Are You A Psychic Star?
Venture Inward, Sep/Oct, 1984
Are You A Psi Star? Or A Sheep Or A Goat?
How psychic are you?
Most of us would answer that question rather
vaguely, such as "Not very," or "A little bit," because we probably
don't know the answer.
Carl Sargent, a Ph.D. in parapsychology at Cambridge University, claims that it is
possible to measure one's psychic ability. Indeed, he thinks it is just as feasible to
determine one's Psi-Q, as he calls it, as it is one's I.Q. In a new book, Know Your Own
Psi-Q, he and co-author Hans J. Eysenck provide questionnaires and tests, as well as
games, with which to explore your ESP powers.
The following questionnaires are from their book. The first, Sheep and Goats, was adapted
from one sent to members of the Society for Psychical Research based in London in 1982.
In each questionnaire, you are asked a series of questions which may be answered Yes/?/No.
Circle the appropriate answer for each one. Try to avoid marking'?' if possible. If you
don't want to mark the magazine, record the question numbers and your answers on a
separate sheet of paper to tabulate your score.
Work through the questions fairly quickly and write down the first answer that occurs to
you, rather than thinking about the questions for too long. Don't dwell on the precise
wording of each question; if some of them seem to be repetitive, remember that there are
good reasons for asking the same things in slightly different ways. It may not always be
easy to answer the questions in Part 2, since some of them are necessarily vague; but try
not to give ? answers. Scoring keys are provided upside down on the next page.
Part 1: Sheep and Goats
1. Do you believe in the existence of ESP, extra-sensory perception? Yes ? No
2. Do you believe that you have had personal experience of ESP? Yes ? No
3. Do you believe that it is possible to gain information about the future before it
happens, in ways which do not depend on rational prediction or normal sensory channels?
Yes ? No
4. Do you believe that you have had at least one hunch that turned out to be correct and
which (you believe) was not just a coincidence? Yes ? No
5. Do you recall having had at least one dream which came true which (you believe) was not
just a coincidence?
Yes ? No
6. Do you believe that it is possible to gain information about the thoughts, feelings or
circumstances of another person, in a way which does not depend on rational prediction or
normal sensory channels? Yes ? No
7. Do you believe that you have had at least one experience which involved telepathy
between yourself and another person? Yes ? No
8. Has there ever been an occasion in your life when you have had the strong feeling that
you have been in the same place or situation before, even though you had never actually
been there or were experiencing the event for the first time in "real life"? Yes
? No
9. Has there ever been an occasion in your life when you felt that your "self"
or "center of consciousness" was in a spatial location outside of your body? Yes
? No
10. Do you believe in the existence of PK (psychokinesis), that is, the direct effect of
mind on a physical object or system, without the mediation of any known energy? Yes ? No
11. Do you believe that you have personally exerted PK on at least one occasion? Yes ? No
12. Have you ever witnessed an occurrence of PK (nonrecurrent) which had as its source
another person?
Yes ? No
13. Do you believe in the existence of poltergeists (a poltergeist being an apparent
'spirit' which causes rappings, bangs, and other PK effects recurrently)? Yes ? No
14. Do you believe that poltergeist activity, or other forms of persistent PK activity,
have occurred in your presence at some time in the past? Yes ? No
15. Do you believe that psychic healing occurs? Yes ? No
16. Have you ever witnessed or experienced what you believe to be psychic healing
performed upon either yourself or another person? Yes ? No
17. Do you believe that you have any talent for psychic healing? Yes ? No
18. Do you believe that you have or might have above average ESP ability? Yes ? No
19. Do you believe that you have or might have above average PK ability? Yes ? No
20. Do you believe that, on the whole, the world is better off with psi (ESP and PK)
phenomena than without them?
