The Sensible Psychic: A Leading-Edge Guide To True Psychic Perception

INTRODUCTION

A philosophic mind is not haunted by the ghosts of tradition or superstition, neither does it shrink from profound contemplation of the future.

— James Lendall Basford —

To be sensible is to be reasonable, well-informed, prudent, and practical; or to show good sense and intelligence; to be well-advised; and to exercise sound judgment. This book is therefore a resource for the sensible psychic or medium who wants to expand their understanding of psychic perception and supplement their current knowledge regarding psychic ability.

The Sensible Psychic aims to be redefining reference text for practitioners who prefer a sensible, pragmatic approach to psychic channeling and mediumship that is based on relatable concepts, accurate representation, applicable science, and common-sense terminology. It is also intended to be a self-empowering primer for developing psychics and mediums who want to expand their psychic vocabulary and gain a deeper understanding of their metaphysical gifts without the confusing myths, misnomers, and misinformation.

This book is also a no-nonsense compendium for psi aficionados and esoteric seekers keen to investigate authentic psychic phenomena, mystical experiences and the supernatural beyond pop culture ‘hocus pocus’ and mainstream stereotypes. It is further a resource for the psychic enthusiast who is curious to know how psychics and mediums actually practice their craft, and how we perceive the things we ‘know, sense, and feel.’ Finally, this book also serves as an informative guide for psychic clients who regularly consult with professional psychics and mediums and need reliable information to help them find trustworthy, authentic service providers — without the misrepresentations and 'woo-woo' clichés of crystal balls, lottery numbers, and ‘meeting tall dark strangers.’

The title The Sensible Psychic not only signifies a more ‘sensible’ approach to everyday psychic perception, but use of the term ‘sensible’ is also a satirical reference to the alternative meaning of the word, namely ‘to be perceptible to the senses’ or ‘capable of sensation;’ from the Latin sensibilis and French sentio, meaning ‘to feel, to perceive.’ This irony in the title represents the fundamental misconception this book seeks to challenge: psychics and mediums do not ‘sense.’ We perceive.

PSYCHIC TAP DANCING

The Sensible Psychic is about authentic psychic ability and supernatural perception. It is an exploration of the metaphysical gift that true psychics and mediums possess to perceive beyond the ordinary cognitive processes and the five physical senses. This is therefore not a book about astrology, palmistry, numerology, or tarot cards. It is also not about spirit guides, angels, or ghosts; nor is it about crystal healing, chakras, meditation, astral travel; or using one’s mind to control flames, teleport objects, or bend spoons. Although these phenomena and pursuits may all be fascinating and meaningful in their own right, they are not the subject of this book because they are divination methods, esoteric concepts, and occult practices. They are not psychic abilities, nor forms of psychic perception.

A widespread problem with many pop culture ‘psychic’ books is that they tend to ‘tap dance’ around the true nature of psychic perception. Another problem with these books — as well as most psi research papers for that matter ­— is that it is often also the work of authors and scholars who are in fact non-psychic. Many books in this genre tend to describe psychic perception using the standard parapsychology or ‘psi’ research terms, like telepathy, clairvoyance, and precognition; or they rely on outmoded clichés, like intuition, psychometry and the ‘clair senses.’ These commonly touted psychic concepts are often misunderstood and misrepresented by authors, bloggers, and social media influencers. In fact, the mind often boggles. The terms psychometry and remote viewing, for example, are often referenced as ‘psychic abilities,’ while they are in fact channeling methods or reading techniques. Furthermore, the watered-down notion of ‘intuition’ has become a misguided go-to term for inappropriately labelling just about anything and everything related to authentic psychic ability and supernatural perception.

Many of these ‘psychic’ books typically feature a random collection of divination methods, occult techniques, new age beliefs, paranormal pursuits, and esoteric practices. While many of these practices are indeed associated with the traditional notion of psychic work, they are not actual psychic abilities, nor do they represent true psychic perception. Reading oracle cards, swinging pendulums, or compiling astrological charts, are indeed pursuits that some psychics and mediums practice, but they are simply just that: divination methods, esoteric techniques, or occult practices. They are not innate gifts, aptitudes, traits, predispositions, or inherent psychic abilities. And although some of these methods, techniques and practices may be traditionally associated with, and even conducive to psychic channeling and mediumship, they are certainly not the basis of true psychic ability, nor the origins of true psychic perception.

I find the ‘psychic tap dancing’ books not only ill-conceived, but it also misrepresents who I truly am as a psychic medium and distorts what I actually do as a professional practitioner.  And all the misconstrued ‘tap dancing’ only serves to raise more questions than answers for the uninitiated and ill-informed. No wonder authentic psychics and mediums are often disregarded and even ridiculed by mainstream society.

CLARIFYING THE MUMBO JUMBO

Cynics often scoff at psychics and mediums for being ‘silly fools’ with medieval beliefs, who propagate superstitions and speak ‘mumbo jumbo.’ Or they characterize us as ‘shrewd, devious charlatans’ who wear tinfoil hats, gaze into crystal balls, and callously take advantage of the ignorant, vulnerable and naïve. Or they simply stereotype us as ‘flaky freaks’ with rather peculiar tastes in fashion, including outlandish jewelry, make-up and nail polish. Granted, some of the prejudices and preconceived notions are not entirely unfounded. The psychic community does tend to be a diverse, ‘colorful’ bunch. And indeed, not all so-called ‘psychic’ practitioners are dependable, legitimate, and trustworthy. Like all occupations and professions, the psychic community does have its fair share of ‘bad apples,’ including the misguided fortune-tellers, treacherous con artists, and ‘catfish’ criminals, who all too frequently invite themselves into the fold — to tarnish our already dubious reputation by further fanning the flames of ridicule and skepticism.

