Under a partial lunar eclipse, psychics, mediums, healers, and other mystics gathered Saturday at the Johnson County Fairgrounds for the annual return of the Iowa City Metaphysical Exposition.
There, “connectivity” was a common theme among vendors and attendees alike.
“People want to connect with their loved ones, know that they’re on the other side, that they’re safe, and that they’re with us,” one medium Laurie Hazel said at the event. “It’s just that connection we seek.”
Hazel, a former elementary school teacher, used to be a skeptic when it came to all things metaphysical. However, that all changed 15 years ago when she was given a psychic reading for her birthday. The next day, Hazel picked up her own deck of tarot cards.
Hazel used to practice sound therapy and readings in Waterloo, Iowa, but because of the COVID-19 pandemic, her business was unable to stay afloat. Since then, she has published “Love Letters From The Angels,” which is a collection of divine messages and letters sent to her, Hazel said.
One attendee, Ashley Lyons, said they visited the exposition just to see what each vendor had to offer.
“I love all of the crystals and gems here. I feel so connected to everyone,” Lyons said.
The Metaphysical Expo was created by Cat Sinclair and a committee of like-minded mystics in 2013. In 2020, the organizers were forced to halt the expo for the foreseeable future.
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This year, all of the local mysticism was united again with its new organizer, behavioral scientist and psychic Kay Christy.
Attendees could pay for many diverse services from professionals, such as tarot readings, Reiki healing, palm reading and more. Attendee Sarah Fry went to the expo to get a picture taken of her energy-based aura.
“In high school, I took a psychology class, and our teacher was a little nuts. She taught us how to read auras,” Fry said. “[Now] 25 years later, I guess I’m trying to reclaim my childhood.”
Keynote speaker Robert Baca is a decorated Midwestern psychic medium who performed a mystic reading when the eclipse was strongest during the day.
“I was born with this ability, gifted by God himself, and his angels gave me a responsibility,” Baca told the crowd before his reading. “That responsibility is not just to God or his angels, that responsibility is to those of you that are here today and the connection of that spiritual meaning that is coming.”
Baca said because there were so many people in the room where the reading was conducted, the spirits that presented themselves to him could be speaking to anyone there.
He further explained that if a message was resonating with more than one person, then both messages were true and both spirits were present.
The Iowa City Metaphysical Exposition 2023 was popular, with attendees filling the entire parking lot. The event served as a way for local mystics to explore the metaphysical world, connecting further with themselves and the people around them.