Playful Psychic, Preparation (by Skywind)

Playful Psychic, Preparation

by Skywind

Table of Contents

Preparation
- Fear and Belief
- Setting Goals
- Choosing a Teacher
- Your Strong Sense
- Learning Process
- Atmosphere
Basic Skills
Shutdown
Grounding
Centering
Drawing Energy
Creating Psiballs
Shielding
Practice Month One
Practice Tips
Psychic Events
Visualization
Games and Practical Uses I
Advanced Skills
Empathy
Telepathy
Astral Projection
Aural Vision
Using Psychokinesis
Practice Month Two
Psychokinesis and its Effects
Statistics and the Z-Score
Magick
Giving Readings
Games and Practical Uses II
Teaching, for Teachers
Appendix
A - Skill Summaries

B - Z-Score and Probability

C - Scientific Organizations
Preparation

Practical Psychic provides a concise, realistic method of learning psychic
abilities. It uses short, simple techniques, without rituals, objects, intense
meditation, or particular religious beliefs. All it requires is confidence and
practice.

Fear and Belief

Belief is Necessary

"Do or do not. There is no try." Yoda never explains, but his quote is
accurate. This section will explain what he did not the reasons belief is
important and how to achieve it.

Belief is a requirement for learning psychic abilities. If you believed touch
typing was impossible, and so you wouldn't even put your hands on the keyboard,
you wouldn't be able to learn it. Well-informed belief is best. Read research,
case studies, stories, and if possible talk with people. Learn about the
psychic abilities that have already been studied, proven, and understood.

As you research, you will be more enthusiastic and interested in practicing.
You will trust yourself more. This keeps you more relaxed and make practicing
easier. It improves your concentration, your focus, and your accuracy.

This chapter contains worksheets to help you understand your beliefs and become
comfortable with psychic abilities. Consider each question carefully, and

notice your reactions. The first worksheet, just below, is to help you
recognize your past experiences. Your experiences shape your expectations and
influence your beliefs and knowledge.

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Preparation Worksheet: Past Experiences
Yes/No
- Have you had a psychic experience?
- Have you had a lot of them?
- Have you participated in psychic ability experiments?
- Have you read case studies of psychic people, or experiment results?
- Have you read any other books describing psychic experiences?
- Do you believe psychic abilities exist?
Skepticism

Critical analysis and doubt have their place that is, laboratories, not
classrooms. Skepticism is not specifically disbelief. It means uncertainty:
"Skeptic, n.: One who is yet undecided as to what is true; one who is looking
or inquiring for what is true; an inquirer after facts or reasons." (Webster s
Dictionary) Taking a realistic view in experiments is useful. Uneducated
disbelief is not useful. Fanatical disbelief is as illogical as fanatical
belief. Experiments are meant for learning what is true. A person can t learn
the truth if he or she has already decided what that truth must be.

However, new skills practice is not the time for experiments. The skills must
be learned before they can be tested in a controlled situation. If a person
were testing to prove whether any human could type 80 words per minute, he or
she wouldn t start with people who couldn t type at all. Choosing people who
had been typing for many years and already typed quickly would be wiser.
Similarly, it makes no sense to try to prove psychic abilities in people who
have not practiced with them. People need to learn first, and then they can
test the skills later.

Recognizing Doubts

If you have some fears about learning psychic abilities, you re not alone. Most
people are nervous, doubtful, or outright scared when they first consider
learning the abilities. Spend some time understanding those feelings and
discovering which ones are unreasonable.

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Preparation Worksheet: Fears
Mark each sentence that describes your thoughts.
- Psychic abilities don't really exist. People can't really do that.
- Even if psychic abilities did exist, only a few people have them. I'm not special. I can't possibly do it.
- Psychic abilities are just too weird. I can't think about that.
- If psychic abilities existed, I would have to change my beliefs about the world, and my stability would fall apart.
- If I try to gain psychic abilities, I might lose control of them and hurt someone.
- Spirits or evil creatures might attack me or possess me.
- I don't like who I would be if I could use psychic abilities.
- Psychic abilities are scary.
- Meditating and the feelings I get using the abilities are too deep; I'm scared I might lose control of myself.
- I'm a little worried, but I'm not sure why.
- I m not worried; I ll learn some abilities and be safe.
- Psychic abilities would be very fun to play with if I could learn them.
- I already use them a lot; they re a normal part of life.
- I m not sure how I feel about psychic abilities.
Challenge Statements

Each time you find yourself feeling bad or scared, give yourself a pep talk. Explain why the worry is unrealistic. Some examples are given here for the fears listed in the worksheet. If you have a fear that s not in the list, research it. Decide whether it s realistic and useful to keep, or whether you want to challenge it.

