Owner of Serpent's Key Shoppe Beck Ravenswood
Pennsylvania Tarot Reading Lawsuit Advances After Judge Denies Motion to Dismiss
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Asia Tabb
Owner of Serpent's Key Shoppe Beck Ravenswood
aired; July 17, 2026
Nearly one year after first sharing their story on The Spark, Hanover business owner Beck Ravenswood is celebrating a major milestone in their ongoing legal challenge to Pennsylvania’s fortune-telling law.
Ravenswood, owner of The Serpent’s Key Shoppe and Sanctuary in Hanover, returned to The Spark to discuss the latest development in the lawsuit after a federal judge denied the state’s most recent motion to dismiss the case.
The 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.
“The DA’s office had been trying to dismiss my case, saying it wasn’t important enough for the court to rule on,” Ravenswood said. “Judge Wilson finally looked at the evidence and said there’s 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’s really what it is.”
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.
Pennsylvania’s 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.
While the lawsuit originally centered on that law, Ravenswood says the case has always been about broader constitutional protections.
“For me, freedom of religion is certainly part of this, but primarily it’s about freedom of speech,” Ravenswood said. “The idea that someone can come in and say, ‘Because you’re using cards, you can’t talk to people in your business,’ is a really big overstep.”
The judge’s decision does not determine whether the law is constitutional, but it means the court believes the legal arguments deserve to move forward.
“It’s almost a sense of disbelief that this day has finally come,” Ravenswood said. “While it’s 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.”
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’s Key Shoppe from across the country—and even overseas.
“I’ve had people come in from Scotland who said, ‘We heard you were the witch from Hanover,’” Ravenswood said. “It has really been life-changing.”
More than anything, Ravenswood says they’ve been encouraged by the support from people of many different beliefs.
“Even people who don’t agree with what I do have said, ‘I think you have the right to do it,’” they said. “That’s a beautiful place to start—building positive relationships with our neighbors and our communities.”
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.
Listen to the podcast to hear the full conversation.