Where to Find Practical Magic in Rhode Island
The Veiled Crow has answers aplenty for anyone curious about spellwork, magic, manifestation, divination and other metaphysical mysteries.
Photography courtesy of the Veiled Crow
Pulling up across the street from the dark facade of the Veiled Crow in Cranston, I’ll admit I was a tad stressed.
Not because I was about to meet with a couple of self-identified witches — I was quite eager to learn more about them and their craft — but because I had double-booked.
My conversation with co-owners Loren May and Tracey Lawrence was scheduled for ten o’clock that morning, immediately followed by an office meeting in Pawtucket at 11 a.m. (True Rhode Islanders will understand the struggle). It was feasible, but it would be tight.
I checked my email before getting out of the car and saw there was a slight chance the meeting would be rescheduled. I secretly hoped it would be.
Photography courtesy of the Veiled Crow
Inside the shop, I was instantly soothed by the earthy, moody aesthetic and the spicy smell of incense. Lawrence and May greeted me warmly, both looking every bit the image of a modern-day witch, just in different, complementary fonts. The former with her black heart pendant necklace and curly brown tresses, and the latter with her cropped haircut, septum piercing and tats. They were both dressed all in black.
But then again, what makes a modern-day witch? I was clued in enough to know I wouldn’t be confronted by the Sanderson sisters and their soul-sucking tendencies or Hermione Granger brandishing a wand. Still, as I quickly learned when we sat down to chat, Hollywood did get one thing right: Witchcraft is, essentially, about magic.
“And magic is about moving energy in accordance with your will or working with energy for your spiritual path in order to feel connected,” says Lawrence. “It’s a really broad term.”
“For me, witchcraft is about making shit happen,” May adds. “You are building relationships with the energies around you to connect to the Greater, and in that building
you are able to push your energy out in order to have [energy] come in. All magic comes from an ebb and a flow, so you are in this dance with the universe to be able to make something happen.”
It’s also a deeply personal practice.
“It is something that both of us have spent the majority of our lives working with, mastering, reworking and remastering,” May says. “There are aspects to witchcraft where you absolutely can be told what to do, what to think, what to feel and who to worship, but we come from a very different philosophy where every single person on this planet is completely different and perfect, and finding the witchcraft that is organically, authentically you is about tweaking it so that it fits your everyday life.”
A born and bred Rhode Islander, Lawrence’s interest in the occult began in junior high, when she would visit the library and check out every book about witches she could find.
“They were all fiction, and most back then painted witches in a bad light, but there were a few where the witches were good — they were doing good for the community,” she says.
From there, she dove deeper into witchcraft and sorcery, discovering nonfiction readings in her twenties, pursuing different courses and teachings, and eventually seeking community. That’s how she and May first connected.
“In this lifetime, anyway. We actually first burned at the stake together in 1509,” May says with a laugh. “But no, we orbited the same circles for a long time. And then we kept finding each other and then we just started to talk, and this remarkable sisterhood emerged.”
May’s parents didn’t raise her in a specific religion but encouraged her to explore spirituality. May dabbled in a bit of everything but kept returning to modern traditional witchcraft. She joined her first coven at nineteen and since then has joined multiple. Art school first brought her to Rhode Island about twenty years ago, and when she fell in love with a boy in South County, she was here to stay.
Her roots only deepened when she and Lawrence decided to open the original Veiled Crow location in Pawtuxet Village in 2011.
“We wanted to make a safe space for people to come in and explore their spirituality,” says Lawrence. “We want to make sure that when people have questions, they can come here. You can also come in because you need some help energetically,
without having to become a witch. We can help you cleanse and then you can go back to your daily business.”
They are also committed to providing products made by witches for fellow witches. While many metaphysical shops import their products, May says, they stock the store with intention.
“I’m not going to use cheap stick incense at my altar for my deities. It’s disrespectful. But we couldn’t find incense that was made by practitioners,” she says. “Or we’d see oils labeled with, ‘lavender for calming,’ and it stopped there — no depth or no actual witchcraft and practice behind it.”
Photography courtesy of the Veiled Crow
And so, the two developed their own lines of incense, carved dressed candles and blended oils (which are available in roller balls, sprays, scrubs and soap), complete with explanations.
Products not made in-house are sourced as close to home as possible, including herbs from the Providence Tea Company and jewelry from local artists. The shop’s selection of tarot cards and books, meanwhile, is personally curated by the owners.
All things that will only make your magic stronger.
A spell is an accumulation of things you put together to fine-tune and solidify your will or manifest a desire, May says. It can include an incantation or music, which is a fantastic generator of energy, she says.
But there’s more to it than just mixing a cauldron together and asking the universe to deliver; it’s more of a symbiotic relationship, Lawrence says. Say you complete a spell for a new job but you haven’t created a resume or filled out any applications, and then wonder why you
high, when she would visit the library and check out every book about witches she could find.
“They were all fiction, and most back then painted witches in a bad light, but there were a few where the witches were good — they were doing good for the community,” she says.
From there, she dove deeper into witchcraft and sorcery, discovering nonfiction readings in her twenties, pursuing different courses and teachings, and eventually seeking community. That’s how she and May first connected.
Photography courtesy of the Veiled Crow
“In this lifetime, anyway. We actually first burned at the stake together in 1509,” May says with a laugh. “But no, we orbited the same circles for a long time. And then we kept finding each other and then we just started to talk, and this remarkable sisterhood emerged.”
