The recent economic downturn has had a ripple effect into most businesses, including those in the psychic/astrological consultation sector. Most people are cutting back on life's little extras and are spending their money more consciously. Are psychic consultations considered a necessity, or are they considered entertainment? The long-standing debate has rolled for years, but in any case, the need for intuitive experts has seemed to spill over even into the pool of skeptics. More and more people are looking for a light at the end of the tunnel, and the current state of the economy has prompted psychics and astrologers to pull out their intuitive calculators since career and finance questions now trump love and romance queries.

The business of being a psychic or an astrologer during tough economic times is nothing new. Wealthy people regularly consulted the ancient pythia, or oracles, of Delphi to ensure that their personal finances would remain intact. Money, to most seekers of the ancient oracles, was a source of power. The biblical story of Joseph, the famed dream interpreter, shows us that even ancient Egyptian Pharaohs relied on psychic services during tough economic times. One night, Pharaoh had disturbing dreams that even his court magicians and augurs could not interpret. The word of Joseph's abilities to decode dreams got back to Pharaoh, who called for Joseph's expertise in solving his dream dilemma.

Joseph listened to the Pharaoh's dream about seven fat cattle feeding in a meadow, and how seven lean ones came and ate them up. Pharaoh also had a dream of seven ears of good corn on one stalk, and how seven blighted ones sprang up and devoured the good ears of corn. Joseph told Pharaoh that the dream predicted seven years of feast that would be followed by seven years of famine. Joseph suggested that the Pharaoh place someone in charge of the land that would take care of the gathering and storage of food in preparation for the upcoming years of famine. Pharaoh was so impressed with Joseph's advice that he elevated the former prisoner to his second-in-command and Joseph was put in charge of the future food holdings for all of Egypt. When the predicted famine came, only Egypt had enough food stored up (including enough to sell to other countries, making for a nice profit).

J.P. Morgan, noted financier of the twentieth century once said, "millionaires don't have astrologers, but billionaires do." Morgan had an astrologer by the name of Evangeline Adams. She successfully predicted the Windsor Hotel fire in New York City, the stock market crash of 1929, World War II, the deaths of King Edward VII and opera singer Enrico Caruso, and her own death.

The street corner fortune-telling parlors, psychic telephone lines, and metaphysical workers, all who may have been previously dismissed by the mainstream, are now the most sought after commodity on the market. As our financial markets have soured, many people are looking for their own personal Yogi in hopes of finding a better future.

Psychic reading sessions are like a gym workout for your spiritual self. All of us in the metaphysical professions realize that in order to manifest good results on the physical/material level, one must be psychically fit as well as physically fit. Our thoughts are energy seeds that will blossom into reality at some point in time, and psychic readers, astrologers, and light workers are the professionals who help us stay on course and in balance so we can achieve optimum results for the highest good for ourselves and others. Those in compromising financial or career positions are very likely to benefit from psychic consultations, but they can be expensive. The problem doesn't appear to be in finding a good tarot card reader, psychic, astrologer, or numerologist, but rather on how to budget the cost of some psychic insight into your already tightly squeezed budget.

During tough economic times, it is still possible to afford psychic advice from your favorite source. To maximize your consultation while minimizing cost, consider the following:

1. Be prepared.
The best way to get the biggest bang out of your buck is to go into your psychic or astrological reading session prepared. Ground out your own energy beforehand, so when you go for your psychic consultation you are not like a live wire. Remember, everything is energy. If you go into your session worked up it will take the reader that much longer to make a good connection with you. It is also advisable to take notes or record your sessions so you can reference the information given to you at a later date, therefore eliminating the need for unnecessary calls to your psychic to ask redundant questions.

2. Let things happen when they happen.
Remember, there is no time in space, so allow for the events of the reading to unfold. Refrain from getting yourself into a negative state if things don't happen in a New York minute. Everything is in divine order, and sometimes a push out of your comfort zone is necessary so you will reach your full potential.

3. Get one long reading instead of several short readings.
Though it seems counter-intuitive, it can often become more expensive to get frequent short psychic reading sessions as opposed to one long one. Longer sessions with your psychic consultant provide you with more time to have all of your questions answered and also allow for the psychic reader to get into a roll once the energy connection has been established, instead of having to re-establish the connection at the beginning of each session.

4. Free websites exist.
If your money is really tight, you can always opt for some psychic self-medication by visiting a free tarot or astrological site website. I know, there isn't anything quite like the real thing, but at times, psychic reading shadow boxing is better than nothing at all.

Try to keep your spiritual energy high; like attracts like, and if you are putting out low energy vibes the psychic doors are left wide open for a series of negative events to occur. Remember, you are your own little psychic energy power plant, and as you think so shall you create. The psychic advisors, astrologers, and other metaphysical professionals are here to help you with you energetic well being, just as medical doctors help you with your physical well being. It is advisable to get regular psychic reading "check-ups," and also to follow a daily regime of maintaining your own psychic health. There is no need to become a "psycochondriac" and get a psychic reading for every little thing. Meditate; try to stay in a positive frame of mind; get in touch with your inner knowing; and try not to get into panicky, hot-wired, ungrounded mode. As tempting as it might be to want to run and get a psychic reading for every event that happens, you will find it more economical if you seek out the services of a professional psychic reader for more serious queries.

The New Age lightworkers, psychics, astrologers, and metaphysicians are a huge bridge to allow people to get back in touch with their energy, intentions, and Karma. Maybe it is safe to say from a psychic "hedge fund point of view" that our next biggest investment profits may come from our speculation in our own psychic energy, psychic self-defense, and telepathic communications.

The next time you feel a little guilty for wanting to get your usual psychic or astrological reading, just consider it an investment in yourself. Knowledge is power, and good metaphysical consultants are here to help you stay on course on your own personal journey.