REVIEW: So You Want to Be a Psychic Intuitive?

R E V I E W

So You Want to Be a Psychic Intuitive?
A Down-to-Earth Guide
by Alexandra Chauran
Llewellyn
Trade Paperback | ISBN 9780738730653
264 pages | 5 x 8 x 1 IN
Pub Date: April 2012 

THE PUBLISHER'S PRODUCT SUMMARY

"Dependable guidance, communication with departed loved ones, helping friends and family—the lifelong rewards of a strong psychic connection are endless. Whether you’re a beginner or already in touch with your intuition, this encouraging, conversational, and hands-on guide can help you improve psychic abilities."

THE AUTHOR

Alexandra Chauran is a second generation professional fortune teller. She has been reading the crystal ball professionally since 1999. Holding a Master's Degree in Teaching from Seattle University, she enjoys building carefully upon what is already understood by the student and she offers an apprentice internship to her local practice in the greater Seattle area. Alexandra is also proficient in other forms of divination, having been certified as a Professional Tarot Reader by the Tarot Certification Board of the American Tarot Association. She writes horoscopes and other articles for periodic publications. Her other books include Crystal Ball Reading for Beginners: Easy Divination & Interpretation (Llewellyn, July 2011)

BASIC INFORMATION / APPEARANCE, SIZE, QUALITY / ART

This unillustrated trade paperback measures 5 x 8 x 1 inches and contains 264 pages, including an Introduction, Glossary, and Bibliography. The seven chapters are titled:

• Get Ready, Get Set, Go!
• Techniques
• Who Are You Talking To?
• How to Listen
• Communicating Psychically
• How to Convey Messages
• Where to Go From Here

Titles for various sections within the chapters include:

• "What is a psychic, and why would you want to be one?"
• "Techniques to help you focus and bring out your psychic abilities"
• "Using Forms of Divination to Receive Messages"
• "How Do I Know I'm Not Crazy?"
• "Séances"
• "Past Lives"
• "How to Be a Professional"
• "How to Deal with Ridicule and Naysayers"

Each chapter concludes with "Homework" that you can do by yourself and with a partner.

DETAILS / COMMENTS

As a Tarot reader, I find that potential clients often assume that if I read the cards, I am claiming to be a psychic -- which to many people, means "able to read other people's minds, talk to the dead, and predict the future." Although I have had a few "psychic experiences," I do not claim to be psychic. I feel it raises too many expectations that I am not prepared to meet. Therefore, I was eager to see what this book said about what it means to be a psychic intuitive.

In addition to covering the different types of psychic gifts (for example, clairvoyance, clairaudience, clairtangency, clairsentience), Alexandra Chauran offers specific techniques and exercises to help us develop any of these gifts we wish to develop. Much of this material is not ground-breaking or earth-shattering. It is in keeping with information I have read in other books about developing one's psychic abilities.

What stood out to me were the particularly insightful statements here and there that clarified matters and resonated with me as important and useful truths. Here are some examples of those statements:

"In our culture, we are often encouraged to laugh away those things that are strange, or at best, encouraged to capitalize on being so strange that we are considered freakish." (p. 3)

"Even if two psychics were performing a psychic reading on the same person and the same topic, they might see the same answer in two completely different ways." (p. 9)

"If you randomly approach someone with a message from a dead relative, you'll be seen as tacky at best." (p. 164)

"Clairaudience. . . may simply just be an imaginary voice in your head in the same way that you 'hear' but don't really hear when a song is stuck in your head." (p. 22) [My immediate reaction to this was "Oh, okay! I get it!"]

As I mentioned earlier, I don't call myself a psychic. I have not experienced frequent or significant indications that I am. However, I sat straight up when I read Chauran's comments about clairaudience. She notes that the following traits could indicate strong potential for clairaudience:

• You can repeat many of the lines in your favorite movie.
• You tend to talk to yourself when you do tasks that require concentration.
• You learned how to play an instrument as a child.
• You can imitate foreign accents well.

