Psychics quizzed on economy

Psychics quizzed on economy
March 19, 2009
By Marti Maguire
The News and Observer

Forget about love.

As the Dow has declined, so has amorous interest among patrons of area psychics. What has replaced it? A dogged focus on cash.

"They want to know if they should take their money out of the stock market or if they should get out of a business or stay with a business," said Rachel Johnson of the Psychic Studio in Raleigh. "People are coming asking if I can do a spell to help their finances."
Psychic Debate

The industry built around foretelling people's futures has gotten a boost from the slowing economy, some psychics report.

But the scientific community claims to have refuted the idea that such paranormal abilities exist.

Last January, researchers at Harvard University published what they claimed to be the "strongest evidence yet obtained against the existence of paranormal mental phenomena."

The researchers used functional magnetic resonance imaging to detect changes to the brain caused by paranormal activity.

They found none.

Johnson says she can read the future in the palm of a patron's hand or with the flip of a tarot card.

She does not cast spells.

Such confusion about her abilities may stem from another recent development -- a wave of newcomers seeking out her services.

Business had been up for a few years but hit a fever pitch late last year, said Johnson, who has told fortunes for 18 years, following in the footsteps of her mother. Their business includes another mother-daughter psychic team in Smithfield who are their relatives.

The stock market is a major point of patron concern, though many also ask when they'll find jobs. Romance has been the big loser, she and other psychics said.

"People don't ask about their relationships so much anymore," said Sophia Todd, a fourth-generation psychic who has seen a modest bump in business at her two Durham locations.

She's seen a surprising increase in the number of business owners who come to her hoping to catch a glimpse of future profits -- or losses -- for their enterprises. To help them, she finds herself spending a lot of time reading the money line on her clients' right index finger for signs of future wealth.

Why no lottery numbers?

She doesn't boast much skill in predicting the ebb and flow of financial markets -- she says her psychic abilities apply to people, not intangibles like the stock market. It's a distinction that answers a common question posed by critics of psychics: Why can't they predict lottery numbers?

"If I could do those things," Todd said, "I wouldn't have to work at all."

But quick fixes are a big lure for people seeking a way out of financial distress, leading some to seek out help from lesser lights.

Rosemary McArthur, the Colorado-based founder of the American Association of Psychics, said many of her members are reporting an increased interest in their services. But, she said, the hard times have also buoyed the popularity of psychic hot lines that don't compare in quality to the psychics who register with her group.

"People are vulnerable, and they're easily taken in by people who tell them what they want to hear," said McArthur, whose moniker is "The Celtic Lady."

Cheryl Anne McGill is an association member who fields calls from around the globe at her home base near Asheville and hosts a radio show.

McGill said some of her regular customers have cut back on their readings as finances get tight -- hourlong readings reduced to half-hour ones. Some who started with shorter sessions have dropped out entirely. But the downturn has also brought in a steady flow of new customers.

Patrons fear the future

She does the reading before they ask any questions and often finds financial issues troubling them.

"About once a day I am reading for people who just lost their job or will be losing their job shortly," said McGill, who noted the trend started just before the November elections. "They are very fearful of what the future will bring for them."

The woes span the globe and cross class lines.

"I read for very wealthy individuals who have lost a lot of money in the stock market and for people who have circled around their whole lives waiting for their next paycheck," she said.

McGill said her callers rarely ask for specific advice on money. McArthur gets more detailed questions but said she tries to keep her guidance general when it comes to a client's economic choices. She's also doing her part to boost consumer confidence by trying to free her clients from the gloom of economic news.

"I always tell people don't buy into the negativity," she said. "By thinking positive, you draw abundance to you."
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