Don't Call Me That! A Journey of Evolution and the Term Psychic

I have a great love for the work that I do as a tarot reader and psychic medium but I did not always sit with that last title comfortably. Anytime someone called me a psychic I would balk and quickly correct them to something less offense to my delicate sensibilities like intuitive.

The Dead Do Speak

But it quickly became apparent to me that something was going on. Client after client I would come away have brought in information I had no way of knowing about relatives, living and deceased. It was time to face the facts. Something was happening. During one particular session I was stopped by the client who very politely asked that I stop making a particular hand motion as it was one their deceased relative did quite often and it was freaking them out. And I know, there are skeptics everywhere. Hell, I still get a little critical of people until they prove they can do what they say they can.

Avoiding the Cold

The last thing I want is for some cocksure, arrogant person to accuse me of cold reading. Cold reading is where charlatans and fake psychics use body clues such as tone, posture, facial expression changes, to guide them to correct leaps of logic. It’s something that is widely popular in skeptic circles to discuss online.

Now, if you have had a reading with me, you will know that every time I am in a reading, I am looking around the room or sitting there with my eyes closed as information is coming in. And if it’s a tarot session I am focusing on the cards. I actually picked up my signature fedora so that if my head is bowed I cannot see my clients but I can still see the tabletop where I’ve lain the cards. The day I think I’m not getting the information the way I feel I am, is the day I hang up my fedora.

Answering the Call

Now, if I am actively trying to mitigate cues from clients and still getting names, specific memory scenes, and physical descriptions and behaviors correct that left only one answer. That word, that damn word that everyone else was telling me I was-was true-and I had to face the fact that psychic wasn’t as dirty a word as I thought it was. To be fair, I grew up in the 90’s and daytime talk shows (which I loved) often featured psychics and mediums. And inevitably, there would be discourse around their veracity which would often become heated. So, it comes as no surprise to me that this made a lasting impact on me and led me to struggle with owning the title of psychic.

But I own it now.

I will never forget the day my father-in-law looked at me as I was reading his palm and said “you need to do this for a living, you’re too good at it”, and I could not help but be so tickled by that. He’s a man I greatly admire so hearing that (and visiting the memory) did and still sends me over the moon.

Getting Things Wrong

Listen, no psychic, no medium, no intuitive of any kind is ever, and I do mean ever going to have a 100% success rate. It isn’t that clear or cut and dry. I always half-jokingly explain to folks that I don’t make the weather, I just report what the weather is doing. And if a meterologist can get things wrong, then dammit, so can someone in this field. But I also freely tell folks that I may not entirely get everything and that if I do get most of it, that’s amazing but not something the psychic or intuitive has a ton of control over.

So, if you’re ever hearing someone boast that they constantly get things right 100% of the time, I don’t know, run, maybe?

Constant Learning

Every single time I talk to folks I tell them a few things about my process. The first thing I tell them is that it is my seriously held belief that everyone has the ability to tap into divine, spirit, source, whatever you wanna call it. Why everyone doesn’t notice this, I think, is simply because we live in a world and an age where being that connected isn’t called for. We have so many things in this life to pull us out of that connection and focus on. Hell, I don’t think I could channel anything and drive a vehicle at high speeds in the chaotic traffic that makes up the Twin Cities. Seems highly dangerous to attempt.

The second I tell folks is about my glossary. Now, a glossary, in this context is symbols or phrases or specific words that help us communicate quicker and faster. For example, my sign for a quick passing is a speeding car. Another symbol I have is the image of a hand squeezing a shoulder reassuringly as a means of communicating that while loved ones are near and present, they don’t have anything specific to say.

If you or someone you know wants to begin doing work like this, start by asking if you can read friends or loved ones. Begin assembling a glossary of your own (mentally or on paper; mine is mostly mental) and become comfortable with your body. Sensations in the body can tell us so much about the messaging we are receiving and so I encourage folks to feel where emotions sit in their body.

For example, anxiety sits high in my chest. Nearly dead center. And my gut instinct sits lower, in my belly. I often tell folks that when I am coming in hot with a channeling session I often feel that same stomach dropping sensation you can experience driving down a steep hill or on a roller coaster. Other folks who do this work have told me things like their necks will get hot or their hair will stand on end.

Many Thanks

As always, I appreciate my clients, my supporters, my loved ones, and friends. Doing this work over the years has led me down some wonderful and interesting pathways. If you should have questions don’t be afraid to leave them in the comments below.