I’m going to tell you about my latest reading with a psychic medium who approached me in July 2020. She felt very strongly that she needed to reach out to me so I could get a reading from a “true and genuine psychic.” I’m not going to disclose who this person is for reasons I will explain later. She will be known as Ray.
I’ve been given readings more times than I can count, but this time it was different—not the reading (I’ll explain that soon) but the whole experience. This includes emails with Ray and the skeptic community’s reaction to the reading (it was broadcast on Facebook live as it was happening), and also my thoughts on the experience.
I hope you enjoy this experience and that it gives you food for thought as well.
On July 15, 2020, I received an email out of the blue from someone I had never heard of before.
Greetings Susan,
A friend of mine shared one of your articles with me. I am wondering, are you fully convinced there are no true psychics? Or, would you like to talk to and have a free reading with a true and genuine psychic? I am also a skeptic; perhaps I am one of very few psychic skeptics in the world.
I look forward to hearing from you.
This email is fraught with contradictions. For example, why would you wonder if I am fully convinced there are no true psychics? Aren’t you the psychic? Shouldn’t you know if I have made up my mind or not? What does a “true and genuine psychic” even mean? “I am also a skeptic.” Really, do you know what that word means? “Perhaps I am one of the very few …” Again, don’t you know? A psychic skeptic? What does that even mean? I don’t know where to start because I’m not psychic myself, and there are so many questions I don’t have answers to in this short email.
I answered quickly to let her know that I would be up for a free reading as long as I could record it for sharing. I told her that we should do it on Facebook Live so people could watch and ask questions. I told her the dates I was available and said I would send her a Zoom link.
My idea to broadcast it live was something I considered carefully, knowing that possibly very personal or potentially embarrassing information could come forth about myself or my family. If she is truly psychic or contacting the dead, then who knows? Also, I felt broadcasting live was fair to Ray because if she were a real psychic and gave me an accurate reading, then I would not be able to hide the evidence. Everyone would know in real time.
I received a response from Ray:
It is clear you have an intense drive to prove your thoughts. However, I am not motivated by money or fame and definitely not interested in a “debut.” This is a genuine offer to allow you to have an experience with a true psychic. You may certainly record the session.
Okay then, I can record. She explains that she does not have a Facebook account, rarely uses technology, and does not know what a Zoom link is.
If you are pure in your desire to have a real reading, I am offering that. This is no way an attempt to prove anything to anyone. I believe your pursuit is noble as there are many who take advantage of others. However, there includes the possibility there are people who are genuine and have a strong desire to help others. I have such a desire. Additionally, I will not be subject to degradation and sarcasm. As I come to you with respect and encouragement, I hope you are of the same caliber of person to show the same.
On to the “degradation and sarcasm” comment. I hope that readers will call me out if they see examples of me belittling people who believe in psychic powers. I’ve said many times that I was once one of these people, and I think many of you were also. Insulting people isn’t going to change minds. Respectful conversation, allowing the believer to question and come to their own conclusions even if it means a stronger belief in the paranormal is the best way forward. If and when they are ready to change their minds, they will do it, allowing themselves to save face.
That is where I stand on those who believe in the claims of the paranormal. But I don’t stick to that rule for people who prey on the desperate, lonely, and poor individuals who seek out a psychic reading. In my opinion, the majority of these psychics and mediums know they are cheating. They might sometimes believe that they are able to contact the dead or see the future or have psychic things happen, but other times they know they are embellishing, faking, and taking advantage of the sitter. This isn’t the case of someone going to see a play and not understanding the people on the stage aren’t really the characters they play. These are people who are claiming to communicate with the dead. And if they have to stoop to hot reading, then the pretense of any ability is gone.
In this brief exchange with Ray I wasn’t sure if she was one of the small world of psychics who really believe they have this ability and are here to help or not. I was leaning toward that explanation, mainly because she seemed so unknowledgeable and clueless about who I am.
I had a good look at her website (yes, she has a website and a pretty good one for someone who claims that they are not very “tech”). It looks pretty much like the websites of her peers. She has the typical story of knowing she had abilities because when she was very young, she would play with her sister who had died. And then as she got older, she understood that no one else could see her sister. It’s pretty typical.
