4 Types of Retrocognition

Backward Knowing

Aug 12, 2023

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A Past Knowing

Retrocognition, from the Latin retro meaning "backward, behind" and cognition meaning "knowing", describes "knowledge of a past event which could not have been learned or inferred by normal means". The term was coined by Frederic W. H. Myers.

I know Retrocognition as "backward knowing,” the ability to psychically pick up information about the past of a place or person, that is generally not known to the psychic.

A World-Famous Example of Retrocognition

In 1901, Annie Moberly and Eleanor Jourdain became well known for their abilities of retrocognition. Both were academic scholars and worked at a British school for women and were well-respected in their fields.

They were determined to find the location of the private chateau belonging to the ill-fated French queen, Marie Antoinette. But as they sought its location, they believed to have encountered Marie Antoinette.

Rather than coming across the deceased queen's ghost, the pair said they thought they interacted with a recollection of her past and it became one of the most notable examples of retrocognition to date.

Moberly and Jourdain wrote about their experience in the book An Adventure, published in 1911. They provided details about the queen's speech, dress, and actions. They believed the retrocognition they experienced was a memory of Antoinette's last days before her execution. The full account is published in their book, and you can access the free text here: An Adventure by Moberly and Jourdain

How Can You Use Retrocognition?

(1) Residual Ghost Phenomena.

Residual Ghost Phenomena work: An event is imprinted on the environment in some holographically psychic manner. The energy of a traumatic or often repeated event remains recorded in the environment in which they originally occurred. The psychic is able to "tune in" to the specific frequency of this residual energy and "see" it or experience it.

(2) De Ja Vu

The experience of Deja vu is considered a form of retrocognition. If you have ever walked into a room or met someone and felt like you have done that same action before, you may have experienced retrocognition.

(3) Reincarnation Memory

Young children have recounted stories of past lives in great detail, right down to the address of where they lived and what their trade was. Quite often, the child may have skills without ever being trained in that area or can report details they could not know otherwise. Their ability to know and acknowledge the past is astounding.

(4) Psychometry

When I am teaching a class on psychic development, I like to introduce the technique known as “psychometry” to the participants to use and they will always receive a response that is verifiable. Psychometry is a form of psychic divination using the sense of touch and is probably the best-known form of Retrocognition. You can receive intuitive impressions and information about an object, or anything connected to it, by touching it. The physical sense of touch then shifts into ultrasense™ (more on that later) which is the spiritual sense of feeling.

What it is:

"Psychometry is picking up or reading the energy of an object (such as keys or jewelry) by holding it in your hand. You can sense the vibrations emanating from it. The energy patterns of the object are downloaded into the reader’s subtle bodies. The memories contained in the object are accessed by the subconscious mind and raised to conscious awareness.

"The reader receives information about the history of the object. If someone had it in their possession for a long period of time, you can receive information about that person as well.

"Psychometry can be used to heighten the contact with someone’s vibration during a reading. Many readers use this method as a tool along with their main area of expertise. It also can be used in connect with others at a distance. I have successfully used this method to assist contacting the spirit of a recently departed teenager, receiving critical information for locating the body." ~~taken from Psychic Integrity, Ethics and Morals of Modern-Day Mystics

Psychometry is a term described in parapsychology as a psi (or psychic) ability. The person using psychometry is able to connect with and relate details about the past condition of an object or area, or events experienced by the person who possessed the object. The user could, for example, give police precise details about a murder or other violent crime, if they were at the crime scene, or were holding the weapon used.

a person holding a piece of crystal next to a potted plant — Photo by Dani Costelo on Unsplash

Psychometry opens the practitioner to bursts of energy and/or memories (both negative and positive) that have left imprints on an object or place. For instance, a house where a traumatic experience happened, such as a murder or suicide, may feel distinctly chilled or negative; while a favorite childhood toy or play area may feel light or positive. A place or thing may be so charged with emotions and memories that it may even seem haunted.

Since we exist in an electromagnetic programmed reality – metal objects work best. This refers to keys, jewelry, etc. However, all objects carry a frequency signature. The vibrations vary and can be recognized through psychic means. When doing psychometry, you attempt to connect your frequencies with the object in question.

The Basic Use of Psychometry

Here is a great exercise for you to practice getting a feel for what psychometry is. It’s best to start out by yourself in a quiet, light meditative state.

Put these items in a box or basket: rocks, crystals, tree bark, fabric, tissue paper, plastic, or an assortment of other inanimate objects. Everything in the universe has a vibratory rate – animate and inanimate. That is what renders its manifested form. Denser objects have slower, heavier vibrations. Thinner, softer or more porous objects have a faster or higher vibration.

Clear your mind and take an item out of the basket. Hold it in your hand and sense what it is and where it came from. The feeling you are looking for is not a tactile feeling, but a sense or impression.

Go with your first impressions. Become aware of the different vibrations, special feelings and impressions. They are very subtle at first. So, if you think you feel something, you do. Trust it and say it out loud. This exercise can be practiced at home during your meditative times.

While looking for different ways to describe psychometry, (I always like to use several ways of describing to reach everyone’s perception) I came across the term retro cognition as meaning “backward knowing”. This point fits perfectly. But of course, beside the direct events that might be recorded in the object, there are emotions, possibly other memories along with fantasy thoughts associated with it. But then, that is in everyone’s energy field and reputable readers and energy workers must sift through these things anyway. It does not dispute the fact that it still addresses past events that become known through the energetic psychometry experience.

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