'Psychic Kindergarten' Teaches Budding Mediums How to Explore Their Gifts
Aug. 16, 2011— -- Long before J.K. Rowling ever conceived Hogwarts, a small group of students in Berkeley, Calif., were learning what Harry Potter would have called "divination."
It's called "psychic kindergarten," beginner lessons for clairvoyants, where they learn how to read colored spirits, feel chakras and "blow roses." Susan Bostwick, the president of the Berkeley Psychic Institute, is also one of its teachers.
"What we do is teach people to discover, go in and find out what your abilities are, and how do you want to use them for the greater good," she said.
Bostwick stressed that, unlike Harry Potter and his friends, what she and her students are practicing is not magic.
Tune into "Primetime Nightline: Beyond Belief" special, "Psychic Power," airing on Wednesday, Aug. 17 at 10 p.m./9c on ABC.
"We talk about magic and miracles, [but] it's allowing yourself to have what you're experiencing in life as a miracle," she said. "I'm teaching people to use their psychic ability. They already have it."
The institute, which is an offshoot of the Church of the Divine Man, is a new age religious group, which bases its teachings on the Bible's New Testament and has been around for 38 years. It has had 300,000 participants come through, according to Bostwick.
When the students are asked to "blow roses" in "psychic kindergarten," it means they are being asked to imagine a rose as a way of focusing the mind. In their minds' eye, they then visualize the rose exploding, which is supposed to clear their thoughts, getting rid of any distracting psychic energy.
The students also spend time talking about colors of psychic energy. Each of the colors has different meanings. For example, gold means spiritually awakened or inspired.
"In kindergarten, you're just there to play and learn and discover," said Bingo Marasigan, director of the Berkeley Psychic Institute. "That's what we do here. We provide the space. It's a playground for you to play with energy."
After graduating from the institute, the participants use their skills in many different fields. One is a clairvoyant debt counselor; another, a self-styled psychic hairdresser. Another, named Nysa, lives near Napa Valley, Calif., where she reads people's auras -- the psychic energy that surrounds our bodies in vivid colors.
