Vibe Check: Intuitives & Tinis
Connecting with the other side at Capital Region Living's group medium and tarot reading in Schenectady.
Given the somewhat somber reason we were all gathered at Armory Studios NY—to converse with our loved ones who have passed on—the atmosphere at Wednesday evening’s Intuitives & Tinis event was surprisingly upbeat.
It certainly could’ve had something to do with the deliciously deadly signature drink: a sparkly purple martini made with Empress 1908 Gin. Or maybe it had to do with the fact that most of the guests were there for a fun girls’ night out (the slightly inappropriate women at my table encouraged me to read the oracle card that had been placed at my seat, and then add “in bed” after reading the message on the back). But it probably had to do with the levity evidential medium Melissa Neely brings to her readings. Sure, there was some crying, but when conversing with the other side, guests were even more likely to burst out laughing at what their loved ones had to say.
In one especially comical exchange, Susan, one attendee’s deceased former roommate, commented that she was impressed that her friend had actually changed out of sweatpants for the evening’s event.
“Did you go to New Orleans with her?” Melissa asked the woman.
“Yes!” she said. “We went to Mardi Gras together!”
The late Susan went on to tell her friend that she should go on another vacation, and it was revealed that she was indeed planning a trip to Vegas with her girl friends.
“OK,” Susan said, speaking through Melissa. “But please don’t wear that outfit to Vegas.”
Other lighthearted exchanges included the spirit of Olive the dog breaking the news to her owner that she didn’t like her diet—specifically peas—near the end of her life (“I tried to hide peas in her food,” Olive’s owner admitted), and one woman’s late mother giving her daughter a list of chores—like dusting and washing bedsheets—that she’s currently behind on. “Wow,” the woman whispered to her table when Melissa moved on to the next reading. “That’s my mom to a T.”
Melissa’s readings often incorporated tastes, like chocolate covered strawberries: “My mom’s neighbor brought us some when she was sick.” One woman’s late father commented that the cake at her recent wedding was too sweet (“it was”) and that he had tried to help hold up her wedding dress from the beyond (her bustle wasn’t working). A daughter who passed right before Christmas was adamant that her family continue to celebrate the holiday regardless of their sorrow, and a husband said through Melissa that he liked his wife’s new hair style.
But perhaps the most heart-wrenching connection came at the end, when during the second-to-last reading, Melissa turned to a woman whose spirits were fighting for her attention. “Watch,” she said. “You’re going to be next.”
Indeed, the next raffle ticket randomly picked from the bucket just so happened to belong to that woman. She was able to hear from her father, who’d left when she was just 7 years old. Melissa said that he had suffered terrible abuse as a child himself (the woman confirmed) and that he left so as not to hurt his own daughter. “He didn’t know what love was,” Melissa said. “You were everything he wished he could be. You were the reason he even tried to be a good person.”
Melissa moved on from there to encourage the woman to lean into her love of the outdoors. “You have finally found who are,” she said. “Now find your people.”
“I’m amazed,” the woman said. “Thank you. You’ve made such a big difference.”
—Natalie
More Scenes From Intuitives & Tinis:
