It is being aware of these things and perhaps building on them that will develop our initial psychic ability more than anything else.

Contrary to what we are often told, developing your psychic ability does not mean going out and buying lots of books on various psychic subjects, reading them and trying to digest all the information given... this will merely cause ‘psychic indigestion’ and will leave you very puzzled as to what psychic ability actually is, and whether you have any?

Books vary in their information and in the ways that they measure psychic ability, and the only way to really get round this is to start at the beginning, and to gauge for yourself how well you are doing.

Below are my 5 pointers to beginning to develop your psychic ability.  You may think, reading them, that they are not dynamic enough to learn something new, but believe me they are essential to get you going... and to ensure that you learn how to connect with the abilities that you have, in their natural and gentle way... it is only when you have done this that you can take a step further and then begin to use tools to develop further.

For example, if you knew absolutely nothing about wood-work, you would not go out and buy a load of expensive tools and expect to be able to use them professionally straightaway, you would need to know first of all what ability you had and what your affinity with wood was, in fact it would probably make more sense to go out into a forest and acquaint yourself with the way wood grows, and the way different trees are formed before ever thinking of creating something out of their wood.

So the same thing goes with psychic ability, before you try to collate loads of information, loads of book's, tarot cards, crystal balls, psy cards, and runes, take a little time to actually understand about you're unique psychic abilities and how they feel to you.

1.  Learning to be still and listen.

We hear things mostly on a very superficial level.  We are surrounded by sound all the time, it is an automatic process for us to filter through what we hear, to discard some things and to listen to others.  In the same way we filter conversations with people, not listening to all that they say but perhaps picking out relevant words and relevant sentences... all this on a very superficial level because that is the way we probably work best on a day-to-day basis.  One of the most efficient ways of improving your psychic development and ability is to really deeply listen!

Start by sitting quietly in a relaxed position as if you were going to meditate, and simply listen to all the sounds around you.  But listen fully to them and think about each sound as you hear it, exactly what it is, and what it means to you.

A good way to do this is to sit in the woods or by the sea. It will seem very quiet at first, but as you sit quietly, you will find that the place is alive with the sound, particularly a wood, as woods are never really quiet: listen deeply to every sound, try to place it and think where it is coming from, try to locate its direction and what it could be?

You may think this a useless exercise but in fact it is one of the most useful exercises in development of any kind, the skills of deeply listening, which we have in this age of noise, but for the most part have lost. Probably the most useful that we can develop, no matter what we use them for.

Go on from this to listen to people when they speak to you, our way of listening is usually to take things in very superficially, and have the answer ready almost before the other person has finished speaking.

In doing this we are not giving ourselves time to ‘listen between the lines’ so to speak, because what is not said, but implied, is often as important or sometimes more important than the actual words that we hear.

Listen to what the other person is saying fully, give them time, focus on them and they will know that you are really listening!  Evaluate what they have said, and then form your answer... you may find the answer you give eventually is very different to the one you would immediately have thought relevant.

Try this exercise!  It may well surprise you.

2. Looking.

Now apply the same rules to ‘seeing’ things.

Again we tend to look straight ahead of us as we are going about our everyday business, usually were in a hurry and it's very difficult to make time to take in any extra information, and many of us work on ‘automatic’ because we are busy or going to work or have a great deal to do.

Take a little time out every day, perhaps walk somewhere that you are very familiar with... to the shops or wherever else you regularly go, but this time take your attention higher above your head and scan in not only what is going on around you and in front of you, but higher up perhaps to the level of the upper floors of buildings... their roofs and chimney pots.  Have you even seen them before?  Again you might get quite a surprise... the object of these two exercises is to take your senses beyond what you are normally aware of and stretch your perception.

Both exercises are invaluable in the development of your psychic abilities.

3.   Feeling

Now we deal with another everyday sense. And in this way you are developing a skill that we call ‘psychometry’.

You could start with this in your own home, but it is most useful if carried out somewhere else where the objects are unfamiliar to you... but perhaps a little word of warning here, if you are doing this in a stranger's house or indeed even in a friend's house, best to warn them beforehand that you are trying an exercise in psychometry, because they may find it very strange if you pick up their personal belongings and hold them for no apparent reason!

And the exercise involves just that!

