NetGalley ARC Review

This was one of the most interesting and throughly written books on this topic I’ve read to date. Authentic, raw and honest. The author is authentic not only in the material but in herself without being condescending or above her readers. Highly recommend this!

As an unexpected read, I enjoyed reading this book. Took me a bit to get into the flow of reading as it makes you question what you think of the theme, and the ethics surrounding it. It was refreshing.

Would give this book ten stars if I could. It is an extremely wise and responsible guide to being ethical in the wellness/psychic world. So much in this book has really made me ponder and reflect deeply about ensuring I honour all sources of information and wisdom I use in my writing. Sanskrit names, for example, are important (intrinsic) in yoga. Yes language and trends evolve but in forgetting or omitting to use them we're dismissing the cultural and historical (not to mention accurate) origins of a movement. Really really made me think. All professionals in the magick and wellness world would do well to read this.

I can't have enough praise for this book. The title speaks of its essence and the need to practice good ethics and integrity in psychic work. This book touched on things I never even thought of. It provides excellent tools regarding how to conduct yourself when doing this kind of work. I feel much inspired after reading this book. I highly recommend it!

The Ethical Psychic A Beginner's Guide to Healing with Integrity, Avoiding Unethical Encounters, and Using Your Gifts for Good is a fascinating book that I'd recommend to anyone whether you believe in psychics or not if you are interested in the field.

A Great Read

Jennifer Vest defines an ethical psychic as one who endeavors to be a good person and to do the right thing in his or her practice, one who is intentional and conscious in her use of her gifts and strives to use her gifts to help and never harm, plus she takes steps to ensure that no negative consequences result from the expression of her gifts. She further states that an ethical psychic does not just seek to do no harm; that she consciously and carefully examines all of the possible effects of his or her work and makes decisions about how to work according to these reflections, doing everything in his or her power to ensure a positive outcome.

The author discusses the following six key character traits that defines an ethical psychic:
1. Being motivated by service
2. Being authentic
3. Being selfaware
4. Being able to acknowledge and learn from mistakes
5. Being sensitive to a client’s needs
6. Being guided by something larger than yourself

The author discusses some of the risks associated with psychic work, especially, if it deals with interfering with the free will of others.

One of the topic that she discusses is that of how to become a psychic. She states that all psychics must be able to use their gift on demand and that this requires practice, discipline, and good teachers. The author states that psychics should live a balanced life.

The topic of this book sounded right up my street.
However, I found this book to be very dense and hard to read.
The writing was very wishy-washy, and i didn't really get much from this book at all.
Too serious, too dense, and lacking a real 'voice'

I enjoyed reading this book, it was well written and addressed the ethics of being a psychic. What to do and what really not to do and why. It was refreshing to read about the topic from someone who understood and experienced different cultures and ethnicities and was respectful of them. I would highly recommend.

"An ethical psychic is intentional and conscious in her use of her gifts, she strives to use her gifts to help and never harm. She takes steps to ensure that no negative consequences result from the expression of her gifts."

I am blown away by this author. Jennifer Lisa Vest has a PhD in Indigenous Philosophies & Ethnic Studies, was personally trained by Dolores Cannon, was trained in African America Hoodoo, and I could just go on about how phenomenal she is. I am so grateful that she is sharing her wisdom in this well-written book!

She reminds us that no one is 100% accurate, we need to be so careful in the practices we take part in and protect our energy, as well as truly encouraging people to seek mental help and professionals instead of relying on psychics. She gives useful tips to new psychics who make be caught in people-pleasing dynamics and struggle with setting boundaries.

Cultural appropriation is a huge topic. I realized I was definitely participating in unethical cultural appropriation in the white yoga studios I used to be part of. I am more mindful of those who try to set themselves up as experts in someone else's culture or traditions. There are many white dominant spiritual communities that excludes the cultures they are profiting from. We must be respectful of other people's traditions and have humility.

Any individual who wants to "make a living" in a spiritual way should absolutely grab a copy of this book and truly soak in what she has to say. She goes through the character traits necessary to embody an ethical psychic. There are so many examples shared throughout the book which help to breakdown each of the traits and each tidbit of wisdom.

Thank you so much to NetGalley for the ARC! I can't wait to grab a copy when it hits shelves.

The Ethical Psychic by Jennifer Lisa Vest Is a book looking at the ethics surrounding spiritual work and psychic workers . The book is both well written and and well researched while being flexible enough to Appel to practitioners and clients alike.

