We could easily dismiss the things we cannot see or physically touch as non-existent, but the real emotions these energies bring about can be negative and crippling or joyful and progressive. This is where faith steps in. And as many spiritual healers will tell you, a personal reading is much more than stereotypical, carnivalesque “fortune-telling” — it’s chicken soup for the soul. “We’re made up of body, mind and soul,” says Crystal Stokes of Crystal Visions. “If we eat and exercise for our bodies, read and go to school for our minds, what do we do for our souls?”

Healers, psychics, mediums and empaths — or whatever you prefer to call them — provide a number of services that aim to restore your chakras, cleanse your energy and provide clarity for whatever obstacle you may be facing. “We don’t read minds,” says Michelle Armstrong, psychic medium. She notes that most apprehension comes from clients being worried their healer can see their dirty laundry. “I won’t read your mind and I’d have no interest in doing so even if I could.”

So what does it take to be a modern psychic? “You really have to love people, discard judgment and be willing to help them,” says Ilina Ivana, intuitive channeler. “When people have some sort of breakthrough, epiphany, awakening, for me this is the most important thing.” City Life Magazine sat down with five of the city’s most sought-after spiritual healers and asked them what you’ve always wanted to know about the gift.

Crystal Stokes

Michelle Armstrong

Andrew McGregor

Tara Greene

Ilina Ivana