My semi-regular round-up of articles, essays, and opinions of note for discerning Pagans and Heathens.

The city of Euless has had its request for a rehearing in federal appeals court over the matter of animal sacrifice rejected.

“A federal appeals court has rejected Euless’ request for a rehearing on a decision that paves the way for a Santeria priest to resume sacrificing animals in his home during religious ceremonies. Jose Merced sued Euless, saying his First Amendment religious freedoms were violated when the city banned him from slaughtering goats in 2006. The city contended that such sacrifices jeopardized public health and violated slaughterhouse and animal-cruelty ordinances.”

Short of an appeal to the Supreme Court, which Euless seems to be considering, this case is done. If it does go to the Supreme Court, and Merced wins again, it could affect animal slaughter laws across the country. Clearing the way for religions like Santeria to sacrifice animals at their rites largely free from the threat of arrest or harassment. To read all my coverage of this case, click here.

At The Nation Max Blumenthal publishes an excerpt from his forthcoming book that concerns the tragic case of Matthew Murray, a deeply disturbed young man who took a gun to a Youth With A Mission missionary training center and opened fire, killing four, then himself. Blumenthal tells how Murray grew up indoctrinated and abused by his charismatic Pentecostal parents, and how his attempts to break free of their programming led him first to the teachings of Aleister Crowley, then to drug abuse, and ultimately to a complete breakdown that led to the tragic shootings.

“Murray had been indoctrinated so thoroughly into charismatic Pentecostal culture, however, that even while he railed against his religious upbringing, he could not abandon his ingrained attraction to religiosity. So instead of fleeing hardcore Christian culture for secular humanism, a natural position for jaded skeptics like him, he traded his former faith for Crowley’s occultism. Crowley’s philosophy of sex “magick,” narcotic hallucination, and self-degradation (he allegedly ordered his followers to have oral sex with goats and drink the blood of cats) was forged in reaction to his parents’ Puritanism and, in fact, was first practiced in English boarding schools, where homosexual experimentation was practically de rigueur. Crowley became Murray’s new lodestar. Like Jesus, who was so impressed by the ardor of a pagan Roman centurion whom he met that he remarked, “I have not found such great faith, even in Israel,” Murray yearned for spiritual practice in its purest form. Now he practiced Crowley’s faux faith as fervently as his parents wished he had worshipped their neo-evangelical macho Christ. But the occult only led Murray into a confusing new world of cheap thrills.”

I find it interesting that Blumenthal, in damning extremist Christianity, feels the need to misrepresent Aleister Crowley, and by implication, to insult anyone who leaves Christianity for an occult practice instead of the “natural” choice of secular humanism. He ultimately blames an abusive Christian upbringing for Murray’s descent into madness, and rightfully criticizes attempts of Christian apologists to paint this as an “occult” or “Satanic” attack, but couldn’t avoid his own preconceived notions concerning what the O.T.O. and the philosophies of Aleister Crowley are truly about. In his failure to hide his disdain for an occult practice he doesn’t understand, to paint it as a sign of illness, he sounds more like the Christians he criticizes than he would most likely care to admit.

SF Gate’s In Marin blog profies Cerridwen Fallingstar on the publication of her new book “White as Bone Red as Blood, The Fox Sorceress”, a book that is “based” on Fallingstar’s past life in 12th century Japan.

“The first book, which was released in 1990, was based on Cerridwen’s past life as a Scottish witch in 16th-century Scotland.   It took a full fifteen years before she released her current book, White as Bone, a compelling read about a sorceress in the royal palace in Japan during the mid-1100s. Why so long? Cerridwen says it takes a long time to cultivate the memories and even longer to do the research.  She says she is able to enter a trance, summon the memories and put them to tape. After transcribing them, she’ll research them by conventional means; by reading as much as she can find on that particular time in history, and by visiting the locales.”

Will this new book find favor within the Pagan community? Are past-life accounts still popular, or have we grown more skeptical of such things in the twenty years since Fallingstar’s last book? I guess we’ll find out. In the meantime, if you want to find out more about Cerridwen Fallingstar and order a copy of the book, click here.

The Odinist group that was kicked out of a public park in Bakersfield, California say they are filing a lawsuit with the ACLU against the North of the River Parks and Recreation Department.

