The Life-Changing Power of Group Psychometry

A Psy-chomo-what Group? “I host a psychometry and meditation group that meets in my home.” “A Psy. . . com-o . . .? What?” People react with a variety of facial contortions—tilting their head, squinting their eyes, or raising their eyebrows in a way that suggests I may have initiated a subject that sounds either too academic or too “woo-woo.” “Psychometry is the use of an object as a conduit for giving a reading, generally a message for the person who brought it. In our psychometry group, we have a guided meditation first, then I pass around a bowl with everyone’s object in it. Each person in the group pulls out an object that’s not their own and writes down the message they receive.” Before I finish that first sentence, my listeners are already glaring incredulously—unless, of course, they have heard about the group from a mutual friend. Since the initial days of starting the group, I learned, rather quickly, that “the group”—in terms of what it’s called, how it works, and why it’s made such a difference for the attendees—could not be explained adequately in a brief conversation. The value of what we do within the group would require an ongoing dialogue with each person who regularly attends, and although I’ve included some of their stories in the following chapters, I cannot adequately capture the nuances of their spoken words, wonderful personalities, and life-changing wisdom. Similarly, psychometry/meditation group participants can also have difficulty putting their experiences from the meeting into words. For example, on her third visit, a new attendee, Lynda, happened to see me in the Unity church a couple of days afterward. Her whole face glowed as she expressed her appreciation for what occurred the previous Friday night. She thanked me over and over, but what touched me most was that not only during the group meeting but also in our after-church conversation, Lynda’s excitement was magnetic. I mentioned this book to her and asked her if she would be willing to write about her experience. Her immediate response was, “I don’t think I could even have the words to express how amazing it was!” As she shared a bit more, Lynda admitted that, yes (like most people), her first time doing a psychometry reading felt a bit intimidating and that even though she benefitted from it, she still had a few doubts. The second time she participated, she received her girlfriend’s object from the bowl (which always has a scarf on top of it so that no one can see which item they are picking). Because she knew her girlfriend Amy so well, it took a leap of faith for Lynda to resist doubts in her ability to distinguish between what came from her previous knowledge or imagination and her intuition. She said that she hoped whatever she received would be valuable for Amy and decided to trust her inner voice. The reading she gave turned out to be very good, but her next visit validated everything. In her third meeting, she told all of us that the moment she pulled the object—a ring—from the bowl, she immediately felt joy and love flooding around her. The intensity was palpable, real, and deep. Like the rest of the group, Lynda wrote down what she received and waited till it was her turn to share. As she spoke and held the ring in the air to see who the reading was for, her close friend Claudia spoke up and said, “That’s mine.” After Lynda read what she had written, both of them looked as if they would burst into happy tears and hugged. Claudia then explained that it was her wedding ring, and that she and her husband were very much in love and planned to celebrate their first wedding anniversary that week. The evening touched Lynda so much that, two days later, she reiterated to me once again, that what she felt that night was so special that she wanted to continue to join us as often as she could. Our group consists of a range of people: from newbies who have very little awareness of their intuition to some who have far above average natural gifts. A few others have honed their special abilities for several years. Most of the regular attendees, however, would place themselves between the beginning and mid-range stages. As a former professor of writing and university administrator, I am analytical and detail-oriented. I feel the need to double-check information. But as soon as I started experiencing what energy feels like and how it works for me—in healing sessions and giving readings, I was hooked. This work (if we can really call it that) surprises me, humbles me, and excites me. However, despite the goal of giving and receiving readings, perfecting these amazing intuitive abilities is not the main focus. This may sound surprising given the fact that what we do requires using our intuition. The overarching focus, the genuine benefit, and true power of this psychometry/meditation group stems from focusing our energy on helping each other. The famous intuitive, author, and teacher, Laura Day, emphasizes this over and over in her own work. In Practical Intuition, she writes, “If I had one message to share with you in this book, it would not be, ‘You are intuitive.’ It would be, ‘We are all more capable of giving help than we realize.’” The value of our intuition is not just a personal tool; it grows from the connection we have with others and in our efforts to support and build an even greater sense of community in each other’s lives.