24 HOURS IN THE ‘PSYCHIC CAPITAL’
Cassadaga’s spiritual allure attracts curious tourists and those in search of healing energy
CASSADAGA — When visiting Cassadaga, Florida’s home to psychics, mediums and healers, one might stop by in the hopes of experiencing a haunted hotel, seeing a specter or connecting with a dead ancestor, especially as Halloween approaches.
While some might have a powerful spiritual experience, others may visit and find that it’s simply a historic town that offers a quiet retreat from the bustle of everyday life.
Located about half an hour from Orlando, the town feels a world away, surrounded by trees and small, rolling hills. Cassadaga attracts visitors from far and wide in search of healing energy as well as those who are just curious.
Other than insight I gained from my psychic readings, what I learned on my one day and night in the “psychic capital” is that weekends are the best time to visit for those interested in tours tours and seeing a slightly more active town.
3 p.m. — A quiet Monday
Cassadaga is only about a mile from Interstate 4, but you’d never know it once you get into town. A wooden sign reads “Cassadaga Spiritualist Camp” and welcomes visitors to the 125-year-old village.
Upon checking into the reportedly haunted, 1920s-era Cassadaga Hotel, I received a friendly reminder from the woman at the front desk to keep the keys with me at all times — after all, the spirits who roam the halls have been known to lock doors on people.
Upon entering the no-frills room, I immediately noticed a few missing amenities. There’s no TV or minifridge, and the sink is in the bedroom. The tub and dresser look like they could be as old as the hotel itself. Signs on the wall read “dream” and “love,” making for a homey, hospitable atmosphere. It’s a cozy setup for one night.
One door leads right out to a wraparound patio with rocking benches and tables. Cassadaga’s friendly feline residents came to greet me.
4 p.m. — Shopping around
Right across the street, the Cassadaga Bookstore and Information Center serves as a combination gift shop and welcome center for those passing through. The store is the hub of the Southern Cassadaga Spiritualist Camp, which is the town’s original organization, founded in 1894.
Although this may not be apparent, the camp is separate from some other shops, psychics and the hotel. The main difference is that others sometimes utilize tarot cards, astrology or other, more “New Age” techniques in practice, while the camp is concerned with the religion of spiritualism.
A whiteboard on the porch details upcoming events and town happenings. Inside, the shop’s offerings range from books on spiritualism to crystals and small statues.
Across the street and next to the post office, The Purple Rose offers crystals, tarot cards and Native American goods, plus in-house readings.
4:30 p.m. — Strolling through town
I wandered around town, taking in the various parks and gardens scattered throughout mostly empty streets.
Signs are posted outside century-old buildings advertising mediums and services. An intricate wood carving featuring an angel with flowers made me pause, and a nearby street sign showed the intersection of “Mediumship Way” and “Spiritualist Street.”
Though the inside is currently closed for renovations, Colby Memorial Temple is a focal point of note while walking the streets of Cassadaga. The spiritualist church and gathering place is named after George Colby — the camp’s founding medium who first came to Central Florida in the late 19th-century, guided by a Native American spirit named “Seneca.”
5:00 p.m. — Dinner at the Ristorante
Sinatra’s Ristorante, located within the Cassadaga Hotel, is the town’s only restaurant, offering hearty Italian food and wine, plus dueling pianos and karaoke on the weekends.
On a Monday night, the restaurant was mostly empty but still served up quality chicken manicotti and lemon-caper salmon, which paired well with a crisp pinot grigio. Be sure to save room for dessert, especially cannolis. Dinner for two with wine runs about $90.
7:00 p.m. — ‘Medium Night’
While most mediums charge around $50 or more for a half-hour reading, a Cassadaga event held the first Monday of each month provides quick readings with a lower price and time commitment.
The camp’s certified mediums gave 15-minute readings for $25, while readings with student mediums ran $15.
Of the six business cards spread out on the table, I picked up one for Phil DeLong, one of Cassadaga’s certified mediums and healers.
Without placing his hands on me, DeLong read my energy and told me my aura was orange, a sign of abundance. He asked if I had a spiritual grandfather and claimed to get in touch with someone who seemed to be my Pap-Pap on my dad’s side. According to the medium, my Pap’s stern advice to me was “set your goals and stick to them.”
He also tried to get in touch with my grandmother, said that my animal totem was a frog and visualized a deceased male figure with a tattoo, someone apparently close to me who I couldn’t quite place.
