Lisa Ann Setchel, our hostess. You may have seen her here on Richmondmom.com as a powerful advocate for autism.
It was an invitation I couldn’t resist: a post from a friend on Facebook for a psychic party on a Tuesday night before Thanksgiving? It was the kick-off to the long weekend I needed to wind-down from work and a much-needed girls’ night. The psychic: Stephanie Leivas.
Psychic Stephanie Leivas
The hostess: Lisa Ann Setchel, leader of Richmond TACA, a support group for families with autism and one of our very own Richmondmom.com writers.
We had freshly-poured glasses of wine, friends old and new, and minds wide open. At $10 per person it seemed like the perfect low-key outing and we each sat patiently as each guest asked a question or two and eagerly awaited Stephanie’s response.
She introduced herself and shared that she does try to look at the positive side of things—that the angels that guide her in her psychic teachings are always with her, talking with her, guiding her, giving her messages through items as mundane as license plates.
The questions varied from “When will I meet the love of my life?” (answer: it may be longer than you’d like, but he’ll come) to “Am I actually being followed by ghosts?” asked by a grandmother attending with her adult daughter, who also felt that her own father was speaking to her through her grandson’s animated smile. Stephanie responded yes to both–not only did the dead have an attraction to this woman, but she could also help them look into the light by simply asking them to “look up” and they would see the lights above their heads and begin their journey into the afterlife.
Her father? He was also with her, and was, according to Stephanie, sitting at her right side.
On the topic of ghosts, Stephanie is convinced–and I have to agree–that Richmond is an especially haunted place because of our ties to the Civil War. She didn’t know that I was working on the release of my second Richmond Rocks children’s book called “The Spooky Sequel” about Richmond ghosts so it was fun to hear her share her thoughts on our city just as we’re sending the book to print.
Stephanie has felt that she was channeling spirits for several years now and has launched Blossom your Spirit at Spiritualpreneur Coaching. She specializes in her gift order of: Prophetic, Feeling, Vision, and then Intuitive. She feels that she has a very special awareness of what to do to help people in what ever is bothering them. She proved that, psychic powers aside, she has the gift of bringing many local women together–most of whom barely knew each other–for a supportive, fun night.
As the questions ranged from challenging in-laws who wouldn’t accept one of our guests (we thought she was lovely!) to tear-filled questions from the
Image courtesy of graveyards.com
mothers of autistic children and the daughter of a very ill and undiagnosed father, Stephanie offered her vision. It reminded me that each of us was struggling with something and that both Stephanie’s advice and the encouragement of our new-found friends was the perfect recipe for women who are tired, worried, hopeful.
“Is the water working?” asked one mom, hopeful that the new-fangled water purifier would provide healthy properties for her son, struggling with autism. “No, it’s not the right one,” answered Stephanie. Dejected, the determined mom commented that she felt there may be better, yet more expensive options out there. “Wait until you can get a better one,” she advised, “This one is not the answer.” Some of Stephanie’s responses weren’t as definitive, which could be the result of a room full of now wine-filled women eager to help or the fact that at that moment, her angels weren’t giving her what she needed.
Either way, I walked into the chilly November night clutching my sweater around me and the comfort of knowing that we’d all received a bit of what we came for, and the comfort of knowing that we weren’t alone.
