What is Psychic

The word psychic comes to us from the Greek work "psukhikos:"

(pskhikos) meaning "of the soul,"

and  

from the word "psukhe:"   (pskh) meaning "soul."

1871 (n.) "a medium;" 1873 (adj.) "of or pertaining to the human soul" (earlier psychical, 1642), from Gk. psykhikos "of the soul, spirit, or mind," from psykhe- "soul, mind". Meaning "characterized by psychic gifts" first recorded 1895.

A psychic is someone who is sensitive to that which resides in an octave either above or below (energetically; not necessarily in physical location) the physical octave.  A person who is said to have psychic abilities retrieves information in some degree from extra-sensory energies that make up and permeate the universe.

The [psychic] retrieval of information has been referred to as the activity of a 'sixth sense'. 

Psychics come with various skills to do reading with:

• Some people "see" information. This is called "seeing" or "getting;" (I am seeing ..., I see ... or I am getting ..., or I get ...), and the extra-sensory activity is called "clairvoyance."

• Some people "hear" information. This is called "hearing" or "receiving" (I hear that ...; I am hearing that ... or I receive that ...; I am receiving that ...), and the extra-sensory activity is called "clairaudience."

• Some people "touch" physical objects and receive either a physical sensation or a knowing about the object through the radiation that the object transmits. This is called "feeling" or "picking up" (I feel ...; this feels ... or I pick up ...), and the extra-sensory activity is called "psychometry."

• Some people "know" information when a question is posed. This is called "a knowing," "feeling," "wisdom," "intuition," "gut feeling," "receiving," "picking up," "getting," and other descriptions are also used to explain this attribute.  They are called "seers," and sometimes "sensitives," and may be the most mis-understood of all the psychic attributes, as it plays a part in the other psychic skills.  When questioned on how one would just know an answer, you will find that the person knowing may have difficulty when trying to explain this.  It could be that they feel the information coming in through their third-eye, through one of the chakra centers, or around them, or they might just have the answer come back to them from some known or unknown Source or Higher Power as  a thought might crop up, yet it is stronger and softer or gentler than a qualified thought.  The Seer or Sensitive is in control of their speech process and no one or nothing has taken them over or possessed them; a discarnate is not invited in or around to speak, and this is what makes this activity different from channeling or mediumship activities.

Some people are not limited by just one attribute and may communicate the information received through the use of a combination of attributes.  I.e., one person might receive information through hearing (clairaudience) and seeing (clairvoyance), yet another person will receive information through feeling (psychometry) and knowing (seer).

Accomplished psychics spend years developing their awareness and the skills of their perception, however:

Psychic ability is "normal" for and "present" in everyone who has a soul.   Though, it is a  gift; in the way that playing the piano or being an artist is a gift, but it is not a  phenomenon or a  fluke.  Even though we all have the ability to play a musical instrument or paint, some people come in to this octave with a heightened ability to perform these creative endeavors more easily or with added precision (and we call this naturally ... as they seem to need no additional instruction or practice to be successful at using this skill).  Though, through study, practice and the attention and love placed on this activity, one can increase their ability to heighten this skill within them self.  Whatever on places their attention on grows, and this does not exclude your senses, skills, gifts, abilities or desires.

With love of, the desire to, the attention on, proper direction and instruction, and practice anyone can learn to develop their psychic skills to the best of their unique ability.  It may not be "instant" for some as we differ in the amount of learning or schooling we require to get to our own set goals.  Many factors play a roll in how successful anyone might become in using their psychic abilities.  It is the same as how successful a particular doctor or lawyer might become.  Many factors contribute to the practitioners success, and even depends on such things as their abilities and desire to become rich and famous or just the best (according to their own standards, or the standards of those around them) at what they do, and so it is with a metaphysical practitioner.