This article is to help you understand the psychic and spiritual dimensions.  This month I intend to clear up any misunderstandings of the various terms used in the psychic and spiritual realms as relating to readings, such as: psychic, clairvoyant, mediumship etc and what you should expect from any particular type of reading.    

Firstly I must say that everyone works differently and many people may have different views from my understanding but I do hope this will help make things clearer for you and dispel some of the myths around the subject.

What is a Psychic
The term Psychic is used to cover anyone who uses their 6th sense or intuition to  know and understand things about complete strangers.   They can often see into the past, present and the future both when people are in their presence and from a distance as well.   Psychic’s seem to know the unknowable.   They work through the ENERGY of the person they are focusing on.   Everything in the world has energy and if you create an email or a text and focus on a question then your energy is on that question and the psychic can tune into your energy to get you an answer.   How they receive the information is around which sense they are using.   Most psychics will use predominatly one sense but will usually develop and eventually receive information through the other senses as well.   

What is a Medium
A medium is someone who can communicate with spirits who have passed over.   Some only work and communicate with their own spirit guides others can communicate with others loved ones who have died.   They can bring messages to those left here and give proof of life after death but knowing information that only the client and the loved one might know.  There are 3 different levels of mediumship.   

Mental mediumship which is what most people do.   This is working with your spirit guide and the spirits of departed loved ones.    Your own spirit guide will allow other spirits to come forward and give you messages from loved ones who have passed over for those still left on the earth plain.   

There is what is called overshadowing which is when a spirit comes particularly close and can be seen on the medium’s face.   They can take give messages directly but do not take possession of the medium.   The medium needs to be very relaxed and open to allow a guide that close.    

Then there is Trance mediumship where the spirit will enter the medium’s body (usually from the back) and possess the medium.  This is where the medium’s voice and mannerisms will take on those of the spirit who is giving the message.

Some can also reach the Angelic kingdom and bring messages from the Angels and connect you to your own guardian angels but more of that for another article.

The senses psychics and mediums use are:
Clairvoyance
Most people use the name clairvoyant for ease but in fact clairvoyant means “clear seeing”.    People who are clairvoyant SEE things either in their mind ie a picture comes to them in their head or they actually see physical apparitions or places.   Very few people actually physically see anything.    Most get pictures in their minds clairvoyant.

Clairaudience
More are clairaudient.   This means they hear a voice in their head.   Sometimes, but very rarely, this is as clear as having a telephone conversation with someone in spirit but usually it is a voice in the mediums’ mind which gives key words or snippets of what the spirit is trying to say.   But again they will not go away until the message has been passed.   Sometimes it will be like a direct voice communication.   Words just come straight out of the readers mouth with no thought or interference.   Again it can only be words and things the reader has within their own experience.

Clairsentience
Most people are Clairsentient.   This means they sense the energies around their client or near themselves and describe what they feel.   Spirit will work with their senses and pass information.   Such as if someone had a bad back they will give the medium a pain in their own back.    Once this part of the message has been passed on the pain in the medium’s back will disappear.   They may sense the client is anxious or excited, sad or happy and then sense what they are sad or happy about.

Claircogniant
Is someone who gets their information through their mind.   They think it.  It comes to them as a thought rather than a picture or a voice or a sense.    It just pops into their head.

Most psychics and mediums actually use all of the above to one degree or another and that is why they are grouped together under the term Clairvoyance.

Spirit can only work through a psychic or mediums own personal knowledge and experience.   Therefore if they have never spoken or heard a word or context they will not be able to pass it on.   For instance, many years ago when I was sitting in circle re-developing my gifts, we were doing a reading for a lady who had come along for us to practice on.  I felt very embarrassed because I could not get anything for her.   All I could think about, see etc was my own life memories.   Sitting round a table in Switzerland with the family all talking in 4 languages at once, skiing.  Memories of Switzerland and my mothers’ family just would not go away.   I apologised for not being able to connect to her and then told her about what I could not get out of my mind.    I was astonished when she said she lived in Switzerland, and they had family lunches speaking in 4 languages etc.   I was connected and then when on to give her a lot of information from the spirit who was waiting to talk to her.  They had been showing me what I had so she knew what was coming would be correct.   

