All humans are born with innate psychic gifts that have mostly weakened and atrophied with lack of use. While some people we call "psychic" seem naturally better at using these inborn gifts, we can all develop them better through practice and use. Various psychic skills get developed naturally as a result of pursuing a personal path of spirituality, such as Wicca. Meditation and magickal workings tend to hone these gifts into skills that can be used in daily life.
Having “psychic” skills is often not glamourous or flashy. They are usually subtle gifts that manifest when we have actual need of them. The psychic gifts I have are mostly indistinguishable from a highly toned intuition and the years of proof to trust in it. I've developed other magickal skills over my years of study and practice, but it’s sometimes difficult to draw a line and call something "psychic".
I actually had an ESP test done on me once. On the objective test (GESP "flashcard" test) of psychic skills, I scored off the probability charts. The test consists of five different symbols repeated on 25 cards. A tester holds up each card and the reader has to "guess" which symbol is up. 5/25 is the probability of pure guessing... the odds jump to 20-1 if you got 7/25 correct. The odds go up to 250-1 if you got 8/25 right.... I got 11/25, which rather amazed us all.
But successfully guessing at flashcards rarely comes up as a necessary life skill. It was neat to see myself score so high, but those kinds of displays of “psychic skills” don't really mean much in daily day-to-day life. I've become a very intuitive person, and I've learned to trust my intuition. Decisions based on my “hunches” generally work out quite well for me. That’s where I find value in developing intuitive psychic skills. They can enhance and enrich life by keeping us moving in the direction of our own personal growth.
Psychic intuition can help in everyday life, but “being psychic” doesn’t often make you rich. For example, knowing nothing about college basketball, I joined the NCAA pool at work just to be a good sport. Having no practical knowledge to draw on, I used my intuition to chose teams. At the end of the first round of play, I was ranked number one out of the 108 who entered, most of whom knew far more about the sport than I’m ever likely to. I even correctly picked six out of eight upset matches, so I was choosing against the odds. Eventually my ranking in the pool slipped, but it was a nice moment nonetheless.
Other “psychic gifts” that improve with use include channeling and astral travel. My sensitivity to the spirit world has improved with spiritual practice and time. Since childhood, I've always been able to contact and connect with spirits of the departed, but the occasions were intense, erratic, and left me shaken. As an adult, practicing energy techniques and meditation regularly, I've found that my connection with the spirit world has deepened and steadied. These are skills that can be developed with practice.
Precognition and clairvoyance through traditional divination is another psychic skill that can be developed with practice. After more than two decades of exploration, I'm fairly adept at several systems of divination, including Tarot, I-Ching, Pendulum, Scrying, and Astrology. All of these tools require the interaction between the tool and the intuitive faculties of the person using them. The tool itself holds no answers but come from within the user. Learning how to use the tools in harmony with your intuition gets you the results. Learning a system of divination will aid in honing the innate gifts of precognition and clairvoyance.
There’s plenty of things that time and practice hasn’t helped with. For example, I can't move objects with my mind... as much as I'd like to. I also can't levitate, although I keep trying. And although intuition helps me greatly, I’m still imperfect at reading minds... especially when it comes to choosing the right gift for my mother-in-law. There are some things that are destined to remain opaque to even the most enlightened mind!
If you long to be psychic because you think it will bring you fame and fortune, you are likely to be disappointed. However, if you wish to devote the time to develop your innate psychic gifts, you will be rewarded with a new sense of certainty as you walk your path in life.
~Flame RavenHawk
April 1, 2003