Psychic medium speaks to spirits in the Yvonne Theater
By Tristan Leach
Homecoming weekend kicked off at Rider on Nov. 5. Among the huge selection of events that students and their families could participate in was a psychic medium presentation that took place in the Yvonne Theater.
Edward Nunzio, a psychic and grief counselor, was asked to come to Rider for the event. Nunzio is the author of the books “The Messenger” and “Someone To Watch Over Me.” According to his website, Nunzio’s mission is to “dispel the fear that lies between the boundaries of life and death.” He is also the host of an Amazon Prime series, “The Messenger,” in which he communicates with people’s passed-on loved ones to help them live through grief.
Interested students and staff alike flocked to the Yvonne Theater to see Nunzio do his work in person. As COVID-19 persists, guests had to sign a waiver to enter the event. Once everyone was seated, Joan Liptrot, director of Services and Civic Engagement, gave an introduction to Nunzio. Liptrot recounted her encounter with a psychic, who told her that her father was in fact with her.
After Liptrot’s introduction, Nunzio walked on stage. An elderly Italian man, Nunzio spoke with a demanding tone, capturing everyone’s attention. Nunzio asked that side conversations be kept to a minimum to avoid interference with his ability to communicate with passed-on ones.
Nunzio asked several people to come on stage. Using paper and pen to write down what he heard, Nunzio gave each person a private message from their passed-on loved one. He asked for only their first name and birthdate excluding the year. Sometimes, he asked to see the palms of a person’s hand, enabling him to better understand the situation.
Linda Ingling and her husband Tim were in attendance at the event. Their son, Andrew Ingling, is a senior at Rider. When asked why she attended the experience, She said, “Well, my husband’s brother passed before my son was born, and he knew things about my brother-in-law that he couldn’t have known because he never knew him. So I was just curious to see.”
Nunzio made it clear that everyone in the room had loved ones coming through. He picked the people in the audience who he felt were in urgent need of hearing from their deceased friends and family. He said,“Our loved ones come through at any time.” Attendees held their breath in anticipation when Nunzio picked people in the audience.
In some cases, audience members were moved to tears. Nunzio called down a mother and father in the audience; he informed them that a child was coming through. The pair revealed that their son was taken at a very young age by a drunk driver. Nunzio grasped the woman’s hand and said that the boy was at peace, offering a sense of closure for the parents.
Nunzio told his own stories throughout the night, telling audience members that he believes he received the gift after falling out of a third-story window. Nunzio spoke of how he sometimes becomes exhausted by knowing so much. Nunzio said, “I push because people need information. So no matter how tired I am, I am here, and I’m here to do the work. I’m here to give of myself. I’m not a priest, I’m not anything like that, but I have to share what I have with everyone.”
Before closing out, Nunzio called down JennieMae Sprouse, a sophomore vocal performance major. Nunzio felt that Sprouse needed to be more loving of herself. Nunzio had Sprouse repeat positive affirmations about herself, and she was met with proud applause from everyone in the audience.
“I felt very exposed, honestly, because, first of all, he was like ‘you were anxious about having me make you wait,’ and then I wanted to go up but I was really anxious about it,” Sprouse said of the experience. “And then he pulled me up and he was like ‘you needed to wait.’ He said I really need to start believing in myself.”
At the end of the event, Nunzio thanked everyone for attending. Audience members lined up to thank the medium or ask him quick questions. Others left talking about what they had just witnessed.
