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Do you have to be born a natural psychic? or are there methods or techniques that can help you develop some level of psychic awareness? Any book recommendations if so? I already listen to some of the holosync techniques and third eye meditations found on youtube but I still prefer to read books over the videos even though they are helpful at times.

I imagine that the talent to be psychic is just like a talent to be an artist, you can train yourself to draw or paint but some people just have *it* when it comes to the skills. In all my years in the occult, I've only ever read one book about any sort of psychic development. Richard Webster has a book called Aura Reading for Beginners which isn't a bad little book. I read this thing some 15 years ago or so and played around with it. Do the drills and you should see full blown colors within a week or two. Other than that, my only advice is to take up a system of divination and practice practice practice. I don't buy that those silly meditations of focusing on your forehead will ever do you any good [lol]

Haha cool, I guess I am such a noob that I am still trying everything I can to see what helps and what doesn't and probably end up wasting time on the wrong things unknowingly but my hope is that it won't always be that way. I will add that book to my wish list on amazon and get it asap. As always a huge thank you and many blessings for taking the time to share info with a noob like me.

There are many methods and techniques that can be utilised to help increase psychic sensitivity and ability.

Pick a magickal paradigm,any paradigm and you'll find ways and means within it to develop skills. [grin]

There are more books that are useful in so many respects than I'd care to list here,but I can go dig some up later,for examples.

Also read up on analytical psychology and cognitive mind training in particular if you prefer your psi development of a non religious variety.

Bringing the unconscious closer to conscious awareness and working with the sub conscious processes of the mind to do so,well,that is something everyone can learn and improve upon and as we re all born with the ability to dream it is not beyond any one's reach,potentially.

Hone your intuition and pay attention to what your instincts tell you,often more difficult to do than it seems at first.
We have a lot of interference signals and distractions going on in this modern world,both internally and externally.

You need to retrain your brain,basically.

Entheogenic experiences help greatly with opening the mind,if used correctly and in context with other sympathetic practices,but as they're not everyone's cuppa tea,so to speak, they often get overlooked in threads like this.

There is a lot to explore and it takes a lot of effort,but I prefer a 'wide net' approach at the beginning:read and study and practice from and absorb all the information you can.Only then should you draw in the net,once you know more about how your own mind works and what you are naturally able with and what/how you want to hone and improve on with weak points.

Thank you, for the moment I am starting out with Modern Magick and Initiation into Hermetics so I suppose the paradigm working with is ceremonial magick but I intend to look into more shamanic stuff after I have worked through these two books. Not that I think there is anything inferior or wrong about ceremonial magick , I just figured I could start there and look at other paradigms down the road.

I have seen this theme of the picking apart and study of oneself mentioned a few times and it's one of the things that reinforces the idea that this path has the potential to be a very healthy and positive thing. I hope I'm relaying my point properly I have never been very eloquent online or in general lol.

In regards to entheogens I have looked into ayahuasca for a couple years and have located a site that occasionally carries the proper ingredients to make it but I have put it off because I want to do what I can on my own before I turn to this for help.

Here. This book applies, no matter what tradition you're using. It's aerobics for the third eye, so to speak: Occult Exercises and Practices: Gateways to the Four `Worlds' of Occultism by Gareth Knight.

Thank you, I just read the reviews for it and definitely sounds like a book that would help me and is now added to my wish list. Thank you so much.

If you're working out of IIH and Modern Magick you shouldn't have a problem, everything you need is in those books, it's just a question of working through the lessons.

I would wait until you have a firm grasp on your practice before using entheogens, personally.

Hi Rin, Thank you. I apologize for responding late. I'm glad to hear that the books I already own should have sufficient material for the development I'm looking for. I ordered them not long ago at the advice given on this forum. I think you were in that thread actually and suggested IIH. Thank you for that. I am very passionate about putting into practice the exercises in these books and hopefully learning enough to contribute more to this board in the coming months and years. At the moment though you folks are way over my head in much of the discussions that take place here. I will heed your advice and stick to the books and practicing and hold off on the entheogens. Thank you Rin.

If you want to strengthen your awareness and senses I would recommend this book:

Jan Fries - Visual Magick

Good book for beginners without any real dogmatic base like in many other systems especially older ones. It is focused on experiencing your senses and creativity and using it in magickal practice (well, very short description).

One of my favourites, I like the author.

Ramscha

Yes, visual magick is an interest of mine, you may like the Magical Knowledge series by Josephine McCarthy. I have only read the first book but it is really good. I'm not very practiced but the few small exercises I used in her first book "Foundation" gave me the impression that once I've gotten the hang of the stuff I'm working on, the visionary magick is what will open the floodgates so to speak. I am going to hold off for a bit on the serious visionary practice. I want to focus on the books and work I've mentioned earlier in the thread and then move on after a year or so but I am looking forward to sinking my teeth into visionary magick down the road. I will get the book you've recommended in the coming months and hang on to it for later. Thanks for that recommendation.

Update* I just clicked the link you gave thinking it would take me to the reviews for the book but instead found that you actually gave me the book lol. Thank you so much. I'm gonna print that out and put in a 3 ring binder. Thanks again.

I am happy that I could help. It is never wrong to look for pdfs before buying the book, butstill I like reading books more than folders but my book budget is actually quite small so... thank the gods of modern technology, the gigantic titans of steam, steel and glas, hissing their poisoning breath to the sky [devil]

Ramscha

One of my favourites, I like the author.

Seconded. [thumbup]


My budget is currently non existant,so I am also grateful for the internet [and the Libraries].


And I did say this about the entheogens,lol :

...if used correctly and in context with other sympathetic practices,

...But you don't need to be a magus or adept to trip out and journey,you just need an enquiring mind, a functional limbic system and a relaxed environment. [crazy] [geek2]

Carts n horses n courses,et al. [thumbup]