Psychic Tools
“We shall not fail or falter; we shall not weaken or tire … Give us the tools and we will finish the job.”
—sir winston churchill
We use a variety of tools in our daily lives to make it easy to accomplish tasks. Knives and pans make it easier to prepare meals. Computers make it easier to write. Hammers make it easier to build things. Cars make it easier to travel. The list goes on and on. Tools have been around since the dawn of time. From rocks to airplanes, every tool we have serves a purpose—to make something in our lives easier.
Psychics also employ the use of tools. Divination tools run the gamut from tea leaves to crystal wands and just about everything in between. Tools don’t make someone psychic; they simply assist that person with tuning in to their own intuition. While professional psychics devote their lives to developing their intuition, the reality is anyone can become skilled at using divination tools without having any previously recognized psychic ability. With practice they will successfully be able to read someone, though usually not as well as someone who is fluent with their psychic gifts. There are a number of different tools available to help with just that purpose.
The divination system works by using our own personal energy waves. We send these waves out into our possible future, allowing that changes may occur to adjust those current patterns. I believe the tools are a means to translate those invisible energy waves that are streaming through the universe.
Oracle Cards
Cards are probably the most prevalent form of divination tool out there. There are all types of oracle cards, including angel cards, tarot cards, playing cards, fairy cards, spirit cards, rune cards, and even mermaid cards to name a few. They are used to help guide you through the present, make known the past, and reveal any upcoming challenges or opportunities. They also provide guidance on successfully navigating the transitions.
Even with so many different types of oracle decks available, learning to interpret them by using the same basic guidelines makes them analogous. In order to interpret their meanings, one needs to look at and break down the design elements: colors, landscape, shapes, buildings or structures, people, angels, animals or beasts, words, letters, numbers, and objects.
There are two basic parts to reading the cards. Depending upon your preference you can look to the overall card first and then break it down by analyzing each part or vice versa. Taking in the whole picture and determining how it makes you feel is vital to understanding its meaning. Looking at what’s displayed can indicate the intent of the card and whether it implies a positive or a negative vibe. After you’ve taken in the illustration as a whole, it’s time to explore each element and the influence the elements have on each other.
The following are some generalized meanings to assist you in reading the cards and the various ingredients of each card. Remember, these are very basic generalizations. To fully comprehend the meanings, you need to do your own research and studying.
Color meanings:
• Black: negativity, wrongdoings, or a void
• Blue: communication, wisdom, cleansing, fifth chakra, clairaudience
• Brown: nature, groundedness, back to basics, down to earth, low energy
• Green: healing or need for, financial success, nature, fourth chakra
• Indigo: meditation or need to, philosophy, psychic, dream state, sixth chakra, clairvoyance
• Orange: creativity, sexuality, sensuality, reproductive system, physical move, second chakra
• Pink: female energy, healthy or happy, innocence, optimism, pregnancy
• Purple: (also violet) regal, power, strength, high honor, psychic ability, spiritual, enlightened, divine guidance, kindness, crown or seventh chakra
• Silver: divine communication, spiritual message,
psychic, universal connection
• White: purity, divinity, intuition, angelic, truth,
cleanliness, virginity
• Yellow: happy, power, cheerful, intuition, clairsentience, third chakra
Number meanings:
• One: the beginning, basic, root
• Two: partnership, duality, balance, manifestation
• Three: creation, fertilization, elemental expression, amalgamation
• Four: structure, foundation, security, stability
• Five: struggle, conflict, disruption, discomfort, loss
• Six: rebuilding harmony, communication, success
• Seven: good and bad, victory and upset, perfection and inadequacy
• Eight: progression, movement, mastery, acknowledgement
• Nine: nearing completion, struggle, fulfillment,
compromise
• Ten: cycle completed, review time, transition, ending
Object meanings (also note condition of object, i.e., run down, shiny and new, etc.):
• Greenery: nurturing, healing, growth
• Flowers or fruit: growth, spirituality, happiness
• Cup or bowl: mission or challenge, position in life, Holy Grail, emotions
• Structure: physical body, our façade, protection,
stability
• Angels: divinity, help, trust, faith, guidance
• People: presence, profession, another person who influences situation
Different decks will display different drawings and designs, but the artwork provides the overall feeling of the card. Having an artistic slant can add to your ability to read them. Such was the case when I was at my sister’s house. Everyone wanted me to read for them using tarot cards, but I suggested they try and read the cards for each other. Having had no real previous exposure, my stepniece, Lauren, jumped right in and began.
