8 Reasons Why We Hate Psychics

Last updated on: May 27, 2014 at 7:26 am By Lilith Dorsey

psychicadvisor — Psychic advisor photo by Somjuan. Photo cropped. Licensed under CC 2.0

You know THOSE Psychics.

We have all seen THOSE psychics.

I had one chase me around the supermarket with a broom once, but that is another story. A recent search turned up over three quarters of a million results as to “Why I hate psychics”!

Divination month is continuing here on Voodoo Universe with this list, which could either be very popular or cause some ranting. Join me as we examine why most of the time the fault lies in the person reading the stars, not within ourselves.

Weird Sells – Psychics can be strange. There is a reason that the Shamanic practitioners of yesteryear were on the edges of society. They are the fringes of the fringe. Maybe this is where magick happens, or at least where it’s easier to access. This psychic we shall refer to as MONDO BIZARRO. They may be real, or maybe not, but they are always entertaining.
The Truth- We can’t handle it. This is one of the few things on this list that rests with the seeker and not the reader. I guarantee my readings, and in 30 years I have only returned one woman’s money, and because I wanted to, not at her request. Most people however want to argue with what the cards are saying. They want to smoke the “hopium” and believe things are better, or in most cases much worse than the future holds. I’m not really sure why they get a reading to begin with, I’m calling these folks DOUBTING THOMAS.
The Unknown= Fear = Evil. Some of these “crappy” psychics make their money by instilling fear. Lisa Turner, a British psychic herself, describes this unpleasant tendency saying “the client’s free will is completely enslaved by the psychic to the extent that they can’t decide whether to have marmite or jam on their toast without a consultation.” FEAR DEARS are the names of these.
Cross My Palm, but don’t cross me. One of my priestesses likes to say “that most spiritual practitioners are crazy and they can’t really make a living anywhere else.” It is easy to see how the opportunity to take advantage of someone in need could be great. This psychic we shall call OPPORTUNIVORE.
Bad Press. The Media has capitalized on the strange and bizarre world of the psychic since it began. Over the years we have seen this repeatedly . This shall henceforth be known as MADAME SATAN, after the Hollywood film of the same name.
Jealousy- Once people start from the position that having insight about the future is impossible, of course they are going to dislike people who they believe claim differently. Haters got to Hate. Similar to number 2 above this problem is on the seeker. Try not to be a Mc HATEY like these people.
Scammed Bam No Thank You M’aam. – It has been my experience that magick in many instances is a system where the stakes increase as time goes on. A situation that only took one candle to help with in the beginning, may need two or three when you come back to the psychic table asking for more. We are all familiar with stories of psychics that told people they were horribly cursed, had to return with greater and greater sums of money until they are throwing grandma’s gold jewelry off a bridge in a classic bait and switch. I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again this is the lowest common denominator of psychic, we are not all like this. These dubious psychics bear the name SIR SCAM-A-LOT.
Psychic/psychology -Many psychic readers confuse their services with amateur psychology. Ummmm there are laws against these things. This kind of psychic is described as FREUDIAN SLIPPED.

I have been a tarot/palm/psychic reader for almost three decades. I started years before I published my first book Voodoo and Afro-Caribbean Paganism. Over the years I have done readings everywhere from a parking lot at a Grateful Dead Show to a wellness event for corporate Bloomberg. One of the most memorable events I ever attended was a launch party for a Fashionista magazine here in New York. The event was hipster fantasy. There were artistic television installations, and furry walls, and this was years before Russell Brand sang about those. The idea was to have a psychic reading room for people. I packed up my milk crate to sit on, some purple fairy lites for artistic effect, and the Psychic Readings sign I had found abandoned on the street the month before. I sat down and introduced myself to the other psychic. It quickly became clear as she explained to me she was a psychology major and readings were just a way for people to express their issues. Then she put on a tinfoil hat, literally. So beware the tinfoil hat people, we are not all insane. There are wonderful readers out there, you could get a reading from me or any of the great people I have profiled here on the blog. Read more about them in the links below and have a blessed day!

Divination Space Station with interviews from Orion Foxwood, Bernadette Montana, Dorothy Morrison, Tehron Gillis, Vinnie Russo, Taylor Ellwood, Awo Robert Ogbe Di, Raven Moon’s Oracle, and myself, Lilith Dorsey.

Divination Space Station: Tehron Gillis

Last updated on: May 22, 2014 at 7:00 am By Lilith Dorsey

Tehron Gillis is a Westchester based slam poet and writer, a voodoo initiate and rootworker. Practicing magic and tarot for over a decade, Tehron works towards exploring LGBTQ and ethnic themes in the craft. We are honored to feature his thoughts on divination.

