Everyone is psychic. Some people have a greater ability than others do, but we all have some form of psychic talent.

However, it's often called something different, such as having a sixth sense, getting a lucky hunch, or going on a gut feeling.

Such phrases mean that talking about our psychic abilities can make us sound rather weird. But don't worry, we're all friends here, so let's explore psychic abilities in more detail, and talk about some of the facts — as well as some of the fictions — associated with the psychic world.

Are psychic powers dangerous?

If you decide to develop your psychic powers, will something awful happen to you? No, it won't, provided that you use those powers responsibly. Think of them as being like a box of matches.

In themselves, the matches are harmless. It's what you do with them that's important. So you must treat your psychic powers with respect, and use them wisely.

How do you do that? The first thing is to avoid dabbling in things you don't understand. We'll be talking more about psychic techniques in a minute, but do choose yours carefully.

Keep away from ouija boards, for a start. And please avoid laying out a set of lettered cards, getting hold of a wine glass and asking 'Is anybody there?' You may connect with a spirit, but you won’t know who or what it is.

The brutal fact is that not every spirit has good intentions. It might claim to be John Lennon (and you'll be so excited that you'll forget to ask yourself why he's decided to talk to you on a rainy Tuesday night), but how do you know that's true?

It's like dialling a stranger's phone number and, when someone answers, asking him or her to come round to your place. How do you know who's going to turn up?

Above all, you mustn't let your psychic talents go to your head. And I'm not talking about out-of-body experiences.

Resist the temptation to believe that your psychic abilities make you more special or more spiritual than other people, or that they give you the right to boss people around in the guise of imparting valuable psychic information.

And while we're on the subject, you must recognize that you may not always get things right.

Any reputable person who is working in the psychic field will admit that they sometimes make mistakes, that their predictions don't always come true or that they link with people in spirit who aren't known to their clients.

These things happen.

Sometimes these are genuine mistakes and sometimes there are other explanations. But they all carry an underlying message — occasionally, we all get it wrong.

Making it 'clair'

Now we have that out of the way, let's move on to discuss exactly what these psychic talents are. They all fall into at least one of the following four categories:

Clairvoyance: the ability to see something psychically

Clairaudience: the ability to hear something psychically

Claircognizance: the ability to know something psychically

Clairsentience: the ability to feel something psychically

Just as some of us are good at sports and others are good at painting, we all excel at different psychic abilities. And some of us are lucky enough to have two or three strings to our bow.

So you might be clairvoyant, clairaudient, and clairsentient, while your best friend might only be claircognizant but have an extraordinary ability to 'know' things without being told.

Each psychic technique, from the simplest to the most complex, uses at least one of these four abilities.

For instance, reading tarot cards draws on claircognizance and clairsentience, but might also trigger your clairaudient powers.

Scrying (the art of telling the future by looking into a reflective surface) uses clairvoyance and possibly claircognizance. And there is no rule that says you will only ever use one or two of these abilities.

One might fade and another develop, or you might keep adding to them until you're skilled in all four.

Keep an open mind, believe in yourself, and wait to see what happens.

Some classic psychic techniques

Most people have heard of sun signs and Tarot cards, but there are many other techniques that will help you to understand what's going on in your life.

Astrology analyses the positions of the planets, plus the sun and moon, at the exact time and place of your birth. It can give valuable insights into your personality, your past, and your future.

Numerology is the art of using numbers to analyse your name and your birthdate to learn more about your character.

The I Ching is an ancient Chinese form of divination in which you create one of 64 hexagrams. The shape of this can give great insight into what is happening to you.

Crystals are used mainly for healing, because they carry tremendous amounts of energy. However, they can also be used for divination.

They are so powerful that they can also provide psychic protection, and can help you to attract abundance into your life.

Runes have a long, mysterious history dating from the days of the Old Norse myths. Each of the 25 runes is a symbol, or sigil, which helps you to understand what is happening to you, and why.

Many different Spirit guides can help you to make the most of your life.

They vary from angelic help, including your guardian angel (yes, we all have one) and other angels who are always on hand to guide you, to the spirits of people that you once knew, such as relatives and friends.

Your spirit ancestors are also watching over you.

One of the best introductions to any psychic technique is to have a reading from a skilled practitioner, because then you'll discover whether you have a rapport with that technique and whether you'd like to practise it yourself.

So why not let one of our readers show you how it's done, and what it entails. If you're over 18, just click here to pay by credit card (£1.25/minute). Alternatively, call our premium line on 0906 156 0196 (£1.50/minute).

It could be the start of a completely new chapter in your life.