Mystic Parties

Most of my Tarot readings were done either through psychic fairs (select "Travelling Show" from the menu) or through "Mystic Parties".

Parties were always fun to do. As the name implies they were an entertainment and most people put on a feast for their friends which we shared as we explored things like healing, divining rods, pendulums, and how to see auras. There was no time limit and I often stayed quite a long time.

I won't write about pendulums. Many people swear by them but apart from the curiosity factor they were never very convincing. Divining rods, on the other hand, are fascinating.

You can make divining rods from a pair of wire coat hangers. Just cut them to a convenient length and bend them into an L-shape. All you need now is a pair of metal tubes, or even a couple of old ball-point pen cases, so that you can insert the short end. This allows you to hold the rods while still allowing them to rotate freely. Once you do that you need to speak to them as though they were an intelligent entity and watch what happens.

Does that sound silly? If you think so you have lots of company but, until you try it, don't be too hasty.

Using divining rods at parties got predictable reactions. I'd demonstrate briefly then ask who thought I was faking it. There was always at least one person and they always got to use the rods next. Sometimes their surprise at seeing the things spin in their own hands was comical.
One night an engineer, who had been dragged along to the party by his lady, made his feelings known but showed he was willing to get into the spirit of the thing. "What will I ask?" he said.
"Ask it who's going to have the next baby," said his friend. He did, and the rods acted individually—one swung to point at him, the other at her. He looked astonished then grinned, took her by the hand and said, "Let's get started now."

Divining rods can also be used to measure the width of a person's aura. Stand several metres from the subject and, holding the rods parallel to each other, instruct them to cross over when they reach the edge of that person's aura. Now walk slowly toward them and watch what happens. You will be surprised at the results.

Healing was something else that was easily demonstrated at parties. If somebody had a headache or minor ailment it could be quickly removed but even if everybody felt well (as they mostly did) they could still feel the energy.
I remember one man who had been a professional footballer with a leading Sydney rugby league team. Highly intelligent, he could switch from football stories to poetry, to business, then back to football all in the most entertaining fashion. He was sceptical about the whole psychic thing but when I put my hands on his shoulders he said with surprise, "Hey! It works. It really works."
It surprises lots of people.

The most popular demonstration was seeing auras. It isn't difficult to do; it's just a matter of focus and in a group of five to ten people most will begin to see within a few minutes. (Smaller groups are harder, probably because they tend not to trust their own perceptions. One confident person who describes what they can see will pull the group through more quickly than a professional, basically because they know their friend has no special gifts and realise that if one can learn it they all can.)

The best party I ever attended was with a group of professional entertainers who were so extroverted and perceptive that I only had to feed them a joke and they would pick it up and run with it. The worst was with a woman who left her own reading until her friends had gone home then kept talking about the men who had taken advantage of her and her need for "sacred sex", whatever that is.

There is an element of intimacy in psychic readings that needs to be respected. As you crawl around inside people's heads you learn things they would never reveal to their friends or family and for a few minutes that shared knowledge can draw you close together. It's easy for either reader or client to misinterpret what's happening and mistake it for physical attraction. In the case of the lady just mentioned I think she probably stepped across that divide.

Parties were held in all manner of places depending on the facilites available. Mostly I went to private homes and used a bedroom or sometimes an outdoor setting, but I've done parties in beauty parlours, restaurants, a cinema and various commercial premises.
The most memorable place? It was a venue normally used for wedding receptions.
The place was crowded that night and I was shut away in the tiny change-room normally used by brides. There was space enough for a table and one chair, but not two.
So where did I get to sit?
Right!
Thank goodness the toilet had a lid!