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How to Screen Scammers for Cursing Cons, by Diana Rajchel

(Article originally published in The Llewellyn Journal.)

San Francisco has an unusual law for fortune-tellers. This law requires that anyone who offers fortune-telling services to apply for a license with the city and report to city hall for fingerprinting. As someone who reads tarot as part of a metaphysical solutions practice, I balked when I found out about this. Sure, a business license made sense—the city's taxes and budget needs are enormous for anyone who moved there after 1970—but fingerprints? Tarot somehow meant criminal activity in a place with the mystical history San Francisco?

Not long after this discovery, a post on NextDoor from the San Francisco PD explained everything. Scammers were exploiting vulnerable people in public spaces, marching up to them in shopping malls and at gas stations to offer readings, and then convincing their targets that they were cursed. To remove these afflictions, these "readers" demanded hundreds and even thousands of dollars.

In some cases, if the person refused the scammer, the fake reader might then persuade them that they would be cursed if they didn't pay up. (In at least one case I know of the scammer did follow up with a negative working.)

San Francisco has always had a reputation for pirates and plunderers, so fortune-telling scammers come as no surprise. What did shock me was the frequency to which these villains still succeed in their evil deeds. For people like myself that are in the business of ruling out (or acknowledging) curses to break bad patterns, scammers pose a massive and complicated problem. How can you operate a business that requires faith and trust with people claiming your field with the very intention of violating faith and trust?

Scam victims are a regular and painful part of life for legitimate members of the spiritual field. Anyone who works in this business more than ten years has at least one story about a terrified client seeking a second opinion after an encounter with a spiritual scammer. By the time these folks come see someone legitimate, they have already lost hundreds to thousands of dollars because of these manipulations.

This puts me in a rough position with San Francisco's regulations. I object to the law, but I can't ignore the reasoning behind it: vulnerable people need protection.

That's the very reason I started down a path that includes curse diagnostics and breaking. Those of us raised in colonizer cultures unfortunately make the problem worse because of our own cognitive dissonance around cursing. Curses are billed as "ridiculous" and "superstitious" and yet it's people from all backgrounds that end up on that scam victim list. The way it's been handled so far is to gaslight and add to the dissonance—either insisting that "that doesn’t happen," or insisting that "only those people from that culture and practice have curses."

Sometimes, the colonizer mentality doubles up on the gaslight/put-down and suggests that "those people" are just "uneducated." "Those people" are the only real experts on the realities of their lives and if someone from outside my cultural bubble comes to me believing they may be cursed, I listen, rather than dismiss. If someone comes to me thousands of dollars poorer because of a scam, I don't chastise or judge, I listen to why they think it might be so.

My exposure to people far outside my bubble of birth has left me convinced of two things: curses are real, and con artists are common. Finding an ethical person to diagnose and resolve a curse is even more difficult when navigating a community that has both people casting real spells and people faking it to scare people into handing over their money. The spiritual scam victim and the person who bought into the "curses don't exist" modern party line ends up having much the same questions: Are curses real? Am I vulnerable? How do I rule this out? Can I even find an honest person for a second opinion? What the hell do I do about it if I am cursed—I don't have $500!

I can't offer absolute protection from scams; these people know how to cold-read and pick their targets with care. The most resistant person can get caught up by a scammer if picked on the wrong day.

I also can't give guarantees on my workings. Hired spiritual work is similar to working with a lawyer, or a doctor, in that you pay for a certain kind of expertise that cannot be guaranteed. You can't always win the lawsuit, and you can't always see the results you might want from a spell or spell breaking.

With this dilemma in mind, I offer the following guidelines if someone says you have a curse on you.