Psychic abilities don't really exist. People can't really do that.

Psychic abilities do exist, and have been proven scientifically. This isn't fiction or fantasy; it's here and now, in this world.

Even if psychic abilities do exist, only a few people have them. I'm not special. I can't possibly do it.

No correlation has been found between psychic abilities and anything else yet. Anyone could have the ability, and quite possibly, everyone does.

Psychic abilities are just too weird. I can't think about that.

Why are they weird? They ve been a normal part of being human for thousands of years. We've just ignored them out of fear of the unknown. If we learn about them, then they become known and normal, and they aren't scary or weird.

If psychic abilities existed, I would have to change my beliefs about the world, and my stability would fall apart.

Changing one belief, or even several, won't shake me to pieces. Disbelieving is superstitious. Psychic abilities have existed at least as long as humans have, and the world is fine. Accepting reality won't hurt me.

If I try to gain psychic abilities, I might lose control of them and hurt someone.

Psychic abilities can only be gained a little at a time. I can stop at any point and wait until I feel okay about it before moving on. They are within me to control. Just like I control my daily reactions to people, I would be controlling psychic abilities. I m no more dangerous than I would otherwise be.

I don't like who I would be if I could use psychic abilities.

I would still be myself. Who I am is not determined by what I can do. I would be the same person I am today, and the same person I've always been. I would just have a new skill to play around with, and use in the ways that I feel are appropriate and right.

Psychic abilities are scary.

Psychic abilities are only scary because I haven't learned enough about them. Any ability I gain is within my power to control, and since I am in control of it, it can't do things I don't want it to. It wouldn't be scary if I let myself learn more about it and consider it okay.

Meditating and the feelings I get using the abilities are too deep; I'm scared I might lose control of myself.

I can stop at any time. My mind and body are under my control. They can t do anything I don t let them do. I let go of control every night when I sleep, and I don t have any problems then. If I go too deep into a trance, I ll just fall asleep. No spirit can affect my body without my permission. I am totally safe, because my subconscious keeps protection around me at all times.

Unfamiliar Feelings

When you ve challenged the fears, and you ve started learning psychic abilities, there are many new feelings you may encounter. Although they feel unfamiliar, they are still safe.

As you fall asleep, or as you start to go out of body, you may feel for a moment like you are falling. This is a common feeling that is the result of your mind relaxing and letting go. Many people experience this feeling. It may interrupt your concentration, but it has no other effects.

Meditation can also feel different. It may feel like a deep daydream. Your body may feel like it s buzzing once you relax physically. This is due to your blood flow increasing, just like it would after exercise. It s a normal part of relaxation. Your body temperature may go down a little, making you cold. This, also, is a normal part of relaxing. Take a blanket if you tend to get cold.

As you practice any abilities, you may notice feelings in your head and forehead. This is because you are concentrating on those areas when you use the abilities. Relax, massage your face a little, and the feelings should be gentle. If your head hurts, you're probably tensing your muscles and giving yourself a headache. Relax and take a break, and then try again without getting tense.

Trusting your feelings and avoiding fear takes time. Repeat the challenge statements every time you notice disbelief or fears. You must convince yourself that you have as good a chance as anyone at learning the abilities, and that it is possible to learn them. You are just as good as anyone else. Practice, practice, and keep practicing. Stay enthusiastic and relaxed, and you'll make fast progress.

Religion

Psychic experiences may shake up your religious beliefs. They give you a new perspective on the world. Much more is possible than you may have previously believed. Religious beliefs will influence your skill development. If you believe most of the skills are evil or wrong, you generally won't want to learn them, or may have trouble with them. It's important to recognize what your beliefs are related to the topics in the worksheet below.

