Put the Crystal Ball Down and Come Out with Your Hands Up...

Last month, new age practitioners breathed a sigh of relief in Vermont. A 1966 ban on fortunetelling was lifted in the town of St. Johnsbury on August 21st. Among the many acts deemed illegal by the former law were tarot reading, palmistry, and even feng shui.

Many communities across the country, from Oklahoma to Washington, D.C. to Florida, have similar laws on the books in an effort to prevent fraud. Arguably, these could also be considered infringements of freedom of religion in many cases.

Last year, Livingston Parish in Louisiana officially outlawed fortunetelling. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania discovered a forgotten law and cracked down on tarot readers, crystal gazers, astrologers, and psychics, closing businesses across the city.

Yet Scientology, with its belief in alien beings forming humanity and returning to earth one day, remains protected by religious freedom.

We may all have our opinions of different practices, but everything from psychics to ghosts to voodoo is a part of our culture: our human makeup. If Ebay can sell a grilled cheese Virgin Mary effigy for thousands of dollars, is there really anything inherently wrong with someone asking for a few bucks for a palm reading?

It may not last as long, but there's no worry of mold from it killing you...

Supernatural Spotlight: Daniel Hecht

Every so often, it's nice to escape reality and lose yourself in a good book. And if you're looking for something interesting to read with a paranormal slant, you might want to look for Daniel Hecht in your local bookstore.

It has been several years since I received that unexpected email from the author, notifying me about a new series he was writing. Although he is a fiction writer, he carefully researched paranormal investigation techniques and practices and had assistance from several experts to be as realistic as possible. I was asked for an opinion on his work, and was quite impressed.

Hecht wasn't always a writer. The New York native actually began as a musician. It wasn't until 1988 that the writers bug caught him and changed his paths. Though he now writes full-time, his interests are varied. He is also the executive director of the Vermont Environmental Consortium, working to preserve the natural landscape of the state he currently calls home.

His paranormal book series centers around Cree Black, a female 'ghost hunter', empath, shaman, and healer. She is both ordinary and extraordinary. As she and her associates travel around the country, they find themselves dealing with paranormal events and trying to solve the mysteries surrounding them.

The series will eventually expand to fifty novels, but there are only three published at this point: City of Masks, Land of Echoes, and Bones of the Barbary Coast. From New Orleans to San Francisco, Hecht brings the past to life... and tantalizes us all with the world of the dead.

If you love a good thriller, I highly recommend them all.