| In the swirl of misconceptions, | | | | people have been able to obtain a psychic |
| misunderstandings, and general confusion | | | | reading of another entity and consciously |
| surrounding the fields of parapsychology and | | | | channel that entity – but professional |
| psychic activity, most people have no idea | | | | parapsychologists don't recommend trying it |
| how to make distinctions between different | | | | until you've been well-trained and prepared. |
| types of psychic abilities. Wait a minute, | | | | |
| you say, I didn't even know there were | | | | Three more (related) types of psychic ability |
| different types! You're in the same boat as | | | | are clairaudience, clairsentience, and |
| most everyone else who has a basic | | | | clairvoyance. Clairaudience is generally |
| understanding of psychic reading and | | | | defined as the ability to hear or sense |
| activity. Little does the general public | | | | sounds that cannot be perceived by a |
| know, it's not all tarot cards and psychic | | | | non-psychic person. Clairsentience is another |
| phone reading -- There are sharply defined | | | | type of extrasensory perception in that |
| distinctions between everything from the | | | | clairsentient people can sense past, present, |
| obvious (tarot reading and telepathy) to the | | | | or future events through |
| surprising (clairaudience, clairsentience, | | | | “sensing†them, though |
| and clairvoyance). | | | | non-clairsentient people cannot perceive |
| | | | them. Clairvoyance is a synonym for |
| First, let's discuss what defines psychic | | | | extrasensory perception – any |
| ability in the first place! Extra-sensory | | | | knowledge or consciousness of an event |
| perception (ESP), prophesies of the future, | | | | outside of seeing, hearing, tasting, |
| and a “sixth sense†could all be | | | | touching, or smelling it. |
| defined under the blanket term “psychic | | | | |
| abilityâ€. But where does psychic | | | | Divination is another often-misunderstood |
| ability come from? Actually, no one really | | | | type of psychic ability. Divination is the |
| knows – not even psychic readers. | | | | act of making prophesies or predictions |
| People who claim to have psychic abilities | | | | through the practice of occult arts. Contrary |
| describe a sense of just “having | | | | to popular belief, this is different from |
| it†without having any conception of | | | | intuition – which is defined as the |
| how it got there. Most say that it is part of | | | | ability to perceive or act based on |
| their regular consciousness, and that they | | | | “just knowing†that it's the |
| simply “know†or | | | | right thing to do. Tarot Cards and tarot |
| “feel†things before, during, or | | | | reading is a form of divination. Although the |
| after they happen – despite being | | | | mainstream ideas of divination and intuition |
| unable to explain how. Though parapsychology | | | | have been tweaked to seem like anyone can tap |
| has been heavily criticized, scrutinized, and | | | | into this psychic energy field, the truth is |
| stigmatized, the truth is that as much | | | | that only a few people take the time to hone |
| evidence points towards its veracity as | | | | and develop their extrasensory perception |
| against it. | | | | skills. |
| | | | |
| So what are some of the different types of | | | | What's the difference between psychometry and |
| psychic abilities? To begin with, there is | | | | psychokinesis? Well, psychometry is defined |
| the art of “channeling,†which is | | | | as the ability to glean information about an |
| defined as the ability to receive and | | | | object by obtaining physical contact with the |
| transmit information from another external | | | | object. Good examples of this are seen in |
| consciousness while in a decidedly altered | | | | countless movies. Envision it: The hero |
| state of mind. Though each incident varies in | | | | touches a book and, upon contact, is filled |
| intensity and resulting activity, many share | | | | with images of its previous user and the fate |
| the same basic traits: a semi-trance like | | | | that befell him or her. Psychokinesis is the |
| state and the appearance of an outer entity | | | | ability to move objects through willing it or |
| expressing itself through the channeler. Many | | | | thinking it. |