[Last modified: October, 25 2024 05:08 PM]
Clearly Destiny – tarot reading, psychic and crystals:
In order to progress further into my review of spiritual sites around the UK and the revival of spirituality, witchcraft and paganism, I decided to pay a visit to Clearly Destiny, a psychic / crystal shop found on Google Maps.
I walked into the store with Martha, not knowing what to expect. 3.8 stars rating on Google maps, the first review states “I had the most accurate and life changing reading today” accompanied by a picture of a lit up crystal ball next to a praying angel. Why not. Although I am a spiritual person and I am deeply interested in this research topic, I found myself joking with Martha about what the tarot reading might reveal about her life: will it be life changing or completely inaccurate? Perhaps I have more preconceptions and judgment on the topic than I thought. Either way, we walk in. The inside is very cold and the smell of incense floats around. On the shelves, crystals of all kinds, incense, sage, tarot cards, books about spirituality and a couple of unicorn sculptures. Although this kind of shops usually feel warm and welcoming, this one is oddly very cold. I look at Martha. I tell the shop owner that it smells good in here, and ask her how long she’s been in here for. “12 years. I own this place with my business partner”. Martha asks her how much a tarot reading is and how long it would be. “Half an hour, 50 pound. But why do you want one?”. Martha looks at me, visibly disconcerted so I answer jokingly “Yes perhaps we should have set a proper intention before coming”. The lady answers dryly “We don’t do love life readings”. Great. We ask more questions, about her, her life, “when did you realise you had a gift or a calling”, “do you get a lot of people coming in” etc. As she is answering one of her many questions, she looks over her shoulder and says “ah yes, Archangel Michael”. I remain unsure of if she was crediting him for what she had just said or if she had just heard him whisper something in her ear.
Behind her is a pair of angel wings, and on her desk a few earrings on sale (Martha bought a pair for herself, partly because they were cute but also out of nervosity). It felt odd being in this shop observing her and asking questions, hiding our notebooks in our coats’ pockets without letting her know we were there to write on her, discuss her every moves afterwards and post on this blog.
We left – “thank you goodbye, see you soon” – and sat at the terrace of a cafe to write down our notes.
I loved doing this fieldwork with someone else, and it made me reflect on the solitary nature of anthropology.