Psychic comes from the Greek word ψυχικός "psychikos' - meaning 'of the mind, mental', and refers in part of the human mind or psyche (ex. "psychic turmoil"). The Greek word also means "soul". In Greek mythology, the maiden Psyche was the deification of the human soul. Over time the word and its meaning evolved, and today a Thesaurus offers the following synonyms: mind, soul, self, inner self, awareness, ego and individuality.
Today the word psyche generally refer to all kinds of phenomena, experiences or events that seem to be related to the invisible mind, internal body sensations and altered states of consciousness, which cannot be explained by established physical principles. A person who has psychic ability means they are able to perceive information hidden from the normal senses through Extrasensory Perception (ESP). To qualify as a psychic, an experience must therefore involve interactions that are qualitatively different from our normal, physical ways of exchanging with the world either in verbal or non-verbal communication. A genuine psychic experience cannot be based upon even the most subtle, subliminal forms of perception or action.
As the experience is different for every person, it is impossible to explain exactly what the psychic state is, but a large number of experiences are considered psychic. These include telepathy (mind reading), clairvoyance (psychic ability to see objects and visions), psychokinesis (mind-over-matter), psychic healing, out-of-body experiences, poltergeists, spirits and hauntings.
Psychic traditions have existed since the beginning of recorded history and have been presented in many ways in ancient cultures all over the world. It seems that a belief in ghosts and communication with spirits of the dead has also always been with us since our earliest beginnings.
In ancient times, the people who widely practise such abilities, were said to be able to make predictions without any elaborate systems, and through some sort of direct apprehension they are able to perceive the vision of the future. These people were known as seers or prophets, and in later times as clairvoyants (in French means "clear sight" or "clear seeing") and psychics.
Seers formed a functionary role in early civilization, often serving as advisors, priests, and judges. The Delphic Oracle is one of the earliest stories in classical antiquity of prophetic abilities. The Pythia, the priestess presiding over the Oracle of Apollo at Delphi, was believed to be able to deliver prophecies inspired by Apollo during rituals beginning in the 8th century BC. It is often said that the Pythia delivered oracles in a frenzied state induced by vapors rising from the ground, and that she spoke gibberish, believed to be the voice of Apollo, which priests reshaped into the enigmatic prophecies preserved in Greek literature. Other scholars believe records from the time indicate that the Pythia spoke intelligibly, and gave prophecies in her own voice. The Pythia was a position served by a succession of women probably selected from amongst a guild of priestesses of the temple. The last recorded response was given in 393 AD, when the emperor Theodosius I ordered pagan temples to cease operation. Recent geological investigations raise the possibility that ethylene gas caused the Pythia's state of inspiration.
There are also a number of examples are included in biblical accounts. The book of 1 Samuel (Chapter 9) illustrates one such functionary task when Samuel is asked to find the donkeys of the future King Saul. The role of prophet appeared perennially in ancient cultures. In Egypt, the priests of Ra at Memphis acted as seers. In ancient Assyria seers were referred to as nabu, meaning "to call" or "announce".
Early American psychic practices have also been documented. The Aztecs in Mexico used astrology and oracles, and Native Americans relied on advice given to them by shamans who entered deep trance-like states to contact spirits.
One of the most enduring historical references to what some consider to be psychic ability is the prophecies of Michel de Nostredame (1503 – 1566), often 'Latinized' to Nostradamus, published during the French Renaissance period. Nostradamus was a French apothecary and seer who wrote collections of prophecies that have since become famous worldwide and have rarely been out of print since his death. He is best known for his book Les Propheties, the first edition of which appeared in 1555. Taken together, his written works are known to have contained at least 6,338 quatrains or prophecies, as well as at least eleven annual calendars. Most of the quatrains deal with disasters, such as plagues, earthquakes, wars, floods, invasions, murders, droughts, and battles – all undated. His work attracts both controversial critics and credits with predicting many major world events, and are still analysed today by scholars looking for references to the world's future.
After the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, during the Age of Reason, belief in psychic powers and the paranormal waned, but it was reborn again with the help of the Spiritualist movement. The movement's distinguishing feature was the belief that the spirits of the dead could be contacted by mediums to lend insight to the living.The movement was fueled in part by anecdotes of psychic powers. One such person believed to have extraordinary abilities was Daniel Dunglas Home, who gained fame during the Victorian period for his reported ability to levitate to various heights and speak to the dead.
As the Spiritualist movement grew other comparable groups arose, including the Theosophical Society, which was co-founded in 1875 by Helena Blavatsky (1831–1891). Theosophy coupled spiritualist elements with Eastern mysticism and was influential in the early 20th century, later influencing the New Age movement during the 1970s. Blavatsky herself claimed numerous psychic powers.
The phenomena produced by mediums and psychics during the height of spiritualism in the latter part of the 19th century quickly attracted the attention of eminent scientists and intellectuals, and the scientific investigation of alleged psychic powers, ghosts, apparitions, poltergeists and paranormal phenomena began in earnest. In 1882 the Society for Psychical Research was formed in London, and in 1885 the American Society for Psychical Research was founded in Boston. Clubs, organisations and socieities dedicated to the paranormal sprung up all over the world, and as the 20th century drew to a close, the psychic world had successfully filtered into mainstream culture.
Over the years, investigation of the paranormal has become increasingly sophisticated and precise. It is not about superstition and eye-witness accounts any more, but about laboratory experiments, data, theories, statistical evaluation and high-end technology.
There are those who are keen to offer theories to prove we live in a psychic world and those who are convinced it doesn't exist. The hotly debated question is still being question and put to test as stronger than ever.
