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FeedReading The Cards Or Your Expression?
My Session with a Psychic
Reading The Cards Or Your Expression?
After coming down with a case of paranormal paranoia, one writer puts
a Tarot-card reading to the test.
They call themselves clairvoyants, fortune tellers, and psychics. But do these people really have the ability to predict one’s future or know detailed aspects of one’s private life? I decided to find out by going to have a reading with the nearest medium, Francine Tesler, who peddles her psychic wares at Pete’s Saloon in Elmsford every Tuesday. Tesler’s brochure states that she is “the psychic for people who don’t usually go to psychics.” Perfect. I’m one of those people.
For $40 and my John Hancock, I was given about 30 minutes with Tesler. After shuffling and cutting the deck of her Tarot cards, Tesler began. The first thing she told me was that I have a “very young body,” but my soul is, she said, “extremely old.” I just graduated college so I could hardly be mistaken for an old man, but, hey, I don’t know the age of my soul... I am, she told me next, extremely gifted in the art of multi-tasking and have a good gut instinct. Trust it, she advised; my first reaction, she said, is right more times than not. Gee, that made me feel good—and all I did was give her two crisp Andrew Jacksons.
Without my telling her where I work or what I do, she said she saw me in media and that I should apply to Westchester Magazine. Wow! That’s amazing, I thought. I studied journalism in college and today am Westchester Magazine’s fact-checker and
researcher. “Yes,” I said. “I can see myself doing that as well.”
Next subject: the girl I am going to marry. “A dirty-blonde-haired girl” Tesler predicted, “or a short girl with dark hair.” Okay. The expression, “There are plenty of fish in the sea,” really seemed to apply to this proclamation.
Then, it was back to my career path. “You would make a good lawyer. Have you ever considered this?” I shrugged my shoulders. “Perhaps you should consider acting.” Dumbfounded, I said, “I guess that would be cool.”
“But I also see you in the club or restaurant scene,” she said. What about computer programming, I wondered, or social work or neuroscience?
Next subject to crack: my family. My mother, she told me, was pregnant once (strike one), three times (strike two), or six times (strike three). My mother stopped at four—and, no, she did not have any miscarriages.
She asked about my siblings. “I have three brothers, two older and one younger.”
“Your older brother,” Tesler declared, “has a distinct voice.” Really? Gee, I never noticed but, hey, he’s my brother. “I can see him in politics,” she said. Politics? Um, my brother is a store manager for a ShopRite.
Then, “I see your father owning his own business.” Not quite. “Well, he might not own one, but he would be very good at it if he did.” Good catch. She also said my dad is strongly regimented, with a particular strength in finances. Interestingly, my father is an auditor and gets a kick out of balancing his checkbook.
How did she get that right? How did she get anything right? I called magician-turned-skeptic James Randi, formerly “The Amazing Randi,” to find out. He said what Tesler did to find out about me is called “cold reading,” a technique used by fortune tellers to elicit answers from clients on the down low. “They tell the subjects nothing, but make guesses, put out suggestions, and ask questions,” Randi said. “Based on the person’s body language, responses, or facial expressions, they can pick up if they are accurate or not. Most of the time, they are off. They ignore all the misses and amplify the right guesses. The teller will wait for feedback. That is the mistake people make: they do not realize that they are the ones actually supplying the information.”
Besides, Randi points out, just consider the Tarot cards. “Does it mean that if you shuffle again, the cards are going to come out exactly the same way? And if they don’t, does that mean your fortune changes within a matter of minutes?” Randi and his foundation have a standing offer of $1 million to anyone who can demonstrate evidence of supernatural or paranormal powers. To date, no one has claimed the prize—not even Tesler.
Still, I have my eye out for a dirty-blonde-haired girl.
Reader Comments:
This guy sounds like he is trying way to hard to sound funny- when he clearly has no clue...
I am a very sceptical individual, and I reluctantly had Ms. Tesler do a reading for me, and was absolutely astonished with what she told me. I followed all the rules that this "amazing randi" said, and answered her questions with no expression, or any evident obvious body language to aid in her "feedback".. and she hit everything on the nail, and made me a believer. Anyone who doubts her ability should go see her at the Rambling House in Woodlawn, and ask the many who have been read by her. She is truely gifted.
Obviously this individual was just looking for a pon in his little game, and all he wanted was someone to pick on. I as well as many of my friends have been to Ms. Tesler and have had a lot of success - maybe the moral of the story is this writer and his family aren't really living to their full potential...shame on them
Reading this gentleman's article I strongly felt that he had an axe to grind with Francine Tesler. I have witnessed Francine in action first hand and through a number of friends and she has correct more than not. In fact, a friend went into Jackson & Wheeler for a reading and dinner to test Francine and purposely gave phony answers to all her questions and comments and she still made comments about his health and family that were dead on. It is always easier to knock than praise and this young writer is trying to take an easy path at another's expense. In speaking with the owner at Jackson & Wheeler after my reading, he commented on just how accurate Francine has been, based on his customer's comments, and I added my endorsement to his list.
I was a psychic sceptic for many years.I was always afraid of what they would tell me.A few of my friends had a lot of faith in Francine Tesler and went to see her as often as they could.I eventually gave in and decided to see her, The first reading that she gave me blew me away. It almost seemed that she knew both me and my family.I was excited and nervous at the same time, a number of months later she gave me a reading that I couldn't Fathom.I have several business's and she had foreseen a lot of specific problems.I was again a sceptic until 6 months later everything that she had said to me, happened.I called her up and had a private reading with her and after that there were many readings, she helped me with all four of my business's, I would have lost them only for her help. i am upset at the article as Francine is not a joke due to the fact that what Francine has done for me, my family, and our future.This Guy needs to get the facts and maybe just sit and listen to what she really has to say.
My friends had told me for years to go see Francine. I finally had a reading several months ago. I listened to her and made a few notes. It only took a few days before things started to happen that she had predicted. WOW she was amazing! This writer needs to wait and see weather his reading has future value. I wouldn't be surprised to see him write a follow up story changing his whole perspective.
I have been a client of Francine for about fifteen years. My first session with her I remember thinking "what the heck is she saying"?. Well I have learned to pay attention to this lovely young lady. She has a way of being very direct in a subtle way. Well so many things she says sounds "off the wall", but wait and see. She always seems to astound me. She comes up with names of people, my current business trends and is very good in giving me a heads up to hidden things that that I need to keep my eye out for. I think the writer seems wet behind his ears. I would recommend him to remember what she said to him and consider revisiting a session with her in a more objective way. He would get a lot more out of it if he did........