Do you know Astral Annie? I'm sure you've met her. At parties, she's the one who, white-faced and shaken, takes the hostess aside to inform her that the second-floor bedroom is haunted by "something nasty." She's the one who beamed that you have a "very old soul" when you first met. Random things either give her the creeps or trigger flashbacks to her priestesshood in ancient Sumer. Day-to-day matters and obligations fall by the wayside when her spirit guides have other plans for her.
I'm not saying that Annie (or Andy) isn't psychic. For all I know she is - but underneath all that frantic scrambling for an impressive public image, it would be hard to find her real talent. But of course she's not doing it to show off, because she complains about it all the time. To hear her talk, you'd think that psychism is a crippling handicap, a terrible burden inflicted on Chosen Individuals (TM) alone. Annie is clearly only here to help us, despite its being so painful for her.
Sorry, Annie. Psychism is a source of information, like eyesight or hearing. Just as overwhelmed eyes can be soothed by the use of sunglasses, and besieged ears by ear plugs, there's a cure for excessive random psychic input. It's called shielding. Next time Annie clutches her temples and gasps, suggest to her that she try a few shielding exercises (either of your own devising, or borrowed from Starhawk or some other trusted source). When she replies that the information she's bombarded with is too valuable to shut out, explain that it needn't be a "brick wall" shield - polarized glass or a nice muffling millimeter of vacuum would do nicely.
More effectively, though, you can go out of your way to let Annie know that you appreciate other things about her - her talents, personality, sense of humor - so that she's not relying solely on being the Village Prophetess for her popularity. Make sure she knows that all her good qualities are appreciated, and that she doesn't have to impress you to be sure of your friendship. And if her "gift," real or imagined, interferes with her keeping promises, then simply don't count on her. Many people are irresponsible - at least Annie tries to be entertaining about it!
Reprinted with permission from:
Faces of the Goddess
c/o Siannan NiAoidh
12001 Ehrlich Rd.
Crows Landing, CA 95313
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