I Can Do It! Seminar
Last weekend my wife and I attended Hay House’s 3-day I Can Do It! seminar at the Sands Expo here in Las Vegas. The last time I went to this seminar was in 2004, and I absolutely loved it both times. In fact, I would have to say that this was the best seminar I’ve ever attended in terms of the transformational effect it had on me personally… both times. It was after attending this seminar in 2004 that I finally committed to retiring from computer game development. I joined Toastmasters the next month, and later that year I launched this web site. What an incredible journey it’s been since then — I wouldn’t trade it for anything!
I’m not real fond of the seminar’s “I Can Do It!” title because it brings to mind images of Stuart Smalley from Saturday Night Live doing his daily affirmations. But positive thinking and self-esteem isn’t the focus of this seminar. The focus is on spirituality, awareness, and higher consciousness. It has sort of a post-new-age feel to it. Keynote speakers included Dr. Wayne Dyer, Sylvia Browne, Carolyn Myss, and Doreen Virtue. I’d estimate the attendees are 80-90% female, so I was in the minority. I rather liked that though — it was refreshing to be around so much female energy for the weekend, quite the opposite of what I’d experience at tech expos. I don’t recall there being as much hugging at the Game Developers Conference. 🙂
As I normally do with book or seminar reviews, I’m going to review the whole seminar based on what I learned and how it affected me, rather than just regurgitating the same material you can get from the I Can Do It! web site.
Since my wife, Erin, attended too (she didn’t in 2004), we’ll both review it individually. Hopefully this will yield a more balanced review.
Overall
Steve: This was a truly amazing conference. It was refreshing to be in the presence of kindred spirits. One of the running jokes at the conference was that speakers kept asking, “How many of you are considered the weird one in your family?” And everyone would raise their hands. It’s unfortunate that being spiritually open-minded and joyful is considered weird, but the simple truth is that being in this state often invites experiences that cannot be understood by people who are more traditionally-minded. This includes things like psychic phenomena, channeling, out of body experiences, and lucid dreaming. Such a conference attracts people who’ve had such experiences personally, whether they were just born that way, “switched on” by a near-death experience, or gradually transformed through the pursuit of higher awareness.
Erin: This was one of the most enjoyable seminars I’ve ever attended. I left feeling so transformed, so inspired, and actually chanting to myself, “I can do it!” The people who attended this seminar exuded love, peace, and compassion so much that I wanted to remain in their presence long after the conference was over. I’ve never been around so many people at the same time who were so spiritually aware and vibrating at such a high frequency. It was like coming home! I was smitten by the gorgeous clothing and jewelry being sold by the vendors at this conference. I even bought a ring that just really called to me (something I rarely do), and I know that every time I look at this ring I will remember my experience at this seminar.
Doreen Virtue, Ph.D – Connect and Communicate With Your Angels
Steve: In this all-day pre-conference workshop, Doreen explained how to perceive and connect with angelic beings for divine guidance and help. She led us through several meditations and did lots of angel readings with the attendees. At one point her husband, Steven Farmer, joined her to talk about animal guides, and he and Doreen gave a few readings together. It was a very powerful experience, as many of the readings had a noticeable affect on the attendees. I wasn’t feeling much of a connection in the angel meditations at first; however, in one of the meditations we asked for a message, and I received one that told me to watch for something specific. At the time I just wrote it down and forgot about it, but it actually came up only hours later and was important for me to notice. I felt most in tune with the animal guide meditation — that came in strong and clear for me.
Doreen’s presence absolutely beams love and compassion. She speaks from the heart and comes across as very genuine, and her sense of humor is delightful. The most amazing part of this workshop for me was when she paired us up to do readings of people we’d never met. I was paired with a Canadian woman who channeled some info that was meaningful to me, although I can’t say it was profound. When I read for her though, I felt this floodgate of information coming through, and I gave her lots of specific info. She not only verified it was accurate but told me that she’d heard much of the same thing from other psychics. I left the room with a bit of a buzz, not quite understanding what I’d just done. When the exercise was over, I still felt like I was getting more information to tell her. Throughout the conference I kept seeing this woman everywhere (among thousands of attendees), and I eventually told her I had more info to give her and gave her the rest of the message. It was an incredible experience… as if somebody up there really wanted me to tell her something and was going to keep bringing us together until this task was done.
