When I met Reverend Jessica LaReau in an Intro to Wicca class taught by Reverend Peter Hertzberg of Northern Lakes Temple, I was struck by her kindness and generosity. In a comfortable room above Mimosa Bookstore in downtown Madison, the class worked from a text containing basic information found in witchcraft. As a newcomer, I hadn't received the book. Without prompting, Reverend Jessica, also of Northern Lakes Temple, offered her book to me. Later, the text "A Dedicant's Guide to 1st Degree Priesthood" would become a resource for any tree magick I decided to try. A few weeks later, the class hit on the topic of familiars. Being an Aries, I immediately decided that if others had familiars – and seemed rather content about having them – then I might as well have one, too. Not exactly an expert on the subject, I aimed question after question at Reverend Peter, who seemed to grow tight-lipped after a while. I liked Peter tremendously, and if there was an opportunity to banter with him, I'd pounce on it tout de suite. This afternoon, though, Peter seemed to dig in his heels, much as a spectacled mountain goat that would not be coaxed or pushed from his terrain. Patiently, Reverend Jessica explained that maybe my familiar would or had come with a specific purpose such as protection. Any preconceived notions I formed – and perhaps those notions would be shaped by Peter's answers – would possibly interfere with the reason behind the familiar's arrival.

Some girls had a lust for Led Zeppelin, but I got my thrills by visiting metaphysical book stores.

When I met Mari Powers in Mimosa, a downtown gift shop in Madison, WI, I had been a nameless customer who could read the tarot to a limited point but remained curious about the ability of others who claimed they read the tarot – especially others who read for a fee. With no small amount of skepticism and plenty of time on my underemployed but not quite poorly paid hands, I shrugged oh, what the hell and marched into the softly lit room. On a corner table, eleven decks with beautiful artwork hypnotized me. Any mesmerism gave way to frustration when Mari Powers directed me to choose a deck for my reading. As it turned out, this wasn't a session in which the querent sat back and listened to what influences impacted her life in the past, present, and future. Mari expected the client to take notes on a lay-out sheet during the session, take the sheets home, and think about how the influences manifested in her or his life. The idea of doing any work hadn't exactly appealed to me. Mari impressed me, nevertheless. She seemed to care about whether or not the questioner understood the reading. She didn't shy away from offering advice on any problem area that plagued the seeker.

Even today, Mari's talent and compassion deserves a nod. Before I roll out this interview, however, allow me to confess I'm skeptical about readers in general. Any ol' joker with a deck and a tent may hang out his tarot shingle. At one point, I compared my readings – and I trust me – with Mari's interpretations. Though we each used a different deck, our interpretations of the spreads were similar.