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WILKES-BARRE TWP. — Guests stopped by the Hilton Garden Inn over the weekend to get a glimpse of their past, present and futures, along with some healing, massage therapy and more.
Whole Earth held the 11th annual Spring Holistic and Psychic Fair at the hotel Saturday and Sunday, greeting guests with an array of healers, readers, lectures and handmade items.
The smell of incense filled the hallway leading into the room, which also housed handmade leather satchels and ornate jewelry.
Inside, tarot reader and universal life minister Nikki Marie Gordon, of Dallas, was preparing a spread for an interested attendee.
Gordon says she’s been a vendor at the event for the past three years and has been reading tarot since she was a child. She said tarot helps people overcome grief or a loss and make decisions based off of their readings.
“I give people the ability to see their life in pictures — to tell their story — and tell them what those pictures mean,” she said. “People can accept it or not accept it. People have free will, they can make decisions. I can tell them about a situation that can occur in their future, and they have the free will to decide if they want to take steps to change that outcome or not.”
The event wasn’t all just tarot and psychics, however.
Many came for an opportunity to relax and unwind with the help of holistic healing and massage therapy.
Melissa Luddeni, from Human Touch Wellness Center, of Cresco, was providing guests with a back massage at the entrance to the event.
She said that the art of massage does more than just take away physical pain. It can also relieve stress, increase your metabolism, and help to re-sensualize society.
“We’re very touch deprived as a society,” she said. “Massage helps bring back the feeling of touch, bringing people closer together.”
Many vendors at the event carried books, ranging from self-help to educational as well as a variety of stones, which are commonly used for various healings.
Dave Gutkowski and Carla Cilvik own Body and Soul Holistic Arts, based out of Bear Creek.
A Reiki master with a background in archaeology, Gutkowski brought an assortment of special stones to the event, each one said to affect the mind, body and soul differently.
From selenite to quartz and shells that gleamed like opal, his table was filled with roughly 50 different types of Earth’s precious gems, with cards explaining their uses.
“Many of these are used with Chakra,” he said, explaining Chakra balances each of the seven spiritual centers in the human body.
If Westernized practices isn’t your fancy, Whole Earth had you covered.
Mark Reinhart, of Drums, created “Three Pure Rivers,” a studio centering on Chinese Astrology.
A Master of Qigong, Taijiquan and I Ching, Reinhart helps those seeking balance in their lives through the five elements of Chinese Astrology.
With over 50 years of practice, Reinhart said he’s been all over the country, passing on his knowledge to those willing to listen. He also held a lecture at the event on Sunday.
“Chinese Astrology is an approach to health and well being,” he said. “It ties in directly with energetic psychology, which is just now beginning to be accepted in Western medicine. Your emotions are definitely responsive to your health and well being.”
Now, if your thinking of those little placeholders with the rabbit, chicken and snake, that’s somewhat similar. However, Reinhart explained there’s much more to the ancient practice than just the year one is born.
Once he matches your numbers and animals, they become correlated with an element — fire, wood, earth, metal and water. Ideally, one desires a little bit of each — however that’s not always the case.
Each element has a corresponding stone, so he suggests that if someone is lacking in a certain element to carry the stone in order to create balance.
Overall, Gordon said the weekend was a success, with people interested in readings and healing stopping by.
“We must have had at least a hundred-plus people come in Saturday,” she said, noting that many expect a big turnout Sunday afternoon. “Overall, it was a success.”
Admission for the event was $3. Whole Earth plans to hold another event near the year’s end.