I would have to check "All of the Above." Interesting.

Chauran's chapter on possible sources of information gained from psychic readings is thorough and objective. She delves into "God-Deity-Spirit" and "Your Subconscious--Your Higher Self." My favorite lines from this chapter:

"When you believe that deity is your source for information, it means that your psychic information is divine but not necessarily infallible. Even if you believe that your god or gods are omniscient, you are still a person and thus you can still make mistakes and be wrong at times."

I especially appreciated the author's comments concerning the tendency to judge psychics by how "accurate" they are. Chauran confesses that she finds it difficult to answer that question in a meaningful way. People seem to expect a percentage. Chauran asks, "What 'percentage' of the time does a human slip up in everyday life?" The fact that we might turn the wrong way when driving to a new location doesn't mean we are not competent to drive a car. If we mispronounce a word we have not seen before, it doesn't mean that we are too incompetent read a book.

She recounts a conversation she had with a forensic researcher about the fact that psychics can't guarantee 100% accuracy when helping to solve crimes. The researcher pointed out that police dogs are extremely fallible, yet their results are used as evidence admissible in court. In all things, critical thinking is required.


More of my favorite lines:

"Though it would be exciting to conjure flying furniture and ectoplasm to take the form of spirit people, you will have to settle for the usual séance being far less fantastical if you want to be a psychic." (p. 126)

About channeling: "I imagined the experience to be like being able to sit and have tea with the divine. It was actually more like passing by her in a hallway as she went to speak through me and I went somewhere else. . ." (p. 140)

Chauran includes tips on how to "manage expectations" before giving a reading. We can help the client dig deeper for the true reasons behind their question(s), and help them reframe the question(s) if necessary. We can point out that sometimes we simply have to learn lessons or make mistakes along the way to achieving a goal rather than zooming straight to the finish.

I read this book while sitting on my back deck above a wooded area and pond. As I read, I occasionally tried some of the techniques, briefly, just to get a feeling for them.

I had just finished reading a description of a woman who received an audible sign when her spirit guide wanted to give her a message -- for example, "a bird chirping in a funny way." Not long after reading this, as I practiced "square breathing," I heard a rustling sound in the wooded area below, as if someone were walking through the brush. I watched and waited, and in a few seconds two adult geese emerged with two goslings. I observed them from the deck and spoke softly to them. The adults looked up at me as if listening, while the babies pecked at the dirt. For quite a long time they strolled along the side of our house -- Papa Goose keeping watch and Mother Goose staying close to the babies. When I came out the front door with my camera, they were turning around to head back into the wooded area. I snapped a few pictures before they disappeared.

The reason I am describing this is because it's the type of thing Alexandra Chauran points to as a possible signal or indication of a psychic experience that we might miss if we are not paying attention or looking for that sort of thing. I don't know if the geese represented my spirit guide(s) trying to contact me or not, but I will be meditating and consulting my various animal decks to see what they have to say about geese.

BOTTOM LINE

The subtitle of this book -- "A Down-to-Earth Guide" -- is an accurate one. Chauran's approach is practical and matter-of-fact. One likely reason is that when she was growing up, her psychic flashes and experiences were not only encouraged but treated as "routine and mundane occurrences."  Her conversational writing style is easy to read, and the material is organized in such a way that you'll be able to refer back to areas of particular interest.

Whether you are a beginner or seasoned psychic, you'll appreciate Chauran's step-by-step instructions and suggestions for the practical application of psychic intuition.  So You Want to Be a Psychic Intuitive? provides  page after page of useful, intriguing information and advice based on the author's considerable personal gifts and experience.


In accordance with the FTC Guidelines for blogging and endorsements, I hereby disclose that this product was provided by the publisher for free. Other than the occasional review copy, I receive no monetary or in-kind compensation for my reviews.  The substance of my reviews is not influenced by whether I do or do not receive a review copy.