“Just tell me what you get, in any way. Don’t judge it or censor it,” I told her.
“Okay, here we go!” Lauren said.
She looked at the pictures on the cards and began spinning a tale of what it meant, specifically for me since she was reading me. As usual, I don’t remember the details, but I remember thinking how impressed I was with how good she was at it. Lauren is an artist. She regularly taps into her artistic and creative side. She read the cards using that angle, and she was right on.
For this exercise you can use any card deck you have access to. Angel cards, tarot cards, and even regular playing cards will work. However, the more detail on the card, the more details you’ll be able to pick up for your reading.
Invoke your protection and then take a few deep breaths. Shuffle the deck, and when you feel you have energized the cards enough deal out three in a row. The first represents your past, generally over the last six to twelve months. The second represents your current state, or place in your life. And the third represents your possible future.
Look at each card, beginning with the one all the way to the left, your past. Look at the overall picture. Does it make you feel good? Bad? Sad? Confused? Happy? Scared? Excited? Then take each individual aspect of the picture. What do you get from them? Colors? Objects? Numbers? Does this make sense as far as your past goes? Does it coincide with your time over the last year or so?
Do this for all three cards. Write down everything you pick up on for all of them. Does it feel good? Does it make sense? Do you feel you are biased in reading them because it’s for you? Did it feel easy? Hard? Were you able to read the cards without too much of a struggle?
If you want, do a reading for a friend. Make sure you tell them you are new at this and they should take their reading with a grain of salt! Let them try and read for you as well. When you’re all done, give each other feedback. How did you do? How did they do?
Remember, practicing and learning the meanings for the cards will help you to excel, but trusting your instincts is just as important. Don’t give up if it didn’t feel right immediately. Practice makes perfect! Or, as close as you can get to perfect when reading oracle cards!
Rock On
Rocks and crystals carry energy and are used sometimes as tools in the psychic world. They are available in all different shapes and sizes, and each kind has their own properties. For example, one of my favorite crystals is rose quartz. Rose quartz is helpful if you’re feeling lonely. It can represent love, friendship, and peace. It is also useful for emotional healing. Amethyst is also a crystal I like to have around. Corrine Kenner, an expert with crystals and rocks, describes amethyst as “ … widely used by psychics, who find that amethysts’ soothing energy gives their intuitive senses a boost.” (Kenner, 2006)
These crystals and rocks hold energy and can be used as a gateway into your own intuition. By holding one in your hand, or touching one if it’s very large, it can be used as an instrument to connect you to your psychic senses. It’s almost as though you have a magic wand, and in fact, some crystals are shaped in the form of wands. Crystals have been touted to possess a kind of magical power, and they are potent. In order to harness their power, you need only to hold them.
I teach a workshop called Expanding Your Awareness. In this class, one of the exercises I have the students do is pick a crystal or a rock that speaks to them. I have a number of different stones, and each person is encouraged to choose the one that feels the best to them. I like amethyst and am regularly drawn to it. So, I think most people will be. But I am always amazed by the stones that some people choose—especially the ones that are very basic.
Crystals and rocks have their own natural shapes, designs, and inclusions. When you start looking at them, you’ll notice different patterns or even faces forming. During one session, I began to see a whole scene play out in a large piece of quartz crystal.
“Okay, Jill, I’m getting a colder atmosphere, so I think the time frame is winter,” I said.
Jill was in my workshop, and I was demonstrating how to read the crystals. She asked me when I saw her getting a job that she would actually enjoy. What I saw when I looked into the crystal was a park with trees and a path and everything was covered with snow.
She then asked, “Do you see me alone at that time or with a significant other?”
I looked into the crystal again and the images that I saw changed. I was now looking at the backs of two people holding hands in silhouette, but what was interesting was both had long hair. Were they friends? Or were they lovers? I wasn’t sure whether it was two girls or her and a man, so I told her as much.
“Well, I see you with someone around the same time. But I can’t tell if it’s a friend or significant other. You both have long hair and it’s a woman?”
“Ha! That’s because I’m gay!” she replied, laughing. “I wasn’t sure whether you’d pick that up or not!”
“Well, there’s your answer. Yes, you will be romantically involved with someone in the winter!”
