It was our second day in Helsinki, and with tummies full of delicious frog legs, we decided to skip the tram and wander around the city. Then I saw it—a window display brimming with crystals. The sign read Unio Mystica. It felt like I had stumbled upon a real-life version of a witchy store straight out of a Goosebumps book I’d read years ago. Within a minute, I had crossed the road and entered the store, Fafa in tow.
The store was neatly divided into four sections: crystals, decks, books, and miscellaneous items. I made a quick round of three sections before settling on the decks section.
I’ve always sought out a tarot deck by a local artist whenever I travel—it feels like the perfect woo-woo souvenir to bring home. So far, I have never found one. Nevertheless, I spent some time browsing, thinking that maybe today would be the day.
After a while, unable to find what I was looking for, I picked up the Mother Tarot deck—a classic that I hadn’t been able to track down back home—and proceeded to pay. Poor Fafa had been waiting patiently for far too long by this point.
At the cashier’s desk, a postcard caught my eye. When I asked about it, the cashier explained that it was part of a tarot deck created by a Finnish artist.
Ding ding ding—it might just be my lucky day!
“Oh, do you have a tarot deck by this artist?” I asked. She seemed certain there was one in the store and kindly went to look for it. She returned with two decks: Kissatarot, a tarot deck by a Finnish artist, Terttu Seule, and another—a Scandi nature-themed oracle deck in English. I chose the tarot deck.
You know, I’d heard that Finnish people tend to be reserved, but the cashier was easily one of the friendliest people I’d met on this European trip—second only to the warm and cheerful taxi driver who took us to the airport, also in Helsinki.
She apologized for the Finnish-only text on the deck, but I reassured her, saying, “If you can read tarot, you can read it” She smiled and nodded in agreement. I bid her goodbye with a promise to return to pick up the oracle deck the next time I visited Finland.
Back at the hotel, I conducted a deck interview with my new cards. I was delighted to discover it was a cat-themed deck (Kissa means Cat in Finish), which now holds special meaning for me since it’s from Finland.
If you’re into all things esoteric and love to travel, may I suggest picking up a deck from a local artist to support the economy in a woo-woo way? And if you ever find yourself in Helsinki, Unio Mystica is an absolute must-visit.
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That was a lively afternoon 😊