But did they see it coming?
Business is booming for psychics, mediums and astrologers during the coronavirus pandemic, as uncertain and scared Americans seek answers.
Chris Medina, a Los Angeles psychic, said he has seen a 20 to 30 percent growth in business since the pandemic struck.
Medina, who charges $150 for 30-minute sessions and does six readings a day, adds that the majority of his clients are women who “want guidance on what is going on and where the world is heading.”
He said people’s increased need for clarity is caused by their brand-new isolation.
“A lot of what’s going on here is social distancing,” Medina said. “People are forced to be alone and not share thoughts or energy with others. A good majority of my clients are telling me about their crazy dreams or that their intuition is sharpening. They want to know, ‘Why am I feeling this way?’ I help unclog all the stuff they have kept in the subconscious.”
Laura Day — a New York- and London-based psychic who has glowing testimonials from Chris Rock, Nicole Kidman, Brad Pitt and Deepak Chopra on her website — has also had an uptick in demand.
“I do workshops on Zoom. Every workshop, 1,200 to 1,300 people sign up. Unfortunately, Zoom caps out at 1,000 people,” Day told The Post. “There’s a huge demand right now, not so much for predictions but people wanting to make contact with their tribe.”
She doesn’t charge for the workshops, explaining that she makes her living from corporations that pay $15,000 for her intuitive and psychic services.
A big part of what she’s offering right now is reassurance.
“People think they’re falling apart but they’re really surprised, once you center them, that they’re actually okay. With the cessation of work and social activities, people are finding different communities. They’re also realizing people who they thought would be there [for them] aren’t — and complete strangers are,” said Day, who got a publicity boost last week when Demi Moore posted an Instagram photo of herself, her ex Bruce Willis and their three daughters all reading Day’s book, “How to Rule the World From Your Couch,” while isolating together.
She explained that clients in her sessions often keep in touch with each other, forming a sort of support group.
Meanwhile, SoHo clairvoyant Elaine Nicholas said customers are “losing their minds” over the deadly outbreak and want to know if they’ll survive.
One was an out-of-work Paul Mitchell hairdresser who consulted Nicholas to see if she’d die if she serviced clients at home. The soothsayer gave her blessing, social-distancing guidelines be damned.
Nicholas closed shop last month but is currently dispensing tarot-card readings by phone. Some clients text her their fingerprints or pictures of their palm.
And it’s not just psychics who are in high demand.
“When coronavirus first hit, for the first time in 40 years I had zero calls,” said Karen Thorne, a New York-based astrologer who charges $325 an hour and said she works with celebrities, financial advisors and government officials. “People were traumatized … too terrified to ask what the future holds. Now, people are starting to come out of the woodwork because they feel safer. They all want to know about their life situation: work, relationships and money.”
Medina noted he has gotten new clients who feel they’ve been had by other mediums.
“[Some psychics have told clients] it’s the end of the world and they need to spend thousands of dollars so … their souls can ascend,” he said. “There’s a lot of people scaring others out there right now.”
His prediction: “Things will not go back to the way they were. This is a permanent shift — so look at the possibilities.”