Erin: Before attending the seminar I felt very drawn to Doreen Virtue. Truth be told, I had little to no understanding of angels and how they work, but my spirit guides told me to go see Doreen so who am I to argue? My guides also told me she would help confirm some things for me … more about that below. Doreen’s energy is so loving and peaceful that I could just spend hours in her presence. I learned so much from her, and by the end of the workshop I had a much greater understanding of the power of angels and how to call upon them. I really can’t say enough about Doreen. She’s one of those special, rare people who really walks her talk and is spreading love and magic throughout the world.
Dr. Wayne Dyer – Inspiration: Your Ultimate Calling
Steve: I was looking forward to seeing Wayne speak again after being deeply affected by his keynote at the 2004 conference. I wasn’t disappointed. While his speaking skills could use some polish (lots of ums and ahs, constant pacing around the stage, excessive hand gesturing), he makes up for it in spades by being an outstanding storyteller. He connected equally well with heads and hearts and came across as very genuine, especially through his abundant use of self-deprecating humor. He spoke on the topics from his latest book Inspiration, which I’m currently reading, and from a new book he’s writing based on the Tao Te Ching (one of my all-time favorite books). I found his speech organization to be a little muddled, possibly because he was using brand new material, but I took his main point to be: our lives are a reflection of our thoughts. One thing that I felt hurt him was the room we were in. Instead of an enclosed hotel ballroom like many other speakers enjoyed, he was in a massive warehouse-like room with a concrete floor, a very high ceiling crisscrossed by pipes, and large open spaces on all four sides… the kind of convention center area where you’d normally see rows upon rows of exhibitors. This affected the clarity of the audio and pulled the energy in the room right up towards the ceiling (not to mention that it’s poor feng shui). With thousands of attendees, he needed a really big room — this audience wouldn’t fit in a regular ballroom. Despite these conditions he received a standing ovation, which I think was well-deserved. I’d like to see a venue change next year if possible, since these are not the most favorable speaking conditions, especially for a keynoter like Wayne who thrives on building and maintaining a strong audience connection. In 2004 the main keynotes were held in the Cashman Center auditorium downtown, a fully enclosed room which was much better all around.
As part of his presentation, Wayne invited his daughter Skye Dyer up to do some a cappela singing. She was even better this time than when I first heard her in 2004 (I bought one of her CDs back then). Wayne also brought up Immaculée Ilibagiza, who told a heartfelt story about how she survived the Rwandan Holocaust by hiding in a bathroom with seven other women for 90 days. When she came out, she weighed only 65 pounds. She has a book out with the full story called Left to Tell.
Erin: This was the first time I saw Dr. Dyer speak in public. He has a beautiful spirit. He exudes peace, love, compassion, and gratitude. He is a true inspiration, and if you haven’t read or listened to any of his work, do yourself a favor and buy something of his. I especially enjoy listening to his voice in the car on a CD. Here’s a man with a strong message who knows exactly how to give it so that people will be most receptive to it. That’s power.
Immaculée’s story of survival was so heart wrenching. I was choking back tears. I felt anger that there are people in the world who would so willingly participate in genocide. And I felt hope that there are people like Immaculée teaching the world about compassion. It was clear that Dr. Dyer was also highly affected by this woman’s courage and faith in the face of such fear and terror.
