Carrie Konyha doesn’t run a typical classroom. There are no desks, and a dry-erase easel with large tarot cards taped to the surface stands in place of a chalkboard. A woman, armed with a notebook and a deck of tarot cards, talks about how her children’s friends think she’s a witch because she attends this class. A Kent State pre-med student sits exhausted on a large beige couch in the living room. A man in his 50s, who believes he was part of an ancient Celtic tribe in his past life, talks to a woman who has been reading tarot cards for 22 years about her experiences and abilities. About 7:30 p.m., a woman in hospital scrubs breezes up the stairs and takes a seat in a chair. She keeps her tarot cards in a small velvet pouch. She says the bag helps her connect with the deck, making it easier to learn how to read the cards. An artificial waterfall, illuminated by a bright light, greets guests, as does the heady smell of incense. Everything is neat and orderly, from the shelves filled with candles and books to the perfectly arranged spices in the kitchen. In the middle of the living room, Konyha, a petite, trim 33-year-old with long, dark, curly hair and striking green eyes, is perched on a chair. A wide smile is on her face, welcoming her students into her home and her place of business.

Konyha offers spiritual guidance, psychic readings, tarot-card instruction and belly-dancing classes to a large clientele from Kent and the surrounding areas. Konyha, who was born in Akron, considers her unconventional occupation a way to “help people help themselves.”

“This is seen as a normal part of life in my family,” she said. “A lot of people on my mother’s side are very intuitive. I come from a long line of musicians, artists and dancers, and any time you have a lot of creative energy, you’re going to explore the more intuitive side of things as well.”

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Kohnya is always smiling during lessons and seems to enjoy sharing her knowledge of dance with students.  Here she demonstrated different arm positions while clanging the cymbals in a rhythmic way.

Kohnya carefully plays the cymbals in a seductive manner.  She lets the cymbals speak while she dances around the room, her hips and stomach rolling and gyrating.