Dylan came to me with a pile of financial concerns. Would he keep his job? Would he have to sell some of his rental properties to stay afloat? Would he be able to afford the alimony payments to his three wives – and was he going to have to consider making payments to a fourth?

I centred myself and concentrated on his energy. After a few moments, I told him I felt his employment situation was stable, he would keep all his rental properties, his wives would all remarry within a month of each other and his alimony concerns would fly out the door.

"Great!" he exclaimed. "That’s just what I was hoping for!"

Well, six month later, Dylan emailed me to tell me how wrong I’d been. He’d been downsized to a position that paid less money, and he had to sell two apartment buildings because a couple ex-wives took him to court for more money. And the only thing that flew out the door was wife number four. (Though he did confide he had an eye on a potential number five.)

I told him I was sorry things had turned out they did. And then I spent the rest of the afternoon moping because I hadn’t been able to help Dylan. Why had I gotten the reading so wrong?

I came up with three reasons why readings may not turn out as forecasted:

1. Our freedom of choice to follow or disregard any advice we get. Before each reading, I always tell clients, "A reading is only as good as the moment it’s given." That’s because what I intuit can change, because you have the freedom to live your life as you see fit. For example, I may intuit the possibility of disease, but if that person decides to change her diet and begin exercising, that person may not get seriously ill. In these instances, I’m always happy to learn my first feeling was incorrect.

2. Sometimes, things in life are outside our control. I’m always reminded of the story of the very credible medium (I can vouch for him) who gave a very thorough reading to a client, who was then killed in an automobile accident on the way home. When he learned of what had happened, he was stunned: "I never saw that!" he said, dazed.

3. People want to believe something so badly, they project those beliefs into their aura. I wonder if this was Dylan’s case – he wanted to manifest positive outcomes so strongly, I mistakenly read them as if they were his truth. Think of it this way: Lie detector tests can be fooled by people who actually believe something false is true. For example, ask them if they can fly and if they believe it, they’ll answer yes and believe it so strongly, the lie detector will read the answer as truth.

Perhaps Dylan’s desires were projected so strongly, they coloured his – and my – ability to see truth.

Plus, there’s a reason many in my field call readings a "psychic art" because it’s an inexact science. Just remember this – a reading is a tool you can use to examine your life’s possibilities. It’s not an end-all 100 percent declaration that tells you how to live your life!