Ethics of being intuitive and reading people

[astralwanderer]

Not sure if this is posted in the right forum. I’ll be glad to move it if needed.

Recently I’ve started exploring my intuitive abilities and have been reading people to whom I’m close. I was really growing in my ability. Then one of my dear friends told me it’s unethical to do this unless I have the person’s explicit permission. I had never considered this before. Now my development in this area has come to a screeching halt.

Can anyone share their views on this? If I have infringed on people’s privacy in doing this, I truly am very sorry! I would never share what I have discovered or do it for personal gain...

[wstein]

I use the same ethics for seeing and Seeing. Basically if you are just looking/perceiving and happen to perceive something, then there are no ethical issues. If you start staring, prying, or digging deeply into them, it is an invasion of privacy.

Even without using my 'intuitive gifts', I can perceive many things by just looking at people. This can cause a negative reaction if they realize you can see something they don't want you to see. They can on occasion yell at you.
It is not your responsibility to ignore what is plainly visible.

Of course if I happen to also be using my gifts I can perceive a lot more. That doesn't change anything from my point of view.

[LonLon]

That's a good question. Not all people are aware of it...
I do have the ability too, to see certain things here but will never talk about what can be considered as "private things" ever...because there's no way I can be fair to all people (for example, what'd be the point of telling person A is a negative entity when there are lots of them who I don't /won't ever meet? Some will get away with being bad and take more advantage of it, no?)... in my belief, only God can handle such things, so I won't act like him "judging" anybody anyway. That's not my "job".

I've personally never been interested in the 4th dimension where they say you can communicate with others using telepathy. I know some talks about it as if it's a must for an advanced spirit or something but I doubt it. I've never wanted to have that ability because I've got absolutely no interest in finding out what people are thinking at all, mostly due to the fact that I call it privacy.If they want to tell what they think, they do. If they want to lie, they do. They may even have a good motivation to lie.It's their choice and I got nothing to do with them making their own. I know there are some like me who don't want telepathy, either. I do have an access to the 5th but there, according to my own experience, communication is based on something working as more of empathy, not telepathy so I'm pretty comfortable there. I may be the only one saying something like this though! I also believe those using telepathic ability only to communicate can't "read" God's mind, either. It would require faith to connect to the higher dimensional being like him, not such mere psychic ability used mostly for utilitarian purpose IMO.

[ocean breeze]

Everyone is intuitively reading people all the time. Whether we are aware of it or not. Its not uncommon for me to walk into a foreign country and understand what is being said to me without even understanding the language. Its not uncommon for people to answer me before i even have to ask.

Originally Posted by astralwanderer

Not sure if this is posted in the right forum. I’ll be glad to move it if needed.

Recently I’ve started exploring my intuitive abilities and have been reading people to whom I’m close. I was really growing in my ability. Then one of my dear friends told me it’s unethical to do this unless I have the person’s explicit permission. I had never considered this before. Now my development in this area has come to a screeching halt.

Can anyone share their views on this? If I have infringed on people’s privacy in doing this, I truly am very sorry! I would never share what I have discovered or do it for personal gain...

Regardless of ethics, personally I think that how the person feels about it is far more important. Some people can feel denuded when you read them - how would you feel if someone saw you in your underwear? It actually scares some people to think that someone can have that power, it's similar to being afraid of a witch.

If it's any help to your conscious, technically.... People's energies can extend to quite distance beyond the body, when I'm very emotional my wife can feel it upstairs. Everyone has an aura or energy field if you like, and the human body is 'designed' to send out low-level electrical signals which can be sensed by another. Every time the heart beats it sends out an electrical pulse into the Universe.

You don't have to actively read people all the time, you can leave that for later if there is an agreement. If you work more passively people can think that you're intuitive and are just 'picking it up' rather than reading them. People being sensitive to the feelings of others isn't X-Files territory so it's more accepted generally. If you start the conversation with something like "I get the feeling that..." it opens the door for them to talk about it or not. If you're going to follow up on what you perceive then you could tackle the subject of reading them when they become comfortable with you. It's more a case of easing them into the idea instead of dropping it onto them from a great height.

If you cultivate a sense of empathy alongside this and read people's body language as well, enough to ease in gently at first to test the water then gradually progress from there. And be able to recognise the signs when you've reached their limit - that way they won't punch you in the nose. For me, one of the worst feelings is feeling someone's pain and hopelessness and knowing you're helpless yourself, that they do't want anyone to know and they don't want help. Often gifts like these are also a curse.

