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A psychic fair with three tarot card readers, a dream analyzer, palm reader, numerologist and a lip blot reader is scheduled from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Wednesday in the Fiesta Room of Loftin Student Center.
There will be seven stations set up for the event, student activities specialist Carrie Hernandez said, one for each reader. The fair is free.
Psychics have graced the world for centuries in some form or fashion.
In an article published by the Catholic Education Resource Center, tarot cards are purported to have come into existence in the 14th century because their first usage dates back to 1391 in Italy.
There are 22 major enigmas printed on each card, which represent life’s mysteries and correspond to the letters in the Hebrew alphabet used by the Jewish in ancient divination. Fifty-six minor enigmas depict 14 figures that correlate to four series of paths: intellectual activities, government, military service and priesthood.
At Encyclopedia.com, I Ching, or “Book of Changes,” is referenced as a method of divination that has been used for more than 5,000 years.
Dr. Elizabeth De La Portilla, sociology instructor, said activities such as tarot card readings and I Ching have been around a long time, and their usage is cross-cultural.
“They are tied into a belief system, whether religious or spiritual practice,” De La Portilla said. “They (participants) want to have control over their lives and they feel that these sort of activities” accomplish that.
De La Portilla said these activities revolve around practices more faith-based than logical.
But she said, “We need that as human beings.”
Dr. Thomas Billimek, psychology chair, said people are more inclined to participate primarily out of curiosity.
“We all look to have some degree of certainty, some degree of control,” he said.
Adolf Hitler had a heavy reliance on having his future told, Billimek said, while also being thankful that it helped lead to his downfall.
Billimek said people also delve into the art possibly because of a degree of uncertainty in life, so they seek any alternative means of knowing their future.
He is skeptical that many people will make decisions based on any of those consultations.
But Billimek said, “If the future is vague … it (psychic consultations) gives the feeling you have control, then I can see the attraction.”
He also did not advise people to assess stock market tips and investments purely based on readings.
Logical people do not let outside forces dictate their lives.
Billimek said, “I would think that individuals who feel less secure about themselves would be the type of individuals who would seek out that information. Everyday people look at it to see what might turn up.”
