How This Psychic Feeds the Dead

I've celebrated Dia de los Muertos in Mexico City for the past three years, but this time, I wanted to do something different. That's where psychic, Fernando Javier, appeared. Originally from Spain with 25 years of experience as a clairvoyant, this is a man who dedicates himself to guiding others through life and frequently connects with those in the afterlife.

I decided to visit his studio, located in an upper-class neighborhood in Mexico City, to see how he brings in the holiday. After passing through the freshly painted reception area, Javier ushers me into a dim, smoky room where an altar in honor of the dead is set up in traditional Mexican style.

Fernando explains that the days leading up to Dia de los Muertos are some of his busiest. People frequently seek his services throughout the year, looking to contact their deceased loved ones, but during the November celebrations, it is believed that our deceased loved ones have the divine ability to visit relatives on earth to savor the joys of life. Plus, the path is more accessible for lost souls, and many of the living want to take advantage while "the gates are open," so to speak.

Javier's altar has been constructed on a table covered in cempasúchil petals—the Aztec marigold flower—in the shape of a cross. The smoke and incense permeate the room and my eyes are beginning to sting.

Fernando explains that the sweet items he has laid out on the altar, from cookies to sugar, candies, glasses of milk, and fruit, are left for the souls of children, who arrive between the 31st and the 1st. Other food and drink items like mole chicken, booze, and rice and beans in clay pots are left for the adult souls, who arrive between the 1st and the 2nd. Since the souls have traveled so far, they will need sustenance to regain strength when they arrive. And if a client wishes to add something as an offering to the altar while trying to summon the spirits, they should surely do so.

Although Javier's principle belief is that he's able to connect with the spirits during Day of the Dead, this is something that could happen any day of the year, if the spirits are willing.