What do you think about clairvoyance?

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lizaanne

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I’m not talking about someone who deals in the occult or speaks to the dead, or anything else we know is forbidden for us Catholics.

But what about those people who seem to have an ability to solve crimes, knowing details about crimes that have never been revealed, and assisting police in solving unsolved mysteries? I don’t think we can just deny that this takes place, it has been documented quite thoroughly that there are individuals who do have the ability to “know” things that normal people are not aware of.

Could this be a gift of the Holy Spirit?

I don’t know, but it’s something that came to me when watching an interview with a woman who has helped police solve many crimes (she was on Oprah recently). This particular woman does do things I take issue with such as “speaking with the dead”, but the topic in general got me thinking, so I thought I’d throw it out there to see what others think about it.

~Liza
 
Well, if someone’s having conversations with dead people, I would have to say that an exorcism may be in order.

I think that if someone is naturally clairvoyant, it’s a gift from God. Some people, though, put time and effort into developing psychic powers (it can be done) and when you seek it out in that way, you’re opening yourself up to demonic influences.
 
I agree with the whole talking to dead people, that’s clearly wrong.

At what point does one draw the line between “naturally clarvoyant” and dabbling in the occult?

I guess the thing I’m thinking about is that we can’t just deny that there are people out there who have these abilities, and have been able to discern things that others don’t and can’t know to assist with crime resolution. I don’t believe that just pretending like it doesn’t exist makes it not real. So if it is real, and people can in fact do this, how do we feel about this ability within the context of our Faith?

Not sure I’m saying this very well, hope this makes sense.

~Liza
 
lizaanne said:
I agree with the whole talking to dead people, that’s clearly wrong.
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At what point does one draw the line between “naturally clarvoyant” and dabbling in the occult?**

I guess the thing I’m thinking about is that we can’t just deny that there are people out there who have these abilities, and have been able to discern things that others don’t and can’t know to assist with crime resolution. I don’t believe that just pretending like it doesn’t exist makes it not real. So if it is real, and people can in fact do this, how do we feel about this ability within the context of our Faith?

Not sure I’m saying this very well, hope this makes sense.

~Liza
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Personally I do not believe there are such people. However even if you do, as you are unable to answer the question you pose to us its better to steer clear of anyone who makes such claims.
 
Padre Pio had many such powers.

I recommend you read one of the books about him.

He is a fascinating man, and is now a saint.
 
buzzcut said:
Padre Pio had many such powers.

I recommend you read one of the books about him.

He is a fascinating man, and is now a saint.
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Padre Pio is one of the saints I pray to daily. He had many gifts but not clairvoyance in the sense its being discussed in this thread.
 
People like Mia Dolan really have me confused. She obviously is a genuinely good soul and has a very special gift. She apparently has a genuine ability to send ghosts over to the other side. But, at the same time she does psychic reading and calls herself a clairvoyant, and it just smacks of spiritism. I for one am confused about what to believe.
 
liza,
I do not think that the situation you are describing is either a gift from God, or does it indicate diabolical intervention. clarvoyance, or better termed “Psychic ability” as a predisposition is, in my opinion, a natural phenomena. Natural in the sense that it is not from a supernatural source, but rather is part of the human nature. most people talk about things like “women’s intuition”, or a “gut feeling” or just “knowing”. my explaination for these things is that they are a matter of intuition. I think that some people are just better at picking up on the subconsious cues of others (and so appear to be able to read minds or empathize), I think that there is some kind of residue on the fabric of existance (this makes sense if einstien is right about space-time fabric) of different events that some people’s bodies and minds more easily process than others. this would be why when three different people walk into a “haunted house”, the first may not be effected at all (because his body and mind do not process the subtleties), the second may “feel wierd”, or something, and the third may pick up on the residual “marks” left on space-time and process the information. This is my own opinion and theory, and if I’m wrong in the eyes of the Church I would gladly retract the theory, but it makes the most sense to me. It goes without saying, of course, that if the person is attempting to go beyond the natural order by any of the forebidden means, it is grave matter (pun intended) and can open the door to a variety of spiritual messes.
Does this theory make sense to anyone else?
 
