Psychic Animals PHOTOS.

We know that animals can be extremely intuitive creatures. Whether you think that snakes can sense impending natural disasters, or that a cat predicted 50 deaths at a single nursing home or that a chicken typed out winning lottery numbers on a calculator, humans invest a lot of trust in animals and increasingly acknowledge bizarre animal behavior as forecasts of the future.

Check out our slideshow of seven impressive animals that may have predicted the future. Don’t forget to vote on your favorite and, as always, tell us about your favorite animals that make predictions in the comments.

- By the way, I just realized that my own cat looks quite a bit like Oscar the first cat featured!!  OX- Renee

The Psychic Line Blog – For Live Psychic Readings and Phone Psychics. Call 1-800-966-2294.

Psychic readings can help you with extra insight into a situation, relationship, business dealing or any area you need some extra help.

Did you know that psychic readers are also some of the best listeners around?

Not only are our psychic advisers here with helpful insight and advice for past, present, and future situations, but they are also here to listen to you.  Listening may be the biggest key for an accurate and successful psychic reader.  Sometimes just talking to someone helps you calm down and gain clarity.  Psychic readers are in tune with really listening to the client and helping to determine the best mode of action for success.

Next time you think, “I really just need someone to talk to.”  or “I am lonely and could use some advice.”  or “I want to know what will happen in the future.”

Think of us!  Have a great weekend!

via Dylan Kendall: Aesthetics and Happiness: How Space Affects Well-Being.

I’m a renter. I love my large apartment with big windows, interior arches and white walls. But I don’t love the kitchen. Not only do I not love the kitchen, I actually have a psychological aversion to the kitchen — which means breakfast dishes pile up and I frequently order in. Why? The building owners decided to keep the original counter tiles which are red, mustard yellow and forest green. They then decided to match the linoleum squares to the tiles (yes, the floor is a paler version of each color). And then they decided to paint the cabinet frames yellow and the cabinet doors pink. The colors are disharmonious and the cacophony of color makes me uncomfortable and motivates me to want to avoid the room.

Architects and interior designers agree that space has a very real impact on how we feel. Neuroscientists and psychologists are not far behind with new research that discusses the way aesthetics affect our decisions, emotional responses and the way we feel about ourselves. New fields such as embodied cognition, which looks specifically at the role the environment plays in developing cognitive capacity, and neuroaesthetics, which examines the biological role of aesthetic experiences, have found homes in research institutes around the world. We now know that the way light enters a room, the colors we choose for our floors and walls, and even the shape and texture of our furniture and home accessories all work together to influence how we feel and how we perform, both consciously and subconsciously.

Alain de Botton offers a comparison most of us can relate to in The Architecture of Happiness. De Botton contrasts the Westminster Cathedral in London to a McDonalds right up the street. He observes that walking into the McDonalds you immediately feel “anxious” and hurried–the harsh lighting; the colors; the hard, plastic furniture–compared to walking into the cathedral where you immediately feel solemn and reverent. In the cathedral you whisper, there is no jostling of friends. You walk slowly. Even for secularists, like myself, these feelings are unavoidable. However, de Botton reminds us that both spaces contain the same core architectural elements: doors, windows, ceilings, and furniture on which to sit.

Color theorists add to the discussion by observing that color has such an impact on how we feel we actually make qualitative decisions about products based on the color of their packaging. Study participants respond unequivocally that the exact same pastries taste worse when served in a blue, orange or green box instead of a pink box. Office workers arriving to find their work walls painted red immediately began working more productively but by the end of day five in the same office began arguing with each other and reported being more tired after work, climbing into bed immediately.

Now imagine growing up in a home with gray walls and stained carpet. Imagine in your bedroom you sleep on a metal cot with gray sheets and you lock your personal belongings away in a gray school locker or a shabby dresser with chipped paint. It’s an extreme picture but it’s one that most young people who have been taken into the foster care system face if a home placement is unavailable. Depending on the size of the group home, there is generally one room for entertainment and this is usually centered on a large TV and a bargain-basement couch. Beauty is not a priority and nowhere to be found. How would you feel?

People have a myriad of emotional responses to aesthetics and space — but we share enough commonalities for a basic matrix to be created. The question I am considering today is this: If we know we respond emotionally to space then how do we justify creating space that will stifle creative thinking — the cornerstone of today’s new economy.

