Definition of psychic
1: of or relating to the psyche
2: lying outside the sphere of physical science or knowledge : immaterial, moral, or spiritual in origin or force
3: sensitive to nonphysical or supernatural forces and influences : marked by extraordinary or mysterious sensitivity, perception, or understanding
Definition of psyche [Greek psychē]
a : soul, personality
b : mind
2 Origin of psyche Latin, from Greek psychē soul
-From Merriam-Webster
For a long time, I have avoided the word psychic. It was a word that I felt never applied to me, mainly because I don’t see dead people, I don’t read minds, and I don’t know the whole of a person before I even talk to them. But I do have gifts, gifts that do make me sensitive to extraordinary or spiritual forces. It is from those gifts that I sought out to magic and to study all its forms, and I am on the spiritual and magical path that I am on.
Lately, I have been pondering what it means to be psychic. This is a term that I see often, usually in relation to being a reader, ie “a psychic reader”. The popular connotation seems to be one where people have great expectations of someone who claims to be psychic. Readings a persons mind, knowing almost everything about them, and vivid exacting predictions of the future are the most well known examples of what people expect from a psychic, at least if they have never been to one. Of course, all of this is suppose to happen the instant the client walks into the room and sits down to the table where the psychic reader is plying their craft. As many ads for readers indicate, there is a slight promotion of these traits, at least to attract clients, from regular ones to one-timer who come out of curiosity or desperation. Looking at the definitions of psychic, and the words it is derived from, the potential of being psychic is a completely different thing. At least by one meaning, psychic and magic could almost be exchangeable words, as they both are nouns relating to phenomena that lies outside the sphere of physical science and knowledge. As an adjective, psychic can take many forms. Sensitivity to nonphysical or supernatural influence, or an extraordinary sensitivity can relate to many things. It isn’t always about being able to read minds, see the future, or knowing information without physical access. Sometimes it can just be an innate sense to danger, or a sense of what action to take, either to insure success or just have a fortunate day. That same sensitivity could relate to the root word of psychic, the word psyche. As psyche means soul, personality, or mind, a psychic person could just as well be someone whose soul, personality or mind is perhaps one of their stronger qualities. That greater talent in psyche might cause one to seem to be the other kind of psychic. As the strength of your soul, mind, or personality, gives one the ability to perceive with extraordinary sensitivity, or to originate things from a non-physical source.
At least by that meaning, almost everyone is “psychic” as many people seem to tap into moments where they are aware of, or connected to influences that come from a nonphysical source. It is those who are gifted with connections above and beyond the infrequent and mild sensitivity that some people feel that are more renowned, and sometimes more haunted by their gifts. I have met a few people who have told me of childhoods lived in fear, from going out in public where the thought of every person they encounter is made clear to them, from happy people, to scary thoughts of neighbors. Another who has difficulty sleeping throught the night because it seems every ghost (and I mean by that a spirit of a deceased human) comes visiting them, drawing attention to itself for some unknown reason. Many of these people just want a normal life, and so they never develop those gifts, but their gifts never decrease either, except through numbing the senses, often through alcohol, drugs, or other addictive and destructive behaviors.
Of course, forever every one person haunted by psychic gifts, it often seems that there are more with very slight gifts who are trying to develop and improve them. I can’t say I have ever met someone who managed to work their slight gift into great gift, but I have seen plenty of people make the best of their slight gift, and turn into something useful and practical, which served them well, and helped make their lives better. I think, that is of course, one of the great keys to being a really great psychic, as within any talent, gift or interest. It can only improve with practice and application. Much in the same way that Einstein wasn’t a genius, but yet he revolutionized the science of physics, and how people understand the world through physics, so can a person with average gifts, become a great and recognized psychic, either as a reader or spiritual worker.
