Hotel conference rooms can be suffocating, the type of places where energy and creativity get ground down, leaving permanent stains in the beige carpet.
But the mood is very different, very alive at the Autumn Seacoast Psychic Fair, held inside the Hampton Inn in Exeter.
Listen to the broadcast version of this story.
(Editor's note: we highly recommend listening to this story.)
We are here for a simple reason: to see if psychics, mediums, and those who possess clairvoyant abilities are able to predict who is going to win the Democratic Primary and the general election. As was made clear in 2016, pundits don’t always get things right, so why not give someone else a chance at prognosticating?
The first booth we visit is helmed by Linda McCracken, who is offering tarot readings and spirit art. Spread in front of her are brightly colored tarot cards and a can of lemon seltzer. She says next year is going to be seismic.
“For 2020, a lot of people are going to be going through a lot of major changes.”
Tell me about that?
“Well, there is nothing really to tell,” says McCracken. “Most people are going to go through good changes next year. But a few are going to go through some really hard times.”
Hmmmm, is that a clue about who is going to win the election? Control the Senate?
Not sure. Let’s try another booth.
Jess King is here selling bells and handmade jewelry. She says that she also has some psychic powers, which--lets hope--she can apply to our election questions.
“I have been told that, holy cow, did you know that was going to happen? I don’t know, maybe?” she says with a laugh.
Among the many likeable and interesting things about King is that these psychic abilities only emerged about five months ago.
What changed?
“I split this geode open. It was sitting in my front yard when I moved in,” she explains, pointing to the stone.
So you split a rock open and that changed you?
“Yes, it changed my perspective. That things are right under your nose and you don’t even see it,” she explains.
So, is the winner of the Democratic Primary right under our noses? Are we all missing something obvious?
For her part, King says she doesn’t follow politics, and doesn’t know what may happen.
The organizer of the Seacoast Psychic Fair is a spiritual consultant named Angie D’Anjou. For $30, she’ll give you a 15-minute reading. But answers to the questions we have cannot be purchased.
“I don’t look at the crystal ball to look at politics,” she explains. “I have better things to concern myself with.”
Despite the kindness of everyone here, it looks like this fair may be a bust. Nobody, not even those with a sixth sense, seem able or interested in predicting the election. But then, in the corner, comes big energy in the form of Darlene Dowdy.
She’s selling jewelry, and very intricate dragon heads.
“And it is made of resin, crystals, metals, and I use mehr, dragon’s blood, frankincense and…”
Where do you get your hands on dragon’s blood?
“Whatever supplier I find it at,” she explains.
Dowdy says that to ask about politics is to ask the wrong question--that our elected leaders, whoever they may be, can’t save us.
“I think everyone lives in fear, and we need to stop being afraid of what everybody else is going to do to us,” says Dowdy. “We have to get past that fear stage, and step into our power, and be the humans we were sent to this planet to be.”
Dowdy believes that all of us, no matter who we vote for, would benefit by taking a collective deep breath.
You can’t control the future anyway, so why worry about it?
Copyright 2021 New Hampshire Public Radio. To see more, visit New Hampshire Public Radio. 9(MDIxMDkyNjUxMDE0NDY1Njg1NzRiOTRiYQ000))