Jill was trying to trick me, but the crystals were not lying. Holding the quartz, I could feel the energy reverberating. I saw many different pictures in the crystal that were giving me answers. By holding a rock or a crystal, you can let it begin to tell you a story based on all the different pictures you see in it. You also may feel or know something as you handle the rock or crystal. So much information will be provided to you simply by touching it.
In order to work on this exercise, you’ll need to pick out a rock or a crystal. If you don’t have one, and you’re not able to buy one, just go outside and look for one that resonates with you.
Hold the rock in the palm of your hand and close your eyes. Take a deep breath and let yourself relax for at least five minutes. Feel the energy the rock is sharing with you. Does it bring anything to mind? Is it making you feel anything? Is it hot? Cold? Do you feel happy? Sad? Excited? Bored? Healthy? Sick? Does anything else come to mind? When you are done feeling the energy, it’s time to open your eyes.
Look at the rock or crystal. At first, you may just notice the color or the shape. You might also notice any veins or inclusions. Keep gazing into the rock. Notice if it turns cloudy at all or brightens up. Do any shapes jump out at you? Do you see any words, letters, or numbers? Do you see any people, structures, or landscapes? Does the crystal seem to be changing shape or morphing into something other than what it was? Again, after looking at it for at least a full five minutes, think about what you saw in the rock. How did it make you feel? Did it make you happy? Sad? Excited? Did it feel comfortable? Uncomfortable? Good? Bad? Clear?
Try this with more than one type of rock or crystal. Compare whether it feels easier or better with one type over the other. Take note of how much information you get off each different category of rock or crystal.
Pendulums
Pendulums are another tool used by psychics and nonpsychics alike. Using a pendulum is known as dowsing. “The pendulum is deceptively simple. With just a few minutes of practice, anyone can use it,” says Richard Webster, author of Pendulum Magic for Beginners. (Webster, 2002) Pendulums are simply a weighted item suspended on a piece of cording, string, thread, or chain that spins or rocks with your hand performing as a fulcrum. The simplest pendulums are made with wedding rings, sewing needles, or even paper clips used for the weight. More advanced and commercially made pendulums can be composed of crystal, wood, and even glass. As with crystals or rocks, pendulums can speak to you. You may choose one over another based on how it feels to you.
Pendulums can be used to answer yes or no questions, directional questions, and more. There really is no limit to what answers you can gain from a pendulum. Many people design pendulum cloths or sheets to place under the pendulum with prewritten answers. While holding the pendulum dead center over the cloth and asking a question, the pendulum will move toward the answer, without any help from the user. Adding letters and numbers will give you access to even more answers, as the letters can spell out names and words and the numbers can, well, give you a number!
Holding the string at the top, wrapped over your middle and index fingers with the weight at the bottom, is the best way to use a pendulum. This helps ensure you’re not moving the pendulum yourself by accident. The energy that stirs the pendulum is coming from the universe through your subconscious, into the pendulum. You don’t want to add your own movement. When I teach others how to use one, I always tell them to hold the pendulum over their other palm and request, “Show me yes.” This allows you to see whether it will spin or go back and forth for an answer in the affirmative. Then I instruct them to request, “Show me no.” It should provide them with the opposite of the yes. These two directional answers, yes and no, are the beginnings of dowsing.
Anyone who chooses to continue to use pendulums will end up with a favorite pendulum. Whether it’s made of a crystal, a carved piece of wood, blown glass, or something homemade, it will be the one that you resonate with. I have a favorite—it is a lead fishing lure weight on a piece of string that was made by one of my teachers about twenty years ago. I used it in the class and was actually frightened by it. The amount of movement I had from the pendulum was insane. Everyone in the class was shocked, myself included.
“Show me there is energy flowing through,” I said to the pendulum while the rest of the class asked the same of their divination tools.
My pendulum began swinging from left to right, immediately picking up speed and velocity to the point that it was horizontal. I dropped it, scared. There was way too much energy going through it.
“Wow. What is going on?” I asked.
I picked up my pendulum and felt an extreme heat coming off of it.
“Try again,” everyone said.
So, I tried again. It was totally still, so I said, “Show me yes.”
Once again, my new pendulum was so energized it went horizontal.
“Oh my gosh! What is happening?”
They told me not to worry, that this was great.
