The shroud of mystery around what psychics and mediums can — and can’t — do has caused confusion, doubt and a proliferation of myths.
One prevalent misperception is that psychics and mediums provide the same reading. That is not the case. While all mediums are psychic, not all psychics are mediums.
Following are six other common myths surrounding psychics and mediumship.
Myth 1: Psychics can read your mind.
In the movie What Women Want, Mel Gibson’s character develops the ability to hear what women around him are thinking. It’s both a blessing and a curse. People often ask me if that’s what it’s like for me.
Can I read your mind? Do I know what everyone around me is thinking? The answer is no, not exactly. As a psychic, I can sense some things, but I can’t see everything.
For example, I can usually sense what people are feeling. Emotions — relief, anger, fear, sadness, excitement, joy — come through clearly. Other details can be more murky. I might be aware that a client has questions for me — but I don’t know what those questions are. All I “see” are question marks.
I can tell when someone close to me is thinking through a complex issue; while I can feel the energy of their concentration, I don’t necessarily hear their precise thoughts.
Since we all have some level of intuition, most of us will, at times, get a sense about someone or something. Mine is just more heightened and attuned because of my many years of practice.
Myth 2: Mediums speak to dead people all day long.
Do you assume that mediums are unable to “turn off” their medium abilities? That we’re engaged in conversation with people on the Other Side at all times? The truth is, spirit communication is a skill that requires a great deal of energy and control.
Think of a surgeon. When operating on a patient, she draws upon her skills and well of knowledge to perform surgery with great precision. Each surgical procedure is unique, requiring focus and energy. When she leaves the operating room, she is still a surgeon — but each surgery has a beginning and an end.
While a surgeon works with her hands, I work with my senses. Each reading I conduct is unique, requiring focus and energy. When I finish a reading, I am still a medium — but each reading has a beginning and an end.
Myth 3: Mediums don’t believe in God.
In my experience, not all mediums believe in God, but all have a connection to a God-like source. Communication with loved ones on the Other Side requires a belief in something beyond the physical realm. For that reason, whether a medium practices organized religion or their own kind of spirituality, most true mediums have some sort of connection with a God-like source.
Related: Do Mediums Believe in God?
Myth 4: Psychics know everything.
“If you’re so psychic, why haven’t you won the lottery?” … This is a question I am asked more often than I can count. Trust me, you do not want me buying lottery tickets for you.
The simple answer is that I can’t see everything. It’s a little like when a mother’s intuition informs her that something is off with one of her children, but doesn’t necessarily know all of the micro-level facts or details.
Myth 5: Mediums always get it right.
During a reading, the medium is the messenger. We go back and forth between the physical and spiritual realms, helping your loved ones on the Other Side communicate with you, and vice versa. As the intermediary, we sometimes receive messages that are unclear, or even scrambled. Objects can be symbolic, leaving room for interpretation — and misinterpretation.
My favorite example is when two women came for a reading and I connected with them with a man on the Other Side. He was someone they both knew, and he came through with great humor and lots of information. The last thing he showed me was a pineapple. Just that, nothing more.
What the heck? I was confused and had no idea what that could possibly mean. But the women looked at each other and burst out laughing. “His nickname was Pineapple!” they told me.
What if I had tried to overlay any interpretation on the image of a pineapple: Hawaii? A cocktail? The tropics? I would have been completely wrong.
My point is, if anyone is going to get something wrong in a reading, it’s the medium trying to make an interpretation. Individuals on the Other Side always knows what they’re talking about. It’s just not easy to always get it right!
While most professional mediums will be on target at least 80 percent of the time, inaccuracies don’t compromise the integrity of a reading. Some “misses” are to be expected; it’s just the nature of the communication.
Related: Clearing the Confusion: How to Be an Educated Consumer of Psychic and Mediumship
Myth 6: Psychics can predict the future.
The truth is, there isn’t one defined path for anyone’s future.
Many variables can affect what actually happens in your life. If you’re a smoker, I might see lung cancer cropping up in your future — but if you quit tomorrow, you might mitigate that risk and never develop any cancer at all.
When somebody asks me a question about a job, relationship or other situation in their future, I explain that my role is not to tell them what to do, but rather, what paths I see. Even if I sense a significant issue arising in a relationship, it doesn’t necessarily mean a breakup or divorce. It’s up to the couple to make decisions around how to navigate the challenge.
Lessons that we’re intended to learn present themselves in many different ways; the decisions you make shape your destiny.
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