However, despite the cagey wannabes and unwelcome opportunists, many psychics and mediums are indeed authentically gifted and well-intentioned, and we simply seek to share our gifts and abilities for the greater good. In the same way artists feel compelled to create, and athletes feel driven to compete, psychics and mediums cannot escape their innate gift and calling. Some of us attempt to do this, but mostly in vain, for it is simply who we are, and what we were born to do. In my experience, the truly gifted, reputable psychics and mediums of the world strive to be of service to humanity and we are dedicated to help make the world a better place. I often say I am contributing to global healing by drying one tear at a time.

With The Sensible Psychic I therefore aim to deal with at least some of the worst myths, misconceptions and misnomers typically associated with ‘my kind’ or ‘people like me.’ In subsequent chapters I cut through some of the worst fallacies and social media ‘mumbo jumbo’ that has become increasingly prevalent in recent years, in the hope of promoting greater understanding of authentic psychic channeling and mediumship, and to clarify at least some of the worst ‘mumbo jumbo.’

THE ARRANGED MARRIAGE OF PSI

Parapsychology is a research field that studies psi — a phenomenon considered to be ‘beyond’ the sphere of conventional psychology. The term ‘parapsychology’ comes from German para-psychologie and derives from the Greek preposition para- meaning ‘besides, alongside, beyond.’

The concept of ‘psi’ originates from the Greek letter ψ which is the first letter of the Greek word psukhē, meaning ‘breath, life, soul, spirit’ or ‘the invisible animating principle or entity which occupies and directs the physical body,’ as well as ‘mind or faculty of reason.’ Psi is the ‘unknown factor’ in so-called extrasensory perception and paranormal experiences that cannot be explained by known scientific mechanisms, such as biology, or the laws of physics.[9]  The field of parapsychology is therefore the study of ‘psi functions’ of the human mind and traditionally it classifies all psychic perception as only three fundamental concepts:

Telepathy, or thought transference.

Clairvoyance, or supernormal awareness of objects or events unknown to others.

Precognition, or inexplicable knowledge of future events or circumstances.

I remember in the early days of my own psychic development, how confusing and frustrating it was to find books and journals repeatedly touting only these three concepts as the ‘be-all and end-all’ of psychic perception. It simply does not accurately represent my everyday psychic experiences. Authentic psychics and mediums know from first-hand experience that these three concepts do not adequately reflect the complexities and subtle nuances of true psychic channeling and mediumship.

Another well-known psi term I have always found somewhat incompatible with my own experience is the notion of extrasensory perception (ESP), also called ‘paranormal cognition.’ The American Psychological Association defines extrasensory perception as the ‘alleged awareness of external events by other means than the known sensory channels.’[10] Wikipedia similarly describes it as the ‘reception of information not gained through the recognized physical senses, but sensed with the mind.’[11] While this traditional term is broadly used by both psi scholars and the psychic community, it is in my view a reductive, physicalist term that does not accurately reflect the numinous nature and metaphysical complexity of true psychic perception. Contrary to its original intention, I find this term evokes the erroneous notion of physical ‘sensing’ or ‘external signals and input,’ and seems to imply that psychics and mediums rely on ‘extra sensing’ abilities, or a type of ‘special sensing’ that operates beyond the normal senses, or somehow supplements the ordinary sensory perception organs and processes.

The truth is psychic perception has little to do with actual ‘sensing’ or ‘sensory’ processes, and it is not a mechanistic, physical phenomenon of ‘external input,’ ‘signal transmission,’ or ‘reception’ that is somehow similar or equivalent to ordinary sensory perception. Authentic psychic perception is a metaphysical or supernatural phenomenon; it is a mental manifestation that is nonphysical and nonsensory in nature. Psychics and mediums do not ‘sense.’ We perceive.

Since its inception psi research has been constrained by this mechanistic, reductive adherence to the principles of classical physics and conventional Newtonian science. Over the past century, researchers have mostly studied psychic perception within these orthodox confines, attempting in vain to test and measure psychic perception as if it is a purely physical or technical phenomenon — which it simply is not. Regrettably, parapsychology and the mainstream sciences, such as physics, neuroscience, and psychology, are historically in an uncomfortable, and a rather incompatible ‘arranged marriage.’ Psychic perception is simply not something one can wholly measure or quantify with statistical formulas, MRI scans, demographic questionnaires, Faraday cages, or test tubes, for that matter.

Furthermore, true psychics and mediums are highly sentient and deeply sensitive human beings. We are the supernatural sages, shamans, prophets, healers, and soothsayers of the tribe. We are not ‘deluded’ patients, robots, or machines, nor are we ‘lab rats’ who care to perform silly carnival tricks on command. Studying metaphysical phenomena and supernatural abilities by solely relying on physical instruments and technical measurements is simply not going to yield the mind-blowing results some might still be hoping for