Alyssa Mikesh, the owner and founder of metaphysical shop Midnight Doves at 3 Cedar St. in Kingston, said her journey into the “eclectic” realm of tarot, crystals and all things spirituality began exactly where she grew up – in the mountains and woods of Stone Ridge.

“I was always a weird kid. Start with that,” Mikesh said. “When I was little, I was always chasing fairies. I lived in Stone Ridge up on the mountains. I was always in the woods, and there was just so much magic in nature.”

At the age of 10, Mikesh said that her brother-in-law gifted her her first tarot deck; the Salvador Dali deck, commissioned in 1973 by the renowned artist who blended mysticism with European art history. This was when Mikesh, who now offers tarot readings in her store, gave her first ever reading.

The first-ever card she drew for her brother-in-law was Death, causing the 10-year-old Mikesh to tell her brother-in-law that “maybe you’re gonna lose your job.” The prediction came true, but he ended up receiving a better job afterward, which Mikesh credits to the card’s symbolism of new beginnings. For her, tarot was something that “clicked” and began her spiritual journey.

“Tarot isn't fortune telling; it's divination, so it's not set in stone. We have free will. Tarot is about the energy you're embodying right now, where you're most likely to end up if you keep doing what you're doing,” Mikesh said. “I really love it for that sense. I write horoscope poems too, and I also love horoscopes and astrology for that reason because it just helps us understand ourselves a little bit better.”

Midnight Doves has a table and two chairs by the corner, surrounded by artwork, crystals, a vintage doll and lamp, and a crystal ball. The space is designated for tarot readings with walk-ins welcome. Mikesh said that her process begins with setting intentions and protections with her spirit guides. Entering a “low-level trance,” Mikesh said that she begins by reading the cards with the standard meaning and then the intuitive component.

“I would say tarot readings are so individual to the individual, but they're all really fun,” Mikesh said. “I've been reading for 18 years now and eight years professionally, and tarot develops its own little language. So it's been really cool to see as a reader and practitioner how you find that deeper meaning.”

But despite describing herself as being always “that weird, magical kid,” Mikesh’s path to being a tarot reader and shopowner was a bit more complicated. Mikesh pursued environmental studies at SUNY Stony Brook out of her love for nature and feeling that she needed a “straight job and path.”

Turn and Face the Change

Then during the COVID-19 pandemic, Mikesh had her own “The Tower” moment — a tarot card depicting people falling out of a crumbling tower and symbolizing major life changes and unexpected chaos. Mikesh visited her parents in southwest Florida for spring break just before the lockdown and her college becoming an emergency hospital site.

Mikesh finished her bachelor’s degree online and originally planned on going to grad school. But working in ecotoxicology labs, she found that she did not want to pay for a degree when she would not be able to physically be present.

“That's when I had to ask myself, ‘What do I still love outside of being a student and getting good grades?’ Which is kind of sad, but it's OK,” Mikesh told Kingston Wire. “I realized, really, it was tarot and it was crystals and herbs. That's the first thing I went back to, and then I realized this did happen for a reason.”

While Mikesh said “more tower-card moments happened, more hurricanes happened,” she began to read tarot at a local shop and eventually opened up her own, where she operated in Florida for about four years and built relationships with crystal wholesalers and warehouses and developed her own practice. Mikesh also took a two-month tarot reading course to overcome her “imposter syndrome” and deepen her understanding of tarot.

Mikesh said that at first, her science and spirituality conflicted, but she began to see that they really were not that far apart after reading a book that broke down the psychology and neuroscience behind beliefs, practicing manifestation herself and learning about Indigenous practices. Mikesh said that she seeks a “happy medium” between modern technology and science and more ancient spiritual practices.

“There's amazingly beautiful studies out of the Amazon rainforest, where the indigenous people make extremely complex medicines using plants that are physically identical but biologically leaps and bounds apart,” Mikesh said. “And when researchers ask them, ‘How do you know this?’ Like, ‘The plants tell us.’ And I don't think that's woo-wooey. I think that's something that we’ve lost as we've traded that for technology.”

Living in small-town Florida, Mikesh said that she missed the mountains, four seasons and vibrant arts and culture of the Mid-Hudson Valley. On July 25, Midnight Doves held its grand opening and is now in its first month of being open as a store.

Decorated on the walls are numerous art pieces on both canvases and wood, some intricate line drawings, others colorful spiritual and nature designs made entirely by dots, and full paintings with a classical feel. Mikesh said that she likes to partner with artists, such as Reverent Swamp’s handmade bone jewelry. Most recently, Mikesh partnered with SUNY New Paltz graduate Jamie Owens, who Mikesh said makes “energy paintings” live during workshops and events.

Owens created a series called “womb energy,” focused on women’s bodies and health, such as visualizing endometriosis and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). While Mikesh said some find it “too gloomy,” this is exactly why Mikesh wants it in her space.

“I'm a woman. I'm a queer woman. I'm a witch. So being what I am is inherently too much for some people,” Mikesh said. “I want to talk about it and spread light on it and actually allow the people who've really loved it and connected with the pieces.”

