Articles

Ever wanted to learn more about fairies? Here are some tidbits of fairy knowledge from Michelle, Grove and Grotto's own shop fairy. 1. Fairy wings aren't just for flying. One of the questions I get when children see my wings is, “Can you fly?” The answer is yes, if the wind is right. But flying is not the only thing wings are good for. Fairies use their wings to wave “hello” to each other, to “taste” the air, to express their moods, to look beautiful, and to show how important they are in fairy society. Wings also make a comfortable...

There’s not many places you can go to shop for a love spell these days. Or a haunted doll. Or a candle that will make your neighbors move out. Purveyors of magickal services have been driven into the back alleys of the internet, never to be seen again on reputable shopping sites. eBay has banned listings for spells and psychic readings since 2012. Etsy did a major purge of witches-for-hire in 2015. Increasingly, payment processors such as Stripe are dealing out warnings and account shutdowns for merchants whose businesses are tainted with a whiff of the metaphysical. The distrust of...

Candle magick is an incredibly popular and effective form of spellwork. But as any experienced witch will attest, spell candles sometimes seem to have a mind of their own. A dancing, fluttering flame seems to be communicating something…but what is it trying to say? A bunch of traditions have sprung up around observing burning candles during a spell or ritual. Knowing these signs—and combining them with your own intuition—can give you important clues about the success or failure of your endeavor. Interpreting candle signs is a broad folkloric practice that encompasses at least three types of divination: Pyromancy (divination by...

Energy play is the voluntary exchange of subtle energy between two or more people. It is usually—but not always—accomplished through physical contact. Energy play is quite common within magickal groups. I personally began actively seeking out partners for energy play sometimes in my mid-20s, and have had many interesting conversations on the topic. (The best bits of which, dear reader, I am eager to share with you.) Most people in metaphysical communities are familiar with some variety of subtle energy technique or modality. Reiki and yoga have helped to mainstream the concepts of energy exchange, chi, the chakra system, good...

As 2017 winds down, Tarot enthusiasts are making a list and checking it twice. Which decks do you hope to find under the Yule tree? Here at Grove and Grotto, we buy and sell Tarot decks, of course—but we’re also readers and collectors ourselves. Just for fun, we’ve put together a list of our most-recommended decks of 2017. This was a hard list to compile, as 2017 was a strong year for Tarot and oracle deck publishing. Here, we will laud the best of the best with our brand new Grove and Grotto Excellence in Divination Award, (or “Groveys,” as...