Dear Julia:

Over the past several years, my life path has been becoming clearer to me. I have been led into doing body work, and recently when I touch people, I see below the surface to the root of the problem. For the past couple of months, my guides have been sending me vast amounts of information - too much to process at one time. I do understand that they are trying to get me ready for my life's work, which involves using energy to manifest in the physical. Since the age of 12, I have been able to create almost at will, and this ability is getting stronger with time. I am highly spiritual and intuitive, but I'm running into some serious blocks now that my guides are pushing these heavy loads of information into me. I'm trying to understand their persistence and what exactly they are trying to get across, and why they're sending it so intensely. It may help you to know that I've been going through some pretty heavy spiritual shifts over the past several months. The shifts have been coming to me one after the other, almost on top of each other. I would greatly appreciate any input you may have to offer.
In Love,
Micah

Dear Micah:

First, know that you're not alone. Many people suffer from "psychic overload." What you're struggling with is like a spiritual power surge, and it has been known to happen to people all over the world throughout history. (Try plugging "kundalini experience" into an internet search engine - you'll get hundreds of hits.) Often, it is sparked by a conscious desire to be of service to humanity, to devote oneself to doing the work of Spirit in the world. Sometimes, however, it seems to come out of nowhere, and blindsides folks who never consciously "asked" for it in any way.

I feel you'll be helped by the work of Stanislov and Christina Grof, who label these experiences "spiritual emergencies." Visit their Spiritual Emergency Resource Center, or call their information and referral service, which offers support and resources to folks dealing with just your sort of situation. The phone number is 415-648-2610. There are a couple of other sites you might visit to get started, such as Sacred Transformations and the Kundalini Resource Center.

When my own psychic doors blew open many years ago, I feared I was losing my mind. Knowing that it's normal to feel crazy can be enormously comforting. In fact, worrying about our sanity is a pretty good indication that we are sane - it's when we are certain that we're sane and think everyone else is missing something that there is cause for concern. Some people actually do "become crazy" for a time; many of them lose touch with physical reality by focusing exclusively on their new realization that they have a "special purpose" here on earth. You see, we all have a special purpose. When folks decide that their special purpose sets them above and apart from all other people, then they're ungrounded. The ego is not "big enough" in and of itself to be able to comfortably handle a commitment to doing the work of Spirit in the world. This is one reason why humility is considered to be an essential facet of enlightenment. When we believe that we're special and others are not, we're stuck in ego. When we believe that we're divinely special and that others are too, we're perceiving spiritual truth clearly.

Dealing with this intense energy can be blissful or ecstatic, but when we are blocked or resistant, it becomes frightening. There are blocks within you that this potent spiritual energy is running up against. Those blocks could lie in your beliefs, fears and expectations, or they could be physical; your body may not have yet caught up with your mind in terms of the frequency of energy it can accommodate. It's common these days for folks pursuing spiritual enlightenment to develop their upper chakras (their minds) well beyond their lower chakras (their bodies and wills/emotions), for we've become far less physical over the course of history, and far more intellectual. When this is the case, it is wise to halt one's pursuit of esoteric knowledge and take some time to develop the lower chakras in order to create a new healthy balance.

In addition to pursuing spiritual growth, we should all regularly ask ourselves how well we're functioning in our real lives here on Earth. Are we meeting our responsibilities? Are we paying our bills, getting the kids to school on time, doing a good job at work? Are we eating well, sleeping well, and acting like decent human beings? Does our life "work?" When our lives aren't working for some reason, it's generally because we've become ungrounded. We then need to get recentered and grounded in our physical bodies, otherwise, we risk losing touch with "reality," whether that means we are ignoring the inevitable results of our actions (or inactions), or are constructing a personal reality that is full of illusions.

As I'm limited on space here, I'm going to keep my suggestions brief and to the point. First, let go of processing all of this intellectually. Stop trying so hard to understand what is happening. Let it be okay that you don't understand, that you're confused and overwhelmed. Then reconnect with love energy; recenter your consciousness in your heart. Allow your entire being to experience your journey - simply observe yourself. Make love your number one daily priority; do kind things for yourself and others.

Also, stop doing anything that could be revving your vibration up such as fasting or eating a vegan diet, meditating or praying or practicing yoga, etc. I also recommend you abstain from all drugs and alcohol, as these will only weaken your natural psychic boundaries and open you up more. Right now, you're totally open to outside energies, and you need to be more discriminating. You have the power to decide what you allow to enter your energy. Read that sentence again until you own it. YOU are in control.

The goal is to slow your energy down a little and get you reconnected to your body and the earth. To do this, you can practice grounding meditations or an earthy religion like Wicca. Spend time outside doing anything physical: walking, gardening, etc. Eat a healthy but hearty diet. Get plenty of sleep. Reconnect with the world around you by watching television, reading the newspaper, going to movies, cleaning your house, talking with friends and neighbors.

Finally and most importantly, cultivate your own inner voice. Being psychic is an art, and the artist is your own intuition. You're putting the information that is coming to you from outside of yourself before your own inner wisdom and well-being. You must trust your intuitive voice above all others - above mine, above your guides, above books and teachers, etc. It should help you to know that your inner guidance is the voice of God within you. Put that voice first and rely upon it to bring you answers and guidance on anything and everything you need. Ask it now how you can find greater peace and balance on your spiritual path, and trust the wisdom it sends to you above all else.

- Julia