With $20 and about 30 minutes, Selmont psychic Brother Jackson can solve a variety of problems, from drug addiction to bad marriages.

“I’m a psychic and logical enough to see things around people without asking them a lot of questions,” he says.

Operating from his reading room in Selmont, Jackson gives advice based on his ability to predict the future and “read” situations.

“I get a feeling,” he said.

He uses these feelings to put people straight on whatever problems they might have.

“I help people out, open their minds out, see about their happiness

and tell em what to do,” he said.

The sign out front advertises palm and tarot card readings from his wife Sister Jackson. She died several years ago, but she’s still around in spirit. Her photograph sits in the center of a shrine in the reading room, surrounded by statues of saints, Jesus and a statue of Buddha.

Chairs line the incense and candled scented room.

Despite the sign, Brother Jackson doesn’t read palms or tarot cards either. He doesn’t trust card readings.

“You can put five people in a room and read cards. Out of them five people three of them will have the same reading. They’ll have the same cards,” he said.

He doesn’t have much of a reason for looking at somebody’s hands either.

“When I was young, they used to (call us) fortune tellers, then palm readers,” he said. “Then after all this psychic business came about 30 years ago, now everybody is a psychic.”

Jackson, dressed in a blue checkered shirt and khakis, sits down with his subject and gets feelings. He calls this “seeing” things around them.

“You get a deep down feeling,” he said.

He’s had people try and lie to him, especially about using drugs.

“In my line of business, I can read through lies,” he said.

After a little time, Jackson ponders the problems presented to him and offers advice based on the feelings he gets.

Sometimes people come to him that don’t need help. They want him to use his powers to hurt others.

“I get that everyday. But I don’t want to do it. I can’t help you there. We don’t do that, I would know how to do it anyway,” he said.

A deeply spiritual man, Jackson believes his job is just to help people.

“Our business is partly psychiatrist and trouble settlers,” he said.

Brother Jackson isn’t entirely sure where his power came from, but he knows he was born with it. At 74, he’s been a professional psychic for 63 years.

“Nobody makes nobody a psychic. It’s what you was gifted for ever since you was young,” he said.

Not everyone agrees with Jackson.

The scientific community is skeptical of Brother Jackson’s claims and others like them.

Dr. John Carchedi, professor of psychology at Wallace Community College in Selma, said, “It’s not widely accepted in scientific psychology. I think the burden of proof is to show it exists and that has not been proven.”

Carchedi said he believed most people just wanted to believe in something.

“I think it gives a little bit of hope to those that are down on their luck in love and money and (psychics) give them something to hope for.”

Brother Jackson doesn’t feel the need to prove anything to anyone.

“What ever you believe in, no problem, it’s not our business,” he said.