Offering his own definition to the centuries-old question of “what is beauty” — French writer Stendhal observes that: “Beauty is the promise of happiness.” Indisputably there are as many styles of beauty as visions of happiness. Necessity creates certain limits but not at the expense of common sense. If we know that space influences how we feel then why don’t we make more effort to create “beauty” in places where feeling inspired is key to community, key to social and personal growth and key to learning — schools, group homes, lower income or section 8 housing. While we may not be able to create spaces that aesthetically please every user, we can certainly create spaces that consciously manipulate aesthetic elements to encourage more meaningful, satisfying and joyful experiences.

Ladies, don’t be an Eeyore in your relationship – CNN.com.

Editor’s note: Audrey Irvine is a senior assignment manager for CNN. Her experiences in the dating world inspire her “Relationship Rant” column. Check back every week for her take on dating and relationships.

Atlanta, Georgia (CNN) — When single women gather they tend to complain ad nauseam about the lack of available good men.

After a few more glasses of wine, the conversation inevitably begins with phrases like “if I had a man, I would do this” and “good men can’t appreciate strong independent women.”

Then at the end of the night after everyone has parted ways, we realize the same thing — that each of us is alone. That is until one of the women in the pack does luck out and meet that mysterious available man who actually is interested in a committed relationship.

So, all is well right? Actually, no. It’s just started getting crazy because — guess what — it’s still not enough. Why? Because as women, we too often take on the persona of Eeyore from the “Winnie the Pooh” books when we get into a relationship.

How many of you remember Eeyore? It could be the most beautiful day and the little donkey would find the single cloud in the sky. Winnie could be happy with his tub of honey, laughing while Tigger is dancing his little striped butt off while Eeyore would slowly walk by as if the weight of the world is on his shoulders.

This is what some women do. They will not choose to find the silver lining in a situation but instead dig — a la CSI — for evidence, that one nugget of negativity that would surely doom this new partnership.

Why do women, when relationships start getting good, tend to look at them with such a negative outlook?

My mother used to always say, “Don’t block your blessings.” I always took this to mean that I needed to be open to blessings in order to receive them. So, that’s what I’ve done and it’s actually worked for me.

I imagined and predicted that I would work at the television company I grew up watching. I got to do that three times in my career. I decided that I deserved an intelligent, sensitive, loving and strong man who would love me for me — faults, warts and all.

That blessing also has happened and guess what happened? With every happy milestone, there was Eeyore questioning why it happened. For every smile the man put on my face, there was Eeyore saying, “Hang on, he’ll surely make you cry soon.”

Yet in my mind this wasn’t me blocking my blessing, until one day that amazing guy — guess what he did? No, he didn’t leave, because that’s what Eeyore would expect. Instead, he called me on my hypocrisy. He pointed out all that I claimed I wanted was a lie because the minute I got a taste of it, I dissected, questioned and doubted it existed.

I was doing what my mother urged me not to do. I was blocking that blessing.

So, why do women tend to ruin the one thing they claim to want the most? Is it unresolved issues from past loves, insecurity, a self-loathing feeling that they don’t deserve happiness?

Actually, it’s a lot simpler than that. Women have been conditioned to believe that in order to succeed in this world we always have to be a step ahead of all potential problems. We need to always be ready for when the bottom falls out. We need to prepare that safety net so we cannot be caught off guard.

As a result, women are so busy analyzing what could happen in the near future that they are destroying any possibility of nurturing the present.

The mind set is not just limited to our love lives.

I recently bought a house and had some rose bushes put in the front yard. Every day I diligently water those flowers, thinking about how beautiful they will be when they are bigger, fuller and look just like the picture that came with them.

There’s nothing wrong with focusing on the future. But I realized my obsession with how they were going to look in the years ahead made me not appreciate the small steps toward beauty they were already taking. I wanted to concentrate on when the roses would be at maximum beauty.

So now when I water the roses and prune their dead leaves, I say to them “you are beautiful just the way you are, and I realize that with time, you will grow to be all I dreamed of and more.”

Some days, though, in the midst of that positivity, I see Eeyore lurking in the corner of my mind, daring those roses to look better.

July 11, 2010 New Moon in Cancer Solar Eclipse Horoscopes, continued.

Elisa Medhus, M.D.: Channeling Erik: Conversations With My Son in the Afterlife.

One decision. One ill-fated decision. That’s all it took to cleave our lives in half: the wonderful before, and the intolerable after. In the days and months that followed my son Erik’s suicide, our entire family was catapulted into a new world of grief, bewilderment, anger and guilt. As a mother, the effect seemed to take an even greater toll. The physical connection that began 20 years and nine months ago had been ripped apart so violently that a searing pain permeated every part of my body and soul. It leached into every cell, distorted every memory and haunted every thought.

