A bell chimes as the door swings open, releasing a swirl of sandalwood and patchouli. Sunlight spills through a window, scattering rainbow prisms across shelves lined with amethyst clusters, quartz towers and bowls of polished stones. Under those shelves and tables children’s toys lay tucked away, waiting to be found. Behind the counter, Brandeliine Mangum Dear adjusts a strand of mala beads and greets a young woman holding a bundle of sage.
“This will help you release what no longer serves you,” Dear says, her voice calm but certain.
Her path to this moment was its own transformation. Before becoming a store owner, Dear served as a pastor at Joshua Generation Metropolitan Community Church, the only LGBTQIA+ church in Hattiesburg. As her spiritual life shifted, she began dreaming of a space where exploration could exist beyond doctrine. Those dreams eventually led her to open The Red Jasper. For a while, she balanced pastoral duties with running the shop, but over time she stepped away from church leadership to focus fully on her store and her spiritual practices.
Opening the metaphysical shop became her answer. It allowed her to honor faith while embracing freedom. Here, words like energy, manifestation and intention take the place of traditional liturgy, but the purpose remains familiar: to connect, to heal, to awaken. Dear named the shop The Red Jasper after a stone associated with grounding, strength, endurance and protection.
“I am watching this whole community wake up,” said Dear. “People are waking up to a new part of themselves, a new place inside of themselves. And I believe that.”
Inside the small Hattiesburg storefront, the outside world seems to dissolve into incense-scented air. But the questions remain: Is this a new age fad, or part of something deeper? What exactly is The Red Jasper offering?
“I think it was Jesus who said that if you do not worship God, the rocks will cry out,” Dear said. “I feel like the metaphysical community, and this whole trend, is the next evolution of human awakening. I think it started with religion, and it is moving into this new spiritual realm. The rocks are crying out and the energy of the stones is waking up the divine nature within us.”
Her journey reflects a broader national shift. Across the United States, interest in metaphysical practices is growing. Surveys from the Pew Research Center show that Americans who identify as spiritual but not religious now make up roughly a third of the population. Crystal shops, tarot readers and meditation centers are appearing not only in major cities but in small towns like Hattiesburg, offering what Dear describes as modern temples for people seeking community without traditional dogma.
The Red Jasper sits just off the campus of the University of Southern Mississippi at 3416 Hardy Street. Its close proximity draws students who can still see the campus from across the road. Chyanne Middleton, a former USM student, visited the shop often during college.
“The Red Jasper introduced an inner peace and clarity that permanently reshaped my frame of mind,” Middleton said. “Through such a profound spiritual experience, I learned how to embrace the present moment and approach obstacles with a calm and open heart. Every visit reminds me that I have constant guidance toward a life of purpose and fulfillment.”
“This is not about replacing religion,” Dear said. “It is about expanding it. It is about helping people find their own pathway to the divine. Whether it is a crystal, a candle or simply a moment of stillness, the experience is personal and transformative.”
Customers leave carrying small stones, tiny bundles of sage or simply a sense of renewed calm. For many, the shop becomes a touchstone, a place to pause, reflect and reclaim inner peace.
“We do not consider The Red Jasper a retail store,” Dear said. “We consider it a healing space, a place where you can come in and find your true power. You can remember your divine self and find the healing you need. Of course, we sell things, but we do that so we can have the space for people to come in and find what they need.”
The shop offers tarot readings, reiki healing sessions, meditational yoga, crystal classes, healing retreats and energy cleansing.
As the afternoon light shifts, Dear lights a candle and whispers intentions over the flame. The gesture is simple yet ritualistic, a quiet rejection of rigidity and an invitation to awaken. Outside, Hattiesburg continues its usual rhythm, but inside, something gentler is unfolding: a community learning to honor its own spiritual evolution.
For Dear, the work is not about trends or fads. It is about evolution, transformation and awakening. And perhaps, she believes, the rocks themselves are bearing witness, calling out to a world finally ready to listen.