The Question
Whistler Question— by Nicole Fitzgerald
Personal growth and psychic development courses come to Whistler.
In response to the number of searching spiritual guidance in the four years she spent in Whistler, clairvoyant Kelly Oswald is creating a gathering space where people can rest their souls.
Traveling weekly to her Vancouver school, the West Coast Institute of Mystic Arts where she teaches more than 400 students, Oswald hopes to establish her teaching here.
Starting small, she has begun a Wednesday night class, every two weeks, at MY Place where Whistlerites will learn techniques to develop their spiritual skills. Channeling, psychic development, palm reading, tarot cards and other alternative forms of communication will be explored and developed through a series of exercises that occur in the first half of the class. The remaining potion of the workshop is dedicated tot the practicing the techniques
“ I think it will grow organically as people become more aware of it,” she said. “There is a bigger spiritual community in Whistler than people think. This is the real stuff. It’s not carnival games, it’s psychic development and spiritual growth.”
While tuning into your decreased great grandfather may sound like the “hocus pocus” of Madame Cleo’s infomercials or reserved for the select few who live in yurts, psychic development, like any other form of communication, is simply a skill that needs to be practiced. And it is accessible to everyone.
“Everybody has an instinctive process of sensing fiend or foe. I think it is a part of survival and we’ve forgotten over the years.” She said. “ It’s a matter of tuning into it again”
She likened psychic development to learning how to play the guitar: anyone can learn how to play even if some are more talented than others.
“I think Jimmy Pattison is one of the best Clairvoyants around,” she said. “He has good instincts and makes good decisions. It’s about staying true to what you feel, having a sense of knowingness and then using it. Using your clairvoyance gives you a leg up in the world.”
Canada’s longest-serving Prime Minister, McKenzie King, was known to regularly consult a psychic and communicate with his dead mother, but this was not revealed until after his death, for fear of him being labeled crazy- a fear that is felt by a number of people, including locals.
Prominent figures such as Oprah, Carolyn Myss, and Deepak Chopra, demonstrate the “new age,” movement is becoming more socially acceptable in city centers as yoga; Reiki and acupuncture have become more mainstream.
While specialized cameras can now photograph aura, scientifically proving their existence, the only psychic affirmation of its existence for individuals is in the everyday routines of life, Oswald said.
“Everybody has thought about someone only to have the phone ring seconds later and find that person on the other end of the line,” she said. “It happens all the time. You can even order up parking spots.”
Oswald is used to skeptics. Her biggest challenge was her eldest son.
“My eldest son couldn’t believe in my work and then it happened to him,” she said.
Her then 15-year-old son came into his gift as a medium. He went on to lecture about his talent and use his experience as a non-believer to help others weed their skepticism. At 20 years of age, he has experience hundreds of encounters of the spirit kind.
“People are intuitive. They know when they are in a horrible relationship or job,” Oswald said. “The question is what are you going to do about it? Once you are aware, you have the choice to act on it.”