I don’t watch Oprah but I just did a google and came up with a psychic crime solver named Allison DuBois. Is this the person you are referring to?

If you check out Allison’s website you can purchase tickets to her “Life after Death Seminar” for $50 - $120. She even does a seminar called “Learning to Channel.” She is so popular that she is no longer booking individual readings but offers referrals to several of her other psychic friends.

I see so many red flags on her site I cannot list them all.

I have no doubt that she may have a ‘gift,’ I just question where this ‘gift’ comes from.
 
Asbestos_Mango said:
I think that if someone is naturally clairvoyant, it’s a gift from God. Some people, though, put time and effort into developing psychic powers (it can be done) and when you seek it out in that way, you’re opening yourself up to demonic influences.
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Well said.
 
The definition of clairvoyance is… “the power of seeing in the mind events that are in the future or out of sight”.

Doesn’t this sound a little bit like fortune telling? Or am I misunderstanding. Because fortune telling (and the like) is a violation of the First Commandment.🤷
 
Wow - this thread is over a year old! I forgot I ever asked this question! 😃

~Liza
 
Too funny!!!

Hey - discuss on! I’m still happy to hear anyone’s insight!

~Liza
 
lizaanne said:
At what point does one draw the line between “naturally clarvoyant” and dabbling in the occult?
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Personally I think if it happens automatically and you’ve never worked at it, then its natural/gift from God. If you sit there meditating to develop psychic powers or have to try and work at it to improve it, then its dabbling in the occult.
 
Moira Noonan talks about the clairvoyance she had when she was deep in the New Age movement. It was genuine, but a curse she had from the demons she was unknowingly dealing with. She thought was communing with the spirits of nature or some such nonsense.

spiritbattleforsouls.org/

Some mystics do have clairvoyance, too. But, it is given for the good of working with souls. They don’t seek it. They don’t seek communication with the dead.

I think some people are highly intuitive. They are able to put together information in their minds without thinking about it. So, they seem to be clairvoyant when in fact they notice details and connect them when most don’t. That includes reading nonverbal signals from people.

I think this also goes for some pretend psychics who are really good at reading people. Hopefully, these people are just deluded or con-men and not involved with devils like Moira Noonan used to be.

One of the charisms of the Holy Spirit is prophesy (not necessarily telling the future, but speaking for God).

Here’s a brochure on prophesy.

presentationministries.com/brochures/SeekProphecy.asp
 
Leonie - Thanks for posting that book! I’ve been looking for something like that. I have a close relative who is Christian and very much into the psychic craze. I read Catholics and The New Age. It helped me understand the Jungian following as well as meditation but it didn’t get into the clairvoyance aspect of the New Age.
 
I realize this post is old.

And even though I am hesitant to respond, I will share with you a few of my experiences.

At a point in my life, when I would pray incessantly throughout the day, I would have visions (really don’t know what else to call them) of those who had passed on. They would say simple phrases or say nothing. But never any future telling…nor did I ask. I never felt threatened as I believed God is always with me. Some were my family-members, some were friend’s family-members that I had known when they were alive and others I did not know. I have heard sounds, smelled odors, had a touch and/or felt a presence without visuals. Sometimes I was helped.

I have also had strong urges (for lack of a better word) to tell complete strangers that all will be okay. I strongly resist these urges, as I feel ‘they’ may think me odd, but the impulses become too great and I would give-in and relay the message. These people all looked to be without problems and the responses I have received back have always been a smile, a thank you and/or a hug.

Once in adoration while praying the rosary silently, I received an exceptionally strong urge to stop kneeling and sit beside a women (I didn’t know), hold her hand and continue the rosary. She did not look at all to be distressed. After glancing at her several times, I finally did and when I held her hand she began to cry softly and pray the rosary with me. When we had finished the rosary, she looked at me, smiled, squeezed my hand, said thank you and left the chapel. Those were the only words we exchanged.

