December 18, 2016

(Note: These notes were authored by Gabe)

Table: Denise, Carmen, Sonia, Gabe

Attendees: Bernardo, Jose, Janet, Isaac, X, Frank

Opening Prayer

·      Carmen sensed that Janet was breaking down, again.

·      She was advised not to stress out so much about things that cannot be controlled.

·      She was worried about Tony (her brother who had an attack of some sort)

·      Sonia believed that she needed to have more love for herself.

Spirit #1 via Carmen (w Janet)

·      I have constantly told you, live for yourself. Love yourself.

·      The other ones won't stop living for you.

·      We ask so little, it's all for your benefit. You need to shake it all off and see all the blessings you have.

·      Do things for you, leave those negative things behind,

·      Love yourself, sleep without any worries.

·      You have been difficult.

·      Janet asked, "Where do I start?"

·      Reply: With you!  Inside.  We come by so often, value it.

·      Janet: But why is there so much death/suffering?

·    Reply: There are many that like living negatively.  Sometimes we (the spirits) suffer more than you. You are rich in the material, but you are lacking spiritually.  If you have one good day in a week, that’s a lot.  We can work with you, but you must let us in with positive thinking.   It's too late to help them (other family members), they are in too deep.  Protect yourself.  Things are going to happen, regardless if you stress out about it or not.  You cant prevent what’s going to happen, we cannot.  When you surround yourself with a bad environment, you attract even more of the negative with your bad thoughts.  No problem kills, only if you accelerate it, and your sorrow is becoming too large.  We are still helping, but you need to help yourself to see the change that you are looking for..

·      Janet: What should I do?

·      Make good.  It doesn't matter to whom, BUT do it in a way that it doesn't harm yourself.  Create peace in your mind.  My time is over, this was the message. We leave you strength. Goodbye.

Sonia advised Janet that sometimes prayer works better than action/getting involved.

Sonia advised Frank that his situation at work was a spirit to spirit dislike.  Positive thinking/influences would have an effect on reducing the stress/tension.

Spirit #2 via Sonia (w Frank)

·      You think you know all, don't you?  I will break what you are, what you do.  (Frank is a music teacher) You will be out in no time.  I have more power.

·      Carmen: Who gave you that power?

·      She did (Frank's female boss).  I have all the power in this school.  It's all been good for us, we don't care if we caused him stress.

·      Frank: There were two bosses.  She kicked the director out, so now she’s the queen.

·      Spirit: I don't really want to do bad things.  And  I don't want to suffer anymore. Were both going (two spirits).  I was forced.  So now I will leave, and I'll learn to do better.

Updates on X’s and Isaac’s mom (she was undergoing therapy), followed by some supportive comments about the year, and general updates on everyone.  (Next session will be 1/1/2017)

Closing prayer

(Note: The Chicago group and Florida group were both skipping sessions because of the holidays, and the group in Argentina would not be meeting until March - as the summer temperatures were too intense.  Nelson's spirit guide came to him in Florida and asked if just Nelson and Jeff could meet.  Caballito explained, "I knocked on all the doors, and no one answered."  We often get so caught up in our material world circumstances that we forget all about the spirit side, where the work continues without any breaks.  Ironically, Mary in Argentina received the same message from her guide, and she reopened her center.  The Florida group was off from Dec 11 until Jan 18.)

Why Do We Get Sick?

(From the Wednesdays in Chicago Spiritism Classes June 21, 2017)

Why do we get sick? 
Sickness is a state that creates discomfort, pain, imbalance and unpleasant sensations. We need to change, in order to cure ourselves - physically, morally and spiritually. It is a difficult step, but an essential one for all that believe the world needs to evolve. 
(from: Gilberto Schoereder, Spiritism and Science Magazine, No. 78) 

Why do we have so many diseases on our planet? 
Kardec defined our planet as something he called a Trial and Expiation World 
Trial = Made or done as an experiment 
Expiation = The act of making atonement 
"Where evil predominates, with more evil than good, this is where the spirits have the opportunity of repaying the mistakes of past lives and improving themselves. It is a world of tests and atonements, not a place of happiness, and the planet Earth fits into this category." (from the Gospel According to Spiritism) 

Where do diseases come from? 
"Being that the soul is responsible for the thoughts and the free will of our actions, it is natural that the spirit can influence not only our behavior, but the cells of our organism - leading to states of health or sickness. Good thoughts create around the person transmitting them, a powerful fluid field of forces that produce wellness and cancel evil vibrations that were directed to that person. On the other hand, a person who stays in a neutral or negative state will have open doors to receive evil or bad vibrations, and will therefore suffer the consequences." (from Diseases of the Soul, by Dr Roberto Brolio) 

"We can say that good thoughts create around the person who transmits them, a powerful fluidic field of forces that produces wellness and neutralizes or cancels evil vibrations directed to a person. On the other hand, the person who stays in a neutral or negative state opens doors to receive evil or bad vibrations, and will therefore suffer the consequences." (from: Diseases of the Soul, Dr. Roberto Brolio, p.33) 

Can we cure our own diseases? 
We need to balance and harmonize ourselves: 
- Body (with food, exercise) 
- Emotions (with mental stimulation, self help books or discussions) 
- Psychology (self awareness and knowledge) 
- Spiritism (by knowing ourselves and understanding others) 
"Do what I myself used to do during my life upon the earth. At the close of each day, I examined my conscious, reviewed all that I had done, and asked myself whether I had not failed in some duty, whether someone might have a reason to complain of me. It was in this way that I succeeded in obtaining a knowledge of myself, and in ascertaining what there was in me that needed reforming."  (from: The Spirits' Book, Allan Kardec) 

Can diseases be prevented? 
"Positive thoughts, faith, determination, intelligence and our will, give us the possibilities to achieve our full development in all situations of our life." 
(from: Diseases of the Soul, Dr. Roberto Brolio, p.168) 

Some of the Pharisees and teachers of the law came to Jesus from Jerusalem and asked, "Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders by not washing their hands before they eat?" And Jesus called the multitude and said unto them, "Hear and understand. What goes into someone's mouth does not defile (degrade or dishonor) them...the things that come out of a person's mouth come from the heart, and those defile them. 
(from Matthew 15-18, Gospel According to Spiritism, Chapter 8)

Just A Thought