Psychics

[Pyewacket]

Hello Everyone,

I'm new here and was hoping to post this topic in the correct place. Please redirect it if it's not a good fit here.

Also, I mean no disrespect to any practitioners of the divination arts by this post. I hope to be tactful and apologize in advance if I fall short.

I've always been interested in the supernatural- from as far back as I can remember. Over the years, I've attended some psychic fairs, read books on various subjects, attended classes, and had a few readings done. Maybe it's just the quality of the people I've come into contact with, but it all seemed to lack substance. It seemed more about money than any genuine path to spirituality. Plus- I was surprised by the amount of pettiness and ego displayed by these so called "enlightened" folks.

Has anyone here had similar experiences? How does all of this fit in with Paganism or does it at all? I'm a bit confused and would like some help with clearing up the misconceptions I've picked up along the way.

Thanks for listening.

Pye

[Tana]

Welcome to the Cauldron, Pye.  

Psychic abilities have nothing to do with being enlightened, or pagan, or spiritual.
And vice versa, one doesn't need to be psychic to be one or all of the above. Those things are no more connected than being pagan and driving a certain type of car.

If one is out to meet professional readers, or even folks making a show out of it, chances are at almost 100% that you see them do a thing called cold reading. This and the so called Barnum effect give the impression of somebody 'knowing' things.

A lot of professional 'psychics' also have a lot of talent in the psychological field and are good judges of character.

Does that mean everything psychic is fake?
No.

It just means that you're maybe looking in the wrong places.
In fact real perceptions are often nothing you can put into clear words. To me (yes I am psychic *g*) things come often in symbols, pictures. Others feel, hear or just 'know' something. Still it is often hard to put these results into the rl context. Which makes it sometimes something between squishy and useless. Nothing to make money with.

There are genuine psychics, however.
In fact all of us are psychic to a certain extent.

You maybe want to hang out a bit in the fora we have for these matters, and check out the groups too.

[RandallS]

I've always been interested in the supernatural- from as far back as I can remember. Over the years, I've attended some psychic fairs, read books on various subjects, attended classes, and had a few readings done. Maybe it's just the quality of the people I've come into contact with, but it all seemed to lack substance. It seemed more about money than any genuine path to spirituality. Plus- I was surprised by the amount of pettiness and ego displayed by these so called "enlightened" folks.

As Tana says there are people with real psychic abilities and there are those who fake it. It can be hard to tell one from the other at times. However, having psychic abilities does not automatically make you a moral person let alone an enlightened person. A person can have psychic abilities without regard to their morality or religion. Also, one does not need psychic abilities at all to be successful at some types of divination. For example, one can read Tarot cards without having a drop of psychic ability.

[Katefox]

As Tana says there are people with real psychic abilities and there are those who fake it. It can be hard to tell one from the other at times. However, having psychic abilities does not automatically make you a moral person let alone an enlightened person. A person can have psychic abilities without regard to their morality or religion. Also, one does not need psychic abilities at all to be successful at some types of divination. For example, one can read Tarot cards without having a drop of psychic ability.

 
This.  Granted, I'm not very practised at all at reading Tarot, but if I have any psychic ability it's so minimal as to non-existant, as far as I can tell.  Because Tarot, and other divination methods that work in the same way, I believe, work because of the human brain's ability to find patterns in anything, which can then be used to look at situations in a new light.  So even the readers who aren't trying to fake psychic abilities (with cold reading and the Forer effect, like Tana talked about) need not be psychic.

And I think any association between psychics and Pagan religions exists only because many sorts of Pagans are more accepting of psychics, or things associated with psychics, like divination.  For example, you don't see too many Pagans going around decrying the evils of Tarot as the devil's work, unlike some Christian groups.  But the two, psychics, and Paganism, aren't really related at all.

[Miss]

Hello Everyone,

I'm new here and was hoping to post this topic in the correct place. Please redirect it if it's not a good fit here.

Also, I mean no disrespect to any practitioners of the divination arts by this post. I hope to be tactful and apologize in advance if I fall short.

I've always been interested in the supernatural- from as far back as I can remember. Over the years, I've attended some psychic fairs, read books on various subjects, attended classes, and had a few readings done. Maybe it's just the quality of the people I've come into contact with, but it all seemed to lack substance. It seemed more about money than any genuine path to spirituality. Plus- I was surprised by the amount of pettiness and ego displayed by these so called "enlightened" folks.

Has anyone here had similar experiences? How does all of this fit in with Paganism or does it at all? I'm a bit confused and would like some help with clearing up the misconceptions I've picked up along the way.

Thanks for listening.

Pye

 
I have heard we all have psychic minds to some degree, as everyone stated above.

I actually used to go to a psychic for fun back in middle school, but she was using her fees to fuel her gambling addiction...and she's definitely full of it =P
She kept saying once that I had a dark aura that needed to be badly cleansed for the small fee of 150 dollars (I was 13, mind you).

[Tana]

She kept saying once that I had a dark aura that needed to be badly cleansed for the small fee of 150 dollars (I was 13, mind you).

 
As soon as something like this comes up, run the other way.
It's just ripoff with mumbo-jumbo flavor.

[Vaalea]

A person can have psychic abilities without regard to their morality or religion. Also, one does not need psychic abilities at all to be successful at some types of divination. For example, one can read Tarot cards without having a drop of psychic ability.

 
Strongly echoing what Randall says here. Being psychic means only one style of perceiving, imo, and does not tie to spirituality or other personal qualities. It can be entirely unrelated to spiritual work.

Some times (from my experience) being 'psychic' is rather a complication, frustrating to describe  without sounding off-this-world. I don't really think 'psychic' is gathering perceptions just out of the blue, paranormal source, entirely. I think it may be easier picking on what one's mind sends anyway, regularly. A type of being intuitive, but that may be all there is to it. Not a special kind of thing so many people make it to be. Being more in tune with certain parts of person's subconscious, sure. Specifically drawing from some cosmic source? I'm skeptical a lot. Yet I see that as almost *the* experience everywhere I look.

[Pyewacket]

However, having psychic abilities does not automatically make you a moral person let alone an enlightened person. A person can have psychic abilities without regard to their morality or religion.

Thank you all for your comments. You've pretty much confirmed what I suspected. I just wasn't sure because of the way I was taught. I did learn some techniques but have adapted them to my own style. I thought that this would impair my development, but it seems to depend more on my efforts and intentions. I read two different non Tarot style cards and get "impressions" and "flashes". I think it's just part of our nature and it's up to us what we do with it.

Thanks, Tana- I will look for the groups you mentioned. I'm still having a look around and trying to stay in the "beginner's pool" to avoid intruding on the more advanced topics.
 
Pye

[hufflee]

Thanks, Tana- I will look for the groups you mentioned. I'm still having a look around and trying to stay in the "beginner's pool" to avoid intruding on the more advanced topics.
 
Pye

Go to your profile, and on the left hand side of the page you will see a box with "Groups" as the title. It will probably tell you that you are not a member or have not joined any groups. Click on the link and it will bring you to the master Groups page.

[Pyewacket]

Go to your profile, and on the left hand side of the page you will see a box with "Groups" as the title. It will probably tell you that you are not a member or have not joined any groups. Click on the link and it will bring you to the master Groups page.

 

Thanks!