Quote
Preparation Worksheet: Religion and Beliefs
Yes/No
- Are psychic abilities are related to religion or spirituality?
- Are the ethics an important topic to you?
- Is your religion's view of psy important to you?
What is your religion's view on psychic abilities?
- They don't exist.
- They exist, but only special religious officials have them.
- They're evil/satanic/demonic/dangerous.
- Neutral - it doesn't say anything about them.
- They exist in some special people.
- They exist in everyone.
- Everyone can and should develop them.
Do you believe that you personally can learn and use psychic abilities? ___ Yes ___ No
Ethics

As with any skill, you will want to consider the ethics of psychic ability use.
Psychic skills can be used in a variety of ways, almost invisibly to the
general world. Psychic skills are not good or bad, just as any type of skill
can not by itself be good or bad. Certain uses of the skill can have good or
bad consequences, however. The question I consider when determining the ethics
of a situation is, "Would this be ethical to do, if I used a non- psychic
method to achieve it?"

Of course, that question does not give a clear answer in all cases. You will
need to decide for yourself if what you choose to do is appropriate to your
beliefs.

Aura vision helps healing abilities, empathic understanding, and deeper
spiritual caring. It leads to a deeper understanding of human actions and
relationships. Telepathy, empathy, clairvoyance, and other information skills
help you understand events, relationships, and human life. A healer can help
people accept and love each other, work out difficulties, and solve difficult
interactions in creative and helpful ways. The abilities also simplify everyday
life by giving you extra information, which helps you make wiser decisions.

Belief Systems

When you begin psychic skill development, your first few experiences will
probably change your beliefs. A world that seemed stable, measurable, and
known, suddenly has mysteries at every step. Your beliefs, habits, and
interests may all change suddenly. Your restrictive beliefs fall apart, and
beliefs that are more realistic replace them.

Experiences that shake up your ideas can certainly be scary at first. That
doesn't mean they re dangerous. Learning the truth is useful, and there s no
need to fear it. Trust the change without feeling threatened. Your new
abilities are simply giving you extra information.

Sometimes this feels like being a toddler, just beginning to explore a vast
world of new things. You will need something stable and safe to return to after
a bit of exploring. Choose a special place or routine to return to each day.
Lighting a candle to relax for a few minutes each night is one routine.
Familiarity provides security, safety, and relaxation after a very intense
period of learning.

Perceptions

Your perceptions will change along with your beliefs. Energy flows, emotional
relationships, and spiritual interactions between people appear much more
visibly. Humanity and philosophy may become more important. Astral projection
and out-of-body experiences sometimes accompany this. You may have more
interest in spiritual values and ethics. You ll also continue to gain
perceptive abilities.

Some of this may be uncomfortable because it s unfamiliar. You can work through
those discomforts once you realize you have them. The worksheet below will help
you identify your comfort zone. You may have trouble learning abilities related
to uncomfortable or scary experiences. Once you know what scares you, consider
whether it s realistic, and challenge any unrealistic fears.

Quote
Preparation Worksheet: Comfort with Encounters
Yes/No
Are you comfortable with:
Perceptions
- Feeling ghosts are nearby but not seeing them?
- Seeing ghosts?
- Feeling auras touch you?
- Seeing auras?
- Knowing what happened in a room?
- Getting visions of an object's past by holding it?
- Knowing what might happen tomorrow?
- Being directed to do things?
- Being talked to by spirits or other creatures?
Alterations
- Changing how a plant grows by feelign kind or unkind to it?
- Causing dice to roll differently?
- Accidently causing electrical equipment to break or behave strangely?
- Causing lights to flicker?
- Causing time to slow down or speed up slightly?
- Accidentally or purposely, making small objects levitate?
- Accidentally or purposely, making large objects levitate?
- Accidentally or purposely, causing scorches or small fires?
People
- Feeling other people's emotions?
- Hearing other people's thoughts in your mind?
- Knowing personal information about a stranger?
- Causing other people to feel your moods and hear your thoughts?
- Knowing someone dislikes you, although they are polite?
- Knowing someone is lying to you, although they aren't showing it?
- Feeling the presence of every person and animal in the room?
- Knowing when someone is about to get hurt?
You may find that after a period of practice, you develop several new skills at
once. Then you have some time to work with them and gain comfort before another
set of skills begins to develop. Skills tend to develop in waves. Practice will
improve your psychic interactions, auras, and perception of events at a
distance.

