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Writer's pictureJennifer Lapierre

Don't Be a Victim: Misuse of Spiritual Practice

Dark arts man with snake
Creepy man in black holding a black snake

Not a Curse: It's a Misuse of Spiritual Practice

Years ago, a new client was convinced that she was cursed. She had been preyed upon by “gypsies,” as she called them, who had approached her at the Grove. They warned her, “We can see blackness surrounding your aura” but assured her that they could remove the curse that plagued her. And over the course of several months, these charlatans swindled her for TEN THOUSAND DOLLARS before she called me for advice.


Horrified, I advised her to report them to the local authorities. Moreover, she had also done online business with them, so I suggested she report them to the FBI for wire fraud. She refused to report them, however, because she was afraid that they would retaliate with a curse. I wanted to smack myself in the forehead with frustration.


This client was a fearful, insecure, lonely, but extremely wealthy young woman from a foreign country, alone in L.A. She was agoraphobic, rarely venturing from her apartment and only then to shop at the mall. Obviously, the charlatans had taken her for an easy mark but sadly, she was hesitant to believe me when I assured her that she was not cursed.


When she started booking weekly appointments with me, I told her that one monthly reading with a psychic was more than enough, but she would book incessantly, sometimes more than weekly. Try as I did to help this woman gain self-esteem, define healthy boundaries, stop toxic family interaction, and forge her way in the world, she was stuck in “victim” mode and I soon understood that she really had no desire to stop self-sabotaging herself. She simply wanted hand-holding, not healing, so I declined to read her anymore. I even had to block her because she refused to stop booking appointments. It was a sad situation.


I hope that this incident reminds everyone that there are many con artists posing as “spiritual advisors” whose only nefarious intention is to steal money from those in a vulnerable state. These tricksters always tell you that you’re cursed, and that they can magically remove your curse for X amount of money. If you ever hear this line, run away. And if you know someone who’s been victimized by a scam artist, do encourage them to report the incident to the authorities. These hoaxers not only are a menace to society, but their misuse of spiritual practice discredits the reputations of legit psychics by default of their nefarious actions.


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