What image comes into your mind when you think about psychics? Chances are you see an elderly woman gazing deep into her crystal ball lost in a deep trance. However, if you visit a modern day psychic or call Psychic Central it’s unlikely anyone will be looking into a crystal ball to tell you your future. So how exactly did these common perceptions about psychics come about?
The crystal ball and its association with ‘fortune telling’
The outdated idea of a psychic sitting with a crystal ball can be dated back to the Renaissance and possibly even further. The image of visiting a fortune teller has been quite persistent throughout history but this actually relates back to the Romani people. While this is still a valid view this view is related more to specific cultural groups and their historical practice of divination.
Removing the mystery
Most of these historical ideas about psychics, fortune tellers and even ‘magicians’ relate back to the need for a sense of mystery or even showmanship. During the reign of Queen Victoria, in particular, the rich and well connected dabbled in the idea of communicating with departed spirits. The Queen herself was known to have attended séances although at this time it was probably more about putting on a show than genuinely communicating with the spirits.
This would often include teams of people with one person ‘communicating with the spirits’ and others operating lights, sound effects and even speaking with people attending a séance. Fortunately, modern, genuine psychics have less showmanship and are more concerned with conveying what they can discern.
How are modern psychics different?
Modern psychics can be differentiated by how they communicate with the spirit world and how they receive information. Most people will know of clairvoyants but may not know that there are also people who are:
- Clairaudient – can perceive sounds or words from the spiritual realm.
- Clairscent – exactly as it sounds, this type of people have psychic abilities related to smell.
- Clairsentience – the psychic can ‘feel’ events while lacking any earthly stimulus.
Many modern psychics possess multiple abilities and you would be surprised that they will all look, dress and act just like an ordinary person. Psychic readings through phone calls available through Psychic Network also show how modern psychics can now help people through technology. It is no longer the case that you have to sit in a tent somewhere while someone stares into a crystal ball telling you your future. Consulting with a modern psychic is easy and convenient and the outlandish showmanship of the past is thankfully not common anymore.