In the broadest sense a psychic is someone who senses things beyond ordinary perception.

Some people believe one is born psychic and some people believe it’s a skill anyone can develop. I believe psychic ability, also called intuition or the sixth sense, is innate within every being. I believe it is a gift from God, a tool everyone can access to the extent they are willing to use and develop it.

Some people, like me, have the volume turned way up and receive guidance all day every day, and others have their intuition on mute.

Intuition is just like any of our other senses. A trained ear can discern the subtle difference between the sounds of a violin compared to a viola. The God given gift of hearing can be developed to listen for nuances that the ordinary listener would miss. Someone hearing intuitive guidance is tuning into a level of audible sound even more removed from ordinary perception. I hear things others don’t, not because they are incapable or I am special, but because I have been committed to listening for, hearing and following guidance.

Children tend to be very open and receptive. They sense things the adults around them can’t sense or validate. Psychic information is often confusing for children. God knows it was for me. After a while most children dismiss their own experience, in favor of their parent’s perspective, and disconnect from their innate sixth sense. With practice, though, senses can be fine tuned to perceive the extraordinary.

It is not a gift or tool available only to a few. It is a gift available to the willing.

There are several ways one can receive psychic information and clearly sense things beyond ordinary perception. In fact for each of the five senses (hearing, touching, seeing, smelling and tasting) there is the possibility of perceiving beyond the everyday realm.

Clairaudience or psychic hearing is the ability to hear guidance.

Clairsentience is defined as clear sensation, clear feeling or psychic feeling. This includes the ability to feel the emotions of others known as clairempathy, and the ability to receive information when something is touched, known as clairtangency or clear touching.

Clairvoyance, psychic seeing or clear vision, is another way intuitive guidance is perceived. The stereotypical psychic is often portrayed as a clairvoyant, looking into a crystal ball and seeing events of the past, present or future.

Though less common, some people experience clairalience, psychic smelling, and clairgustance or psychic tasting. One example of a clairalient experience would be sitting alone in a room and suddenly smelling a whiff of the perfume often worn by a deceased loved one.

Finally, psychic knowing, or claircognizance, is the ability to clearly know things as though they have been instantly downloaded into your mind.

In my experience, both personally and in my work with clients, most people start by accessing just one or two of these psychic superpowers. In time, though, awareness expands and one has access to all ways of receiving psychic information.