In my last post, I let you know that I visited Madam Sonya, a psychic I found on Google. Here, I let you know what happened during that reading.

Three shallow, cement stairs led up to Madam Sonya’s meeting room. I entered a winterized porch attached to her house. The room was very dark, with a lot of black. Two black folding wooden chairs sat on either side of a card table covered in a black cloth. The only light came from a glass-doored cabinet that contained tools of the trade: various crystals, books, and Tarot cards used by psychics and clairvoyants. I was able to hear footsteps and voices from within the house. I assumed Madam Sonya lived here with her family. Perhaps the running feet were grandchildren.

Madam Sonya carefully spread out her Tarot cards, snapping the corner of each card as she placed it on the small table between us. Often, one overlapped another, and that surprised me. I thought generally six or eight were put down in rows, and the reader looked at each one and told you what it meant. Stacks of two and three cards accumulated. I glanced from the piles to Madam Sonya’s face with curiosity, wondering what she would say. The index finger on her right hand tapped on a card, and she looked at me intently.

“There is a woman in your life,” she said. “Watch out for her,” she warned. “She is very jealous of you.” I wasn’t sure who she was talking about, but I nodded as if I did. What the hell? I was bound to find out, I suppose.

“You will be very successful in the coming year.” She tapped on another card. “This tells me you are a leader. People listen to you. But it would be best if you stopped trying to fix things. You are always trying to make things right. You must stop. It is blocking your heart chakra.”

She was spot on there. I often find myself trying to right a wrong or find a solution to someone else’s problem. But what’s wrong with that? Again, I just nodded.

“You are without a partner, aren’t you?” she said, her eyes squinting as she stared into mine. Skeptical, I thought that was obvious because I don’t wear a wedding band, and Madam Sonya marketed herself by offering to help people find love. Let’s be honest. I’ve been communicating with men on Zotsky for quite some time, and either there is something wrong with them or something very problematic about me.

“Are you familiar with chakras?” Madam Sonya asked. Several illustrations about chakras were in the dimly lit cabinet. One poster explained the chakras in general terms, using a drawing of a person sitting in a cross-legged meditative position. Along the spine, there were seven colored circles; the one at the top of the head was the crown chakra. I followed the circles down to the base, or seat. The bottom one was called the root chakra.

“Chakras are an ancient body energy system,” explained Madam Sonya. They run along the spine from head to seat. Each of these seven main chakras has a corresponding number, name, and color.” I continued to stare at the illustration. I was sort of anxious about looking back at Madam Sonya. The vibe in the room had become weird.

“People with heart chakra blocks often put others first, to their own detriment. It’s the middle of the seven chakras, so it bridges the gap between our upper and lower chakras, and it also represents our ability to love and connect to others. Being out of alignment can make us feel lonely, insecure, and isolated. Furthermore, blocks in our heart chakra can manifest in our physical health through heart problems, asthma, and weight issues. But blocks are often seen even more clearly through people’s actions.”

It was apparent that I had a blockage. But Madam Sonya had a remedy. “For $550, I can help you remove the wall around your heart chakra,” she told me.

That woke me up quickly. She brought it up at such a random time. I was getting into the mysticism of psychic ability, and then the almighty dollar came through to break the spell.

“We’d also have to get you the right crystals. Those, too, will be important in freeing your heart chakra and allowing it to accept love.”

Whatever else was said after that, I cannot remember. Once $550 hit my ears, it was all over. I was honest with her. I thought that was a lot of money, but I’d consider it. I guess she knew she’d overstepped and that I’d never return.

“Is that all you want to know?” Madam Sonya asked. I hesitated, then said, “Can you tell me if my brother, Todd, is okay?” I wondered how her response would compare to the previous information I’d received.

“Todd is sad and wants you to know that he did not mean to do it. He is often with you, and he knows you care about him. When he is with you, you will know. He will come as a colorful creature, like a cardinal or a dragonfly.”

I thanked Madam Sonya and asked what I owed her. She gave me the total and told me she accepted Zelle, Venmo or cash. I paid in cash and left.

Days passed, and I forgot all about Madam Sonya. I wasn’t about to spend $550 to “free my heart chakra.” I stood at my kitchen sink and looked out the picture window into the woods surrounding my house. It had recently snowed, and everything was white: the trees, the ground, the top of the fence line. Suddenly, a beautiful red cardinal landed on a nearby branch and just sat there. I watched him for a very long time. There were bird feeders not very far from where he perched, but he didn’t seem to be in a hurry to go there. I thought of Madam Sonya and what she’d told me about Todd. Although I was skeptical about a lot of things she said, I was happy about her comments regarding my youngest brother. For that moment in time, watching that beautiful cardinal perched on the snow-covered branch, I felt as if I had my little brother back with me again.