There’s quiet chanting coming through the speakers, and the smell of incense is strong at Mystic Rose Gift Shop, which also serves as the Reno Psychic Institute’s headquarters. Catt Lundien, who’s worked at the institute for three years as a psychic, leads me up the stairs. She’s tall, with soft brown hair, rosy cheeks and a careful, measured manner of speaking. Upstairs, in the attic, I have a seat on the loveseat, and Lundien talks to me about her psychic abilities—she does energy, aura, past life readings and psychometry, the reading of objects for their history and energies. Lundien will have a booth at the Reno Psychic Fair on March 29-30 at the Reno-Sparks Convention Center. Call 324-2872 for more information.
How long have you been a psychic?
All my life. I could tell if someone was lying to me when I was very young. I could anticipate people’s wishes. … I didn’t know [that this meant] I was reading until I was in my 20s. All my life I knew things about people. I would know who was calling on the telephone before I picked it up. By the time I was in college, I knew what was going to be on the tests.
That must have come in handy.
[Laughs.] Oh yes, by my senior year I attended very few classes, but I aced them anyway. I got the highest test scores in my major.
What was that?
Psychology.
How does your psychology background relate to what you do now?
I did well in psychology because of my ability to grasp concepts, see the whole picture after a few words.
What reactions do people have when you display your psychic abilities?
I’m a little more focused in my readings now. I try to shut out certain information unless they want [a reading].
What can you tell about me?
[Closes her eyes.] Say your full name for me once.
Carli Cutchin.
[Gets quiet.] You have a lot of energy. Right now you’re on a seeking path. … You feel like you’re treading water. …
Some think of psychics as predictors of the future. It sounds more like you pick up on energies in the present.
What you do here is related to the energy around you. You’re a spirit within a body. The body doesn’t totally control the spirit, and what leaks out is your aura. … We just give you information. What you do with that information is up to you. We could tell you that you’re going to drop off a bridge, and what you do with that information determines your future. We don’t actually predict the future. I used to be a parole agent, and I used to give this little speech, “I can’t help you, but I can help you help yourself.” That’s kind of what we do here.
Can you pick up on the energy of the world and the political sphere?
We pick up on things that are going on, but there are libel laws. [Laughs.] I can say that this is a turning point in world history, but I think everybody knows that. I think there’s going to be a strong European union. … I see that we will no longer be the great power.