I was in the organic chocolate aisle of Berryvale Grocery in Mt. Shasta when a woman in bohemian dress robes gusted past and stepped in front of the woman next to me. She faced her, blocking her view of the cacao nibs she was shopping.

Very seriously, the bohemian dresser said to the cocoa nib shopper: “A spirit is trying to contact you, but you’re so closed off that you can’t hear.”

The cacao nib woman did a beautiful thing. She smiled at the stranger and calmly said, “I assure you, I communicate with Spirit in exactly the way that is right for me.”

With an “excuse me, please,” she reached around the gypsy dresser, chose the cocoa nibs that were also right for her, and walked to the checkout line.

I know so many people who have experienced something like this. I have. You probably have, too. Or maybe you’ve actually been the well-meaning seer who reaches out to a stranger just to help.

I’ve done this, too—before I was well-trained and knew better.

Spiritual Ethics are a big deal. And one major consideration in choosing to act ethically is the honoring of boundaries. Boundaries are just as important in spiritual matters as they are in everything else.

A good rule of thumb is, “what’s yours is yours”—whether that’s your own spiritual insight or your own spiritual privacy. And there’s an easy, one-word litmus test that serves well to clear up any ambiguity on the issue: permission.

Do you have it? Great. Did you give it? Great.

If you answer no to either of these questions, know your place and know your rights.

If you’re the one being approached by the uninvited psychic, it’s perfectly fine to hold your personal ground. Like the Berryvale nib lady, it is possible to do this with style and grace, but don’t be too hard on yourself if your words don’t come out as smoothly as hers.

Just remember that so many people who offer up spiritual know-it-all are coming from a genuinely good place. They may have no idea that they’re overstepping bounds, but they most definitely are overstepping bounds.

That brings me to the bounds-oversteppers. It’s a beautiful thing that you’re gifted with extraordinary abilities. You may see or hear or know things that others don’t or can’t.

Just please understand that there’s a time and a place to enlighten.

To help us all navigate, I’ve whipped up a little hand-drawn chart (above): To Share or Shut it Down—a Guide.

May we all go forth and buy our cocoa nibs in peace.

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Relephant Read:

Spiritual Snobbery: the Dark Side of Lightworkers.

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Author: Marit Fischer

Editor: Toby Israel

Image: Artwork Courtesy of Author

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