Tarot cards are beautiful. Gorgeously illustrated, richly symbolic, dripping with history. A deck of miniature works of art, each whispering vague, universal human experiences. And yet somewhere between admiring the artwork and flipping the final card, we decided that these painted rectangles could predict the future. Modern fortunetelling with tarot follows a simple formula: you … Read more
Of all the charming invitations extended to me over the years — psychic conventions, ghost hunts, aura detox seminars — few sounded more ludicrously promising than an overnight stay at Ironford Penitentiary, one of New England’s most notoriously “haunted” abandoned prisons. A place where, according to the marketing brochure, “the walls still remember the screams.” … Read more
Somewhere in the misty foothills of questionably named Mystic Valley, you’ll find the Crystal Caverns Healing Grotto — a site proudly advertised as “a rare confluence of natural energies, sacred vibrations, and ancient cosmic alignments.” What it actually offers is a damp cave, a thinly veiled gift shop, and an excellent opportunity to question your … Read more
The House of Eternal Echoes claims to be one of the oldest, most haunted mansions in the region. Which, in practical terms, means it’s a crumbling Victorian disaster filled with bad lighting, suspicious drafts, and a marketing team that believes any creaking floorboard is irrefutable proof of spectral activity. For a modest entrance fee — … 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
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 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 something particularly grating about watching a suburban yoga instructor in $200 leggings stand in a circle of tourists, waving a smoldering bundle of sage like they’re warding off invisible mosquitos, and announcing that they’re “clearing negative energy.” Welcome to the world of modern smudging — where ancient spiritual practices are Xeroxed, mispronounced, stripped of … Read more
There are places where the boundary between the living and the dead supposedly thins to a whisper. And then there’s the Grand Séance Society, where the only thing thinning is your will to live. Billed as “a one-of-a-kind immersive paranormal experience,” the Grand Séance Society operates out of an old theater that smelled like mildew, … Read more