Caroline Myss – Entering the Castle
Steve: Caroline Myss (pronounced “mace”) presented a two-hour morning keynote on answering your soul’s calling. Unfortunately, her speaking style was a big turnoff for me. I’d have to describe it as borderline angry. I felt she was scolding us instead of genuinely communicating with us. Her speech structure was also disjointed and difficult to follow. She’d interrupt one story to begin another halfway through, and her transitions from one subtopic to the next were unclear at best. I remember her having this same problem at the 2004 conference. She voiced strong opinions about what qualified as a spiritual experience, but I found myself largely disagreeing with her. At one point she exclaimed, “A massage is not a spiritual experience!” I understood the point she was trying to make — that merely doing things that are loosely associated with spirituality can’t substitute for genuine spiritual growth. But I regard life itself as a spiritual experience, and a massage is part of that experience, so I can’t say I got anything helpful from her message. She appeared almost frustrated while on stage, in sharp contrast to other speakers such as Doreen Virtue who seemed relaxed and open. Consequently, it didn’t surprise me that dozens of people left Caroline’s keynote early (I didn’t see this happen with any other speaker).
Erin: I had a little trouble connecting to Caroline’s message in this keynote address. Her energy just didn’t resonate with me, so I found it hard to understand her points. Although she had some good information to share, I think she could have gotten her message across a little better if she had realized that her audience was much more spiritually aware than average. I came away from this keynote feeling defensive and annoyed instead of loved and inspired.
Gary Renard – The Disappearance of the Universe
Steve: I wasn’t originally planning to see Gary speak. However, a strange series of synchronicities led me to go, and in the first few minutes a synchronicity occurred that made it clear I was supposed to be there. (I had a lot of that going on throughout the weekend and was guided to attend certain sessions.) Gary gave a humorous and inspiring talk about the topics in his book The Disappearance of the Universe, which builds on ideas from A Course in Miracles. He spoke at length about forgiveness as it relates to the true nature of reality and used examples from the teachings of Jesus, including the Gospel of Thomas. I found his relaxed speaking style disarmingly genuine, and his organization was easy to follow. His content was also extremely thought-provoking, and I took three full pages of notes, so I can experiment with his ideas on my own. Despite some major audio problems that came up during his presentation, he adapted amazingly well and even played off those problems to illustrate some of his points. That really won him the audience in what could have otherwise been a disaster. I haven’t read his book yet, but I’ve already ordered a copy.
Erin: When Gary first took the stage, I sensed he was a little new to speaking and just a wee bit nervous. But what I loved about him was his passion for his subject. Here is a man who has a message and is doing what he is supposed to do with it, writing and speaking about it. He inspired me to begin reading A Course in Miracles and his own book, The Disappearance of the Universe. He reminds me a little of myself, which is why I think I resonated with him so much. He had a very spiritual experience, listened to what the spirits were telling him, and took action to get the message to all of us. He also had a great mix of logic and spiritual energy that will help him reach men as well as women. He’s one to watch.
Esther and Jerry Hicks – The Amazing Power of Deliberate Intent
Steve: After this presentation I could barely get my jaw to go back up again. I’ve never seen anything like it. Jerry gave a very humorous opening, while Esther did most of the talking in this session… or at least her physical body did. This was a channeled session, so Esther tuned into a group of higher beings named Abraham who spoke through her. She (they?) spoke at a very rapid rate and didn’t skip a beat — no ums or ahs or stutters. She lectured for about an hour and then did about an hour of Q&A. I was writing almost constantly and took copious notes. Regardless of whether or not you went into this session believing in channeling, the information was simply amazing. It was consistent with other channeled material I’d read. I heard ideas that were similar to those that have been floating around in my own head for some time, only this material was much more structured and congruent. I was hearing things I could imagine myself writing about a few years hence. This was like an acceleration for me. There were dozens of profound points made during this session, but I’d have to say that the main point was that we attract into our life those circumstances that are congruent with who we are. Everything we experience in life is a result of our current level of thinking, which acts like a magnet to draw people, objects, and situations into our lives. So if you become ill, it’s because your thoughts resonate with that illness. But we can change our reality by changing our thoughts. However, there’s a bit of a drag from past thoughts which are still manifesting, so if we want to reach a new level of existence (better health, more financial abundance, etc.), we must first elevate our thinking and hold it there long enough, and soon the circumstances congruent with that level of thinking will begin to manifest. I found this to be very true because I’ve been testing it a lot over the past year, and it’s basically the core of what I wrote about in my very first article on this site, The Courage to Live Consciously. When I got home, I listened to a free CD they provided to conference attendees and took another four pages of notes. I also bought two of their books: Ask and It Is Given and The Amazing Power of Deliberate Intent.
