Body and Soul Festival shows the spiritual side of things with psychics, card readers
Musical chants echoed Saturday in Finch Fieldhouse, where students and community members perused vendor tables at the second annual Mid-Michigan Body and Soul Festival.
The Open Grove Society, a registered student organization, brought together psychics, card readers and vendors to the natural, holistic and arts fair.
Milan freshman Cindy Grimston saw chalkings around campus and received e-mails for the festival, which persuaded her to check it out.
Grimston, who went with a friend from home, did not know what to expect, but found it intriguing.
“I’m really interested in this kind of stuff,” Grimston said. “The chanting took me by surprise.”
Although one of her readings was kind of vague, they were still interesting, Grimston said. Overall, she said the experience was worthwhile.
What it’s about
The festival hosted psychics and mediums that are members of the Open Grove Society and psychics from around the mid-Michigan area.
The Open Grove Society used to have a small psychic fair for group members each year, said member Crystal Ostrom.
She said she wanted to put together a larger event for several years, and now the event is in its second year, the Rochester Hills senior said.
Ostrom and other Open Grove Society members said there are several reasons behind the Mid-Michigan Body and Soul Festival, one of which is to help correct the misinformation people have about the Pagan religion and also to steer people away from the stereotypes associated with the idea of psychics.
“This festival has been a brainchild of mine for the past few years,” the Rochester Hills senior said.
A bigger crowd
R. E. Whipple, Open Grove Society member and Muskegon senior, said the event turned out well this year and had more foot traffic than the year before. The vendors and readers were getting a great deal more attention from customers.
“I’ve had several people tell me they’ve had moments of rushes, and that was not something that happened as much last year,” she said.
Although an exact head count was not taken because tickets to the event were not given out, it seems the interest has peaked in the event’s second year, Whipple said.