1. First, were you even considering you might carry a curse before the conversation began? 
2. Second, did you seek this person out, or did they blindly solicit you? Are they offering to "lift" the curse that you weren't even concerned that you had for an exorbitant fee? Assume someone who walks up to you on the street or cold-calls you on social media to tell you you have a curse is lying. Scaring people into limbic hijack so that they can't think clearly to question what they're told is a common method of grifters.
3. Third, if you think you might be cursed, why? What seeded that idea? If you are seeing a string of increasing and bizarre bad luck, that might merit exploration. Most of the time, you will find out that you aren't cursed, that you have more of a "clog" because of energy build up. Those are often much less expensive to fix, and you can often take care of yourself.For example, if you have a streak of tiny accidents, it might come from a spiteful magic worker. Still, rule out all logical explanations. Your coordination might be off because you don't get enough sleep, or you keep running late because you forgot to reset your devices to your current time zone. Assess on a scale of normal/horror movie/cartoon how improbable strange incidences are. If you find yourself in situations that in any way resemble Supernatural or South Park, please call someone. You might not be cursed per se, but you still need help.

If signs are pointing towards a cursing, try to keep an open mind about who and how. Stay as calm as you can. Do not trouble yourself too much over why unless you did something especially unconscionable.

Get divination from someone who has a good reputation but who doesn't know you or the situation. Look at reviews for local metaphysical shops, and if the shop has positive feedback in multiple places, give them a call and ask about their readers. Forums such as RateMyPsychic can also help you track down someone that can help. Before you hire a reader, also take a look at their social media platforms. Look for an authentic person showing themselves. Someone that expresses critical thought about popular spiritual ideals is more likely to handle a tough problem than someone that only posts inspirational memes.

Never call a "psychic" that advertises by dropping glowing reviews on the profiles of other psychics. "I got my husband back..." these usually begin. These people are invariably scammers.

If you honestly believe someone has worked harm to you via magic, then put the same effort into finding someone to help you that you would put into finding a contractor for home repairs.

All curses are breakable. It may take persistence, and in some risky cases, it may well involve expense—but an ethical worker will take every effort to work themselves out of a job, and will start with the least expensive solutions first.

We live in a big universe, one large enough to contain curses, cures, and con artists. Part of making the world better is cursing the cons, curing the innocently cursed, and raising ourselves beyond the need for any of it. Until then, tread carefully, think critically, try to rule out the supernatural before seeking spiritual help, and never believe a guy at the 7-11 who walks up to you out of nowhere and tells you about a “dark energy” in your aura.

Article originally published in The Llewellyn Journal. Copyright Llewellyn Worldwide, 2021. All rights reserved.

My father has a disease - alcoholism. He has been drinking for many, many years. I love my father greatly, and believe he is a good man despite this condition. I am wondering if he will ever stop. What makes a person choose to be an alcoholic in a given lifetime? What spiritual lessons are being learned by them? What are their loved ones supposed to be learning? How do we handle the many challenges of living with and loving an addict? Thank you very much for your answer.
Maggie

Dreamchaser:

Maggie, I am so glad you asked this question. So many people's lives are touched by alcoholism or drug addiction; we need to discuss it. We need to say it out loud. So many times we keep secrets in our homes and think that no one from the outside can see. We are wrong. Everyone knows when a house is broken, and talking about it can possibly heal wounds or help someone.

The one question I am asked most in this column and in psychic readings is Why would someone choose THAT as a lesson? I have no idea why we even choose to come to live as humans on Planet Earth. I have read that we are the bravest of all souls because we DO choose to come here and learn our lessons the hard way. When there is addiction in our families, each person learns something different and personal to them.

I can only speak for myself. I learned from having an alcoholic father that I could not have someone's bad behavior as a constant in my life, and that I cannot fix anyone besides myself. I did not speak to my father for nine years. I kept trying to fix him, and I would get upset when I couldn't. I tried to be perfect so he would be happy. I would feel like a failure when he was not. The list goes on and on - you know it well. In the separation time, I learned to like myself. That was MY lesson. My brother learned something entirely different. We each have our own lessons to learn, Maggie. There is not just ONE answer.

You are a DO-er too. You want to do something. You keep thinking that there must be something you can DO to make this change. You think if you could just say the right thing, maybe he would stop drinking. Maggie, you could not be more wrong. There is NOTHING you can do to change him or the situation. You have to do for yourself and yourself alone. Until he is ready, he will not quit. It is quite possible that he will never quit. He sees his life laying in ruin and that makes him just drink more. Maggie, one of your lessons is that you cannot do anything here. You are powerless over everything except your own reactions.

