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Natural Awakenings South Jersey

Conscious Community Building at Azonia: Attracting Powerful Positive Change by Giulia Eve Flores

Azonia, a metaphysical supply store on Main Street, in Medford, opened in November 2018 by a mother, Deb McQueary, and a daughter, Dana Miller, who share a similar passion. Their aim was to bring the people together who do the healing with the people who need the healing; to connect those who are seeking information with those who have it.

McQueary shares that their priority with Azonia is to be of service to the community. “When people are in a bad mood or something went wrong for them, they come in to talk. They know that we will listen; that there’s never any judgement. That is a beautiful thing. They know that they can trust us and that there is no gossip here. And that we are able to lift people’s moods. And sometimes that is just what people come in for. And I encourage that,” she says. “When I was going through my own healing process, everyone was so quick to give their opinion. And I thought, I don’t want you to solve my problem or judge me for it. I just want you to listen to what I have to say. That is the kind of space I wish to provide for people.”

Customers mostly visit the store for spiritual tools and guidance. The most prevalent area in which people need help in is low self-esteem: people are looking for the power and courage they need to get out of their situation, but they don’t think they’re worthy of it. “We strongly feel that our minds are the creators of our reality,” Miller attests. “And that if you don’t like what you’re living, you have the power to change it. What you think, what you feel, and what you want is important. You matter. And it’s never too late to change anything.”

Besides being a safe container for interpersonal support and motivation, Azonia offers something for just about everyone’s spiritual journey: from essential oils and incense to crystals, jewelry, art, herbs, altar tools, tapestries, dreamcatchers, tea, honey, music, books and décor items.

McQueary always took a great interest in religion and metaphysics, and her daughter followed suit. Her interest in metaphysics was specifically piqued when quantum physics started becoming popular. “The lines started to blur between science and spirituality, and I was excited about that,” she declares. “I was injured in 2014 and I had to spend a lot of time alone at home. That’s when I came across Seth Speaks, and then Abraham Hicks. Their teachings are essentially about how life and the universe don’t ‘happen to you’; that you have a choice in what you want from life, and that you affect what sort of situations, people and things you attract, and that when you raise your vibration, that which you want will come to you.”

The Law of Attraction was a helpful tool when “manifesting” the store. Although it had long been a shared dream and plan between the two, their original intention was to open it when McQueary retired. Instead, they opened it 10 years earlier. McQueary explains: “In October 2017, I decided that I was done dating, and that I didn’t want any more men that were projects. Two weeks later, I was sitting in a diner in Cherry Hill, and was approached by a man who had made a similar commitment to himself. Of course, we fell in love and things went really fast. A month later, he proposed. But I put him on probation for six months,” she laughs. “He was wonderful and passed probation, and we got married. At the time, I had been working for an airline for 20 years. My husband said, ‘I wouldn’t ask you to give up your job, but I would love if you could be home every day. So is there anything else you would like to do?’ I left the airline soon after. That’s when my daughter and I decided that we were going to open up the shop now. That was on a Friday. The next day, I found our location. That following Monday, we had to come up with a business plan. That’s how quickly things manifest for us. It went just like that.”

Both of them are generally open to “whatever the universe brings through the door”. They affirm that they opened the store because it’s their passion, not because they are trying to build an empire. They kindly encourage anyone to stop by—even if just for a chat.

Azonia is located at 6 N. Main St., in Medford. For more information, call 856-777-1626 or visit AzoniaShop.com.

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