Thurston Penwick III 
Once upon a time, calling yourself a witch meant something. It meant clandestine gatherings, serious study, an uncomfortable familiarity with poison gardens, and a decent chance of being set on fire by your neighbors. It was not, I assure you, a lifestyle choice you arrived at after fifteen minutes on TikTok and a particularly inspiring … Read more
Palmistry — or chiromancy, if you’re feeling pretentious — is the ancient art of pretending that the tiny, random creases on your palm contain the secrets of your personality, your future, and possibly your past lives, if the reader is feeling ambitious and the client looks like a good tipper. According to palmists, the major lines … Read more
There’s a particular kind of psychic that doesn’t just predict the future — they manufacture it. Stage by stage, whisper by whisper, merchandise table by merchandise table. Serena the Seer is rapidly becoming a textbook case. Once a local curiosity, now an undeniable small-town celebrity, Serena has parlayed gauzy scarves, soft lighting, and a talent for … Read more
St. Augustine, Florida, bills itself as America’s oldest city — a charming mix of Spanish colonial architecture, cobblestone streets, overpriced taffy, and relentless humidity. It also bills itself as one of America’s most haunted cities, which is tourist-speak for “bring your wallet and your willingness to believe anything after dark.” Naturally, I signed up for … Read more
There are many glittering examples of mass delusion in human history, but few sparkle quite so tragically — or quite so stupidly — as the great Fairy Photograph Scandal of the early 20th century. In 1917, two young girls from Cottingley, England produced a series of photographs allegedly showing themselves frolicking with tiny, winged fairies. … Read more
There are bad ideas, and then there’s the Seventh Annual Psychic Horizons Cruise Experience. Five nights, four ports of call, and more aura readings than the Geneva Convention should legally allow. When I booked my ticket — in the name of research, masochism, and poor impulse control — I was promised “enlightenment, empowerment, and ethereal … Read more
There are many ways to spend a weekend. You could take a nap. You could clean your gutters. You could alphabetize your spice rack. Or, if you hate yourself and have an extra $500 burning a hole in your pocket, you could attend something like the Ascension Gathering, a weekend festival devoted to raising your … Read more
Small towns love their ghost walks. They’re tourism gold: a handful of half-remembered tragedies, a few atmospheric alleys, and a tour guide in a polyester cloak dramatically whispering about restless spirits while secretly checking the time on their phone. Hollow Hill’s offering promised an “authentic paranormal experience,” featuring “chilling tales,” “real haunted sites,” and “verified … Read more
There’s a special kind of theatrical stupidity involved in crystal ball gazing, and humanity has embraced it for centuries like a drunk clinging to a lamppost — not for illumination, but for support. The basic idea is simple: take a highly polished ball of quartz, or glass, or whatever’s cheapest at the local renaissance festival, … Read more
If you ever needed proof that humanity would rather blame a flying demon moth for its problems than admit to bad infrastructure, look no further than Mothman — the winged harbinger of doom who uset to flap into porch lights. Now he predicts bridge collapses in the greater West Virginia area. The legend began in … Read more