How To Choose An Online Psychic

Online psychics can be caring confidants with good insight or they can shucksters with sight set only on your credit card. I want to help you learn to tell the good from the bad, and when it's time to move on.

Sources of advice range from site's hosting large numbers of psychics to readers with their own sites and communities. Often blogs are used to keep in touch with their clients and offer more general advice. Kasamba, Keen, Advice Trader, and WeRLive are some of the major ones listing sites. Do a search on online psychics and you'll find many more. There are even psychics on Ebay selling sessions. WeRLive offers readings with webcam and chat, which is unique. Now that you know where to look for a psychic, consider this advice on how to choose one.

Beware of fantastic claims.

Statements like "99.8% Accuracy" are usually gimmicks. If psychic has to resort to that kind of sensationalism s/he is probably lacking a large repeat client base because of poor or dishonest readings. Besides, if the psychic was that good he could have claimed James Randi's million dollar prize already.

Have realistic expectations.

Some readers call themselves intuitive or other terms less heavily charged than "psychic". That's because the word psychic has become synonymous with outlandish claims. You'll be much happier if you choose a reader while keeping in mind that she may not be able to tell you the name of your next lover or how many children you'll have together. Be openminded and think carefully about your questions.

Set a budget and stick to it.

Rates can range from .20 cents a minute to $10 or more. Decide what is realistic for you and only select a psychic if you can afford an in depth conversation. If you find yourself seeking consultations despite spending more than what is financially responsible you may be relying too much on your psychic. Some customers develop a dependency, an addiction to psychic advice. A responsible psychic will recommend less frequent or shorter sessions, so be wary of those that tell you to call back often.

Consider what medium you prefer.

After you decide the way in which you want to connect - chat, email, text messages, phone, or even webcam may be available - look at what methods the reader uses. You can have readings done by tarot, rune, channeling, astrology, and dozens of other ways. Only you can decide which method you feel most confidant about.

Regard the industry with the same eye as you would the health food and self-help industry.

There are plenty of good resources and well intentioned people in all three areas. All three offer great resources for enhancing your life, but for every one authentic individual there are 2 or more shucksters. This doesn't mean you should shun all intuitives or approach a reading too skeptically. Just remember to use critical thinking at all times, before, during, and after a reading. Is the reading too good to be true? Are you only being told what she thinks you want to hear?

Ask for referrals.

Forums that generally have an open minded tone or that relate to your interest are a good source for this. An example would a forum with subjects on expanding conciousness or communicating with angels and lost loved ones. Such a place would probably have many people knowledgeable who are glad to help. A community that has a conservative or evangelical bent to it would have decidedly less. Another good place for feedback is in the reviews and ratings section many host sites provide. However, all recommendations for and against a reader should be taken with a grain of salt. It's easy for dishonest readers to pump up their own stats or to tear down another reader through bogus reviews. Also consider that some disgruntled customers could have had unrealistic expectations and therefore be unhappy with a reader you would think is excellent.

Take advantage of free minutes.

The best way to tell if you and a reader "connect" is to talk with them briefly. This could be through free chat or free minutes before charges start to incur. Often you'll find offers of 3 to 5 free minutes, which is plenty of time to tell if you mesh with someone. At the same time, don't abuse this by hopping from one psychic to another. Many are people trying to make a living helping others, and time spent with a client only looking for free time is time they could spend with someone genuinely interested in an exchange. Politely let the reader know that you'd rather try with someone else if that's the case..

Look into readers who have their own site.

This is an often overlooked category and so deserves it's own point. Many readers with their own site actively communicate with their customers via blog, podcasts, or forum posts. That's great because you have more oppurtunity to learn about them. Manyare true professionals and often have advanced training and experience. You may think they would be too expensive, but you'll find a wide range of rates, and independents have more flexibility with offering discounts because they don't have to share a fixed percentage with a listing site.

I hope keeping these things in mind will help the next time you start looking for advice. My experience with this area is that I've been both a client and a reader for several years. I'm in the early stages of creating my own site, which I hope to grow over time. In the meantime, New Year's is coming so I'll be looking for a forecast too. Know any good readers?