As you perceive and work with the psychic energy around you, you will have an
increasingly strong effect on people. They will notice and consider more
seriously the things you do. You may re-evaluate your beliefs to make decisions
on your interactions with other people. You may reconsider your place in
learning from and teaching.

Setting Goals

Many students know they want to learn, but they aren't sure where to start or
what interests them. Psychic abilities are quite varied, but fit into two basic
categories, perceptive and alteration.

Perceptive

The most common type of psychic ability is perception of information. Empathy,
telepathy, precognition, remote viewing, aura sight, seeing ghosts, knowing
about illness or injury before it happens, reading cards, telling fortunes,
recognizing disease, perceiving energy, and predicting dice rolls are all
perceptive abilities. Many people have experienced these abilities at least
once, but may not talk about them for fear of ridicule.

Alteration

The other type of ability is alteration: abilities that directly cause a change
in the world. Telekinesis, levitation, healing, telepathic commands, empathic
projection, teleportation, helping or hurting a plant's or animal's growth, and
directing energy are alteration or projection abilities. Fewer people
experience these, but the abilities are still somewhat common.

Quote
Preparation Worksheet: Goals

What kinds of results do you want?
- Understanding of psychic abilities or a specific experience
- Gaining understanding of life and this world
- Proof of psychic abilities existing, or of my own psychic abilities
- Better understanding of people and spirituality
- Other
How long are you willing to wait for those results
- A day to a few weeks
- A month or two
- As long as it takes
Look through the table of contents. What skills do you eventually want to learn? Why?
As you look at your plans, how do you feel? Are you excited about the skill
you're going to learn? If you aren't excited, you may have trouble staying
focused. Choose what interests you. What would be most fun and exciting to
learn?

Dedication

You've decided which skills interest you. You've determined how patient you
will be while learning them. You've considered whether to seek a teacher. You
summarized your interest in the worksheet.

Any time in the future that you feel like quitting, or get discouraged, come
back and reread this. Maybe your reason for learning abilities will change.
Maybe your patience isn't as good as you thought. Maybe you will need more help
from other people. Changing your mind is fine. Over time, you'll learn more
about yourself. This worksheet may provide the reminder you need to stay
motivated through the tough spots.

Choosing a Teacher

Teacher/Student Interactions

This section investigates your learning personality. If you choose to work with
a teacher, these things are important for the teacher to know. If you are
working alone, you should still understand them so you can work past any
difficulties.

Learning from a Teacher

A teacher can help starting certain abilities and increasing your control of
them. With patience, you can learn the abilities even without a teacher. Most
practicing will happen at home without teacher supervision.

Students are responsible for practicing, recognizing their own styles and
feelings, and choosing which abilities to develop. The teacher may suggest that
you improve certain abilities before learning others, because the basic skills
generally need to come before the more complex ones.

Some expectations of teacher/student relations are reasonably normal. Others
are unreasonable, because they require the teacher to do the impossible, or
because they are an unnecessary drain on the teacher's time. The lists below
explain some common expectations and which are acceptable.

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Preparation Worksheet: Personality, Frustration, and Guidance