When did you start divining? With what method?

I started doing divination when I was 14 years old; it was with the Vampire Tarot deck my sister Amanda got me.

What method do you use most often now?

I use the New Orleans Voodoo Tarot deck now. By combining tarot with numerology spreads I do my best to arrive at accurate answer to my clients question. So if someone asks me a question I would draw as many cards that correspond to the nature of the question as based on the Lwa/Orisha that rule that domain or place on Quabbalist tree of life. I’ll then listen out for any ancestral spirits that want to communicate to their descendants.

How important is the choice/phrasing of the question?

I think the question is very important. If there is a reason that you come to a diviner its probably front of mind and urgent to you. Its highly unlikely that a client will be able to fully use any other information I have to give you. I also do not assume to know what is best for you. If you think your love life is the most important thing, I would find it condescending to tell you about your finances. Inevitably these things will come to light if they are dire… but first things first: What do you want to know?

Do you have a yes/no method of divining you recommend?

I use I ching coins for yes/no with yang being yes and yin being know. I also use Crowley’s tarot yes/no, and a pendulum.

Native American Tarot Queen photo by Lilith Dorsey

Is there any advice you have for newcomers when using divination?

Keep the little white booklet! I know, I hear readers screaming all over the blogosphere but hear me out. We would like to believe that interpreting tarot, runes, and other oracles is a purely intuitive process. There is an idea that this little booklet is counter conducive to reading because it offers preconceived, prepackaged meanings to our oracles and makes it somehow less authentic. But we cannot divorce our intuition from our intellect no more than we can live without either brain or heart. The images and symbols we interpret are filtered through a lifetime of socio-psychological experiences that influence everything that we do. We are little white booklets and our mediums, our oracles are a way to communicate to others. By reading the little white booklet you don’t only gain knowledge on the oracle but also how other people, namely the creator and sometimes artist, view it. This is especially useful in developing your oracle as universal tool for understanding other ways of life. It would behoove the novice to ingest as much literature on their oracle, learn its history, see where its been. Just don’t stop there, sleep with your oracle(for at least three nights) and individual cards or runes or whatever, record your dreams, meditate with them. Become familiar with them and most importantly have fun!

Divination Space Station: Vinnie Russo

Last updated on: May 2, 2014 at 8:41 pm By Lilith Dorsey

May is already shaping up to be Divination month here on the Voodoo Universe blog, and let me say I see good things. Divination it’s in the cards, the stones, the bones, the future. Today we feature a dear friend of mine,a very wise practitioner, and accomplished reader, Vinnie Russo.

Vinnie Russo has been reading Tarot for over 25 years and is the owner of “Arsenic & Old Lace”. He is an elder is several Traditions of modern Witchcraft and is active in several local and national Pagan organizations through which he holds legal clergy credentials. Vinnie lives in the Boston area where he runs two magical groups – the Sheaves of Demeter which is a coven in the Chthonioi-Alexandrian Tradition of Witchcraft and Congrega Rosa d’Oro which is focused on Italic/Sicilian-American Craft. He is personally interested in the development of nature contacts, such as those forces typified by the spirits and minor divinities of Greek and Italian mythology – specifically, Lare, Lasa, and Manes/Ancestors.

When did you start divining?

1984. That’s when I started to study divination systems in earnest. Before that, I trusted my intuition and often had dreams but I had not tried to develop a specific divination skill until that point.

With what method?

The three main methods of divination that I use are scrying, dream techniques, and Tarot. The first is scrying which is the conscious and unconscious recognition of patterns and determining their mundane meaning as applies to the question or situation – such as gazing into fire, pool of water, or clouds. The second what the ancient Greeks called Dream Incubation – which is a type of dreaming trance that uses a collection of techniques. The aim is to dream about issues or topic of personal importance. This allowing my subconscious to work on an issue or topic and reveal them in vivid dreams when appropriate. Oracular or prophetic dreaming, if you will. The third method of divination that I use is the Tarot and that is the one that I use most often with my clients. I prefer the Tarot as a form of divination when I work with clients because it can be such a versatile tool. The Tarot can help clarify situations as well as get a look into the currents that are in motion and what can be done to influence them.

What method do you use most often now?

I most often use Tarot. It’s quick and although the Tarot speaks in symbols, it can get directly to the point.

How important is the question?

