For centuries, clairvoyant psychic readings enjoyed a notoriety usually reserved for circus performers and snake-oil salesmen. Psychic clairvoyance was considered a sort of “underground” activity and indeed, many practitioners could easily be found teaming up with the other fringe elements of society. Psychic performers were a mainstay of circus troupes and often may still be found on the side of what could politely be referred to as the fraudulent arts.

But in the late 20th century, psychics began to enjoy something of a media renaissance, largely due to their extremely close connection to the New Age movement and its application of everyday mythologies and quick-fix spirituality to people’s lives. As New Age literature grew along with its adherents, a merchandising boom came along, carrying with it many other promoters of “naturalistic” approaches to life — in particular the leaders of the non-traditional naturalpathic and holistic medicinal school — who rushed to claim their place in line for the growing business monolith.

But somewhere along the way to staggering success, as the 70s self-help movement gave way to the 80s self-help-novel movement and the full-on 90s New Age ecumenical-tent movement, people seemed to have forgotten both the original stories of human clairvoyance and today’s all-important questions of certification and validity. This is partly understandable, since anything known as “New Age” usually includes a healthy mix of faith along with reason, and it’s also true that people who visit clairvoyants must undergo a suspension of disbelief. But if you’re going to make a visit yourself, just what should you expect going in? And who exactly are clairvoyant people?

Clairvoyance can be defined as a human ability to see beneath the surface — of a person, a situation, an intention or anything not seen by the human eye or easily deduced by human logic. Originally from the French, it can be translated as “clear sight” and is often also referred to as a “second sight.” Clairvoyants can also be said to be “precognitive” or to possess a “sixth sense.” Definitions of clairvoyant powers vary greatly, and demonstrations are always inconclusive. So while you may or may not believe in psychic ability, it remains very important to know what psychic ability is not. You must keep an eye out for frauds, and remember that you won’t have to travel far into the “psychic community” to find them. Psychic con-men are everywhere and even have a rich history, dating back to the ancient practices of the “travelling medicine man” in India, which exists to this day.

So with so many psychic hucksters out there in storefronts, on television, and at travelling exhibitions, there’s a lot to choose from but there will likely be very little to interest you until you get a practitioner with whom you feel comfortable. So take your time, never be afraid to ask a lot of questions, and if you’re very careful, you may very well find your own “clairvoyant prophet.”

Psychic readings cover a number of areas in life, including astrology, tarot, numerology, horoscopes, divination, and clairvoyance. On the Internet, you can get psychic chat, psychic advice and a live psychic reading. Matters to do with esp and paranormal are also matter of course readings. There are plenty of psychics online that are actually ghostbusters, who can read the dead and find lost objects for you. There is an incredible variety of psychic services to choose from and the roster of divination techniques available online is growing every day.

One thing to do before you get a psychic reading is to check the psychic’s status. Whether you are using a psychic chat or phone tarot reading, you can tell a lot from the feedback that other people have left for the clairvoyant. If the psychic has a straight five out of five star rating submitted by many people in a row, then you can be almost guaranteed that the reading will be good.

However, every person is different. Sometimes you find you just can’t connect with a psychic. It just happens. You just don’t feel that certain click. Yet another challenge might be the religious orientation of the psychic, as ultimately the occult is a religious practice. You might be alright with certain types of divination and not others. For instance, a Christian may like a psychic that specializes in the channeling of archangels and dislike one that practices voo-doo style African magic.

You can also depend on the method of divination that is used by the psychic Some people prefer psychic chat, some prefer tarot cards, and other people want psychic advice with less emphasis on the metaphysical. Some psychics use other tools as well such as numerology, astrology, or dowsing. Many meditate on photographs of saints or angels while receiving psychic information. Yet another technique is for the client to send the online psychic a photograph by email and then have him or her meditate on it to find out.

Many people call psychics because they want practical advice or someone to talk to that does not cost as much as a psychiatrist. Yet another reason that they call them is because they have been throwing cards on themselves and they don’t agree with the reading. Then, they start throwing down several psychic readings in a row hoping for a different outcome and settling for less. Pretty soon, the answer that seems right is going to be the one that is the best two throws out of three. Calling a psychic or contacting one online is the only thing that can arrest this process.

Many places offer you a chance to free psychic reading to see if you match up well with a particular psychic or psychic service. Readings are generally available in both English and Spanish from most services. If you don’t want to pick up the telephone, many places, offer the ability to chat with a psychic online on your computer.