Gazing into the future

For some people, a visit to a psychic has become a Halloween tradition

Halloween is a strange time of year.

Children dress in costume, frolicking from door to door to beg for candy from strangers; adults replace the figurative social mask worn on a daily basis with the literal mask of a character to party the night away; and topics that often make people uncomfortable for the other 364 days of the year suddenly don't seem so taboo.

For many, the thought of going to a medium or a psychic for a glimpse of the future is just another way to celebrate Halloween.

College student Kelly Bliss is a fan of the occasional reading.

"It's all in good fun," Bliss said. "You go and listen to what the psychic says, but you don't base life decisions on it or anything. It's not evil or satanic ... no more than Halloween itself. It is what you make it. It's neat to see what things they hit on and when they're way off. But either way, as long as the subject can understand that it's a form of entertainment, it's all good."

Whether its tarot card reading, connecting with a loved one who has passed on or discussing past lives, Bliss believes that it's all in the spirit of the season.

"I was once told that in a former life, I was an Egyptian princess," Bliss said. "How cool is that?"

Stores such as Spring Valley's Psychic Castles, 4598 Spring Mountain Road, specialize in the New Age lifestyle, offer readings and a full stock of books, charms, trinkets and candles designed to enlighten the spirit and mind.

Psychic Randy has been working as a tarot card reader at the store since the beginning of the year and says that the cards don't lie.

"A lot of times, it's a conformation of what someone is already feeling," he said. "People often come to get a reading when they're in a difficult place in their lives and they need some direction."

According to Randy, tarot card readings, like most psychic related events, are related to energy.

"We all have energy that we can't see, but it emanates off of us," he said. "That is what helps us to do an accurate reading."

Psychic Barbara is the owner of Psychic Awakenings, 8975 S. Eastern Ave., and said she has had the ability to see the future for as long as she can remember.

"It was really hard as a teenager because I started to think that I was crazy," she said. "But I began to keep journals about the things that I saw, and as they happened, I would check them off to prove to myself that I really was predicting these things."

Barbara can read tarot, but prefers to use her "gift" when speaking with clients.

"A lot of people come here to prove me wrong or prove that I'm a phony," she said. "But they can't. I've had people come back to me and say, 'I was wrong. It happened just the way you said.' "

For people like Bliss, the authenticity of the reading is secondary.

"For me, it's a Halloween pastime," Bliss said. "Some people take life too seriously."