“I don’t know if I like this. It’s way too strong. I feel like there’s too much energy going through it. It’s kind of freaking me out!” I said.
This time I asked the pendulum to pare it down.
“Show me yes. Slow it down,” I said.
The pendulum, which had started going horizontal immediately slowed down. It was now manageable. I didn’t feel as though it was possessed this time. I was able to use it after that, and it’s always been the most energetic responder of all my pendulums. Added to that one pendulum, I have a couple of rose quartz, a couple amethysts, a wooden, a crystal layer, and many more, but the fishing lure weight is still my favorite.
Pendulums have been around for a very long time. They’ve been used to find and locate water or oil, show which direction is the best for a new settlement to move the tribe to, and even determine whether a pregnant woman would have a boy or a girl. No matter if you are using a pendulum to decide what dress to buy, which football season tickets to invest in, whether you’ll have a new relationship, or whether you should take the new job, it’s an easy way to divine which route you should pursue.
Get yourself a pendulum. Go to a new age store or bookstore or even a jewelry store and see which one speaks to you, which one feels right. If you don’t want to buy one, that’s okay. You can make one with string or thread and a ring or even a paper clip.
Then, make a list of yes or no questions you’d like answers to. You don’t want to ask more than ten to start, but be sure to write them down so you won’t need to think about them. You don’t want your thoughts to interfere with the energy you are channeling through to the pendulum.
You’re going to start out simple. Once you’ve got your pendulum in your hand, place the string around your middle and index finger, grasping with your thumb to hold it. By doing it this way you cut down on the natural movements your hand makes no matter how hard you try and hold it still.
Now, send energy into your hand by imagining a clear channel traveling from the top of your head through your neck and shoulder down into your hand. Place your other hand under the pendulum, creating an energy pocket. Say aloud, “Show me yes,” and see what the pendulum does. It will either spin or go back and forth. Once you have a definitive answer, say, “Stop moving.” Then, do it again asking this time, “Show me no,” and wait for the response.
Once you’ve received your answers as to which is a yes and which is a no, it’s time to start asking the questions you want answers to.
How does it feel? Does it work for you? Does it make sense? Did you get answers for everything? Did it feel like the pendulum was moving on its own accord? Or did it feel like you were moving it? Did any of the answers surprise you? Did you get the answers you expected?
After you’ve completed all of your questions, put your pendulum down. If you want to ask more, go ahead now and make another list. Then start from the beginning, asking for yes and no, etc.
Try using different pendulums, ones you make and some from the stores. Have fun with it!
Crystal Ball Gazing
Crystal balls have, to the unaware, been linked to gypsy fortunetellers and Halloween witches. This is fine because the basic premise of the crystal ball is to see something no one else can see. Anyone—whether a gypsy or a Halloween witch or a normal, average person—can learn to use this divination tool to access answers.
Like other divination tools, crystal balls can be used to forecast, or read, the future. Author Alexandra Chauran gives some important advice, “Before you get on a roll with practicing the flow of readings with your crystal ball, it is important to do some experimentation to find out how your own perception with the crystal ball is going to work. Each person’s perceptions may vary greatly.” (Chauran, 2011) Practicing can bring you to an understanding of just what it is you are seeing.
To read a crystal ball, you must first place it where it won’t be shadowed. You want the ball to be as clear as possible so any images you see will be undiluted. In order to read using this tool, begin by focusing not on the actual shape of the ball, but instead focus on the inside area of the ball. Let yourself see any shapes that may start to form. The shapes can appear as clouded images or dark outlines. By forming questions in more of an open-ended “what would the benefits be?” or “what would be the outcome if …” way, you will receive a more accurate answer. Staying away from yes or no questions will provide you with better detail.
Many years ago, I was doing a reading for Brenda at a psychic fair and she was asking which home she should buy. I didn’t know what the choices were, but I was ready to jump in. She noticed all of the various tools I had spread across my table and requested, half jokingly, if I would do her reading with my crystal ball. I obliged, though usually I used my small crystal ball as decoration as opposed to a divination tool.
“I don’t know which house to buy,” she said.
“Don’t tell me anything else! I want to see what comes without knowing anything beforehand,” I interrupted her.
She nodded and I began. I started looking into the crystal ball, gazing into the middle of it. I saw three columns of shadow spreading through it.
“Are you considering three different homes?” I questioned.
“Yes, we are,” Brenda responded, surprised.