[Native spirit]

You should not read for anyone without their permission , it goes the same for any spiritual work if you haven't got the persons permission leave it alone.


Namaste

[Rah nam]

There is nothing wrong with looking, as long you keep it to yourself and don;t use it in any way.
I do it all the time when I want to know about someone's background (spirit/soul)

[JustBe]

Originally Posted by astralwanderer

Not sure if this is posted in the right forum. I’ll be glad to move it if needed.

Recently I’ve started exploring my intuitive abilities and have been reading people to whom I’m close. I was really growing in my ability. Then one of my dear friends told me it’s unethical to do this unless I have the person’s explicit permission. I had never considered this before. Now my development in this area has come to a screeching halt.

Can anyone share their views on this? If I have infringed on people’s privacy in doing this, I truly am very sorry! I would never share what I have discovered or do it for personal gain...

When intuition is integrated into your being it’s not doing anything but rather it’s workingbthrough a whole connection as yourself. I’m predominately a 100 % intuitive, which is not so common. So intuition has been my leading processor to understand the world around me. As a child it wasn’t nurtured so fear took over as I didn’t know why I knew things before they occurred. If it had of been nurtured and understood as a normal function, where late on in my life, it didn’t have to have its own awakening period, I wouldn’t have had the need like yourself, to have it stand out. Through this process you will learn what is acceptable and where, through others feedback and the world around you. It’s all learning how to integrate it aware, that it can be a part of your normal functioning. You learn to practice in appropriate places with willing people. You can practice in classes where it is accepted. Intuition now for me is an inner guide that I listen too and move accordingly. I can read people and we all do to some degree, to ascertain who and what kinds of people we are relating too. We gather information about people to develop an awareness of how to relate. How they are.

When you no longer need to know, your intuition is more an integrated awareness that moves with all of you. People who have set rules about such matters often forget that holding too tight can block intuitive flow. The key is don’t put bonds on yourself. Be open and flow, but listen and just tuck it into your awareness. Trust your intuition to guide YOU when connecting and moving through life. People’s reactions are their responsibility. You can learn from them but don’t block yourself in fears and blocks others project at you. This is why it becomes a stand alone aspect to begin with. It’s nit understood and nurtured as something normal, so it becomes something that requires laws unto itself.

I trust my intuition now. I listen and I don’t let fear take over in the face of others. Let it be your guide in you.

[Gem]

Originally Posted by astralwanderer

Not sure if this is posted in the right forum. I’ll be glad to move it if needed.

Recently I’ve started exploring my intuitive abilities and have been reading people to whom I’m close. I was really growing in my ability. Then one of my dear friends told me it’s unethical to do this unless I have the person’s explicit permission. I had never considered this before. Now my development in this area has come to a screeching halt.

Can anyone share their views on this? If I have infringed on people’s privacy in doing this, I truly am very sorry! I would never share what I have discovered or do it for personal gain...

Yes. The ethics have a deeper purpose of cultivating trust and safety. Permission is very important in this regard, and secretly prying contravenes a person's trust. The ability to elicit trust is far more valuable and beneficial, and it requires truthfulness and transparency, and allowing people to reveal themselves to the degree they feel safe to, if they are willing to.

[Blue Tiger]

I, too, have always been told that it is impolite and/or unethical to deliberately read someone without their permissions/knowledge. That is the reason most sites won't allow readings of 3rd parties, unless they are in spirit.

But truth is that intuitive people move through life reading unintentionally. Most of the time it's a background sense, like a sense of touch or hearing. It's how we navigate the world. Some people you meet are like beacons of information, broadcasting their emotions and memories and thoughts for the world (and you) to pick up on! There is no way NOT to pick up on this information, even if you have absolutely no interest in it. In this instance, the most ethical thing to do is simply not USE whatever you pick up. It's like watching a traffic wreck happen, but not ascribing blame. Just observing, not judging or sharing.

However, I was also told that it is perfectly alright to appeal to the person's "higher self" for permission, that the higher self has the authority to speak for the person. So if you want to read for someone without their knowledge, focus on them and mentally ask their higher self for permission. If, after doing this, you are able to pick up info, it is because you have been granted permission.

As an aside, this is one of the things about Long Island Medium that makes me uncomfortable... she walks up to total strangers and starts telling them about their deceased relatives! I like to THINK she asks if it's okay before the cameras start rolling.