Erin: I really didn’t know what to expect when I sat down at this lecture, though friends had told me to prepare to be amazed. When Esther began channeling Abraham I thought to myself, “Either she is the most practiced and rehearsed speaker on the planet, or she really is channeling a higher energy being.” By the end of the session I was in awe of Esther and Abraham and believe that she is a legitimate channeler. If you ever get a chance to witness them in action, take it. The message Abraham is trying to bring to us is equally amazing. Read their books or get their CDs to understand what I’m talking about.
Loretta LaRoche – Squeeze the Day!
Steve: Loretta is a delightful comedienne who blends side-splitting humor with motivation. She had us laughing at our fears, worries, and failures. Loretta’s comedic timing was impeccable, and her Italian New Yorker voice was the perfect delivery vehicle. She clearly tailored her material to the mostly female audience, so I didn’t relate to her jokes as well as most of the women did, but the room was constantly filled with laughter. She performed largely the same material I saw at the 2004 conference, but despite the fact that it wasn’t new for me, I still laughed quite a bit. I’d love to see her back again next year, although I’d prefer to see all new material.
Erin: Listening to Loretta LaRoche was an incredibly energizing experience. This is a woman who knows how to connect with people and help them feel completely understood. She uses humor as a way to help people de-stress; a highly valuable tool! If I were ever in a hospital bed, I’d want Loretta by my side just chatting with me. Her insights into human behavior, especially that of women, is dead-on. Since we saw her late in the evening after a very long day I was especially glad that she was so amusing.
Doreen Virtue, Ph.D – Goddesses and Angels
Steve: In this two-hour keynote, Doreen showed slides of various goddesses and angels from a variety of cultures and described their unique roles and characteristics. This included the archangels Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, and Uriel as well as over a dozen goddesses, including Haniel, Sophiel, Ariel, Isis, and Dana. I’d heard most of this previously from my CD of Doreen’s 2004 presentation, but I enjoyed the refresher… and especially Doreen’s great sense of humor.
Doreen spent the last 30 minutes doing a handful of angel readings, and Erin happened to be selected (we both sensed that was supposed to happen). I was impressed by Doreen’s accuracy, and I’m sure Erin will relay the details in her review. Doreen also gave Erin a free copy of her book Goddesses and Angels.
After the conference Erin and I started noticing overt signs from Lakshmi, the Hindu goddess of wealth and beauty. I think she must be on our side, since she keeps popping up as greater financial abundance flows effortlessly into our lives. Right now we seem to have no money worries at all. Whatever we spend just comes back to us in multiples. Needless to say, we’ve become pretty fond of Lakshmi. If you’re currently having financial problems, it certainly can’t hurt to ask for her help and guidance. 🙂
Erin: Remembering that my spirits told me Doreen would confirm some questions I had about my own psychic abilities, I attended her Sunday morning keynote with a heightened sense of anticipation. I assumed something she said would be a synchronicity for me and that it would be the confirmation I was looking for. But the universe wasn’t letting me off that easily. When Doreen opened the floor to questions, I tentatively raised my hand. Out of thousands of people, she selected to read for me. I was actually trembling as I stood up and realized this was it; my confirmation was coming. Doreen said that the spirits have been keeping me really busy in my dreams (very true) and that I wake exhausted in the morning (also true). She saw me using a journal to record the spiritual messages I was receiving (which I already do), and told me to keep writing them because in a year they could be turned into a book (which was something I had considered doing and now received confirmation about). She said she also saw me doing workshops and using my psychic abilities to help people connect with themselves and the universe (which is why I’ve been going to Toastmasters so I can learn to be comfortable speaking in front of people) and told me I was on the right track and to keep listening to what the spirits were telling me. She then gave me one of her books, Goddesses and Angels, which is the exact book I was planning to purchase. Thank you, Doreen! I was floating on air for the next hour, unable to believe my good fortune in having her confirm for me something my own spirits had been telling me. Her reading put me over the edge in terms of quashing any doubts I had about my path and my abilities.
