Barbara Friedkin arrived at my home in a Subaru. As she stepped out of the car, her 5’3” frame was perched atop open-toed slides, and she wore a flowing tunic and pants set. Her blonde hair cascaded around her round cheeks that were raised by her smile.
“This is The Mystic of Cave Creek,” I thought.
It’s a tradition when my mom visits, to meet with a psychic. So, here we are at the table, with a notepad, pens and her tape recorder. Barbara announced that she would begin with prayer. Next, fingers clutching a pen, her hands began to swirl upon the paper. The scribble was legible to Barbara, an occasional letter distinguishable for me.
“My darling girl,” she said. Then went on with messages to my mom from my deceased grandfather. My mom was child number nine of 10 and the only one with brown eyes. My grandfather’s eyes were brown, so she was his “special girl.” Through Barbara, grandpa teased mom about divorcing my dad, “you were swept off your feet by his good looks.” Mom admitted that was true.
So it was that The Mystic of Cave Creek spent a morning at my table, connecting us with those we love and lost, who love us and linger with us still. Often she was reminded of a personal story. With a ‘click’ the recorder was off, and her tale was on.
Barbara leaned back in the chair. “I was born April 29 in 1953, 3 pounds 10 ounces – a Rh factor baby who had a blood transfusion five days later and spent time in an incubator,” says Barbara. “My mother would say, ‘I wasn’t born, I was hatched.’ ” We all laughed.
She continues, “My Jewish-Russian born great-grandmother Sara came to see me. Her first words were, ‘She isn’t a good size chicken!’ What’s with the jokes? I learned then that this was the Jewish way to cope with tragedy and pain – laughter through the tears.”
Barbara went on to explain that she had always been psychic. In her crib, the stuffed animals would talk to her. Her mother called her Chicken Little because she always warned when something was wrong.
She went to Jewish preschool, Sunday school, then Hebrew school. When she was preparing for her bat mitzvah, she realized two things, “I could really sing, and the other thing I learned was what I call ‘magical thinking,’ ” says Barbara. “My Hebrew name, Nessa, means ‘miracle,’ and in Greek it means ‘she knows!’ ”
In her twenties, Barbara’s “gift of knowing” became so strong, she could no longer avoid it. “I had dreams that came true – from a man I would meet and love to 9/11,” she explains. “My dreams spoke to me about things that would happen. Like when I was going to meet John Lennon and I told a friend I was afraid he’d be killed before I get to meet him. He was shot that week.”
Before she became a medium, Barbara taught theater and music She had been an actress and screenwriter in Hollywood. She was a comedienne for Bette Midler and the warm-up act for shows including “Valerie” with Valerie Harper. In these roles, she found glimpses into her talents. For instance, while moving from table to table among audience members, she tossed out teasing remarks to guests. Later, one guest – a psychologist – informed that she had “read” each person in a way that was oddly accurate.
Her vocal talents led her to befriend icons such as Bette Midler and Dolly Parton. Additionally, Barbara co-wrote the musical “Breakfast in Marin” which, she hopes, returns to the stage.
Once, while visiting Arizona, a man in a rock shop told her she would be The Mystic of Cave Creek – a premonition of things to come. After the Los Angeles earthquakes, Barbara moved to the stable soils of Carefree. She continued work as an acting coach and began doing readings, thus becoming The Mystic of Cave Creek.
“I work through prayer and ask my clients to pray silently in their own way, according to their own faith or belief,” explains Barbara. “I write down things. I never know what it is going to be and, still to my surprise, it is on the money with details I could never know!”
She asks clients to save their questions. “I get names, places, dates – details are the proof,” says Barbara. “I recently read a gal in Carefree. The reading contained a lot of names – all but her father’s. I felt it was his spirit around her, and I would not let her tell me his name. In a last-ditch effort, I prayed hard and insisted on being informed! Then it came to me. Alan! With a smile, she confirmed it.”
Time spent with The Mystic of Cave Creek is enriching. There are so many heart-warming revelations in Barbara’s readings.
“I don’t know why I have this gift, I just have it and try to help people get peace of mind in their lives. We are really never alone,” Barbara says, “I try to give proof, so people have faith.”
For more information, visit themysticofcavecreek.com.
