Our backyard swing faced the eastern horizon drawn by a tree-lined creek two miles away. It was my favorite place to be alone as a kid. I pumped my arms furiously to gain height, pointing my toes up to the ever-changing Kansas sky, then swooping past wide-open fields where incessant wind tossed tumbleweeds and made dirt devils dance. I tried hard not to let my feet touch the ground as I arced between heaven and earth.

On the swing, nature felt close. I sensed some bigger mystery driving it and talked to it out loud, whatever “it” was.

Questions came to me that my Catholic upbringing couldn’t answer. Armed with exceptional reading skills and a library card, I turned to books for more insight by third grade. Cross-cultural myths and pictures of ancient times ruled by powerful deities felt familiar to me. Stories of past- lives and reincarnation, healers and shamans, and extra-sensory perception filled in the gaps.

Back then, being a psychic consultant was not a goal. I yearned to write and fancied myself a novelist and an investigative reporter. I naturally looked for connections between people and things. I felt an urgency to share, to tell stories.

Now, as on the swing long ago, I get to bridge heaven and earth when others come to me with questions. My favorite one is this:

How did you know you are psychic?

For a long time, I didn’t.

My hidden ability showed itself when I hit a messy emotional bottom at 25. Being sensitive and not understanding it is what got me there. I see it all the time in others— empathic and psychic ability masquerading as depression, addiction, and illness.

So, when someone asks that question, it reveals a deeper, more important one.

Am I psychic too?

Most of my clients are spiritual seekers. They feel they are intuitive but lack the confidence to own it. They’re soul-sick. Longing for connection and meaning but not sure how to find it. It’s a sure bet that reading them will be fun, even if their life is challenging right now.

Images and answers come quickly to me with these people. Energy rises in big waves. Chills run through my body, or I yawn suddenly to help it release.

They feel the energy move too. Tears come out of nowhere. Suddenly they understand the thing that made no sense.

I love it when a client sees or knows more than me. They have stories that begin, “You’ll probably think this is crazy…”

Nope. Not at all. The weirder, the better, I always say.

Believe it’s possible

For years I thought that only “special” people could tune into greater awareness. There are some incredibly gifted people out there, seemingly from birth. Often, they are psychically sensitive and didn’t get it drummed out of them during childhood, like so many of us. Their culture or family traditions included Spirit in daily life. They were allowed to stay connected.

When other “gifted” people told me that I could do what they do, I started to believe it. I put my faith in what they saw until I experienced it more for myself.

Faith gave me the confidence that my power is in me and spurred the curiosity to learn how to use it.

Now, I understand how intuition works for me. I confidently tap into my clairvoyance — a fancy word for seeing Spirit and energy. I empathically sense physical pain or emotions. I translate energy into color, symbols, or images that have meaning. Answers, like a thought but in another’s voice, come from my client’s higher self or from their loved ones who’ve passed away.

My intention is to be the mirror for others. To reflect who I see – a timeless being having a physical experience to learn.

I don’t know anything ahead of time about the people I read. When a new client tells me their name, that’s all I need. Birth names are the spiritual bar code stamp that lets me identify others. With my eyes closed, information and images unfurl, whether they’re sitting in front of me or thousands of miles away.

Being seen like this is validating. It’s an invitation to faith that they are something more than meets the eye.

Faith was my first step. Having faith that I am part of this universal consciousness just by being alive.

Ask. Respond. Repeat.

Faith gave me the push to start learning about how I could tap into my psychic ability for me, but I was full of doubt. I started thinking about when and how I naturally felt connected. What prompted it? What did I do? And how could I recreate it for my practical use?

I asked my intuition to speak; I requested guidance without making assumptions. Then I started paying closer attention to my thoughts and environment to see what kind of feedback I was getting.

I tuned into my body for physical clues, like a gut feeling, chills, or a racing heart. I asked myself simple yes or no questions and followed through to see where it took me. I checked inside when planning my days for the best way to “go with the flow.” Ease is a great indicator. It’s where psychic guidance naturally wants to go.

The more I paid attention and took action, the more I trusted what I saw, heard, and felt. My relationship with the language of my higher self and consciousness grew over time. The more I communicated with it, the stronger it became.

When it comes to reading others, I trust what I receive, even if I don’t understand it. I’m tapping into the field of consciousness full of archetypes, symbols, and metaphors.

Sometimes I’m the one that says, “this might sound crazy,” and commence with what makes no sense to me. My client usually gets it.

It’s not about me.

Early on during my spiritual training, being smug or overly enthusiastic about picking up on things others didn’t was sometimes a problem. Like an annoying kid showing off a new toy.

Being psychic is not a party trick. Nor is it a reason to be a know-it-all or to offer unsolicited advice. (Ok, I still struggle with the unsolicited advice bit when I see people suffering.)

When insights and inspiration come through for others, it’s not about me. It’s about the joined conversation drawing from shared wisdom. I say hello to someone’s Spirit and ask them on that level what it is they need to know. The answer is in the questioner, like a book open for me to read.

Being humble keeps me in kindergarten — curious and open. The universe responds to that.

Be an everyday psychic.

Being psychic makes daily life easier. It helps avoid obstacles, delays and mistakes. How often do you regret not trusting your gut?

It’s great for decision-making.   Intuition structures my day with the best timing to make calls or schedule appointments.  Experience shows that my logical mind is not nearly as imaginative as universal consciousness when problem-solving. Answers come in creative ways.

I plan trips by sensing into the energy of a place to “try it on.”  Is it a good fit?

When my body hurts, I speak to the pain and the energy it holds, and find relief. I call on Spirit for guidance through my tarot cards when upset or overthinking things.

Awareness puts us in flow – in the zone, in the pocket – where creative energy hums through us and resistance falls away. Why struggle day to day?

I’m psychic, but I’m not unique. Being psychic is a connection to a universal oneness available to everyone. It’s there for you, too.