The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Arts
Thursday, October 26, 2017 — 3B

 CHRISTIAN KENNEDY/DAILY ARTS WRITER

It’s just a teacup...or is it?
A gem on Main Street: an 
evening at Crazy Wisdom
Local bookstore provides an alternative experience downtown

On the west side of Main Street, 

between Washington and Huron 
streets, subtly tucked between The 
Gown Shop and Vinology is a slice 
of Ann Arbor-brand heaven: Crazy 
Wisdom Bookstore & Tearoom. 
Husband and wife Bill Zirinsky 
and Ruth Schekter have owned 
Crazy Wisdom for nearly three 
decades (since 1989). After buying 
and renovating the store’s current 
building 20 years ago, today’s 
Crazy Wisdom opened in the 
spring of 1999.

Through 
the 
wood-framed 

doors, 
the 
familiar 
smell 
of 

incense lulls customers into a 
sense of comfortability as they 
browse Crazy Wisdom’s 14,000 
books, not to mention the store’s 
more spiritual offers: chakras, 
sage, candles and tarot cards. 
Despite feeling like a step-sister 
store to Portlandia’s “Feminist 
Bookstore,” Crazy Wisdom isn’t 
nearly as niche as it may sound. 
Books are organized into 160 
specialized sections pertaining to 
psychology, spirituality, holistic 
health and sustainability, but even 
these categories don’t do justice 
to the sheer range of information 
available. Whether you are making 
an edible, conjuring a spirit 
or researching a paper, Crazy 
Wisdom has books for you.

Its 14,000 books aside, Crazy 

Wisdom is so much more than 
simply a book store. As part of the 
renovations in 1999, a tea room 
was added on the second floor, 
which plays host to studying 
students, local readers and, for the 
adventurous, a regular schedule 
of psychics, tarot card readers and 
other intuitives.

“The Readers add something 

fun and interesting to the overall 
experience at Crazy Wisdom. But 
it is a small part of what we do. 
We host live music every Friday 
and Saturday evening. We have 
two Poetry Evenings a month, one 
Storytelling Night a month and we 
also rent our Community Room 

for classes, events and workshops 
over 250 times each year,” Zirinsky 
wrote in an email to The Michigan 
Daily. “We also host Fairy Teas for 
kids. And we publish the leading 
conscious 
living 
magazine 
in 

the region. Recent issues of the 
magazine have been 128 pages, 
with a glossy cover, with over 
80 advertisers, and 25 articles, 
interviews and editorial features 
per issue. We print 11,000 copies 
of the magazine, and distribute 
it all over town. It is a major 
undertaking, and we’re proud 
of the role the magazine plays in 
building community.”

The tea room serves over 100 

flavors of green, black oolong and 
herbal teas, accompanied by a 
menu of light snacks.

“We 
do 
32,000 
customer 

transactions each year in the 
bookstore and tea room,” Zirinsky 
wrote. “So, the Readers represent a 
very small part of what we do. Still, 
we love them, and value them, and 
so do many of our customers!”

The 
tea 
room’s 
intuitive 

offerings haven’t changed much 
since they began back in 1999. Four 
of Crazy Wisdom’s eight readers 
have been there, on and off, for 15 
years. Zirinsky, who has intuitive 
readings about every year or two, 
enjoys them.

“I personally like our Readers. 

They are exceptionally right-
brained. It’s like herding cats. 
That’s part of why they are good at 
what they do. They don’t think or 
process or integrate information 
the way most of the rest of us do,” 
Zirinsky wrote. “Most of them 
have had certain psychic gifts since 
childhood, and in many instances 
it was a long journey for them to 
trust their intuitive gifts, and then 
to begin to be comfortable sharing 
their often non-linear abilities with 
others.”

Crazy 
Wisdom’s 
intuitives 

charge $1.50 per minute for a 
reading, payable only in cash. 
Very occasionally, on Saturdays, 
there will be lines for a reading, 
according to Zirinsky.

