Let’s face it: there are a lot of bad psychics out there. Or more accurately, a lot of bad people masquerading as psychics.
There are those who take advantage of the most vulnerable members of our society by not telling them the truth (after all, they make a lot more money feeding on people’s fantasies) or by telling lies for the same reason.
The word “psychic” comes from the Greek word psychikos and means “of the mind” or “of the psyche.” It does not refer to mind reading or fortune telling or similar mind blowing parlor tricks.
Unfortunately, these are popular misconceptions, based on media derision and the unscrupulous practices of some who use them to make a quick buck.
Psychic readings can be tremendously valuable, as long as you approach them with an open mind and a healthy sense of logic.
Your session should involve give and take, and you will suffer when any of these get out of balance. If your psychic asks too many questions, they are likely to wonder if the information they are giving you is “real” or just a natural guess based on what you have already revealed. But if, on the other hand, you’re too closed off to provide feedback on the information he’s receiving, your psychic may not be able to access the areas of your psyche that are necessary to report a good reading.
Think of the connection you are developing with your reader as a conduit for psychic information. If there are breaks or interruptions in this conduit, the connection is short-circuited, causing incoming information to be distorted or incomplete. There is some danger of sabotaging your own connection (through fear, mistrust, or skepticism), so while you want to approach your session with an objective mind, you still want to be open enough to allow for the best possible connection.
Don’t be discouraged by my psychics who rely on “tools”. The psychic realm contains a vast amount of collective knowledge that is accessed in many ways. Just as there are many different radii leading to the same center, there are also many different pathways by which to access the realm of the psyche. A psychic who does not use tools (cards, tables, numbers, palms, tea leaves, or whatever) is not automatically better.
Just as there are guidelines for getting a good psychic reading, there are things to avoid so you don’t end up getting a bad one. “Bad” can mean inaccurate, and that can’t always be avoided. But there is another kind of evil out there, such as deceitful, unscrupulous, and unethical.
Unfortunately, you may run into a lot of that. But the following are some common scams to watch out for, especially with online readings, to preserve both your emotional well-being and your hard-earned money:
1. Your psychic knows things about you that he or she couldn’t possibly know, even as a gifted reader. Examples include names, locations, exact dates, etc. If your psychic seems to “know” these things when she has just greeted him, ask yourself if he has shared this information with other readers in other sessions. In this day of computer technology, unscrupulous psychics have been known to share information or even fill out transcripts. If you suspect this is the case with your reader, ask them about something they haven’t shared with another reader.
2. Your psychic tries to sell you a spell or “heal” to remove negative energy. This is one of the most common scams out there and unfortunately it is very profitable because clients are led to believe that their psychic has special powers. Your psychic cannot take negative energy away from you; he or she can (and should) only guide you to re-empower yourself.
3. Your psychic takes extra time at the beginning of a session to “meditate.” While it’s reasonable to assume that your psychic may need time to tune into or work with their tools or guides, be wary of those that need several minutes (especially “on the clock”). This may be an indication that your psychic is looking for her personal information or obtaining a transcript of a previous session with another psychic.
4. Your psychic uses general statements that may apply to your situation, but may apply to many others as well. Although it’s important to view your session as a two-way street (meaning you still need to approach it with an open mind and heart), your psychic should be able to point out certain things that apply directly to your specific query.
5. Your psychic promotes or encourages dependency. He or she asks you to check back daily, for frequent “healings,” or requires you to purchase more and more upgraded services. Another common scam to watch out for is unsolicited email about “important information” your psychic needs to pass on to you. Ask yourself, if it’s that important, or if your psychic really has your best interests at heart, why not just tell them in the original email?
6. Your psychic uses bait and switch tactics, like offering a free spell, only to require more expensive “tools and materials” once the original spell fails to produce results.
7. Your psychic makes claims that are not only unverifiable, but are designed to cloak them in an air of mystery (in order to tempt you to buy their services). No legitimate psychic needs to use tricks or make outrageous claims. Not only are they usually fake, but they almost always have nothing to do with skill levels.
8. Your psychic threatens you or leaves you feeling afraid for your own safety. This usually relates to claims about spells, curses, black magic, voodoo, etc. Remember that no one can take away your power or cause you psychic damage. And they can’t cause harm to their loved ones either.
9. Your psychic presents himself as possessing special powers that can make or break your situation, or free you from an ominous fate. This is extortion. It’s not real. No one has special powers over you or your loved ones. And the only thing you’ll be relieved of in this scenario is your hard-earned money.
10. Your psychic harasses you for qualifications or offers some incentive to score well. This is called rating manipulation and speaks more to your psychic’s desire to attract more clients than to his interest in your situation.
A few words about ratings: Most psychics appreciate feedback after a session, as it validates the experience for both the reader and potential clients looking for someone to trust.
Even negative comments can be helpful if delivered with respect. Unfortunately, this is usually not the case. Good psychics are often rewarded with negative feedback for simply telling the truth, or for painting a less-than-brilliant outcome, while “bad” psychics receive rave reviews for feeding a client’s hopes and desires, even when those hopes and desires are not based in reality.
In this regard, bad ratings cannot always be trusted to be more legitimate than good ones. But there are a few ways to find out.
Look for patterns first. Are the negative ratings few and far between or are there more negative ratings than positive ones? Are the negative ratings long-winded rants that smack of shooting the messenger? Often this is a sure sign that they were written in anger and posted specifically to try to embarrass or punish the psychic. Are the most current ratings similar to the older ratings? This is an important consideration. Reading a psychic’s early ratings can tell you if he or she has changed their name multiple times (to hide from Internet complaints) or changed gender, or if the account is owned by the same psychic who started it. These are all signs of questionable ethics and should at least give you pause to consider.
If you’re not sure about the psychic validity of your reading, consider taking a step back and giving it time to develop. Most sites allow customers to leave ratings at a later date, usually up to 30 days. Please don’t bother leaving a partial rating (“4 stars now and I’ll come back and add another if the prediction comes true!”). This is misinformation: once you leave a rating, you can’t go back and change it at a later date. It’s also a dead giveaway that you’ve been getting too many psychic readings and need to find one or two that you’re comfortable with.
Ratings are optional. You don’t have to leave them. But if you do, consider that there are many components to a psychic reading besides “predictions.” Perceptions, guidance, the psychic’s ability to pick up on past events and nuances, and the offering of options that can help guide him to the outcome he is seeking must also play a separate role. If you never leave a 5 star rating unless someone virtually “blowns you over”, consider that your expectations may be more in line with carnival or gypsy fortune telling schemes than what legitimate psychic readings actually entail.
Psychic readings are really a two-way street. You truly participate in the outcome of every situation in your life (both good and bad). If you are lucky enough to find a psychic who adheres to these principles and empowers you to find your own inner truths, you will know that you are in very good hands.