Tarot University Makes Magic at Witch Bitch Thrift

Virginia Semeghini and Calanthe Cavadini. MarQuel Horton Woods Photo. The third photo in this story is by Virginia Semeghini. 

Calanthe Cavadini discovered the thrill of tarot over a decade ago, through a single deck of cards and a stack of reference books from the library. Now, she's bringing it to New Haven, with the hope of passing that joy on to others around her. 

Cavadini is the brain behind Tarot University, a new class at Witch Bitch Thrift this fall meant to spark interest and knowledge in tarot, a centuries-old card game used for the art of divination. On Wednesdays, she teaches a class of 20 students out of Witch Bitch Thrift’s storefront at 105 Whitney Ave. Classes run 7 to 8 p.m. on Wednesdays through November 1.

“Witch Bitch Thrift is definitely community oriented with a focus on inclusivity,” said store Co-Owner Virginia Semeghini. “The products are secondary to the store and we like to have an open line of communication with our customers. So I guess Tarot University goes with the inclusiveness. There is no barrier for entry. This is another opportunity for community building. It really encompasses everything Witch Bitch Thrift represents.”

Cavadini began her own tarot journey in 2007, when she was 17 years old. Curious after hearing about the cards—which now come in many shapes and sizes—she bought a deck. Learning to read tarot was another challenge entirely: she described online resources as “shaky and unreliable” at best, and ultimately turned to books at the library. Once she started reading the cards for friends and family, she realized she loved divination. 

Initially, learning tarot felt like “jumping feet first into the fire,” she said in a recent interview at the Whitney Avenue storefront. But the longer Cavadini did it, the more comfortable she was with the form. Roughly a year ago, she decided that she wanted to take a more professional approach to tarot and become a community resource. She started looking for venues to get the word out about the craft.

Inside the shop. Maria Teniza File Photo. 

“Whenever you are involved in a journey, it can be treacherous, so it’s best to give them [students] the best start that they can have,” she said. 

That’s where the store came in. Last year, Cavadini connected with Semeghini during the store’s soft opening in October. For Semeghini, whose belief in all things witchy and magical runs through the space, it felt like kismet: the two had an “instant connection,” she recalled. For a few months, Cavadini taught tarot periodically at the store. During that time, she never let go of a longstanding dream to teach more regularly, she said. She also connected with fellow co-owner (and Semeghini’s fiancé) Eva Ray.

Then this summer, when Witch Bitch opened its new black box theater, the three started talking about holding classes more regularly. The idea turned into Tarot University, complete with a class registration package and graduation ceremony at the beginning of November, just after Halloween and the store’s official one-year anniversary on Whitney Avenue. 

In designing the course with Ray and Semeghini, Cavadini said she has three goals. The first is for students to understand how to heighten their intuition and become aware of how to start the process. The second is for them to understand how to read the Celtic Cross. The third is to understand that they have to provide “their best selves” for the people they read for. Together, she is hoping to cultivate a reverence for the act of reading tarot itself. 

Semeghini said she is very excited about this new addition to their storefront. For years, she has been practicing tarot personally, and is glad to help pass the form on to the greater Witch Bitch Thrift community. For her, Tarot University encompasses the store’s commitment to inclusion and a general lack of judgment for anyone who walks through the door. It’s the same belief that led her to start a plus-size thrift business years ago from her living room.  

“It’s a safe space,” said Cavadini, adding that she feels cared for as a trans woman in the space, which isn’t always the case in New Haven or Connecticut. She added that such a healthy and judgment-free classroom environment can be very healing, especially for members of the LGBTQ+ community. Indeed, she wants people to walk away from the course feeling empowered.

Will Rosedale, one of the students attending Tarot University, said that he was drawn to the course after a longtime interest in the craft. Last year, he and his husband met Ray and Semeghini at one of their pop-up events. Now, the couple visits Witch Bitch Thrift’s brick-and-mortar storefront all the time. As a new student, he said he’s excited to meet his classmates and dig into the form. 

“I like how tarot as a practice can provide tools to think about situations with more introspection, and that is something I'm really looking forward to developing,” he said. “I've also been looking for new ways to express myself and think that learning about tarot could be a good way for me to develop there, which is another reason why I signed up for the course.”

“I think Witch Bitch fills a gap that exists in terms of queer spaces, being a size inclusive and non-gendered store provides a safe way for people to explore gender expression,” he added. “The event space there is fantastic, and it has been really cool to see it transform for different types of events, from gatherings, to open mic nights to concerts to Tarot University.”

Tarot University will be continuing for six more weeks, culminating in a graduation event for its students on November 1. Already, Semeghini and Cavadini are thinking about offering the class again in the spring, and holding online sessions for many of Witch Bitch Thrift’s online customers, who live outside of New Haven and even across the country. 

“The sky is the limit,” Semeghini said. 

To learn more about Witch Bitch Thrift, visit the store’s website here or Instagram here.