Every Saturday night my daughter and I watch a show called Iron Chef on the Food Network.

For those of you who don’t know, Iron Chef is a competition between two great chefs. They’re shown a secret ingredient at the beginning of the show, and then they’re given one hour to create a selection of dishes containing the secret ingredient.

Each week I exercise my intuitive abilities by trying to guess the secret ingredient. Out of the last three shows, I got two of them correct.

Recently though, I was kinda right. I guessed that the secret ingredient was pigs feet – and this was true.

However pigs feet was only one of several secret ingredients that night. On this particular episode they also had pigs blood, chitterlings and a whole host of other innards.

So in one way I was correct – pigs feet was one of the ingredients. But it wasn’t the only one.

This is a perfect example of what happens when two psychics read the same person.

While I picked up pigs feet, someone else might’ve gotten chitterlings or pancreas (which were also ingredients). Another psychic might’ve gotten the whole guts spread.

Psychic information comes to different people in different ways. Some people feel it, while others see it or hear it.

Likewise, one psychic might pick up that you’re changing jobs, while another might sense that you’re going to have major car troubles. Having no car means that you can’t get to and from work, also leading to a job change.

Basically the same end result, told in two different ways.

What about psychics who relay information that’s 100% wrong?

First off, no psychic is correct 100% of the time.

And for that matter, no physician is correct 100% of the time. I’ll venture forth to say that millions of people are prescribed medications that do nothing to help them.

If you’re a parent, you’re not correct 100% of the time. Sometimes we can be too easy on our kids, sometimes we’re too hard, and the results of either can lead our kids the wrong way.

The president of the United States isn’t correct 100% of the time. Nor are most other world leaders.

The legal system isn’t correct 100% of the time – there are people in jail who really didn’t commit the crime.

NOBODY is correct 100% of the time. Psychics – just like parents, doctors, presidents, judges, police officers, business owners, consultants, etc – do what they do to help people.

And without fail, each of these people still get things wrong some of the time. That’s not just how the psychic world works, it’s how the world works in general.

Though I believe the biggest AHA! of them all is that all messages are meant to be heard.

It’s kind of like the person who’s paralyzed in a drunk driving accident, and then goes on to teach teenagers about the dangers of drunk driving.

It’s not something you particularly want. But when you see the end result you understand that perhaps the Universe had a grand plan after all.

And don’t forget… your future is ALWAYS changeable.

I’m a firm believer that each day we are in charge of making decisions that could alter our futures in incredible ways.

That one belief keeps me aware and very much focused in the moment. It helps me to make more intuitive decisions, and to do so with firm conviction.

In saying that, when a psychic sees one thing in your future, please remember that you always have the ability to change course through the decisions you make.

Unhappiness – or happiness for that matter – isn’t written in stone.

Use a psychic to gain insight. But in the end you should trust yourself to create your own future.

It’s easy for most of us to feel intuitive and spiritually connected right after we’ve meditated.

The not-so-easy part comes when you’re trying to get into that mode when you’re at work, dealing with a significant other, or when you’re in the midst of the proverbial “shit hitting the fan.”

In fact, that’s the part that stunted my intuitive growth for many, many years. I couldn’t figure out how to match the inner intuitive me with the outer worldly me, at the same time.

It’s hard. And for me, the two halves didn’t really become a whole until I started giving intuitive readings.

When you sit down to give a reading you have to be “on” in front of somebody. So you’re forced to communicate from an intuitive vantage point. You have to be able to think it/feel it/see it/hear it (get the insight), speak the information you get, AND often try to interpret it as best as you can.

It’s like buying some CD’s to learn Italian, and then being shuttled to Rome to practice what you’ve learned. Although you probably know most of what to say, you’re going to feel nervous whenever you have to communicate.

But you also know that the more you force yourself to speak Italian, the better your pronunciation becomes, and the better you’ll be able to understand the natives.

I guess that’s why the act of giving readings – even just practicing on friends and family – helped me to become more intuitive in my everyday life. I was forced to speak the “language,” ultimately helping my fluency levels increase.

Now I’m not saying that you should run out and start giving readings. I mean if that’s your calling, then by all means do it. But if not, there’s a more direct path you can take.