May’s parents didn’t raise her in a specific religion but encouraged her to explore spirituality. May dabbled in a bit of everything but kept returning to modern traditional witchcraft. She joined her first coven at nineteen and since then has joined multiple. Art school first brought her to Rhode Island about twenty years ago, and when she fell in love with a boy in South County, she was here to stay.
Photography courtesy of the Veiled Crow
Her roots only deepened when she and Lawrence decided to open the original Veiled Crow location in Pawtuxet Village in 2011.
“We wanted to make a safe space for people to come in and explore their spirituality,” says Lawrence. “We want to make sure that when people have questions, they can come here. You can also come in because you need some help energetically, without having to become a witch. We can help you cleanse and then you can go back to your daily business.”
They are also committed to providing products made by witches for fellow witches. While many metaphysical shops import their products, May says, they stock the store with intention.
“I’m not going to use cheap stick incense at my altar for my deities. It’s disrespectful. But we couldn’t find incense that was made by practitioners,” she says. “Or we’d see oils labeled with, ‘lavender for calming,’ and it stopped there — no depth or no actual witchcraft and practice behind it.”
And so, the two developed their own lines of incense, carved dressed candles and blended oils (which are available in roller balls, sprays, scrubs and soap), complete with explanations.
Products not made in-house are sourced as close to home as possible, including herbs from the Providence Tea Company and jewelry from local artists. The shop’s selection of tarot cards and books, meanwhile, is personally curated by the owners.
All things that will only make your magic stronger.
A spell is an accumulation of things you put together to fine-tune and solidify your will or manifest a desire, May says. It can include an incantation or music, which is a fantastic generator of energy, she says.
But there’s more to it than just mixing a cauldron together and asking the universe to deliver; it’s more of a symbiotic relationship, Lawrence says. Say you complete a spell for a new job but you haven’t created a resume or filled out any applications, and then wonder why you haven’t scored any interviews.
“You do have to put in some work on the mundane level,” says Lawrence. “All of that [spell] energy is welled up and it’s waiting for a place to go. You send out the resumes and the energy just flows right to it to make it happen.”
“Magic takes the path of least resistance,” May says. “You have to give it a place for it to manifest.”
Photography courtesy of the Veiled Crow
The new Cranston space — their fifth location — reopened in June and provides a bigger venue for events. On Oct. 2, they’ll hold a Candle Magick class, followed by a Poppets (think a more positive version of voodoo dolls) class on Oct. 8. The store also offers sessions with its resident medium; personal tarot readings; introductory courses on deities led by expert guests; Witch n’ Stitch gatherings; and free Coffee Around the Cauldron events where everyone is welcome to stop by and learn more about the metaphysical world.
“It’s always a blast meeting people,” May says. “And we’ve watched some really wonderful friendships form.”
Speaking of, I wasn’t ready for our chat to be over, but a quick glance at the time told me I needed to leave ASAP to make my eleven o’clock meeting. I paused to check my email.
The meeting was rescheduled.
“That’s a perfect example of spellwork,” Lawrence says. “There was already a crack and you just took the crack and made it bigger — you just kept putting energy into, ‘Move it, move it.’”
“You’re going to get in the car after this and text all your friends, ‘I’m a freaking witch!’” May jokes.
(I may have done exactly that.)
The extra time gave me the chance to indulge my curiosity about the dangers of TikTok tarot readers (take heed, it’s always the algorithm) and local scammers (spoiler: the candle always turns black — don’t give someone $1,500 to remove an alleged hex on your kin!).
It was comforting to know that if I ever want to learn more about magic and witchcraft, I would be welcomed and encouraged to ask all the questions at the Veiled Crow.
“You don’t have to drive all the way to Salem,” May says. “We’re right here.” 1862 Broad St., Cranston, 401-919-5499, veiledcrow.com
Let’s Get Metaphysical
More spots where you can explore your spiritual side.
Photograph via IStock/Getty Images Plus/Benjavisa.
Spectrum India
Find: Spiritual healing gemstones, incense, sages, herbs, body oils, candles, jewelry, good luck charms, tapestries, henna supplies, wind chimes, books. Plus, reiki and energy healing sessions, and tarot, oracle and astrology readings. 252 Thayer St., Providence, 421-1010, spectrumindiastore.com
Earthtones Metaphysical Shop
Find: Aromatherapy roll-ons, tarot decks, altar supplies, ethically sourced sage and herb bundles. Online only. Providence, earthtonesshop.com
The Magickal Fae
Find: Crystals, custom candles, intention candles, tarot and oracle decks, sage bundles, various herbs, books (about wicca, runes, astrology, you name it), jewelry and accessories. 325 Bald Hill Rd., Warwick, 515-5610, themagickalfae.com
The Crystal Cauldron
Find: Reiki candles, agate bowls, amethyst bracelets, altar cloths, incense, incense burners, journal sets, deity figurines, cauldrons, crystals, pendulums and tarot decks. Online only. Cranston, 764-2226, thecrystalcauldronri.com
Third Rock Emporium
Find: Rocks, minerals and fossils; spheres, pyramids, reiki and chakra kits; carvings and statues. 75 Main St., East Greenwich, 374-1585, thirdrockemporium.com
Wild Witches
Find: Tarot readings, crystals, stones, candles and spells. 1965 Smith St., North Providence, 345-9251, wildwitches.com
