The coronavirus pandemic took a toll on mental health. Whether grieving the loss of family members or friends, managing the anxiety of working (or not) from home, and general uncertainty about the future, more people sought professional help. A November 2020 survey by the American Psychological Association found that 29 percent of psychologists were seeing more patients since the start of the pandemic.
Psychics around the country have reported a doubling in business in the pandemic as well. While some clients are seeking guidance, younger generations appear to be open to new sources of spirituality and the metaphysical world. Locally, mediums in the Hudson Valley are seeing similar trendlines.
“There is a culture right now with young people that is very interested in spirituality,” said psychic Luna Hacker of Luna Enchanted in the Ulster County hamlet of Marlboro. “I would say it also increased during the pandemic. People were looking for answers and it was a way to talk about what was going on.”
Hacker said people came in and asked her if she thinks the pandemic will stay the same, get worse or get better, especially after the emergence of the delta variant.
“I think COVID has changed a lot of us, and it’s an uncertain time still,” said Hacker. “Spirituality is centering people and giving people hope and something to help them face it.”
She’s used tarot card readings as a tool in what she calls spiritual counseling, similar to therapy for some people. She charges $65 for a 30-minute consultation and $130 for an hour for either tarot or mediumship readings, done virtually or in person.
Seeking the right path, a smudge, a cleansing
From police officers to political figures, Hacker sees all kinds of people come through her location. Many don’t necessarily want to go to a psychiatrist to talk about their emotions and instead use her services as self-care.
“They’ll come to me asking if they’re on the right path,” said Hacker. “The cards and spirits tell them what they need to do, and they can take that information and process it how they want to.”
Some clients come regularly, every 6 to 8 weeks, or every 6 months or annually, she says, while others come only when they feel they need additional guidance and then may not return for awhile.
Lisa Stewart, a psychic for 28 years and owner of the Awareness Shop in New Paltz, which employs 10 psychics, said this isn’t the first time she has seen an uptick in psychic guidance due to a national or global event. One of the most attended psychic fairs the Awareness Shop held was right after former President Donald Trump was elected. The pandemic triggered a similar surge in fortune seekers.
“We had some of the largest weeks we’ve ever had right after we reopened in the middle of 2020 because people needed their smudge, their cleansing, their crystals and their supplies,” said Stewart.
The Awareness Shop charges $50 for a 30-minute consultation and $90 for an hour-long, in-person session, according to its website. By phone, consultations are $5-10 cheaper. During the pandemic, more clients sought $10 one-question readings, done via email, Stewart said.
During the peak of the pandemic, more people bought crystals and books on spirituality than ever before, said psychic Luna Hacker of Luna Enchanted.
Luna HackerSimultaneously, the shops are experiencing a boost with interest from younger clients, which Hacker calls the “TikTok generation.”
“It’s really refreshing actually,” she said. Around 60 percent of her customers fall into the under-30 category, but customers of all ages were buying more crystals and books on spirituality at her store than ever before during the peak of the pandemic.
Stewart has found that “people needed connection,” especially from someone outside of their household, during the pandemic. The Awareness Shop’s team of psychics operated more like therapists than fortune tellers, she said.
“It was really more of a counseling [session] than a psychic, predictive thing at the time,” said Stewart. “It’s evolved into psychic counseling — being able to say to someone, ‘I see you are a Leo, so you may be looking at things this way and here’s another perspective.’”
Both Hacker and Stewart say they couldn’t foretell that a worldwide pandemic was coming back in 2019. But they had an inkling there was some sort of change or shift on the horizon.
“I had a very uneasy feeling going into 2020 from months before,” said Hacker. “I don’t know any psychic, to my knowledge, that knew what exactly was going to happen.”
Although there has been some sense of normalization compared to the peak of the pandemic, Hacker said people are still looking for additional guidance and business remains the same as clients “are worried about what is going on in the world and at home.”
“No matter what happens, we’re all going to be okay,” said Hacker, as she pondered the coming months.
Mysterious people and places in the Hudson Valley
