Reading Another
Although we are often intimidated by the prospect of psychically tuning in to others’ issues and concerns, in some ways it can be easier than intuiting for ourselves. When we know little about the person, we are more inclined to trust our psychic impressions. With little information to go on, the conscious thinking mind cannot interfere. Unless we have a close relationship with the person whom we are psychically reading, we are not emotionally invested in the energy information that we receive. We are less biased and will not be tempted by our hopes and desires or be inclined to want to interpret what we receive in any particular way. However, there are a few challenges to reading others successfully.
Expectations
When you read another, it is necessary to manage your expectations and the expectations of the person you are reading. Don’t expect to receive energy information in the manner that you desire. Every person you read is different, and you will likely receive energy information in a variety of ways. For instance, if you are primarily a mental intuitive, you might want to receive intuitive impressions through thoughts and knowing. However, if the person you are reading is more of an emotional intuitive, they may be broadcasting energy information through their feelings and emotions. This doesn’t always happen, but it is common. Be prepared to receive energy information through all the modalities, even those that you may not have as much confidence in. If the person you are reading has a strong tendency to express energy through a certain modality, the energy information you receive from them will likely come through in this form.
The person you are reading will also have their own expectations. They may want to receive specific information, and they likely have a desired outcome. As much as you may want to provide the kind of information and guidance that the person wants, detach from their expectations as much as possible. Limit the amount of personal information that they give you. Although it may seem helpful, knowing too much about the person can be confusing and interfere with your intuition. Even though you are reading another, it is necessary to stay focused on your own psychic process. Make it your intent to provide clear, accurate, and helpful energy information. Be kind and compassionate toward the person, but do not let their expectations sway you from interpreting the energy information accurately or from trusting the energy information that you receive.
Emotional Stress
The emotional energy that most often interferes when psychically reading another differs from the types of emotions we may experience when reading ourselves. When we first begin to psychically read others, we may feel nervous, stressed, and anxious. We may be nervous about our performance and worried that our psychic awareness will fail. It is also common to doubt our ability and feel pressured to be correct and accurate about what we receive. This is normal, and as we build more confidence in our abilities, these kinds of stresses will begin to dissipate.
If you feel yourself becoming overly anxious when tuning in to another, take a few moments to breathe and relax. Keep it simple. Do not overemphasize your role in the person’s life. Provide the energy information that you receive as best you can. Don’t tell the person what to do or what not to do. This is not your responsibility. Whatever decisions or choices another makes is up to them. Be careful not to guarantee outcomes. We all have free will, and it is our individual responsibility to make personal choices.
Another common reason for experiencing emotional stress when psychically reading another is the tendency to intuit others’ emotional energy. When you psychically tune in to another’s issues, questions, and energy, you may unknowingly absorb and feel their feelings. Most people feel varying degrees of nervousness, anxiety, and vulnerability when receiving a psychic reading. Besides feeling nervous about having another person delve into their private issues and questions, they may be in the midst of a crisis or worried, anxious, or grieving. When you tune in to another, you may absorb this emotional energy and become stressed yourself. If you feel that this might be happening, take a few long, deep breaths and exhale any tension or stress. You may want to lighten the mood and make small talk with the person you are reading. When I sense that a client may be nervous, I try to lighten the mood and say something like “Don’t be nervous. I’m doing all the work!”
Interpretation
When beginning to psychically tune in to others, it is always best not to overinterpret or overanalyze what you receive. Share information the way that you receive it. If you are not sure of your accuracy, say so. Let the other person interpret the energy information if you are having a hard time understanding it. If you see images, share them the way you perceived them. Share the feelings, thoughts, words, impressions, and insights that come to you without any personal bias.
Most of the time, incorrect psychic information stems from misinterpretation of what we receive and not from a lack of psychic receptivity. It is often better to allow the person you are reading to interpret what you have intuited. You can give your impressions, but allow others to use it in the way that works for them. As you continue to psychically tune in to others, your ability and confidence in interpreting what you receive will strengthen.
