The Psychic Tests
It is natural to be curious, to ask questions of the world and our place in it, to seek the wisdom of those who may understand more or who have different experiences in life, but there is a difference in asking for advice from a qualified doctor or a professional travel agent about health and holidays and consulting a psychic to determine the shape of the future or a medium to contact the dearly departed.
Adapted from his book of the same name, journalist Gary Nunn maintains a balanced approach as he performs The Psychic Tests, keeping an open mind and asking not only questions of provenance and evidence but the question of why – why do people continue to visit astrologers, psychics, mediums and other esoteric diviners and prognosticators?
A complex question which Nunn cannot pose with uncompromised detachment, his own younger sister a frequent visitor to mediums following the death of their father leading to worries that not only was she being financially exploited but that rather than moving towards closure her grief was stalled, justifiable concerns countered by the example of a close friend who fell into deep depression after the sudden death of his husband.
The medium that man sought comfort from telling him directly and firmly that no, you must not think of joining him, it’s not your time, it is very possible they saved his life, but in a world where psychics can be cheaper and more readily accessed than therapy is every intervention justified? An emotional appeal often more powerful than rational debate, even with the best intentions it is impossible to know with certainty how a vulnerable individual will react, even for those who claim to see the future.
A handsome and charming showman as practiced as those he discusses, Nunn is confident as he practically dances around the small stage – that a cold reading once picked up on those traits in his personality is no surprise – offering sympathetic insight rather than judgement, The Psychic Tests suggesting that while the power of telling people what they need to hear comes with a huge responsibility, things don’t necessarily have to be empirically true in order for them to have truth in them.
The Psychic Tests runs at C Aquila on Johnston Terrace until Sunday 27th August