“Roger Perez, NOR public relations director, said, “I believe there was a claim that the religion was being disrespected, and we take those types of claims seriously. But in our internal investigation, that wasn’t believed to have been said, was not said, by our deputy. And unfortunately, I think it just got blown out of proportion.” But the Odinists were not satisfied. They began the process to file a civil lawsuit with the ACLU which is considering whether to take the case.”

So it looks like this one will most likely be going to court. The KERO 23 story also includes the two 911 calls from neighbors that brought the police to the scene, one of which sounds confused about what exactly is going on, and another that alleges they were shouting “white power” to non-white passerby. The Odinist group has denied that they are a racist organization.

In a final note, with Autumn on its way we are quickly approaching the Halloween/Samhain season, and that means reality television programs are skulking about Salem looking for a willing Witchy participant. This time the  snarky fashion show “What Not to Wear” (on the increasingly misnamed TLC network) has its sights set on Salem shop co-owner Leanne Marrama.

“TV fashion gurus Stacy London and Clinton Kelly were in Salem filming an episode of their show, in which they stage weekly style interventions on a victim of bad fashion. Leanne Marrama, a member of Salem’s witch community, was in their sights yesterday. Dressed in a black gown with wide lacy sleeves, a black corset, black combat boots and a black purse with a skull, Marrama is set for a complete fashion, hair and makeup makeover.”

Also in the program will be Marrama’s friend and business associate Christian Day. While I’m sure many Pagans in New England have at times wished the more flamboyant Salem Witches would get a makeover, I don’t think this is what they had in mind. Shows like this aren’t laughing with us, they are producing content so that people can laugh at us (not to mention imposing a more rigid idea of “normalcy” concerning dress and appearance).

That’s all I have for now, have a great day!

It has been known for years that Salem, home of the infamous witch trials, has become a mecca for Halloween revelers and modern Pagans (who purportedly make up 10% of the local population). But I think outside observers might be surprised to see how this witchy tourist draw has grown to Mardi Gras proportions. For example, did you know that thousands of bikers do a “Halloween Witch Ride” every year?

Halloween Witch Rider. Photo by Mark Garfinkel.

“More than 3,000 scary-looking cyclists got a jump on Halloween yesterday by participating in the 20th annual Halloween Witch Ride to Salem. Taking off from Bruce Rossmeyer’s Boston Harley-Davidson in Everett, werewolves, skeletons and other ghouls all shared a scenic route through the North Shore.”

This particular event has grown so large that Salem has opened its own Harley-Davidson shop this year, complete with a special Harley Salem witch shirt (which is apparently selling like hotcakes). Meanwhile, the city itself is coming up with grander closing spectacles to signal to the large crowds that the Halloween-season party is over.

“The city has hired Somerville-based Visual Design Associates — the company that created an elaborate indoor display at Jordan’s furniture in Reading — to design an eye-catching, end-of-the-night program that will both entertain and send the message to revelers that Halloween night is over … Around 10 p.m., the live music and DJ’s scattered throughout the downtown will wrap up for the night and direct crowds to the display on Washington Street. At 10:30 p.m., the 15-minute artistic program will start. Then, a scaled-back fireworks display will be launched near the North River at 10:45 p.m. … It involves an 8-foot wall, helium and giant dancing shapes, according to Kate Fox, the executive director of Destination Salem.”

Another article points out that Salem isn’t only drawing American revelers and Pagan pilgrims, but a growing international contingent of Halloween tourists.

“So far this October, more than 6,000 visitors have stopped by the booth, which is open on weekends. “There are so many people from other countries,” said information booth volunteer Grace Lamarre, a Salem resident.”

As for local Pagan groups, they are hardly idle. Witchy impresario Christian Day’s Festival of the Dead grows ever larger, with a Retro Zombie Ball, a Vampires’ Masquerade Ball, and, of course, The Official Salem Witches‘ Halloween Ball.

“Saturday, November 1, 2008, 7:30pm to 12:30am at the Hawthorne Hotel! Join Christian Day and the Witches of Salem with special guest Fiona Horne and musical guests Wendy Rule and Dragon Ritual Drummers for a night of magic at the event AOL CityGuide rated one of America’s top Halloween parties! Join us as in days of old when fires burned on every hilltop and Witches gathered to feast, rejoice, and cast spells for the new year!”