It didn’t take long, however, for our new dark world to lighten with brief moments of hope. As early as the day after Erik’s death, he sent us what would be the first of many messages that all was well with him in the afterlife. These intermittent respites from grief inspired me to share our experiences in a blog, www.channelingerik.com.

As a physician with a strong science background, these ghostly visits radically shifted my belief system. I had always believed what science had taught me: reality is that which is measurable by one of the five senses. If it cannot be touched, smelled, heard, seen or tasted, it is unknowable and therefore not “real.” Whatever is “unreal” we scorn and relegate to the domain of mysticism where only gypsies hunched over crystal balls and New Age kooks dared to tread.

Each of Erik’s visits made me question: Is there more to our three dimensional reality than can be perceived by our senses? Do these phenomena have a rational explanation? In a quest for truth, I began to devour nearly every book on consciousness survival and the afterlife, including those written by theoretical physicists and other scientists. Eventually, my research evolved into a new understanding of the quantum physics behind all things metaphysical, converting me from skeptic to believer. I now know the soul survives death. Erik has simply shed his body like a set of clothes and now lives in an alternate reality.

Eventually, I began regular and direct communication with Erik through a gifted medium. I wanted to ask the tough questions: What was death like for him? Where is he now? What is he now? What is the afterlife like? Why did he take his life when he had so much to live for?

In the blog, I continue to share not only the amazing stories of Erik’s ongoing visitations and mischievous pranks, but also his answers to our many inquiries. Channeling Erik gives him a voice to help us broaden our perspective. Often each question generates a dozen new ones: What’s left after the body is shed? Has he met God? If so, what is God like? What new abilities does he have? How do souls manipulate energy to manifest themselves to us here on the earthly plane? How do thoughts create reality? Does time really exist? Will 2012 mark the end of our existence? Do we have past lives? If so, why can’t we remember them? Do souls in Heaven have a work life, a sex life, a social life? Can they hear our every thought? The list goes on.

Over time, those questions have blossomed into a journey. Strangers from all over the world have joined me, asking Erik their own thought-provoking questions. Many of these strangers, now friends, consider his insight life-changing. For some on the brink of suicide, he has inspired them to live. Now, my readers and I venture hand in hand to explore the human experience, the death process, the afterlife, reincarnation and more.

As a physician, writing this blog has been an immense healing experience for me, because it is in my nature to heal others and, through their restoration, I find my own salvation.

As a mother, writing this blog has not only strengthened my relationship with Erik even more, it has also allows me to continue to parent my son. Motherhood and love know no boundaries, even death. I defy that wall and reach beyond to guide Erik to become what every mother wants their child to be: a productive, fulfilled, contributing soul who makes the world a better place for his fellow travelers. In the end, I refuse to allow his death to be in vain.

Erik would be the first to admit that he is no Oracle of Delphi. He does not claim to be a Dalai Lama, the Great Messiah, a mountaintop guru or even a wise sage. No, he is a flawed human being who, like many of us, has battled his own dragons. He has stumbled and failed time and time again. But perhaps because of his foibles, he has a deep understanding of the human experience. He knows what it’s like to be neck deep in a foxhole of misery clawing desperately in the mud to pull himself out. He also knows what it’s like to feel hopelessness, to give up, to believe that life is not worth the pain and setbacks. But his trials and tribulations offer another type of wisdom–one we can relate to in the shadow of our own hardships. That said, however young, flawed and imperfect, Erik is a voice worth hearing. He is one of us.

It is my sincerest hope that you join Erik and I on this journey. At times you will cry. At times you will laugh. At times you will pause in wonderment. Some of you may be drawn by a fear of death. Some of you may be drawn by grief over a departed loved one. Like me, you search for comfort and hope. Some of you may be drawn by a yearning to see the bigger picture, to grasp the purpose of your existence. Whatever your motives, together we will explore the meaning of life, death and a new reality infinitely larger than both.

Judith Orloff MD: Relationship Secrets for Highly Empathic People.

Loneliness gets to some more than others. But why it hangs on isn’t always apparent when read by traditional medical eyes. In my psychiatric practice in Los Angeles and in my workshops I’ve been struck by how many sensitive, empathic people who I call “emotional empaths” come to me, lonely, wanting a romantic partner, yet remaining single for years. Or else they’re in relationships but feel constantly fatigued and overwhelmed. The reason isn’t simply that “there aren’t enough emotionally available people ‘out there,’” nor is their burnout “neurotic.” Personally and professionally, I’ve discovered that something more is going on.