Opening up Midnight Doves, first in Florida and then in Kingston, after studying science in college was not the only transition Mikesh had to make. Since she first became interested in tarot cards, crystals and spirituality as a child, the rest of the world has caught up.

Season of the Witchtok

Mikesh, who is 28, recalls her younger self plugging her computer in for WiFi and struggling to find any information about spirituality. Now, it has gone viral, with the tag “Witchtok” on TikTok featuring millions of videos.

“Back then, there wasn't Witchtok. So you don't know how people are gonna receive that, and I'm also in the science field, and I have to be professional, and so I was really at war with myself,” Mikesh said. “I graduated right around when Witchtok was popping up. It was this surge of information, which I thought was wonderful. But then I'm also like, ‘This is too much.’ I really say there aren't rules, but you want to know what you're doing.”

For Mikesh, amidst viral videos about spells and curses, livestreams where influencers give tarot card readings to their viewers and a neverending social media stream of information about various herbs and crystals, she likes to start with the basics.

Mikesh believes that for someone just beginning their interest in spirituality, meditation is a great way to start. Midnight Doves hosts meditation events in partnership with other groups and individuals, such as an upcoming free group meditation on Sept. 11 in conjunction with the full moon.

Mikesh described the meditation events Midnight Doves participates in as focused on stress-relief, open and accessible to everyone regardless of experience level. Meditation sessions include breathing techniques, visualizations and sometimes herbal tea ceremonies and forest walks.

“I think the biggest myth about meditation is that you have to turn your brain off and just sit in silence,” Mikesh said. “It’s OK to move. It’s OK to have a thought. I say just let the thought flow by. You will feel better just being in the room with people who are all trying to de-stress and feel good listening to some meditation music.”

Crystal Power

One major part of Midnight Doves is crystals, with Mikesh referring to herself as a “crystal nerd.” In the center of the store, crystals are piled and sorted into various bowls, with other shelves featuring crystals shaped in all shapes and sizes, sometimes crafted into jewelry.

While some use crystals as decorative items, which Mikesh said is “totally valid,” Mikesh also said that these colorful stones can be an important part of spiritual practice. In meditation, Mikesh said holding on to crystals can be used to feel and attune energy, while some like to rub “worry stones” to relieve stress. Some even put crystals in water to drink or bathe in, though Mikesh said to do research first as some crystals are toxic.

“If you look at crystal sound bowls, they were created and they play out certain frequencies which our bodies resonate with,” Mikesh said. “There's studies of how it's effective, and some sound therapies can be more or the same benefit as a deep-tissue massage.”

Another important aspect of Midnight Doves, according to Mikesh, is ethical sourcing. Mikesh sources her crystals from the wholesalers and warehouse connections she made in Florida while also trying to build connections with the community in Kingston. This is in part out of a desire to support small businesses and retailers as opposed to large corporations, but Mikesh also wants to keep it ethical.

“I always try to get ethically sourced lapis because some is mined in Afghanistan, which is a conflict zone. It's child labor,” Mikesh said. “If you're using a crystal, you want it to have good energy attached to it. So I get Chilean lapis. Chile has much stricter regulations on crystal mining and how it's done.”

Midnight Doves also features a selection of herb-infused oils, bath salts and teas. Mikesh said that she focuses on the spiritual benefits of herb use, while referring to friends who are more well-versed in fields such as Traditional Chinese Medicine or other forms of traditional medicine for any health-related questions.

“Roses are physically and spiritually an aphrodisiac. But it's also very heart opening and it's a very healing and nurturing type of herb. A lot of practitioners consider rose to be a master herb,” Mikesh said. “Rosemary is very common, it's very protective and they give power to your work. You crush it between your fingers and smell it.”

Keeping with her ethical practices, Mikesh said that it is important to respect the environment and cultural practices of other communities, including “closed practices” — a tradition outsiders cannot join unless they are born into the community or undergo a formal initiation, such as Haitian Vodou or specific Indigenous customs.

As an example, Mikesh does not sell white sage in her store and redirects customers who seek it out due to its environmental vulnerability because of over-harvesting and its importance to Native American culture. When some customers do ask for items related to traditional African or Indigenous religions, Mikesh works to get in contact with someone else who may have it.

Since opening, Mikesh said she has interacted with all types of customers, from those who have never stepped inside a metaphysical shop before to those who are more experienced. Aiming to be a community hub, Mikesh said she is planning to incorporate workshops on spiritual hygiene, crystals and tarot reading.

For “spooky season,” Mikesh is working on October events such as an author signing for a werewolf romance book and a potential soup drive for local food banks or organizations and a “Protection 101” workshop.

“I always say every single type of person is welcome here. My only rule is be kind and respectful to each other when you're in the shop,” Mikesh said. “You don't necessarily have to get this to enjoy it. We have beautiful art and jewelry and teas and other things to experience. Even if this will never be your cup of tea, check it out because you might find some really cool art that you do really love.”