In addition to Day’s massive multi-week extravaganza, Pagan events are also being thrown by Crow Haven Corner, the Cabot Witches (for Cabot initiates only), the Witches’ Education Bureau, The Temple of Nine Wells, the First Church of Wicca, and several others.

Add in the seemingly recession-proof yearly increase in Halloween-related spending, and what began as a local tourist draw is gradually morphing into a nationally (and internationally) recognized seasonal festival. For better or worse, this change from cheesy wax-works and trial re-enactments into a massive cultural (and money-making) multi-week event is partially due to the emergence of Witches and modern Pagans injecting a sense of the sacred (and the psychic) into the proceedings. It may never be officially called a Samhain festival, but for all intents and purposes this is America’s tribute to Summer’s End.

Last year I devoted several posts to a local struggle in Salem over the licensing of psychics. One group, led by Laurie Cabot, wanted to limit licenses and inhibit traveling “psychic fairs” (which they felt “poached” their profits), the other, led by Christian Day, wanted more relaxed rules that would allow for a greater number of licensed psychics. Eventually a compromise measure was reached, but in the process, remains from a dead raccoon were left on the doorsteps of two local metaphysical shops.

“The remains of a mutilated raccoon were left at the doorways of two of the city’s psychic shops. At 12:41 a.m. yesterday, John Ray of Salem flagged down police Sgt. Richard Gagnon and alerted him to a raccoon’s skull and a pile of intestines that had been left at the entrance to Angelica of the Angels, a shop at 7 Central St. While patrolling Essex Street about an hour later, Gagnon discovered more remains at the door to The Goddess’ Treasure Chest at 172 Essex St.”

Some Salem residents cast suspicion on Day, accusing him of working malignant magic, but it soon came to light that the perpetrator was psychic and Salem Witch Sharon Graham, who had been nursing a grudge against Christian Day.

“Richard Watson said he went back to his Bridge Street apartment on the night of May 26 to a disturbing scene: his roommate, Sharon Graham, dressed in black, surrounded by four young men, also all in black, standing around a jar. Inside that jar was the eye of a raccoon, police say. And in two trash bags in Watson’s refrigerator was the rest of the critter, which had been dismembered.”

Now, nearly a year later, and after further accusations of witness intimidation, it looks like we have some closure. Sharon Graham, in a plea agreement, has admitted to a judge that she placed the raccoon remains in front of those shops, though she claims to not know why she did so.

“A self-described Wiccan high priestess admitted yesterday that she had placed pieces of an eviscerated raccoon on the doorsteps of two local businesses last year. But Sharon Graham said she still can’t explain why. Graham, 47, formerly of Salem , admitted during a hearing in Salem District Court that prosecutors had sufficient evidence for a conviction on charges of littering and wanton destruction of property. Judge Dunbar Livingston called the case “certainly a somewhat bizarre and troubling incident” but agreed to go along with a plea agreement that called for the charges to be continued without a finding for a year on condition that Graham perform 20 hours of community service and remain in counseling. If she complies with those conditions and stays out of further trouble, the charges will be dismissed in a year. Prosecutors also agreed to drop the most serious charge against Graham, a count of witness intimidation.”

Graham has moved out of Salem, is receiving counseling, and is being supervised by a probation officer. Christian Day has gone on to become an even bigger fish in Salem’s pond, working with the city to promote Halloween season tourism, and co-running his own Witch shop Hex. Laurie Cabot continues to be as famous (infamous?) as ever, celebrating her 75th birthday in March with Godsmack frontman Sully Erna, among others, in attendance. So it looks like this matter is finally closed, and life in Salem, in all its Witchy glory, can continue.

I’ve got quick updates on two recent stories. We’ll start off in Salem…

Mainstream Acceptance in Salem: The panel discussion in Salem featuring Margot Adler and Jerrie Hildebrand is continuing to get coverage from the local papers. This time, Lisa Guerriero from the Salem Gazette reports back from the “No Place for Hate” panel, and pairs it with a recent satellite television appearance by two Salem Witches.

