Conference hydra::dejavu

    A little further out in Lexington is Margo Schmidt.  She is *good*.
    
    (Her phone number and address is in the current Earth Star.)
    
    Karen.*

    Thanks, Karen, for your reply......
    
    I called Margot Schmidt today and unfortunately, her price range is far
    beyond my means ($75-120 an HOUR).... and as she was unwilling to
    barter for part of the fee, I am still "sans psychic".
    
    I am still open to any references.  I could REALLY use some help right
    now.
    
    Peace,
    
    Lisa

    
>    Margot Schmidt... ($75-120 an HOUR)
    
    Yikes!  How can anyone justify charghing that price?  Hopefully one
    would charge what they feel the person can afford, considering that
    this gift should be to help people.  To charge more than many can
    afford is to exclude a great percentage of the people that need help. 
    It makes me suspicious that the power is being abused. :-(
    

    re: .3
    
          You're making lots of assumptions, there.  I know this is 
    a potential debate in the works but I disagree with your judgements.
    "that this gift should be to help people" is *your* opinion, not
    necessarily "truth."  If money is a problem for you, find solutions
    that work for you.  If money isn't a problem for others, then they
    are entitled to solutions that say that money isn't a problem.
          People get real plugged in to money issues, but just shifting
    reality a little bit can change the way money is viewed.  Try
    shifting your set a little and see if that isn't the case.
    
    Frederick
    

    My wife (thrice) and I (once) have been to Margot Schmidt, and we felt
    that we got our money's worth each time.  Notice that her price is 75-120$
    with the customer deciding exactly how much so long as it is within that
    range.  We aren't rich, but we thought it worth enough to pay about the
    middle of the range (the range did used to be a little bit lower).
    
    I am happy to hear that she didn't send you away outright saying that
    she was booked for a year or two.  Maybe we will check back in with
    her soon.  Last time we had to wait about seven months for our appointment.
    
    Anyway, on the basis of our encounters, Margot is simply unbelievable
    at working with relationships of all sorts.  Just mention a name and
    she directly keys into the other person, their troubles, their lessons
    to be learned from you or others, your lessons to be learned from them,
    what is going wrong, how you related with this person in past lives, ...
    
    She might be a wee bit off in some predictive areas (she told me I'd
    get a good raise last time, but she must not have known that I worked for
    digital ;-{), but for problems with relationships of any sort she is
    simply awesome.
    						Todd

    Since Margo is offering a service without which people can live, I
    think this is an example where a free market won't leave someone
    freezing in the cold.  Many of us make our livings based on our 
    "gifts." (I mean, what are we supposed to do, make our livings based
    on our ineptness?)  Margo is free to charge whatever she likes and 
    people are free to spend their money on her service or go elsewhere.   
    I went to Margo once and found her information very useful.  But she 
    wasn't charging anything like $75/hour at the time and the wait was 
    only 2 months.   I'm not sure I would spend that much money on it, 
    although now that I think of it, if I'd followed her advice sooner 
    instead of waitng several years, it would have ended years of 
    unhappiness that much sooner.  So maybe she is worth that much.
    
    I'm not condoning leaving people to freeze in the streets and then
    blaming them, either.  In some cases, it is an individual's fault that 
    got them there, but I can envision many scenarios in which a person 
    could think and do everything "right" and still be shut out of society.
     
    I think that people who have been too complacent for too long find it 
    very easy to think "it can't happen to me" or "its their own fault."  
    How much safer a thought that is than realizing that you can do 
    everything "right" and still get left out in the cold.  How much more 
    comfortable that is than looking at "them" and realizing that they are 
    you.  Western society is extremely sick. It has a deeply embedded 
    disease that is spreading and any one of us can become one of the 
    symptoms.
    
    Mary

    
    re .4 & .7
    
    I know that this service is not *necessary* and that it may be what the
    market bears, but I still have a problem with people who offer "hope for
    sale".  That is the type of thing that will cause poor people to alter
    their financial priorities with hopes of making their future better.
    
    Lottery tickets aren't necessary, either, but there are an awful lot of
    people who buy way too many of them, instead of milk and bread for the
    kids.  It's just the way things are.
    
    Cayce received enough donations to get by, and I certainly could not
    justify to myself making $104,000/year (conservatively!) by offering
    such services.  It somehow seems unethical to me.
    

        re: Lennice
    
           I know, let's gather the poor and the homeless together and
    let's tell them, instead, that it isn't their fault, that it was 
    God or the government or their upbringing.  Let's tell them, instead,
    that the situation was unavoidable, overpowering and one which is
    very likely unchangeable.  Let's tell them that no matter what, 
    without massive powerful changes in society or God, that they
    will be totally unable to change the place that they are in.  Let's
    tell them that they are *dependent* on the world outside, helpless
    alone and individually, and then be stunned when they react by 
    just diving into their agony even further.  At that point, let's
    tell them, instead, that this is God's will, and that heaven awaits
    them upon their death, that in heaven they will finally be rewarded
    for all their helplessness and suffering here on Earth.
    
         NO one has suggested that they be unmercifully (uncaringly or
    without compassion) told, but no one it isn't appropriate to show
    them the way out, either.  Holding onto the values and concepts
    you are attempting to hold onto will not only fail (sounds vaguely
    like something Communism has talked about...) but will ultimately
    hurt far more.  
         No dice...my view remains.
    
    Frederick
    

    I happen to live in Lexington the town Margo also lives in, and
    let me tell you the rents are unbelievable in that town. 
    
    A 2 bedroom in walking distance of the center of town goes up to
    $1200+ range easily, and that's without cable, or a dishwasher!
    
