Story By Natalie Murphy
There is no denying that college is a time for experimentation. Fresh out of the surveillance of our parents, we are left to our own devices and are subjected to face the many different ways of living. We see this curiosity with the more obvious: careers, partying and sexuality, but it is also common in spirituality.
For most people, religion is something you are born into and it seems rare that you come across someone whose parents let them choose their own spiritual path. In college, being surrounded by people of different backgrounds and mindsets can come as a culture shock, but it can also open new doors for those open to the idea of experimenting.
In the last few years, social media has taken on a new fascination with spirituality. If you are on Tik Tok or Twitter, chances are you have heard of “crystal girls” and “astrology girls” and maybe you have even had videos of tarot card readings grace your feed. This new interest in spirituality is drawing more people into the idea of accepting and even practicing metaphysiology and Paganism.
For much of history, following the expansion of Christianity, people turned a blind eye to these spiritual beliefs. The word pagan, which comes from the Latin word for rural, was used to describe a person who subscribed to any religion other than the main world religions at the time. Those who practiced them were convicted of “dancing with the devil” and witchcraft, reactions at the fault of one’s own fear and miseducation of the matter. And while there is still a stigma surrounding the idea of embracing one’s spirituality with tarot and spells, it’s becoming more accepted by society.
With all this to say, it is important to have safe spaces and communities in a college town like Fayetteville for those that wish to experiment.
Metaphysical shops are a great place to look for those interested in finding a spiritual community. Off of first glance, The Four of Wands shop off of College Avenue may not seem like much but the store, with its cauldron logo, is full of tarot cards, herbs, crystals, oils and so much more.
Storefront of The Four of Wands. Photo by Sarah Wittenburg
Walking around the shop, it’s surprising to see how big the space is. Each room seems to have a doorway into another room full of more merchandise. It feels like entering a different dimension. The store is full of walls of different tarot card sets and spiritual books appealing to practically anyone: cat tarot cards, queer pride cards, even yarn tarot for those who like kniting and crocheting. They seem to have it all.
The store smells of incense and essential oils and it is surprisingly calming inside. Melissa Hall, the shop owner, says that it can have that effect on customers.
Hall opened the store in 2018, after Passages, the metaphysical shop she grew up going to in Fayetteville closed. It was that store that helped her spirituality bloom. She started her spiritual journey as a young girl by going outside as a form of church after parting ways with a local presbytyrian parish. After finding deeper connections in nature, it ultimately led her to Passages in the late ‘70s. It was there that she bought her first metaphysical book, she says.
“We didn’t have a metaphysical shop here anymore, and it was sorely needed, and when I became an empty-nester I figured I might as well give it a shot,” she says.
As a shop owner, Hall has noticed the influx of social media in her business. Last year alone videos of the effects of moldavite went viral on Tik Tok increasing the demand in her shop. Hall doesn’t use social media other than to post on the shop’s Instagram, but says she finds it “disconcerting” and not always a valid tool when it comes to metaphysiology. What she does recommend customers do is conduct their own research and look for reliable books with multiple editors, like the ones shelved in her shop.
Social media trends like we have seen with moldavite are always downplayed by Hall and her employees, she says. During the time it was in high demand, there seemed to be very little on the market which drove the prices to extremes. Hall says it is logical that this could have been done purposely.
“A piece that I could buy for $9 is going for like $110 now. So I don’t think people should trust it because of that. It is easy to manipulate the public with social media and people tend to be more vulnerable when it comes to their spirituality,” she says.
To those who have found interest in their spirituality through social media, Hall recommends walking around the shop and seeing what they gravitate towards. The store also offers tarot readings and personal consultations for those who need spiritual guidance. These are guided by professionals that are hired and trusted by Hall.
In one of the shop’s rooms stands a community bulletin board full of flyers for events, hotlines, and business cards. The Four of Wands hosts their own in-store events which are posted there as well. Looking at the board, it was surprising to see how the spiritual community spans further than the shop.
Healing crystals inside of The Four of Wands. Photo by Sarah Wittenburg
“Anything that’s different from the mainstream can have fear attached to it,” Hall says.“We have a lot of people that come in recovering from their birth and home religion, and they just need an easy place to be themselves and look around and see what they find appealing and get back in touch with their own spiritual life.”
UA student Savannah Gunnoe is a prime example of discovering her spirituality after parting ways with her birth religion. Gunnoe was raised Catholic but during her time in high school started exploring a new religious path and found herself researching the history of Paganism.
“As I became older I became more aware of points of views that weren’t Catholic. So that’s what has really inspired me to learn about Paganism. It’s really interesting because a lot of what you hear is from the Catholics’ point of view or early Christianities point of view, but that is just the winning side’s point of view … Until now there is a new surge of neo-Paganism, but I just wonder what would’ve happened if Paganism had continued to be the Roman emperor’s choice of religion. If they never switched to Christianity and what not, our world could look completely different,” she says.
Gunnoe, now a sophomore, is still fascinated by Paganism and admires the way it inspires a “train of free thinking” but identifies more with agnostic spiritualism. She says she uses religion for the philosophical aspect rather than the belief in a higher power itself.
Like many others, Gunnoe has found a community of like minded individuals in college who have similar interests in spirituality.
“I have found a lot of similarities with them, especially just with our way of thinking and viewing spirituality,” she says, “because we are all college kids and it’s the first time we are kind of able to learn whatever we want and also do whatever we want. So I find that a lot of people, now that they have the ability to choose to learn more, a lot of them are leaning more towards the questioning and learning side of agnosticism rather than a set in stone religion. A lot of people are still in their exploring phase which is really interesting.”
She has also found safe spaces within metaphysical shops all over Northwest Arkansas such as The Four of Wands, The Sage Elephant and Mystical Crystal, all being female owned, she notes. Gunnoe likes purchasing crystals for their symbolism and herbs for their healing properties from these stores.
For those interested in expanding their spirituality, Gunnoes advice is similar to Halls. She recommends looking into religious philosophy books that don’t have a bias and keeping an open mind.