September 28, 2023
By Emily Greer, POL Intern
The Pickerington-Violet Historical Museum (15 East Columbus Street) will welcome the Halloween spirit with the intriguing and informative “Mystical Museum” event on October 1, from 2-4 pm.
Taking inspiration from Halloween’s mysterious mood, the event boasts multiple activities and presentations about the history of fortune telling and the occult. Whether you’re a believer or a skeptic, you will be sure to find educational value in the demonstrations.
One of the main attractions of the event is a 15-minute ($20.00) Oracle Card reading from Shelley Wasicki of the Positive Spirit Co.
Wasicki’s website states, “Oracle Cards are a divinity tool that have been used for hundreds of years. These sessions are among my most popular offerings and clients love the results from our time together.” Her former clients appreciate the enlightening results these readings bring forth.
However, the readings only make up a part of the mysterious the “Mystical Museum” offers. The historical society will be serving tea along with instructions on how to interpret shapes you might find in the leaves at the bottom of your cup. This is a perfect opportunity for anyone interested in tasseography to learn more about this fascinating practice.
The event will also delve into the history of spiritualism, as the staff and interns of Pickerington Online (POL) will discuss how in the 1800s, two young girls with a penchant for the dramatic fed into a growing demand for seances.
The program will look at the evolution of talking boards including the origins of the Ouija game from Parker Brothers. Speakers will also discuss recent scientific studies which theorize that talking boards are actually links to the users’ own subconscious.
Yet another fascinating part of the “Mystical Museum” will be a dowsing rod demonstration. Earl Nicodemus will recount how his father taught him to use divining rods to find old tile lines at their farm off Refugee Road in the 1950s. Did the rods find the tiles, did his father subconsciously know where the lines existed, or was it all a matter of luck? Regardless of what you may believe, it is certainly an experience worth exploring.
The “Mystical Museum” will also discuss the history and symbolism behind Tarot Cards. Visitors can try to divine their own futures based on their new-found knowledge and/or what significance the images on the cards mean to them.
POL Editor Rachel Scofield expressed her elation about the event, saying, “Pickerington Online is very excited to be partnering with the historical society for this event. It should be a fun, educational program. Personally, I am a skeptic and approach the supernatural with the mindset that there must be a scientific explanation. However, when studying the history of occult tools, there are bizarre coincidences.
Furthermore, what Shelley does with the Oracle Cards is incredible. She read my cards once at the Humble Crate and her insight was uncanny.”
The “Mystical Museum” will surely be full of enrichment for those interested in the mystical and the unknown. Whether you are looking for the answers to the universe’s mysteries or just a fun experience, it is certainly a unique and educational way to kick-start the Halloween season.