My emotional aura was green, DeLong said, signaling a healing and empathetic energy. He cautioned me to know the boundaries of my helping hands. That part, I felt, was fairly accurate.
A small gong signaled the 15 minutes was up. Others emerged seeming satisfied with their readings, perhaps having gained more insight than I did.
9 p.m. — Is it really haunted?
After getting back to the hotel, I wanted to see for myself if I saw or heard anything out of the ordinary. In venturing up to the second floor, I was a bit creeped out by the creaky stairs. Mirrors adorned walls up and down the halls, but I didn’t notice anything or anyone sneaking up behind me. There was one door, unlabeled, curiously propped slightly open, but I resisted the impulse to peek.
Although my sleep proved to restful, there was perhaps a lingering feeling that I was being watched at one point.
10:30 a.m. — Easygoing Tuesday morning
It was a slow morning, as most shops didn’t open until around 10 a.m. I checked out of my room, feeling fairly well-rested, and ventured over to the hotel’s little coffee bar. They serve breakfast, but only Friday-Sunday.
11:30 a.m. — What are the options?
I returned to the bookstore, as it’s a town hub and the first stop for many entering the Cassadaga camp. Browsing the shop, I ended up buying an amethyst crystal, which is supposed to be a natural stress reliever and emotional equalizer.
A whiteboard listed mediums available for walk-in appointments. Bookstore employees won’t offer suggestions about which medium or healer you should meet, but inside the store is a binder with many of their bios and contact information.
12 p.m. — In search of fairies
Cassadaga is home to plenty of parks, including one called Horseshoe Park, named after its shape when viewed from above. Within the peaceful wooded area, travelers can find a fairy trail with little statues, messages, miniature houses and small offerings spread throughout.
Whether fairy inhabitants exist in the park or not, it is a peaceful sanctuary and a great place to pause and reflect. It certainly invokes a sense of childhood imagination for visitors of all ages.
1 p.m. — One more psychic stop
I popped my head into the Cassadaga Psychic Shop to see more crystals, buddha statues, sage and books. They offer services you won’t find in other stops, including a crystal healing bed and Akashic Records readings. The bed uses seven quartz crystals and lights to target a person’s chakras, which are thought to be the spiritual energy centers of the body.
In a quick trial of the crystal bed, which costs $20 for 20 minutes, I closed my eyes and tried to focus on my breathing. There’s something inherently relaxing about laying in a mostly dark room for 10 or 15 minutes, but perhaps the crystals also helped calm me.
After that, Joette Shaffer, a spiritual advisor with 22 years of experience reading tarot and oracle cards, sat down with me to dig into my Akashic Records. Using various cards, Shaffer tried to help me understand more about my past, present and future self, even touching on my previous lives. Readings at the shop cost $70 per 30 minutes.
As symbols appeared on the cards, she worked to paint a full picture of my life, or perhaps lives, and to draw connections from what emerged. Shaffer discussed my earth energy, my concern for truth and a “lightning bolt” in my near future that would help provide clarity on my path.
I don’t know that I hold the cards up as the ultimate truth, but the reading was insightful and gave me a lot to ponder.
Psychic abilities abound
Though there are only so many mediums “certified” by the spiritualist camp, there are others who call Cassadaga home and claim to have psychic abilities. Raven Star, who calls herself a psychic witch, is one of Cassadaga’s more popular mediums. Reviews on Google and TripAdvisor claim she’s the real deal with the gift of psychic abilities.
During a subsequent visit to the town, I witnessed Raven working with visitors from the Palm Beach area, using tarot cards and a Ouija board to help answer their questions. They were surprised how much the psychic had gathered about them before their visit just using a photo and their first names.
Regardless of what visitors believe, Cassadaga is a place open to skeptics and believers alike. The town’s inhabitants just ask that people come in with an open mind and find that sometimes people leave with answers to questions they didn’t even ask.
Walking tours
Historic walking tours take place 2 p.m. ThursdaySaturday, with an additional 11 a.m. tour on Saturdays. Nighttime tours take place 7:30 p.m. Saturdays for those interested in capturing spirit energy and orbs on camera. For more information, visit cassadaga.org.
Halloween offerings
There are a few Halloween-specific offerings coming up, including a haunted attraction at the Cassadaga Hotel (Oct. 25-27, 30-31 and Nov. 1-2) and C. Green’s Haunted House (Oct. 25-27, 31).
Remember, the hotel and haunted house aren’t affiliated with the Cassadaga spiritualist camp, as those invested in the religion will tell you their practice is about love and healing. They don’t go out of their way to scare people.