Psychic Reading in the Professional

Psychic Reading in the Professional Practice of Metaphysics

A psychic reading refers to the process where one person attempts to gain information and insight about another person through tapping into the metaphysical realm. The metaphysical realm is the area of perception that occurs outside of that which can be perceived using the traditional five senses of taste, touch, sight, hearing, and smell. It uses what has been referred to as the "sixth sense" which is able to perceive a world that is hidden from the other five senses. The purpose of a psychic reading is to help the seeker to gain some insight into a current situation, or perhaps their life path in general, that will allow them to make decisions. Sometimes a psychic reading is simply to gain insight and to help the seeker understand themselves or the situation around them better.

A psychic reading involves the interaction between people. The first person is the "seeker." This refers to the one who has come to the psychic in search of some type of knowledge. The seeker has a question to which they wish to gain insight. The "psychic" refers to the informer in this case. They can use a number of tools to help them tap into the metaphysical realm in search of answers to the seeker's question. These tools will be explained in greater detail in the following narrative.

This research will explore current literature on psychic readings from the perspective of becoming a professional reader. It will address many of the issues the psychic readers face in their daily practice. The ultimate goal of the professional psychic reader is to gain a steady base of clientele derived from repeat business. This research will address many of the elements of the psychic reading that will promote the reader's ability to achieve that goal. Through the literature review, it will support the argument that repeat business has many of the qualities that result in repeat business in other "traditional" and business settings. It will support the thesis that perceived "value" in a psychic reading is a function of quality, the attainment of seeker goals, and the ability to ascertain what elements constitute the attitudes of the seeker.

Types of Psychic Readings

Psychics will use a variety of gifts and talents to gain insight into their seeker's question. Psychics may have expertise in one area of reading or in many different areas, using a number of tools. Some psychics use not tools at all, but rely on images or messages that come to them spontaneously. The most famous of these are psychics such as John Edward or Sylvia Brown. These psychics are known are clairvoyants. There are many types of clairvoyants. For instance, mediums focus on connecting with the dead to receive some message. Clairaudients hear the messages that they receive. Some clairvoyants specialize in automatic writing, where they write or type the message while in an altered state of consciousness.

Most psychics are clairvoyant to some degree, only they need certain tools to help them bring out the information that they receive. One of the tools that many psychics use is tarot cards. Tarot cards are used to gain insight through the images and meanings behind cards in a deck. The seeker shuffles the deck until they are ready to stop. The reader lays the cards in different spreads, depending on the question that the seeker has asked (Valentin, 2010). The images on the cards help the reader to get the information that they are supposed to relay to the seeker. The reader relies more on their own intuition than on the book meanings of the cards to provide their reading.

Runes are used in a similar manner as tarot cards. Runes are cast from a cup onto a cloth and the images on the face that is up are interpreted. Like the tarot cards, the reading can be simple and directly address a single question, or it can be complex and address a number of issues. The reader must be both intuitive and knowledgeable in order to provide the best possible reading. In addition to runes and tarot cards, many other types of divination exist that also depend on the use of a tool in combination with the psychic's own gifts to provide the reading. Some of these include tealeaf reading, palmistry, aura readings, other similar forms of divination.

Numerology is another type of tool that readers use to provide information regarding the seeker's question. This type of reading differs from tarot and runes, in that it relies less on the reader's intuition than the methods previously mentioned. Numerology provides information through a breakdown of he individual's personal numbers, life path number, challenge numbers, family numbers, destiny number and a host of other numbers that are involved in their life. These numbers are based on the birth date in which they are born, their name transformed into numerical form, their house number, and other numbers that cross their path. The reader derives the base number by adding the sums of these numbers together and then adding the sums of those numbers together until a single number is obtained. This number provides clues as to what the person needs to know.

Astrology is another tool that relies more on knowledge that does not involve the reader's intuition. The reader uses the person's birth date, time of birth and location of birth to determine the planetary factors that influence the person's life. Horoscopes are derived in the same manner. This is a complex process and requires a high degree of skill to interpret the nuances of these influences.

There are other tools that are used by various groups and practitioners, such as fire scrying, smoke divination, biofeedback, sound analysis and other methods that are used to help gain insight into a person's well-being, the difficulties that they face in life and other aspects of their life. Tools are only that, and other than methods such as numerology or astrology, most of them depend on the intuitive ability of the reader. The tools are only an aid and supplement to their own psychic abilities. Understanding the role of tools in the psychic reading will help the reader to integrate them into their reading and provide greater insight to the seeker's question. It will also help the seeker to place this information in the proper perspective.

Metaphysics and Science

Metaphysics and science have viewed these two principles as oil and water. Science simply will not accept metaphysics as a valid form of science. In order to understand how the psychic can provide a valuable service to their customer, it is important to understand how these two fields are different from one another and why traditional science has difficulty accepting the validity of metaphysics.