Colette Baron-Reid – I’ve Seen the Future… and So Can You!
Steve: I attended this session alone, while Erin split off to see John Holland (see below). I’d honestly never heard of Colette before this event, but I was led to this session by yet another synchronicity. By the end of the session, it was clear that I was definitely meant to be there. Colette calls herself an intuitive counselor, and she noted during the session that she dislikes the word psychic because of all the negative associations to it. She was a lively, enthusiastic, and extremely funny speaker. The word hyper might be more accurate though. She won the audience over in the first few minutes and never lost us. She divided this two-hour session about 50-50 between lecture and giving readings. I wouldn’t really call it a lecture though because her style is so friendly and open, it was more like having a conversation with a close friend. She told some great stories, including what it was like for her to overcome an alcohol addiction and how she gradually came to embrace her spiritual path. We also did an exercise to see auras, which I was able to see, but I had already learned how to do this years ago. However, she was able to change her aura by expanding it and even leaving it in place while she moved away from it — that’s something I’d never seen before. The most amazing part of this session though was when she had us pair up and attempt to give each other intuitive readings. I paired up with a young woman next to me that I’d never met. First, she gave me some info which didn’t resonate with me much; however, the very next day when I got home I received a piece of mail with the exact images she told me she was seeing. I decided to use the techniques I learned in Doreen Virtue’s workshop, and I was able to give her an amazingly accurate reading that stunned us both. I not only felt the message intuitively (clairsentience), but I also saw a being giving it to me and could describe him physically in detail (clairvoyance), which the woman verified as accurate because it was someone she knew. I left this session with the feeling that my whole world had been turned upside down. My “sixth sense” was definitely switched on.
As soon as I came out of Colette’s session, I saw Erin talking with another woman at our pre-arranged meet up location. Erin met her in John Holland’s session and said she had the intuitive sense that I should do a reading for this woman. The woman seemed open to it, so I scanned her to see if I could pick up anything, and within seconds I began sensing a presence to her left. By focusing my attention on it, I was able to see a man there (clairvoyance), which turned out to be her deceased uncle. I gave her a detailed physical description of what he looked like, which she verified was accurate. He was feeding me various images, and as I relayed what I was seeing, this woman was clearly affected by them. In addition to seeing images, I was also getting messages to convey to her. I wasn’t hearing them in my mind; I just intuitively knew what I was supposed to say, so it was claircognizance (knowing) but not clairaudience (hearing). I was even shocking myself because this connection was flowing through me so easily and clearly. The message was a positive and encouraging one which really resonated with this woman.
Three times I gave readings, and three times they came out accurate and had a powerful impact on the person I read for. But it wasn’t just about going with my first impressions, making educated guesses, or spurting out vague fluff that could match with anyone. I really felt an entity’s presence when I did this, and I picked up on specific information that I don’t see how I could have otherwise known — these were all complete strangers I’d just met. It’s like I’m listening with my third eye (i.e. sixth sense) and just relaying what I’m picking up. I’m definitely wanting to practice this more to see where it leads. I have no idea what the boundaries are yet. In fact, Erin and I have a local psychic friend who’s agreed to help us further our development in this area.
Whenever I think my life couldn’t get any more non-mainstream than it already is, the universe just keeps proving me wrong.
John Holland – A Journey into the World of a Medium
Erin: John Holland is a medium; he talks to the dead. In this lecture his goal was to explain how mediumship works and help us connect with our own deceased loved ones. He did a great job explaining his own journey, and he also helped us understand how to see signs that our loved ones survive death and try to communicate to us from the other side.
I specifically decided to attend this lecture because I am in the beginning phases of being a medium myself. I’m primarily clairaudient, which means I can hear spirits, angels, higher energy beings, and the dearly departed. But recently I’ve asked my spirits to help me see instead of just hear so that I could have the confirmation that I need to be able to do readings for others. They responded quickly with advice on how to do that, and in a matter of weeks I began seeing as well. Hearing John’s tales helped me realize that I have a similar gift that I can start using to help people reconnect with their loved ones, get back on their true spiritual path, and receive wisdom from higher beings.
