The best way to find a good psychic, as with finding other professionals, is through the recommendation of a friend, or even better, through the recommendation of a past-life psychologist or other New Age professional. Another possibility is to contact one of several professional organizations for psychics that have sprouted up around the country. One such organization is the Association of Psychic Practitioners in San Jose, California. Designed as both a professional organization and a sort of Better Business Bureau for psychics, the APP was founded by psychic Mary Palermo in 1980 because, as a practicing psychic consultant for more than twenty years, she was tired of being lumped in the same category as gypsy fortune-tellers and other so-called psychics of dubious ethics.
In addition to functioning as a professional association, the APP offers a certification process to honest and sincere psychics. To qualify, a psychic practitioner must sign a statement of ethics, furnish letters of reference and "self-definition," and pass an oral evaluation conducted by a panel of volunteer psychologists, professors, and other related professionals. Further information can be obtained by writing to the Association of Psychic Practitioners, P.O. Box 6892, San Jose, Cali-fornia 95150.
Although most of APP's professional members are on the West Coast, there are similar organizations in other areas of the country. In the New York area the New York Spiritualists Center, Inc., and its sister organization, the Metaphysical and Parapsychological Institute, also offer referral services (for a fee) to individuals interested in finding a qualified psychic. The address for both is 225 East 74 Street, New York, New York 10021. Many communities have parapsychological or New Age organizations listed in their yellow pages that can offer such
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assistance. Some communities even have listings of psychics in the yellow pages, although Palermo warns that good advertising doesn't necessarily mean a good psychic. As she states, "You can't go by advertisements. Some of these psychics have wonderful press agents."
Just as with finding a past-life therapist, one of the first things to consider is how you feel about your potential psychic. This is important not only because a good rapport with a psychic is necessary for a good reading, but also because our intuitions are often the best acid test for how "right" a situation is for us. Call the psychic up and simply see how you feel about him after talking for a few minutes. Carol Dryer advises that when looking for a good psychic, you should "follow your feelings...
If you get up to the door and you don't feel right about it, leave."
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In addressing the same issue, Palermo told me that she feels one should follow roughly the same procedure. She advises would-be seekers of psychic consultations not to be afraid to ask questions. Find out how many years of experience the psychic has. Find out what he charges and precisely what he offers in return for his fee. Find out what his training is, and whether he adheres to any particular school of metaphysical thought. Palermo also suggests asking a prospective psychic practitioner if it might be possible to speak to one of his clients so as to better determine both his qualifications and his sincerity (although Palermo warns that client-counselor privacy may not always permit a psychic to give out another client's name).
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In shopping around for a good psychic here are several other important points to keep in mind.
• Be wary of psychics who put an overemphasis on money. For example, if a psychic seems more concerned about what's going in your wallet than what's going on in your psyche, chances are this is telling you something about him. Similarly, avoid any psychic who tells you that for a sum of money he can remove a curse, mend your marriage, or find you a lover.
• Be wary of psychics who try to control or manipulate your life. A good psychic will offer opinions, not commands, and seldom—if ever—tell you that there is something that you absolutely must do.
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• Be wary of psychics who are overly complimentary and who rattle off streams of preposterous past-life scenarios for you, such as, "You were Julius Caesar because of your great skill as a leader and then you were Michelangelo because of your extraordinary sensitivity."
Similarly, be wary of psychics whose readings are nothing but platitudes and generalities that are true of everyone, such as "You do not always use your time wisely."
• Be wary of psychics who tell you that they are 100 percent accurate, or who tell you that they are somehow cosmically special and chosen and one of only a handful of psychic practitioners on the Earth who has a direct line to psychic information. No psychic is 100 percent accurate, and any psychic who tells you that he is either misguided or lying. Similarly, be wary of psychics who tell you that the advice they give you is somehow etched in stone. A good psychic will always admit that what he is tuning in to is a realm of potentialities and probabilities. Some of the things a good psychic tells you may be
"highly probable," but a talented clairvoyant will rarely—if ever—tell you that something is immutable or absolute.
• Be wary of psychics who do not want you to tape record what they tell you. Many good psychics will give you a tape recording of your reading as a matter of course, but if they do not offer to tape your consultation, be sure to tape it yourself. Often by re-listening to a reading, you will gain a clearer understanding of many of the things the psychic has told you and that you may have missed the first time around.
• Be wary of psychics who try to cloak what they do in a veil of mystery, or who refuse to answer simple questions about their procedures by alleging that they do not want to give away their dark and mystical secrets. Like any other professionals, honest and sincere psychics will be open about what they do.
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