At Body, Stone and Soul, good vibes and crystals take center stage

When Tasha Kitty's son Marcel Morris-Howell was turning 18, she placed a pi stone above his door.  It's a circular stone with a hole in the middle. It has spiritual significance in different cultures and is commonly used for protection and manifestation.

The particular one Kitty chose was made of crazy lace, a stone that boasts eye catching folds of vivid, banded colors like red, brown and orange. "This was the first stone I gave to Marcel," Kitty says. "Pi stones are really symbolic for transitions and a good stone to give to your child."

For Morris-Howell, that was his first real introduction to the world of crystals. "I was curious about it," he recalls. "I love the idea of crystals having their own properties and their own ways to help you in different aspects of your life."

Now, four years later, the mother-son duo are running Body, Stone and Soul, a "one-stop spiritual shop for all your metaphysical and wellness needs," says Kitty. It is currently Boston's only Black-owned, brick and mortar metaphysical shop. A metaphysical shop sells products that are tied to a variety of spiritual practices. It's where people go to find things like sage to cleanse their home, or candles to light for protection.

The store is tucked beneath a triple decker in Jamaica Plain, its walls lined with glittering crystals, tarot card decks and books. An entire wall displays crystals that are separated and categorized by chakra, intention and zodiac sign, a helpful guide for those who don't know where to start. The shop also offers tarot readings and reiki sessions (a type of healing practice that involves moving and transmuting energy in the body).  "We want everyone to feel welcome here," Kitty says. "No matter what stage of their spiritual journey they're at."

Different crystals have distinct properties that are useful for certain things. Most people keep crystals in their pocket, wear them as jewelry or keep them at their home.  The duo point out their favorites. Morris-Howell is drawn to rainbow fluorite because "it's a learning stone. It's all about the consolidation of a chaotic mind," he explains. The stones Kitty gravitates towards change and she's into labradorite, "which is really good for transformation," she says. "If you see it from one angle, it's brown but the blue tint comes (in) when you move it."

While scientists say there is no evidence that things like crystals treat physical or mental ailments, Morris-Howell and Kitty are part of a growing group of people who are blending different metaphysical practices to create their own individualized approach to spirituality. J.T. Roane, assistant professor of Africana Studies and Geography at Rutgers University, says that for Black people in particular, this process helps "Black communities to reimagine the cosmos and therefore also reimagine their place within it and outside of a white supremacist hierarchy."

"Spiritualist practices that include African derived religions were marked for so long as illegal, as the source of slave rebellions," he points out. Though some skepticism exists, alternative spiritual practices provide "Black people with effective religion [that has] some impact on their day to day lives," says Roane. "Whether that's through conjuring, whether that's through tarot, whether that's through other kinds of a direct interface with the divine, the spiritual and the ancestral."

While Morris-Howell's journey with crystals started with the pi stone above his door, Kitty's had a fascination with them since childhood. "We have experiences that cause us to mute ourselves, that causes these gifts to go dormant, you know?" she says. "And I think that as we grow older, we sometimes come back to those dormant gifts."

After spending years as a chief people officer at tech companies and running her own business (another company she still owns), Kitty knew she wanted to do something different. "I remember hanging up from a virtual meeting, and I went to my couch and bawled," she says. "I cried and Marcel came downstairs and he's like, 'What's wrong with you?'... Then like a light switch, I said, 'I don't want my son to think that that's what work means.'"

It didn't take long for Morris-Howell and Kitty to talk about opening a business together, and what that business would be. They started selling crystals and other items at pop-ups and events across Greater Boston before deciding to open a store.

Last year, they came across the empty store front that would eventually become their store. "It's funny because we tried to get a space, and when we finally got to this one, before we even pulled up, I remember I was like, 'Oh this is going to be it'," says Kitty. And it was. For Morris-Howell, the experience of co-owning a business with his mother has been eye-opening.  "It's definitely a different experience from what I used to do before," he says, referencing his previous part-time jobs in the food industry.  "It's just nice being able to say I've worked with my parents. And especially nice to say that a business came out of one of them too."

In the year they've been open, Body, Stone and Soul has developed a steady and dedicated customer base, though there are still people who are surprised to find the shop exists. A couple even drove from New Hampshire just to visit the store. "It is shock, surprise and just joy when people find out that we're Black-owned," Kitty says. "And then when they find out that we're family-owned, it just amplifies that."

Kitty emphasizes that everyone is welcome at Body, Stone and Soul. "We have a Justice candle where 10 percent of the proceeds go to black women's mental health organizations. We have a Pride candle where proceeds go to LGBTQ+ organizations. We try to make sure this is a space for everyone regardless of who you come in as or how you've grown up."

That's what Kitty and Morris-Howell love about crystals. In an increasingly fractured and divided world, crystals do not discriminate based on personal beliefs or background. "It's non denominational, right?" Kitty says. "There isn't judgement. I think crystals are the earth's gifts to everyone."