When a new owner takes over a business, one might expect changes: new products, renovations, even a new location.

If that business is a metaphysical shop, like Gaia’s Blessing in Peterborough, there’s another, less-tangible change to consider -- the energy of the space. Crystal Carter, who took over Gaia’s Blessing at 1 Summer St. last June, said customers have already noticed a change in the store’s energy.

“Every person has their own energy – and I think I bring Crystal’s energy to the shop,” Carter said. The store’s previous owner, Jeni Archer, told Carter she felt the energy in the store had lightened, a sentiment that other customers have echoed since Carter acquired the store. 

This doesn’t come as a surprise to Carter, who noted that, astrologically, she has “so much Libra in my chart – I’m this air sign all the way.”

“It’s hard to keep me grounded. Jeni is a triple Taurus – very grounded. So I think the shop kind of reflects our own energies,” she said. 

And while Archer offered energy work out of Gaia’s Blessing, Carter has shifted focus to spiritual guidance and tarot, the two main services she offers.

According to Carter, tarot speaks differently to everyone.

“Even certain cards can speak differently to different people,” she said. “For me, tarot is about relying on my intuition.”

Carter emphasized that tarot is ultimately just a pack of paper cards.

“I always tell people who come in that they are the magic,” she said. “And I believe that about myself. I am the magic that makes this happen; the tarot cards are a tool. Above all else, I tell people to rely on their own intuition.”

Carter’s spiritual journey is inherently tied to Gaia’s Blessing, although it started a few years before, when she discovered a new kind of spirituality in nature. 

“I wanted to tap into what I feel at a spiritual level,” she said. “Slowly but surely, nature became my spirituality. I felt like the only time there was something more to this world was when I was in nature.”

So she dove into the world of natural healing and spirituality, discovering Gaia’s Blessing and meeting Archer along the way.

“Jeni was always super helpful,” Carter said. “I remember thinking that [she had] the most fun job.”

One day she was thinking about her future, and went in for a tarot reading with Archer. She remembers thinking that Archer would offer her the shop, but didn’t put much thought into it until it came up in the reading.

“Jeni asked me what I would do if I could, and I said I would own a metaphysical shop,” Carter recounted.

Initially, Archer wasn’t planning on selling the store for another few years, while Carter’s timeline was shorter than that, so she put it out of her mind. A week later, Archer called and offered Carter the store.

Carter has a history in education and child care – she worked as a in-home nanny and a substitute teacher in the Bedford school system – and, aside from a small personal photography business, didn’t have experience in owning and operating a store. She says the experience has been challenging and rewarding, and she has made many valuable connections.

She has spent the past year acclimating herself to her new business, and now that she’s situated in her new space, she will begin offering more public events, including a monthly “Mystic Mingle” which will feature 15-minute tarot readings, local vendors, snacks and live music.

Carter was also excited about one of her new additions to the storefront, a small free library cabinet that was hand-designed by local artist Sean Flemming. She invites anyone to come take or leave a metaphysical-related book.

Aside from spiritual guidance and tarot readings, the shop carries herbs, crystals, tarot cards, spiritual books and other metaphysical gifts.