Myth : Psychics read your mind at all times.

Fact:

Psychic readers can read your mind if we focus our intent on doing so; however, if we did that with everyone all the time, we would become exhausted and require mental health assistance. Myself, I am personally not interested in that! Also, any professional reader will ask for permission instead of invading your privacy. Having said that, some things like intuition and face reading become automatic but one normally tunes into it for brief periods of time and only when necessary. Also, if someone doesn't want to be read, they can't be -- it's that simple.

Myth :

Psychic readers know everything about the person down to the colour of the underwear they are wearing or what they had for breakfast.

Fact :

Psychic readers often focus on specific areas of concern that is often decided upon by the person getting a reading. In some cases, a person (also called a sitter or seeker) just wants to be "read" in which case it's often general information the psychic sees which they then interpret into general or specific insights for the sitter. Also, the qualities of insights are dependent upon the question and energetic openness of the sitter to the reader.

Myth :

Readers will tell you something horrific like you will get into an accident or die.

Fact:

Professional readers have a code of ethics they read by and it generally doesn't include telling people about things they can not control or that are psychically damaging to know about. My rule of thumb is this: Does it add value and benefit the person to know? If yes and it doesn't go against code, then I will tell them and then give them ideas on how to improve a challenging situation.

Myth :

Psychic readers are scam artists.

Fact :

Professional readers are interested in providing a valuable service which helps a person and does not rip them off. As with many things, vulnerable and desperate people and those who do not want to work at or take responsibility for their life are most susceptible to fraud. I say put scam artists out of business by taking ownership over your life and in my practice I turn away vulnerable people and re-direct them to crisis centers or other help.

Myth :

Psychic readers are fakes and often use cold reading techniques.

Fact :

Professional readers are often able to read body language, facial expression and parts, hair and clothing styles because they have a genuine interest in understanding, observing, and knowing others. Cold reading is often used separately (i.e. face reading) or in combination with other reading tools (tarot, astrology, palm, etc.). Cold reading can also be used as an ice-breaker (building rapport) or used for illustration purposes (when relating reading insights to what is seen visually). Also, everyday "normal" people use cold reading techniques in everyday transactions with others without paying much attention to it. Cold reading techniques help people build rapport and get along with others well. Fraudulent so called psychic readers use these techniques to intentionally defraud others.

Myth :

A psychic isn't real unless they can read without questions being asked.

Fact :

A psychic may pick up stray facts about a person but they usually require a concentrated effort to read another and that person needs to open themselves up to the reading free of testing in order for anything of value to come out of the reading. Professional readers will want to know "specific" questions a sitter wants answered because they could be there all day picking up stray facts or "psychic debris" that have no relevance or meaning to the sitter. This is just wasted time. Also, as mentioned before, psychics and readers are basically interpreters. They receive data and interpret it into something meaningful and practical so that the sitter understands and relates to the response. Your question lays the foundation for the interpretation. If there's no question, the response is likely to be general.

Myth :

All readers are psychics.

Fact :

Some readers are not psychics; however, all psychics are readers. Being a psychic means you have heightened senses beyond the norm. A reader is someone who has knowledge of an ancient scientific tool and can interpret a result but does not necessarily make intuitive jumps in interpreting the data gleaned from a reading tool such as tarot, astrology, numerology, palmistry, handwriting analysis, etc. Psychic sense tools include: Clairvoyance (sight), Clairaudience (hearing), Clairsentience (feeling), Clairaugustance (tasting / smelling), and Claircognizance (knowing). Psychics plug into the "universal mind" (bypassing having to study a system), pick up stuff, and interpret the results. Readers study a system, pick up stuff, and interpret the results.

Myth :

Psychic readers shouldn't charge money for what they do because it's a gift and is spiritual.

Fact :

Professional readers offer a valuable service in which others are benefiting. While it may be a gift, many people have gifts: athletes, actors, doctors, psychologists, etc. Since we live in a society that requires us to use money to survive, we need to earn a living so why not use our gift? If we don't, then we are wasting our gift and that doesn't make any sense. As for it being spiritual, if I was living in conditions in which I was financially supported (i.e. religious workers, living in a monastery, etc.) I wouldn't need to concern myself with earning a living. And if I lived such a lifestyle, I will also more than likely be less available to the general public as my focus would be on spirituality only and I would have less concern on the mundane everyday, and some may say superficial aspects of life.

Myth :

All psychics or readers know the past, present, and future.

