The Intuitive Arts Glossary: Simple Terms for Developing Psychics & Mediums

How to use this: Entries are short, plain-spoken guides to common terms in psychism (reading the living), mediumship (communication with those who have passed), Spiritualism (the movement), and spirituality (personal practice). Where useful, you’ll see quick tips and ethics notes.

A

• Aftercare — Simple steps you take after a session (water, fresh air, journalling) to return to ordinary awareness.

• Apport (physical mediumship) — A reported object appearing in séance conditions. Rare and controversial; requires strict controls.

• Aura — The living energy field around a person; psychics read its tone, colours, patterns as impressions about mood, health or focus. Metaphorical language, not a medical diagnosis.

• Auragraph — A visual reading of someone’s energy drawn as symbols/colours (often circular), then interpreted.

• Automatic writing — Words written in a relaxed or lightly altered state; may be intuitive (psychic) or felt as inspired (mediumistic). Keep boundaries and time-limits.

B

• Blend (mediumship) — The felt merging of the medium’s awareness with a communicator’s presence; the “link” deepens and evidence flows.

• Billet reading — Reading sealed notes or items. Can be ethical practice or a stage trick; be transparent about method. Excellent exercise for developing psychics.

• Book test (evidential) — Spirit directs the medium to a specific book/page/line as striking evidence (usually under good controls).

• Boundaries — Your rules for time, consent, topics and aftercare. Clear boundaries protect you and the sitter.

  
  

C

• Cabinet (physical mediumship) — A small curtained space used historically to focus power. Only under strict, ethical conditions.

• Centred/Grounded — Calm, present, and steady in your body before, during and after work.

• Chakras — Energy centres from Indian traditions; used by some Western practitioners as a mapping tool. Treat the source traditions with respect.

• Circle (development circle) — A small group that meets regularly to practise with a facilitator. Often “closed” (same people for a set term).

• Clairaudience — Inner hearing (names, tones, phrases).

• Claircognisance — Clear knowing (a firm “just know” with no obvious source).

• Clairsentience — Feeling/sensation in the body or emotions.

• Clairvoyance — Inner seeing (images, scenes, symbols).

• Clean statement — An evidence statement without leading questions (e.g., “I have a gentleman in spirit with RAF links,” not “Did your dad fly?”).

• Cold reading — Inferring details from cues rather than genuine perception. Unethical in spiritual work.

• Communicator — The person in Spirit attempting contact through the medium.

• Consent — Permission to read. No consent, no reading—especially important outside formal sessions.

• Control (trance) — The organising intelligence or aspect that manages speech/flow when working in trance.

• Cross Link — Two communicators blending at once. Ask for one to step forward; simplify.

  
  

D

• Demonstration (platform) — Public mediumship for an audience; evidence first, brief message after.

• Discernment — Your ability to separate signal from noise; strengthened by rest, ethics and feedback.

• Dowsing — Using rods or a pendulum for yes/no queries. Keep questions clear; don’t treat it as absolute truth.

  
  

E

• Ectoplasm (physical mediumship) — A hypothesised substance reported in séances. Historically controversial; many early claims were fraudulent but reputable reports confirm existance.

• Energy — Convenient shorthand for subtle impressions and states. Treat as descriptive, not scientific.

• Evidence — Verifiable facts about the communicator (relationships, memories, names, places). Comes before the message.

• Evidential mediumship — Mediumship that prioritises strong, specific evidence of survival.

  
  

F

• Feedback — Short, honest responses from sitters (“yes/no/can’t place”). Helps accuracy and learning.

• Fishing — Leading questions to harvest information (“Who is John?”). Avoid; it weakens trust.

• Frequency/Vibration — Metaphors for the quality of awareness (calm/clear vs scattered). Useful as imagery, not physics.

  
  

G

• Grounding — Practical techniques (breath, food, movement, nature) to stabilise awareness.

• Guide — A helper in Spirit as understood within many traditions. Relationship built through years of ethical practice and quiet work.

  
  

H

• Healing (spiritual) — Intention for wholeness offered through prayer or presence; not a replacement for medical care.

• Holding the power — Sustaining a clear, expanded awareness during a sitting.

  
  

I

• Inspirer — A guide associated with creativity or teaching. Can also be a communicator in spirit inspiring message via creativity.

• Intention — Your stated “why” for working (service, kindness, accuracy). Set it before every session.

• Intuition — Natural, human pattern-sensing present in everyone; training makes it clearer and kinder.

  
  

J

• Journal — Your development log: date, practice, evidence hits/misses, sensations, learning points.