“What is life like for a person who considers himself or herself a witch? How do Hollywood images of witches stack up to their real-life counterparts? These are some of the questions addressed by a No Place for Hate panel in Salem last Saturday [see story, Page 1]. Similar questions were posed recently on a Dish Network TV program, “Magnificent Obsessions.” While the panel explored the beliefs and lifestyle of Wiccans and Pagans, the TV show addressed a different kind of witch. Wiccans and Pagans draw mainly from a resurrected tradition of communion with nature, whereas the Salem witches featured in “Magnificent Obsessions” focus more on psychic work and spells than Pagan traditions. They’re typically the kind of witches you see walking Salem’s streets in all black, sometimes with pointy hats.”

The two Witches featured in the television show? Christian Day and Leanne Marrama, two Witches who recently opened their own shop in Salem. Guerriero’s observation concerning a split between “Salem Witches” and “Wiccans and Pagans” is an interesting one. While Salem Witches like Day and Marrama may not be Wiccan, aren’t they Pagan? Should a shift of emphasis in style and practice remove them from the larger Pagan family? Perhaps the problem with press coverage of Witches and Pagans is that it is so polarized between sensationalism and statements of normalacy that people like Christian Day and Margot Adler start to seem from entirely different movements, instead of part of a larger religious continuum.

First Shot Fired in British Psychic Wars: Since I first reported on it earlier this month, the controversy over Britain adopting EU reforms on psychic services and mediumship has grown. Today the Independent, the BBC, and the Telegraph all report on a protest organized by the Spiritual Workers Association in opposition to the new legislation.

“Today, representatives of British mediums will march up Downing Street to deliver a petition containing some 10,000 signatories demanding that the Government change its decision to repeal the 1951 Fraudulent Mediums Act in favour of a new EU directive … The SWA complains that the 1951 law, which replaced the 1735 Witchcraft Act, guarantees “genuine” mediums legal protection, penalising only those who seek to hoodwink the public. However, by treating spiritualism as merely a consumer service, mediums believe they risk being sued if customers are dissatisfied with advice brought from the other side – advice they say they always point out should always be treated with care. The solution to the present impasse, according to lawyers advising the crystal-ball fraternity, is via the prosaic expedient of a pre-consultation disclaimer, describing any dialogue with the deceased in terms of either entertainment or scientific experiment. It does not sit comfortably with purist believers.”

Meanwhile, the Spiritualists’ National Union, the largest UK Spiritualists organization, is supporting the law. Expressing confidence that it will only harm con-artists and not divinations or mediumship performed in a religious context. Despite the protest and the petition, all signs point to these new regulations being passed. So we’ll have to wait and see if it only harms con-men, or if it will be used as a cudgel by crusading skeptics or oppositional religious groups (a possibility acknowledged by EU regulations supporter Susie Collings, of the College of Psychic Studies).

The Salem Gazette published three Wicca/Witchcraft related stories yesterday, each one revealing different aspects of the practice of Witchcraft in the “Witch City” of Salem, and the different ways that modern Paganism enters the mainstream. The first article concerns a panel discussion taking place tomorrow featuring author/journalist Margot Adler and Pagan activist Jerrie Hildebrand.

“The city of Salem’s No Place for Hate Committee will host a panel discussion on April 12 that will focus on practices within the Wiccan faith and the everyday lifestyles of those practicing paganism. The objective of the event is to inform those in attendance about the religion, lifestyle and culture of those who practice Wicca while also touching on the history and its distinction within the Salem community.”

The talk will be opened by Mayor Kimberley Driscoll, a politician who has enjoyed support from the local Pagan community since she first ran for the office. The event is free and open to the public, and will be held Saturday, April 12 at 7 p.m. on the second floor of Old Town Hall, Derby Square.

The second story concerns the opening of a new Witch-themed shop called “Hex”. The store, co-run by Leanne Marrama and Salem impresario Christian Day, promises an “old-world folk magic” feel and approach.

