Clients and friends often remark how much they wish they had or could develop the skill of being psychic, to be able to communicate with those in the hereafter, to have prophetic dreams and visions. What so few outside this field understand is that they already do have the ability and they can develop it. Psychics, prophets, seers, mediums – call us what you will – are neither gifted nor special, we are skilled. That’s the only difference between a psychic and a non-psychic, or rather one who has not developed the skill. Everyone has a latent ability to tap into and develop psychically; that does not however mean everyone should, nor does it mean everyone who does develop the skill will become a good reader.
The good thing about these abilities is that anyone can learn to open to Spirit. The not-so-good thing about these abilities, is that anyone can learn to open to Spirit. It’s a double-edge sword, and not all psychics have the client’s best interests in mind.
Developing psychically brings with it much responsibility, much more than most people realize. There are those who hang on your every word, who try to get you to become responsible for their lives, who – for whatever reason – believe everything that comes through psychically is carved in stone. Yes, there are people who live their lives by what they receive in a reading! Such people need counselors more than they need a psychic, they need to learn that they are ultimately in control of their own lives and of the decisions they make.
Others can develop another type of dependency on the medium – in this group we find those who use communication with deceased loved ones to avoid dealing with their grief. They come back again and again and again to have a communications reading. [Any medium worth his or her salt will never allow this to happen.] Mediumship is not a replacement for dealing with grief! Even mediums go through the grieving processes when their loved ones die.
Psychics receive all kinds of information during a reading and we must be very careful in how the information is delivered, or whether to deliver it at all. Sometimes we receive information with the understanding to not pass it along to the client. Why? Sometimes it’s because it helps the reader understand exactly where the clairant is in the moment so the reader can more effectively assist the client during the reading. Other times it doesn’t seem to serve any immediate apparent purpose.
Psychics who have learned to control their skills – i.e. have learned to turn them on and off at will – still occasionally receive psychic insights without intent to do so: when we first meet someone, when we touch an object, while reading a book, or talking with a friend (or even a stranger) on the phone. Do we automatically pass on this information? Absolutely not. The person has not solicited us for a reading. We must gauge whether or not to softly approach the person and ask whether s/he wants the information. Though some do, most do not.
Then we have those who want to be our friends because we are psychic. I cannot tell you how many times I’ve had clients come in and at the end of the reading tell me they’d like to “get together sometime, maybe do lunch.” More often than not these are people who are attempting to become your friend in order to receive, they think, free readings. Many current friends and acquaintances will do the same thing once the psychic divulges his or her skills. So setting boundaries, clearly, is extremely important.
Whether a professional psychic or not, confidentiality is another aspect psychics face. To me, someone asking about a client’s reading or a psychic divulging the details of a client’s reading to anyone is akin to me walking into your doctor’s office, asking for your records, and them being handed over to me without question. It’s a serious matter of privacy.
Being or becoming open to psychic skill requires many levels of responsibility, and herein I’ve listed only a few; so when people tell me they want to develop their skills, usually my first response is “Why?”
(Coming soon: On Being a Psychic Medium: Why?)
