COVER STORY
Connecting to the
other side By Sean McCarthy
Left to right, Keith Dias (Corvus Elderune) and Jessie Dias (Espirito Gato)
Perhaps you’ve had an experience you can’t explain? Perhaps you think there’s something more to life than the physical world? In that case, you may be one of the growing number of people who are turning to The Cat and Raven for understanding. Since moving from Los Angeles to Westport in 2008, Keith and Jessie Dias have been building a regional reputation as practitioners of the metaphysical and the paranormal. And after acting on their “gifts and instincts,” the past two years have been increasingly successful for the couple and their business interests, as they offer knowledge, insight, and instruction on the realm of the mystical and the unseen. And they claim to be on the cusp of a growing spiritual trend in western culture. “Many people are looking for that moment of validation that can change them from a skeptic to a believer,” Keith says. “People want to feel more connected to the world and the people living in it – they’re hungry for understanding. Part of being human is seeking direction and what’s next in life. “In spirituality there is no separation.
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Many people are looking for that moment of validation that can change them from a skeptic to a believer Everything is connected. We’re nondenominational, we don’t put things into boxes or pigeon-holes like in religion. We’re connecting with higher sources, we have faith in things we can’t see and touch.” Located at 999 Main Road (Suite 103) in Westport, The Cat and Raven offers an array of products, services, and private events, inviting people to “uncover a world of faith, inspiration, and magic.” In addition to a gift shop brimming with goods such as crystals, jewelry, and home decor, they also offer psychic readings, mediumship, fortune telling, healings, castings, palmistry, and scrying, along with in-home parties and galleries, and corporate and private events. “What we do is meant to complement a
November 2021 | The South Coast Insider
person’s life,” Keith says. “We don’t want to replace your doctor or your therapist, and there’s no reason for someone to jump ship on their beliefs. We’re not a replacement for traditional medicine, but we want to provide balance by bringing in a potpourri of spiritual cultures from around the world. We provide tools that will complement people’s lives and their belief systems. “We’re not anti-religion, but we don’t have a fear factor. We’re about positivity. What we try to offer is something that nourishes people’s hunger for discovering more about life. Almost everyone has had unexplainable experiences and moments in their life, and they may wonder if there are really angels or a higher power.”
Finding themselves
“Society is becoming more metaphysical,” Jessie says. “People are beginning to realize that there is more to the world than what we see. When I was growing up in Los Angeles there was a great diversity of cultures and different ways of seeing the
