Amid the tarot cards, spirit mediums and aura readers, more than 300 people sought to reconnect with their deceased loved ones during the First Spiritualist Church’s Holistic Psychic Fair on Saturday.

For over 25 years, church members have been hosting the biannual fair, which serves as their major fundraiser. Every November and April, the Wareham Elks Lodge on Cranberry Highway fills with 25 mediums who help guests re-establish a connection with lost loved ones, and offer a certain level of evidence that the soul survives death.

“My mother died four years ago, but I know that she was a good person and she is happy in the afterlife,” said Onset resident Mary Livingston. “I came here today to feel her presence, to pass my thoughts, and tell her how much I miss her.”

The church’s treasurer, Larry Becker, said the fair organizers chose the most qualified mediums. Many of the mediums have completed up to three years of the church’s mediumship training classes, where they learned the history of spiritualism and how to create a sacred safe space for spirit communication.

“Some people can do it by intuition, some people are clairvoyant, some people can actually see things, so there are a lot of different modalities and spiritualities, and each medium has his own ability,” said Becker. "Some people were born with it, but with training, you can improve your skills in this area.”

Besides mediums, the fair also featured vendors who sold jewelry, crystals, meditation pillows, soaps and other products associated with holistic healing. One of the crafters, Natalie Johnson, said her handmade orgone pyramid can bring peace and happiness. Orgone pyramids are made from resin, quartz, and metal, and are thought to regulate energy fields.

“Triangle is a very powerful shape,” said Johnson. “It takes the energy from the earth, combines it with the energy from heaven and ultimately reorganizes it into a more harmonious wavelength.”  

Whether guests attended the fair to reconnect with their loved ones or just swung by to purchase some gifts, Becker said the church aims to help people restore their inner peace in the moment of despair and loneliness.

“[Guests] believe there is a life after death, and they come to connect with the people who passed, and it makes them feel good,” said Becker. “The church, the readers, all the things we do are to make the person feel better and more positive.”

The First Spiritual Church is located on 17 Highland Ave. in Onset and holds Sunday services from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. For more information, visit www.church1.org or call 774-454-3985.