I’m in training right now to enhance and increase my connection to the other side and I’m sure John’s book, Born Knowing, will help me with that. If you’re at all interested in mediumship or communing with your loved ones who have crossed over, John’s work is an excellent guide. He’s funny too… a huge plus in my book!
Sylvia Browne – If You Could See What I See — Plus Live Audience Questions
Steve: This was the first time I’ve seen psychic Sylvia Browne in person, and I’ve never read any of her books, so I went into this session not quite knowing what to expect. I had heard she tends to polarize people to either love her or hate her. Like Colette, Sylvia did about half lecture and half psychic readings. Sylvia’s no-nonsense style and sharp wit quickly won me over, probably because it’s similar to the “tough love” style I like to use myself, like a warrior’s compassion. I didn’t expect she’d be so funny, but she had us all in stitches. Sylvia’s readings are apparently so popular they had a lottery system to see who’d get a reading — the going rate on her web site for a 20-30 minute reading is $700. If your ticket number was called, you’d be allowed to ask one and only one question of Sylvia, and she’d give you about a 30-second response. The readings were sort of like a psychic assembly line. As far as I know, there were no limitations on what you could ask her. She never rejected anyone’s question, although you could tell by her reaction that she felt some people weren’t asking great questions. Several people asked very specific questions, and Sylvia didn’t hesitate to answer with details, including names and locations when necessary. Even though the odds of getting a reading were long due to the sheer number of attendees, I had the strong intuitive impression my number was going to be called. I love new experiences, especially such non-mainstream ones as this, so I was certainly open to it.
My impression was correct, and soon I was standing at the mic. I already had my question picked in advance, so I asked Sylvia, “Can you give me some clarity about continuing to fulfill my life’s purpose, especially with respect to serving others?” Those were my exact words as I recall them, and they were the only words I spoke — I gave her no other information. She probably couldn’t even see me well due to the stage lighting. After staring into space for a few seconds, Sylvia replied that I’d be speaking in front of people, more specifically… teaching people about spirituality. She also said she saw me doing work of a holistic nature (holistic means that you focus on the whole being instead of analyzing its constituent parts). Then she paused and exclaimed, “God, you’ve got a lot on your plate!” That made me laugh because it’s so true. Finally, she told me she saw me getting into healing work further down the road. I believe by this she meant healing people’s physical ailments, not just something like helping people deal with their emotions.
As for whether or not her reading was accurate, I think she pegged me pretty well. The predictions she made for other people wouldn’t have fit me, like “You’re going to work in real estate development.” But her predictions for me are either already in the process of manifesting, or they’re natural extensions of my work. I’ve already been teaching about spirituality on this web site. My work is clearly holistic because I address all aspects of personal development, not just a small slice like productivity. I already speak in front of people locally, and I’m working on expanding that (I’ve been in Toastmasters for nearly two years now). The only real up-in-the-air element that Sylvia provided is whether or not I’ll get into healing work down the road. And that’s a possibility because two women that have been taking on bigger roles in my life are both Reiki masters, and I recently watched a few DVDs on Reiki and another on Qi Gong. Of course, by getting this reading in advance, there’s no way to know when it actually occurs if her reading was predictive or causal or a mixture of both. But for now I intend to proceed on course, albeit one which has taken a very unexpected turn. I enjoyed my 30 seconds with Sylvia, and not everyone seemed to like the answers they got as much as I did. She even poked a few jibes at people. I came away with the impression that she does indeed have well-developed psychic abilities. Personally I think her style suits her well because there’s a tendency for people to become addicted to psychic advice and give up their free will, and of course that isn’t why we’re here.
