In late April, an article in the online magazine Thrillist titled “The Most Hippie Town in All 50 States” piqued some attention in Ulster County social media by crowning New Paltz (no, not Woodstock) as New York’s countercultural epicenter. As evidence, the piece cited a “Himalayan arts gift store” selling “prayer flags,” along with “Eastern philosophy vibes,” “Tibetan momos,” “tofu bowls” and “past lives.” Who knew that Eastern religion and culture formed the core of New Paltz’s long-vaunted hippiedom? Those of us who flew our freak flags during the town’s 1960s and ‘70s heyday might beg to differ.
One establishment conspicuously absent from that listicle, the Awareness Shop, has gone far to uphold New Paltz’s street cred as a hippie haven into the present day, and it’s grounded much more in Western esoteric traditions — specifically, in the practice of Celtic Wicca and more generally, in the supplying of materials needed for Neo-Pagan practices. Billing itself as “New York’s oldest and most trusted metaphysical store,” the Awareness Shop will be celebrating its 30-year anniversary on Memorial Day weekend.
“I started reading as a professional psychic in 1987,” says Lisa Stewart, a Modena native who, with her Welsh-born husband Anton, opened the first iteration of the store in their basement in Clintondale in 1993. The business was originally called Esoteric Consultation. At the time, downtown New Paltz already had a New Age spirituality shop called Esoterica, located at 81 Main Street, next door to Manny’s. So, when the Stewarts decided to expand their offerings and move to the Cherry Hill Plaza in 1995, they changed the name to the Awareness Shop. Two years later, they had the opportunity to buy a residential building at 180 Main Street, and they’ve been in business there ever since.
Set back from the street, with lavender wood siding, lilac shutters and an ample front porch, the Awareness Shop exudes a homey, welcoming look. Discreetly tucked away in the backyard are a firepit, a maypole and a converted garage that host ritual gatherings of the Church of the Eternal Circle. The Church first formed in 1995 and attained not-for-profit status in 2008. Perhaps surprisingly, Lisa reports that they’ve never experienced noise complaints from neighbors or been picketed or harassed by evangelicals: “We’re known as ‘the Wiccans up the street.’ Nobody bothers us, and we don’t bother them.”
Most folks who patronize the Awareness Shop aren’t members of the Eternal Circle congregation. In fact, many aren’t even local; the Shop’s website does a brisk international mail-order business, as well as psychic consultations by phone. “We had two stores in the UK when we were hopping — one in Bishop’s Castle and one in Ludlow for ten years,” Lisa notes.
Those customers who do pass through the doors at the New Paltz mothership — after first releasing negative vibes by laying their hands on an urn filled with sea salt — find themselves in a wonderland of goodies that support Wiccan, Asatru and other Pagan practices. “We sell over 1,200 different tarot decks and more than 130 different crystals,” she says. Indeed, the selection of crystals, semiprecious stones, geodes and fossils is enticing even to those who simply love cool rocks and don’t ascribe any particular spiritual significance to them. (Hot tip for Halloween: Bring your trick-or-treaters to the Awareness Shop and they’ll each receive a polished stone from whichever witch is holding court on the porch, instead of candy.)
Serious spellcasters can find smudging and spell kits, ritual wares such as athames, bowls, bells and mini-cauldrons, god and goddess figurines, herbs, essential oils and every kind of incense imaginable. Candles are always in demand: “We hand-pour all of our own votives — 120 different kinds, with ingredients based on magical intention,” says Lisa. You’ll find exquisite jewelry here as well — mostly crafted in silver, with emphasis on crystals, gemstones and goddess symbols.
The Shop is also a treasure trove of books on every esoteric topic imaginable (including, yes, Eastern philosophy), plus recordings of trance music and guided meditations. Newcomers to the path can find guidebooks to help them get established in Pagan practices, and the more experienced can find what they need to delve more deeply. The Stewarts themselves have authored a book called Simply Wicca: A Beginner’s Guide to the Craft of the Wise (Llewellyn Publications, 2020) and are working on publishing their own tarot deck, with illustrations by the Welsh artist Dave Field, known for his album cover art.
The Shop regularly hosts workshops and training sessions on such topics as astrology and chakra crystal energy. “We’ve mastered over 700 people in Reiki,” Lisa reports. Small, private rooms in the rear of the Shop are set aside for tarot readings and other psychic consultations; typically there will be two readers available each day. “Ten psychics make their living out of that store.” For those who want a taste of what psychic counseling is like at an affordable price, the Awareness Shop offers ten-minute readings for $10 at its monthly Psychic Fair on the last Saturday of each month. May’s Psychic Fair on the 27th will be an especially festive affair to mark the Shop’s 30th anniversary, with discounts and promotions on store merchandise.
For the future, the Church of the Eternal Circle has long had its eye on acquiring some undeveloped land on which to hold rituals, grow herbs for naturopathic medicines, practice animal husbandry and teach workshops in sustainability. The first parcel identified as a potential site for what’s being called the Celtica project, in New Paltz in 2019, fell through after the pandemic drove up land prices. But now the Stewarts and their “familiars” have found a second prospect, in Highland: 30 acres of rural land that the owner wishes to preserve, and will sell to them at the “reasonable price” of $400,000 if they can come up with the funding within 30 days. Otherwise, it will be put on the market on June 1.
To learn more and contribute to the crowdfunding campaign for the Celtica project, visit the Awareness Shop YouTube Channel at www.youtube.com/watch?v=AqRzgJNyBtE. For more on the Shop itself, visit the website at https://secure.awarenessshop.com/index.php/en. Store hours are from noon to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday and from noon to 6 p.m. Friday through Sunday. To make an appointment for a psychic reading, call (845) 255-5756.
Join the family! 