Have you tried an intervention with your father? Have you gotten everyone who loves him together in one room so you all can tell him how his addictions affect you and your lives? I know of a few people who had to be shown their actions. Your father does not mean to hurt people. He is a nice man. I suggest you try to put an intervention together. Yes, he will be furious, but it just might help. There are so many that love him. Ask them to help you.

I wish you peace.

*****

Astrea:

I have some personal answers for you. Will your dad ever quit? I see him quitting a number of times over the next ten years. I honestly see him seeking help for this about a year from now, so don't give up hope. He really will begin to try to find his way because HE wants to. I see a tragedy happening in his life that is going to cause him to wake up and have a change of heart. Sometimes it takes a shock. I see hope for your dad in the coming months. Your dad has a chance to evolve away from this slavery and move towards Enlightenment, and he'll take it.

Why would your dad choose to be this way during this incarnation? In the lifetime before this one, your father did some terrible things. I can't give that information to you, but he should seek it. It would help him understand what he's trying to drown out with the alcohol. He doesn't even know why he drinks, because it's a carryover from a past life when his Spirit made some bad choices. Your dad's Spirit is so sensitive that when those past life memories and feelings start to rise, he drinks to push them down again.

As for how to deal with your dad, try compassion. Christians might suggest that you treat your dad the way you would treat Jesus if he dropped by and had too much to drink. Instead of asking yourself, What Would Jesus Do? ask yourself, What would I do for Jesus if HE was my Dad? If you're Pagan, how would you care for the Yule King if he had too much to drink? Try to find compassion. This is YOUR path to Enlightenment, too.

Addiction is a terrible problem, whether the person is addicted to drugs, alcohol or even drama. The person who suffers from the addiction sometimes has no idea what he puts his friends and family through when he is using.

You do NOT have to be victimized by anyone's addiction, your dad's included. Of course you love him; he's your Daddy! I know you want to help him through this, but you're dealing with something that only he can control.

Fortunately, you have a lot of options to help you deal with your dad's problem. Give Alanon a try. They have meetings available wherever there is a chapter of Alcoholics Anonymous, and they are listed in the white pages of your telephone book. Even if you don't like it the first time, try more than one meeting. They can give you lots of information about some of the ways you can try to help your dad, but most of all, being around other people who are facing the same challenge will help you deal with all of this in a more positive way.

Astrea:

Many times in life we hear, "You will always have what you NEED, but not necessarily what you WANT." Your spirit must have needed to experience the feeling of leaving your human body, and the suggestion in the next chapter of Sylvia Brown's book was all it took to get you there.

Even though you hadn't read it yet, your SOUL recognized the title of that chapter as something it had been seeking, and your soul, knowing that you had that reference to read after your experience, got with it and out you went!

While I don't usually recommend her books, Sylvia Brown has a wide reaching and powerful effect on lots of people. A Gemini like you would be able to relate easily to her writing and put it to good use. Synchronicity - you gotta love it!

I like your description of "getting caught." That's exactly what it feels like, isn't it? One minute you're free and hovering above the room, and the next minute, ZAP! back down into your corporeal form you go!

As a little kid, I loved that "feeling of return." With practice, most of the time we can control that event, but sometimes, when our physical ears hear a distracting noise or something else occurs to knock us back into reality, back we go. With practice you will be able to control your return better.

I find it interesting that you were visiting your mother-in-law and not someone in your own genetic family. Evidently, you and your husband got married for reasons that are even deeper than love. His family's interest in "psychic stuff" will nurture your children in such matters and help them to grow into their own abilities.

You'll never have to be concerned that when your daughter visits them, she'll be discouraged from exploring her own psychic life and power. My parents encouraged me to develop my psychic senses in a time when it wasn't nice to even discuss such things in public. Heck, it's STILL not considered a great topic at the dinner table in some families!

Your kids will get to talk about it ALL and ask questions and read and study. This is going to give them such an edge in life! Talk with your husband about how you want to present this to your kiddos, so that you are united in your approach and ready to tell them their experiences are all natural and okay.

A word or two of warning: Geminis often have difficulty staying grounded in REAL LIFE. Don't get so strung out on your ASTRAL life that you neglect what you're doing here on Earth.

You are at the beginning of a long journey to learn where your power really lies. Try to be patient with this process and take your time.