I’ve found that “the better thought-out the question, the more accurate the answer”. When I have a client, I spend a bit of time with them helping them to craft a question that truly reflects what they want or need to know. Often, a client will initially think that they want to know one thing but after careful reflection they realize that they really need to know something else. Sometimes when doing a reading for a client, I will get an answer to the question that they “should have” asked rather than the question that they did ask.

Do you have a yes/no method of divining you recommend?

When working with the Tarot, a Yes/No question can often be overly simplistic. The question, “Will I get the job?” is a good example. The candidate that is going to be chosen is most likely going to be the one that was best prepared and was best presented. A better question might be, “What can I do to swing the odds in my favor to become the selected candidate?” However, when a Yes/No answer is needed and/or appropriate I do have a system that I use. After asking on the question and focusing on as definitive an outcome as possible, I simply throw 3 card. Depending on the positive/negative association of the 3 cards, it indicates the Yes or No: Yes = 3 positive; No = 3 negative. If you want to take it a tad further when the cards are mixed positive and negative, then: Yes-but = 2 positive and 1 negative; No-but = 2 negative and 1 positive.

Is there any advice you have for newcomers when using divination?

First, although it is important to trust your intuition, make sure that you are starting from a solid basis. In other words, find out what system of divination works best with your personality and skills. Then, research it. Learn at least one, or two, or three ways to use the system and learn them well. Once you know the basics of a divination system, then you can modify it to be more personalized. When I started learning the tarot, I was lucky enough to have 2 very skilled teachers. The advice that they gave me was to choose several recommended authors with differing systems and experiment to see which one(s) resonated with my skills and outlook. I studied the traditional meaning of the card as well as the symbolic meanings on specific decks that I use when doing readings. From there, I developed my own system that is part way between traditional Tarot and a type of scrying into the pictures of the cards.

The second piece of advice is that when learning a new system, it is incredibly valuable to keep a record of your progress. Review your hits as well as your misses. Both can be helpful in building your confidence in how a system traditionally works and how you can work with the system.

Finally, don’t get discouraged. Practice, practice, practice. Very few people are an expert right away when they pick up any new skill.

The Return of Ms. Cleo, Mambo Priestess ?

Last updated on: May 1, 2014 at 9:40 am By Lilith Dorsey

“Call me now ….”

Ms Cleo was the face and more memorably the voice of psychic readings in the late 90’s. My friends and I are still known to respectfully mimic her classic patois. Vice yesterday published an interview with the divine Ms herself. It’s very entertaining and I suggest everyone read it for themselves.

Ms. Cleo talks about being raised in the tradition of Obeah (the Jamaican based variation of Voodoo,) and her initiation and study up to become a Mambo priestess. She tells of being a playwright. Surprisingly she even gives her side of the legal troubles surrounding the Psychic Readers Network which was charged with deceptive advertising and billing by the Federal Trade Commission in 2002. The Director of the commission at the time said “ you don’t need a crystal ball to know that the FTC will continue to stop unfair and deceptive trade practices.” Ms. Cleo however says she was only paid $1,750 for the first infomercial, despite the company’s huge success. She has suffered a lot of bad press, but luckily for us she is present in the new documentary Hotline. It’s an official selection at this year’s Hot Docs. The documentary examines sex lines, psychic lines, suicide hotlines, and even prayer lines, and what it means to be on the phone in these ways.

Watch the trailer and Ms. Cleo if you’re reading this… Call me now, I’d love to interview you here on Voodoo Universe 🙂

Divination Space Station: Bernadette Montana

Last updated on: March 26, 2014 at 7:02 am By Lilith Dorsey

Bernadettealone — Bernadette Montana. Copyright 2014 all rights reserved.

Women’s History month is still upon us, so I figured I would take this opportunity to spotlight a great woman and a great friend. Bernadette Montana has over 25 years in teaching and practicing Wicca, the Tarot and Native American practices. She considers herself a progressive witch under Janet Farrar and Gavin Bone. She is a 3rd degree High priestess in the Alexandrian tradition, an ordained Interfaith minister, a tribal member and pipe carrier of the Sun Bear tribe (an all nations tribe) , and a tribal member of the Baramaya tribe (Taino bloodline).Bernadette Montana is also the proprietor of Brid’s Closet, located at 296 Main St., Cornwall, NY 12528

When did you start divining?

I started in the late 80’s. My own Grandmother read the Spanish cards and would read for my mom!

With what method?

I started with the Rider Waite tarot deck.

What method do you use most often now?

