Jurist Thomas Sending Good Vibrations : Panel: Astrologers and other metaphysical experts conducted a ‘psychic investigation’ of the Supreme Court nominee, with some stellar results.

ANAHEIM —  Supreme Court justice nominee Clarence Thomas may have liberals and civil rights groups opposing his selection, but he does have Karma on his side.

Astrologer Karma Welch, one of six metaphysical experts who convened Friday night to conduct a “psychic investigation” of the Thomas nomination, said the federal appellate judge is a shoo-in.

“Without a doubt,” Welch said. “His sun has come to Pluto, which means tremendous power and ability. And Venus is to the sun, and that represents a strength in popularity. Really, he’s got it.”

The panel of the-ones-who-know was held at the Psynetics Foundation, which has been doing this sort of thing since the 1960s.

Unlike the members of the Senate Judiciary Committee, these panel members used astrology, face-reading and numerology to gauge Thomas’ qualifications and qualities.

Psychic Ray Hayes of Costa Mesa, who specializes in face-reading, said his inspection of a Newsweek cover photo of the jurist shows Thomas to be a man greatly affected by his teen-age and early adult years.

“The first station of his face, from the hairline to the eyebrows, shows that he had a very difficult, very memorable time between the ages of 14 and 30, which I think came out during his testimony,” Hayes said, referring to Thomas’ frequent discussion of his rise from poverty in the segregated South.

Hayes, a hypnotherapist who attributes his face-reading techniques to Chinese ancients, said Thomas has a pointy chin, showing wisdom; large ear lobes, denoting intelligence, and ears close to the head which, along with his eyebrows, suggest conservative tendencies.

Numerologist Frank Sekeris of Anaheim said Thomas’ numbers--decided by his June 23, 1948, birthday and his full name--show the candidate will raise the ire of liberals by his Supreme Court decisions.

“His destiny number is a six,” said Sekeris, “so he’s a cosmic mother, which means he has great expectations, but it could cause some problems.”

A “cosmic mother” is a person who displays strong maternal instincts, but at the same time can slip into an overly dominating attitude with “her children,” Sekeris said. Sekeris said that could mean trouble with cases involving personal freedoms.

Astrologer Gail Kuhns, who has a master’s degree in sociology, also said Thomas’ personal star charts show he has a “fixed rising,” a formation that might mean inner weakness.

“He may appear strong, but he is not that strong,” Kuhns said. “He tends to go along with the majority.”

Psychic Retha Johns said a Thomas signature she found in a magazine shows him to be dynamic, honest, abstract, a good decision maker and someone with a bent toward “legal matters.”

“But I guess that makes sense, doesn’t it?” Johns said, just before the psychic panel sat down to pick apart Thomas’ past and future before an audience of about a dozen believers, many of whom took notes.