This week’s task definitely took me outside the comfort zone. To say I don’t believe in external forces/powers is an understatement. I’m a complete Atheist, in fact here’s a list of things I don’t believe in:

– God/Religious beings
– Being able to see in the future/past
– Karma
– Having a gut ‘feeling’ something will happen
– Couples that are ‘meant to be’
– Ghosts
– A sixth sense
– Fate
– Santa Claus

….You get the idea.

If you had asked me my opinion on psychic’s before the task, I would of told you they are a complete fraud. Part of me still believes this.

Jan was the lady that gave me her reading at her house. She was very kind and welcoming. Her flat was small and had a lovely relaxing aroma as soon as you walked in. She took me to to her dining room and asked me to sit down. “Is this your first time darling”… it was. She explained there is nothing to worry about, and all I needed to do is say yes or no to her questions, to help her with the reading.

She gave me the pack of tarot cards and asked me to shuffle them, then pick 5 cards. She also wanted a piece of my jewellery to help her with the reading. I handed over my bracelet and the cards, and she put them in between 3 rocks that were on the table. I have no idea what relevance the rocks were meant to have. Perhaps they were there for show.

She started almost hugging my bracelet and stroking it up and down throughout the reading, with her eyes closed. She asked what I would like her to talk about… I had no idea really, I was very sceptical, so I just mentioned “Career”. She quickly went on to say how I worked hard and she could feel I’m exhausted when I’m finished. Easy win for her, considering I was in my work clothes and could probably tell from the bags on my face I was exhausted.

The reading went on and got more and more personal, including my love life. To her credit, she was getting a lot of things right. It’s very clever how my yes or no answers lead her to getting my life pretty much correct. A few things resonated with me:

– You have a close knit family
– You find it hard to let your guard down
– You’re big on trust and honesty
– You’ll be successful in your career

She was wrong on how I spend my money and she was insistent on a woman from the heavens coming through, before after a few no’s she decided a man was coming through, which we eventually agreed was my Granddad.

I’ll be honest, the reading made me feel good. She was telling me things that not only were right (eventually) but she’d often say things that I’d want to hear. Who doesn’t want to hear that your family is close and loving, that you’ll be successful, that your granddad is proud of you and that you’ll find love in September.

She also said I was a psychic, and that I can see in the future. “You know what you want darling, and you won’t settle for anything less. You’re a psychic you are darling”… She must have called me darling about 50 times over the 20 minute reading, which actually became quite endearing. Maybe she started calling me a psychic to try and get me on side and start believing, not a bad tactic.

Only at the end did she show me my cards, and they all had relevance to what she was saying, apart from “There will be a new addition to your family”… She decided that this would be either the love that I may find in July as she said or perhaps could be my sister.

Not for a second do I think she was psychic, could see my granddad or even know I was tired from work. She obviously started with vague statements and read my body language and reactions until she was right, and again, credit where credit is due, she was pretty much right.

However, what I did take from this is the feeling of positivity that I felt afterwards, which I could only assume would be heightened for other people. I no longer felt the feeling that psychics are a complete fraud etc. If it makes feel people feel good about themselves, why not let them do it? We all need a boost now and then, and if this gives it too people, then so be it.

To top of the whole session, after I had paid the money, she told me that all the money she raises from the readings, she donates to a brain disease charity that her husband had previously passed away from. A nice touch to end the session, which I actually kind of enjoyed.