I have the gift of intuition. My gift has benefitted me in many ways, some of which I have written about in my book, “Soul Mothers’ Wisdom/Seven Insights for the Single Mother,” which is due out later this year.

I have devoted one chapter of the book to psychic development and my personal journey into the dimension of intuition. In my years in social work school and the difficult years of single motherhood that followed, I did hundreds of psychic readings. But I am not a fortune teller, nor a doomsday prophet. What I offered was  guidance for life’s journey.

As a social worker, guidance for life’s journey is a staple, but for some, receiving this guidance in a a “psychic reading” might be off-putting. The reality is that when there is integrity on the part of the therapist or the reader, either venue can have therapeutic benefits.

For me the necessary integrity means not trying to tell someone how to run their lives; not saying I know what someone’s future holds, and for sure NOT playing God(dess) when someone comes in hurting or vulnerable. It is my belief and ethic that in either setting; the client has the right to Self-determination. What I hope to offer is insight, ideas for consideration, new views of a situation, and the prospect of helping the client develop his or her own intuitive gift.

But “psychic”–the word– presents a problem.

Many misunderstand the word “psychic,” interpreting it as foolery, witchery, and even “evil.” Those misunderstandings make me cringe, and make me sad. Intuition is something we are all born with–the “sixth sense,” “mother’s intuition,” “the gift of sight,” “sensitivity…..” None of those tend to make people wary the way the word “psychic” does. Even the word “trance” is accepted clinically as synonymous with a deep hypnotic state.

But if I, in a psychic session, tell someone I will put them in a trance, I feel cautious, because the word might conjure the image of being under someone else’s spell or cheated. The misunderstanding saddens me because the true meaning of the word, “psychic,” is mind, soul, consciousness, spirit….all of the finer aspects of the intuitive realm.

And yes, the word has been  compromised and carnival-ized, which is unfortunate. And I am struggling with how to once again use my gift of intuition to offer “readings.”  However, now I have a reputation as a clinical social worker. And although “social  worker” too can be threatening to some or conjure up certain negative ideas, it is  mainstream and socially acceptable.

But I long to use my intuitive gifts to offer guidance, and I am wondering  how to present this in a context that is more welcoming and less off-putting than “psychic reading.”

Would you come for an “intuitive guidance consultation?” “How about “Soul Wisdom Consultations” or “Wisdom Readings?”  Would you be open to “Intuitive readings for Life’s Journey?” Or might there be some other accurate, and gentle way, to describe a “psychic reading” that informs, guides, helps to transform ideas, but does not frighten, pretend to be omniscient, or predict your future.

I cannot tell you which numbers to play or which horse to pick. All I can do is sit with you, feel your spirit, and offer you thoughts and ideas that might uplift you and help you proceed to live your life with greater ease and a stronger trust in your own psychic gifts.

Your thoughts and ideas would be most welcomed.