Psychometry

Pyschometry is probably one of my favorite psychic abilities, possibly because I’ve got a small knack for it myself but also because it tends to get brushed over in a lot of resources.  You get a brief introduction, maybe an exercise, and that’s usually it.  I love a good niche topic.  Anyway, psychometry as it relates to us (there is another use for the term in regards to psychological measurement, so keep an eye out for that if you google it) is basically doing psychic reading via touch with objects.

It’s a surprisingly old concept and term, originally having been coined in the mid 1800s by Joseph Rhodes Buchanan, an American doctor from Kentucky of all places.  It hit its prominence from then through 1920s, being heavily associated with and used by the spiritualist movement. The idea is that everything gives off its own psychic energy and that a skilled psychometrist can pick up and interpret that energy.

In practice it’s simple enough, which is probably why most books and sources don’t go into any depth on it.  Basically you touch the object (usually with your hands, although some of the sources I looked at also suggested touching the object to your forehead, I’m guessing to get it closer to your third eye or whatever) and then you read the energy of the object.  Most people who practice psychometry will pick up something about the history of the object and or the person it belonged to.  You may get a full vision from the previous owner’s life, a strong emotion, bits or random details of the previous owner, the age of the item, or possibly even nothing at all.  You may also pick up images or emotions of the current owner of the object, and it’s a technique that can be used by psychic readers and even so called psychic detectives.  However, like most psychic abilities, it can be a little variable.  It is also extremely vulnerable to cold reading, whether by accident or malicious intent.  For those not familiar with the term, cold reading is a technique often used by fraudulent psychics wherein they use physical clues or information given by the client to get their data, as opposed to actually being psychic.  For example, a cold reader might notice draw conclusions about lifestyle or income from what a person is wearing, or they might “know” that someone is a gardener based on dirt under their fingernails.  But I digress, and that’s a whole other topic for another day.

Anyway, theoretically, you can read any object—everything has its own energy.  However, certain objects will be easier to read than others.  Ideally, you want something that has been worn or carried frequently by the person.  And as anyone who has dabbled with magic or the occult will know, certain materials will hold energy better than others.  This is why jewelry is generally the best item to read when possible—metal and stones tend to hold energy better than most other materials, and also tend to be worn closely and often.  That’s not to say that other items or materials can’t hold energy—dolls, various textiles, tools, furniture, even structures can all contain these impressions.  What is absolutely key is that it is something the person has been around or in contact enough to have picked up and stored some of their energy.  New or rarely handled items will generally have pretty much nothing to read.

There are some relatively practical applications for this skill.  Personally, I find it to be very helpful when looking at antiques.  I like to collect vintage and antique costume jewelry, and it’s an easy way to tell if it’s really as old as the seller claims.  It’s also a great way to avoid buying haunted items or items with negative energy.  If you’re practiced enough, it’s possible to read an item’s energy just by looking at it, or even from a photo.  If you’re a bit sneaky, you might use it to get a feel for a person when they’re back is turned, much like you might snoop through their medicine cabinet.

I thought it might be fun to play with it a bit, so I’ve brought a few items if anyone would like to try their hand it.  However, there are a couple of things you might like to do before you give it a try.  Many sources will recommend centering yourself, and clearing your mind before trying.  This is just a good general practice before any type of psychic reading, as you don’t want your own experiences to bias the reading.  You may also want to wash your hands in order to make sure your energy doesn’t contaminate the reading/item.  Finally, for those less experienced, you may want to make sure you can sense energy in your hands through this simple exercise before beginning:  put your hands together and gently rub them together.  Now slowly pull them apart.  You should be able to feel some sort of energy or sensation between them.  If you’re having trouble you can repeat the exercise a couple times.  It’s also worth noting that not everyone is going to have a knack for this, so if you get nothing don’t feel bad about it—your strengths just lie in a different area.  Once you’re ready, simply touch one of the items on the table, concentrate, and see what you feel.  I’ve got some pens and paper if anyone would like to jot down notes.  Some sources will recommend placing the items you’re reading into an envelope or something else that prevents you from seeing or feeling exactly what it is, and this is also a valid way to practice.  I elected not to do this for this trial run as most things you could put items into will also have a slight protective element to them which makes it more difficult to read items and they can also add to or alter the energies, especially if you use a bag or the like.  This does mean you’re more likely to accidentally cold read, so be aware of what you’re observing visually vs what you’re observing psychically.  Once everyone is done, I’ll let you know what I know about the items.

 

Sources:

https://www.liveabout.com/need-to-know-info-about-psychometry-2593072

http://astateofmind.eu/2010/04/02/5-steps-to-read-an-object-with-psychometry/

https://www.psychicgurus.org/psychometry/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychometry_(paranormal)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Rodes_Buchanan

 

for further reading:

most books about psychic skills will include a section on this, pick what calls to you.

Others may be interested in Buchanan’s work on it: Manual of Psychometry: The Dawn of a New Civilization by Joseph Rodes Buchanan. A free copy of this can be found at: https://archive.org/details/manualofpsychome00buchrich
Also noteworthy is author Anton Strout’s Simon Canderous series, an urban fantasy series starring a petty criminal turned government agent who is also very talented in psychometry

 

ADDENDUM: If you ever want to have fun, put a bunch of objects on a table that you know the history of and watch people create elaborate stories that are totally wrong about them.