She has many services on her website, including offering to do what look like inkblots and then giving a reading of the inkblot, and foot spas that will heal your aura somehow. She will “get into your energy” and draw a portrait of you—although I have no idea why she needs you to submit several photographs of yourself. Isn’t your energy enough? Her website has listed dream interpretation, cleansing, pet readings, tarot card readings, and, of course, psychic and mediumship readings.
She does not read people in groups but will “work” with infants, unborn babies, coma patients, and people with autism. Now she has my attention. I’ve seen a lot in my years researching these people, and when you are giving voice to people who are unable to communicate (or have difficulty doing so), then you are taking someone else’s voice. The potential for harm is serious. If I had seen on her website that she works with police departments, families with missing or murdered children, that kind of thing, then my interaction with Ray would have quickly taken on a new tone. Susan would take her gloves off.
In my email conversation with Ray, she offered a second reading to someone else, someone who she would have no ability to research ahead of time. She had read the NYT’s article about Operation Pizza Roll, so she understood the concept of hot reading, and she was stressing in advance that she would not have been able to do that if she did not know who the second reading was for. For an example of how this isn’t necessarily true, read about Joan and Thomas John here.
Keep in mind that I know that Ray could have hot read me—there isn’t anything a psychic could tell me these days that I wouldn’t have expected they had found about me on the internet somewhere. Or just a really good guess. In this August 2020 article, I explain how the phrase “There is NO WAY the Psychic Could have Known” is highly inaccurate.
Ray tells me, “I imagine there is quite a bit of information about you in the world and I would like to erase doubt or anticipation of a contrived reading. I do ask there is honesty, meaning, no fake names. I read energy, giving false information not only is deceitful but also does not allow you to be open.”
This is the old “the reading won’t work if the sitter is skeptical” fallacy. It’s really funny how they put all these conditions on us. Why is it that they seem to only be able read us if we already believe? If I sit down for a reading with a psychic and I’m using a fake persona, then shouldn’t they be able to read right through it? Look me in the eye and say, “You are here on false pretenses. Your real family does want to get in touch with you” and then go on to blow me away with communications from my family?
The reading took place live on Facebook. To the audience watching, I gave a fifteen-minute setup on what had transpired between Ray and me. I then called Ray and kept the phone on speaker so the audience on Facebook could listen in. Ray could not see me, and the audience could only hear Ray. I thought it would be only about a thirty-minute reading, but it went on for considerably longer. I’m going to go into more details, but here are links to the Facebook reading, which allows you to read comments from the people who were also listening. And here is a link to the same reading posted on YouTube.
It’s quite a reading.
You will be grateful that I’m not going to transcribe it for you here. Listen if you are really interested. I’ll sum it up here and give some highlights.
After hanging up with Ray, several people who were watching it live joined me on the Zoom call and gave me their insights. Their comments were quite interesting.
I asked Ray a bunch of questions about what she was seeing and feeling, and she explained that she reads “energy” and that she would describe it as stepping into someone’s private room, an “awareness.” Everything around me is white, and she will see images around me. She described the readings she gives like peeling an onion. As each ring is removed, she gets closer and more detailed and personal. I would think of that as just getting to know the person better and having more information that allows her to be more detailed. Nothing psychic about that, but then what do I know.
She started out with a Barnum statement, which means she said something that seems really specific but actually is very vague and would apply to almost anyone. She told me that I’m really tough on the exterior but on the inside I’m really sweetheart, kind and nice. Then again, I won’t take crap from anyone. If that was the first layer of the onion, she sure got me wrong.
She said that “she is getting the message to tell me that I need to eat more eggs … because my calcium is low.” Who is giving her this message? How can they tell my calcium levels? If this is true, then I guess I can cancel my upcoming wellness appointment with my doctor. Seems harmless enough, right? Except maybe I’m allergic to eggs or maybe I’m going to trust her for other medical advice? If all she sees is low calcium, then maybe I can ignore that other pain I’ve been experiencing because “they” would have passed on that message if it had been important. Yeah, there is no harm in a psychic reading; I’ll just ignore the anaphylaxis or inflammation of the esophagus that the allergy brings on. It’s only life-threatening, but hey, we can’t live forever, right?
Ray said she saw a cat walking through my space. A real cat. She saw it had something to do with a witch hat, then she threw out this question, “Do you have a cat or know someone with a cat?” Seriously, she said this.
She seemed to have some trouble, and several times she paused and asked if I had any questions and then waited for me to answer. I would tell her that I was happy to hear whatever she saw.
