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            The word psychic is derived from the Greek word psychikos, meaning of the soul or mental in origin, and refers in part to the human mind or psyche. French astronomer Camille Flammarion is credited as having first used the word psychic. Flammarion was an scientist who studied astronomy as well as spiritualism. He believed that science must not be lead astray by religious beliefs and in many ways can be argued to be an early parapsychologist.  However the word psychic was not introduced into English until the 1870s. Some credit an English chemist and physicist, William Crookes, with coining the word medium as it is used in connection with parapsychology.

            Despite the origin of the word “psychic” the concept has been in existence as long as man. The need for elaborate forms of fortune telling and conjuring prophesies to tell the future is a staple of society.

            One of the most well know prophesies are those of Nostradamus, the apothecary turned “seer”, who may have predicted modern events such as the rise of Hitler and the fall of the World Trade Center. Nostradamus was alive during the 16^th century, a time when all psychic phenomena were frowned upon. He was born in 1503 in the south of France, where his birthplace still stands. Nostradamus had hopes of being a doctor but was expelled from his schooling after the university learned of his apothecary background.

             Despite popular taboos surrounding psychic abilities Nostradamus made prophesies which some believe are valid today as well as horoscopes. Nostradamus began moving toward the occult around 1550 when he published his first annual almanac. Within his almanacs Nostradamus made more than 6,000 prophesies and began to attract attention from regional nobility, who began to request horoscopes and consultations. Later Nostradamus wrote a collection of poetry or quatrains in which he embedded the prophesies that many believe are valid today.

            However, Nostradamus was afraid of being accused of hearsay and therefore he obscured the meaning of his messages. This has caused some debate regarding his work and its legitimacy as opposed to translation interpretations.

            Scottish spiritualist Daniel Dunglas Home was raised in the United States by an otherwise childless aunt. Home’s mother was a well-known Scottish “seer” although this ability was seen as a curse and not a gift because it often meant seeing a person’s death or grievances. None-the-less Home was gifted with the ability to levitate as well as speak with the dead and make knocking sounds throughout an area all by using his mind.

            Home began to travel the New England area in his early adult life and became well known as a psychic but due to health concerns he moved to Europe where he gained even larger notoriety for his séances. Home died of tuberculosis in 1887, just ten years after the birth of another well known psychic.

            Edgar Cayce was one of the best known American psychics of the twentieth century. Born in 1877 in a small farming community Cayce was a firm believer in Christ and he started out using his psychic abilities for healing purposes only. Cayce was able to channel information concerning a patient’s health while in a self induced trance. Later he began to explore other subjects including astral projection and reincarnation. Although Cayce died more than sixty years ago his influence on New Age philosophies is undeniable. Many of Cayce’s readings and philosophies are still in use today.

            As parapsychologists struggle to explain the validity of psychic phenomena history paints a picture of its presence. From Nostradamus to Cayce there have been accounts of numerous people who displayed their abilities and although they met with criticism there is no proven data that denounces them as fraud.

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