Types of Psychic Power

• Fortune tellers use psychic abilities to tell the future. B2M Productions/Photodisc/Getty Images

  Psychic abilities, extraordinary powers, are inherent in all people -- we just do not all know how to harness them. They are called the sixth sense, ESP and many other names. Intuition is the basis of psychic powers, the ability to hear, see or sense things that are not visible or audible to others. Whether it is spirits, angels or something else that speaks to us, these powers are real. There are four basic types of psychic abilities.

Clairvoyance

• Clairvoyance is the psychic ability in which someone sees visions of things -- past, present and possibly future. The word clairvoyance means "clear vision." Visions can occur during meditation, but they can also be experienced any time. People with clairvoyance can also see auras, the radiant colors that surround all spirits.

Clairaudience

• Clairaudience is the ability to hear on a psychic level. It is the people with Clairaudience who generally hear ghosts. The word itself means "clear hearing." Voices can send warnings and guidance to those with this psychic ability.

Clairsentience

• Empathy is the basic name for the psychic ability of clairsentience. People with this ability just know things -- it means "clear sensing." They may be aware that an accident happened to someone they know or to a person known by someone around them without have heard, seen or been told about it.

Precognition

• People with precognition know the future. They may have dreams that show them what is going to occur, or they may use props, such as Tarot cards, to receive guidance on what will happen to themselves or others. Most people who do fortune telling have this psychic ability.