1) When you wake up in the morning, acknowledge to the Universe that you’re intuitively doing or saying the right thing at the right time.
I’m not an affirmation practitioner, but I do believe that habitual repetition of action is golden. Even if you’re repeating the same thing once a day instead of 50 times a day.

As soon as the alarm sounds off at 4am, I smile a great big smile.

I say the same prayer of thanks every morning. I greet my guides and we exchange pleasantries.

I do this every, single morning without fail. It seriously helps to establish my mood for the day. And my philosophy is that you start things the way you want to finish them.

2) Pull a cue card.
A friend of mine shuffles her tarot deck and pulls a single card every morning. She uses that card as a point of awareness for the day. When a tricky situation presents itself, she thinks back to the significance of the card.

I started off pulling a card-a-day, but now I’m a bit more esoteric in my approach. As I’m performing my morning duties I allow an object to speak to me. Sometimes it’s a book. Sometimes I’ll notice that the clock times are different. Maybe it’s just an emotion that comes over me.

Either way, when I see or feel the object I instinctively know that it’s my cue card for the day.

If I’ve got an ongoing situation, I attempt to interpret the significance of that object. Otherwise I just remember it. Its purpose will normally come into play sometime during course of the day.

3) Listen and think with your whole body.
When I’m getting ready to give a reading over the telephone, I’m listening with much more than my left ear. I listen with my entire body.

And though it might sound strange, I can feel the energetic vibrations within the person’s voice. It will travel right through my body like a mellow shock of electricity.

I noticed that when I allow my whole body to absorb the sound, I get a much clearer reading. And yes… it can work for you too.

Take a few moments right now to imagine a white energy field circling your entire body. Keep it close to your physical body and imagine that it’s pulsating like a heartbeat. That’s your aura.

Listening with your aura is a good thing because your aura always surrounds you. So whether your speaking to someone face-to-face, over the telephone, or even online, you can take a few minutes to feel the situation out with your aura.

With daily practice you’ll notice how your aura changes depending on the situation. Sometimes when I’m thinking about doing something I get a steady humming feeling. For me, that’s a positive sign. Other times it’s like a rolling wave of energy. And sometimes there’s absolutely nothing.

Nothing is important too, so don’t try to force a feeling if you’re not feeling anything.

The thing about listening with your body is that you have to learn how to interpret the feelings that you’re getting. Because a hum might be positive for me, and a big NO for somebody else.

So initially you’re also going to go with your first impression (as far as what you should do). And you’re going to keep track of how your decision panned out. Was it good or bad?

4) Be consistent.
Perform these steps on a daily basis and you’ll begin to notice that your intuition is actually helping you in your everyday life.

Just like any other natural gift, there are going to be times when you’ll feel shaky about your intuitive abilities. I think every professional psychic has gone through a reading where they begin second guessing whatever it is they see or feel.

I just want you to know that this is perfectly normal. We are – after all – talking about a skill that can seem to come from nowhere. Moments of self-doubt are to be expected, especially if you’re just starting out.

And that’s where a power word can come into play. A power word can be an instant confidence booster. It can be said quietly, out loud, or you can even imagine it floating around your aura.

Sometimes when I’m giving a reading I’ll imagine my own power word resting within my heart chakra. It’s my reminder to stay focused, when I might be feeling otherwise.

So what’s my power word?

It’s the same one that I recommend to anyone who’s developing their intuitive abilities – TRUST.

TRUST for an intuitive is as necessary as oxygen is for the human body. TRUST brings you back to an inner knowing that you are as insightful as you think you are. It gives you permission to freely speak whatever it is you feel, hear, see or know.

When I first started giving readings to friends of friends, I was oh-so-afraid of letting them know about the things I picked up.

One time, I kept seeing a married woman as a single, stay-at-home mom. When I intuitively read the tarot, the cards were telling me that her husband was reaching a breaking point. In fact, the hermit card came up twice during the reading. But at the time I didn’t TRUST enough to tell her what I saw.

Keeping the truth hidden doesn’t create a successful reading. If you see or feel something during a reading, there’s a reason for it. And if a person comes to you for your insights then it’s your job to TRUST what you see and relay it.

Life, after all, isn’t one big happy-fest. It’s filled with ups and downs. And in using your intuition you’ll see both the ups and downs.

