Spiritual Gifts: Magik really does exist!

Intro: Spirituality is more than merely meditating and burning candles as popularized media may suggest. Being a spiritualist indicates that one is regularly communing with the Divine. Divine being what ever celestial or cosmic entity one acknowledges as their supreme creator. Many in the "spiritual" community understand that Divine Spirit is known by many names. God, Spirit,  Allah, Yahweh, Father of the Universe, etc. the list goes on. The fact is, regular communion with Spirit grows ones relationship and connection to the spiritual plane, thus allowing one to build their own spiritual foundation. This in turn unlocks limitless power which dwells inside us all. I know that the idea of spiritual gifts, or supernatural abilities, at first glance, may seem like an incredibly far fetched idea. As there are of course many over-dramatizations produced by Hollywood and mainstream media but there is some truth to the concept as a whole. 

History/Context: Religious texts, including the Torah, Quran, and even the Bible frequently mention people having supernatural abilities such as; having a spirit of discernment or intuition, or having visions or being able to foresee the future. These are both examples of supernatural gifts. Spirit speaks to us in a variety of ways, therefore, there are a plethora of different spiritual gifts and/or abilities. They go by many names depending on your cultural tradition or religious doctrine. Regardless of what any single group calls these supernatural abilities, it is interesting that their descriptions are shockingly concise and similar across demographics. For example Biblical texts speaks of prophets or an individual that received specific information words and message given to them directly by God. Many biblical authors were such individuals. A prophet is simply another term for "speaker" which may be more frequently used in some other communities or religious practices. Though the word is different, the action or ability is the same. It is my belief that these spiritual gifts intertwine with our innate connection to Divine Spirit. They are available to everyone thus exclusive to no one! 

A Closer Look: After doing a multilateral investigation I believe that all supernatural gifts or spiritual gifts can be granted to everyone by accessing our higher level of consciousness. We can achieve such levels of consciousness by building our spiritual connection through study, prayer and meditation. The spiritual gifts that I am most familiar with and will be discussing in this article are; Intuition, Manifestation, and Channeling. 

INTUITION: Intuition is defined as the ability to know and understand something instinctively rather than using conscious reasoning. Intuition can appear and be presented in a variety of different ways. The 6 clairs are a classification of spiritually intuitive abilities that are becoming a widely growing consensus with in the spiritual community. The 6 clairs seeks to group and classify the gift of intuition by type. They include; clairvoyance, claircognizance, clairaudience, clairsentience/clairempathy, clairalience, clairgustance. 

• Clairvoyance- literally means clear sight. This is when visions past, present and future flash through our mind's eye, or third eye. This gift can manifest in your sleep as a dream but it can also occur while you are fully conscious, quite similar to a day dream. Joseph the dreamer (found in the book of Genesis in the Bible) was a powerful prophet known to many. Not only could he could foresee future events in his own dreams, but he could also adequately interpret the dreams of others! The gift of clairvoyance, or "seeing" is unique to each individual and can be consistent or inconsistent depending on the strength of your spiritual connection. 
• Claircognizance- means clear knowing. This is when we have knowledge of people or events that we would not normally have knowledge about. This ability is similar to clairvoyant, however, one may not "see" how the events play out. Spirit impresses us with truths that simply pop into our minds from out of nowhere. An example of this would be a premonition: a forewarning of something that will happen in the future. Claircognizance requires tremendous faith because there's often no practical explanation for why we suddenly "know" something. Many philosophers, professors, doctors, scientists, religious and spiritual leaders demonstrate this intuitive ability. 
• Clairaudience- literally means clear hearing. This is type of intuition occurs when one receives information supernaturally through the auditory process. One may hear sounds, words, or whispers when spirit is trying to communicate. 
• Clairsentience/clairemepathy- literally means clear feeling- both of these terms are often used interchangeably because the differences between them are so minute that most do not consider them separate intuitive gifts. Both terms are given to people who identify with being an empath. This entails feeling a person's or spirit's emotions, feelings, vibrations, and energy. Many of us are clairsentient without consciously being aware of it. When we get a strong inner feeling, positive or negative, about someone we just met or when we get the "chills" for no apparent reason, we may be tuning into the emotional energy of a person or a spirit around us.
• Clairalience- means clear smelling. This is having the ability to smell odors that don't have any kind of physical source. Instances of this could include smelling the perfume or the cigarette smoke of a deceased relative. This is often used as a sign of their presence around us. When our sense of smell is strong and distinct, we may find that certain smells connect us to past memories and experiences and other smells may nauseate us in an effort to warn us or protect us. 
• Clairgustance- means clear tasting. This is the ability to taste something that isn't actually there. This experience oftentimes comes from out of the blue when a deceased loved one is attempting to communicate a memory or association we have with a particular food or beverage that reminds us of them.

One can think of intuition as having a sixth sense about a situation, person, place or object. You can display one, several, or all of these intuitive abilities. It is important to note that most biblical, religious, and spiritual figures demonstrate strong spiritual intuitive abilities which manifested as one of the forms that were previously mentioned. The traditional church goer may recognize the phrase "spirit of discernment". That is just another term for demonstrating a strong intuitive ability. 

MANIFESTATION

Manifestation simply means the embodiment of a event, action, idea, or desire. Very plainly a manifestation is the realized outcome of a prayer. To actively manifest one must speak their prayers into existence. The practice of praying and manifestation can be found throughout countless cultural and religious practices around the globe. Prayer, mantras, spell work, spiritual chants and castings are all titles given to the practice of manifestation. All involve physically willing the outcome of an event, action, idea, or desire through sheer belief and faith. We know that scientifically this has been proven with the study of the placebo affect. The placebo affect states (and I am paraphrasing) that, belief in something can prove to be very significant in the actualization of an outcome. Though belief in something can prove powerful enough to make it reality those of us in the spiritual and religious communities also believe your faith (or belief) in the manifestation coupled with routined action helps truly manifest your desires. 

CHANNELING

A channel or medium is a person who conveys thoughts or energy from a source believed to be outside the person's body or conscious mind. Channels are often able to invoke the presence of spirits and entities alike. This ability is seen in various religious practices although many (depending on their cultural background and religious faith) describe these experiences a little differently. For example, growing up in a Southern Baptist church I witnessed people "catching the Holy Ghost" This is when a person claims to experience the spirit of God move in and take over their physical body. "Catching the Holy Ghost" is a prime example of a person conveying energy from a spiritual source. Other examples of channeling include mediums invoking the presence of past loved ones or ancestors, being able to communicate with the living and the dead, or speaking in tongues. A darker more ominous example of channeling is a person being possessed by a dark spirit or entity. Many believe that channeling can be a powerful way to commune with the astral realm but it can definitely be a dangerous one when not taken seriously. 

Conclusion: It is important to explain that accessing your spiritual gifts is not at all a demonic or evil act! Though it is a common practice for many religious groups to demonize any individual outside their specific faith that personally communes with the Divine. Communion with the Divine is simply having your own personal relationship with God. When you have your own relationship you will have access to all of the Divine that exist within you! Now go out and access that Divine power but don't forget to always spread love and light.