The Globe &
Mail
Published Date: 2008-12-01
I sold my stocks (the
psychic said I should)
by Sarah Boesveld
It was late October, the markets were more than a little
shaky and Ray Pambrun was pondering his financial future. How should
he invest? Which way would the market turn? Should he wait to buy a
house?
While most Canadians were dialling up their financial advisers, Mr.
Pambrun did what more and more disillusioned investors are doing: He
consulted his psychic.
Her advice? Get out of the stock market; it's only going to get
worse.
"Sure enough, in November, day after day was just more losses, more
bankruptcies, more banks failing, more bailout money," he says.
It’s a bad time for bankers and many businesses, but a great time
for psychics, hypnotists and astrologers.
His psychic's instruction stood in stark contrast to the "buy, buy,
buy" advice economists and financial advisers had been doling out.
So after meditating, consulting his deck of tarot cards and talking
to his clairvoyant last month, the 30-year-old engineer from Kenora,
Ont., sold many of his stocks and remains in the black.
While businesses around the world suffer and shrink in the current
financial downturn, psychics, hypnotists and astrologers are basking
in the good times. Many say they've seen significant boosts in the
past few months, and are seeing greater demand from investors who no
longer trust the suit-and-tie financial advisers who told them to
buy stocks that eventually tanked.
It's not uncommon for people to flock to psychics and become more
superstitious when a crisis hits, says John Mowen, a marketing
professor at Oklahoma State University.
"When the housing crash [in the United States] first started, you
saw all sorts of behaviour related to 'How do I get my house sold?'
Homeowners were burying statues of St. Joseph upside down in their
yard in order to sell their house," he said. "With superstition,
you're using some magical force to make something happen."
While the image of a business professional ducking into a psychic's
lair may elicit some giggles, it's no big surprise to Gad Saad, an
associate professor of marketing at Concordia University.
"In an environment of economic uncertainty ... people are willing to
try anything. I would argue that financial advisers are really not
too much different from psychics," he says.
While many businesses around her have seen a drop, Kelly Oswald,
founder of the West Coast School of Mystic Arts Center for
Enlightened Living in Whistler, B.C., says it's business as usual.
Her team of more than 20 spiritual "facilitators" has seen a steady
increase in clients since the centre opened.
"We're more than managing. I would say that we haven't seen a
decline and we've been in the business since 1999. It's grown every
year, it's grown steadily," she says.
What's more, she's seeing more men seeking answers from the other
side.
"We have an 80-per-cent female, 20-per-cent male [clientele]. I
would say it's definitely shifted to maybe even 70-30 within the
past year. It's increased significantly." |
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