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With Fee Suspend, Psychic Fairs Return

Cheryl Bentley/SUNCOAST NEWS

Astrologer Joe Di Sabatino gives a reading to Cindy McKenzie at a psychic fair at Oak Trail Books in Palm Harbor on Jan. 12.

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By Cheryl  Bentley | The Suncoast News

Published: January 19, 2008

Was it mere coincidence? Friends Pat Bryant and Georgina Lamoureux showed up at the same time, chose the same psychic for readings and discovered they had both been in foster homes as children.

The women were among the roughly 36 people who got readings last Saturday at the Oak Trail Books psychic fair in Palm Harbor.

In an event in which everyday occurrences can have unseen meanings, Bryant and Lamoureux laughingly commented on the happenings surrounding their readings.

The fair marked the return of the event after it stopped in 2000, when Pinellas County started charging $430 in fees for psychic licenses.

Stiff price

That was too hefty a price for many psychics, who often give readings only part time, said Oak Trail owner Lesley Klein.

Beginning this year, the licensing requirement has been suspended for two years because of the apparent dearth of dishonest psychics.

"We didn't see any criminal activity between 2000 and 2007" related to psychics, said Victor Routenberg, an investigator with the Pinellas County Department of Justice and Consumer Services.

At least on Saturday, the event appeared to resume without missing a beat.
For fees of $1 a minute, readers could choose among clairvoyants, an astrologer, tarot card readers and a medium who used runes, a Scandinavian-Germanic method of divination.

Klein tries out all readers by first getting her own reading from them and subsequently having them read for Oak Trail customers before inviting them to the psychic fair.
Gloria Mossenaton is a clairvoyant and also reads tarot cards and palms. She began doing psychic work 10 years ago after having been struck by lightning.

"It opened up my channel," she said. She receives her impressions through hearing, seeing and smelling, she noted.

Early protests

Clairvoyant Paula Jones has been giving readings since 1986. "It was a little dangerous in the beginning," she said, recalling protests held outside a psychic fair in Tampa 15 years ago.

But she has seen a shift in the general public's attitude toward the psychic world since then.

"It's become more mainstream. If Oprah says it's good, there must be some validity to it," she laughed.

Saturday's attendees ranged from displaying await-and-see attitudes to acceptance about the psychic world – although some of their families weren't so trusting. One woman attending the fair in Palm Harbor, Georgina Lamoureux, noted her husband "rolls his eyes" when she discusses psychics.

Second opinion

Her friend Pat Bryant says she consults psychics for a take on life not readily validated by a society that emphasizes scientific, intellectual pursuits.

"Counselors are very structured, very trained. I feel with psychics it comes from the soul or heart."

Gaye Ditzler echoed her feelings. Ditzler periodically uses psychics. Her last reading was about five years ago.

She feels more comfortable hearing advice from "someone who is heart. Overall, I would say, our culture is mind over heart."

Ditzler had a particular question for her psychic. "I want their general take on things."
Although there were far more women than men at the psychic fair, Kevin Hubbard signed up early for a reading.

Accuracy impresses

Last week, he had a session with psychic Jones and was back for clarification. He was impressed by Jones' accuracy, he noted. She had told him she saw a pregnancy in his life. Hubbard's daughter is pregnant.

"That got my attention," he said.

Hubbard has been considering buying a Harley Heritage Classic or Road King but told her nothing about his plans or fondness for motorcycles.

Jones predicted he would get a motorcycle, probably a Road King.

"You're going to change it," she told him.

That was likely, Hubbard noted. "I took my last Harley, stripped it down and made it into a custom bike."

But all readings were not so successful.

Georgina Lamoureux was disappointed with her session with Mossenaton. "It just didn't feel comfortable," she said.

But Mossenaton scored a hit with Debby Latham. Latham was glowing after her reading. "It was 99.9 percent accurate," she noted.

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