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When Marjorie Coe turned the Catalpa Tree Shops into a metaphysical retail space more than 23 years ago, she met some resistance.
“When I first opened, they watched me really closely,” she says.
She heard rumors around Grabill that she was conducting séances, which wasn’t true. And one day, a group of female customers walked in together, saw the display of Shirley MacLaine books and fled, saying, “Let’s get out of here.”
A lot has changed since then. The fear has subsided a bit, Coe says, and people seem to be more accepting, perhaps because of popular TV shows like “Medium” and “Ghost Whisperer.”
“Metaphysics can answer a lot of questions,” she says. “We all have an inward drive to find the source and go back to the source.”
One thing that hasn’t changed: The majority of those seekers are women.
Betsy Cox, a co-organizer of Spirit Fayre on Oct. 17 and 18 at the Allen County Fairgrounds, has a few ideas about that. Women are comfortable using their intuition and they typically act as the caregivers and nurturers in society. They also tend to put a higher value on wellness and connection with God, she says.
Or maybe it’s because women are willing to believe in a more balanced and egalitarian God with masculine and feminine aspects, while “men look at God more as a father figure,” says Diane Drennon, owner of Elderberry Tree House Shoppe (www.elderberryths.com) and a vendor at Spirit Fayre.
In traditional religions, it’s the men who typically are the ministers and leaders, but in her experience, it’s mostly women in the congregations. In non-traditional religions, there are more opportunities for women to be leaders and elders, she says.
“Women can define our path,” Drennon says.
“Women are more apt to say ‘I don’t have to be in control; we’re all in this as equals,’ ” Cox says.
They all agree that interest in metaphysics is growing among women and men of all ages.
Catalpa Tree (see www.catalpatreeshops.com) caters to all of them with four rooms of retail space. There you’ll find stones and crystals (“everything that exists has energy,” Coe says), CDs, essential oils, incense, jewelry, drums painted by local artists, tarot cards, Tibetan prayer flags, singing bowls, angel and fairy collectibles and wind chimes.
Coe, a former preschool director and 4-H leader still active in the United Methodist Church, believes that people should try to help themselves when possible.
That’s why she has a room dedicated to books.
“I sow the seeds and people get to nurture them. I have seen so many people grow, so many lives changed because of it,” she says.
Her metaphysical quest just builds on her church background, Coe says, and “helps you understand there is more.”
The women have found that many of their customers are Christian.
“… People are finally looking outside of the box that we have been programmed in for centuries. Medical and religious organizations are not giving people the answers and healings they are seeking,” says Julie Peters, owner of Clear Waters Serenity Center & Shoppe in Fort Wayne.
And Drennon has talked to customers who say they are interested in Reiki, for example, but their church is against it.
“So what do they do? They’re torn,” she says.
That’s why they end up at her shop, where they can find information on Reiki, God or Wicca, whatever their interest – plus, greeting cards, candles, incense and smudge sticks, CDs, drums, clothing, essential oils and bumper stickers.
“People, because it is a conservative area, aren’t (always) as open with their interest,” Cox says.
“A lot of people are afraid to talk about what they believe in for fear of being put down. We have to have an open mind,” Drennon says.
“It truly is a calling and you have to have a passion and desire to do this, especially in Fort Wayne. For many years it has been difficult, but Fort Wayne has opened up so much in the past three years. I feel all the dogma and misrepresentation that has surrounded all of this for so long, is finally being understood,” Peters says.
The women say they welcome customers of all beliefs, which is why their stores offer workshops on alternative therapies, meditation and spiritual readings.
“We’re open to all paths. I believe all paths lead to God. It doesn’t matter what road you’re on; we’re all looking for the same thing,” Cox says.
“I think it is all one. It’s just part of this great journey we’re on,” Drennon says. “There’s always something to learn. And not enough time.”
