By Anna Kanaley:
Seven years from now, after I finally get my doctorate at the age of 22, it will be time to settle down and spend time with my new husband. After meeting at a local Starbucks and instantly falling in love with his emerald green eyes, my tall, olive-skinned husband and I will be standing at the altar in some tropical place.
At least, that’s what the psychic in Westport told me.
Before seeing a psychic for the first time, I believed anything was possible, whether it was magic or love at first sight. When I was given the opportunity to experience this “magic,” I was excited to hear about how my life might turn out.
Squished right in between a gas station and a liquor store across the street from a strip mall, the establishment wasn’t super inviting. We lingered outside until we saw the psychic waiting in the doorway for us to come in. The minute I stepped inside, an overwhelming waft of incense hit me, and a small, yappy chihuahua jumped at my feet. All I could think was, what have I gotten myself into?
The psychic herself seemed bizarre. There isn’t another word to describe her peculiar nature – she was oddly quiet, and at some points, rather creepy. I would sooner call her psycho than psychic. I noticed a Louis Vuitton bag and a white Jeep Grand Cherokee parked out front, and for a $25 reading, I began to think maybe this psychic was legitimate. She later told us that this had been her profession for over 40 years, so she obviously had experience in this field.
To start, the psychic asked Reser and I to state our full names and dates of birth. I found this hypocritical, considering she never even gave us her name. Then, she went on to tell me about my future.
At one point she told me I gave her a “lavender vibe” and should always buy lavender-scented candles, but that may have something to do with me wearing a purple shirt.
She said in my future I would have lower-back problems due to something with calcium, and then glanced over at Reser and told him his health would be, and I quote, “fine.” As I later researched, women are much more susceptible to bone-related diseases like osteoporosis than men. This seemed more of a generalization than a prediction, making me lose faith in the chance that she was truly psychic.
The psychic had a strong feeling that I must stay true to God and have faith in him. Considering I’m agnostic and a strong believer in science, I find this pretty ironic and it made me doubt her even more.
She didn’t give me any insight into if that cutie in my French class has been thinking about me too, and she made me question the magic I once believed in, but it was still fun to see what a “professional” had to say about my future. However, she still told me almost the opposite of what I expect my life to turn out like, so I won’t be putting my faith in her predictions.
By Reser Hall:
Going to a psychic for the first time is a rattling experience. You walk in and see all the tools of the trade: a bunch of creepy little knick-knacks, a crystal ball and a weird little dog. The psychic was really kooky from the moment we walked into the shop until the moment that we left. I typically stay away from voodoo-esque places because they freak me out. In general, psychics tell you what you want to hear. It’s that simple.
The psychic welcomed Anna and I into the odd place graciously and began to give us our readings while we sat on a worn-out couch. I was way out of my element. I mean how would she be able to know how many children I would have in the future or if I would have good health later in life? Psychics don’t speak the truth and are a scam. Twenty five dollars for a reading about what will happen twenty years down the road. By the time those 20 years pass, I will have long forgotten my trip to the psychic and that $25 will have been wasted. My beliefs that psychic readings were a bunch of nonsense were confirmed after my recent visit into the world of paranormalcy.
Some of the things that the psychic said sounded pleasant and were things that I would look forward to in the future. However, they all were so blatantly generic. The psychic, who I never learned the name of, started speaking in rapid dialogue just blurting out predictions.
One after another in rapid succession, she told me that I would be very successful by the time I turned 40. She also said that I would be married once and have three kids. After hearing the first two, I was waiting for the bomb to be dropped on me: I was waiting for the “when will you die,” “how will I die” and “what is going to be bad about my life in the future.” Those moments never came. It was all positives and no negatives, which is simply false. Not one person gets through life with no flaws. During all of the readings, I had no idea how to respond to anything she said. I was caught between just saying “OK” over and over again and staring at her with a sly smile on my face. After hearing all of the good things that lie in ahead of me in life, how could I not smile?
Another thing she said was that I would have two houses in two different places. While all of the readings sound good, you think of general goals of aspiring teenagers. Having two houses would definitely be on the bucket list for most. This so called “science” is not much more than making preposterous statements that are attainable, but also very far-fetched.
One of the funnier things I vividly remember is that you get one question to ask the psychic. First, Anna asked where she will meet her husband. The psychic responds quickly with “in a coffee shop” or “a bookstore.” It takes me awhile to think, because this is an important question.
Because I couldn’t think of anything else to ask in the moment I ended up asking what field will I work in straight out of college. Instead of giving me an answer, she counters with a question. “What field do you want to work in?” I was shocked by this and responded with business. She comes back with, and I quote, “then you will do that.” My one question that I got to ask her was basically answered by myself.
Going to a psychic verified my beliefs that it is a bunch of mullarky, especially when my question was answered by myself. Don’t get me wrong, it was very interesting to go and experience, but is definitely not somewhere to go if you are looking to learn about your future. It should only be experienced by a few friends looking for something to do.