Psychic abilities have as many believers as doubters. Those on both sides of the argument have strong convictions for their position. Believers in psychic abilities use their experiences as evidence for the existence of psychic abilities. Doubters use the lack of valid scientific evidence as the key source of argument. Doubters attribute the experiences of psychic believers to natural phenomenon or some other "logical" explanation. Regardless of which side is correct, the topic of psychic abilities arouses passion in the scientific world.

Doubters of psychic abilities do so based on the inability of psychic powers to withstand the rigors of empiricism. The results of a psychic reading are subjective. There is no definitive way to measure the accuracy of psychic abilities. The results are not reproducible. No one can conduct the same experiment and get the same results, even under the most controlled of environments. Many confounding variables affect the psychic ability of a person on any given day. This makes it difficult to prove or disprove the existence of psychic abilities. Nonetheless, millions of believers consult with psychics to obtain the answers of life's deepest questions. From a professional reader's perspective, it is important to understand the stance of those who do not believe in psychic abilities and their reasoning for their position. Occasionally, as a professional reader, one will get a client who is a doubter at heart and simply wishes to prove to them that psychic readings are not useful in any way.

Despite a lack of evidence in psychic abilities or any other part of the metaphysical world, for that matter, the government has spent millions of dollars exploring the possibility that psychic phenomenon exists. Projects funded by the CIA in the 1960s explored the use of remote viewing, which is using psychic abilities to "see" other areas of the world. The purpose of the program was for intelligence gathering. Statistical analysis of these experiments reveals that remote viewing demonstrated consistently satisfactory results. However, it should not be used as a sole tool for evidence gathering and should be combined with other methods (Utts, 1996). These experiments tend to support the validity of psychic abilities, even though the body of the scientific world disputes its existence.

The connection between the physical world and the metaphysical world was a topic that has fascinated humans for hundreds of years. Aristotle suggested the soul was the seat of psychic activities. He also felt that activities in the physical world first have to occur in the spiritual world (Elders, 2006). This connection is the basis of modern metaphysics and the ideals that are embodied in the psychic's work. Many, such as Aristotle presented actions in the physical world as evidence of what has happened on the metaphysical plane. Since the time of Aristotle, science has abandoned the idea of self-evidence (Dougherty, 2006).

Now a new interest in the study of metaphysics has arisen. This new interest is the result of new information into the study of quantum physics. Quantum theory and cosmology are only beginning to be explored as possible explanations for psychic ability, ghosts and other manifestations of sub-atomic reactions (Coale, 2006). This new area of science may someday provide an explanation for psychic phenomenon that may meet the criteria for acceptance by the mainstream scientific community. However, at this time, much of this information only exists in theory.

Quality in Professional Psychic Reading

As with any other business model, the psychic reading profession is a service industry. The seeker comes to the psychic in search of answers to their most perplexing questions. Usually, these are questions for which other means of obtaining the answer have failed. The product that the psychic produces is a service. Like any other sector of the service industry, the likelihood that they will return is based on their perception of the value that they received as compared to the cost. One must remember that the "cost" to the customer entails both a monetary cost and a cost in terms of time set aside for the reading.

The goal of the psychic is to build a steady customer base from repeat and expanding business. Therefore, many of the same principles apply that are associated with any other service. Loyalty is a function of customer switching costs, price, advertising, and relationships (Polo & Sese, 2009). All of these factors are important in the ability to retain psychic customers. Switching costs are extremely low in this business sector. Competitors often compete based on free readings, lower prices and other special offers. The switching costs from one psychic to another are extremely low. It is difficult gain a competitive advantage using price and incentives alone.

Advertising is another element of both the ability to attract and retain customers. Often this is a matter of budget constraints. The larger companies can afford mass advertising, such as television and radio ads. However, the small psychic reader is often restricted by their ability to advertise. Working for a network is one away to alleviate these costs and effectively have the chance to build one's clientele and take advantage of the advertising opportunities of the network.

As one can see, the first three elements of customer retention are difficult to leverage to build and maintain a customer base. Switching costs are low, price competition can drive down prices to the point where it is no longer profitable, and advertising can be daunting for the small reader. This leaves only one aspect of customer retention that can be leveraged to grow existing clientele and to build repeat business. The psychic reader must rely on the ability to build relationships with their customers in order to compete.

Unlike other businesses that can utilize metrics to track performance, the psychic often does not have that option, unless they are part of one of the larger networks. The psychic must be able to understand the characteristics of their customers in order to optimize the delivery of their service (Briggs & Grisaffe, 2010). In order to deliver a reading that will be perceived as valuable to the customer, one must determine what it is that the customer wants (Howden & Pressey, 2008). For the psychic, this often occurs in the first few minutes of the reading. The psychic must gather enough information to ascertain the customer's needs and wishes, but they must not ask too many questions or the customer may begin it question their legitimacy and abilities.

