Spiritual readers share their gifts at fifth Mystical Haven Wellness Fair

At the age of seven, Tristen Sky could see things other people couldn’t.

“For instance, I would see the colour blue for my sister and then I’d see her that day and she’s wearing blue,” said Sky.

After graduating high school, Sky started university, like many others do at 18. But unlike other 18-year-olds, Sky was also learning reiki, a type of energy healing.

“I’m a highly sensitive person, so I’ve always been really sensitive to energies,” said Sky.

Now 28, Sky is a professional psychic medium and reiki master who uses their gifts to help people heal.

They recently gave people readings at the Mystical Haven Wellness Fair held at the Nepean Sportsplex on Feb. 8. Dozens of vendors were at the wellness fair.

At the Ottawa Interfaith Spiritualist Church, Sky often acts as a medium to connect people with their deceased loved ones.

“I help a lot of people and it’s very rewarding,” said Sky behind their white, floral-clad partition. “It’s such a deep soul level and it really touches my heart.”

When they aren’t helping people at the church, Sky connects with clients over Zoom. While new clients are often hesitant about the legitimacy of Sky’s online services, Sky says “once you know, you know.”

“You don’t have to be in front of the person because you’re reading spirits and they travel,” said Sky.

A few booths down from Sky sat Lesley Hervey, who runs Wyse Woman Words with Lesley.

Hervey was doing tarot card readings.

“I’ve been reading tarot for probably the last 45 years,” said Hervey. “I got into reading tarot, I guess, simply because my mother read tarot.”

At 25 years old, Hervey started working with cards, which she says allowed her to keep her mind open.

“I use this as a medium because I find it easier to connect to the person I’m reading for, rather than just talking to them and doing it directly that way,” said Hervey. “I can do it that way, but I just find this tells me a lot more information.”

Hervey calls herself a “wyse woman” because she comes from a Celtic background and has expanded her gifts through a variety of teachings and trainings.

As a heyoka empath, Hervey is able to pick up on feelings, thoughts, information and emotions from people and the environment around her.

“For me personally, I don’t read somebody unless they’ve given me permission to do so,” said Hervey.

According to Hervey’s information sheet, heyokas “open people’s minds to new perspectives by acting as a mirror.”

On Friday afternoons, Hervey travels from Lyndhurst to Brockville, Ont. to do readings at Zen Acres.

“The money is not my motivator, I’m more interested in helping people,” said Hervey. “This is part of who I am and what I do, but it’s not my job.”

Aside from those sharing their gifts, the wellness fair at the Sportsplex featured vendors selling everything from crystals and jewelry to microsilver body care and homegrown catnip.

Fionna Wallace’s business is called Foraged Flora by Fionna.

Wallace’s three-month-old business grew from the desire to support her family’s health and wellness using natural products.

She makes teas, salves, oils and more using herbs from her sister’s farm in Embrun, Ont.

There were 42 vendors at the Nepean Sportsplex from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., according to the event’s organizer, Rachelle Ten Oever.

Ten Oever is the co-founder of One Wellness Ottawa, which hosts retreats, sound baths, meditations and festivals.

She says her fifth wellness fair has been “fantastic.”

“I think people just like the idea of something that’s wholesome, holistic,” said Ten Oever. “The world is kind of opening up and awakening to just, hey, we’re not going to do what society thinks we should be doing to heal ourselves and there’s other avenues out there that we can go down.”