The scent of incense fills the air, and dozens of soft wind chimes can be heard, their sounds muted by the rooms in maroon and cream drapery. Two walls of windows are spanned by rows and rows of glass jars carefully labeled with the name and use of the herbs it contains. Opposite the window corner are two chairs and a coffee table with a small porcelain lamp that illuminates a crystal on top of a tarot deck.

In walks a woman in a white tulle dress, her head adorned with red-sequined reindeer antlers. No person would ever suspect the wearer, Niki Taittinger, a small bleached blonde woman with jingle bells around her wrist, is a psychic—but she is. She is followed by her dog, a silky terrier named Theodore. “He’s psychic too,” she says. Niki’s sister, DJ Colbert, stands in the doorway and nods. “Sometimes he just stares off, like he sees something. He’ll open his mouth, like he’s saying something,” DJ says.

The two sisters are the co-owners of Prosperity Corner—a little shop in Kaimuki filled with magical tools for a conjuring imagination. The shop is a product of imagination: “My sister and I sell only the things we love and enjoy here,” Niki said.

Niki says she and her sister grew up in a household that taught them to embrace their innate talents.

“I am a fourth generation psychic,” Niki said. “I was taught to use my abilities from a very young age.” Niki says all people are psychic, but some are more in tune with their abilities than others. She says that children have the most psychic abilities and should be taught to embrace them.

Niki’s family taught her first to read tea leaves as a child. She said that in a reading, a person drinks a mixture of unfiltered tea and the particles remaining in the cup form images that can be read by the psychic. She points to a small white tea cup with thumbnail size images of a snake, apple, church, broom, knife, plane, and tree along the inside rim. She turns the cup and points to a small astrology chart painted on the inside. “The pictures on the cup allows the child’s imagination to run free,” Niki said. The pictures also allow the child to form pictures of her own when looking at the tea leaf particles.

While Niki has always been psychic, she has not always made her living this way. Niki says she is a retired FBI negotiator. About ten years ago, she recounts, “During a hostage incident a very robust woman fell on top of me breaking my back in nine places,” Niki said. As a result, Niki says she had screws and coral implants placed all along her back and lost nearly four inches in height. Niki retired and moved to live with her sister DJ in Hawai‘i.

DJ was running a gift shop in Waikiki at the time. Niki and DJ opened Prosperity Corner in Kaimuki nine years ago and began catering it to the Wiccan community. “We wanted to open a spiritual shop that reflected the faith we were raised in,” Niki said.

Vivianne Crowley, a Wiccan and religious author, says Wicca is an earth-based religion celebrating the seasonal and life cycles of the earth and using the cycles of nature as a metaphor for human life. Wiccans sometimes refer to themselves as witches, but they are not the version promoted by Hollywood and do not worship evil or Satan. In fact, Wiccans don’t even believe in Satan. Niki says Wicca is a religion of love and healing, and she lives it daily.

With a smile on her face and one hand holding Theodore’s leash, so he won’t run away, Niki slams an enormous black, hard cover book entitled Witches on the table. Opening the book, Niki points to a black and white picture of DJ and a dozen other people, “There we are, the witches of Hawai‘i,” she said. Hans Holzer’s book features Wiccan and pagan groups from around the world and Niki displays her very own section quite proudly.

In the store, one display case is dedicated to a ritual dagger collection. Niki says, each dagger has its own personality: simple black-hilted, double-edged knives with straight triangular blades, to elaborate curved bronze Egyptian daggers and even swords, reminiscent of King Arthur and his knights, propped up against large chunks of rose quartz.

Just a few feet away stands a long glass case displaying of handmade jewelry: Sparkling handmade pendants adorned with agates and quartz, rings etched with ritual writing and runes, pentacles with remarkable detail, even crescent head gear for the Wiccan priestess. Niki says the jewelry is made by Wiccan and pagan artisans who ship to the store from all over the world. The case also holds a large collection of handmade wands fashioned from oak, elder, ebony and even jet.

Other magical items include ritual cloaks and capes, an enormous Wiccan and spiritual book collection, cauldrons, crystals, chimes and drums, chalices, and even feng shui items.

Prosperity Corner employs five psychic readers including Niki and DJ. All the readers have 20 or more years experience. When asked why her shop and readers have been successful, Niki said, “We make it a point to demystify psychic readings.” Niki said she wants her customers to understand that she and her readers merely relay the messages that come to them; what to do with the message is left up to the customer.

Niki says she and her readers commonly deal with issues such as love, jobs, and family relationships. Their readings normally have a lifecycle of six months, so there is no need for a person to come in weekly or monthly for a reading. “We simply provide our customer’s with a road map,” Niki said.

Judy Bacon, a frequent customer, says she stops in for a reading about every three months. “It gives you insight into what could happen, not necessarily what will happen. I believe a person has to stay somewhat realistic and understand that no matter what is said, people have the power to change, yet there are forces completely out of our control. The readings have helped me realize there are some things that need to be left to fate,” she said.

While Niki says she is psychic and doesn’t need any tools, such as crystal balls, tarot cards, or palmisty, she employs them because they give the person being read a visual—an image. “There are no mysteries in the tarot cards, it is only paper. But the images allow the customer to see exactly what I am trying to convey.”

Judy says she sees the readings as a form of advice. “This is an outside force that uses spirituality as a way to show you what could happen in your life depending on the different choices you decide to make,” she said.

Niki is unimpressed by her critics or skeptics. “I don’t play ‘test the psychic,’” she said. She doesn’t feel the need to prove her abilities. Instead her dedicated customers and a nine-year track record in Hawai‘i speak volumes. “I have wonderful customers, and I love what I do,” she said.

Prosperity Corner is at 1151 12th Ave, Honolulu, HI 96816. Niki Taittinger or DJ Colbert may be reached at (808) 732-8870.