The first step to developing a customer relationship is to determine exactly what the customer wants. Often this is determined by the question or topic for which the client asks a reading to be done. Other clues may come out in the general conversation, which can be useful in this aspect as well. The second step in relationship building is to create value for customer. This means answering their question using the gifts and talents of the reader. The customer must feel that they have had their matter addressed as fully as possible within standard ethical bounds. They must feel that the reader was competent and able to "connect" with them. They must come away with a feeling that the reader was compassionate and that they cared about the seeker and their situation. These elements are the most important for building customer relationships that result in repeat business.

Quality in Psychic Reading

Creating customer value depends on the ability to produce what the customer will perceive as a quality reading. In the previous section, we discussed several of the attributes that constitute customer value. These attributes will serve as the basis for our definition of a quality reading and one that is likely to result in repeat business. Hoopes (2010) talked about the definition of quality as a life philosophy. He said this about developing an attitude of quality towards everything that we do in life.

"The attitude we take towards any task or undertaking reflects on how we view the self.

The completed task is the outward image of our self. A task done with quality and completeness corresponds to a quality and completeness within " (Hoopes, 2010).

The psychic can bring this attitude to the reading and realize that every reading is an outward reflection of their inner balance. The attitude that the reader projects is an essential part of the quality equation. In some situations, the psychic may be limited by a time factor, such as on the phone lines, where a seeker pays for a certain amount of minutes. In this case, the reader should keep this in mind and try to bring the reading to a close so that the caller will not feel that there is something that is incomplete. At no time should the seeker be reminded of the time limits placed on the reading, or the money that they are spending. This will detract from the quality of the reading.

Client expectations -- a matter of perception

One of the most difficult aspects of providing a quality reading for the psychic reading customer is that the quality of the reading is a matter of perception. The client's perceptions, worldview, and prior life experiences can have an impact on their interpretation of the quality and value of the reading. These are factors that are outside of the psychic's control, but they do have an affect on the quality of the reading and the feeling that a client walks away with.

The customer comes to the psychic to learn something. They may have a specific question that they want answered or they may want a general reading about some area of their life. The questions that a customer asks can be divided into two categories, general and specific. Some examples of general questions are as follows. Is there a God or spirit world? Who am I? Why am I here? What is the meaning of my life? Is there an afterlife? What is reality? These questions draw on the psychic's own personal viewpoints as well. The gifted psychic would be well-advised to become well read on the philosophy and various viewpoints on these and other issues so that they can be incorporated into their readings. Many times, the psychic will use their gifts to provide insight that this specific to the seeker and their situation. It is not advised to give textbook answers to these questions, but to attempt to relate them to seeker and make certain that the message is personalized.

The second type of question is a bit more challenging for the psychic than the first type of question. It requires them to use their gifts to draw out specific information in relation to the seeker's specific question. Some examples of specific questions might be similar to these. Will I get the promotion? Is the guy I met my own true love? Is my husband cheating on me? Should I move to Colorado? Questions such as these ask the psychic to tap into the metaphysical realm for real answers. The client will expect specific information and will likely ask about periods and such. If the psychic is wrong, the client will not be likely to return. In some cases, the client may not like the answer given. In this case, the psychic must tactfully address the issue in a manner that is firm, assured, but that does not insult the customer. Specific questions are more difficult for the psychic than

Bias in Readings

The goal of the psychic is to produce readings that are accurate, honest and that provide some service to the client through the insight gained. This is in alignment with what the client expects as well. However, sometimes the ability to produce a reading with these qualities is hindered by the presence of bias. The source of bias always stems from preconceived ideas that are formed through cultural elements, life experience, personality, and other forces in our lives. Bias can stem from the client or it can stem from the reader. Either source of bias can have a detrimental affect on the ability of the psychic to provide a quality reading for the client.

Quality readings for the customer sometimes means getting what they want to hear, even if it is not the truth. These are the most difficult customers to please, because they often do not want to hear what the cards have to say. They may become argumentative when the answer is not exactly as they had wished. This type of client came to the reading with certain biases that will affect their ability to be open-minded and receptive to what the psychic has to say. Client bias and perceptions can have a negative impact on the quality of the reading.

Honest answers are always best, as the seeker may need to prepare them for what is to come, even if it is bad news. If the psychic is honest, the client is more likely to return in the future, especially when they realize that the psychic was right. Being honest will build more repeat customers than being politically correct, but withholding information. The client must feel that they psychic is sincere and in order to project this image, the psychic must truly be sincere.