Your job isn’t to be a shield from the truth. It’s to TRUST that what you see is meant to be expressed to the sitter.

And that also goes for using your intuitive skills on yourself.

For example, how many times have you shoved a negative prophecy to the side because it wasn’t something you wanted to see or hear? I know that I’ve done more times than I care to admit.

Eventually I realized that TRUSTING what I saw would help me in the long run. Nobody likes to think that an earthquake could take away everything they own. But then again, being able to prepare for it does help.

Exercise for today

Either print out or hand write a poster with the word TRUST on it.

Hang it wherever you do your readings, or in the room where you meditate.

Use it liberally as your guidepost.

I believe I was around 4-5 years old. I was in the bathroom, by myself, with the door closed.

I went into the cabinet and pulled out the blow dryer. Then I filled the sink with water, and I was going to use the blow dryer to make bubbles in the water.

Literally three seconds before I put the blow dryer in the water (I had it in my hand, with my finger on the switch) my aunt opened the bathroom door, saw what I was doing, and stopped me.

At that point she was probably shocked out of her mind, but she didn’t show it. She explained how dangerous it was to put electrical appliances in the water, and that I could’ve killed myself. I distinctly remember how calm she was about it.

Even at that young age (and without any fanfare) I realized that my aunt had saved my life. And that brief moment changed me. I just knew that what my aunt had done was part of her reason for being born.

Yes, I know it sounds odd for a child to have that thought. But it was such a moment of clarity. It was like my higher self showed me a big abstract picture, and I completely understood it.

Each and every one of us has the ability to be a divine bonfire in another persons life.

My question to you is, have you saved a life lately?

You were carefully placed on this earth to do just that. And if you haven’t already, one day you will.

Be ready.

My Aunt Jackie was one of the most people beautiful people I’ve ever had the pleasure to know.

I’m not talking about looks – though she was very attractive. I mean her personality, her soul. What she brought to the table of life was pure and real.

At the age of 32 she was diagnosed with breast cancer. She immediately had a mastectomy, several rounds of chemo and radiation. It went into remission.

At the age of 35 it returned with a vengeance, spreading to her spine, her bones, and other organs. It was terminal.

The truth isn’t easy to face

I had come to live with Jackie, Bob and Demetrius (their 7 year old) a few months before that terminal diagnosis. When the tides turned, I would take Demetrius to school and Jackie to her doctor’s appointments.

As much as I like to say that I was helpful, emotionally I was hardly there as much as I could have been. I didn’t know what to say to her most of the time. I was partially stunned, partially angry, and partially going insane inside.

Sometimes I found myself fearful of even being around her. She would grow angry with me as I drove her to her appointments, because I was driving too slow or too fast. She would yell at me because I didn’t bring the trash bag fast enough when she was throwing up.

It was tension-filled like that that until the day before she died.

“Let’s connect, okay…”

However prior to that point she and I had a conversation. We spoke about Bob (her husband) moving on to another woman after she passed.

I jokingly asked if she was going to make the bed shake at night, and we laughed about it.

I told her not to come to me as a spirit because I would be scared. But if she could find a way to let me know that she was okay, that would be good.

Several weeks after that conversation, she died.

It was very sad for all of us. We weren’t expecting her to die at that particular time. The day before she died the doctor told her she had 3-6 months to live. We were stunned that it happened the following day.

Laughter through the tears (in more ways than one)

I remember crying at the hospital that day. It must’ve been 2 hours after she’d passed. My best friend was there trying to console me, and I was going through this really strange emotional thing.

Though I was sad, inside I was a kind of happy that she was finally out of pain. Between the tears I really wanted to laugh.

My Aunt Jackie must’ve sensed that because suddenly – as clear as a gong – I heard her. I heard my Aunt Jackie call my name. CLEARLY.

She didn’t just call me, she told me to stop crying because she couldn’t understand anything I was saying.

And that’s not unusual (except for the timing) because that’s what she ALWAYS told me when I was crying. It was like our private joke when she was alive, and I was going through my frequent bouts of teenage angst.

I knew without a doubt that she was okay, and I dried my tears. My best friend never did hear anyone call me.

Up until that point I wasn’t totally sure that life existed beyond our physical senses.

And from that moment on, I knew that my life would be changed forever.