Apparently, there was something about a basement, that the house I was raised in had a basement, that I was afraid of going into that basement. I told her that I have never lived in a house with a basement (in California they are pretty rare). So then she thought it might have been a metaphor for something else (a common refrain throughout the reading).
One thing that really got me thinking she might be hot reading was a mention of drinking tea and something to do with cats. I had just posted a video on my Facebook page, during which I had shown the camera my mug that has cats all over it and then I said I was drinking tea. A hit? After thinking about it and rewatching what Ray actually said, nope. It was my brain putting the two together cat + tea = my tea mug. And besides, what about it? The dead want to send me a message from beyond the grave that I drink tea out of a mug with cats on it? I already know that.
Stop the presses and notify the media—here is something that I learned that will change the world. If you say the full name of the person you want to be in contact with, they will appear around you, and Ray can ask them questions. So I did. I asked to speak to my grandfather Frank Gerbic.
And there he was. Damn, it just took her seconds to pull him forward. He is really tall and big, and has dark hair and really strong hands. He has a sort of large black dog with him. She explained that I was always Frank’s favorite grandchild; he showed Ray memories of us eating popcorn together, and he would be watching the news and I would be coloring nearby. We had a secret language, and we could just look at each other and know what the other was thinking. It was just amazing! I asked Ray later how confident she was about this, and she said that she wasn’t so sure about the dog (well I did admit I knew nothing about a dog), but she was really sure about the rest of what she told me.
I’ve been working on my family’s genealogy for years, and what a waste of time that has been. I can just throw out all those genealogy charts; census records; and birth, death, and marriage certificates I’ve been collecting and go right to the source. Just say their full name, and boom they appear, and I can ask them questions. I’m up for that!
The problem is we never shared a bowl of popcorn. I was not his favorite. We didn’t have a secret language. I never knew my grandfather Frank Gerbic—he died in 1930. She said he was “watching the news” not “reading the news” or “listening to the news” but watching the news. While there were crude televisions in the late 1920s, there was no way my grandfather could have been watching the news unless she meant he was looking out the window while something newsworthy was happening outside. Maybe it was just another metaphor?
Then I asked to speak to my mother’s mother, Myrtle Finley. Woosh, she comes into the white space around me in seconds. Ray wasn’t getting a lot from Myrtle, just that she was tough, had a strong energy, lived on a farm, and ate rabbits. There was also something about a memory of me swimming in a small pond. She died of heart problems, and there was a donkey on the farm. I asked Ray to see if my grandmother had any advice or thoughts to give to me, and she said she didn’t like the man I had children with and thought that one of my children should have started school a year earlier.
Myrtle did live on a farm, that was correct. I don’t know anything about them eating rabbits, but I think they ate squirrels, so I’m sure rabbit would have been on the menu. There was no donkey, not on the farm or probably within miles. She died of tuberculosis in 1925. So, I never met her either. Maybe she has been watching over me all these years—while I was swimming in a small pool, having children with the wrong man, and deciding to send one of my children to school a year late. But I’m not generous enough for that. Ray could easily have said “You didn’t know her, did you? She died when your mother was only three, right?” But Ray didn’t. Instead she gave me this general information for a woman who could have been on a farm. This was again a major fail.
And let’s look at the wording from Ray about the father of my children. Ray knew that I was currently unmarried and that I had children. This was something she had learned earlier in the reading when I asked about my love life and about grandchildren. So when she said that Myrtle didn’t like the man I had children with, she didn’t mention a husband. That would have been easier to say, wouldn’t it? “She didn’t like your husband” instead of “She didn’t like the man you had children with.” Why say it like that? The only reason I can think of is because Ray didn’t know if I had been married when I had children. We had been married five years when we had our first child and were married nineteen years in total. Ray didn’t mention that I had two sons; she only said children. When I said something about “a grandchild,” Ray asked if I had one nearby. Why are you asking me? Don’t you know? When I told her that I don’t have grandchildren, she said I will be told by the end of the year that one is on the way. That’s a surprise to my sons, and I assure you that is not going to happen.
There was a lot more—and I do mean a lot. The reading went on for over an hour. She talked about my new love interest who has a boat, is really tall, likes to golf, has a lot of money, travels all over the world, including the Middle East, and his name might be Alex or Alexander—or possibly that is the name of his boat. This all came as a big surprise to my boyfriend, Mark Edward.
