New Haven Register (New Haven, CT)
At Madison’s Tea and Tarot, ‘the witch is in’
Business owner helps ‘talk out’ problems through tarot
MADISON – Tucked upstairs in the 1794 Abigail Meigs House is an unexpected respite from the hustle and bustle of daily life. And, this is not your typical shop found in downtown. Perhaps the sign that reads, “The Witch is in” is a clue.
With soft music filling the air, candles flickering and a calm and soothing aura, Heather Wright welcomes visitors with a hot cup of tea.
Welcome to Tea and Tarot Wellness Boutique, located at 91 Wall St. in the landmark barn-red house, with original hewn beams overhead and glowing, wide plank floors.
“I feel like I’m walking into a little witch’s cottage,” says customer Sarah Glidden.
“When I walk in here you can feel the beauty in just every detail of this space,” the Wallingford resident says.
“The little side cabinets, the floorboards and then how everything is so beautifully decorated with herbs hanging and candles and the tea going. It’s a very warm and inviting atmosphere.”
Wright proudly wears a pendant that reads “The High Priestess.”
“I do identify as an herbal witch,” says the 35-year-old owner of the boutique. “So, I do use it for spiritual purposes. So, part of it is a spiritual experience for me.
“It’s my connection to the earth, more than anything. My connection to the elements; being grateful for all the things that I’ve been given; feeling that I can create anything that I want to; that I have the ability to create, which I think is really powerful.
“It’s basically a respect for the plants and for the earth and how to work with them to bring about things in your life,” the Branford resident adds.
Wearing a mask emblazoned with caldrons, black, pointed witch’s hats and black boots, and ghosts, she offers tea and tarot readings in this oasis.
Tucked in a southeastern nook of the boutique, with the morning sun flooding in, she reads tarot cards at a round table for two.
With a deck of 78 cards, Wright does herbal tarot readings. The deck has five suits, which include four minor arcana suits that include pentacles, wands, chalices and swords.
The fifth suits are the major arcana, which are usually trouble spots in a person’s life.
Wright shuffles the deck, asks her client to shuffle and then fans the cards out on the table. She then asks her client to pick a card. Each card is interpreted based upon its imagery and symbolism.
Wright explains that the majority of her visitors are concerned about relationships.
“Especially lately, I think with COVID, everybody’s world has been turned upside down,” the Tarot readers says. “It’s very much, ‘How do I move through relationship things, career things, family changes and issues, things with their children or family members,’ ” she says. “The key things people feel they get stuck on and just want to talk out.”
She says it is easier to work with a client that is open and willing to listen to her.
“More often than not, if somebody’s open to having a reading and they’re sitting here because they genuinely want to be here, it’s easy to find what it is they need to talk about and help them uncover what it is they’re dealing with and what’s in the way of them getting through that,” Wright says.
“My feeling is that there’s no bad cards in the deck — there’s no bad situation, it’s how you approach it.