  
  

K

• “Keep/Can’t place” — Sitter feedback. “Keep” = likely right but they’ll confirm later; “Can’t place” = not recognised now.

  
  

L

• Link — The initial connection with a sitter (psychic) or a communicator (mediumship).

• Lulling the mind — Softening inner chatter so first impressions can arise without overthinking.

  
  

M

• Meditation (“sitting in the power”) — Daily stillness to know your baseline and expand presence gently.

• Mental mediumship — Evidence arrives via mind impressions (images, feelings, thoughts), not physical phenomena.

• Message — The communication offered after evidence (love, support, encouragement). Keep it short and human.

• Mentor — An experienced practitioner who gives structure and ethical feedback.

• Muddle — Two communicators blending at once. Ask for one to step forward; simplify.

  
  

N

• Names — High-value evidence; be honest if you have only sounds/initials.

• No / Not sure protocol — Invite simple replies: “yes / no / can’t place.” It keeps the work clean.

O

• Opening/Closing — Your start/finish routine (intention, breath, expand; then thanks, draw in, water, snack). Essential for steadiness.

• Oracle cards — Image-based prompts used psychically; keep interpretations personal and practical.

• Overshadowing — A gentle, partial blending in trance; the medium remains aware.

P

• Platform mediumship — Public demonstration from a stage/rostrum. Requires strong evidence, timing, and audience care.

• Prayer — A simple request for help, clarity, or protection (use language that fits your outlook).

• Presence — Your quality of attention: kind, steady, here-and-now.

• Protection — A working metaphor for good boundaries and hygiene (clear intent, time-limits, aftercare).

• Psychic — Working with the energy of the living person/situation (aura, emotions, potentials).

• Psychism vs mediumship — Psychic = this world; mediumship = Spirit world. Both are valid and trainable.

• Psychometry — Reading a person by holding an object they’ve worn or used (keys, watch).

  
  

Q

• Querent — The person (questioner) asking for guidance (term often used in tarot).

R

• Recipient/Sitter — The person receiving the reading.

• Resonance — When an impression lands strongly with the sitter; notice body cues.

• Ribbon reading — Selecting a coloured ribbon for a sitter and reading from colour/symbolism.

• Rostrum — The platform area used in Spiritualist churches for demonstrations.

S

• Séance — A formal sitting, usually with set rules and controls (historically for physical phenomena).

• Sitter etiquette — Offer yes/no feedback; avoid volunteering extra info until invited.

• Spirit — Shorthand for the Spirit world/communicators/guides (capital “S” is a style choice).

• Spirit art — Portraits or symbolic drawings produced during a sitting.

• Spiritualism — A movement (especially in the UK/US) affirming the continuity of life and communication with Spirit; often practised in churches with services and demonstrations.

• Spirituality — Personal practice that seeks connection, meaning, and ethical living; may or may not include religion.

• Survival evidence — Details that reasonably suggest the communicator continues beyond physical death (personality, memories, shared jokes, names).

• Symbol library — Your personal dictionary of recurring images and what they mean for you. Build it over time.

T

• Tarot — A 78-card system used psychically for insight and reflection (not fixed fate).

• Timing — Specific predictions are slippery; focus on phases, not exact dates.

• Trance mediumship — Working in a deeper altered state where speech/content feels guided. Requires strong foundations and safeguarding.

U

• Unfoldment — An older word for gradual development through practice, not pressure.

V

• Validation — The sitter confirms evidence as accurate. Track validations in your journal.

• Visualisation — Intentional imagery (light, grounding roots) to support focus and steadiness.

W

• Working blind — Reading with no prior info about the sitter—good for training. Can be done blindfolded or with back turned.

• Wheel of the Year — Seasonal festivals some circles observe; if you’re in the Southern Hemisphere, flip the seasons by six months.

• Witness — The person (on earth or in Spirit) who recognises and holds the truth of the message.

  
  

Y

• Yes/No/Can’t place — The clean feedback triad. Keeps sessions evidential and avoids drift.

Z

• Zener cards — Five-symbol cards used in classic lab tests of ESP. Useful for playful training; not a measure of moral worth or spiritual value.

Quick ethics reminder

• Work with consent, evidence first, and kind boundaries.

• Never give medical, legal or financial directives.

• Your work should leave people more resourced and free, not dependent.

Handy starter practices

• Daily 15-20 mins “sitting in the power.”

• One practice reading a week (psychometry, photo, or similar).

• Journal validations and how impressions came (image, word, feeling).