How easily frustrated are you?
- If I can't do it the first time, it's not worth the effort.
- I'll try a few times.
- I sometimes get frustrated, but I keep trying. I'll figure it out eventually.
- Things worth learning are worth practicing. When I want to learn something, I don't care how long it takes. I keep trying
How much guidance do you want?
- I want a lot of instruction and guidance.
- I like to do things by myself.
How much do you want to control what you do?
- It'll happen on its own.
- I'd like to be able to guide it a little.
- I'd like control of some of my abilities, so I can use them when I need them.
- I'd eventually like to control all my abilities, but they can still happen on their own.
- My abilities should only happen when I specifically try to make them happen.
- I want to understand every detail and control everything about it happening.
What do you want from a teacher or book?
- General information
- Things to try
- Advice on difficulties
- Advice on how to learn
- Someone to understand me
- Someone to explain my experiences to
- Someone to help me understand my experiences
Reasonable Expectations
- Teacher provides information, answers questions, and solves problems related to learning the skills.
- Teacher psychically observes student progress, and points out strengths and weaknesses.
- Teacher uses own aura and energy to assist student or psychically point the way.
- Teacher shows consistent control of own abilities in the areas being taught.
- Teacher and student respect each other's beliefs and communicate kindly.
- Student practices regularly and sincerely.
- Student has questions or goal for each practice session with teacher.
- Teacher answers students' questions about own teaching history, skill levels, and specialties.
- Teacher provides help finding information on subjects beyond own ability to teach.
Unreasonable Expectations
- Expecting the teacher to provide relationship, money, or life advice
- Expecting the teacher to demonstrate skills that the student is unwilling to learn
- Expecting the teacher to be perfect
- Expecting the teacher to teach when tired, distracted, or busy
- Expecting the teacher to start with a flashy, showy ability such as telekinesis
- Expecting the teacher to teach an ability he or she hasn't learned
Your Strong Sense

Visual/Audio/Touch/Intuition/Empathy

Everyone prefers one sense out of sight, hearing, touch/feeling/emotion, and
intuition. When you receive information psychically, your perceive it through
your favorite sense.

If you are a visual person, you will receive mostly images. If you understand
more easily through hearing, you will hear voices or words telling you the
information. If you learn more through touch, you will feel yourself in the
situation. You may also be an intuitive person who simply knows the information
without it taking any specific form.

Regardless of your strength, you will probably receive some information in
every form, so be open to all of it. You will receive information best when you
open all psychic senses.

Recognizing Each

Visual people prefer a variety of sights and colors. They prefer pictures full
of meaning, written directions and maps rather than verbal instructions. Visual
people say "show me" rather than "tell me." They are able to imagine vivid
pictures and scenes. They may imagine colors and pictures when listening to
music. They also read books by picturing scenes more than by hearing the words
in their heads.

Audio people are drawn to a variety of sounds. They consider music and speech
important. An audio person asks to be "told" directions and may spend much time
on the telephone. They can get more information from listening to someone talk
than from reading about a topic. If they do read, they may whisper or hear the
words in their heads as they read.

Touch people are drawn to textures, crafts, and other people. They enjoy
working with their hands and are often very good at it. They may learn massage
techniques or sports early in life. When reading, they may follow the line with
a finger to keep their place. They care about temperature and textures. When
they shop for clothes, they care most about the feeling of the cloth.

Emotional/empathic people do something because it feels right emotionally. They
are able to sympathize very well with friends in any emotional situation.
Friends who are not feeling well may depress them. Likewise, if they have
friends who are feeling good, they will tend to feel good also. They understand
others' situations by feeling those emotions themselves. Some emotional people
are also touch people.

Intuitive people often act on impulse, doing something because they know it is
right. Intuitive people know unquestionably that their choices are right, but
may not be able to explain why. Their information appears as sudden
inspiration, but it doesn't last long. They enjoy games of anticipation,
because they have just enough knowledge of what is coming to do well in them.

Regarding This Book

This book uses "picture" and "visualize," visual words, to describe
imagination. If you are not a visual person, use mostly your own sense. Also,
deeply involve as many senses as you can, so that the images are complete. That
way if some of the information gets lost, there is still information left.

Learning Process

Overall Process

Learning any ability is a step by step process. Choose a skill, try it once,
repeat until you are doing it properly, and then practice, practice, practice.

Practicing helps you remember how the skill feels. If you practice riding a
bicycle, you learn how it feels to pedal, where your feet go, how to steer, and
how to stop. Bicycling feels unfamiliar the first time, but after you do it
many times, it gets easier. After a few weeks, you can get on a bike and ride
down the road without thinking about how to steer.