“We have many, many return 

customers, who enjoy and value 
the revelations or insights they 

gain from the Readers. After all, 
our Readers are well-educated, 
and a number of them have been 
psychologists, 
teachers 
and 

therapists. They bring intuitive 
gifts, and they are most certainly 
NOT ‘fortune-tellers.’ We also 
have many people who just try it 
on a ‘lark’ and don’t necessarily 
try it again,” Zirinsky wrote. “And 
many people in the region trust 
us, and correctly assume we’ve 
vetted and approved the Intuitives 
and Psychics who work at Crazy 
Wisdom, and so they expect 
that our Readers will be sincere, 
thoughtful and ‘legitimate’ rather 
than ‘fortune tellers.’”

***
This 
Halloweek’s 
weather 

has been ideal for staying in and 
watching scary movies. It wasn’t 
ideal for walking to Main Street 
on a mission to get my cards read, 
but alas, my deadline is looming 
and I’m eager enough to muster 
the energy required to put on 
jeans, boots and a raincoat to make 
the six-block journey to Crazy 
Wisdom.

And in a short ten minutes the 

warm, cozy solace of my bed is 
exchanged for the equally warm 
and cozy solace of Crazy Wisdom. 
After scanning the seemingly 
endless shelves of books and a 
few cases of crystals, I make my 
way upstairs to the tea room. The 
bookstore was quiet in comparison 
to the street and while the tea room 
didn’t get quieter, the air felt still: 
no one working at the bar, a sign 
signaled they’d be back shortly, and 
a handful of people working and 
reading silently in the sitting area.

After failing to locate the tarot 

card reader in the tea room, I 
accept the idea I misread the 
schedule and head back to the first 
floor to peruse for anything that 
might be helpful in the seance I’m 
hosting later tonight.

Crazy Wisdom’s first floor 

is similar to a railroad-style 
apartment — it continues back 
further than expected. So much so 
that after working my way toward 
the back, collecting a small bag 
of protective sea salt and a blue 
candle that eases communications 

CHRISTIAN KENNEDY

Daily Online Editor

B-SIDE SECONDARY

between the mortal and immortal 
worlds, I spot a sign hanging 
by the emergency exit ushering 
customers into the store’s farthest-
back nook for intuitive readings.

As I approach, I see a woman 

is already seated having her cards 
read, so I break off to the side, 
and from behind a shelf I listen 
momentarily to her reading. It feels 
so personal, but from the other 
side of the shelf, my eavesdropping 
feels especially invasive. With 
the thought that the reader could 
possibly feel my presence on the 
other side of the shelf, I usher 
myself away and linger in the dark 
magic section while I wait for my 
turn.

Sitting in a corner, reading up on 

best practices to conjure a demon, 
I spot the brunette from the nook 
heading out, taking another sip 
of her boxed water. Luckily, the 
reader, Kathy Bloch, has time for 
one more.

***
Ten minutes. Fifteen dollars. 

Three cards: one for my recent 
past, one for my present, one for the 
near future.

From someone who genuinely 

enjoys readings (psychic, card, 
aura, etc.), I wasn’t feeling the 
idea of having my past, present 
and future laid out in front of me 
this particular day; I was saving 
that for my therapy appointment 
on Thursday. Additionally, being 
in the presence of an intuitive is 
less daunting when you carry the 
cynicism of a nonbeliever, but for 
me, sitting across from a reader is 
intimidating as I try to keep my 
self-awareness on pace with their 
worldly awareness.

The 
typical 
archetype 
of 

individuals who receive readings is 
someone who leaps onto a reader’s 
grand, general statements and 
offers specific details about how 
a statement applies to their life, 
effectively giving readers more 
information to customize their 
reading, thus forming a type of self-
fulfilling prophecy. But for those 

rolling their eyes at home, if they’ve 
made it this far, I kept my side of 
our conversation to nods, chuckles 
and an occasional yes.

Bloch had no trouble filling 

up the entirety of my 10 minutes 
with energetic, logical and, above 
all, applicable reading of the three 
cards I pulled from her deck. Her 
ending note conveyed the overall 
idea of her readings: “Stay with the 
boat and all will be provided.”

Bloch has been reading at Crazy 

Wisdom for two years, but it’s not 
her first time working as a reader. 
Having studied the cards since 
1980, she began doing readings in 
1995. Originally reading at Crazy 
Wisdom years ago, she took a 
break after her brother died of 
cancer only to come back after an 
accidental run-in with Zirinsky.