    I have a gift, which I consider my artwork. I am also a graphic
    artist here at Digital, and believe me I'm not making no stinking
    $32,000 a year for only 400+ hours of work. Hey...the more
    empowerment to Margo...if she wants to charge that much money for
    her gift...and gets it...think about it...she's got more of
    a gift than you think.
    
    Don't get stuck on her being a psychic and getting paid so much...
    
    Larry Bird makes something like $60,000 a game for bouncing a 
    basketball gift around.
    
    If I could pull it off I would, wouldn't you?
    
    -Arthur                
    

    At first, I thought I would just read the "heat" and not get involved,
    but at this point, I think I would be remiss for not interjecting a
    point of view.  
    
    The issue at hand it whether or not a psychic or a like-talented person
    is in ethical practice when charging a fee that most people would find
    difficult to pay.  I think Lennice (please correct me if I am wrong,
    Lennice) was using the analogy of the homeless to illustrate the
    exploitation of the needy, not neccesarily to find fault with one
    particular party in reference to the homeless issue.  After all, the 
    issue is "ethical fees" in this particular notes file.
    
    Certainly, Frederick, by noting an injustice or questionable practice,
    one is not flinging one's control in life into the Cosmic Ribbish Bin
    or for that matter , suggesting that we advise the less fortunate to
    believe that it is ALL in someone else's hands.  But, I think it would
    be a good thing to remember that we not only affect our own lives, but
    also the lives of those around us.  It is a far far more intricate
    universe than just "it is this one way OR the other.PERIOD"
    
    I appreciate everyones' responding and especially the exchange of
    ideas.  Thanks again to those who responded off line as well, (Jill, I
    tried to send a reply to you but it bounced back to me.... I can't get
    a proper address for you.  So please accept my thanks here. :^)  )
    
    Peace,
    
    Lisa
             

    >>.11  I could and I won't.
    
    *** You could make that much money playing basketball per game or
    *** you could charge that much amount of money being a psychic? %-}
    *** I am confused...even after reading .8.
    
    *** Living in Lexington, MA frequently gets the remark made that
    *** "OHHhhhh...you LiVe in Lexingtooonnnnnn...pooh pooh!"
    
    *** If she gets clients from mostly the town of Lexington...more
    *** often than not, they'll be able to pay...if you ever hung out
    *** and had coffee at the Coffee Connection downtown...you'd take
    *** into account the clientel the town draws...and they have the $$$.
    
    *** Have a nice weekend!  
       
    

    
    	Perhaps those of you who are outraged at the prices that some
    psychics charge are unaware that , in general, psychics can only do
    two readings a day without getting psychic "burn-out"  and need some
    quiet and regeneration time in between in order to do any readings at
    all.  Looked at in that light, ten readings a week would not provide
    an income any higher than the average at Digital --- and what kind of
    return on investment do you think it provides?
    
    	Jane

    
    
    I was a little surprised to see the reaction here to Margo's fee.
    This is how she lives.  She does no other work (though she does
    hold classes and lectures).  I had a reading with her a number of
    year's ago - the fee was $35 - 50 (at the time that was a bit high)
    and when the reading was over I thought that it was interesting but 
    not outstanding.  I listened to the tape at least 2 years later and 
    what an impact it had!  I was much more ready to hear the information 
    and it was very pertinent.  $75 today is not unusual.  I know a
    number of astrological counselors and psychic readers who charge
    that.  Margo is not unique in this.  I have also gone to excellent
    readers who accept donations - whatever the person can afford. That's
    great, but they also are in a situation where this is not their
    main means of supporting themselves.  I also am in agreement with
    .16 - a psychic really cannot do a lot of readings on a continual
    basis.
    
    In general, I feel that people are drawn to a reader when the time
    is right for them and the information is ready to come forward.
    As a general statement, I just can't see that people in really 
    difficult financial straights are thinking about having a psychic
    reading - they are busy surviving.  But for those who have a steady
    job, and really want to have a reading, they will find a way to
    put aside the money.
    
    We have to remember that we are living in a material, monetary
    society.  It is ok to collect a fee for the service you do.  And
    is is ok also to perform that service for no fee.  If a psychic's
    fee becomes exorbitant, than people will just stop going to them.
    
    I don't know.....this issue seems pretty clear to me, and no big
    deal.
    
    Carole

    
    Why do I think that she schedules more than two a day?  I seem to
    remember her looking at her schedule when I called her, and her
    squeezing me in between two other visits.
    

    .18
    
    Exactly... when I called, she told me that she was booked solid for the
    next month.  
    
    And as far as "psychic-burn-out", I do believe that it exists, but a
    very close friend of mine who lived by this talent could do several
    readings in a day without exhausting herself.  She would even do
    parties of 10 people.  I am sure that everyone is different....
    
    By the way, someone did respond to me and I did receive a reading,
    only I was asked not to advertise this person.  So with respect to this
    person's wishes, I can't give you all a review. 
    
    But, I am always interested in more info. 
    
    Thanks again!  Peace,
    
    Lisa 

RE: 0.

Hi...

I received a reading once from a Boston psychic named George Ministeri.

I beleive he is still performing this craft and currently resides in South
Boston, Ma.   I'm sure he has several numbers, one of which is in the phone
book.

Sean   

    .20
    
    THANKS, SEAN, I JUST MIGHT LOOK HIM UP.
    
    LISA

    I have been seeing Lynne Robinson for a few years and recommend her
    highly.  She is in Fresh Pond; her number is 868-3808.
    
    Feel free to get in touch with me if I can give you any more
    information.
    
    Good Luck,
    
    Michael