Abstract
What is a non-believer to do in the face of an exhibition of the supernatural by those variously called psychics, clairvoyants, seers, mystics, sensitives or spiritualists? While clearly the agreement between the exhibitor and the client/spectator calls for belief in the supernatural’s existence and immediate presence, disbelief does not preclude a relationship. If I am a non-believer, however, I must read the event quite differently based on the intentions of the exhibitor. I can consider the exhibitor a liar, and observe the event as if it is fraud; in this case I might watch in stony silence, or vocal effrontery, or cynical amusement, depending on the extent of the exhibitor’s power over the client/spectator, the amount of money changing hands … and the strength of my own disbelief. I might consider the exhibitor genuine but self-deluded, and observe the event with astonishment, or anger, or condescension - again, depending on my perception of any danger to believers, or to myself. Finally, I can witness the exhibition of the supernatural as if it is a theatrical performance, and admire and assess the psychic according to character and spectacle. I would then put aside the non-believer’s concerns about fraud and self-delusion and assume a measure of theatrical self-consciousness on the part of all concerned. To some extent this may be true; a good “show” can be appreciated under any belief system. To some extent, however, I suggest that this is another form of self-delusion, a false “as if” that positions the event at a comfortable distance and the spectator on an apparently safer higher ground from which to watch.1 While the cultures of the occult and the theatre have a long and inextricably complex relationship, both have just as complex a relationship with the culture of commerce. Not all psychics conduct their readings as small businesses, any more than all theatrical performance is commercial. But to the extent that commerce is a goal, strategies are at work that are not necessarily theatrical.2