At one point or another, everyone reaches a place in their life where they absolutely need answers or guidance. Whether you are getting ready to make a major decision, have recently experienced a loss, or just feel like you could use a push in the right direction, a psychic may be able to help.

Nothing beats the insight and guidance that you can get from the highest rated psychics. Unfortunately, psychic readings often get a bad rap, simply because there are so many con artists out there trying to take advantage of people by claiming to have psychic abilities when they really don’t.

To avoid getting taken advantage of, it is important to carefully research all of your options before choosing a psychic. The following tips will help guide you to the best psychics so that you can get real, actionable advice and information.

The absolute best way to find a psychic is by talking to people that you know and asking for recommendations. Your friends, family members, and other people that you trust are unlikely to steer you in the wrong direction. Chances are, they will only recommend a particular psychic if they have gotten good readings from them in the past.

Even if you don’t know anyone personally who has worked with a psychic, you can always get recommendations online. There are a lot of independent websites out there where people rate their experiences with individual psychics. You can use these websites to help steer you in the direction of people who have legitimate abilities and who can really help you with your problems.

Knowing what makes a bad psychic will make it a lot easier for you to find a good one. Learning how to spot a fraud will enable you to avoid wasting money on readings that don’t get you the results that you need.

As a general rule of thumb, you should avoid psychics who advertise with bright neon signs, full-page ads in the Yellow Pages, or flashing banners online. Most genuine psychics rely on their reputation to drive business – they don’t need to go overboard with flashy advertising. That’s not to say that all psychics who advertise heavily are illegitimate. However, many of them are just out to make a quick buck and should be approached with caution.

You can also get a sense of how good a psychic is by how they conduct the session. A lot of times, so-called psychics who are trying to scam you will have you lead the session by asking questions. They will then make educated guesses based on your questions and your body language rather than providing you with a genuine reading based on what they are seeing or feeling.

They may also try to use negative information to scare you into paying more money. For instance, they may tell you someone close to you is going to die, claiming to be able to reverse this with a spell for an additional fee.

The best psychics, on the other hand, won’t try to get you to pay them more money beyond their initial fee. Instead, they will give you a real, accurate reading that is not too over-the-top or far-fetched.

Meditation is known to bring enormous benefits to our lives. Numerous studies have shown that it can help to boost creativity, calm anxiety, increase productivity and lower blood pressure – and it’s also one of the best ways to create a more spiritual approach to daily life. But not everyone finds it easy – in fact, starting a daily meditation practice can be quite a challenge. If you’ve tried but think you “can’t meditate”, you’re not alone. Here are some tips to help you get going.

1. Think Little, But Often

Many beginners to psychic meditation think they simply don’t have time to meditate – who can afford to give up half an hour a day in these stressful, busy times? In truth, however, meditation doesn’t have to be done for very long at all in order to bring you benefits. You can start with as little as five minutes – the crucial thing is that you meditate every day.

Building up a habit of any kind takes practice, but recent informal research has shown that once you have meditated for 11 days in a row, you’re likely to keep going. Can you give up five minutes a day for 11 days? Yes, you can. And – as you can see below – you don’t even necessarily have to stop your daily tasks in order to meditate.

2. Meditation in Motion

Another common misconception is that you must sit still to meditate. Not so. You can enter a meditative state of mind while engaged in any routine task where you can safely allow your mind to wander. Meditate while you’re weeding the garden, or washing the dishes. Rhythmic, repetitive actions lend themselves especially well to mediation, so you could meditate while you’re walking or running. Think of a single word mantra such as “hope” or “peace” and simply silently repeat it with each step you take. Try to focus just on the word, and nothing else, and you’ll quickly enter a meditative state.

Some activities, such as tai chi, deliberately encourage a meditative state of mind while you repeat cycles of movements – look into this if you think it might suit you.

3. The Meditative Gaze

The whole “empty your mind” thing can be very daunting to beginners in meditation, as it is simply so hard to tune out our busy thoughts. Many beginners find it helpful to have an object to focus on rather than trying to close their eyes to meditate. If you meditate outside, choose a simple object such as a stone or a log. Get yourself comfortable, and just stare at your object, bringing your eyes back to it each time you find them wandering. Remember, you’re only aiming for about five minutes, so this is not as difficult as you might think.

If you’re indoors, a candle flame is a classic meditation tool, and sitting in a darkened room can also help to still your mind.

4. Guided Meditations

Meditation doesn’t have to be done in silence. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with listening to a guided meditation track in order to help you. There are thousands to choose from, ranging from almost silence, to chants, to imaginative and creative meditation “journeys” to wondrous places. Why not choose a selection and experiment to see what suits you best? You won’t enjoy all kinds of guided meditation, or all kinds of voices, but you’re sure to find something which works for you.

Likewise, meditative music can be used to aid your meditation. If you use music, it helps to use the same short track each time you meditate – soon, your brain will come to recognize this as “meditation time”, which will help you to enter a contemplative state much faster.

Once preconceptions about how to meditate are swept aside, you’ll probably find it easier than you think. Think you can’t meditate? Try these tips and see – you’ll probably surprise yourself.