I love to plant flowers (correct), hate to do the laundry (wrong), love to cook (wrong), frustrated with my “team” (wrong), changed my diet for health reasons (wrong) and I needed to purchase a new pillow because I’m having neck problems (wrong). Even if these were all 100 percent correct, so what? This is supposed to be a psychic reading to show me what a genuine psychic reading is like. Ray had done this for free for me, but normally people are paying a lot of money to find out that they don’t like to fold towels. Really?
So at this point I asked some questions of Ray because there were many things I wanted to know. On her website, Ray mentions that she can communicate with animals, infants, coma patients, and more. Using the word energy that Ray uses to describe what she feels is psychic, I asked her how she can be sure she is reading the right energy in a room. Can she tell one human’s energy from another person’s energy? “Yes,” she told me. How can she tell the baby in the belly from the mother? She explained it feels different and that sometimes the baby is upset over the name that the parents have picked out. How can you tell a coma patient’s energy from that of other people in the room? Ray described that she would hold the hand of the coma patient, and the energy would feel different. She also has no problem telling energy apart from other people in the same room over the phone. And she could easily tell animal energy from human energy.
I asked her if some psychics were frauds and some were not, how could we tell the difference? Do you see where I’m going with this? I’m trying to find the boundaries of Ray’s claims.
I asked, “How can you test yourself?” She explained that each person is different—feedback and validation using symbols and metaphors. To test yourself, you need to predict something in advance. She gave the example of someone predicting ahead of time that when they go to the grocery store, they will see a little girl in a pink dress. Then if they see a little girl in a pink dress, then that would mean they have psychic powers.
Next, I asked if anything would convince her that she does not have this ability, and her answer was quick: “There isn’t anything that would convince me.” When she was three, she saw her little sister who had died; therefore, she knows she is psychic. Ray gave an example of how she tested herself and tells the story about when she was doubting her abilities and was leaving the mall. She predicted that she would see a red car drive by in the parking lot. She walked out and did not see any red cars. Then, almost when she wasn’t paying attention anymore, a red car drove by. Bingo! Her faith in her psychic gift was renewed!
She also claimed that she could feel what the person was feeling at the end of life. Her chest would hurt if the person died of a heart attack, for example.
At this point, I stopped and explained that this is not how skeptics think of a valid test. I explained that we would need something a lot more defined than that.
Ray told me about an old man who had taken ten envelopes with photographs inside and challenged a psychic to tell if the photograph was of someone living or dead. She said this is the same man who tried to commit suicide at a TED talk. Ray said that looking at photographs is not how psychics work. I took a deep breath and explained that the person she is talking about is James Randi. He did not try to kill himself; he was taking homeopathy, which is just a sugar pill. He was not going to harm himself. Watch the talk here.
I also explained that the photograph challenge was set up that way because the psychic claimed that he could tell if a person was living or dead by looking at a photo. These tests were carefully designed by both parties, and a protocol was written up and signed before the test started. It wasn’t something that every psychic would claim to do but that a specific psychic claimed that he could.
She had explained earlier in the reading that people leave energy on objects such as eyeglasses or keys. So then I explained to Ray that if she could feel energy on keys, then a test could be designed specifically for her using keys. She could design it pretty much anyway she wanted to as long as it was blinded and agreed to by whichever organization was testing her. I suggested that a group of people would wear a bracelet for a full day, then it would be tagged to make sure there was no switching around. She could feel the energy of the bracelet (or keys) and then feel the energy around the people and see if she could match them together. They would determine how many correct answers she would need to get before starting in order to eliminate chance.
Ray had never considered anything like this before. She seemed to think that this was possible, though she would like to do a reading on the keys first. I said that probably would be fine if that is how the protocol was designed. Then she seemed to get worried about the fame she would receive; she lives a quiet happy life, has young children, and she said she doesn’t want notoriety. I assured her that this can be done anonymously, and the monetary award could be donated to a charity if she succeeded. I asked her to try this out on her own. See if she could feel this energy on objects and match them up to their owners.
My impression was that Ray believes that positive validation is evidence of psychic abilities. I’ve run into this with almost every psychic I’ve talked to. I think psychics and skeptics are speaking at cross purposes. Skeptics ask for evidence, and psychics say they are giving it. But the word evidence means something different to each group.
