Pinched by a Pagan

Being from Texas, living life as if it were a classic film, and generally putting more faith in faith than facts, I felt it was time to consult a professional: psychic that is.  It had been quite a while since I'd seen what was 'in the cards' and I figured, why not?

One of my bookcases has the following objects atop it: one crystal ball purchased in 1988 from Bullock's Department Store in Pasadena, CA, two sets of Tarot Cards, coins and wands of the I Ching , Native American relics and stones belonging to my ex's now deceased mother who I adored, a Lo-Pan used in Feng-Shui and a white candle. On the shelf below are dozens of related books.

As luck would have it, I found a certified Wiccan High Priest with good credentials and exceptional skill in tarot, a whole slew of astrological specialties, runes, and so on. We had a great talk on the phone and he suggested that we move quickly on this. Without question I sent him the fee he asked for, and in turn he began working on my chart, which he would FedEx to me at his expense and we would then have a Skype conference to go over the particulars. After that, I'd get another packet in the mail with further information.

I got the packet right on time. And then I waited to hear from my Pacific Northwest Pagan. I texted him. I called. I emailed.  Time was of the essence, remember?

He replied about a week later: he'd been in the ER and had just gotten home. We'd discussed his health issues in that first call, when he sounded so chipper and ready to go. Apparently he'd relapsed. His text ended with, 'I want to give you a proper reading worthy of the money and time you've invested sometime in the future.

One item not on my shelf is a bull-shit detector. Had I that instead of the Lo-Pan, maybe I'd not rushed my hefty payment (for a free-lance writer) off to Western Union. Maybe I might have wondered if they money would go to my achieving a higher awareness, or just to get my high priest high. I can't say. He's not returned any texts. 

And my 'faith' in astrologers, mediums, palm readers, clairvoyants and divining rods has  been flattened. And my faith in gay men in those professions has fallen even farther.

That doesn't take a psychic, nor a cynic. Just one who's been ripped off.