Different types of readings

The first thing to remember is that a reading will only give you information that is for your highest good right now that you need to help you forward in your life.  

Also remember everyone will read differently and every person will pick up on different parts of someone’s life.  Some readers will connect better to you than others at a particular time because they have the similar life experience that will tell them of what is going on for you right now.   A good reading will help you find your path and empower you to move your life forward.   Nothing is set in stone you always have choice.   

Tarot  cards allow you to look into your life and the opportunities around you and say what has been going on in the past, present and future. A reading will show you the likely outcomes when you choose between various different courses of action, this allowing you greater control and choice in your life.  Tarot readings cover all aspects of your life, spiritual, emotional, physical, mental via both the suits and the particular layout used and added emphasis can be placed in any area of your life such as relationships, career, finances etc. They allow you to look into your life and the opportunities around you allowing you greater control and choice in your life.

A general reading will give you an overview of your life in general terms, past, present and future.  Whereas an In depth Tarot will give you the overview of your life, a psychological profile of yourself, and a month by month breakdown of what will be happening in your life over the next 12 months.

   
Angel Readings  can identify which of the archangels are currently active in your life to enable them to work more closely with you to achieve your dreams. Angels bring a wonderful soft, harmonious energy into your life allowing you to progress effortlessly as well as bringing you comfort. The angels will point the way to your life's journey and areas of focus for you to develop your fullest potential, help you identify the issues you are currently facing, give you confidence and guide you on your souls’ life journey thus bringing more joy, happiness and security into your life.   Angels do not focus on the past, they are only interested in the future.   They will not tell you what to do.  You have free will and therefore it is always entirely up to you whether you follow the path indicated or not.
Psychometry is holding a piece of jewellery such as a watch, ring, necklace etc and doing a reading from the energy that you pick up.   Any object that is in continual contact with someone will pick up the unique vibration of the owner and then their life and future can be read.   If someone has passed over then it can be used to help link in to mediumship.   If the object has been worn by more than one person then the reader will pick up each vibration but they may be very intermingled and it is not always possible to differentiate between them.   Also in most cases the object will have been passed from one family member to another and therefore the vibrations and history are likely to be quite similar.   It is up to the client to distinguish which part of any message belongs with which person who wore the article.   This can also be done with photographs, cloths, flowers, crystals anything that someone has held in their hand for a while.  

Soul Readings
These readings are about your soul’s journey.   They are very deep and really connect you to what your soul’s purpose was when it first incarnated.   It will tell you what gifts you have brought with you from past lives to help you express this soul essence and what you are working on in this lifetime.   It will also tell you what gifts you will take into the next lifetime with you when you next re-incarnate.   You only need one of these readings in a lifetime for it is helping you find your essence.

Past Life Readings 

A past life reading will give you information about whichever past lives are connected to the issues in your life currently.    This enables you to receive guidance on how you can do things differently in the future rather than repeating what has happened in the past.   They usually also give you information about how different people in your life in this lifetime have been involved with you in past lifetimes which means you can understand why you feel and react the way you do with some people who are in your life.   You can identify repeating patterns, blockages and behaviours around particular souls so you can move on in your life and theirs.  

I hope this has helped to demystify the terms used in the psychic and spiritual world and will enable you to understand and to chose your readings easily to ensure you get the information you need to help you on your spiritual path.

Joylina is a psychic, spiritual, healer and teacher.  If you would like a reading with Joylina or are interested in healing training, angel workshops, psychic development please call her on 07702 956 928 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or see her website www.joylina.com

•    © Joylina Goodings 2006