How do I know what I am hearing is real or imagined?
The more you can step out of the Ego/personality part of yourself, by doing the various techniques to get the feeling of space and silence within you, then when you are consciously asking for information to come in you will feel the difference. The information comes in with no agenda, attachment or control over what you are receiving. You may like it or not like what you are hearing, it does not matter. Now you may also be busy doing something in your day and all of a sudden you hear a voice in you tell you information that you need to hear. It can be accompanied with a flash of knowing, or seeing images or impressions. Usually the psychic higher senses are working together.