Fact :

Not all psychics or readers have the same ability or interest. Retro-cognition (past), cognition (present), and pre-cognition (future) are areas that a psychic or reader may divine and it depends on their ability and interest as to how well they can do so, if at all.

Myth :

A reading is set in stone.

Fact :

The majority of professional readers believe in a combination of freewill and destiny. Freewill allows you the freedom to do as you will and change course. Destiny is something that just happens to you and there's no way of really getting around it. A reader is like any other forecaster (weather, sports, and stocks for example). We look at past performance and present conditions to divine a future "likely" outcome; however, freewill or intervention (divine or otherwise) can affect the forecast. And that's the curve ball that means no reader is 100% accurate.

Myth :

Readings are for divination fortune telling purposes only.

Fact :

Readings can be used for personality analysis, strategizing or a brainstorming tool, an objective viewpoint, meditation, mediation & arbitration, making choices, seeing options, healing, brainstorming & idea generation, past lives analysis, dream manifestation, dream analysis, Mediumship, story development, planning, psychic/intuitive development, love & relationship diagnosis, career & work counseling, expanding experience, understanding people, society, self, and situations, or inexpensive short term alternative to unlicensed coaching, counseling, and/or consulting services.

Myth :

Psychic readers (aka fortune tellers) are old, grey haired, unattractive women who read in dark and mysterious (and maybe creepy) living rooms or house spaces which have a lot of old and weird things displayed. They also have a crystal ball or a selection of odd picture cards which their long fingers and painted fingernails grasp. Wearing a scarf over the head, maybe around their shoulders, with jewelry (beads and/or coin around the neck, bangles around their wrists, many rings, and hoop earrings) they are quiet yet penetrating and see through our soul telling us all sorts of profound and earth shattering news and omens that leaves us feeling ill.

Fact :

While some of those types of readers exist, modern psychic readers often have an everyday office or read by phone, email, instant message, or snail mail (recorded) when reading for an individual during a private session. They may or may not see seekers in person and when they do it may be in a normal office space, café, or at a special event within your home, office, restaurant, spa, or trade show. Also, readers look like anyone and everyone. They can be young, socially beautiful, full of life and vitality, vivacious, and trendy looking, your next door neighbour, a man, or a sports mom. Having said this some readers, like the readers at (3ofcups.ca), do our best to look the part as that adds glitz, atmosphere, and excitement to an event.

Myth :

Testing a psychic will prove their accuracy.

Fact :

When a builder puts up a wall it's to keep stuff out. If a sitter intentionally puts up a wall and if they are a very good builder, the psychic will not be able to penetrate it. Psychics, to my knowledge, are not omnipotent paranormal beings. When a psychic gives a reading it's an energy exchange; it's a give and take activity.

Readings are not meant to be an amusing trick though they are entertaining (hey, someone is talking about me to me!). Genuine psychics do not like to be tested because they are not magicians or trying to play tricks and they are rarely able to give an accurate reading when being tested. Psychics are not interested in matching wits or playing mind games though Mentalists are into that. Psychics want to provide seekers or sitters valuable insights that leave a sitter feeling great!

Giving false information can confuse the psychic, turn them off, and get them anxious which can leave a bad vibe. It's a poor way of testing a psychic who has a genuine interest in helping others. Now some psychics (like through 3 of Cups) are focused on being entertainment but there's still an etiquette to be mindful of when getting a special event reading.

When a sitter entertains themselves by tricking, confusing, or withholding while getting a reading, they are being unproductive and negative and probably shouldn't be getting a reading from a genuine psychic. If a sitter is "worried" about giving away information rather than just getting a reading or asking questions, they do both themselves AND the reader a disservice as their energy is not open and the reader gets cloudy information. Of course, at 3 of Cups Psychic Event Entertainment www.3ofcups.ca we are used to testers and many of us read very well under and enjoy those conditions but what I am saying here is: It's largely inappropriate and doesn't really prove anything.

It's hard enough to do an actual reading when someone is open let alone trying to sift through a garbage dump of psychic debris. So testing a psychic does not prove anything more than the sitter behaving in an unkind way towards another human being and themselves, this is especially so for special events when the vibe is generally to be positive and uplifting. Guests, who test psychics, can put a damp vibe on an event. So if you know you have a lot of guests who are skeptical and want to amuse themselves by testing the psychic, try a mentalist instead or let the psychic know in advance so they can decide whether that's the environment they want to entertain within.