By Jeffry R. Palmer

We all have psychic abilities. Some of us may have more natural abilities than others, the same way that some of us seem inclined towards music or mathematics. But just like any other skill, psychic abilities can be trained and enhanced. The following exercises can help to increase your natural psychic skills.

Meditation:

Meditation strengthens the ties to the spiritual self and enhances the mind, body, spirit connection. There is no greater tool available for increasing psychic abilities than meditation. Through meditation it is possible to achieve a state of intense awareness of subtle energies. There are many sources of information regarding meditation available if the practice is
new to you.

There are several meditation techniques for you to choose from and I suggest experimenting with various techniques until you find one that feels right for you. Remember, there is no right way or wrong way to perform meditation. It is only important that you are able to relax and focus your mind. If you continue the practice of meditation for any length of time, you will begin to notice the existence of your own spiritual energy. It is the connection to your spiritual self which provides intuitive information. Strengthening the connection to your spiritual self will result in an increase in of psychic abilities.

Most of us have times in our lives when we notice something at work that can be considered psychic. Usually this psychic ability is in the form of intuition, hunches or gut responses that seem to defy reason or logic.

These uncanny hunches and sudden insights can sometimes leave us feeling bewildered, but the truth is that they are a perfectly natural ability. And like any other talent, psychic abilities can be trained and perfected. There are any number of tools and methods available to the psychic any or all of which may help to increase or focus intuitive skills.

Most psychics use some form of meditation to enter a frame of mind that heightens intuitive awareness. Some read palms or tea leaves, tarot cards or rune stones or use a crystal ball; some may involve intricate rituals. Regardless of the tools used to assist a psychic reading they each serve to aid the psychic in entering a form of focused meditation which greatly enhances the natural intuitive sense.

Focused meditation provides the frame of mind that is most receptive to intuitive information. Meditation quiets the mind, filters out the noise and chatter of the conscious. This filtering of conscious noise allows the subconscious mind to voice its thoughts, as well as enable the mind to tune in to the environment. Some have called this a heightened state of awareness or altered consciousness. The attention is drawn inward with a kind of detached awareness.

Developing your ability to enter into this heightened state of mind plays the important role in increasing your intuitive senses. If you’re unfamiliar with the practice of meditation then the following exercise should help to gain a better understanding of the methods used. This exercise focuses on breathing and visualization. Controlled breathing provides an area of immediate connection with the mind and body and also increases the supply of oxygen to the brain.

Begin by finding a comfortable place to perform your meditation. This can be any place of your choosing, provided that you find it comfortable and relaxing. It is not required for you to sit, though you may, if you choose. Many people find it difficult to sit still for any length of time. Standing or even walking slowly is perfectly acceptable for the sake of this exercise. Focus your attention on your breathing. Notice the air as it enters your body. Try to breathe in through your nose and exhale through your mouth.

Take slow, deep breaths. Inhale slowly through your nose and hold the breath in for nine seconds, then exhale slowly for another nine seconds, count out the seconds steadily, not rushed and not sluggish, try to find a pace that feels comfortable, just remember to relax your breathing. Inhale for nine seconds, exhale for nine seconds, and repeat this process nine times. With every breath, imagine that you are inhaling precious life giving air and exhaling any unwanted energies. After you have repeated this cycle nine times you can begin your visualization. Try to maintain the rhythm of your breathing without counting it out in your head.

At this point you may notice random thoughts popping into your head, simply dismiss them as they enter your mind, let them slip away easily. Imagine that you are walking across a dry and sandy landscape. The temperature is comfortable, the air is easy to breath and you feel at ease. As you walk along you notice a shape on the horizon. As you near the shape you see that it is a stone building, a round, stone building with a single door. You are facing the door and now you see that this door is slightly open and a light is coming from inside. Now, you are standing at the door and decide to push the door open. You open the door and enter the stone building. Inside you see a round room with a table in the center.

The room is well lit, warm and comfortable. You approach the table and notice a small wooden box, paper and a pen. You form a question in your mind that you would like answered, an issue that you would like resolved, it does not take you any time to form this question. You write this question on the paper before you and place the paper in the box. You see the box has a lid and you close it. After a moment you open the box, you see that the question is no longer written there, instead an answer has appeared.

You take the answer with you as you leave the building and return to your present space. You may see immediate results with this exercise or it may take several attempts before the answers found within the box make any sense to you.

Over time this visualization becomes much easier to enter into and you may be tempted to treat this exercise as some sort of oracle. This is not the true intention. Instead what we are trying to accomplish is entering into the receptive mode of meditation that was spoken of earlier. The easier it is to enter into this state the more likely it is that you will become tuned into receiving intuitive information.

Awareness :

Try to be more aware of your surroundings. Upon waking in the morning, make an effort to lie still for a few minutes without opening your eyes. Try to notice as many sounds, textures and smells as possible before you decide to open your eyes.

This exercise if carried out for several weeks can greatly help to increase your levels of awareness and intuition. The act of listening is important in increasing psychic awareness, after continuing this exercise for some time you will begin to notice an increase in your overall awareness which affects your level of intuition.

Focusing:

Often intuitive information is communicated to us in bits and pieces. Pay attention to random thoughts and feelings. Keep a journal handy at all times and try to write down those thoughts that seem to come out of nowhere. You may notice after awhile that patterns tend to emerge.

Thoughts that previously seemed completely random and unconnected begin to form themes or recognizable ideas. Try to record your dreams in your journal.

If you have been following the awareness exercise outlined above you will have noticed that your dreams are much easier to recall. Allowing yourself a few minutes to be still upon waking makes it much easier to remember dreams and with more detail, than if you rush out of bed in the morning and hurry to start the day.

Try setting your alarm clock to wake you up ten or fifteen minutes before your normal waking time. Give yourself some time to remember your dreams and make a few quick notes in your journal. These simple exercises can have dramatic results if practiced regularly.

These steps are just a few of the many techniques available for increasing your psychic ability. There are many other methods to choose from. In your search for information regarding psychic development, it is important to be wary of any methods which declare that psychic abilities are the result of external forces, or any teachings which insist that psychic powers are anything other than a natural human ability.

Jeffry R. Palmer © 2006