Author: Tony Hyland

Clairsentience is one of the 'clair senses', or psychic abilities, which also include: clairgustance and clairscent; clairtangency, clairvoyance and clairaudience. Another psychic ability, clairempathy (clear emotion), which is an individual's ability to physically tune into and feel another person, animal or place's emotional experience, is...

Marking the beginning of the astronomical summer and the middle of the 'ancient' summer, Midsummer's Day, the Summer Solstice, or Litha (also known as Midsummer, Gathering Day, Alban Heffyn or Feill-Sheathain) will, here in the northern hemisphere, occur on the 20th of this month (June...

In astronomical terms, Mercury is the closest planet to our solar system's sun. As such, it moves around the sun faster than any other planet in the system in what is known as an eccentric orbit. About Mercury The speed at which this planet moved across the sky at night was noted by ancient Roman astronomers, who subsequently named it after their swift-footed messenger god (which is why it is often referred to as the ‘planet of communication’ in astrology). Until NASA's Messenger space probe reached and completely mapped this rather elusive planet before impacting on its surface in April 2015, very little was known about it. Today, we know that this celestial body is far more dynamic and complex than its eccentricity and swiftness previously allowed us to discover. Mercury in Astrology mercury Every astrological sign has a planetary ruler, and most ruling planets reign over a single sign. Mercury, however, is the planetary ruler of both Gemini and Virgo, making it one of only two planets that divide their attention between two signs (Venus, which reigns over Libra and Taurus, being the other one). Mercury's Rule There are some basic similarities in the way Mercury rules over Gemini and Virgo. People born under both of these signs are, for instance, exceptionally intelligent. They can also be very flexible and capable of 'changing like the wind', although this is mostly due to the fact that both Gemini and Virgo have a 'mutable quality'.

Having introduced the concept of 'Qualities' in 'Astrology Reports: Qualities, an Introduction (Part 1 of 13)', I will endeavour to show how the different qualities, cardinal, fixed and muted, affect each individual sign over the next 12 parts of this series, starting today with the first of the cardinal signs, Aries. Cardinal Signs Astrology's cardinal signs, their seasons and elements are Aries (Spring, Fire), Cancer (Summer, Water), Libra (Autumn, Air) and Capricorn (Winter, Earth). As I mentioned in Part 1, these signs occupy each season's first month. Also known as the Zodiac's 'scout signs', they have the role of bringing forth new seasons. Governing creativity and often respected as leaders within their communities, people born under these cardinal signs are typically self-motivated; ambitious, active and often restless individuals. Occasionally misinterpreted as domineering, cardinal sign natives have some outstanding qualities, including being enterprising, creative and independent; spontaneous and, yes, sometimes forceful. cardinal signs The Cardinal Quality of the Fire-Sign Aries The role of the Aries individual is to use his or her first-hand experiences to project themselves onto the world. Self-expression is, in fact, of paramount importance to the pioneering sign of Aries, and natives love to see just how far they can go in the exploration and discovery of and experimentation with the world surrounding them.

Many people refer to psychics as fortune tellers. Even some psychics use the term 'fortune telling' to describe what they do when providing psychic readings. I must admit that I have a little bit of a problem with this. Here is why. Fortune Telling In my mind, the terms 'fortune teller' and 'fortune telling' always conjure up images of 'fairground mystics' in darkened tents (usually filled with all kinds of weird and wonderful objects) 'predicting the future' at often ridiculous prices. These individuals often:
  • Use clever questioning to get information they can use to appear real.
  • Tell people exactly what they want to hear.
  • Predict the soon to be expected arrival of a 'tall, dark and handsome stranger' (or incredibly beautiful woman, as the case may be).
  • Predict impending incredibly good fortune.
  • Frighten the living daylights out of some poor, unsuspecting individual by talking about imminent doom and gloom (including terrible accidents and even unexpected deaths!).
These people are, as far as I am concerned, not only incredibly irresponsible (and more often than not also fakes), but also one of the main reason why so many people deny or laugh at the reality of psychic abilities. psychic readers Psychic Readers Genuine psychic readers rarely operate in this manner. First of all, we are normal, everyday-type people just like you who, as a rule, only dress up in outlandish costumes for Halloween or other fancy dress parties. While we may have divinatory tools like crystal balls or tarot cards at hand, we typically also live in and work from perfectly 'normal' homes and/or offices.

Most people wrongly assume that psychics and mediums must invariably be clairvoyants. In reality, clairvoyance is just one of many different psychic abilities, which also include clairaudience. Defining Clairaudience First coined sometime between 1860 and 1865, the term 'clairaudience' is a combination of the French word 'clair', meaning 'clear', and the word 'audience' (as in the state or act of hearing). Subsequently basically meaning 'clear hearing', it is defined by dictionaries as:
  • "the supposed ability to hear (voices or) sounds beyond the normal hearing range" (British Dictionary).
  • "the power (ability) to hear sounds believed to exist beyond ordinary capacity or experience's reach, as, for example, voices of the deceased" (Dictionary.com).
  • "the faculty or power to hear something that is not present to one's ear, but considered to have objective reality" (Merriam-Webster).
  • "the presumed faculty to perceive, as though by hearing, that which is inaudible" (Oxford Dictionaries).
Please note: These definitions have been paraphrased to avoid copyright infringements. clairaudience So what exactly does this mean? In essence, a clairaudient psychic or medium has the ability to 'hear' sounds that cannot be heard 'normally' by the human ear or recording equipment (including voices, music, tones and other noises; even the sounds of moving cars, trains or planes). Able to 'tune in' to different frequencies (almost like tuning into a radio station), they may perceive these sounds either in their head (through their so-called 'inner ear') or by actually hearing them as audible sounds (through their 'outer' ears).