Ray kept going back to her wanting to give a reading to someone so that I could watch that person’s face and see the validation. I would be able to ask that person if Ray had been correct or not. And somehow that would determine if Ray had psychic abilities. I don’t think Ray had ever considered that that is a horrible way to conduct a test. An accurate reading is a matter of opinion. And information gathered like what she gave me during my reading was vague. We would need strictly controlled protocols determined before the reading, agreed to, and signed off by both parties.
We said our goodbyes and said we would stay in touch. Ray never asked me how she had done with my reading. I don’t think I gave away very much, but I was not jumping around and claiming amazement. I’m sure it felt very different than the readings she was used to giving. She probably is used to feedback from her clients. She says that she reads the same person more than once. Probably she is unaware that after reading them for the first time, every reading after that is a hot reading because she only needs to repeat the same things and embellish a bit more to give the impression that she is accurate.
After hanging up with Ray, several people who had watched the entire two-plus hours of the reading joined me on Zoom to talk about what their impressions were.
I’ll give you an overview of some of the comments, but if you are really interested you should watch the video.
Pontus Böckman from the Swedish Skeptics and the European Skeptic Podcast was first to join me. His comments were that she seems to be a good-hearted but misguided cold reader. She seemed very sincere but would pause, hoping that I would fill in that awkward silence with information. We don’t know how many misguided people like this are out there thinking they have some supernatural gift. Pontus complimented me for remaining silent and not giving her what she needed. He said, “If you don’t feed the psychic—nothing happens.”
Leonard Tramiel from the Center for Inquiry said, “It was as illuminating as it was unsurprising.” He could not understand how someone could have watched Randi at that TED talk and thought it was a suicide attempt. He said Ray was really unobservant and clearly misunderstanding. He pointed out how carefully she worded the “man you had kids with” statement. “As a physicist, her use of the word energy made my skin crawl.” He said it was all classic cold reading and he was surprised that she never asked how she had done.
Janyce Boynton said “So anecdotal stories are proof?”
Richard Saunders from the Skeptic Zone podcast said that he has met her type a hundred times all over Australia. She paused and allowed the sitter to fill in the blanks. Near the end she was blaming me for the lack of accuracy and this was probably the first time that Ray had ever been challenged.
Celestia Ward from Squaring the Strange podcast said she was surprised how little Ray knew of the psychic world (James Randi and the testing protocol): “This is her own field—she hasn’t done her research.” She wasn’t observant; how could she get Randi so wrong? Celestia felt that Ray was fooling herself at every stage, and it was a typical reading. Indeed, it was very revealing that it was so typical. “Your love life: ‘the last one had to go.’ How could a statement POSSIBLY GET more self-evident. If they didn’t have to go, they wouldn’t be the last one—they’d be the present one!!! Wow. I feel bad for whoever pays for a reading just to find out they suck at putting away laundry.”
Wendy Hughes said that the tricks she was employing were just cold reading. She thought this woman believed her own feelings but is experiencing cognitive dissonance. Perhaps sincere but very misguided.
Robin Welch gave the example from the Wizard of Oz of how Dorothy gave the Wizard all the information while he remained quiet, then he repeated it back as if he knew it all along.
The next day I received an email from Ray. She wanted to give me some information about a study that examined brain activity in people practicing mediumship. I wrote back explaining that this one study was looking at the brain activity of a tiny group of people who were “zoned out” and they could have easily used people who were knitting or playing hours of Tetris or any activity such as staring at a spot on the wall. This one case study was not convincing evidence of mediumship, and they weren’t looking for evidence either.
A few weeks after this, I wrote to Ray to tell her that I was planning on writing this all up for the Skeptical Inquirer website. I was interested in her thoughts regarding how the reading had gone, what it was like to interact with someone from the skeptic community, and whatever else she wanted readers to know.
Here is her response in full:
Greetings Susan, lovely hearing from you! Sorry to hear you are in close proximity to the impact of fire season. I would love to hear your personal thoughts on your experience with your reading. As well, I am pleasantly interested in hearing feedback you have received by those who have listened to the recording.
In regards to the article, it is my hope it will be informative and positive. With so much negativity in the world, I do not wish to participate in more negativity put out into it. That being shared, I am willing to help out anyway I can as I believe we have a common goal.
I have matured to the understanding when a person has decided their opinion there is no volume of a voice for them to consider another option. These of whom I will withdraw my engagement.
