Where Y'At Staff/Provided Photo

An Interview with New Orleans' Spirit Guide

17:00 March 23, 2015
By: 2Fik

I felt a wave of ease come over me as soon as I entered the home office of Aidi Kansas, a local psychic energy reader. While I had no preconceptions of what I was walking into, friends had decorated my imagination with ouija boards, tarot cards and that creepy fortune-teller machine from the movie Big. They would have been sorely disappointed. The room’s light decor gave it that divine essence you usually experience when walking into a spa or an Apple store, clearing your mind of all but the present moment. In fact, the entire room was a meticulous exercise in serene feng shui: the walls were adorned with animal paintings—also created by Kansas—composed of large round shapes and vibrant colors; thin curtains, selected for their evocation of transparency, lined the back wall; therapy candles—of which Kansas has a collection—burned on a corner table, massaging the mood with a calming effect.

As I soaked all this in, a small white dog that almost looks like he came with the interior design package scampered in and jumped on Kansas’s lap. Snuggling up for a nap, he is clueless that he, too, plays a role in the atmospheric balance of our session.

“Animal therapy can be very therapeutic,” remarked Kansas. “Animals—particularly dogs—absorb the emotions of their owners; they’re like little sponges. I believe part of the burden they take on for us is why they are here with us for such a short time.” Moments like this provide clarity on exactly how an energy reader interacts with his or her clients. 

After being asked outright, Kansas struggled to encapsulate her job description in a single sentence. Perhaps this is because her varying skill sets differ depending on the needs of an individual. Yes, metaphysics—such as acting as a medium and divination—is a component; however, these are merely devices that help to clarify larger personal issues, not a feature presentation.

Based on my session, I would best define a psychic energy reader as a soul counselor. If psychiatry focuses on treatment of the mind, Kansas’s sessions are dedicated to our spiritual connection with the world around us. That said, Kansas stressed that her practice should not be a substitute for necessary mental health treatment.

“I’m not a doctor, nor do I claim to be,” said Kansas. “Someone who is ill or has a diagnosable disorder should seek someone with a clinical background.”

Still, Kansas has many clients who speak to her as well as to a psychiatric counselor, even some who are clinical therapists themselves. Kansas’s clientele come from all walks of life, many of whom contact her digitally from around the globe. Her business has grown so much in the three years since she started that she now may respond to her clients’ needs for as many as nine hours a day. “Everyone is trying to find their way on their path,” said Kansas. “Hopefully, I can help them to move forward.” 

“Anyone can do everything that I do. They just need to be open to the possibility.” ~ Aidi Kansas

Starting her psychic energy reading practice was a big step on Kansas’s own path. “She’s always had the ability to ‘read’ people, ever since she was little,” Kansas’s sister remarked to me at a holiday party this past December. “It was something we [her family] always supported, but has always been a very personal thing for her. It was a brave step for her to ‘come out the closet,’ so to speak, and start advertising that this is who she is and offering it as something to help people.” 

Another personal account comes from her husband, Alan. “I was thinking about trading a player on my fantasy basketball team. Aidi knew I was into this because she had heard me talking about it with my friends, but she did not know any of the details and is not interested in sports. She called me one day and asked if a certain player was on my team. It was the guy I was planning to trade. She said she’d had a dream where I traded this guy and it did not work out for me. That was enough for me, so I kept him. When the playoffs came, he was on a career hot streak and I went on to win the league. Who wouldn’t want to marry a girl with that gift?”

I came to see Aidi through Alan, after meeting him at a friend’s bachelor party in Cancun toward the end of 2014. Somehow or another—probably after many drinks—I mentioned that I’ve had several supernatural encounters throughout my life. Alan immediately became excited and told me that his wife was a medium (someone capable of mediating dialogue between the spirit and living worlds) and suggested that we meet.

While Aidi does possess the ability to act as a medium, it takes its toll. Occasionally haunted when she was younger, later in life she learned techniques to filter out spiritual communications to prevent her from becoming overwhelmed. “There’s a lot of energy out there, both good and bad,” she warned. “New Orleans is a city with a lot of history and tragedy, particularly since Hurricane Katrina. You don’t know what may reach out to you.” 

Kansas believes that much of the distress she sees is brought on by her clients being overwhelmed and overstimulated by their surroundings. “More than ever, people are on the go all the time,” Kansas said. “People are taking less time to relax, meditate and be with family, and are constantly distracted by phones and technology. It’s wearing us out.”

This is something we identified as being one of my big problems. While my curiosity lay primarily with my supernatural encounters (she suggested I be more guarded in known paranormal proximities), I was open to undergoing a session analyzing the successes and imbalances in my life.

“We are all born on a predetermined path,” Kansas stated at the start of our session. “We are on this path for our entire life. When something is missing in our life, or we feel we need a change, we are not finding a different path—we are simply discovering the power to continue moving forward with our destiny.”

My first energy reading session began with a series of questions—some open ended, others more direct—that addressed my personality, routines and habits, and how these affect my decision making. These answers gave way to more detailed discussion of past lives as well as predictions for future behaviors.

Skeptics could say that some of the assessments are open ended, allowing anyone to insert themselves into the narrative; however, other insights may be extremely personal. This same doubt could be applied to psychotherapy or clerical advice. It is here that all misconceptions of a spirit guide are washed clean. Any expectations of seances and crystal balls evaporate abruptly like childhood fantasies, and you come back to reality on a couch in a well-decorated suburban guest room and realize that you are in a counseling session, moderated like any other. It’s an untraditional means by modern scientific standards, perhaps. However, any professional advice one receives—regardless of the approach—is only as effective as one’s willingness to be open to it and contribute.

“I once had a client who I was speaking with remotely ask me for a picture,” Kansas laughed. “I was reluctant, but he insisted, so I emailed one to him. He was shocked when he opened it. He said, ‘I pictured you as this old lady with dreadlocks.’ I look just like anyone else; everyone expects the stereotypical psychics you see on TV.” 

I can attest that my session pointed out several things I’d like to improve on. Personally, I feel the assistance you receive has more to do with being open to analyzing yourself than the possibility of something that cannot be explained (which I’m open to as well).

Kansas sums it up best: “Anyone can do everything that I do. They just need to be open to the possibility, and know that they have the power to move forward.”

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Have a question for Aidi Kansas? Aidi addresses readers’ questions in her column, “New Orleans Spirit Guide,” published every other Tuesday on WhereYat.com. You can reach out to her through her Facebook page.

 

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