Spirits and Spiritualism

The leaves are turning, the mist creeps in…something wicked this way comes!  If you’re like me and can’t wait for Halloween, you’re packing your October full of spooky things.  Need suggestions?  Head out to Valley Forge Park tomorrow night for an evening of Spirits and Spiritualism!  Spiritualism was a movement in the late 1800s and early 1900s where communing with the dead seemed a real possibility.  Learn about the movement from historian Stephanie Hoover, author of Philadelphia Spiritualism and the Curious Case of Katie King; have your fortune told; tour the 19th century P. C. Knox estate; try your hand at a Ouija board; and enjoy food and a spirit or two!

Yes, I said Ouija board.  The Ouija board, in fact, came straight out of the American 19th century obsession with spiritualism.  As spiritualism grew in American culture, so too did frustration with how long it took to get any meaningful message out of the spirits.  People were desperate for methods of communication that would be quicker, and while several entrepreneurs realized that, it was the Kennard Novelty Company that really seized the day and invented the Ouija board as we know it in the early 1890s.

LOVE.  This pair of heels is covered in images of spirit boards, including the iconic Ouija.  It’s trimmed around the foot in small black sequins, and the sole is covered in black glitter.  But the best part definitely has to be the tiny silver planchette adorned with a silver rhinestone atop the toe.  It’s too cute.  I just can’t.  Yours for $85 from Etsy seller Steamhatter.

Want something a little more colorful?  Here’s the same shoe, but in purple!

It still has the black sequins, it still has the tiny silver planchette, but the soles have purple glitter and it’s trimmed around the bottom of the foot in dangling black beads.  It’s like the burlesque version of the first shoe.  This pair is $95.

The Ouija Ankle Bootie by Too Fast is covered in Ouija imagery: alphabets, hellos and goodbyes, no and yes, and even a planchette or two.  The heel is five inches and the platform is two inches, and there’s a zipper up the inside to help you in.  Find them at Too Fast’s online store for $76.

So come out to Valley Forge tomorrow night—even if you don’t try the Ouija board, spiritualism still abounds!

Sales this weekend:

Aerosoles: 20% off all boots

Bakers: $20-$40 off dress boots

Call it Spring: $20 off ankle booties

Lord & Taylor: 25% off with savings pass or promo code FRIENDS

Macy's: 20-40% off select styles

Nine West: For ever $125 you spend between now and Tuesday, Nine West will donate 25% to Fashion Targets Breast Cancer-- and you'll get a gift too!

Payless: Semi-annual sale (up to 30% off) plus 20% off everything with code ZZ20

Saks: 25% off with code FRNFAM