How to experience the psychic arts without getting scammed

By C. Moon Reed

Saturday, Oct. 19, 2019 | 2 a.m.

Perhaps you’re seeking answers to deep life questions. Maybe you want advice about a new crush or an old flame or you just want to have a little fun delving into the mysteries of the universe. There are many reasons to visit a psychic or spiritual adviser and no shame in doing so, but how do you find a good one? When baring your soul to a stranger, you’re putting yourself in a uniquely vulnerable place, so you want to be smart about it. Just this summer, a group of Las Vegans were indicted for using the pretext of psychic readings to scam a California lawyer out of $1 million. To help readers safely navigate the psychic realms, we offer this beginner’s guide:

How to find a credible reader

• Seek word-of-mouth recommendations. If you don't know someone who uses psychic services, look for reviews on sites such as Yelp and Google. Yes, psychics get reviews, too.

• Research everything. There are a ton of options for both services and practitioners, and the internet makes it easy to figure out exactly what is right for you. “Do your homework, do your due diligence,” advises Melissa Akiima Eggstaff, co-founder and director of Haven Craft, an interfaith organization and church.

• Check their license. The City of Las Vegas requires a person or establishment to obtain a license to practice the psychic arts.

• Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Whether you’re quizzing your friends about their experiences or asking the practitioner themselves, it’s OK to ask about the process, payment, expectations and more. In fact, if a practitioner refuses to answer your questions and/or makes you feel uncomfortable, that’s a sign that you may need to find somebody else. 

• It's OK to believe what you believe.

Positive things to look for

• An adviser should “help you restore your sense of agency and empowerment,” Eggstaff says. They should be helping you find a path that guides you to make gradual and sustainable improvements to your life.

• “Most issues in people’s lives aren’t resolved with a shuffling of a tarot deck, a crystal ball or snapping your fingers,” Eggstaff says. “They’re resolved one step at a time in a direction you feel comfortable walking in. If somebody else picks the direction, it doesn’t work.” 

• Eggstaff says a good counselor—whether they’re working with a tarot deck, via secular counseling or in a church—should help you on the journey you choose, and they should never imply that they can do the work for you. 

• An adviser should be upfront and honest about the scope of their practice, Eggstaff says.

Red flags to avoid

• Outrageous prices. You don’t always get what you pay for. Sometimes expensive prices are a sign that you’re being taken advantage of.

• Curses. If a person tells you that you’re cursed or haunted by an evil presence and they want you to pay to remove the curse, they’re likely hucksters.

• Unrealistic promises. It’s a cliché, but if they’re promising you something that sounds too good to be true, it probably is. For example, Eggstaff says, the opportunity for closure with a deceased relative is possible in the psychic arts, but if that closure comes with the promise of inheriting a fortune as long as you pay a fee right now … “that should ring an alarm,” she adds.

• Money scams. Eggstaff says scams involving money are common in many fields. “Anything where they’re asking you to withdraw a large sum of money should raise some red flags.”

• Violations of confidentiality. It's a bad sign if an adviser shares the details or stories of other clients, Eggstaff says. 

• Asks for too much personal information. While an adviser will need some amount of information in order to give good counsel, Eggstaff says to watch out for someone who is just trying to extract financial and personal information from you.

• Claims to control the uncontrollable. A psychic (or anybody else, for that matter) can’t make your crush love you, can’t convince a company to hire you, can’t make you famous, etc. Nobody has the power to control someone else’s free will.

• Threats. Like curses, threats are a warning sign to leave immediately. Eggstaff says to watch out for “very grand threatening statements that something terrible awaits unless you take certain steps now.” The threats can come in the form of looming disaster or evil, injury, demons or even the wrath of God.

• Cults of personality. Beware of echo chambers and yes-men, Eggstaff advises. “A lot of these professional spiritual persons—whether you’re talking about a psychic or a priest—build themselves little pyramids of power and place themselves up on top,” she says. These power structures can lead to abuse of vulnerable people.

Local resources

• Crystal Alley Emporium. Self-described “largest metaphysical store in the Las Vegas Valley,” with a variety of offerings, such as books, jewelry, incense, crystals, tarot cards and psychic readings. 2841 N. Green Valley Parkway, 702-434-7626, crystalalleyemporium.com

• Psychic Eye Book Shops. With two shops in Southern California and three in Southern Nevada, the store has been offering mystical supplies and services since 1985. Multiple locations, pebooks.com

• Enchanted Forest Reiki Center. Offers reiki sessions, psychic services, classes, yoga, meditation and a gift shop. 2280 S. Jones Blvd., 702-948-4999, enchantedforestreiki.com

• Haven Craft. A nonprofit interfaith organization and church that offers education, counseling and advocacy. It recently relocated to North Carolina but is using online programs to continue serving the Las Vegas community.havencraft.org

This story appeared in Las Vegas Weekly.