“When one of our Readers tunes 

in well, I believe the customer can 
gain a few thought-provoking and 
meaningful insights into one’s life 
and relationships,” Zirinsky wrote.

I’d have to agree.

CHRISTIAN KENNEDY/DAILY ARTS WRITER

Fortunes are one of many eclectic offerings found at Crazy Wisdom.

A Ouija board seance

in this series, three daily arts writers in 

varying states of mind visit the same 

place and write about their experiences.

baked.buzzed.board.

this week’s destination:

a friend of mine at one point took too big of a bong hit and felt like she ceased 

to exist for a moment. I had never experienced that feeling until I tried dabs. 

And now I love dabs, and also casual witchery, which has led us to now. 

There’s several daily arts members enshrined in a circle of protec-

tive sea salt ready to contact a spirit (hopefully a demon).

I did multiple dabs prior so even if we don’t make 

contact, the sensory experience of the dark base-

ment alone is a thrill in and of itself. 

....

we added a new candle, my 

almost used lavender one bc 

it “attracts vampires” according 

to our Supreme, Madeleine. My arm is 

fucking tired, but the thing is moving so im 

trying really hard to keep it light, you know. 

I like moments like this because I can contain the 

yearning for the afterlife and knowledge of it and the van-

ity to sell my soul to live forever at the same time. What life is 

all about, you know. I got the chills a few times, if that means any-

thing. I thought about my dead dog. And my dead aunt. The aunt could 

actually make a feasible demon tbh. Oh god I’m going to hell

Someone remind me to wash the pentagram carved out of meijer-brand tums 

in the morning... 

—DAILY ARTS WRITER

I like to joke that I’m a witch. I saw “The Craft” one too 

many times as a kid and my Smiths phase was (is) unnatu-
rally long. I rolled up tonight in an ankle-length black coat, 
two (or three, maybe four) beers and a desire to conjure a 
spirit.

The first two tries weren’t fruitful, so I turned to the 

good old Google and found that Vampires are attracted to 
lavender. So we drew a pentagram on the floor with a Tums 
and lit another calendar and actually did the damn thing.

My good pal Q asked for our blood in exchange for 

revenge against one of our most mortal enemies, which was 
cool. The whole process of moving the heart around the 
board was fun, but I’m just really proud of myself.

Bored is proud of me too (hell ya!). This is method acting 

I think. Or method living (haha get it). I’m pretty convinced 
at this point that I can raise the dead and change the weath-
er and whatever else witches do. Scare men and babies and 
country club moms.

That’s pretty cool. I’m going to go home and light some 

candles and cast some spells. And probably rewatch “The 
Craft.” And hex my ex. And get a cat

—DAILY ARTS WRITER

Baked, Buzzed, me, and five other friends gathered for the occasion. 

The $20 Toys-R-Us Ouija Board was placed on the basement floor with 
two candles and “protective salt”.

I’ve done Ouija board in the past. My high school friends and I 
would gather around my dining room table of my house with my 

mom’s Ouija board (when you use an older Ouija board that’s 

when you know it’s going to be good). We would channel 

some spirits, mostly good ones, and afterwards we’d laugh 
at how silly it was.

That’s the fun thing about Ouija boards: it’s all about 

how much you want to believe in it. And if you can 
trust your friends not to cheat.

I began our session as the summoner. It took us a 

few tries to get all our giggles out, but once it began, 
we all got serious. Soon enough I learned that I suck 
at summoning spirits. Due to no movement on the 
board whatsoever, I gave up and let Buzzed take over.

We silently listened to Buzzed ask their questions 

to the spirit world, and we encountered a vampire 
spirit named “Q” after we drew a fucking pentagram 
under the board. “Fuck, I’ve never gotten this far,” said 
Baked. 

We asked the demon to come to the mortal world and 

get some revenge on those who have wronged us. We asked 

what it wanted in return, and the spirit spelled out “BLOOD” 

on the board. There may or may not have been some blood shed 

from the group members –– so yeah, shit got weird.
I’m so proud of Buzzed for channeling their inner witch. Could it 

have been an evil vampire spirit that came to us? Maybe. Was it Matt 
Gallatin or Anay who rigged the whole thing? Absolutely. 

—ERIKA SHEVCHEK

