Need to cast a spell or get a tarot reading? Here’s how witches in Montreal are exploring the craft

There's a lot of swords in there. Yeah. Witchcraft and wellness are intersecting. Yeah, this one is for like create like a sacred circle, sacred place. And increasingly going mainstream. Yeah, I feel like everybody's kind of coming out of the witch closet. And for those in the inner circle of the trend. It became a very big business. Business is booming. But for how long? I'm going to check out a witch cafe and I'm going to get one of their most popular services, a tarot reading. Hi! Shella Bakshi describes herself as a witch and a spiritualist. So we opened the store and there came trickling in all the witches of Montreal and I found my little own coven in my shop, you know, it was really beautiful. She says millennials and Gen Z are her main clients. Andrea Bauer says she's collected crystals since she was a child, introduced by her mother. I think it's very cool. I have a tarot deck myself. It was gifted to me and it's one of my goals to learn how to use it. Witchcraft is nothing new. For years, Canada had laws on the books which criminalized fraudulent witches. The law was scrubbed in 2018 after it was deemed no longer relevant. Present day, the practice of witchcraft is back to the forefront. There is even a witch school operating out of Chelsea, Quebec. One religious studies scholar says social media is a big driver of the trend, along with a move away from organized religion. But artificial intelligence is threatening the craft. Because some platforms now offer very sophisticated readings. Lefebvre says there is no scientific evidence that witchcraft or divination work. Regardless, she says it's getting a lot of attention. This is jars of medicinal plants. Here at this wellness boutique, herbalist Yannick Hansen sees how witchcraft and wellness are coming together. He says more clients now come looking for crystals and herbs to do spells. It's not just... A body to heal, it's another conscious, another planes, another energy. According to the Global Wellness Institute, a non-profit that studies the industry, Canada ranks in the top 10 fastest growing wellness economies in the world, estimated at $143 billion in 2023. Back at the witch cafe, I see that like great things are coming something is maybe ending or have ended even mentally and from here you're just going to be going up.