We all have experiences in life that shape the way that we interpret events in our lives. This creates the lens through which we interpret our life and the lives of others. One of the most difficult things for a psychic to do, is to avoid putting their own interpretation on the lives of others. This not only makes the reading inaccurate, but it may come across as judgmental. Avoiding being judgmental is essential to producing a quality reading and building repeat clientele. A good reader always strives to be aware of their own sources of bias and not allowing them to affect their readings.

Customer Value and the Bottom Line

Viewing the psychic reading as any other service industry places it in a different light. The psychic has the ability to bring clarity, insight and healing to the client. Many times, the psychic can provide help to the client when other methods of healing have failed. The psychic provides a valuable service to the client, but the ability to build a clientele depends on the ability to provide perceived value to the client. Understanding how to do this will ensure that the psychic and their clients receive the maximum benefits from the encounter.

Thus far, it should be apparent that the elements that drive customer value in the psychic reading industry are similar to other sectors of the service industry. The customer has certain expectations of the reading. These expectations will help to determine if they seen the reading as having a greater value than the cost, and ultimately whether they will return for another reading in the future. The basic expectations of the customer are that their question will be answered, that the reader will be honest, and that there will be a certain degree of accuracy to the reading. If these expectations are met, the customer is likely to perceive the reading as having value.

Earlier, the topic of biases and their affect on perceptions about the reading. Biases stemming from either the client or the reader can have a detrimental affect on the quality of the reading. The customer expects that the reader will be honest with them. They expect that their answers will be addressed fully. These are the minimal expectations that clients of psychic readings want in order to be perceived as a valuable reading to them. However, it is the goal of every reader to go beyond the minimum standards. In order to achieve excellence, the reader must be accurate. Many issues affect the accuracy of the reading that can have an affect on client perceptions in the future.

Accuracy and Value

Thus far, we have addressed issues that affect the perceived value of the psychic reading. However, the most important element that will determine whether a client becomes a repeat client is the accuracy of the reading. The psychic business lives and dies by the ability to offer accurate readings. There are many elements that can affect the accuracy of the reading. The first is the perception of the client.

The client is the one who ultimately decides whether or not the reading was accurate or not. Their interpretation of events in their life will be the ultimate deciding factor in the accuracy of the reading. In some cases, the client may have biases that prevent them from seeing accuracy of the reading. In other cases, the client may take actions that make the reading become a reality. This is called self-fulfilled prophecy.

If the reading is perceived as being accurate, the client is likely to seek another reading by that psychic. In addition to repeat business, the client is likely to recommend the reader to others. Accuracy of the reading is key to the ability to build and keep clientele. One of the key difficulties is that the accuracy of the reading is difficult for the psychic to judge. They view all of their readings to be accurate, but they are not likely to receive any feedback as to how they are doing, unless a client comes back. They will never know if they are accurate or not. In a business that lives or dies by the accuracy of the reading, this is a difficult situation for the professional.

Edgar Cayce was one of the most famous psychics of the 20th century. During his lifetime he performed thousands of psychic readings and was known as one of the most accurate psychics in history. Many of his readings proved to be true and many of his predictions have since come to pass. The Intuitive-Connections Network arose from the Edgar Cayce Institute for Intuitive Studies. This institute is dedicated to help psychics develop their powers so that they can utilize their gifts for the good of all people (Miller, 2010). Many techniques and strategies have been developed to help people increase and utilize their gifts more affectively. Getting the proper amount of sleep, the foods that we eat and stress have all been reported to have an affect on the ability to use psychic gifts. It is important that the reader take care of themselves so that they can provide more accurate readings to their clients.

Aside from tips to psychics on how to improve their readings, many tips have also been provided to help a person get the most from their reading. This article emphasizes the fact that a psychic reading is not a one-way street and the client must put themselves in the proper mindset for the reading. They must know what it is that they want to ask. They must believe that the reading is real. Skeptics will not have a good reading because a good reading is based on rapport with the psychic (Fredricks, 2010).

Ethics

Aside from the quality issues mentioned throughout this research paper, several ethical issues arise in the world of professional psychic readings. These are unwritten principles, but one to which all professional readers are morally bound. For psychics that work for a service, many of these guidelines are written into company policy. Adherence to these standards assures that clients can feel safe with the information that they receive from a professional psychic. Williams argued that ethical truths were objective and that they were not open to interpretation (Greenway, 2007). The same laws bind everyone in the profession and they cannot be changed to suit one person or another.

The first rule of ethics is that the psychic must do the most honest reading possible. They should not judge the information that they are given from the other world. They should refrain from being judgmental about the client as well. They are there to provide information through communication with the spirit world and should avoid decisions about what to tell and what to withhold from the client. They should not alter the information that they receive, as they may not know the entire situation.