Professional psychics in Columbus can provide lighthearted entertainment and serious advice from the beyond.

One such psychic is Nancy J. Cullens, who has been dubbed “The Rock of the Psychic Community” for her work.

“I’ve been doing readings since 1979,” Cullens said, who describes herself as clairvoyant, clairaudient and palmist.

“Clairvoyant means being able to see, just as clairaudient means being able to hear, beyond the human senses. It’s the psychic senses that are seeing or hearing,” she said.

Along with palm and tarot card readings, Cullens provides phone and group party consultations.

For Cullens, a reading starts with a vision. “Visions can be anything,” she said. “A message, a symbol, or an animal. From there, the readings can get pretty detailed.”

She has consulted people on a wide range of issues, including those seeking “confirmation on a negative circumstance in their life or clarification on events of the past,” she said.

Mary Miller is a local psychic and clairvoyant as well.

“I have been clairvoyant since I was a very young child, since I was 3 or 4 years old,” Miller said. “I would tell my mom answers to problems way in advance. I could see other peoples’ broken bones or where they had been injured.”

Miller owns Phoenix Rising Psychics with her husband, Raymond Miller, who describes himself as clairvoyant, clairaudient and empathic as well.

“Being empathic means that I am able to pick up on feelings and emotions from other people and places. I’ve been empathic pretty much all my life,” Raymond said. “I’m clairaudient as well. I can sometimes hear peoples’ conversations at home.”

The Millers also provide psychic business consultations.

“We consult people on firing and hiring, or on personality conflict problems and how best to resolve them … without even knowing the people involved or anything about the conflict,” Mary Miller said.

Phoenix Rising Psychics opened in 2008, but the Millers have offered professional readings for the past 30 years.

“I take my craft very seriously because sometimes it’s dealing with very serious life-and-death issues,” Raymond said.

Others, however, do not take it so seriously. According to the Web site for the James Randi Educational Foundation, an “educational resource on the paranormal, pseudoscientific, and then supernatural,” psychics don’t envision the future or speak with the dead, but “employ a technique known as cold reading.”

Psychics tell their subjects nothing, “but make guesses, put out suggestions, and ask questions,” according to the Web site. This technique often leads the customer to believe that the information was retrieved by some other-worldly means.

“I don’t think psychics are credible,” said Mike Zarrilli, a senior in history. “If there was an actual psychic, wouldn’t they be really rich?”

Oren Costantini, a senior in mechanical engineering, agrees. “We had a lady read tarot cards and palms at my bar mitzvah,” he said. “But really, it was all for fun and games. None of us took her seriously.”

Despite skepticism, many people say local psychics have deeply touched their lives.

“I’ve had people I’ve consulted 10 to 15 years ago come back to tell me that what I said was true, and thanking me,” Cullens said. “I’m very grateful to be able to do it.”

Samantha Steiner can be reached at [email protected].