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18
Dec 2021
Harrogate's home for witches, spells and crystal balls
Mystical Ways in Westminster Arcade is not your typical high street shop.
This month it moved to a bigger location in the arcade on Parliament Street to accommodate Harrogate's first tarot card reading room.
It's owned by Jay Clarke and Joanne Mayben, self-declared witches who say they can summon energy and communicate with spirits.
Believers can buy dreamcatchers to ward off nightmares, crystals to summon good energy and incense, which can help cast spells that attract money, love, protection or light.
Ms Mayben said she gave up a potential job with the police to follow her dream of being a spiritual medium and tarot card reader full time, but some people in her home of Pateley Bridge were critical of her choice.
The two are dressed head to toe in black, but Mr Clarke insists it's nothing to fear:
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Mr Clarke said Harrogate has an undercover community of people into spiritualism and mediumship.
They say there is a big demand for tarot readings, which are available Monday to Saturday from 10am until 4pm, costing £25 for 30 minutes.
Practitioners such as Ms Mayben use tarot cards to purportedly gain insight into someone's past, present or future.
Mr Clarke said:
Skeptics say tarot readings are fake, and some people are put off by negative experiences with mediums on Scarborough seafront, but Ms Mayben encourages anyone visiting the shop to have an open mind.
She says she can also communicate with spirits — just don't call them dead people.
Ms Mayben says one of her gifts is summoning and understanding energy, so what sort of energy does Harrogate have?
She says:
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