Not so long ago, visiting a psychic was reserved for the true believers. Now, everyone's getting in on the act.

Among the celebrity set, psychics are as common as their personal fitness trainers. You don't have to be Fergie or Di to be well-connected ­ at least in the spiritual sense. But you do need to know where to look.

As with all fields, there are charlatans among the ranks. It's more important than ever before to know what constitutes good advice and how to use it as a tool for self-empowerment.

Bruce Way is the author of Living Intuitively, How To Interpret a Psychic Reading and the newly released How to Develop Psychic Potential. He says there is a big difference between psychic ability and working from pure intuition ­ the ultimate goal.

"Psychic ability allows me to go outside myself and communicate with non-physical forms of intelligence, call it spirit guides or whatever," Bruce explains.

"Clairvoyance, which is psychic sight, clairsentience, which is psychic feeling, and clairaudience, which is psychic hearing, are just tools to be able to communicate with other beings that don't sit in the body.

"Intuition is within you. Depending on your spiritual overtone, intuition is that part of you that connects you to your absolute wisdom ­ dare I say, the God part of you."

He says a good psychic is merely a stepping stone to the intuitive. To function well in this world, intuition must work in harmony with intellect. "If you've got a clean sheet of paper, the intuition puts the dots on the paper which allows you to draw the picture."

Victor Voets, one of Australia's best-known astrologers and numerologists, hates the very word "psychic", which he says is often confused with someone who works with the symbolic.

"Psychic is something between rational intellect and being able to pick up thoughts and feelings," says Victor.

He has greater faith in the esoteric sciences, which he believes are less ephemeral and can provide a more thorough examination of our path in life.

"If people tell me they want a fortune-teller, I tell them to save their money. If they want to look at themselves and improve their life, I say, 'Come and see me'."

While Victor and Bruce may have different perspectives on self-empowerment, both agree that there are talented people who can help us when our vision blurs.

Follow these tips on how to get the best from your next reading

Question why you want a reading. Define the problem in your mind and determine what sort of advice you want.

Ring up three practitioners and ask them to prove over the phone why you should see them. Bruce says they should be able to do that purely by talking to you.

Personal recommendations are worthy of note. Find out where the person is and how long they have been established.

Try not to be guided by price. "There are charlatans who charge exorbitantly," says Victor.

Do they allow readings to be taped? If not, it may be a sign of their own lack of confidence.

Have a checklist of questions but don't reveal them. Ask these at the end. Bruce says a good psychic should already have covered most points.

Clarify key words. Subjective terms about beauty and wealth mean different things to people. "When I say wealthy," says Bruce. "I'm talking millions."

Beware of readers who use words such as "should" or "ought". A psychic is there to present options not to tell you what to do.

Listen to predictions with great interest then get on with your life. Most predictions, Bruce believes, tend to reinforce what you thought anyway and serve just to inspire.

Most importantly, remember that nothing is so pre-destined that you can't change it.