Shivani: When someone gives you the opportunity to find out about your future, whether you believe in the supernatural or not, are you really going to say no? That’s the mentality I had before going to local Kingston psychic Shadia Medium. 

Josh: When Shivani first told me we were going to visit a psychic, I felt my traditional Jewish upbringing fighting against my liberated, Arts-degree mindset. I’ve never taken the time to consider my opinions on the supernatural, but my family is grounded in realism. 

Nick: My first thought going into the psychic was that Catholic school clearly didn’t do the trick. If over 12 years of masses and generally shaky sex-ed can’t dissuade me from checking out the competition, maybe there’s something to it.

S: Our psychic, Shadia, told us she first realized she had a supernatural gift when she was three years-old. While her gift was always with her, she worked to tune out the voices of spirit guides she could hear speaking to her as she grew older.

In the meantime, she established a career as a microbiology research associate at Queen’s and a gastroenterologist at KGH. However, after realizing how much her gift could help those around her, Shadia decided to work full time as a psychic/medium.

J: Shadia’s story floored me when I realized, contrary to the $10 palm reading booths littering downtown Toronto, her motivations weren’t simply to make money. She gave up a successful academic career because she just happened to be born with an incredible gift and felt a responsibility to use it for the greater good. 

S: Stepping up for the first session of the three of us, Shadia started by giving me a reading of my personality. Although her interpretations were true, I still had yet to be persuaded — it just seemed like a list of fairly general, reasonable assumptions. 

But as she continued, I became more and more convinced that Shadia has a gift. She made several comments about my background, personality and life that weren’t things anyone could just guess.

N: I was up next. Upon settling in, Shadia pegged me pretty quickly as being along for the ride, before explaining I was maybe more spiritual than I was willing to admit.

Then we dove into past lives. 

Apparently I’ve had 80, making me an official “old soul”, which isn’t hard to believe. 

Shadia explained most of these lives were spent serving time in the military — surprising considering the last time I did push-ups I couldn’t open pull-doors for a week. She said the most important past life involved either World War I or II when a bomb blew me up after trying to save an injured friend. 

Turns out, we’re currently friends again in this life and he inherently feels like he owes me, which explains a specific friendship with a generous Spotify and pizza arrangement I’ve been coasting on for about three years.

J: When my turn came, I started to get nervous. I realized a part of me was hoping this psychic would end up being a witch hat-wearing, crystal ball-abusing fraud. I’m not one for deep, personal introspection and feared the kinds of baggage Shadia would dredge up from the depths of my chakras.

I wore a red-and-blue flannel that could’ve been fresh out of Ron Swanson’s closet in an attempt to throw Shadia off my indoors-y vibe. Maybe I should’ve worn gloves too because she promptly took out a magnifying glass, analyzed my palm and told me I wanted to be a screenwriter. 

My apprehensiveness — and jaw — dropped instantly.

S: After discussing ways to clear up my chakra, Shadia moved into the psychic part of the reading — talking about my future and allowing me to ask questions I wanted answered. 

According to Shadia, I’m going to fall in love and get married only once. At age 46, I’m going to have a drastic career change. I’m going to have two or three kids, likely one boy and one girl, and won’t have any biological problems conceiving — cue my letting out a deep sigh of relief, having settled my fears of infertility. 

She also told me that of the two options I have for living situations post-graduation, moving to a big city is where I belong. I guess that means in June I should pack up and move to New York — which, coincidentally, is the same month Shadia told me all my loose ends and goals will come together. 

N: As far as predictions went, mine were relatively tame. I was sort of hoping for something fun, like, “Never under any circumstances can you get on a cruise ship.” Instead, I was pretty much guaranteed a future of grad school.

J: Considering I struggle to name films made from before 1985, I was surprised to learn I’m actually a relatively old soul. According to my reading, I was an aristocrat in most of my past lives and had a particularly raunchy life in France, which is why I guess I don’t feel a connection to French culture. Take that, every French teacher I’ve angered in the past 14 years.

My future basically sounded like the reassuring pep talk my mom used to give me if I did poorly on a spelling test. Shadia told me if I continue to work as hard as I have been, I’d find great success in my career, financial stability and have a solid family life complete with four children. Since I’m aiming for a career in the notoriously unstable entertainment industry, it was kind of comforting to hear. 

N: I may not be fully on-board with the art of psychic mediums, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t surprised at how accurate Shadia’s comments were. Sure, it may have seemed out there at times but it I can completely appreciate how it can be an outlet for someone looking for a little direction.

Finally, a big shoutout to my “very balanced but quiet” future wife — we did it, baby.

S: Honestly, visiting Shadia was one of the best Sundays I’ve had in a while. 

Visiting a psychic allows you to gain insight about yourself or your situation and process it with a kind of guidance. It also has the ability to give people closure and comfort when it comes to the death of a loved one, a traumatic life experience or the general baggage of day-to-day stresses. 

Shadia, specifically, is a wonderful person who very obviously decided to take on the role of a psychic medium full-time because she felt it was important to help others. After our session, she sent me home with a bracelet that she said would keep my spirit grounded and emailed me exercises to do if I needed to clear my mind. It’s really obvious she’s doing this solely because she cares about others.

Plus, knowing my future husband’s going to walk into my life in two or three months gives me another reason to get up in the morning. Thanks for that, babe — drinks on me when we finally meet. 

J: My experience with Shadia definitely nudged me more into the realm of believing in the general concept of psychic powers. My flannel did nothing to camouflage my screenwriting ambitions, my number of siblings or the fact that it was time for me to forgive my ex. 

I got the general sense Shadia genuinely wanted to help me. She wasn’t trying to con me into twice-daily yoga classes or make me afraid of going in the ocean. She just wanted me to have hope for the future. If all goes according to plan, I hope to one day thank Shadia for everything at my wedding, which will apparently be on an unusual island to a bride who’ll “be very funny, but won’t know how to cook at all”.