In another, (during daily mass) I again had an exceptionally strong urge to tell a women (I didn’t know) that Jesus was standing on her right and Mary was standing on her left. I could not see them even though I tried too. As we were leaving, I quickly told her and then tried to walk away. She grabbed my arm and said through tears, that that was what she needed to hear as she hugged me.

What I have realized is my human-side hesitates for fear of being rejected as weird, but I have always been rewarded.

In speaking with my spiritual advisor (priest) about these occurrences, he basically said, if there is not a sense of evil, then it could be considered a gift from the Holy Spirit.

I do not believe myself to be clairvoyant, saintly, a visionary, or to experience locution or apparitions, however, I do consider myself to be a prayerful and ordinary women… with ‘strange’ experiences.
 
Sorry I’m a year late to the discussion but I’d like to add my proverbial two cents if I may. I’m a magician and more to the point, a mentalist and so I have a keen interest in clairvoyance, ESP and other like minded elements (pun intended).

Okay, so to get to the gist of my opinion, there are, for me anyway, three possibilities. The vast, vast majority are tricks. People like myself who study body language, verbal suggestions, psychology and just plain downright deception. We “ideally” only use these skills to entertain. We’re very obvious about it. We’ll announce that we’re not really psychic. In fact, if you ever meet my ex-wife she’ll assure you that I’m psychotic! So, the good ones admit it’s a clever effect or they at least let you to ponder the possibility that just maybe they really do have special powers.

Now having said that, I am reminded of Abraham Lincoln who said to really test a man’s character is to give him power. Unfortunately for some, the illusion of clairvoyance is used to convince others you have power and abilities far beyond mortal men. And in this celebrity worshiping age, the appearance of having super powers is too attractive to not milk to it’s fullest extent. Consequently, I am convinced the vast majority of people claiming clairvoyance are fakes. I can personally replicate much of what they claim to do.

This then, brings up the other two possibilities which I’ll define as being either holy or unholy in origin. My sorted past brought me into contact with all kinds of people and some of them were heavily influenced by the occult. Some of these people are adamant that humans like to believe they are little “creators” … that because we’re made in the image and likeness of God, we are like little gods who create great works of art, literature, architecture, etc. etc. But, these people insist this is not true (and whether or not this is or isn’t true is probably best dealt on another subject thread!). They insist we’re not creators, but that we’re all little receivers. Again, I’m not trying to debate their point. I just find it interesting because if this is true, that we’re little receivers, then genuine clairvoyance is something received or given to us.

So, it is my opinion, the other two possibilities are not faked and if we are little receivers then the majority of the genuine clairvoyant powers are demonic in origin.

Case in point, we’ve all heard about local psychics calling the police and telling them where to find the missing body. For example, the psychic may claim the police need to look by some water or some other obscure location. Then, surprise, surprise, the victim’s body is found by the nearby lake. If the psychic really does have genuine powers, then I suspect his/her powers to be demonic in origin. Why, you may ask? Well, why didn’t the psychic call the victim or the police an hour or more before the attack?

If this psychic were from God then why wasn’t the crime prevented? Solving a horrible crime through psychic phenomena is generally demonic (I am not saying there can’t be exceptions) because the devil wins two times. First, (in this case anyway) the sin of murder is committed. Second, as a result, more people will come to believe in powers of occult magic and may exchange their love and worship of God for the “cool” powers of the psychic. Assuming the purported psychic’s powers are demonic in origin, then the devil can tantalize and tempt everyone who hears the story and wonders.

The third form is the rarest of them all and that is legitimate clairvoyance from God. How do we tell the difference? The best clue or course of action is to first be skeptical. Remember, the vast majority are fake. If you really believe the person is legitimate then trust the Bible and remember Jesus when he said to test the fruit the tree produces. A bad tree can not produce good fruit. Does this so called psychic bring us closer to God or does he bring us closer to his awe-inspiring powers?
 
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