@Faustus wrote a post about a similar topic that I recommend reading:
Not necessarily about hallucinations vs. communication, but some of his theories could be applied in a scenario like this too to “prove out” things.
As for hallucination vs. the real deal, this was a big challenge for me in the beginning, and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t still struggle with this sometimes.
A real entity will “feel” different. Some thought forms that I dealt with in my early days would be super easy to talk to and have “all the answers” but nothing I could prove out. But they just didn’t “feel” right. They were either too heavy or too fluid and free-roaming. (Edited because I realize this paragraph made 0 sense.) Dropping the mind is super important to a true experience (but just my opinion), Faustus also wrote a great article on that as well.
I try to “ping” entities to get an idea of what their energy feels like before I focus too much. Though, even sometimes I’m not convinced. It’s all a matter of practice in my opinion. There’s also a little bit of intuition at play.
@aBetterHuman poses some really good points that I have to agree with. Also, the fact you make toys is absolutely the most fascinating thing I’ve ever heard about a person.
Overthinking is my kryptonite/poison of choice.