Dear Julia:

I have been on a conscious spiritual path for many years now. I am an artist by profession, but I am clairvoyant and do some psychic reading work on the side. The thing I don't understand is why I seem to be a magnet for people who are mentally "special." Kids with Down's Syndrome, autism, etc. just flock to me. Sometimes it's overwhelming, for I may never have met them before, and they will just come up and grab me and not let me go, or get excited and animated in my presence and seem frustrated in their efforts to communicate what has them so worked up. While I love their energy and am warmed by their affection, it's also disconcerting sometimes. Their parents/caretakers don't seem too surprised by this behavior, so I'm wondering if this happens often, and if so, how come I've never seen it happen to other people? What's going on? I feel there is something spiritual happening here, but I can't put my finger on what it is.
- Carol

Dear Carol:

Thanks for this wonderful question! While everyone is special in their own way, obviously people who have Down's Syndrome or autism are profoundly "different" from the mainstream in the way they think and approach life. What's really interesting to me is this also true of gifted psychics, and while I've not heard any similar stories from my peers, I have personally shared your experiences with mentally challenged folks, and I would not be surprised if this is a common phenomenon.

First, it's been my perception that mentally challenged people (there is no ideal term, forgive me) tend to be highly intuitive. Their "radars" are always on alert, and they don't "hide" their intuitive screening process; it's right on the surface. They may very openly stare or "scan" new people to get a read on whether they are safe to talk to or not, for example. They may stare into their eyes, searching their souls. They tend to hold back from interaction while they feel new people out, instead of forcing themselves to follow social protocol like the rest of us have been conditioned to do. They're still in the habit of unreservedly using their natural psychic instincts, just like we did when we were children, and just like animals always do.

I have been in your shoes, and like you, I felt flattered by the unsolicited affection and acceptance, but also overwhelmed at times. I have had an autistic girl become so attached to me that she wouldn't let me out of her sight, and actually overwhelmed me physically with her hugs, clinginess and insistence on sitting in my lap, etc. I have had Down's Syndrome kids and adults spontaneously just grab me and hug me and not let go. They will lock in on me even when I'm a stranger in a crowd, grab me or corner me and begin to jabber away excitedly. Sometimes what they are saying seems irrelevant (they could be telling me what they had for breakfast, or any other bit of information that is important to them at that moment), and yet they're bubbling over with excitement. I've had Down's kids drag me back to their parents and begin to talk animatedly, and while I might not be able to understand what they're saying, at an energetic level, it feels like, "Look! I've found someone with her inner light on!" I've not seen it happen to other people either, but it must now and then given the parents' unsurprised reactions.

This acceptance is a wonderful compliment, because I believe it means that they are recognizing the shining quality of your energy; they are attracted to your clear connection to Spirit. In this modern world of science, technology, and endlessly busy schedules, most people are starving for Spirit. When many folks encounter someone who has a clear connection, they feel drawn to them. I have had a number of men get a "crush" on me and not be able to put their finger on why they felt such a strong pull. I knew it was Spirit they were really attracted to; they were just misinterpreting the feeling of connection for romantic attraction. After all, romantic love is just a lower vibrational form of divine love, and these days, we've been socialized to look for a soul mate, not to commune with God.

I believe that many people who struggle with autism are super sensitive like psychics; they're exceptionally intuitive, but so sensitive that functioning in the physical dimension is a huge challenge. Many parents of autistic children report that their kids communicate with them telepathically, and that they seem to have other pronounced intuitive abilities. We might assume that these kids can sense your spiritual connection, and perhaps they also feel that you can "hear" or understand them better than other people can. Perhaps they lack verbal communication abilities because they don't want or need them; if they can mentally communicate with the people they want to interact with, why bother with verbal communication?

I had an amazing experience with dolphins many years ago that I believe ties in here. I was at Sea World with my family, and a crowd was gathered around a tank that held three adult dolphins and one baby. The perimeter of the tank was lined with people slapping at the water, reaching over to try to touch the dolphins as they swam past. As I approached, I could feel the anxiety this was producing in the mother of the baby dolphin. (Imagine that you have a newborn in a cage and there is a swarm of gorillas trying to reach through and touch you or the baby - yikes!) I closed my eyes and sent love to the dolphins, especially the mother, and tried to explain that the people didn't know any better. I don't know what made me do this, it was just an impulse. Suddenly I heard a noise, and I opened my eyes to find all three of the adult dolphins directly in front of me. They had stopped swimming in circles and had their heads up out of the water, excitedly chattering with squeaks right at me. They seemed to be trying to talk to me. As I'd had my eyes shut, I hadn't seen this start to happen, but the rest of the crowd had, and everyone was staring at me, wondering what I'd done.

The point of all of this is to demonstrate that when we can't communicate verbally for some reason, when we can't connect in "normal" ways, we will often be drawn to people who can communicate in the ways that we can. It's the same reason that spirits are drawn to mediums in order to connect with loved ones here on earth: the mediums can hear or otherwise perceive them.

I feel this is what is happening with people who have mental "challenges" who are drawn to psychics, healers and other spiritual folks. They recognize that light, and they sense that this person can communicate with them or understand them. It must be so refreshing to find someone who can "hear" them. Imagine that you've been abducted by aliens and taken to their planet, where everyone communicates telepathically. You try so hard to talk and make them understand, but they either don't comprehend what you're saying, or they can't respond in a way that you understand. Then suddenly you see another Earthling in a crowd, and this person can both communicate with you AND with them. How exciting! You might grab them and get all excited and start chattering away, and maybe drag them over to the aliens you're with so that they can interpret for you, or maybe you'd just hug them in great joy and relief at finding someone "from home."

While these are just rough theories, they may explain this pattern of experience. Many mentally challenged people are wonderfully open-hearted and pure in spirit; when you begin to feel overwhelmed, I encourage you to look for the gifts in these encounters as well as opportunities to be of spiritual service.

- Julia