The book is designed to be an introduction to the topic but may also serve as a good refresher for psychics that have been serving their community for some time .

Rating : 4 out of 5
Blurbs :
Being an ethical psychic means being of service--and learning how to navigate the thorny issues and unique risks inherent to intuitive work.
From knowing your boundaries and limitations--and respecting those of your clients--to resisting the temptation of the guru lifestyle, The Ethical Psychic offers 7 critical guiding principles for grounded, ethical practice. Intuitive, philosopher, and ethicist Dr. Jennifer Lisa Vest, PhD, explores why (and how) energy workers must be of service, authentic, and self-aware; learn from their mistakes; embody sensitivity to client needs; be humble; and listen to a higher source.
With training in African American Hoodoo, Native American Sweatlodge, Jamaican Revivalism, Trinidadian Shango, Spiritualism, Reiki, Pranic Healing, and other traditions, Dr. Vest is uniquely positioned to address readers’ most common and pressing questions, like: How do I avoid crossing boundaries? What if I’m making things worse? What privacy considerations do I need to think about? How can I be financially ethical? How do I avoid appropriation? What do I need to know about working with spirits?
A go-to-guide for any medium, spirit worker, psychic, or aspiring Reiki master, The Ethical Psychic helps readers become the grounded and effective healers they were born to be.

Thoughts : I learn a lot from this book especially about my limitations that I thought, from time to time, starting to fade and gets even blurry. Highly recommended! Thanks Netgalley and the publisher for the e-ARC!

Quite an informative and well researched book. Practical and conscientious guidance is provided from start to finish to assist those who or either on or who eventually care to venture down this path. Although just a voyeur on the subject matter, I am looking forward to venturing more into the topics presented within this book. Thank for NetGalley for advanced copy!

I enjoyed this book, it was well written and carefully addressed the ethics of being a psychic. It was refreshing to read about the topic from someone who understood and experienced different cultures and ethnicities. I would highly recommend.

This is a great book about the ethics of spiritual work. So much scamming and abuse of power can happen when it comes to spirituality and this author does a great job of laying out some ideas of what it means to “do no harm” as someone who wants to be of service to their community in a spiritual way. Dr. Vest is of a mixed spiritual background, making her ideas relatable to folks of differing religions and experiences. It’s straightforward and to the point which makes it accessible to both beginners and people well versed in spirituality. This text is also versatile enough to be useful to both practitioners and potential clients who want to know some green or red flags when looking for someone to work with or learn from.

First off, full disclosure: I don't really believe in psychics. I had a traumatic experience with one a few months ago when I went with a friend who really wanted me to try it. I didn't believe to begin with and the experience was pretty brutal. I know and love people who believe they are psychic and work in the field though, and I have a lot of knowledge about the subject matter.

All that said, this is a fascinating book that I'd recommend to anyone whether you believe in psychics or not if you are interested in the field. I'd also say it's a must-read for anyone working in this field. It covers so many issues I never would have thought of and makes so many great points. The author is well trained in multiple cultures and fields, and gives great advice. I always never would have dreamed up many of these ethical dilemmas and I agree wholeheartedly with everything Vest says about how to practice ethically.

Recommended, whether you're a believer, a skeptic or in between.

I read a digital ARC of this book for review.

Fantastic read for anyone practicing or interested in practicing any of the psychic arts/traditions. So many of those traditions have been appropriated into pop culture and it's nice to have an accessible and interesting guide for working with these practices without being exploitative.

My number one concern when working with tarot and other divination tools is always consent and sensitivity, so I loved getting read something from an author and practitioner that shares these values. I will definitely be purchasing a copy of this for myself.

This was a beautiful book written about the ethics of being a psychic. Finally a non-white washed book in this topic written by an Afro-Indigenious Doctor and healer! Absolutely captivating and worth a read.

This is a 101 guide for psychics and energy workers to build an authentic, equitable and culturally sensitive healing practice. It is written by an Afro-Indigenous intuitive, scholar and healer. This book fis a groundbreaker in the area of New Age ethical practice. It deals with seldom discussed and sensitive issues such as privacy, financial ethics, cultural appropriation and working with diverse populations. Footnotes.

This is one of very few books I have read within this category. I felt like it had a lot of information and was well written. There were some practices that I was unfamiliar with and the book contained few details on, so I had to research on my own. I did feel as though it was slightly repetitive at times; however one could say that it was hammering home very important points, I could certainly appreciate the virtuous and principled basis of this book. This is a must read for the ethically conscious and morally based holistic metaphysical workers.