The Differences Between a Psychic and a Medium
Spiritual Translator or Spectator?
Intro. To The Metaphysical Misunderstanding
What is a psychic medium? Since I’ve begun offering professional readings I have learned there is a misunderstanding between the word psychic and the word medium. Oftentimes one is used to describe the other, however not in the correct way. Thus creating a synonymous perception of two words whose meanings, although seemingly similar, are quite different.
Comparatively to how the word “fairy” was once used interchangeably to describe less friendly and desirable mythological creatures found in the books of their namesake, the two words have been used to describe one another resulting in misleading spiritual vernacular.
The confusion created through the Psychic vs. Medium catachresis may lead people seeking guidance to individuals of the wrong profession. Adding to the stigma of psychics and mediums.
Mapping Out Our Understanding
First we need to understand the definition of the noun, psychic. Then understand the noun, medium relating to the metaphysical and spiritualism. Then we can understand how one word can be used as both a noun and adjective and the other cannot. Hopefully adding one more trinket to your metaphysical shelf of knowledge.
Ignorance: Another Word for an Ugly Duckling
As a young medium I too used to describe my abilities incorrectly due to the lack of clarity between the two gift’s terminology. However as someone who has the ability to communicate with souls, entities, spiritual beings; most easily simplified as energy, I am what’s known as a medium. When remembering the difference between a psychic and a medium the expression, “communication is key”, is important.
P.S.Y.C.H.I.C - Who are they?
Now, you may be thinking, “Yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay, but what is the difference?” Before you scroll away let’s understand who a psychic is. More specifically, what metaphysical gifts make a psychic, a psychic. Then perhaps you’ll begin to notice the deviation between the two.
The Tenses - Past. Present. Future
A psychic is someone who has the metaphysical gifts of what can be collectively known as, The Tenses. There are three tenses; Past, Present, and Future. However, just as there are the 6 psychic senses jointly referred to as The Clairs, a psychic may not be equipped with all three tenses. A psychic’s intuitive abilities may only support one of the three tenses or two of the three theses, and sometimes only to certain capacities.
Snake Oiler or Ugly Duckling?
As I’ve begun my professional career as a psychic medium, a margin of my clientele have expressed to me their frustration with other professionals who have marketed themselves using the general term, psychic. Articulating to me their suspicion of the other professional’s validity.
Is it possible my client’s doubts are valid? Yes. However, it is equally as plausible that instead of the other professional being a hoax, snake-oiler, or other mean name, the individual is indeed a bonafide psychic. They just simply do not understand the scope of their metaphysical capabilities.
Introspection - Understanding One’s Metaphysical Capabilities
For example, let's say my client sought out this psychic because they wished to gain insight into an aspect of their life currently happening. In this scenario the psychic would need to be capable of the Present Tense. But, if the psychic does not have the metaphysical capabilities of the present tense, it is not that they are not a psychic. No; they merely are not gifted with the present tense and we could somewhat safely wager they are in fact a psychic. They just aren't adept or equipped with the present tense ability.
The same can be true for other psychics who possess any singular or team of tenses. Any two tenses can arise in a total of 3 combinations.
Past & Present
Present & Future
Future & Present
A Root of Spiritual Stigma
Clients of these professionals may become disheartened or even pessimistic from the unintentional lack of self awareness regarding their psychic abilities. To be clear, this deficiency in understanding is no fault of the professional. They have either simply never been taught the capacity of their psychic abilities. Causing them to fall under the same umbrella of individuals without an understanding of psychic capacities. Or they do understand there may be limitations to their abilities but do not wish to understand them for personal reasons.
Ugly Duckling Reflection
It is of my own understanding that more often than not professional psychics are not charltons or phonies, passively instilling doubt or disbelief. They simply have not been taught by another metaphysical professional to introspectively analyze the range of their abilities. Thus leading to mis-branding of their professional services and the subsequent possibility of disappointing or disheartening their clientele.
Noticing Nuances in Spiritual Vernacular
Now that you have a better, more defined understanding of the term psychic and a person gifted with psychic abilities, we can move onto understanding the nuances of the term medium. Here you will see how the two words have come to be incorrectly used in spiritual vernacular synonymously.
All Shook Up in The Past. Present. Future
Mediums, similarly to psychics are aso gifted with the metaphysical abilities of The Tenses. Past, Present, and Future. However unlike a psychic, a medium is equipped with all three tenses. It is a medium’s inclusive psychic capabilities of all three tenses which allow them to not just passively view the metaphysical but more precisely channel spiritual energy to communicate with it.
“Communication is Key” - Olivia The Medium
Remember, “Communication is key” when understanding the metaphysical aptitude of an individual professionally branding themselves as a medium versus a psychic. A psychic is an individual able to give a client insight into one, or two of the psychic tenses. Sometimes accompanying their insight with details of passive perceptions of spiritual and paranormal energy associated with their client.
A Passive Perception
A psychic does not possess the metaphysical capabilities to communicate with the souls of passed loved ones or other spiritual beings. Only identify the presence of such energy and possibly describe it. Their lack of all three psychic tenses disables them from receiving the necessary psychic stimuli from spiritual beings necessary to form the intrinsic, viable communication mediums are capable of.
Viable Banter - Unlocking The Psychic vs. Medium Catachresis
With all of this talk of metaphysical limitations and an introspective understanding of one’s abilities, you may be wondering, “well, what specifically makes a medium different from a psychic besides their aptitude of Past, Present, and Future? If a psychic is able to perceive the spiritual and paranormal associated with a person, then what keeps them from being able to speak / communicate with those perceived energies?” To answer this we need to understand not only the definition of communication but the elements needed to have a viable conversation. And how these integral parts are born from an individual’s ability of all three tenses; Past, Present, and Future.
