Scanning?

[The Devil's Advocate]

The information received in a scan can be very useful if you know what to do with it. It is, at its most basic: using psi to gain information about Psi, psions, and psionic effects.

The information you receive in a scan can be compared to the other 5 senses but does not directly involve them. Please bear with me, the English language doesn't have the vocabulary to describe this sort of thing directly just yet.

Here is what I recieve: I get a general 'sense' of what is around me psionically. This usually includes relative concentrations of Psi energy and the ambient level of Psi (which is usually relatively consistent, at least everywhere I've been.) This also includes concentrations of psi around individuals. I receive 'signatures' (that is the psionic fingerprint/voiceprint of the individual, psion or not.) If there are constructs in the area I can usually detect them and a closer 'look' will typically allow me to analyse their construction as well as identify their constructor (or at least obtain the signature... having the signature doesn't automatically mean you know the individual in question.) I can also USUALLY pick up what the individual's 'knack' or 'specialty is, as well as relative raw power (amount of Psi they use) and skill (How complicated/advanced constructs/techniques are they using?)

Note: you will not get all this information on your first scan. It takes a while to learn what the information you get from a scan MEANS. And the lack of uniform terminology means it's harder for other psions to explain to you what /they/ get. We don't have a descriptive terminology the way we do for cars. We can't say of a shield "Yeah it was a 1970 Ford Mustang, Baby Blue." We're stuck talking around the issue.

~The Devil's Advocate

[prodigy]

That clears alot of stuff up for me also, but how do we scan? do we make a construct and shell it? then make another one and have the first one scan it? do we make a construct and imagine a tube of info streach out of the construct? that part im kind of lost on.

[The Devil's Advocate]

No, it's a direct use of psi. There are no constructs involved unless you're trying to scan one. Scanning is, essentially, your 'sense of psi' like you have a 'sense of hearing' or a 'sense of smell'. The principles to using it are very much the same as deliberately trying to listen to someone and catch every last nuance of sound: Tone and inflection and implication and innuendo as much as words.

Here is how I usually tell people to get started: Close your eyes. Listen intensely. Try and hear every single sound around you. Try and miss nothing. Now, make note of that intense state of alertness and concentration. Now, instead of trying to HEAR keep that state of mind but focus on psi instead of sound.

Note, you are not 'hearing' psi. You are simply using the practice of listening to get you in the right state of mind. The more you do it, the more you will be able to skip that step and just go to using psi... and the less effort it will take to scan.

~The Devil's Advocate

[wolfdancer]

That is a really funky sensation when applied to my office environment. eeek. However, it is an effective way to improve alertness. I hadn't really thought about how I scanned other than the focus required. I guess sort of like I don't think a lot about how I hear or how I see.

~Wolfd@ncer~

[Psi-Fi]

That is very interesting. Last night I made a psi-ball as a means of learning how to scan. During the programming I told it to hold until I snapped my fingers. I took other steps as well like: Its cold and blue, what its purpose was, how it looked..etc. now I can't seem to find it because I'm not good at scanning.....yet. I guess I should destroy the ball and work on building my sensitivity a bit more.

[innerfire]

It does take practice, I'm trying myself

[confuded]

Oh, i thought DA was back seing her post! Never mind the date...

I think i am able to do some general scanning. At times i am very confident on the info which i scanned. I just let my sub-con. from the dogs leash and let it do the rest .

Just have to work on it a bit and then move on to passive scanning...

I wish DA was here, she knows a lot on the topic!

[innerfire]

Wolfdancer does too, along with several other of our members

[wolfdancer]

Scanning can be an interesting thing to experiment. Something I found helpful when I first started was scanning as part of a group. If you can find a couple of people to work with (in person or online) take turns creating constructs--shields, psiballs, anything--and have everyone else scan it and compare notes. This also helps in developing vocabulary that will allow you to convey what you perceive. I hope that helps.

[confuded]

Thats a good idea wolfdancer! *rols his eyes* Just one little problem... During our ACTIVE times the irc chanmel is just overloaded! *sarcasm*

[cbad]

I'm sorry that this isn't really related to scanning but what is a psi vamp?

[Fearn]

cbad said:

I'm sorry that this isn't really related to scanning but what is a psi vamp?

Why didn't you just make a new topic? This has nothing (well, very little) to do with scanning.

[cbad]

Well someone originally had said something about psi-vamps in here and I had no idea what they were talking about. I can't see it now so maybe it was edited?

[The Devil's Advocate]

Scanning: Wolf's suggestion is a very good one. You can also compare notes individually. I'm not likely to be on the chat for a while, but I'm hoping to be back more often than once every two or three months.

As for psivamps: Psivamps are individuals who deliberately take energy from others without their permission. The act of taking energy in such a manner is considered an attack by most people.

~The Devil's Advocate

[cbad]

Yeah, I would try that too if I knew anyone who can even make a construct . Unfortunately all my dreams of fun psi games shall go to waste because I could easily get past a brain wave lie detector saying that no-one within 5 miles of this place has any idea what a psi ball is and that no one within 40 blocks would believe me if I told them.

Oh and thanks for the clarification and sorry for (not quite) de-railing the topic.