Christian Day and Leanne Marrama

“A new witch shop in town aims to bring this form of old-world folk magic to Salem’s mostly modern pagan community. Hex: Old World Witchery specializes in voodoo dolls, spellbinding candles and European charms used to ward off evil. Shop owners Christian Day and Leanne Marrama, who both consider themselves clairvoyant, aim not only to supply the community with tools of folk magic, but also to serve as proverbial witch doctors, and practice what they preach…”

The ornately designed store is just the latest project from Christian Day, who has become a commercial force to be reckoned with in Salem. Running a tarot consultancy service, a psychic consultancy service, and a popular Salem festival.

The third and final story is a profile of Lori Bruno, a Strega Witch and folk-magic practitioner, who will be offering her services at Christian Day’s new Hex store.

“At 68, Lori Bruno considers herself a kind of real-life version of the storybook witch strega nona. Upon meeting you for the first time she just might call you little cucinella and invite you over for a cup of tea. She smells of warm clothes that just got out of the dryer, has long dyed black hair tied in a loose knot and wears 13 gold rings on her fingers. From her ears dangle gold ankhs and peace signs. Around her neck hangs an Egyptian scarab beetle. And above her kitchen sink, beside the coffee maker, hangs a large stone pentacle. Bruno comes from a long line of streghe, or Italian witches. Growing up in Brooklyn, her mother, a southern-born Italian, would give psychic readings to her Jewish and Irish neighbors, reading tarot cards or using a glass of water like a crystal ball to tell the future.”

These three stories help illustrate the ways that modern Paganism is slowly entering the mainstream. Through activism and education, through commercial ventures and public events, and through sympathetic journalistic profiles. Modern Paganism has utilized these three overlapping factors to slowly inch us towards acceptance since our emergence. Salem, with its large Pagan population (and Pagan tourist trade), represents a “perfect storm” of these elements.

In addition, the stories show how Witchcraft in Salem encompasses everything from the salacious to the sedate. You have practitioners in pointy hats and yards of black fabric wielding wands and brooms, and you have the more reserved wardrobes and methods of the Witches engaging in discussion with academics and politicians. Both serve a clearly defined purpose inside and outside our communities, and both are equally a part of the modern Pagan movement.

The Salem Gazette has a nice profile of two religious figures in the “Witch City” of Salem, Massachusetts. The first is Christian Phil Wyman, head of The Gathering, a small congregation of 45 that practices an ethic of understanding and co-existence with the nearly 4000 Witches living in Salem.

“Christians have a National Enquirer view of pagans,” he says. “They think they must be worshiping Satan or sacrificing babies … or they view the pagan community as a well organized machine that’s after the church. That’s a sad picture. In turn, because a few Christians have taken advantage of that to make money in the ’80s and ’90s, the pagans have a bad view of the Christians. We want to break that.”

Wyman was famously “excommunicated” from his parent Church in 2006 due to his too-friendly relations with the local Pagan population, and continues to have run-ins with fellow Christians who disagree with his approach.

“Michael Marcavage, 28, is the founder of Repent America, a Philadelphia-based organization of missionaries that spent five days in Salem this October spreading their beliefs via brochures and amplified talks on the Essex Street Pedestrian Mall. This, Marcavage believes, is the proper way to go about spreading the gospel. “Jesus began his ministry by saying repent or perish,” he says, admitting that Wyman has spoken to him in the past to criticize his gloom-and-doom approach … Marcavage accuses Wyman of affirming the pagans’ beliefs. “Is he reaching out to them?” he asks. ‘He has no division from them … They’re so comfortable with what he’s doing they haven’t taken issue … The word of God invites confrontation.’”

The article then turns to Wyman’s friendship with local Witch and event organizer Christian Day (who my readers may remember from my coverage of the Salem “Psychic Wars”). Reporter Kristin D’Agostino attempts to draw parallels between the two men, by highlighting their ongoing friendship, and the troubles each have had within their own religious communities.

“It is easy to see why Day and Wyman get along so well. In addition to sharing a theatrical flare and offering the community psychic services (Wyman dream interpretation, Day psychic readings), both men have in the past two years had experiences that resulted in them being ousted from their spiritual communities. With Day, the schism came last year when he was accused by a fellow witch of planting raccoon remains at downtown shops, a false rumor that rippled through the pagan and Wiccan community. Because of these common experiences, perhaps, the two men have fostered a symbiotic relationship. Wyman donates dozens of church chairs to Day’s annual psychic fair on the Museum Place Mall. And Day offers the pastor free marketing advice for his church events. “If I can sell Jesus, I can sell anything!” he says. Recently Day admits, he donated $200 to The Gathering.”