Medium - The Breakdown
A medium is just that. A point of translative contact positioned at equal distance from one thing(s) and another. Someone who acts as the recipient and translator of information between a person or being(s) of the Spiritual World and a person(s) of our Physical World.
Mediumship - “Speaking” to Souls
Since what makes a medium different from a psychic is their capabilities of all three tenses, how does this enable them to communicate with souls and spiritual beings? Well, most commonly mediums are metaphysical professionals who are employed to “speak” with the souls of a person’s passed loved ones.
In the instance of communicating with earthly souls such as a passed human or animal, it is very important for the professional attempting to organically communicate with them; meaning without use of divination tools or other means, to be able to receive all three tenses of information possible. But why?
The Importance of The Tenses - Communication as a Medium
Undoubtedly, the person who is attempting to communicate with a soul, will need psychic past tense abilities due to the fact of the energy being derived from someone or something existing from the past. The same premise can be transferred into the other two psychic tenses as well based on the fact that when communicating with a soul’s energy, regardless of if they’re human, animal, or other, will first try to establish who they are in relation to the person the medium is speaking to. Note: for the next few paragraphs the person who has employed a professional psychic or medium, will be referred to as “ the sitter”.
Giving Validation - Breaking the Ice of a Metaphysical Conversation
This is known as “giving validation” and the soul will use various clair psychic senses the medium is equipped with to communicate details. Depending on the medium’s psychic sense(s) the soul chooses to utilize, the information chosen by the soul will be conveyed to the medium in various ways. Such as in the form of thoughts, images, feelings, and emotions which the medium will experience.
Most frequently a soul will convey specific aspects from their time as a physical being to validate who they are in relation to the sitter. This information would fall under the psychic sense, Past. In addition to information about themselves to validate who they are, a soul will also communicate to a medium details of the sitter’s past, present, and future.
A Whirlwind of Times - Channeling Spiritual Energy as a Medium
Within the first few minutes a medium begins communicating with a spiritual energy, a soul can use all three psychic tenses relating to themselves and the sitter, just to validate who they are. This does not include the topic of the reading. The real message(s) they wish to convey to the sitter during their reading and the answers to any questions the sitter may have which a soul is permitted to answer.
The complexity and relative point in time in which information and details an energetic entity conveys to a medium is dynamic and profound. Relatively speaking, without the aptitude of all three psychic tenses, communicating with other metaphysical professionals would be organically difficult. (Note: “organically” meaning, without the use of divination tools.)
Well Rounded Psychic Senses - Unlocking the Door to Spiritual Communication
A medium’s propensity of all three tenses, Past, Present, and Future in addition to their associated psychic senses (a.k.a. The Clairs) are what enables spiritual energies to not only form a basis of communication with a medium, but allows for a spiritual exchange of information. A metaphysical two-way dialogue if you will. More simply put; a conversation.
Spiritual Translator or Spectator?
If you were stuck in a room with an individual (in this case they are a soul or spiritual being) who does not speak the same language as you; how would you communicate with them? You could try hand-signals, drawing pictures (i.e. divination tools) or you could ask a translator to assist you. The translator in this situation is a medium.
Now how is this different from a psychic? Similarly to the above analogy, think of a psychic’s abilities in a somewhat similar scenario. Only instead of a person who speaks a different language in a random room, think of the person (i.e. soul or spiritual being) as a fish in a pond. A psychic equipped with 1 or 2 tenses plus variable psychic senses would be equivalent to a person who has use of polarized sunglasses. Compared to the average joe, the psychic will be able to better view the fish in the pond. But even if that fish were a person in a random room, the psychic whose special sunglasses allows them to see this individual, would not be able to understand the foreigh language being spoken by the being they can perceive.
Try to have a conversation with another person who speaks a language you do not speak. You may try to use facial expression, hand gestures, drawings and other such physical methods (in this case, the use of divination tools) to relay a sort of 1-way communicative discourse. But true dialogue will not be attainable due to the limited aspects of information a psychic is able to receive.
It would be very frustrating to try and have a dynamic conversation using only one or two tenses of time. Without full use of the psychic triad of tenses, a 2-way communicative discourse of organic means is not plausible.
Psychic - Defined
Simply put, a psychic is an individual equipped with 1 or 2 of the 3 possible psychic tenses. Able to passively perceive aspects of our world and possibly others within the breadth of gifts.
Medium - Defined
A medium is someone with the capabilities of Past, Present, and Future, able to actively perceive all aspects of metaphysical information given to them and dynamically communicate with the spiritual energy of others. Whether they be souls or spiritual beings. The only caveat of mediums being, they may only receive information given to them. They are not able to be given information about things they are not permissible to.
Now, after all these comparisons, analogies, defining characteristics and what not, you may see how today’s spiritual vernacular has gotten all muddled up.
Catachresis Conclusion
To associate the word, “psychic” with the metaphysical capabilities of a medium is incorrect. It’s improper use creating skepticism and disappointment in the professional metaphysical community. However, it can be used as an adjective to delineate the meaning of the word, “medium”. After all, it is a medium’s adeptness of all 3 tenses, channeled using any array of clair psychic senses, which enable them to conduct a conversion with spiritual energy. Hence my personal preference to market myself and my professional services as a Psychic Medium.
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