Astrology Reports consider, among other aspects, human traits as they follow nature's natural rhythms. This is nowhere more perceptible than in the manner in which the different characteristics of the so-called Qualities are adopted.

Astrology qualities

Qualities in Astrology Reports

There are three Qualities, Cardinal, Fixed & Mutable, each with four assigned signs. Astrology assigns the signs of the Zodiac to these qualities based on their positioning within the year's four seasons. 

Cardinal Signs

The signs occupying the first month of a season are Cardinal signs. These signs are, for autumn, winter, spring and summer respectively: Libra, Capricorn, Aries and Cancer. People born under Cardinal signs are the leaders, their role is to initiate and bring forth the new season. Governing creativity, Cardinal signs are occasionally referred to as 'scout signs'.

Active and ambitious; self-motivated and restless, these signs are often community leaders. At times, they may come over as a little domineering, but this comes as part of the package with their most admirable qualities, which include being creative, enterprising and forceful; independent and spontaneous.

Having pondered varying arguments for and against the reality of mediumship in my post ‘Are Mediums Real?’, I would like to take this opportunity try and help you separate fakes from real mediums. Basically, knowing how genuine mediums and charlatans, fakes and even some inexperienced genuine mediums who have not yet leaned how to responsibly use their gift operate will easily answer the question ‘Are psychic mediums real or fake?’.

psychic mediums

Are Psychic Mediums Real or Fake? How Fakes Work In most cases, fakes and inexperienced individuals will:
  • Give vague messages that could be made to fit in with anyone’s life
  • Claim to be able to contact any deceased person you wish to get in touch with at any given time
  • Give initials, rather than names, as proof that they are communicating with spirits. More often than not, you will recognise these initials as belonging to someone, somewhere you once knew or a long dead, distant relative you had forgotten all about if you dig deep enough into your family history
  • Ask many leading questions in order to pry information they can use to appear genuine out of you
  • Make frightening or preposterous predictions

As I mentioned before, some psychics use different tools to assist them during psychic readings. Among these tools is the ancient art of reading the runes. About Runes The actual origin of runes is somewhat debated by historians. For our purpose here, it suffices to say that according to Norse legends, a set of 24 runes was revealed (in the shapes and combinations of stakes thrown to the ground) to a shaman by the name of Odin as he was hanging upside down from a tree. Often shown forming a circle, these runes form an alphabet (depending on traditions, the arrangement of the runic alphabet used may vary slightly in order and the exact shapes of runes). runes There are at least three ‘different’ runic alphabets, the Elder Futhark, the Anglo Saxon Futhark and the Uthark, which is supposed to show the true, original order of the runes. Depending on the tradition followed, each rune has a specific name and shape; potency (or power), key quality and meaning, as well as being associated with a specific:
  • Direction (east, south, west or north)
  • Tree
  • Time of day
  • Season
  • Set of dates (as a so-called birth rune)

Buddhists around the world will be celebrating the birth of Buddha either this month or in May. The traditional date this important event is celebrated on is April the 8th, although the precise date may vary according to region (April 8 or May 8 in Japan; second Sunday in May in Taiwan; 8th day of the 4th lunar on the East Asian mainland, and the official date set for this year is the16th of May). While most people are aware of how Prince Siddhartha Gautama became the ‘holy man’ he is today known and revered as, few (especially non-Buddhists) are aware of the fact that his life’s path was accurately predicted by astrology shortly after his birth in 563 BC.

 Buddha’s Birthday and Astrology

The Prediction According to legend, an astrologer by the name of Asita visited King ?uddhodana, Prince Siddhartha Gautama’s father, and predicted that the young prince would either turn out to be a great king or, if allowed to see what life outside palace walls was really like, renounce wealth and the material world in general and become a holy man. The Fulfilment of the Prediction Determined that his son would one day be king, ?uddhodana subsequently prevented the prince from venturing out of palace grounds. In spite of his father’s efforts, Gautama managed to leave the palace several times at the age of 29.

The question ‘Are mediums real?’ has sparked heated debates around the world for generations. Opinions are basically divided between three main factions, namely those who believe that:
  • There are indeed many individuals with the ability to sense subtle energies and communicate with spirits
  • The whole idea is utter balderdash conjured up by greedy scam artists
  • Mediums do not exist because the thought goes against their own religious faith
Are Mediums Real Well, everyone is entitled to have and voice their own opinions. Ultimately, however, only one answer to the question ‘Are mediums real?’ can be right. Let’s start by taking a look at why so many deny the reality of mediumship and psychic abilities in general. Lack of Faith It is often difficult to believe something you have never felt or experienced yourself. The idea of a spirit world alone seems preposterous to many, let alone communication with spirits. In many cases, the people who most vehemently deny that mediums are real also do not believe in God, Allah or any other kind of deity, for that matter.

As one of the four classical elements, Air has always been considered to be of great spiritual importance. Physically, we know that we cannot live without the air that we breathe, just as we need water to drink, fire to keep us warm and earth...

People have always looked to the stars for meaning and direction; however, not all systems of astrology are the same. Chinese astrology is very different to the Western form, with many concepts not found in our traditions – which means it can offer a different...