Prayers of Nature in Wilton is getting spooky for the season

Tarot- and mandala-inspired gifts, including hand-enameled jewelry, at Prayers of Nature Studio. 

Tarot- and mandala-inspired gifts, including hand-enameled jewelry, at Prayers of Nature Studio.  STAFF PHOTO BY JESSECA TIMMONS

Mandalas by the late Linda Wyman. 

Mandalas by the late Linda Wyman.  STAFF PHOTO BY JESSECA TIMMONS

Aaron Derman, left, and Kate Schimke at Prayers of Nature Studio in the Riverview Mills in Wilton. 

Aaron Derman, left, and Kate Schimke at Prayers of Nature Studio in the Riverview Mills in Wilton.  STAFF PHOTO BY JESSECA TIMMONS

Kate Schimke with handmade floral mandalas by her late mother-in-law, Linda Wyman.

Kate Schimke with handmade floral mandalas by her late mother-in-law, Linda Wyman. STAFF PHOTO BY JESSECA TIMMONS

Kate Schimke with her mandala mugs. 

Kate Schimke with her mandala mugs.  STAFF PHOTO BY JESSECA TIMMONS

Kate Schimke of Prayers of Nature studio with a display of hand-enameled, nature-inspired jewelry created by her husband, Aaron Derman. 

Kate Schimke of Prayers of Nature studio with a display of hand-enameled, nature-inspired jewelry created by her husband, Aaron Derman.  STAFF PHOTO BY JESSECA TIMMONS

Hand-felted “voodoo” dolls from Prayers of Nature. 

Hand-felted “voodoo” dolls from Prayers of Nature.  COURTESY PHOTO PRAYERS OF NATURE 

Prayers of Nature studio in Wilton is set up for a spooky evening at the Bizarre Bazaar on Oct. 24. 

Prayers of Nature studio in Wilton is set up for a spooky evening at the Bizarre Bazaar on Oct. 24.  COURTESY PHOTO PRAYERS OF NATURE STUDIO 

A skeletal host at Prayers of Nature in Wilton is all ready for the Bizarre Bazaar on Oct. 24. 

A skeletal host at Prayers of Nature in Wilton is all ready for the Bizarre Bazaar on Oct. 24.  COURTESY PHOTO PRAYERS OF NATURE STUDIO

By JESSECA TIMMONS

Monadnock Ledger Transcript

Published: 10-23-2024 1:41 PM

Modified: 10-24-2024 3:41 PM


Wilton’s Prayers of Nature Studio will be transformed into a spooky Halloween “Bizarre Bazaar” all day during the Haunting of Wilton on Saturday, Oct. 26.

Kate Schimke, founder of Prayers of Nature, describes the Bizarre Bazaar as a “dark arts fair, but family friendly.”

“Halloween, the spooky season, is when it all comes together at my shop,” said Schimke. “People are drawn to creepy stuff. They are drawn to horror, to the paranormal, to things we can’t explain.”

Prayers of Nature is located in the Riverview Art Mill, just off Howard Street in Wilton. The Bizarre Bazaar will be open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

This year’s Bizarre Bazaar will feature divination readings by Eye of Ethereal and Salitter, a meet-and-greet with the New Hampshire Paranormal Group, a pop-up shop with Earthly Elan and Jen Aho Orugnite and miniature haunted house displays by Little Un Miniatures, which is Prayers of Nature’s neighbor in the Riverview Arts Mill. Offerings at Prayers of Nature include locally made art, gemstones, altar decor and hand-made apparel, and several local artisans will be in attendance. The gallery also features hand-enameled jewelry by Schimke’s husband, Aaron Derman.

“Every year we will try to do something a little different,” Schimke said.

Schimke says the tradition of communicating with the spirit world during this time of year is an ancient one.

“This is the time of year when people like me really come out of the woodwork,” Schimke said with a laugh. “Now is when the veil between our world and the spirit world is the thinnest, and when we can most easily communicate with the other side.”

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Visitors to the bazaar can pre-book divination readings for a discounted price, and readers will also take walk-ins on the day of the event. Prayers of Nature is also sponsoring the Haunting of Wilton costume parade.

First prize is a $25 gift certificate to Prayers of Nature Studio. Second prize is a $10 Witchy Mystery Bag, and the third-prize winner will receive a pack of spooky stickers. The studio will welcome trick-or-treaters all day.

The Haunting of Wilton, organized by the volunteer Wilton Main Street Association, has a full day of activities planned on Saturday, with all events taking place in the downtown area and the parking lot of the Wilton Police Department. For a complete schedule of events, go to visitwilton.com.

“The Wilton Main Street Association really does an amazing job figuring out what works for business owners and supporting local businesses. They are really cultivating our downtown community,” said Schimke.

The Haunting of Wilton will also feature the creative talents of Witches Spring, which creates haunted trails and Halloween props and decorations.

“Our community is very lucky that Witches Spring came to our town and offered to collaborate with the WMSA’s Haunting of Wilton and with Prayers of Nature. It’s a lot of hard work,” Schimke said. “I know families in the neighborhood and surrounding towns that visit my Bizarre Bazaar have enjoyed it immensely. I believe Witches Spring has graced us with their talents and spooks for almost 5 years now.”

Schimke and Derman, who are professional musicians, founded Prayers of Nature Studio “almost by accident,” after Schimke discovered dozens of floral mandalas left behind by Derman’s late mother, the artist and teacher Linda Wyman.

“I never got to meet her, but I got to know her art, which was the greatest gift,” Schimke said. “The family had stored all of her incredible mandalas, and I thought, ‘Instead of paying for a storage space, why don’t we put these on display?’ ”

The walls of the studio are lined with Wyman’s poster-size mandalas created from photographs of flowers Wyman took herself.

“These are the inspiration for everything,” Schimke said. “My husband’s work is here, and everything here is inspired by nature and the power of intention. So when we talked about what to call the shop, we said, ‘This is all a prayer to nature.’ ”

For information about Prayers of Nature Studio go to prayersofnature.com.