Most beginners to the psychic development process become interested after they’ve had an unusual or paranormal experience. They ask themselves, “Am I psychic?” They want to know how to explain the paranormal. They want to define psychic activity.

In trying to understand that ghost encounter, precognitive dream or moment of accidental mediumship, many take up psychic development for self awareness and personal satisfaction. It’s also fun. Some may find they want to pursue a career in psychic work or volunteer their services to friends, colleagues and worthy causes with free psychic readings.

The path to psychic development for beginners can be summarized in three steps. First, clear the mind. Second, learn to interpret your perceptions. And third, practice regularly.

Meditation is important because it helps you to center yourself and get in touch with your own spirit. Once you know what’s ‘yours,’ you’re better able to discern for others. If you have a tough time staying still to meditate formally, start with quiet time built into your day. Even five minutes of sitting quietly, with phones and computers and other distractions minimized, will help.

Movement meditation is also a good choice for psychic development beginners, plus you get a workout in. In these busy times, even meditation can be multi-tasked. Yoga classes often incorporate a period of meditation to focus on perceiving the flow of life force energy, also called prana or chi. Martial arts including tai chi, chi gong, karate and judo (“the peaceful way”) are also helpful as they train the body, mind and spirit. Be sure to find teachers who focus on more than just the physical fundamentals.

Once you’ve learned how to sense your own energy and differentiate it from that of other people through meditation, the second step is to learn how to interpret your psychic impressions. Many people find that at least at first, using an existing interpretive system such as Tarot, runes, numerology, i-ching or astrology helps. Building your own symbolic language will take time. Be patient. It’s a long process. Just like any other skill you want to learn well, psychic skill takes time to develop.

The third step in psychic development for beginners is practice. If you were to join a psychic group or intuition development group to practice with, you’ll learn all sorts of interesting exercises and fun techniques. These will help you by validating your accuracy—and help you figure out what you’re misinterpreting if your accuracy is off. Bookstores, yoga centers and holistic healing centers often know what psychic groups are in your area. And you can always go online to find or create a group that meets online or in person.

Psychic development can be a wonderful inward journey. It also provides opportunities to help others as you grow in your own awareness. Even as a beginner to psychic development you’re sure to find an approach that helps you get in touch with your inner wisdom, that still small voice that whispers to you and guides you—if you create space and quiet time in which to hear it.