Right and Wrong
A common stumbling block when reading another is the fear of being wrong. Saying something that is not true or does not make sense to the person you are reading is every psychic’s nightmare. But it doesn’t have to be. Every psychic makes mistakes. When you are met with a blank stare or the person you are reading tells you that they cannot relate to what you have said, don’t panic. Stay calm and admit that you may have misinterpreted what you received. It may be helpful to describe what you experienced without interpreting it. You may also want to take a deep breath and further tune in to the energy and become aware of any new energy information. If you cannot understand or make sense of what you are receiving, you can simply say that you are going to move on and let it go for now. If there is something important that the person you are reading needs to know, it will come back to you, usually in another more straightforward way.
It is also possible that you are entirely correct about what you have received, but the person you are reading is too nervous to connect with what you have said or simply doesn’t want to. This happens quite often.
For instance, I was giving a health reading to a client, and I told her that eating dairy, especially dairy combined with sugar, was creating unhealthy bacteria and she might want to eliminate this from her diet. She looked at me with a heavy stare and told me that she did not eat dairy. I was confused. I kept seeing her eating dairy, and I told her so. She maintained her opposition. I then asked her if she ate chocolate ice cream while watching television in the evening. After a short pause and with a look like she had just been caught with her hand in the cookie jar, she said, “Well, I do eat some chocolate ice cream at night.”
It is helpful to pay attention to how it feels when you are correct and how it feels when you are incorrect. There is a certain tingling energy that you will likely feel when you are connecting with energy information and correctly interpreting it. In the same way, you will find that when your psychic connection is faulty, it is likely to feel flat and empty.
Ego
The ego can also interfere with your ability to psychically tune in to others. When others look to you for guidance and answers, it is tempting to feel more insightful, spiritual, or powerful. It is important to remind yourself that this does not necessarily mean that you are more special or infallible. These feelings come from the ego, as it longs to feel powerful, in charge, and in control. If you feel that your psychic insights are always right and that it is up to you to manage another’s affairs and life, your ego has taken over.
For women, the ego often surfaces as a desire to help and heal everyone. Some women will experience feelings of guilt and stress if they are not able to fully help everyone and make others feel better and solve their problems. For men, the ego tends to surface more as feelings of power and control and the desire for recognition.
When you are centered in your spirit, you recognize that being psychic is a gift that empowers you to serve and help others. When you use your psychic abilities in service to others, you help yourself. You learn from the insights and increased awareness that psychic abilities provide. Working with high-vibration, loving energy is enjoyable and energizing. Your psychic abilities increase and provide unexpected feelings of well-being and connection to a higher power. When your ego attempts to hijack your psychic awareness, your abilities will diminish and suffer. The energy information that you receive will be focused on lower vibrations. While you still may be psychically accurate, what you receive may not necessarily be helpful and in the highest good.
Maintain Integrity
Intuiting energy information for others is a sacred responsibility that requires integrity, confidentiality, compassion, and wisdom. Never gossip or share intuitive information that you have received for another with others. Let go of how others accept what you receive. Do your best and accept constructive criticism if it is helpful, but be careful not to allow others to confuse the messenger with the message.
When you intuitively tune in to another’s energy, they may feel exposed and vulnerable. Be kind, and at the same time maintain your focus. Be mindful of the feelings and expectations of the person you are working with, and remain intuitively neutral and receptive toward the energy information that presents itself. While you can be personally supportive and understanding of the person you are working with, the job of a psychic is to receive and interpret the energy information as objectively and accurately as possible.
Exercises for Intuiting Another
The following intuitive exercises can be done throughout the day. They will help you to become more familiar with intuiting others’ energy. We often become overly serious and tighten up when we read another. It is important to stay loose, receptive, and open.
