It's about that time of year, when the goblins start spooking, the wind starts howling and orange is no longer considered a tacky color. That's right, everyone, it's Halloween time. For many people around the country this means costumes of every kind, from the traditional to the outrageous, and pillowcases full of sweet treats.
But for those of us who feel the years of cutesy costumes and trick-or-treating are past, we must search elsewhere for something else to satisfy our urge for the spooks. This unearthly craving brought me to the office of Persis Newland, a spiritual consultant (i.e. psychic) at Kindred Spirits, in Claremont.
While I am usually the first to raise a critical eyebrow at the mention of so-called psychic powers, I made my appointment, bearing in mind the sense of objectivity I would need to write about my experience.
Arriving at Kindred Spirits on the afternoon of my appointment, I didn't know what to expect. While visions of Miss Cleo, crystal balls and tarot cards danced through my head, I entered the store.
Waiting for my "reader" to prepare, I browsed through books, jewelry, candles and bath products packaged like mysterious potions and solvents. I pondered what kind of questions I would ask her-did I do well on my mid-terms? What about that big paper I had just finished? And most importantly, what did my prospects look like for the coming weekend?
About ten minutes after I walked in, my consultant was ready to go, and I was led into a room a little bigger than a closet in the back of the store. The set-up wasn't exactly what I expected. There were no candles, no incense, no crystal ball. And most surprisingly, the woman seated on the other side of the small table was dressed professionally, as if she could be working in an office instead of as a reader of my future.
After sitting down, Persis introduced herself and asked for my full name and my astrological sign. I then expected some sort of call out to the spirits or some channeling into some sort of other world or dimension where she would be able to miraculously see the rest of my life. But she calmly took out a large deck of cards and told me she would be doing a Chakra Assesment, part of an ancient Hindu energy system.
After fanning out the hundred or so cards, called Crystal Ally Cards, I was instructed to pick seven of them. These seven were meant to represent the seven Chakra zones of my body and spirit (third eye, throat, high heart, heart, solar plexus, sacral and root).
Persis then proceeded to read the seven cards, telling me all about my "feminine and masculine energies," my focus, my goals and my. I have to admit that, at that point, I was still incredibly skeptical about what she was telling me. Much of what she was telling me about myself, while generally true, was also very associated with my astrological sign and were things I had repeatedly read in girly magazines and horoscopes.
However, just as I was imagining the scathing criticism I would later be writing, Persis took out a smaller deck of cards called the Universal Angel Cards and began the second level of reading.
On top of each of the seven cards still on the table, she placed three of these smaller cards, each meant to represent my past, my present and my future, respectively, within the context of the seven zones and readings represented by the larger cards. Each card had a word on it, and she used these words to weave a story of my life thus far, my present environment and state of mind, and how I should go about constructing the rest of my life.
Throughout this second tier of cards, I began to change my mind about the reading. She began to tell me things about my family that she couldn't have possibly guessed, including details of things like my parents' divorce and my relationship with my grandmother.
But the thing that really sold me was the confidence with which she stated most of these things. I tried to keep my mouth shut as much as possible so that she couldn't have any material off which to make assumptions, and she definitely came up with most of the information on her own. Or as she says, with the help of her "spiritual guidance."
After reading each of the seven sets of cards, she asked if I had any questions about everything she had just told me. I began to realize in disappointment, however, that this was not the type of psychic that I could ask direct questions about my future. She was much more interested in giving me an overall look at my personality instead of telling me what would happen to me next Tuesday or what grade I got on that paper.
As the last part of the reading, Persis did what she called a "traditional tarot card layout," where I chose ten cards from a third deck of cards. This last reading was completely disconnected from the previous cards and was meant to tell me mostly about my relationships. While I wasn't very interested in this aspect, I have a feeling most people going to a psychic want to hear about romantic prospects, so I played along.
I have to admit, much of what Persis told me about my past and present relationships was true. I was surprised at times at what she said about the people around me and my romantic past, and it did help clear my vision regarding some of the things on my mind.
For anyone looking for insight into their romantic situations, this type of reading could help. It might not be right on, but it will most likely help you sort things out.
At the very end of the session, Persis asked again if I had any questions or concerns about anything she had told me and was very receptive to my general questions regarding her methods and her thoughts on the entire practice.
I learned during my trip to Kindred Spirits that, while many psychics do practice just what the stereotype entails, there are many different types of readings and you can easily seek out what you're looking to find out about yourself and your future.
I would not say for certain that I'm a true believer of the "spiritual consultant" practice, but I'm definitely not as skeptical as I was going into the experience. I do suggest it to anyone looking for anything from exact answers about their future to just a little help in clearing their mind. Some Spiritual Consultants in the area:
Kindred Spirits
813 W. Foothill Blvd.
Claremont
(909) 626-2434
Botanica Tat Miguel
322 S Garey Ave.
Pomona
(909) 620-1245
European Psychic Reader
1485 Indian Hill Blvd.
Pomona
(909) 626-9487
Madame Nina Psychic Reader
913 N. Benson Ave.
Upland
(909) 946-6700
Sister Fay Spiritual Reader
770 E. Hold Ave.
Pomona
(909) 622-9011
