My office is filled with books, tarot cards, crystal balls, sage bundles, incense, and of course, awesome Mary Kay cosmetics and skin care products! Plus, I have a lot of tutoring and subbing materials: workbooks, pencils, readers, numbers games, and a clock that I use to teach teenagers (!) how to tell time.

Today I want to talk about where a good psychic gets her/his gear. Every profession not only has its own jargon, i.e. “oh my gosh, Mercury is in retrograde right now, so of COURSE my computer crashed,” but also its own set of supplies. So what sort of supplies will you need, if you are interested in developing yourself psychically or even hanging up a shingle and starting to give readings?

First, it’s really important to NOT go out and buy too much stuff, at least at first. Save your money, since it’s unlikely that clients will start flowing in by the busloads, at least at first. Wearing a cloak, or flowing clothes, or lots of silver jewelry with strange symbols on it does not make you a great psychic automatically. You have to work for that. Still, many psychics enjoy that kind of societal permission granted them to wear that sort of stuff, and so they do. (See my blog entry from yesterday, “I Have My Own Dress Code: I Wear What I Want.”)

Part of it may be so that they can feed into the stereotypes they feel their clients might have for them. When I was younger and first went to an astrologer in Michigan, I remember, I was a little taken aback because this very ordinary-looking old lady, with her impeccable, singlewide trailer full of Sears furniture, Americana and not much else, didn’t “look” like an astrologer! (What exactly is an astrologer supposed to look like, anyway?) The first psychic I had a reading with wore a polyester pantsuit and had her engineering diploma from Cornell hanging in her office! And after being in England and Ireland for many years, I quickly learned that some of the greatest psychics and healers I worked with were almost deliberately understated in their appearance: you wouldn’t pick them out in a crowd, and they dressed very conservatively.

But shopping can be fun, so let’s go shopping! Here are the things that I have amassed over the years related to my work. I won’t list all of them, because I admit that I have bought a LOT of junk, too, but here is a list of equipment that I do use, over and over again. Perhaps not every day, but I keep them handy enough so that if I need them, I can get to them quickly.

Tarot cards. Very important to have several sets of these, especially if you are going to be a professional psychic! I have four decks of the same type: one in the living room where I give one-to-one readings, one in my office where I do phone readings, and one deck in my car and another in my husband’s car, so I can do “on-the-fly” readings. This happens more often that you’d think, and it always pays to be prepared! As far as what type of card to use, there are literally HUNDREDS of types of cards. My advice is to mooch around in a good New Age shop, look at them carefully, and FEEL which deck you want to work with. Stick with that deck until your abilities grow to the point that you can work with decks interchangeably, or without the deck at all. Unlike many other psychics, I am NOT precious about protecting these cards. I let my clients touch them, and I often don’t keep them in anything fancier than a Ziplock bag. The cards are not magic…you just work your magic with them.

Bell or chime. I use a small pair of Tibetan hand cymbals that make a very clear, pleasant, strong tone. I do this at the beginning of a reading and at the end of it, to sort of acoustically mark out the space for the reading. I don’t think it’s necessarily very important to do this, but as a hypnotist, I know how the mind anchors itself to triggers, so I believe it helps me focus even more quickly and easily into that mental space for giving a reading.

Candles. Get as creative with this as you want, but I almost always have at least one white votive light burning for a reading, one for each client. I just get the little cheap ones at the Dollar store, and suggest you do, too. You can always inscribe them yourself or dress them with oils or herbs, if you want to get fancy. Most of the times, I don’t bother…the white candle seems to do the trick. But again, lighting a candle won’t make your reading fantastic: YOU have to do that work.

Pendulum. You can make these yourself with a lead fishing lure and some strong thread, or get them very cheaply (or not!) at most New Age bookstores. Some clients like to work with them, and sometimes I’ll use a pendulum when I know my wishful thinking is really getting in the way of a reading. (This happens most often when I’m reading for someone I know well, and know that I am particularly attached to a specific outcome.)

Crystal ball. Now, come on, who else gets to play with crystal balls besides a psychic? Honestly, I don’t use mine too much because I am more clariaudient than clairvoyant, but I sometimes have clients who are also psychic and are very visual. They enjoy looking into the ball and often get their own answers to their questions. I also will use it to “cross-train” myself, particularly when I feel I need to stretch and strengthen my abilities. Make sure you have a cover or a box for your ball…this really should not be left out in the sun or near candlelight, and I have the burn marks on my table to prove it!

Incense or oils. The brain reacts strongly to scents, and if you have oils or incense that support you in your work, by all means, use them. I prefer oils, since incense smoke often makes me sneeze and cough, but incense is good if you really need to clear a room of rubbish energy, or just the smell of the dinner you just ate before the client arrived!

Books. Please understand that whatever your abilities, you are expected to continue to grow and learn. Keep educating yourself! Improve your vocabulary so you can express yourself in a more precise, exact manner. Have a wide body of knowledge you can draw on, so you can direct your clients appropriately. You do not need to be an expert at everything, but you should be well enough informed that you can appropriately refer your clients to different sources. Pay attention to how psychics are portrayed in the popular media and press, so you can respond intelligently and effectively to peoples’ concerns, questions or prejudices. If they have bothered to come to see you and ask these questions, they are looking for honest reassurance and want to feel safe, not that they are in the presence of a flake or a fraud. (The ones you never see are the ones who have already made up their minds, so don’t worry!)

Jewelry. Wear special jewelry if it makes you feel good and supports you in your work. I do have certain items of jewelry that I would not, frankly, wear in public or to the office, but I will wear it if I want it to help me draw certain necessary energies near to me. There is a lot of stuff out there, so build your collection slowly and naturally, as your talents grow and your interests develop. If you wear it in public, you may find that other like-minded people will be attracted to it and will strike up a conversation. I have met many interesting people in this way!

Sources. Although much of my collection of tools and books came from England and Ireland, in America I can recommend four very good sources of supplies and books. Isis Books has an excellent all-round range of books and equipment. The Bodhi Tree bookstore in Los Angeles is an excellent source for new and used New Age books on all sorts of areas. Lewellyn Publishers has an extensive source of new books, calendars, and metaphysical classics. Finally, the Association for Research and Englightment specializes in the work of the great American psychic Edgar Cayce, but also has fascinating, Cayce-inspired health equipment and other books on various subjects.