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Worcester Magazine
There’ll be something for everyone at the psychic fair set for Feb. 15 at T.A.J. Tropicals plant shop in West Boylston.
If you’re interested in the mystical, or just want a new lens to look through at life, the center of attention will be three tarot readers who learned their craft in Salem, including Witch City Tarot Gathering founder Kris Gurky.
If you’re looking for a sweet treat or a hot drink, tea samples from the shop’s tea bar, including a Valentine’s Day brew, will be on tap. And, if you’re just looking for something green to brighten up your living room, many of the shop’s plants will be on sale.
'Absolutely wild' response
According to T.A.J. Tropicals co-owner Tiana Diaz, you certainly won’t be alone, as the shop has received a cascade of emails and phone calls asking about the event since it was announced in January.
“It's absolutely wild to see people come out of the woodwork for things like this,” Diaz said.
It’s the first time T.A.J. has hosted such an event, but not the first time Diaz and Gurky have put together a day full of tarot cards, folklore and green leaves, as the duo have previously worked together on several similar fairs in Salem.
Gurky built her herbalist business of 15 years, Dark Moon & Co., in Salem, but it also attracted a sizable amount of customers from Central Massachusetts. When she moved to the Worcester area, she knew she had a perfect opportunity.
“One of my goals when I moved out here was that we had a lot of people at the shop in Salem who were coming from Central Massachusetts. When I got here, I wanted to bring a lot of people from Salem here,” Gurky said.
Not long after that move, Gurky set up a Dark Moon & Co. stand at the Live Flea or Buy flea market in Millbury, which was also home to T.A.J. at the time.
A health crisis, a crossroads
Diaz and her husband, Pedro, had downsized the store while she underwent treatment for breast cancer, and on days when she was on duty at the flea market, she couldn’t help noticing Gurky’s stand across the room.
“We had little bays, and the way she set hers up, the minute you walked in, you saw the black mirrors and old Victorian furniture. It was so dope,” Diaz said. “The herbal witchy thing with all the plants just meshed.”
The duo hit it off right away, bonding over a shared interest in herbs and their many uses.
After her diagnosis, Diaz had been researching teas and tinctures rumored to boost the effects of modern cancer treatments and pain relievers, while Gurky grew up foraging for edible plants and mushrooms with her grandmother.
Science, nature, folkways
Both were fascinated by the scientific explanations behind herbal medicine passed down through generations, with Gurky citing folklore in her grandmother’s home country, Lithuania, warning against harvesting a certain plant at a certain time of year, or else the other plants surrounding it would die.
“They didn't know the scientific aspect, but they knew that those plants couldn't be picked. Science now knows there's a mycelium network underground between these plants that helps them survive, and if you destroy it, they're gone,” Gurky said. “I found it really fascinating when you blend science with the things our ancestors would have no knowledge about, but that science corroborates.”
In November 2023, when T.A.J. moved into its current West Boylston location, Diaz and Gurky linked up again and began running herbal workshops that quickly gained a following.
At the upcoming psychic fair, customers will be able to pick up some herbal knowledge, some plants and some new ideas, courtesy of the tarot.
The mystery of the cards
Gurky, who learned to read tarot cards from her grandmother, said she and many of her clients over the years found tarot card readings to be reassuring rather than foreboding.
“What's truly the gift is if you don't know me and I don't know you, but I'm telling you what's going on. It's almost better than therapy in a way, because how could they possibly know that?” Gurky said. “I never believe that the cards predict the future. We're all in control of our own free will, but it's really comforting when you have someone who can deliver things to help people through.”
Gurky’s advice to those interested in experiencing a tarot reading for the first time was to “expect the unexpected.”
“I always say, come open-minded,” Gurky said. “If you come open-minded and you're willing to receive whatever comes through, I think that's always the best. A lot of times, if it's someone's first reading, they're nervous. People leave really comforted and inspired.”
The T.A.J. Tropicals Psychic Fair will take place 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Feb. 15 at T.A.J. Tropicals, 45 Sterling St., Suite 9, West Boylston. Admission is free, and a 15-minute tarot reading costs $45, with sign-up sheets available at the door. tajtropicals.com.