“Okay, let me see which one will be the best for you,” I continued, my confidence bolstered a bit.
I looked into the crystal ball again. All of a sudden images started to form, almost as if someone painted them in with a light gray ink.
“I see what looks like sailboats and a dock. I’m also seeing windows, lots of windows,” I told her. “Does that mean anything to you?”
“Wow. It means everything. One of the houses we are considering has a bank of windows overlooking Long Island Sound,” she replied in awe. “That is my husband’s favorite, but I was afraid of the water.”
“Well, I think you will be happy there,” I answered, seeing the sun in the crystal ball.
While most people do not have crystal balls lying around their homes, some do. If you are one of the lucky ones, yay! If not, you can find one in a holistic or new age store or even a cheap version at a Halloween costume or a party store. If you still don’t have one, use a glass vase or at the very least, a glass. Just make sure it is smooth, not crystal or cut glass or anything that would create shadow.
Now it’s time to ask a question of the crystal ball. It’s a simple question, but the answer can be extremely detailed. “What do I need to know about my future?”
Then, wait. Focus your eyes and your spirit entirely on the crystal ball. Look inside it. Notice if any shapes begin to form. They may just appear as cloudy or fuzzy shapes. Pay attention to any changes in color or the way the texture looks or even the temperature of the ball. Does it change the way you feel? Do you see anything? Does it appear shady or shadowed where it wasn’t before? Is it clear? Write down anything you see so you may analyze it when you are all done.
Don’t worry if you don’t see anything at first. Give it at least ten minutes. If you still don’t see anything, you can try a different crystal ball. Remember, what you see may be symbolic, so don’t discount it. For example, I just looked to my glass and asked when my book would be done (published) and I saw a bat—the kind that flies, not the kind that hits balls. This made me think of Halloween, which makes perfect sense because my release is in autumn. Be open to anything you see without censoring it. You may be surprised by what you see!
Tools, Tools, Glorious Tools
There are many additional tools to be utilized. Nature provides us with tools available to everyone. Like crystal ball gazing, try cloud gazing. Looking for images within clouds can give you answers to questions. If it’s evening rather than daytime, look to the stars for divinatory pictures. Candle flames are very telling. By asking a yes or no question, you can receive an answer. The flame will bend one way for yes and one way for no. Determine which way is yes and which way is no before asking the question. All of these methods can help you make choices in your day-to-day life. Or maybe more significant, can make statements about your future life.
Finally, the casting of lots has been significant in divination throughout many cultures and many lands. Using items such as bones, runes, coins, tea leaves, dice, and shells can help you interpret what you have to look forward to. Many of these lots work together with a cloth or a board that has been specially designed to answer questions or divine the future.
For example, making a cloth with sections delineating topics such as health, home, finances, love, relationship, children, etc., are useful to gain access to a variety of answers. Runes, which are stones with inscriptions engraved onto them, each meaning something different, can be cast onto the cloth. Looking at where the stones land on the cloth can foretell what is coming. For instance, if the rune marked with the fertility symbol lands in the children section, chances are it’s relaying someone’s having a baby soon or someone recently gave birth. If that fertility rune lands in finances, it might indicate a new financial project or new money coming in due to a birth of a new idea.
Using that same cloth, coins can be cast. Assign each different coin a subject such as movement, growth, harvest, joy, fertility, protection, strength, love, partnership, self, defense, etc. Throwing the coins onto the cloth will provide answers or an outlook toward the possible future.
It’s time to choose for yourself! Pick one of the above divinatory tools and set everything up. For example, if it’s going to be casting coins, make sure to assign each one a subject.
When you’ve decided which method you will use, give it your all. Did it feel right? Did it feel off ? Did it answer any questions you may have had? Did you feel good? Bad? Happy? Was it difficult? Would you use that particular tool again? Did you try more than one tool? Which worked better for you? Did you have good results with all that you tried?
It’s All Good
Using divination tools does not make you psychic. Nor do you need to be psychic to use divination tools. However, you can help your psychic senses by using these psychic tools. If you are tired, the tools can assist you and make reading for yourself or others easier. If, for example, you are working your first psychic fair and you need to do five readings in a row, using cards may be the way to go. It will allow your psychic awareness to come through by interpreting the cards you’ve flipped over. Again, you don’t need to be psychic to use these tools, but it is definitely an asset. You have everything you need to predict your future.