Psychic ability and spiritual path

[Cassie]

How far do you think your psychic/sensitive/empathic abilities have determined or influenced your spiritual path?
Do you think you would have taken the same path if you had not had those abilities?
Are your psychic abilities an intrinsic part of your spiritual beliefs and practice?

[Kailen]

How far do you think your psychic/sensitive/empathic abilities have determined or influenced your spiritual path?
Do you think you would have taken the same path if you had not had those abilities?
Are your psychic abilities an intrinsic part of your spiritual beliefs and practice?

I would say that my abilties are my path in a sense. If it wasn't for my abilities I wouldn't have had the experiences which set me on my path and it is because of my path that I use my abilities in the way that I do. It's due to the experiences I've had that I believe the things I do, the whole seeing is believing thing.

That's kind of cryptic...

[Lunacie]

I know I've told this story before, probably in another forum though.

I was a member of the Church of Christ until I was almost 40, when I became so fed up with the people in the church(es) that I left in disgust. I was not looking for another religious path at all.

I have always been highly sensitive, which includes being empathic, and being able to sense spirits and ghosts, which of course the church teaches are not real but I knew what I was sensing.

My hubby had been Wiccan before we met, but he agreed to go to church with me for many years. After we left the church, he got to talking with some friends about Wicca, and agreed to teach them. I still wasn't looking for a religion, but I asked if he could teach me to create a psychic shield to give me some relief from being so sensitive and empathic.

He talked me through how to draw energy and waited while I got comfortable with drawing and using energy, explained how to use the energy to create a shield, then left the room while I went to work. I visualized the shield and how I wanted it to work for me, and as soon as I had finished making the shield I had a vision of a Goddess who spoke to me and told me I was her child.

Somehow I knew she was a divine being, and she felt so welcoming and happy that I had finally stopped looking for her in a church. :lol:

Working with energy and my empathy (and other psychic senses) has definately been a part of my pathway in the 18 years since that day.

[Cassie]

I would say that my abilties are my path in a sense. If it wasn't for my abilities I wouldn't have had the experiences which set me on my path and it is because of my path that I use my abilities in the way that I do. It's due to the experiences I've had that I believe the things I do, the whole seeing is believing thing.

That's kind of cryptic...
Not so cryptic really. I'd say the same was true for me. The fact that I had psychic experiences motivated my 'searching' in the first place. A large part of the reason why I was attracted by Wicca (the first Pagan path I explored in any detail) was to try and understand, explore and control the abilities I have. And also to be in contact with other people for whom psychic powers were not something strange (or impossible) but pretty much a fact of everyday life.

My psychic abilities are minimal in comparrison to many people I have come to know, but still, they are fundamental to me and I would say inseperable from the spiritual direction I have chosen.

[Mystical]

I tend to hold my abilities in and because of that I am not as confident as I use to be.

Before when I would openly share, I would be bombarded with requests. It's draining! And then you have those who are critial of what you say and try to disect it in every way. Hey, I'm just the messenger. I also had to shield my sensitivity by acting as if I was reading their palm when in actuallity I could sense things by just concentrating on the person. I was also raised in a Christian home, so this complicated things because I don't think it was acceptable...even though I did what I did to help people on their path.

So now I pretty much keep things to myself. Don't know if that's a good thing or a bad one. I guess I sound pretty confused...guess I might be.