As a child I was always “Team Witch”. While other kids fawned over fairytales, my most thumbed books told stories of sorcery and spells. It was a fascination that transitioned seamlessly into my teenage years, when my treasured possessions included hefty chunks of amethyst and pale rose quartz. Even now, my girls' WhatsApp groups are peppered with talk of meditations, manifestations and crystal cleansing.
My friends and I are far from alone in our love of a moonlight ritual. The Global Spiritual Products and Services market is forecast to reach $186.5bn (£139.2bn) in 2025, predicted to rise to $254.7bn (£190.1bn) by 2034. While on TikTok #crystals has racked up 21.8 billion views and #tarot has a whopping 100.9 billion views.
It’s no wonder then that clairvoyant Jayne Wallace has seen such huge success with her company Psychic Sisters, a collective of talented mediums and healers who’ve had their HQ in Selfridge’s for the past 20 years. Wallace herself is one of the world's most in-demand clairvoyants, with clients including Kim Kardashian and Kate Hudson.
This reputation has led to her recently being recruited by all-inclusive resort, StolenTime, on the Caribbean island of St Lucia. The prestigious wellness destination has tasked her with creating a four-day retreat, offering guests the chance to learn about tarot and crystals directly from the source.
When an invitation landed to join Wallace, I jumped at the chance. Then before I knew it, one late September morning I was on a plane with a group of fellow crystal-loving comrades bound for St Lucia. We’d then travel to Malabar Beach on the north-west coast of the island where the resort is located.
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A sister property to St Lucia’s OG wellness resort, the BodyHoliday – which was established over 30 years ago – StolenTime is a boutique, adults-only hotel where guests can pick from a varied schedule of daily activities. There’s everything from yoga and Pilates to water sports, pickleball, archery and more – all chosen to help stressed out souls disconnect from the pressures of modern life.
Having taken no holiday or time off from work this year, even the sight of the elegant West Indian property was enough to make me feel instantly more relaxed. With seven-acres of tropical gardens, and set on St Lucia’s longest white sand beach, the location offers warm weather year-round.
I was ready to switch off entirely from the never-ending churn of emails, deadlines and lists, and commit to a much-needed reset.
It wasn’t long until I met Wallace. You might expect someone who “reads” people for a living to give off an air of mystery, but when I ran into her on the first morning of the retreat, she felt like an open book. Warm and witty with a broad east London accent, she is sharp as a razor, and unflinchingly to-the-point.
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She immediately declared that I am “witchy” – and far from taking offence, I was over the (full) moon. Whether I was convinced or not myself just yet was another matter, though I desperately wanted it to be true – I was beyond excited about what the next four days may reveal.
Our itinerary included two hour-and-a-half-long sessions led by Wallace per day – one in the morning and one in the afternoon – which took place in either the chic Champagne Bar, the air-conditioned Beach Studio or the Malabar Beach Club, a “toes in the sand” restaurant at the water's edge.
Each began with meditations that opened us up to our spiritual practice. On day one, our first lesson was psychometry – the art of reading objects – by studying tropical flowers, their petals, buds, and how they connect. We all picked a stem that we’re instinctively drawn to, then in pairs, analysed the blooms. The lesson suggested that with its sunshine yellow flowers and multiple buds, my flower mirrored my life to a tee.
We also tackled aura drawings with colourful pastels, smudged on instinct to provide insight into our energy, emotions and wellbeing. It was a workshop I was less confident with, though some of my classmates excelled.
Crystals of course came into the equation, and we interpreted their colours, shapes and how they scattered when we dropped them onto a printed grid.
One of the most intense sessions was the tarot, where we learned how to read simple nine card spreads plucked from the pack, including deciphering shapes and symbols on the cards with the aim of building a narrative as each picture revealed itself. We practiced on each other, and then on an enthusiastic parade of StolenTime team members, who seemed unsure of what to expect. As Wallace led the readings, firing out a rally of spookily accurate information, one gentleman's mind appeared to be blown – as were ours.
Also in the programme is a moon manifestation, which takes place on the beach after dark. We began with a guided group meditation and breathwork, before setting an intention then visualising it as already achieved. Finally, we wrote our manifestations onto small “wishing papers”, which were lit and released, the ashes carrying upward on the night air.
Another class focused on recognising and trusting our intuition, a degree of which we all have, Wallace explained. Gut feelings and inner awareness are something that everyone possesses, she says, and with practice, this can be honed. But psychic ability goes further, allowing some people to tune into higher vibrations and energy fields. Clairvoyance adds another layer, opening a channel to spirits, and for Wallace, this link has been lifelong.
She tells us that from a young age, she experienced vivid dreams and sensed the presence of guides, nurtured by her mother who spoke freely of spiritual matters. What began as an instinctive spiritual sensitivity in childhood has evolved into a finely-tuned gift – and this ability to connect with the unseen world has laid the foundation for everything she does today.
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Beyond the sessions themselves, spending time at StolenTime is dream-like. We filled our spare time eating fresh coconuts, enjoying massages in the world-class spa and taking champagne “hour” in the glamorous champagne bar – though it has no official closing time, and keeps serving bubbles until the last guest leaves.
Less sedate activities include boat trips around the local marine park with some of the best snorkelling I've experienced, sunset Tai Chi, and for the adventurous, water skiing, and tubing. The latter being enough to spike my adrenaline before it settled back to its new StolenTime-baseline with the help of a suitably tropical cocktail.
All in all, the Psychic Sisters retreat is a fascinating addition to the activities already on offer at this relaxing yet dynamic hotel. The way the sessions gently integrate participants with one another would make it a great holiday for solo travellers looking to connect with other like-minded folk, as well as a fun option for pairs or groups of friends.
In a world where we allow phones, watches, and algorithms to dictate our every move, a visit to StolenTime is all about reconnecting with oneself, and the spiritual practices that Wallace teaches are simply another way to carve out moments of stillness in our hectic lives. And so back home, with a pocketful of shiny new crystals, a tarot deck, and above all, memories of a magical time, I’m ready to weave my newly harnessed witchiness into everyday life.
Claudia’s trip was hosted by StolenTime.
How to do it
The next StolenTime retreat with Psychic Sisters is scheduled for August 2026, with prices starting from $599 (£448) for single occupancy, and $799 (£597) for double occupancy, per night.
Stays are all-inclusive, covering a wide range of fitness activities, food and beverage, personal instruction for group sports and exercise classes, motorised and non-motorised water sports, and nightly entertainment.
Getting there
British Airways flies from Gatwick Airport directly to St Lucia’s Hewanorra International Airport, with a flight time of eight and a half hours. Prices start from £580 per person.
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