Psychic abilities improve with practice just the same. You may feel awkward at
first, paying attention to many details while you practice. With time, they
will get easier. Learning a psychic ability involves remembering how it feels
to use it. Once you know how it feels, you create that same feeling later to
use the ability again.

Make it Happen

The first step of learning a new psychic ability is the hardest: making it
happen once. To remember what it feels like to use the ability, you have to use
it once. Most abilities will occur instinctively in day to day life. You just
have to watch for them, and notice when they happen.

Pay attention to subtle thoughts and gut feelings. If you feel you should take
a different route to work or school, take it, even if you aren't sure why. If
you get a vision of a speeding car as you near an intersection, wait a moment
to see if one passes by. When you notice yourself worrying about someone, give
him or her a phone call and ask how things are going. Respond to the intuitive
thoughts you have. This encourages them to happen more often and encourages you
to notice them sooner.

Read about the abilities you want to learn. Gather information on how they
work. Notice when they happen, who uses them, and what effects they cause. Read
experimental studies of them, especially any with successful results. Daydream
about using them, and consider ways to practice them every day. What fun things
would you use them for? Thinking about using them will encourage your
subconscious abilities to show up more often.

As you think about the abilities and watch for them, you will begin to notice
them occurring throughout your normal daily life. When they happen, notice your
mood, surroundings, thoughts, feelings, and activities. Remember exactly how
you felt just before they happened.

On and Off

After you have an ability occurring "randomly" throughout the day, you will
want to learn more control. Start out by trying to make it happen on cue.
Recall how you feel just before an ability happens. Try to feel exactly the
same again. Don't try too hard; if you were relaxed the first time, you need to
stay relaxed and calm again.

Learn to turn the ability on and off like a light switch. You may not yet be
able to control it when it's on. Just practice turning it on and off. Become
open to it happening, ready to receive intuition, or whatever the ability
requires. The important part is being able to remember and cause the same
feelings and thoughts. When you can turn on the ability a few times each week,
without too much hard work, you're ready to learn more control.

Direct Toward Goals

You've found an ability, and you can turn it on and off. Now, you want to make
it useful direct it toward a particular goal. This can mean receiving psychic
perceptions, causing something to occur, or whatever. Choose the goal you want.
What is this ability to be used for? Just as you thought about the ability to
turn it on and off, now think about and focus playfully on your goal. What do
you want to have happen?

Keep the same feelings you needed to turn on the ability. Stay in the same mood
and same thoughts. Gently direct your thoughts to the goal. Visualize it as
strongly as you can. Feel it, see it, hear it, touch it, smell it, taste it.
Involve all of your senses, and focus on it. If you feel your mood change,
guide it back to keeping the ability turned on.

If you don't get results after a few minutes, stop, relax, and try again later.
Results may not happen until you try many times. Sometimes you may find that as
soon as you quit trying, it works. This means you were working too hard at it
the first time. Stay relaxed and playful. If you aren't having fun, you aren't
going to make progress!

Practice

Life is exciting you made the ability work! You've gotten noticeable results
once or twice, and you want more. Keep trying the same way you have been.
Notice what works and what doesn't work. Where are your inaccuracies? Are some
of your perceptions symbolic, instead of realistic? Do you consistently mistake
a telephone pole for a pencil? How do you feel about the things you get right
or wrong? You will probably feel some differences in your incorrect
perceptions. Aim for what feels right, and remember carefully how it feels.

Don't judge your results while you are still trying to receive. This will
usually cause incorrect results. Receive everything and, if necessary, write it
down so you don't forget. Stay open to all the perceptions, no matter how
strange they seem, until you are fully done (usually 2-10 minutes). Don't let
yourself give up early; stay confident and enthusiastic, even if you think all
of it is wrong. You may be surprised at the results.

Keep a journal of your perceptions. Any time you have a chance to confirm or
disprove something you received, write it in. You'll learn more from your
mistakes than from your successes. Your mistakes show you what to improve and
help you learn how to do it. With practice, you may be able to receive details
with about half or a little more of the details being totally correct.
Sometimes they may all be completely correct.

