As Nikkie Smith was preparing her vendor’s table Saturday morning, people lined up outside of Lisa’s Love Boutique in downtown Bad Axe. One of the items she placed front and center was a black case with a large pentagram on the cover. It was titled, “A Guide to Witchcraft: Spells, Incantations and Potions.”
Smith, a Filion resident, was one of the vendors at the Bad Axe Psychic Fair. The curious, the skeptical and true believers alike came for tarot card readings, palm reading and channeled sessions with mediums last weekend.
Among Smith’s wares were “spell jars,” small, decorative glass containers she made herself. Smith described herself as a Wiccan, often described as a modern version of the ancient pagan religion. She said she feels a strong connection with nature and the religion “just clicked” with her.
“You can take whatever you want from it,” Smith said. “You … just go outside and do your thing.”
Witchdoctor bones for African fortunetelling were among the items sold by Wiccan Amber Furtah during the Bad Axe Psychic Fair at Lisa’s Love Boutique on Sept. 10.
Mark Birdsall/Huron Daily Tribune
Smith offered a brief sales pitch for her spell jars, which promised solutions or remedies for a variety of needs. Can’t sleep? There was a jar for that. Want to keep negativity out of your life? Smith had one for that, too. Another had the potential to foster prosperity for the buyer, she said.
“It makes you feel better that you’re helping somebody,” Smith said.
What about a love spell? Could some lovesick soul win the heart of someone for the price of just a few bucks?
Nope, Smith said. At least not with one of her spell jars. She explained that attempting to affect the free will of an individual is something she would never try. In other words, compelling someone to do something they usually wouldn’t do through magic is off-limits, as far as she is concerned.
“Free will is a big thing,” Smith said.
Bad Axe’s Amber Furtah was another one of the vendors at the fair. Also a Wiccan, Furtah described some of the items on her table, which included candles, witch doctor bones for African fortune telling, a Tibetan singing bowl, abalone shells for “smudging” or cleansing ceremony, and several books on spirituality and the paranormal.
Amber Furtah, a Wiccan who sold witchcraft-related items at the Bad Axe Psychic Fair on Sept. 10, thumbs through the volumes of a spiritual and witchcraft compendium she assembled herself.
Mark Birdsall/Huron Daily Tribune
Furtah also displayed a collection of binders containing spiritual information and knowledge she compiled as a sort of library of mystical literature. It’s a subject about which she is very passionate and very happy to share with others.
“It’s my life,” she said.
In an area at the back of the shop, mediums, oracle card readers and palm readers sat at a group of tables meeting with clients, most of which had made appointments before the fair. One of the mediums was the Rev. Kay L. Napora, who is listed as a Reiki master and spiritual channeler on her business cards.
Wiccan Amber Furtah shows off some of the shamanic medicine wheels on her vendor’s table at the Bad Axe Psychic Fair held at Lisa’s Love Boutique on Sept. 10.
Mark Birdsall/Huron Daily Tribune
Napora said she channels a Native American spirit named “Spotted Eagle” who has been “with her” since she was 2 years old.
Spotted Eagle, speaking through Napora, asked one client at the beginning of their session to remove their hat and proceeded to explain that coincidences are examples of “synchronicity” and should not be dismissed as insignificant. There was also some discussion about health issues and advice about living well.
Spotted Eagle also advised the client to check the oil pan on their vehicle for damage and to commune with nature to become more connected to the unseen world.
Wiccan Amber Furtah holds a mystical Unakite jasper stone at the Bad Axe Psychic Fair held at Lisa’s Love Boutique on Sept. 10.
Mark Birdsall/Huron Daily Tribune
