Sign #1: Two Glasses of Wine Make You More Insightful


Ever hear of people suddenly "seeing" the solution to a problem when they're relaxing and not actively engaging their minds? For instance, you're taking a shower and you have a sudden insight into solving a problem at work. The same kind of information might also come to you while you're meditating or doing yoga. Studies have shown that these practices seem to change our brain-wave activity—often causing our frontal lobe to quiet down. But in my experience, these activities also seem to "open" people who are psychic even more! Psychic abilities can often sit quietly, then suddenly emerge when we're not focused on them.

Now comes the funny part: Let's say your strongest flashes of insight arrive when you're relaxing with a glass of wine. Specifically, if you drink two alcoholic beverages within, say, a 90-minute period, you just seem to "know" accurate information about people without their having told you. That's a strong indication that you may be psychic, which you may dismiss, believing that you're just a little tipsy and overemotional.

I have to admit that before I fully understood my abilities, I was already aware of this phenomenon. When I was in college and would have two drinks, I would actually tap into my heightened psychic abilities to pick up cute boys. (Nothing works like starting a conversation by telling a guy all sorts of specific details about his life you couldn't possibly know. And yes, one guy did stare at me open-mouthed and ask if I was a stalker, but I laughed and told him I was "just a little psychic.") I'm proud to say that I have since learned to honor my abilities and to use them in a much more light-filled way; but, if this also happens to you, write down the feeling or information that floods. Then stop drinking. (The effects, in my experience, slow down after three glasses.)

Sign #2: Your New Friend Looks Blue—or Red


Psychics perceive people differently. This is often because they are experiencing synesthesia, a condition in which senses are swapped. Have you ever met a new person whom you associated with a color, a flower or a landscape? Have you ever heard musical notes surrounding someone? These flashes of sensory perception take place internally, and when they happen, are very clear— most people, though, don't talk about them, for fear that doing so would sound too weird.

From a young age, I experienced synesthesia and often saw people in colors. In time, I began to understand that this different way of perceiving people was nothing to be alarmed by, but that it was, in fact, a helpful tool. For example, I came to understand that if a person appeared "blue" to me, he or she was a natural healer or teacher and I would feel very comfortable around the person's energy. If I saw someone as "red", I understood that this was a person who was experiencing stress and anxiety and was often short-tempered—a sign that I should steer clear. Around especially vibrant people, I would also hear a delicate music, like a crystal wind chime being clinked together. This synesthesia still happens for me today, and I still use it. If it's happening to you, embrace it, and notice the information it's conveying to you.

Sign #3: Your Gut Has Saved Your Life (or Your Budget)


Perhaps you've had a strong feeling in the past that you needed to go to a store at a certain time... then went and found the exact item you'd previously been searching all over for, in your exact size, in stock and 50 percent off. Or perhaps you've had a strong urge, while driving, to avoid a certain way home...only to find out later that there had been a terrible accident on the route you were on. Most of us have had these gut feelings—also known as intuitive pulls. But a psychic pull is even more clear: It feels almost like having a magnet in your solar plexus area that pulls you toward or away from something. This feeling is typically coupled with a clear sense of knowing (which is called claircognizance).

One time, paying attention saved my life. When I was a college freshman, my friends and I piled into a minivan and drove straight from New York to Florida for a spring-break getaway. Around 4 a.m., we stopped at a rest area to use the bathroom. It was dark, it was late and we were tired. My friends all scrambled out; I was the last one, slow and groggy. As I was about to step from the rear passenger-side of the minivan into the street to cross to the bathroom, I felt a sudden, huge gut-level magnet pulling me immediately around and backward—returning me to the car. It was so forceful and happened so quickly: I pivoted on my heel and turned back just before an 18-wheeler tractor trailer whizzed past me on the road—right smack on the path I would have blindly stepped into.

Paying attention to my psychic pull protected me physically that day, but there are more subtle ways it works. A decade ago, I had a really strong gut-level tug to go to a particular restaurant for lunch one day. It was as if a magnet in my solar plexus area was pulling me to go there. I didn't understand why I needed to go there so badly—I wasn't even in the mood for Mexican that day. But I went. As soon as I walked in, I ran into a friend from my past whom I hadn't seen or talked to in years. It turned out that she had just separated from her husband, moved back home with her parents and was in need of support. Reunited, we rekindled our friendship and have not lost touch since. Had I not honored that intuitive pull, I would have missed out on reconnecting with a wonderful friend and being able to support her during a difficult time. It was as if she was calling me—and I was able to hear her, despite our long separation.

Sign #4: Your Dreams Seep into Your Waking Life in Surprising Ways


Maybe you dreamed at night that your deceased mother spoke to you about where your missing bracelet was—only to find it in that exact place the next morning. Or maybe you were at work and suddenly had a flash image, in a "daydream," of holding a trophy as if you were winning something—only to find out, moments later, that you were being awarded a promotion. Maybe you even dreamed of someone you hadn't seen in ages, only to run into the person the next day. Even though you try to dismiss or ignore these experiences, they continue to happen. It's normal, I've found, for people to get "spooked" about dreams and daydreams that include so-called coincidences.

I know firsthand about the importance of not dismissing these psychic experiences when they occur; yet sometimes, even I forget to pay attention. Recently, I was on a plane, doing work on a new laptop. When my flight attendant handed me my drink, I had a sudden flash: an image of it spilling onto my computer keyboard. But I was really thirsty and the flight was smooth and there was a sturdy cup holder embedded in my tray. So, I decided to be logical and dismiss the image I had seen. Not 10 minutes later, the man in the seat in front of me suddenly, and forcefully, reclined his seat all the way back. It whacked into my computer, spilling club soda all over my keyboard. I couldn't help but realize that the other side had tried to alert me by giving me the premonition—and I was reminded of how important it is to honor those messages.

These occurrences and premonitions—these "synchronicities" or "meaningful coincidences"—all just reveal that you are psychically in tune with the universe. And it is important to be mindful of them and not to dismiss them, because they often help us engage more fully with one another; and, sometimes, can even warn us of a possible danger ahead. Being psychic is nothing to be frightened of. It means we are more connected than we could even dream and more invested in each other's experiences. Honoring your psychic abilities will help you feel that connection.

light between us Laura Lynne Jackson is an English teacher and the author of The Light Between Us.

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