Whether or not you believe in a higher power or powers, people with psychic and empathic abilities, or that someone can tell you about yourself and guide your decisions by looking at a deck of cards, is up to you. For me, I have always believed in these things, mostly because of experiences I’ve had that could only be explained by a different level of spiritual understanding. That being said, I am still quite skeptical about people who practice spiritual arts because there are certainly a number of people who are frauds.

I believe strongly that you either are or are not born with abilities, that these tend to run in families and that there is a right way to use them. Whatever you choose to believe, there is scientific proof that we use only a small part of our brain. I believe there are some who have somehow tapped into parts of the brain that most people haven’t. How that translates into unexplained phenomena, who can tell?

I hear about the Whisky Witch and am intrigued. A woman who has abilities and loves whisky – what better combo, really? Of course, I wonder if she is just a gimmick, but still, it sounds interesting. I reach out to her, and she agrees to meet with me and give me a tarot reading. I see we have a couple of mutual friends on Facebook, so I put her on my restricted list until after the reading, so she has as little information about me as possible. I walk into a little café, and I am greeted with a smile from one of the most down-to-earth people I’ve ever encountered. I feel a connection with her immediately, as if I have known her my entire life.

After chatting slightly about her family history of this gift and some people who have mentored her in it, she unwraps a gorgeous deck of very well-used and loved tarot cards, with photos on them of actual quilts depicting the card images. I am amazed and astounded that those quilts actually exist somewhere and make a mental note to see where they may be. She asks a few questions about what I would like to know, and then she has me shuffle and cut the deck. She lays out the cards in a pattern and flips over the first card. In moments, she is describing me and my current thought process in detail – and is right about all of it.

She flips over card after card, and I am in awe as she describes my partner, my boss, my mother and one of my closest friends, all of whom she has never met. These four people are key to my path in different ways, and she says things about their specific personalities that are right on point. She tells me I am going to a wedding soon, which is true, and that I will spend more money that weekend than I had anticipated. I did ask her to elaborate on this, and she mentioned that the expense that weekend for food and drink will be more than I planned and that we may even be there longer than we had thought. The wedding is in a couple of weeks, so I guess we will see about that.

I ask her to do another reading, this time about my son. She asks if I am sure, because for anyone who is a parent – especially of a young child – what might come up can be nerve-racking. I am curious enough about it and have a good feeling about the knowledge I will receive and so we continue. This reading absolutely blew my mind. The deck has now been shuffled twice, and still the first card that turned over was the same as the one she first turned over for me. She says, “Oh, he is like you… an awful lot like you,” which is accurate. She proceeds to describe him in detail, hitting on his unique points. She noted that he was taller than other kids his age and that he is made to be an athlete, specifically a runner. She tells me a little about what he will be like in the not-so-far future.

I have always said that if you are having a reading done, be wary of people who are speaking very generically. If a “psychic” asks you if you know someone with a name beginning in M or you have had a loved one pass on recently or if you’re experiencing any pain or other things like that, consider how valid he or she is. If they tell you things that are specific about yourself or people you know, things they would not know otherwise and can elaborate on certain pieces of it in the same detail and accuracy, you may have the real deal. I believe the Whisky Witch, aka Jessica Lofgren, is someone to listen to.

She knows her stuff when it comes to alcohol, too. On the whisky side of things, this witch is a connoisseur. She is pretty well-known in Worcester. She has been at the stART on the Street festival, has done several YouTube videos on whisky and often hosts whisky tastings for friends at her home.

If you are a believer in those with abilities or simply that whisky is the king of all drinks, reach out to the Whisky Witch via Facebook, follow her on Twitter at @whiskywitch or visit her website, whiskywitch.com.

By Jennifer Russo