1) Are all of you guys crazy?
No, actually. We’re regular folks with lives to lead, jobs to work, and interests to pursue like everyone else. This is a part of our lives to pursue, and most of us do so quite reasonably, without creating large problems for ourselves and others. It’s a personal belief system, like an unproven scientific hypothesis or theory, or a religion, though it is neither of those two things exactly. We are not a danger to ourselves or others, and we appreciate the common courtesy and respect you extend to everyone else.
2) So you can throw things around with your mind, tell the future, control fire with your mind, see me in my bedroom without being there, etc.?
Maybe. But life does not work like the movies, fantasy novels, comic books, or TV. We are not superheroes, or evil villains trying to take over the world. This should be fairly obvious, but anyone behaving in that way is likely trying to get something out of you, if only a brief shoring up of their ego. None of these skills are necessarily impossible, but the reality is that the vast majority of what we do cannot be seen, certainly not over the internet, and can not or has not been proven yet. Truth is sometimes stranger than fiction. If someone is saying they can do these things, these would be considered blatant, extremely powerful, and unlikely. You have a right (some would say an obligation) to retain your critical thinking skills. Though the emphasis on that is THINKING, and not critical.
3) Is this magic, a spiritual thing, or a science?
That depends on your perspective. There are people in this community that will answer either way. If a science, this stuff is still unproven, going all the way from plausible hypotheses to rampant speculation and back again. Some will argue that magic is merely psionics within a certain context, with an emphasis on either worship or ritual. Others will argue that it centers around personal development, and attach personal traditions, “new age” traditions, or no traditions around their abilities, believing it comes from a deep well inside the self. The problem is that often, once started, this arguing never stops. All perspectives are welcome here, mix and match as it suits you. Discuss respectfully and allow others their own opinions, probably held as dear as yours. Read up, find out which perspective suits you the best. We encourage personal development through discussion and research. This is what we’re here for, to explore these sorts of mysteries, without dictating any particular doctrine.
4) Isn’t this against your religion? Or mine?
Not necessarily. We wouldn’t encourage anyone to do anything that goes against their personal belief systems. Nevertheless if you take a careful look at them, and are really specific about the terms referred to in the holy texts, there can be a surprising amount of flexibility. Your mileage will vary with your own religion of course. If you view this as a skill set, like finance or tech support is a skill set, religions seldom explicitly protest the development of new skills or technology.
5) So if it’s not like the stories, what CAN you do?
I’m glad you asked. The basics center around a few skill sets we call Empathy, Grounding, Shielding, Astral Projection, Remote Sensing/Viewing, Precognition, Dreaming, Clairvoyance, Scanning, Healing, Telepathy, and Combat, in no particular order. If you’re developing an interest in how this stuff actually works, we encourage you to read some of the Articles on the basics for each of these categories. For some term definitions, keep reading.
6) What is Empathy?
Empathy is, much like you will discover in Psychology, the ability to understand another’s perspective, without necessarily agreeing with it. But our version takes it a step further, so that the feelings of someone else become yours, to either a limited, or sometimes not so limited degree, for some time.
7) What is Grounding?
Grounding is the most basic skill anyone can learn. It is, essentially, the focus of the self on the present moment, the surroundings. The author has heard it amusingly referred to as the psychic equivalent of going to the bathroom. You cannot do anything with your mind if you do not put aside your personal misgivings, are stressed and unable to focus, haven’t centered your chakras, etc.
8) What are the Chakras you just mentioned?
This one takes an article to outline, no room in a FAQ for this. Fortunately we’re well stocked.
9) Shielding?
Protecting your mind from outside influences, usually done to deflect hostile intent.
10) Astral Projection?
Another big one. Please, I insist you read the articles and get a variety of perspectives on this one.
11) Remote Sensing/Viewing?
Seeing/hearing/smelling/touching without physically being there. The author finds this one extremely tough. Others not as much.
12) Precognition?
Telling the future. Cassandra’s Syndrome, anyone? All joking aside, good luck with this one.
13) What about the others?
I’m impressed you got this far. We appreciate your interest, we really do. Now I’m going to have to point you to the Articles and insist you read them. Basics Articles are clearly marked. You are likely to find something that interests you there, we promise. 🙂
14) What about Combat? There are no Articles for that.
Yeah… we know. Look. Breaking into someone else’s mind and/or injuring the thinking process is not something we want to make publicly available. It doesn’t work how you’re thinking right now, but we still play it safer with this sort of thing. It’s not a huge secret, but by the same token, you don’t want to run with scissors or put an inexperienced person in charge of your entire weapons factory, either. Join the community, and with some time and experience in the other things, you will learn this too.
15) I’m still interested. You’re not bonkers, and I’d like to get to know you all better, so now what?
Glad we caught your interest. Please, join us on the forums, read some Articles if you’re more of a reading learner, or hook up with us on IRC (irc.psionicsinstitute.org). Bear in mind this is a community, made up of many individuals of varying opinions. Welcome!