Wake up and smell the incense, Whistler

By Nicole Fitsgerald, reporter – The Question
‘Celebration of Psyche and Soul’ Planned this Weekend
You would think metaphysician Kelly Oswald would be able to look into her crystal ball and predict how Whistler will respond to the inaugural Celebration of Psyche and Soul this weekend, Sept. 3 to 6, when Tourism Whistler and the spiritual community will pack the village with psychics of all sorts.
However, Oswald only needs to look to the present and past to know Whistler is ready to delve into its more spirited side of living in the future. “Whistler is becoming body, mind and soul rather than body, mind and sport these days,” she says from her newly opened metaphysical store, Oracle.
If Whistler’s state of mind is growing, one only needs to look at the overwhelming response her two-month-old store is already garnering.
A recent interview was interrupted a handful of times by phone calls inquiring about psychic readings. Oswald is already booked for the day and happily exhausted after conducting 10 psychic readings. And she still had half a day to go.
Oswald, owner of Oracle and founder of the West Coast Institute of Mystic Arts, has always dreamed of starting a school and gathering place for psychic healing in Whistler. In her effort to bring her dreams into fruition through the store, she never foresaw a weekend dedicated to the spiritual arts until the idea was proposed to her by Tourism Whistler officials.
She embraced the project and invited spiritual facilitators from the Sea to Sky corridor, Vancouver and Vancouver Island to join in the adventure.
“We want to let people know about the unseen world and the real magic that is available to us,” she said.
Psychics will conduct readings throughout the Village over the weekend using various mediums such as tarot cards, crystals, angel cards and channeling to facilitate their messages from above.
Venues to host the different reading include Black’s Pub, Esquire’s Coffee, MY Place, Mogul’s Café, the Sundial Boutique Hotel, the Coast Whistler Hotel, the Summit Lodge, Whistler’s Photo Source, Whistler Valley Adventure Centre, Town Plaza Gazebo, Second Cup and The Oracle located at Nesters Square.
Oswald didn’t want people to just experience psychics over the weekend, but also learn how to develop their weekend, but also learn how to develop their own psychic abilities, so an educational component of the weekend was added.
The weekend will showcase a series of free workshops and lectures on Saturday from 11 to 4 p.m. at MY Place to explore the different sides of spirit, including delving into the magical arts with Oswald’s workshop Yes! You’re Psychic!
Oswald said everyone is psychic. People only need to learn to develop those hunches or intuitive thoughts they have.
“It is about getting the message out that we re supported by the universe,” she said of her workshop. “It is to help us move away from fear and into action. Tapping into the unseen world is very useful. It makes things so much easier.”
Clairvoyant Cheryl Brewster will talk about learning to trust intuition through her workshop, Intuition in Action and Psychic Medium. Lee Ashley will facilitate a John-Edwards-style gallery with her workshop, Spirit Communication. Other lectures/workshops will be available including Connecting to the Love Grid, The Wheel of Life, A Messenger’s Message and The Divine Child Within.
Psychics will flood the Sunday afternoon Farmer’s Market in the Upper Village at the base of Blackcomb Mountain with special readings for Whistler’s four-legged friends on Sunday from 11 to 4 p.m. Dogs and cats can get their paws read for $5 and a psychic specialized in communicating with animals will offer readings for $30. All proceeds are donated to the Whistler Animals Galore (WAG) animal shelter.
“It is light-hearted and fun, but it’s the real thing – not just entertainment” Oswald said. “It is going to be a fun and busy weekend. You don’t need to be psychic to predict that. Whistler is ready for it and if they are not, they should be. Wake up and smell the incense.”