Pick up and hold a small object that is not particularly familiar to you, close your eyes if that helps, but if not, simply focus on something not too far away like a window or a light, or even on the object itself and let your mind feel it as well as your hands, feel what information it has to tell you... you may see this in the form of snapshots of scenes from long ago, or a name might come to mind that you may actually hear, or you may simply have an overwhelming feeling of a certain person connected with that object.  What I have often noticed is that if I pick up an old second-hand book in a bookshop, I will get the scent of old-fashioned perfume such as roses or violet's... and sometimes a name will come to my mind.

It doesn't matter what you get, you are not out to win points!

When you're a little more confident you could ask a friend to bring you a small piece of jewellery that perhaps belonged to someone that your friend new, and try to see what information you can gain from it.

4.    Connect to your dreams.

You may feel that you never dream!  Many people feel this but actually do.  It is simply that you don't remember them when you are awake, but to help us develop it is often a good idea if you can program yourself to remember your dreams on awakening and to keep a record of them.

Last thing at night when you are feeling very calm and relaxed, almost make it your last thought that you wish to remember all that you have dreamt of whilst asleep.

Keep a notebook and pen next to your bed and when you wake, immediately write down your account of what has happened, don't put it off until later thinking that you will be able to remember later, because dreams fade as the day goes on and unless this is triggered off by something else, it is very unlikely that the dream will come back to you.

Keep a record of your dreams in as much detail as you can, and after a while when you have collected quite a few you may well see a pattern in them and your everyday life.

Dreams can be many things, they can be predictive, they can be new warnings of things that are about to happen, whether good or bad, and they can also be a way of trying to sort out our problems of the day.  Whatever they are, they are useful to understand and part of your psychic development.

5.    Meditation.

Yes I know many of you will say:  I can't meditate!  I have tried and it doesn't work!  I can't keep still long enough!  I get bored!

But I am not talking about formal meditation here, or sitting for long periods of time... meditation can be many things, such as a walking meditation, that is where you walk a certain course that is well known to you and focus totally on walking and nothing else.

A moving meditation... the best of which is T'ai Chi, which can make enormous differences to your energy level, your heart rate, and your psychic perception.

The easiest meditation of all is simply sitting and focusing on a certain object for a short length of time.  You will see these sorts of meditations on my web pages, such as meditation on a green apple. The purpose of this sort of meditation is to focus your mind and to block out all extraneous information.

So these are the first steps towards Psychic Development, undertake them with the right frame of mind and you may see a whole new world opening up for you!

6. Using a pendulum to help your psychic development.

Yes this may sound a very strange thing to do!  Because people mostly associated pendulum dowsing with finding things or asking questions... but look at it this way, if it can do that why can't it help you to find your own way to success where your psychic development is concerned?

Let me explain a little about pendulum dowsing as we see it here at Silvermoon.

A pendulum is a very personal thing, not something to be taken lightly or frivolously!  You will spend much time choosing the pendulum you need, and you may find that you have various pendulums for various reasons.

Personally I am always drawn to crystal pendulums, many of which I created myself.

I love to take a piece of raw amethyst or clear quartz or rose quartz, wind it around carefully with silver wire and add a chain and a little crystal bead as a handle. (We actually sell these on our shop website) it becomes a very personal creation.

Many people prefer metal dowsing pendulums or wood pendulums which I am also quite fond of. 

Let me just digress a little here to say that pendulums made out of very natural materials, such as wood or rough crystal that has not been polished, seem to work far better in this context.

Having found the pendulum that you have connected with, or made it whichever is appropriate, then you need to spend a little time actually learning how it speaks to you and how to talk to it!

I shall not go into detail with that here, because there is information on how to dowse on this website.

Once you feel confident and competent using your dowser, then this should be your constant guide, you should take it in your pocket or in your bag everywhere you go, and use it in any circumstance.

The simple act of using it and connecting to it, and threw it to your higher self will help your psychic and spiritual development a great deal.

In the past and I have myself caused consternation in Tesco's, by using my dowsing pendulum over vegetables and salad vegetables, simply asking if they are good for me at this time... this also sorts out the vegetables that are not full of vital energy... to be avoided!

In this way I have introduced many people inadvertently to crystal dowsing, as I always use an amethyst crystal dowser for this purpose.