Emotional empaths are a species unto themselves. Whereas others may thrive on the togetherness of being a couple, for empaths like me, too much togetherness can be difficult, may cause us to bolt. Why? We tend to intuit and absorb our partner’s energy, and become overloaded, anxious, or exhausted when we don’t have time to decompress in our own space. We’re super-responders; our sensory experience of relationship is the equivalent of feeling objects with 50 fingers instead of five. Energetically sensitive people unknowingly avoid romantic partnership because deep down they’re afraid of getting engulfed. Or else, they feel engulfed when coupled, a nerve-wracking, constrictive way to live. If this isn’t understood, empaths can stay perpetually lonely. We want companionship, but, paradoxically, it doesn’t feel safe. One empath patient told me, “It helps explain why at 32 I’ve only had two serious relationships, each lasting less than a year.” Once we empaths learn to set boundaries and negotiate our energetic preferences, intimacy becomes possible.

For emotional empaths to be at ease in a relationship, the traditional paradigm for coupling must be redefined. Most of all, this means asserting your personal space needs — the physical and time limits you set with someone so you don’t feel they’re on top of you. Empaths can’t fully experience emotional freedom with another until they do this. Your space needs can vary with your situation, upbringing, and culture. My ideal distance to keep in public is at least an arm’s length. In doctors’ waiting rooms I’ll pile my purse and folders on the seats beside me to keep others away.

With friends it’s about half that. With a mate it’s variable. Sometimes it’s rapture being wrapped in his arms; later I may need to be in a room of my own, shut away. One boyfriend who truly grasped the concept got me a “Keep Out” sign for my study door! For me, this was a sign of true love. All of us have an invisible energetic border that sets a comfort level. Identifying and communicating yours will prevent you from being bled dry by others. Then intimacy can flourish, even if you’ve felt suffocated before. Prospective mates or family members may seem like emotional vampires when you don’t know how to broach the issue of personal space. You may need to educate others — make clear that this isn’t about not loving them — but get the discussion going. Once you can, you’re able to build progressive relationships.

If you’re an empath or if the ordinary expectations of coupledom don’t jibe with you practice the following tips.

Define your personal space needs

Tip 1. What to say to a potential mate

As you’re getting to know someone, share that you’re a sensitive person, that you periodically need quiet time. The right partner will be understanding; the wrong person will put you down for being “overly sensitive,” and won’t respect your need.

Tip 2. Clarify your preferred sleep style

Traditionally, partners sleep in the same bed. However, some empaths never get used to this, no matter how caring a mate. Nothing personal; they just like their own sleep space. Speak up about your preferences. Feeling trapped in bed with someone, not getting a good night’s rest, is torture. Energy fields blend during sleep, which can overstimulate empaths. So, discuss options with your mate. Separate beds. Separate rooms. Sleeping together a few nights a week. Because non-empaths may feel lonely sleeping alone, make compromises when possible.

Tip 3. Negotiate your square footage needs

You may be thrilled about your beloved until you live together. Experiment with creative living conditions so your home isn’t a prison. Breathing room is mandatory. Ask yourself, “What space arrangements are optimal?” Having an area to retreat to, even if it’s a closet? A room divider? Separate bathrooms? Separate houses? I prefer having my own bedroom/office to retreat to. I also can see the beauty of separate wings or adjacent houses if affordable. Here’s why: conversations, scents, coughing, movement can feel intrusive. Even if my partner’s vibes are sublime, sometimes I’d rather not sense them even if they’re only hovering near me. I’m not just being finicky; it’s about maintaining well-being if I live with someone.

Tip 4. Travel wisely

Traveling with someone, you may want to have separate space too. Whether my companion is romantic or not, I’ll always have adjoining rooms with my own bathroom. If sharing a room is the only option, hanging a sheet as a room divider will help. “Out of sight” may make the heart grow fonder.

Tip 5. Take regular mini-breaks

Empaths require private downtime to regroup. Even a brief escape prevents emotional overload. Retreat for five minutes into the bathroom with the door shut. Take a stroll around the block. Read in a separate room. One patient told her boyfriend, “I need to disappear into a quiet room for ten minutes at a party, even if I’m having fun,” a form of self-care that he supports.

In my medical practice, I’ve seen this creative approach to relationships save marriages and make ongoing intimacies feel safe, even for emotional empaths (of all ages) who’ve been lonely and haven’t had a long-term partner before. Once you’re able to articulate your needs, emotional freedom in your relationships is possible.