Meeting with Another
Next time you have a meeting, a lunch date, or an appointment scheduled with someone, take a few minutes to intuit something about that person’s appearance beforehand. This can be anything from the color of the clothing they are wearing to their hair style or any jewelry or other accessories they may have. If you are meeting with someone you have never met and do not know what the person looks like, you can intuit their height, hair color, or anything else about their appearance.
You can use variations of this exercise. Before you leave for work, intuit the color of the clothing of the person you will first encounter at work. If meeting someone for a meeting or coffee, intuit the exact time they will arrive. You can also intuit what the person will want to talk about or discuss or any other random information that will surface during the meeting.
Intuiting Social Media
Before you check your Facebook, Instagram, or other social media site, take a moment to intuit an image or any other descriptive qualities of the first post or photo that you will encounter. Psychic insight might come in the form of colors, shapes, faces, or other fragments of images. You can also intuit the mood or emotional content of a post or photo, or the emotion that it is intended to invoke. Through a sense of knowing, you may receive energy information about the content of a post, such as if it is humorous, political, sentimental, or inspiring. Don’t overreach as you intuit. Be content with the thoughts, feelings, images, and sensations that emerge. Pay attention to them, and when you are ready to look at the post or image, focus on the similarities, associations, and connections with your intuited information.
Be careful not to focus on what you did not correctly intuit. Instead, it is more helpful to notice the connections and associations that you intuitively received. In this way you will learn more about how your intuition naturally surfaces.
Insights about an Issue
Throughout the day, if you encounter a problem or challenge, think it through and then ask your intuition for input. Breathe and take a moment to relax. Then listen and pay attention to any intuitive messages or insights that surface. If your mind starts to race, continue to breathe and listen. If you are feeling stressed or anxious, this might be more challenging. If you do not receive any intuitive information and you become frustrated, let it go and do something else. Sometimes the intuitive guidance and insight that we are asking for does not surface until we are in a calm state or doing something entirely different. Be aware that you may receive an intuitive response later, perhaps while driving home or having lunch.
Insights about Another
Along with asking for guidance on a current challenge or problem, you can also ask for psychic insight about another or how to improve a relationship. Maybe you are perplexed by something your boyfriend, girlfriend, spouse, boss, coworker, or friend has said or done. Your mind is overthinking and your emotions have been triggered.
Do your best to relax, breathe, and let go. You do not need to know what kind of guidance you need or to ask a specific question. Simply ask within for insight and clarity and let go. Do something that will help you to release the emotions and feelings that have been triggered, and try not to overfocus on receiving psychic guidance. Keep part of your awareness open and receptive. In situations where you are feeling strong feelings, it may take a little longer to receive psychic insight.
Intuitive Communication with Another
Next time you get an email or message from a friend or coworker, or even when someone pops into your mind, intuitively ask that person what they want to communicate to you.
Take a moment to visualize this person or inwardly repeat their name. Send a thought message asking the person to communicate to you what they would like to say. Then listen, feel, sense, and see what comes to you. You may see fragments of images, have a sense of knowing, feel what is on their mind, or hear a phrase or words. However the information comes to you, receive it and continue to ask their energy for information and be aware of what you receive.
A variation of this exercise is to intuitively ask for insight into another’s feelings and emotions. Then become aware of any emotions or feelings that you begin to feel. They may be subtle and feel as if they are your emotions. If this happens, ask within if these are your feelings or another’s. Trust what you receive. If you feel emotions such as sadness, grief, anger, or anxiety, imagine high-vibration divine energy moving through you. Release and let go of these feelings and absorb this positive and soothing energy.
Invite psychic awareness to be an integral part of your day-to-day life. As you do this, it becomes a more natural and normal aspect of who you are. We like to dramatize psychic abilities as being surreal and outside the status quo. However, everyone has psychic ability. Claiming and developing your natural intuition empowers you to create a more fulfilling and abundant life. It is also a much more enjoyable and interesting way to go through the day.