Erin: I have mixed feelings about Sylvia Browne. On the one hand, I think she is a legitimate and gifted psychic. But on the other, she doesn’t use the love energy to get her point across that Doreen Virtue uses. Sylvia tells it like it is, and if you ask a question she thinks is kind of stupid, she’ll tell you (in front of thousands of people no less). I did find her to be extremely amusing and down to earth. This is a woman who does not put on airs; her confidence in herself and her abilities is staggering. She used a raffle ticket process to select audience members to read for, so I used all my psychic connections — calling in all sorts of favors with the spirits — to get her to select Steve’s ticket. And she did. Lucky for Steve he asked a good question, and Sylvia seemed quite impressed with Steve’s future. She said she saw him speaking to masses of people about spirituality. And she also acknowledged that he seemed to have quite a bit on his future plate. If you know Steve, you don’t have to be psychic to know that’s true. I have a new respect for Sylvia and a great deal of empathy for what she must have to deal with.
Wrap-Up
Steve: The primary impact this conference had on me was to deepen my faith in the work I’m doing. Topics like time management are easy to write about publicly, but there are certain aspects of personal development and especially spiritual growth I’ve been hesitant to address due to the social acceptability factor. I feel more comfortable writing about them now because I’ve had the chance to meet so many people with experiences similar to mine. Topics like psychic phenomena typically meet with a lot of closed-mindedness, as images of phony fortune tellers and gullible suckers spring to mind. But I’ve no doubt there’s more to life than our apparent physical existence, not because I’ve been persuaded by others but because of countless personal experiences I’ve had… the kind you’d be hesitant to tell your own spouse about (unless you had my spouse, that is). I could totally relate to the speakers who struggled to reconcile their inner experiences with the world at large. But at some point on this path, you eventually have to say, “Alright… I’ll do it!” Truth is truth, whether people believe you or not.
Obviously some people are very resistant to the idea that anyone can be psychic, but I think that’s largely a result of misinformation and lack of personal experience. I always believed psychic stuff was pure fakery until I began to seriously look into it in the mid-90s, endeavoring to put my skepticism on hold while not lowering myself into the real gullibility. I wouldn’t expect anyone to believe this though until they’ve had similar experiences, but I know that many have had experiences they just don’t feel comfortable discussing publicly. Initially I found it almost impossible to reconcile what I was experiencing with my then-current world view. Some events literally broke my understanding of reality, and it was a real struggle to let go of what I thought was real and rebuild a new understanding that could explain my actual experiences. The upside though was that my new “map of reality” gave me much better results, including greater happiness, a less stressful life, and financial abundance. So ultimately I see spiritual exploration to be a cornerstone of personal development.
Fortunately, I don’t think it’s necessary to put one’s intellect on hold when exploring spiritual matters — there’s no need to be gullible, blind, or stupid about it. In the years ahead, I’ll endeavor to explore psychic development from an intellectual standpoint, one that will hopefully open you to empowering new experiences without putting you in a padded room.
Erin: If you ever have a chance to go to the I Can Do It! seminar I’d really encourage you to go. Expose yourself to high energy people who radiate with love and hope, and you will see how it’s possible to change our world for the better. Visit the Hay House website and purchase some books or audio programs and immerse yourself in the energy of these wonderful authors. What an uplifting, energizing, and magical experience it was for me to attend. I will definitely be going again.
Final Thoughts
There was a lot more to this seminar that we couldn’t cover. Aside from the keynotes, there were half a dozen simultaneous breakout sessions to choose from in any time slot. We ordered the full conference on CD though, so we’re looking forward to hearing some of the speakers we didn’t get a chance to see. These include:
- Denise Linn
- Cheryl Richardson
- Gregg Braden
- Dr. Masaru Emoto
- Neena & Veena
- Crystal Andrus
- Joan Borysenko
- Steven Farmer
- Sandra Anne Taylor
- Alberto Villoldo
- Dr. Eve Wood
- Sonia Choquette
- Immaculée Ilibagiza
- Mary Jo McCabe
- Dr. Judith Orloff
- Carol Ritberger
If you’re interested in this conference or in other Hay House events, visit HayHouse.com for their complete schedule. I’m eagerly looking forward to I Can Do It! 2007. I highly recommend this conference to anyone who is spiritually aware and open-minded… in other words, those of you who are the weird ones in your family. 😉
Also, many of these speakers have their own call-in shows on HayHouseRadio.com, which you can listen to for free over the internet or via Sirius radio. My wife and I listened to John Holland’s show a few days ago.