For Psychic Lovers, the Spirits Are About to Speak

I have been to psychics in .  Does that make me crazy? Did they give me some valuable advice? Or did I just convince myself they gave me valuable advice because I paid for psychic “readings?”

Until recently, Sewickley’s “Open Mind Bookstore,” which is now closed, featured a regular stable of psychics – people who purport to have some gift of intuition.

They might attempt to predict the future. They might just try to steer you in the right direction. They might answer direct questions about whether you did the right thing, and if not, how you might perform a future course correction.

A good friend of mine once said of my visiting psychics, “John, isn’t that just cheap therapy?” Perhaps. Whatever works.  You can decide for yourself at “Spirit Fair” this Sunday at the Venue at Harmony Ridge in Ambridge. No they didn’t name the venue for the "Spirit Fair," but wouldn’t that be groovy if the spirits were all in harmony on the ridge? Or does that mean I’ve just fallen for New Age mumbo jumbo? See? There I go again, looking for answers.

My history with sayers of sooth has been up and down. When I left Tulsa, OK in 1996 to come to Pittsburgh to host the NightTalk show on PCNC, I had already been clued in that this was to be my fate. I had been a local news reporter and anchor, and two Tulsa psychics (whom I met while doing a story on psychics for the “news”) told me I would become a talk show host. Before getting the Pittsburgh interview, I scoffed. News and talk are related, but you don’t necessarily just get to jump from one to the other in broadcasting. They are similar, but far from identical skills.

One psychic told me specifically she saw tall buildings surrounded by water. At the time, I was kinda hoping for the Big Apple. But Three Rivers and the U.S. Steel building fit just fine into the narrative. Or the lucky guess.

The psychics in Sewickley have done an excellent job predicting various aspects of my personal life. Professional predictions? Not so accurate.  Maybe I need to call in the Okies.  

People will tell you not to give a prospective psychic too much information, ‘cause if they’re scammers they’ll just manipulate you with what little they know. Some use tarot cards. Some read palms (yes, really). Some just look at your aura. Or is it the lint on your lapel?

Obviously I believe some psychics have been of some benefit or I wouldn’t keep going.  Um, once in a while, that is. And my “Open Mind" buddy Phil Harris is a true believer, and so are the Western PA psychics he hires. But sincerity won’t mean beans if you don’t feel like you got some benefit.  And as you might guess (or intuit), it’s a bit of a crapshoot. 

I predict if you’re already inclined to believe,  you may attend. I predict the rest of you are chuckling at this chucklehead.  Life’s a crapshoot. Whatever works.

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For more information on the it's-almost-spring "Psychic Fair" visit the Open Mind web site or check out the event on Facebook. 

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