People In Crisis Turn To Psychics

TAMPA — Some people ask about their jobs — whether they’ll find one or they’ll lose the one they’ve got.

Others fret about making the mortgage or salvaging their 401(k).

“You can just see the look on their face,” says Cissy Mercer, a spiritual healer in St. Petersburg. “They’re kind of scattered and all uptight, which is normal with the economy like it is.

“They’re worried. We all are.”

So worried, they’re flocking to Mercer and other Tampa Bay area psychics and mediums for guidance that used to come from career or financial advisers.

Lisa McKown is a regular at Mercer’s shop, The Enchanted Forest. She recently went back to school to study health care administration because “that’s where the jobs are these days.”

“My main concern,” says McKown, 47, of St. Petersburg, “is the money going to be there? Is it always going to be there?”

Psychics and mediums nationwide are experiencing a boom, says Rosemary a the Celtic Lady. Founder of the American Association of Psychics k McArthur, a in Colorado, she oversees similar organizations in Canada and the United Kingdom.

Since October, her business — mostly telephone readings — has increased by 5 percent.

“People are in fear,” she says.

Instead of focusing on long-dead relatives or unfaithful lovers, customers in crisis want to know about the future of their money or whether they should hang on to their businesses.

McArthur doesn’t tell people how to spend their money — no reputable psychic does, she says — but she does try to soothe their souls, teaching them to let go of the stress and negativity and focus, instead, on what’s really important.

“I’ve become like a counselor instead of a medium,” she jokes.

That’s how Mercer, a spiritual healer, feels when she sees frazzled clients show up for readings. This time last year, their biggest concern was how to pay the Christmas bills. Now they’re facing losing everything.

“I sit them down and give them a five- to 10-minute healing to balance them out,” Mercer says. Free.

Business doubled in November for Ptah Ankh Heru, Psychic of the Ages, who also is Pamela O’Brien, ordained minister. Most of that business has been online. These days, Ptah fields as many questions about finances as she does relationships. Most go something like this: “Am I going to keep my job?” or “Is my boyfriend going to find a job?”

She doesn’t try to predict the stock market, but Ptah likes to offer a little advice for those searching for the next big thing.

“Go green,” she advises. “That’s where billions of dollars are going to be spent. Save the planet. Save us, and make some money.”

Ptah works for Psychics in the City owner Andrea Angelikoussis, whose Pinellas Park shop is booked at least a month in advance, mostly by customers new to the psychic world.

“The economy is bad, but business is not,” says the numerologist, who can be heard every Thursday morning on WMTX-FM, Mix 100.7’s “Nancy & Chris Show.” For many, it’s a need to reach out, to confide in someone, she says.

“People need to hear they’re going to be OK.”

STAY SAFE
Tough times bring out people eager to take advantage of those down on their luck. If you’re planning to visit a psychic or medium, follow this advice from the American Association of Psychics:

• Make sure the business owner has proper credentials and/or permits and licenses to practice in your city. To be a part of the Colorado-based psychic association, psychics and mediums are tested and must have credible references, says founder Rosemary McArthur.

• Never give out financial information such as bank account numbers or passwords. Be suspicious if someone tells you they can double your money. Most reputable establishments take credit cards, but be wary of handing over money orders or cashier’s checks, McArthur says.