Article: Psychic Abilities (and Tools) You Might Use in Your Fiction

Clairvoyance: Clear-seeing. A person with this type of ability can see things not apparent to others, like receiving mental pictures, a vision of events or a visual impression of someone. Information/insight attained through visual means.

Clairaudience: Clear-hearing. The ability to hear what is inaudible to most others. Able to receive sounds from far away in this dimension and from other (spirit) dimensions.

Clairsentience: Clear-sensing/knowing. Most common. The ability to simply “know” something without any obvious stimulus. What is “known” can be the thoughts of others, events to come, the emotions of others, who is on the telephone, the location of a lost object/person, etc.

Telepathy: The ability to communicate mind-to-mind with another person, regardless of distance.

Mediumship: Messages/communications received from the spirit realm.

Automatic Writing: Writing through the unconscious mind without conscious thought, or through the guidance of an outside intelligence.

Precognition: The ability to know/see/sense something in the future.

Psychometry: Divining knowledge about an object or a person connected with it through contact with the object. Sensing/feeling/reading the vibrational memory of the object.

Psychokinesis: Ability to move objects with the mind. Using focused electromagnetic energy through mental means.

Remote Viewing: The ability to see, hear or feel target locations unknown to the viewer. Utilized by the military to determine the location of buildings, weapons, personnel, etc.

Astral Projection: The ability to leave one’s physical body and travel, energetically/astrally, to other locations. Connection of the physical body to the etheric body is through an energy cord that remains attached, making sure the traveler returns.

Aura Reading: The ability to see/feel/sense the electromagnetic energy fields that emanate from living beings. If visually perceived, can present as colors, white light or geometric forms.

Empath: Someone who can sense/feel the emotions, feelings, pain, fears, patterns of others.

Channeling: The ability to function as a vessel for another intelligence to flow through.

Dowsing: Also known as “water witching,” dowsing involves the use of a rod, sticks, or pendulum to locate water, lost objects or to seek a yes-no answer.

Scrying: Divination by looking into water or a mirrored or black reflective surface. Looking into a crystal ball.

Tarot: 78 cards of unknown origin, metaphorical in nature, used for divination, self-exploration and spiritual guidance. Previously associated with “fortune telling.”

Astrology: Using the stars and planets and the date/time of birth as a predictive tool.

Palmistry: Using the lines on the palms of the hands as a roadmap of the past and the future.