The Serpent\u2019s Key Shoppe and Sanctuary<\/a> in Hanover, returned to The Spark to discuss the latest development in the lawsuit after a federal judge denied the state\u2019s most recent motion to dismiss the case.<\/p>\nThe ruling allows the lawsuit to continue and moves the case into its next phase, with a court conference scheduled for July 22 to establish a timeline for discovery and future proceedings.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe DA\u2019s office had been trying to dismiss my case, saying it wasn\u2019t important enough for the court to rule on,\u201d Ravenswood said. \u201cJudge Wilson finally looked at the evidence and said there\u2019s a compelling argument here, and we need to determine what is really at the heart of this lawsuit. Is it about witchcraft, or is it about freedom of speech? That\u2019s really what it is.\u201d<\/p>\n
The lawsuit stems from events in October 2023, when Ravenswood says they were threatened with arrest by the Hanover Borough Police Department for offering paid tarot readings at their business.<\/p>\n
Pennsylvania\u2019s fortune-telling statute, which dates back to 1861, makes it a misdemeanor to accept payment for fortune telling, including practices such as tarot card reading, palm reading, and astrology.<\/p>\n
While the lawsuit originally centered on that law, Ravenswood says the case has always been about broader constitutional protections.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor me, freedom of religion is certainly part of this, but primarily it\u2019s about freedom of speech,\u201d Ravenswood said. \u201cThe idea that someone can come in and say, \u2018Because you\u2019re using cards, you can\u2019t talk to people in your business,\u2019 is a really big overstep.\u201d<\/p>\n
The judge\u2019s decision does not determine whether the law is constitutional, but it means the court believes the legal arguments deserve to move forward.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s almost a sense of disbelief that this day has finally come,\u201d Ravenswood said. \u201cWhile it\u2019s just a phone call, the fact that deadlines are finally going to be put in place is a huge step toward potentially legalizing tarot reading and getting rid of this truly antiquated law.\u201d<\/p>\n
Since first speaking with The Spark, Ravenswood says the case has attracted attention far beyond south-central Pennsylvania. Social media posts documenting the legal battle have reached millions of viewers, bringing visitors to The Serpent\u2019s Key Shoppe from across the country\u2014and even overseas.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve had people come in from Scotland who said, \u2018We heard you were the witch from Hanover,\u2019\u201d Ravenswood said. \u201cIt has really been life-changing.\u201d<\/p>\n
More than anything, Ravenswood says they\u2019ve been encouraged by the support from people of many different beliefs.<\/p>\n
\u201cEven people who don\u2019t agree with what I do have said, \u2018I think you have the right to do it,\u2019\u201d they said. \u201cThat\u2019s a beautiful place to start\u2014building positive relationships with our neighbors and our communities.\u201d<\/p>\n
The next step in the case comes July 22, when the court is expected to establish a formal schedule for discovery and the remainder of the legal proceedings. Ravenswood says they hope the case continues to spark conversations not only about tarot reading, but also about free speech, religious liberty, and the role of longstanding laws in modern Pennsylvania.<\/p>\n
Listen to the podcast to hear the full conversation.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Listen to The Spark on your favorite platform<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
July 18, 2026 | 6:00 AM
Asia Tabb
Asia…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":247134,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[128,130,129],"class_list":["post-247133","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-reading","tag-reading-city","tag-reading-city-headlines","tag-reading-city-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/247133","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=247133"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/247133\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/247134"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=247133"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=247133"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=247133"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
![\"Asia](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/aa760ff2f0553b061b33268fc66eb8ff48375f82476e32c5860e9da9e477a9f5.png\" "\\"Asia")
<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Owner](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Beck-Ravenswood-1-1006x1080.jpg\")
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