Practice, practice, practice. Stay relaxed and have fun; find games to practice
with daily. Use the skills every time you get a chance. If you can find an
interested friend, talk about your experiences. No matter what, don't give up!
I took nearly 20 years to learn one particular skill but I did eventually get
it. Most skills will only take a few weeks or months, but even if they take
longer, just keep trying. Practice and play!

Atmosphere

Effects of Fear

Seances, fortune tellers, and ouiji boards brings to mind dark rooms,
candlelight, and a distinctly spooky mood. Telling ghost stories around a
campfire brings up similar feelings. You may feel scared, excited, or paranoid
after a few such stories. You may feel the world is magical and different for a
few minutes.

Atmosphere and mood contribute to the experience. They direct your feelings and
perceptions in a particular way, to enhance the story. A spooky mood may help
or harm, depending on your intentions. Watch how mood affects your psychic
perceptions, and learn how to use it to help get the results you want.

When you are scared, you spook easily, jumping at the slightest sounds. Your
heart races and everything that moves seems threatening. This is a normal
reaction; it kept us alive centuries ago in the wilderness. It still helps us
now to react to balls flying at us.

However, your perceptions are sometimes inaccurate when you are scared. You
perceive and react quickly, but your perceptions may not be correct. That creak
wasn't the sound of an intruder; it was the house settling. That shadow wasn't
a bat in the house; it was only a curtain flapping in front of a fan. The
movement in the corner of your eye was your own reflection in a mirror. Because
you are scared, the things you perceive will tend to be scary.

For accuracy and concentration, you may want to avoid spooky settings when
trying to use psychic abilities. You'll have enough doubts, fears, and new
experiences to deal with. Once you are more experienced, you can use a spooky
mood if you enjoy it. For now, if you get scared, your psychic abilities may
perceive scary things. If you stay relaxed, you will tend to perceive more
objectively.

Mood as a Tool

Some moods are useful tools to enhance your psychic practice sessions. A
relaxed, contemplative, quiet mood works best to begin with. It should feel
slightly dreamy, or romantic like a plush room with candlelight. It will take
you away from your daily worries. It will let you focus more completely on what
you are practicing. Feeling a bit new and strange is okay; it'll help you focus
as long as it doesn't worry you.

Create a Mood

Choose a mood to create, and think about how to best create it for yourself. Do
you want candles or dim lighting? Do you want a soothing bath first? Do you
want special music? Will it be energetic and playful, or quiet and soothing?
Choose a time when you can be alone for an hour, and decorate a room for your
mood. Set up lighting, music, a fan, soft blankets, a bed sheet tent, or
anything that will help the mood. Spend at least half an hour relaxing in it.
Learn how it feels to be totally immersed in that mood. Let the world fall
away, daydream, and enjoy.

Practice setting up moods for yourself before you practice any psychic
abilities in them. They will help you feel secure and stable while you
practice. If you feel best in the middle of a sunny field in July, the field is
as good a place to relax as any other. Lighting level only matters in how
relaxed you feel. Having practiced with various moods will help you be familiar
with various states of relaxation. Familiarity helps you be comfortable and
more confident, and confidence improves your ability to learn.

Some moods to consider experimenting with are quiet, deep, trance-link, fluffy,
light-headed, relaxed, contemplative, inquisitive, hypnotic, ritualistic, and
playful. All of these can be used with other people involved, also.
Cooperative, interested people will make the mood much more intense, if they
are respectful rather than intrusive.

Drugs

Recreational drugs are sometimes used to set a particular mood. They do not
help people gain controlled use of psychic abilities, however. If they do open
the abilities at all, they do so wildly and without giving the person time to
learn proper control. They can cause terrifying experiences, without any of the
long-term practice needed to understand what's going on.

If you're already using such drugs, nothing I say will make a difference.
However, don't start using them as a shortcut to psychic abilities. It would be
like jumping off a cliff instead of climbing down the rope; you might get to
the bottom, but it wouldn't necessarily be comfortable. Anyone can learn these
abilities, completely safely, in only a few months. It's not worth risking your
health for a shortcut that may not even give you the experiences.

Playful Psychic is Copyright 1993, 2000, Skywind. Posted here with permission from Skywind. Playful Psychic is available on Active Psy.