As you go on and become addicted to dowsing, as many people do, you will probably find that you need specific dowsing pendulums for specific situations.

You can also use your pendulum to advise you on direction whilst you are developing your abilities, and even to choose between books that are on sale, that you may feel appropriate to buy to help develop your ability at that time.

So if I bump into any of you in our local bookstore in Elgin or Aberdeen using a crystal pendulum, I will know you have read this page!

7 ‘Sensing’

This may sound difficult and somewhat ‘airy-fairy’ to many people, but the ability to ‘sense’ an atmosphere is very useful in furthering your psychic ability.

One of the most crucial aspects of this sort of development, is the ability to be able to stand outside yourself, put aside your own problems and concerns, and be open to everything else that is going on around you for a while.

Not an easy thing to do!  However I believe personally that without this ability, you will never really progress.  It is as important is that!

We start by ‘being still’.... and progress to ‘being open’.... and eventually to being in a state of enlightenment.

We all have worries and problems some of the time, but if we can develop the ability to step to one side of them for at least part of the time, and be fully in the ‘here and now’, not only will this ability allow us a deeper insight into those problems when we return, but it will give this time and space to recover our equilibrium which is vital if we don't want to get ill, anxious or at the worst depressed at last some time in our lives.

The ability to move into an altered state of consciousness, which is of course what I'm speaking about here is one of the most precious gifts that we have, and that we should develop.  This ability is not particular to certain people, it isn't a ‘special’ gift that only a few possess, it is something that we can do given a little training and self-discipline... something that seems to be somewhat thin on the ground in this day and age.

Often when people have come to me who have terrible sadness or overwhelming problems in their life, I have suggested that they take a walk in wood... forget about the Valium! Find a tree that they like the look of, lean their back against a tree that is opposite it and simply ‘look’!

Study the scenery as an artist would if he was about to paint it, which means looking in detail at everything.... the colours.... the composition.... and of course the atmosphere.. part of which is the scents and sounds that are to be found in any wood.

Then to focus all their attention on one particular tree.... follow it up from the base, noticing how the roots come out of the ground into the base of the tree. The bark and the patterns that the bark makes, how the colour changes as the trunk of the tree progresses up to the leaves.... the patterns that the leaves make and whether there is sun-light coming through them or if it's a dull day the shadows they cast... and so on up to the very Crown of the tree and above to the sky and the clouds!

If you do this slowly (taking at least 15 minutes, more if you can manage it) and with deliberation, and thoroughly immerse yourself in getting to know that tree as thoroughly as possible, then by the time you get to the top and the sky, your consciousness will have altered to some extent, you will have diverted your thoughts at least for a little while away from your problems, and you will have connected with the deep sustaining and natural earth and sky energies that will go a long way to healing and supporting you over the days to come.

I have found after doing this exercise, that the person concerned will become very attached to that tree in particular, and will return time and time again in difficult times to connect with it and to draw deep Earth energy from it to help them.

This is a way of ‘sensing the energy’ of the tree and of the earth and sky, and inducing in yourself an altered state of consciousness which allows healing to take place, and allows your mind to be given something else to do other than dwell on problems that may be unsolvable at that time.

It is also a very powerful form of self-healing!

So you see there is no need to actually go out and ‘ hug a tree’ simply go and find one that you feel comfortable with and get to know it as you would an old friend... you will be developing your psychic ability and perception in a way that is deep and lasting.

Using the same method, it is possible when you come into a strange house or a building that is new to you, to take a few moments to step outside your normal everyday reality, and begin the sensing process... this is an amazing exercise to undertake, and you will be truly amazed at what you discover!

One way to do this is simply to stand in the centre of the room and look at it the same way that you looked at the tree.

Another, and one that I frequently use, is to move around the walls with your hands held up palm outwards toward is the walls about 6 inches away from them and slowly circle the room.  This way you will pick up any psychic, spiritual or paranormal activity that has been going on in place.... very interesting exercise!  And one that is crucial if you are thinking of renting or buying a house and need to know whether it needs ‘cleansing’ from negative influences.

Blessings!  Crystal  X

Disclaimer: The thoughts and opinions in the articles above are personal to Crystal. She is not suggesting that you adopt them, but merely consider them as options. There are many ways to move forward in life. We all must create our own reality!