Hey, I just found out I could do a blog here. I thought I'd use it for bits and pieces to consider about the topics. So, if you think you might have some psychic ability (and I think all do to some extent) what kinds of things would you look for as indicators?

First, almost all of what's online in terms of "psychic IQ" tests and such are just a load of bull. But there is a quite good article here by Craig Weiler with some good links. One of the things he posted was a list of traits of emotionally sensitive people who tend to be the ones with greater psychic ability. Here's the list:

1. Emotionally sensitive people feel emotions often and deeply. They feel as if they “wear their emotions on their sleeves.”

2. They are keenly aware of the emotions of people around them.

3. Sensitive people are easily hurt or upset. An insult or unkind remark will affect them deeply.

4. In a similar vein, sensitive people strive to avoid conflicts. They dread arguments and other types of confrontations because the negativity affects them so much.

5. Sensitive people are not able to shake off emotions easily. Once they are saddened or upset by something, they cannot just switch gears and forget it.

6. Sensitive people are greatly affected by emotions they witness. They feel deeply for others’ suffering. Many sensitive people avoid sad movies or watching the news because they cannot bear the weighty emotions that would drive to their core and stick with them afterwards.

7. Sensitive people are prone to suffer from recurrent depression, anxiety or other psychological disorders.

8. One the positive side, sensitive people are also keenly aware of and affected by beauty in art, music and nature. They are the world’s greatest artists and art appreciators.

9. Sensitive people are prone to stimulus overload. That is, they can’t stand large crowds, loud noise, or hectic environments. They feel overwhelmed and depleted by too much stimuli.

10. Sensitive people are born that way. They were sensitive children.

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The problem with growing up psychic and not knowing it, is that you think everyone does what you do. Like, I always knew what was behind what someone said. Like, if someone was telling me about something wrong, and they thought I was the culprit, I always knew. Then they'd say, "You wouldn't know that unless you did it!" But..but... it's right in the front of your head!!!

We also tend to blurt stuff out, at least until we learn not to. I once got accused of reading someone's diary, or gossiping about the person with their best friend. It's hard to keep friends when people think you are a big sneak.

Psychism also runs in families, but the family might not really recognize it. After my parents divorced and my brother moved out, it was just me and my Dad in the house during my highschool years. The psychism comes from his side of the family (the genetic links are recognized but not well-understood). One day my cousin was in the house when Dad and I had a conversation that consisted of a few half words and a few looks. Then we were done and my cousin said, "What the hell was that?" But we had had a whole conversation about something he wanted done before I left and I told him we had decided not to do it until the next day and then he remembered we'd decided that. Srsly, the whole thing was Dad: "What-" Me: ""Bu-" Look from Dad. Me: "So-" Dad: "OK"

Dad looked really embarrassed and I didn't know what my cousin was asking. I just thought it was all so obvious.

The other thing kids often do is have imaginary playmates. Esp psychic kids. Of course, kids display more psychism than grow-ups and the common wisdom is it fades away. It doesn't, I don't think, it just gets buried by "reality." It's also most likely that very many of those "imaginary" playmates aren't imaginary at all. My daughter's seemed to be her guardian angel. Some can be kids from the Other Side. And, being as psychic folks tend to be imaginative, many are just that. My daughter had over 100 imaginary playmates according to a shrink I took her to when her 1sr grade teacher freaked out and thought she was psychotic because she had such animated, realistic conversations with someone who was invisible.

As an adult, before I admitted I was psychic, I used to just know stuff. I recall spending a week with a friend one summer at her home in Southern California and I was in her bathroom when I knew she was having an affair. (Her husband was on an extended business trip.) I told myself I thought that because I saw a condom in her bathroom (not snooping, it was just sitting in an open case with other bathroom stuff). But that's really nonsense, they could have just been using condoms as birth control.

Anyway, I knew, like I had always known so many things and I just asked her at dinner, "Do you want to tell me about your affair?" Her eyes got big and she shook her head. (Then later she told me.)

When we finally realize we are different from the average person, we look for all kinds of explanations. Most don't want to use the word "psychic" because it is rife with connotations of charlatans and conspiracy theorists and fortune-tellers and everyone would lose respect for us.

There's one last thing that kids and adults who a have a high degree of psychism have in common: they tend to be quite interested in the spiritual/religious. Even as a child in a nominally Protestant home where we rarely went to church, I somehow found the only Catholic girl around and managed to get her to lend me her Rosary and teach me to pray it. Even before that, I used to see the shafts of light coming through the window and the dust floating in them and think the dust must be Jesus. I was maybe 5.

The real clue is this: if you think you might be psychic, you are.