PRUDHOE, Northumberland – At just 30 years of age, local entrepreneur Chloe Cavanagh took the bold step of realizing her dream: opening her own metaphysical retail business in this town on the North Tyne. Her store, Spirit Rocks, launched on 1 August and offers crystals, tarot and oracle readings, and the works of other small makers.
Spirit Rocks storefront [Courtesy
Two months later, she found herself the subject of an uninvited visit from the Reverend Daniel Freyhan of nearby St. Mary Magdalene Church, who has been in post at St Mary Magdalene Church since 2017. Freyhan challenged her presence on the high street and labelled aspects of her shop as “spreading evil.” Freyhan
The Wild Hunt reached out to Chloe and, as we always note when covering these stories, Chloe is doing well.
“My shop sells a huge range of crystal, crystal jewellery, homeware, incense, tarot and oracle cards and then stock from other small businesses who I’ve met over the years at markets! Some of their stock includes furniture, plants, taxidermy, felted ghosts and loads more!” she told The Wild Hunt.
Chloe Cavanaugh in front of her story [Courtesy}
She recounts that the store opened and quickly became a community talking point in Prudhoe. “The opening even blew my mind with queues wrapping round onto Prudhoe Bank,” she says. “It’s been so popular since opening. With so many people saying Prudhoe has been desperate for a place like this!”
But on a Tuesday morning, October 2, 2025, she arrived to open the shop at 9:55 a.m. and found Rev. Freyhan standing outside. Chloe said he followed her in before she’d even turned the lights on. He told her that he and members of his church had concerns about how a crystal shop in town might affect “the people of Prudhoe.”
“I said there is nothing for anyone to be worried about and he said they are worried about how I am using my shop to spread my religious beliefs to the people of Prudhoe. I told him that I’m not and that the two are totally separate.” She offered him her personal story (the feather, the spiritual journey) in a printed form available in the store, but stressed that her spirituality is never pushed on anyone. “If anyone brings it up and wants to talk about it then I’m open to it, but it’s not pushed on anyone.”
The confrontation escalated when Rev. Freyhan called her beliefs “a load of rubbish and nonsense,” which Cavanagh says she found “extremely rude.” His questions continued, and he asked why people were buying crystals. She replied that for some people it’s simply an appreciation of beauty, for others it’s about comfort or the metaphysical properties.
“He said he can appreciate the beauty but doesn’t believe they have ‘powers’ so I corrected him to properties not powers and said that there has actually been lots of scientific research done into them and that the energy they hold and that there is actually more to it than people think. He told me he was interested in the scientific side of things but as soon as I started explaining about how it’s to do with them vibrating at different frequencies and those frequencies effecting our own he started to laugh in my face and mock me … then went on to say he disagrees with the fact I stock crystals that are carved into things like skulls because he believes in ‘true evil’ and by me stocking them I’m helping to spread the evil. He also ranted about my Halloween stock and how he disagrees with that too … I told him I love Halloween … so I will not be stopping that either.”
Cavanagh posted the incident on TikTok and the story quickly gained traction in local media.
@spirit.rocks What do we think about this? Am I overreacting or is it a disgrace that this guy has came in and preached at me, disgregaeded my beliefs and laughed in my face when I’ve told him about what I believe. What do you guys think? Much LOVE, Spirit Rocks 🪶✨ #crystalshopuk #crystaltok #spirituality #lovenothate #whatdoyouthink
She told The Wild Hunt that she had never encountered a similar incident in the four months she had been operating the shop. “Everyone has been so supportive or if it’s not their cup of tea then they just don’t come in!” she adds. The incident, however, was serious enough that she reported it to the local police and asked for the interaction to be logged. Cavanaugh says that the police reportedly entered the matter as a hate crime.
She emphasizes, however, that she did not want to pursue formal charges; she simply wanted a record in case there were further incidents.
“There were safety concerns for me and the shop’s staff, because I didn’t know how far he would take things,” she says. After the incident, she admitted to being “on edge” for the first few days, but adds that the support of local neighbors and customers has helped her regain confidence. “So many people just opening the door to say well done for speaking up or that they support me… lots of people from his church have been and told me the church don’t share his views and they love my shop too,” she says.
When asked how the parish or the wider diocese responded, Cavanagh says the arch-deacon has since sent her a letter stating that an investigation had been conducted and that Rev. Freyhan “feels bad for his actions.” She says she replied saying that he is “not welcome in my space” and that she would not accept a forced apology, but the arch-deacon has requested that Rev. Freyhan write a letter of apology directly to her, which she is still deciding whether to respond to.
As of October 29, 2025, the Wild Hunt has reached out to Rev. Freyhan, the Prudhoe parish church, and the Diocese of Newcastle for comment and has not received a response.
Cavanagh’s spiritual path is personal and rooted in grief, connection and transformation. She explains that in her late teens she lost a beloved horse named Spirit and entered a period of profound emotional turmoil. While her mother worked on the chemotherapy ward, a patient gifted her a feather with the message “Spirit is a free spirit,” mirroring the design of the tattoo on Cavanagh’s foot and pointing her toward a spiritual healing path. From that moment, she pursued mediumship, received her first crystal, and later decided that opening a shop would allow her to share something meaningful.
For Cavanagh, the story is less about confrontation and more about affirmation. “I’m so much calmer now, and I feel that I have my safe space back,” she says. “My shop neighbours have been extremely supportive too! I went and told them straight after the incident and they couldn’t believe it and were so outraged for me!”