Yes ? No
21. Do you read books and articles on parapsychology fairly often? Yes ? No
22. Do you believe in life after death? Yes ? No
23. Do you believe that some people (mediums) can contact spirits of the dead? Yes ? No
24. Have you ever consulted a medium? Yes ? No
25. Do you believe that you yourself possess mediumistic gifts? Yes ? No
26. Do you believe in the occurrence of reincarnation? Yes ? No
27. Do you believe that you have experienced what seems to
be a genuine memory of a previous Life? Yes ? No
28. Do you read articles or books about religious matters fairly often? Yes ? No
29. Do you read the Bible or another major religious text (such as the Koran) at least
occasionally? Yes ? No
30. Do you attend religious gatherings at least moderately frequently--say, once a month?
Yes ? No
31. Do you believe in the God of Christianity? Yes ? No
32. Do you believe in a God, but not necessarily the God of Christianity? Yes ? No
33. Have you ever felt in some way the presence of God, or higher power? Yes ? No
34. Do you believe in the existence of some sort of "group mind," or
"collective unconscious"? Yes ? No
Part 2: Mystery and Imagination
1. 1 can remember clearly at least one thing which happened to me when I was two years old
or younger. Yes ? No
2. When I was a child, I could imagine I was flying with such vividness that I felt as if
I actually did fly. Yes ? No
3. As a child I enjoyed fairytates. Yes ? No
4. As an adult I still enjoy fairytales. Yes ? No
5. As a child, I would at times pretend and in some sense believe I was someone else such
as a fairytale character (Snow White, Peter Pan or some such), a prince or princess, an
orphan, etc. Yes ? No
6. As an adult I occasionally pretend I am someone else. Yes ? No
7. 1 would like to be hypnotized (or have enjoyed being
hypnotized). Yes ? No
8. 1 recall my dreams easily. Yes ? No
9. If I wish, I am usually able to finish or even change a dream after I awaken. Yes ? No
10. At times just before I fall asleep I experience vivid images. Yes ? No
11. If I remember a significant event in my fife, in addition to thinking about it I can
re-experience it: I can see again what I saw then, hear again the sounds, voices, etc.;
feel the emotions and sensations I felt then. Yes ? No
12. If I try and conjure up a mental image in my "mind's eye" of a friend, I
find that easy to do. Yes ? No
13. 1 generally recall whole dreams-with stories and series of images-rather than just
fragments. Yes ? No
14. When I was a child I had an imaginary companion (or companions) such as an imagined
person, animal or object which I talked to, shared feelings with, or took along with me.
Yes ? No
15. 1 greatly enjoy daydreaming. Yes ? No
16. If I closed my eyes and tried to imagine holding a baby, or a cat or dog, in my lap, I
could easily feet the weight and warmth of the creature. Yes ? No
17. If I try to imagine a scene from a favorite film, and close my eyes, I can see it
really vividly in my mind's eye.
Yes ? No
18. If I'm reading a book, I find I can easily identify with at least some of the
characters-feel what they are feeling.
Yes ? No
19. 1 can "lose myself" in some physical activity like dancing or running quite
easily. Yes ? No
20. 1 like wide open windows. Yes ? No
Answers to Part 1
Score two points for every "yes" and --one point for every "?"
0-26: Welcome to the goats. Your view of life is skeptical -- how can psychic phenomena
really exist? Although you might not think it, your scores are affected by your attitude.
The surprising thing is that goats not only score badly, they score negatively! It's
almost as if you try not to score. You might like also to test your less skeptical
friends.
27-40: You just can't decide! Sometimes you're convinced, and other times not. Concentrate
on developing the positive side of your mind. Admit to the possibilities of psi and see
how this affects your scores.
41-68: You need no encouragement in this. As a sheep you're raring to go.
Answers to Part 2
This part of the questionnaire is the most experimental; we don't know exactly what to
expect from it. Give yourself two points for each "yes" answer and one for each
"?." The range of scores is 0 to 40 points.
27-40: What richly detailed fantasy world do you inhabit? Do you have trouble putting your
feet on the ground?
13_26: With your occasional flashes of insight, you could find that your score varies
according to your mood. By keeping a diary, you might find a significant correlation
between the two.
0-12: Down-to-earth, and practical-no nonsense for you; your feet rarely leave the ground.
Don't dismiss psi just yet.