When I read the article in the New York Times, some of your energy came through. I could feel with each success of showing someone was truly not genuine, it brought you encouragement and relief you have hopefully helped others, if not humanity. Your compassion is genuine and a priority for you. Shortly after, I felt something entirely different. I felt disappointment. Disappointment that it feels more true this gift doesn’t exist. We all hope and pray it does, because we have lost someone we love. Just to “talk to them one more time,” or to get a message they are okay, and we love them. Are they still connected to us? Does the spirit really exist, and does it remember its physical life? After all, we don’t remember our spiritual life before our physical life; why would we remember the other way around?
While I was in your energy, you said your granddad’s name. I could feel his name has passed across your lips many times in hopes you would have contact with him. Your longing was heavy and not so distant in your heart. It seems better now. I contacted you not intending to antagonize rather to encourage you with the truth. And I had a definite feeling, there was a message you needed to get.
You asked what it is like for me to work with someone who is skeptical. I work with skeptics very often, normally they don’t carry the label. My very favorite skeptic story: I was not informed of the intent until an appreciative text arrived on my phone a few days after the reading. It read, “[Ray] thank you again. I have written a review, I hope you enjoy reading it.” The review is on my website, the headline reads, “It was undeniable.” Skepticism is important, it means survival. However, to be ignorant of what one does not know is a sure sign of stupidity.
As I have mentioned, my ambition truly is to help others. While I prefer not to experience the indecency of fame, I do understand my ability to help others is also reliant on being accessible. While I prefer to not be publicly identified, in the event someone indeed would like a reading, please share my website information. My family means everything to me, and it is absolutely paramount they remain in obscurity of any attention my gifts will draw.
Susan, the mutual respect is recognized and I appreciate it very much.
Warmest regards and appreciation,
P.S.
Have you purchased a new pillow yet?
Note: I checked her website and saw the testimonial she mentions in her email. It is from someone named Michael—no last name, no contact information. He claims to be a professor from a prestigious college. His wife had a reading from Ray and thought she was wonderful and so he booked a reading with Ray that he wrote was amazing. Susan says, “Color me cynical.”
I’ve received more correspondence from Ray. She is really interested in what I thought about the reading, what others thought, what the articles I write are like, and she went on to explain that the message I received from my grandfather was personal just to me and it might hurt the feelings in my family for people to learn that I was his favorite.
Yes, I never told her that nearly everything she told me in her reading was incorrect. “To contaminate my thoughts and mindfulness with the negativity of public society and its destructive socialization habits would be a travesty and I would fear the result it would have on my children and their future self-worth and mindfulness.”
Okay then.
I explained that all the information she is seeking is a few clicks away on the internet and if she wants to read comments about the reading, or if she wants to read my articles, they aren’t hidden. She knows my full name.
I explained that one of the commenters’ concerns (from Celestia), which also concerns me, is that she is willfully ignorant of this world she has surrounded herself in. To not know about cold reading, James Randi, and the basic criticism of psychics, auras, past lives is being willfully ignorant.
I’m sure she is going to be very unhappy with the frankness of what I told her. She will say that the reading was a failure because I wasn’t truly “open to the energy” (whatever that means).
I just received probably the last email from Ray. She wasn’t happy about my last email to her. She responded, in part:
“In response to me being ignorant, I do have three degrees and am finishing my second doctorate. Therefore, it can be granted, I am not hiding out in my own little fantasy world as you suggest. I offered to help you and gave you a wonderful gift. You are welcome. 🙂 If giving someone a gift of money to help them pay their rent and they use it on drugs, it does not diminish the value of the gift. … You and the group will say everything is a cold reading because you do not know the difference between truth and untruth. … Therefore, since you truly are not interested in truth, this is where I will disengage.”
I’m going to end this article here. It was an interesting experience even though the reading was typical and quite uninteresting. Going through the reading with others, live on Facebook, was wonderful, as others were able to see things I missed. Interacting with Ray, getting a glimpse into her world, was enlightening. I hope you all have enjoyed being on this journey with me.
I’m very interested in your thoughts. Thank you to my secret cabal of Wikipedia editors who helped proofread this article; to my partner, Mark Edward; and thank you to all of you who watched the reading and provided me with feedback. If people want to reach out to me, please use non-psychic methods such as email SusanGerbic@yahoo.com or Facebook Messenger. I’ve given up responding to finding coins on the ground, butterflies at the window, or rainbows that only I can see.