My preferred method has always been with the tarot. It really resonates with me. I sometimes think of the tarot as a doorway. Once that doorway has opened all sorts of information comes in! I have also branched out into mediumship, pendulum (love this method), Lenormand oracle decks and tea leaves (Which the author Judika Illes taught me)

How important is the question?

Extremely! I work with the tarot in 2 ways. I ask the client if they would like a “cold” reading or if they would like to ask the question beforehand. It’s up to them. The cards can have many different meanings! It all depends upon your intuition or the question being asked.

Do you have a yes/no method of divining you recommend?

For Yes or No questions? I use my pendulum.

Lilith Dorsey and Bernadette Montana at NY Pagan Pride 2013.

Is there any advice you have for newcomers when using divination?

Give yourself plenty of time to learn “your” deck. Make sure that you pick a deck that really resonates with you! The artwork is important. I guess that takes care of the fallacy in which a deck must be given to you. That you should never purchase a deck! If the artwork does not call to you-then how can you come to understand what the symbols mean?

I would also take the time to understand the symbols on your deck. For instance-The Rider Waite-Smith deck has a lot of Judeo Christian symbols in it. It would help to do some research into it. Keeping a journal is another great and helpful way to keep track of your experiences with the tarot and of course, the readings that you have completed.

For more information about Brid’s Closet and their upcoming amazing 7th Annual Beltane/Spring Festival- I’ll be there offering a Voodoo workshop, please Check out their website

To explore more from the Voodoo Universe’s Divination Space Station See the following Stops Below:

Divination Space Station Orion Foxwood

Divination Space Station Lilith Dorsey

Divination Space Station Raven Moon’s Oracle

Divination Space Station Awo Robert Ogbe Di

Divination Space Station Dorothy Morrison

Why This Copper-Skinned Woman Hates Black History Month.

Last updated on: February 9, 2014 at 9:10 am By Lilith Dorsey

cornbrdcollards — Black History Month at wj table photo by DC Kitchen. Text added. Licensed under CC 2.0.

Why do I hate Black History Month, you ask? Because every damn day should be Black History Month. At least this should be the case for the African-Americans out there and all thinking people who seek to better understand the truth. Think about it for a minute, slavery put an unholy toll on the recording of these stories in the first place, and then more problems are added to the mix with the …

Commodification: Money, Money, Money, Money.

We sell everything these days love, religion, health, you name it. As an African-American author, filmmaker and individual, the concept of Black History Month does fill me with a bit of dread. There will be a saccharin concern for all things Afro-centric and I hope I make the dubious list. I started writing on African traditional religions over two decades ago, so my daughters would have something positive to help make them feel proud. Today I am still faced with challenges. People, of every race, tell me “ religion isn’t real,” “Voodoo is evil,” “ Well, at least you don’t practice Santeria,” and as always I am left scratching my head. Voodoo is big business, not just spells, but doughnuts and music too, and I hear more cash registers ringing and fewer souls singing everyday.

White Walkers

I saw someone’s status the other day and it was simply “It’s Black History month, beware the White Walkers.” I have not stopped smirking. Now I am a regular viewer of Fox News, only because that makes me smirk too, and they other day they featured a talking middle class Caucasian head telling me how great Black history month is. You can see why the “White Walker” analogy is funny, cause it’s true.

Misdirection

oprahxhibit — Oprah Winfrey Black History Report photo by Clotee Allochuku. photo cropped. Licensed under CC 2.0

We hear far too little about the lesser known parts of Black history. Obviously I am going to get on my soapbox here about Voodoo and other African Traditional Religions. The mighty Oprah Winfrey can put Zora Neale Hurston on the book club winter reading list, but when was the last time you heard someone mention her initiations as a New Orleans Voodoo and Haitian Vodou Priestess? The masses can be prompted to read Their Eyes Were Watching God, because that is literally the fiction we want to present. I don’t hate President Barack Obama, I just don’t know why there were scandalous rumors that his mother in law practiced Santeria. The Daily Democrat called them “the worst Obama slurs yet.” Don’t we have religious freedom in this country? I don’t know if she does or not, but it should be 100 percent ok for her to practice whatever religion she chooses.

blkhistoryfly — Black History Month discussion photo by Ben Ostrowsky. Licensed under CC 2.0

We also hear far too little about the struggles of today. I have nothing against the phenomenal work of Dr. King or Rosa Parks, but frankly I see the modern shadows of Rosa Parks walking down the streets of the inner city every day. Those all to real shadows are most likely is dealing with the fact that they just had their food stamp benefits cut, and have to cope with substandard medical care and housing, because that is the reality for many folks today.

