From left: Carmen Harra; Judi Hoffman.   (Photo: Naomi Harris for New York Magazine)

Dueling New York psychics Carmen Harra and Judi Hoffman are competing for oracular preeminence in the media. Behind crystal ball No. 1 is Harra, whose clients have included Jennifer Lopez and Candice Bergen. She’s a native of (cue spooky music) Transylvania (thunder! lightning! boo!) and uses a one-hour sit-down to see into clients’ futures: “It’s about the coding, based on the birth date, time at birth, reading their vibrational energy, their frequency.” Her book, Decoding Your Destiny, is just out, and Harra, who charges between $200 and $400 a session, hopes it sells “800,000 copies. But it better start with an eight. It’s a number of recognition, to make an impact in the consciousness of the people.” Pamela Hayes, a lawyer and fund-raiser for Hillary Clinton, says Harra’s accuracy on world events, “especially Iran and Iraq,” is uncanny, but her predictions about boyfriends haven’t manifested. Hoffman, her rival, is a favorite of Brittny and Lisa Gastineau and charges $400 per hour. She uses playing cards, a method Harra thinks is bunk: “Cards are tools for people who don’t want to use divination entirely.” Hoffman, who says “this ability is a double-edged sword; it does torture me,” has a monthly gig on Sirius radio and dreams of hosting her own call-in program. Of Harra, she says, “I think there’s room for everything. It’s just not my method.” In the rest of 2006, she foresees Sweet Charity and Jersey Boys winning Tonys. And James Spader will come to her for a reading—and drinks at The Four Seasons.

Related:

• Archive: “Intelligencer”
• Table of Contents: April 24, 2006 issue of New York | Subscribe!