Why Spending Money on a Psychic Might Be a Good Investment

Recent studies have confirmed that when it comes to spending money, buying experiences makes us happier than buying stuff.

This makes sense to me: if I was asked to list the 10 things I spent money on in the past year that brought me the greatest joy, the list would definitely consist of more experiences than stuff (and I am including experiences that were practically free other than gas money).

This isn’t to say none of the stuff I’ve purchased recently has made me happy—I love my phone case with the pocket that holds my transit card and the quilt covered in bright blue flowers that brightens up my bedroom.

But my best investments have been experiences: spending time with friends and family, being outside, going to museums, etc.

Knowing this to be true for me, on a recent Saturday I bypassed the boutique shops filled with specialty teas, fancy paper products, and decorative items while strolling around a quaint downtown area near where I live and instead visited a psychic with an office above a tobacco shop.

I wasn’t planning on writing about this visit or my other occasional—once or twice a year at most, I swear—visits with psychics over the years but when I told a friend about having my tarot cards read she was fascinated by it and encouraged me to share.

So here it goes: here is why I think occasionally spending money on a psychic is a good investment.

Skepticism is Fine, But Listen Anyway

When it comes to the question of whether the person sitting across from you actually has psychic powers, it’s fine to be skeptical.  I am a skeptic.  But I also don’t think it matters.

And that’s because there is value in getting feedback on what you are putting out in the world, no matter if it is from the spiritual or earthly plane.

Case in point: during the reading, the psychic turned over a card that had to do with love and told me I was meant to fall in love twice in my life.  What followed was a brief pep talk about getting out there and being willing to be a little vulnerable.

If you are at all familiar with my story (dad and mom died young, brother committed suicide), you’re probably not surprised to learn that opening myself up to possibly getting hurt is something I find very hard to do.  Heck, when a beloved cat passed away in 2013, it was more than a year before I could bring myself to adopt a new one!

And my friends know this about me so they don’t raise this issue, even when a little nudge might be in my best interest.

But a stranger with a deck of tarot cards? She can be forthright in a way the people closest to me cannot which makes listening to what she says worth my time (and my money).

What You Reveal in Response May Surprise You

There is a singer-songwriter I like named Dar Williams who has a fun song about why she likes going to see her therapist (“What Do You Hear in These Sounds”).  The song notes that by having a space to talk about herself, it makes it easier to love everyone else in her life.

I so understand that phenomenon—who hasn’t found themselves feeling oddly refreshed after revealing more to the stranger sitting next to them on a plane than they ever have to friends they’ve known for years?

With a psychic, you are not only paying someone to share their insights into your character but to listen to you talk through what thoughts and emotions those insights stir up.

And—similar to that stranger on the plane—you never have to see the psychic again!

These factors combined produce a safe space for introspection that I’ve found helpful for personal growth.

The Person Taking Your Money is a Small Business Owner—and She May Be Able to Teach You a Few Things

As I wrote about in Jumping Feet First into Entrepreneurship, one of the hardest things about starting my side hustle was figuring out what to charge and then asking people to pay me for my services.

Everything about it was uncomfortable: believing what I offered provided value, putting a price on that value, and then asking people to to write me a check.

But the psychic?  She didn’t even flinch when she told what she charges for giving me her opinion on what a random bunch of cards mean for my life.  She didn’t apologize, or offer a discount if I bought more than one sessions.  She just named her price.  And then she stopped talking.

Impressive.

I’m getting closer to this level of confidence with my side hustle but am not quite there yet.  I will definitely remember her lack of self-doubt the next time I send someone an invoice for services rendered!

But Be Smart: Draining Your Savings Is Never a Good Idea

Remember those cheesy TV commercials for psychic hotlines?  They always left me shaking my head in disbelief, amazed someone would actually hand over their credit card numbers to those crazy-looking people.

What they were selling is not the experience I am talking about here.

The value I receive from my very occasional readings comes from interacting with the other person and pondering in the days that follow what they said and the emotional response triggered by their words.

As such, I would never suggest virtual interactions with someone claiming to be a psychic is a good idea, nor do I think anyone should visit with one more than a few times a year (if that).

It takes time to work through the issues raised and I believe the value from doing so is diluted if your rush it or confuse yourself by seeking too many opinions at once.  You should especially avoid spending money you don’t have.

A psychic will not solve your problems.  Of that, I am certain.

What Do You Think?

Have you ever visited a psychic and felt like it was a worthwhile investment of your time and money?  What did you like about it?  Would you go again?