Follow Judith Orloff MD on Twitter: www.twitter.com/JudithOrloffMD

Jodi Lipper and Cerina Vincent: Cures for the Breakup Blues.

Pictures of lunar eclipse from California – CNN iReport.

This is beautiful.  – Renee

Let Your Favorite Color Guide Your Career – Careers Articles.

In today’s challenging economy, you have more career opportunities than you might think. Modernize your dream career into a higher paying, more job opening niche or related occupation. Don’t be afraid to get nosey and take the time to look around or invest in developing a specialized skill inside your chosen field. Use every opportunity to network and promote yourself.

• Everywhere you go, ask questions like, “What do you do during your workday?” “What’s fun, not fun?” “Any opening in your company?”
• Be a temp. Ask for short term assignments so you can taste different jobs and learn about opportunities.
• Join career specific organizations and get your friends on board.

Dreams come true with niche-specific educational training or on-the-job experience. Looking for the perfect niche? Consider the scientifically valid Dewey Color System test that measures career satisfaction at record-breaking accuracy. It lists the top 50 careers suited for you, plus hundreds of related occupations, niches and career specific organizations. To provide accurate and thorough results, data was obtained from 750,000 CareerBuilder online users.

– Take the Dewey Color System test

In order to take the test, you first have to choose the color you like most from yellow, blue and red. Then choose which color you like most from green, purple and orange. Remember your choices and see what your selected combination says about your career prospects:

Yellow-Green

If you selected yellow and green: Your ability to understand others’ viewpoints and diplomatically express your thoughts increases efficiency. You know how to make products, systems, and services best fit the environment.

Make more money by seeking careers where you can assemble support structures or make living situations more comfortable.

Consider niches as in landscape architecture or real estate sales, or consider a career as a counselor, designer or social worker.

Yellow-Purple

If you selected yellow and purple: You prefer fast-growing companies with non-repetitive jobs that offer a constant barrage of fresh perspectives and non-stop new tasks. Your ability to communicate with finesse breaks down barriers and opens profitable doors.

Make more money by developing and communicating strategies for project-oriented settings that involve constant change.

Consider niches as a public relations representative, corporate communications manager, youth counselor or radio/TV announcer.

Yellow-Orange

If you selected yellow and orange: You know about the newest available resources, pertinent facts, or innovative ways to solve workday pressures. Your open-minded yet analytical approach creates must-do activities and programs.

Make more money by inventing new ways to market your business, better utilizing resources and talents, or making what you do more efficient.

Consider niches as a statistician, geologist, researcher, librarian or product developer.

Blue-Green

If you selected blue and green: You are at your best when you can anchor others with supportive suggestions. Your personable listening skills make you a success with colleagues, customers or clients who trust you with even their most crucial decisions.

Make more money by seeking environments that give you the opportunity to manage people, information or workplace environments.

Consider niches as a writer, actor, accountant, psychologist or departmental manager.

Blue-Purple

If you selected blue and purple: Use your big-picture thinking to develop new markets, new ideas and new businesses. You can see what’s missing and know how to get things done.

Make more money by working in environments where you can organize, develop and bring situations, people or markets together.

Consider niches in advertising and sales or as a public relations representative, trial lawyer or research scientist

Blue-Orange

If you choose blue and orange: You’re a natural both at developing new products or procedures and delegating tasks. You prefer a busy environment because you enjoy learning. Pressure stimulates you.

Make more money in careers where you can gauge productivity, analyze efficiency, and oversee or implement change.

Consider niches as an operations manager, civil engineer, builder or product salesperson.

Red-Green

If you selected red and green: You know value and how to best use resources to make money. Your practical guidance keeps others focused on the bottom line and expenditures under budget.

Make more money in positions where you decide how to best utilized resources or spend money.

Consider Niches as a securities manager, auditor, banker, teacher, property manager, nurse or surgeon.

Red-Purple

If you selected red and purple: When others speak, you sort out the facts from the emotions and establish a step-by-step action plan. You know how to calm those around you and offer quick solutions.

Make more money by selecting work environments where you’re in control of all necessary resources and can offer win-win suggestions.

Consider niches as a human resources interviewer/manager, event planner, editor or executive assistant.

Red-Orange

If you selected red and orange: You use facts compiled from past mistakes and successes to deliver strong opinions that are hard to refute. Others learn invaluable information from your critiques about the efficiency of a project.

Make more money in areas where you can sail your own ship by constantly examining, in detail, what needs to be done and express your opinion when things go off course.

Consider niches as a budget analyst, computer support specialist, production manager, manufacturing manager or business owner.