Marginalism

There is funding once a year, there is a small spotlight once a year, there is a bit of renewed glory once a year and for that I am grateful. But I don’t know about you, I am a bit tired of being served crumbs. A recent article by Louisiana Weekly quotes Evan Narcisse as saying “The notions that we as a people can be neatly packaged in one month of the year and that non-Blacks are only interested in our culture for 28 (29, if it’s a leap year) out of 365 days riles me.”

Fried Chicken and Watermelon

Now, there is nothing wrong with fried chicken and watermelon. I have been making a running joke about how chicken kept coming to the fore in the recent season of American Horror Story:Coven. Then there is the very recent controversy over the California’s Carondelet High School for Girls, that choose to put Watermelon, fried chicken and cornbread on their Black history month school menu. In 2014 however, that is not the image we wish to present. As it says in the commercial for my cookbook “No fried chicken in here.”

I know these words are going to attract their own special brand of haters, mainly kooks from all walks of life who won’t take the time to digest these words, but I’m writing them anyway. I’m too old to hold my tongue. Many years ago Howard Stern called me “a pleasing Octaroon” so I guess it’s high “Yellow” time I got called a not so pleasing one. As far as Black History Month is concerned I will struggle on searching to find continued hope, a promise for future, maybe even open-mindedness for all…there are as many experiences as there are people and each moment brings new opportunity.

Divination Space Station: Orion Foxwood

Last updated on: January 27, 2014 at 8:40 pm By Lilith Dorsey

Voodoo Universe is very honored and proud to present the current installment of Divination Space Station with Orion Foxwood. Orion has been a friend for many years and is famous for being an author, witch , conjure-man, and faery seer. Orion Foxwood is the author of “ The Faery Teachings”(RJ Stewart Books), “ The Tree of Enchantments” , and “ The Candle and the Crossroads’(Wiser Books), a DVD set (Pendraig Publications) called “Intro to Faery Seership” and a DVD called “An Introduction to Southern Conjure” (Pendraig Publications). He was born in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia where he was first exposed to faith-healing, root-doctoring, and second sight practices of southern and Appalachian culture and has continued learning and teaching southern conjure and spirit-doctoring practices. He is the founder of House of Brigh Faery Seership Institute, a co-founder of Conjure Crossroads which hosts the annual Folk Magic Festival in New Orleans, and the founding Elder of Foxwood Temple, a coven dedicated to passing on the traditional witchcraft of his Elders. He lectures throughout the USA and Locations in the U.K. teaching southern conjure and Faery Seership with his spirit-wife Brigh. His website is Orionfoxwood.com and he can be reached on Facebook at Orion Foxwood.

When did you start divining?

In 1985.

With what method?

My first divinatory tool was the Norse runes, which I read for nearly 10 years. I wanted to read the Tarot, but they were just too busy for the way my inner spirit works. Though I loved their beauty. I have been considering picking them up and trying now.

What method do you use most often now?

I use a method that I developed in partnership with my spirit wife in the Faery Seership tradition. They are called the “Vision Keys”. They are nine symbols carved on deer antler (because the deer is the Faery stag, and thus a messenger), which, after specific prayers are stated, I cast onto a reading cloth with three circles representing the under/ inner world, surface/ physical world and the upper/ transcendent world. I am the “human” originator of this system but will be teaching it to my Seership students in the near future.

How important is the question?

It is secondary to the throw. I usually recommend that we let the Vision Keys and the Spirit/ Spirits speak about what they want the person you are reading to know first. Then, after I have read, I ask them their questions. Usually, the throw answers their questions…or at least the ones they “should have asked”.

Do you have a yes/no method of divining you recommend?

Yes, I have two methods. I use a pendulum that belonged to my sister, who is an ancestor now and the person who introduced me to witchcraft. I also use four mercury head dimes (which is used in my conjure practices)

mercurydime — One Dime by Eric Golub. Licensed under CC 2.0

which were made in 1934, which is the birth date of my mother. My mother is significant in this read because she passed on the veil to me which gave me the second sight. I throw the coins after I have used a specific charm and then read the head/ tail patterns.

Is there any advice you have for newcomers when using divination?

Yes, work with your tool until it becomes like a dance partner. You begin to know its subtle moves and it works through yours. Always cleanse the tools and space before and after each reading and be sure to bless them through the spirit of some higher power (angelic, deific, ancestral, faery, orisa, loa or other). When you read, it is not only your psychic and intuitive gifts being employed, it is your ability to hear the subtle whisper of your helpful spirits, the spirits of the person you are reading, and the spiritual pattern of what is being read.