While I would hardly call Day’s status within the Salem Pagan community as “ousted”, he runs one of the biggest Pagan-themed events in Salem, and is opening a new Witch shop in March, the two do seem to share a special bond. Day is even quoted as saying he often prefers the company of Christians over his fellow Pagans.

“I go to church to break bread with them,” he says, admitting he often enjoys the company of Christians more than his own community, which he considers “full of gossip and innuendo.”

This positive article about inter-religious friendship carries a subtext concerning two methods of interactions between Pagans and Christians. Wyman’s way, which involves dialog, co-existence, and Christian role-modeling (in the place of proselytizing), and Repent America’s methods, which involve megaphones, hellfire, and hostile attitudes towards Paganism. While neither can claim any significant numbers of converts, Wyman seems far closer to touching the hearts of Pagans.

“If ever there was a person that could make me want to become a churchgoing Christian it would be Phil,” Day says. “Not because he’s tried to convince me that witchcraft was evil, or hell is fire and brimstone, but because he leads a life of honesty. He’s one of the most honest people I know …”

As Paganism grows and becomes a bigger social and fiscal presence in cities beyond Pagan meccas like Salem, San Francisco, and Minneapolis/St. Paul (aka Paganistan), how Christians choose to interact with Pagans will become a very important issue. We can only hope that the fear and ignorance-based reactions don’t win out, and instead an ethic closer to Phil Wyman’s becomes the norm.

The Salem News reports that the two Witches arrested for leaving dead animal parts in front of two local metaphysical shops in Salem, have had their charges reduced by a judge on Friday.

“A Salem District Court judge yesterday reduced the charges against two people accused of placing mutilated raccoon parts in the doorways of two Salem shops last spring … Sharon Graham and Frederick Purtz had been charged with malicious destruction of property and littering in the incidents, which brought to light tensions within the community of witches and psychics who have established a presence in Salem over the past several decades. Graham also was charged with witness intimidation … During a hearing yesterday, Graham’s lawyer, David Gavegnano, convinced Judge Richard Mori that police had overcharged the two because a charge of malicious destruction requires that property be damaged or destroyed. The buildings were not damaged when the raccoon entrails, body and head were left there, Gavegnano argued; the blood and animal parts were simply cleaned up.”

Graham still faces charges of defacing property and witness intimidation. The prosecutor has also threatened to appeal the judge’s ruling. This case initially stems from an internal struggle within Salem over the licensing of psychics, and some bad blood between Graham and local event organizer Christian Day. You can read my full coverage of the Salem “psychic wars” at this link.

Two recent stories discuss upcoming Pagan-run events for the Samhain season. The first comes from Starhawk’s most recent entry on The Washington Post’s “On Faith” blog. In the essay Starhawk discusses her views on death and dying, and mentions Reclaiming’s annual Spiral Dance held around Samhain in San Francisco.

“At this time of year, as we move toward Samhain or Halloween, the ancient festival of the ancestors, we say ‘the veil is thin’ that divides the world of the living from the realm of the dead. The ancestors return to visit us – and that is the origin of our Halloween customs of setting candles out in jack-o-lanterns to light their way to our doors, of giving offerings (once harvest offerings, now candy) to children, who are the ancestors returning. In our Samhain rituals, like the large, public Spiral Dance ritual that Reclaiming creates every year right before Halloween, we often take an imaginative journey to the Isle, to meet and talk with our beloved dead, to receive help and guidance, to finish what is unfinished, to offer our love. I have many times had visions and a deep sense of connection with my loved ones who have passed on. The meaning is often very personal, a message of hope or approval or advice.”

Meanwhile The Salem News gives us a “dummies guide” to the variety of Witch-related Halloween happenings in the “Witch City” of Salem. Of particular interest is the competing “official” Salem Witches Balls from two different generations of Witches.

“…two witches balls, both advertised as the “official” Salem witches ball and both at the historic Hawthorne Hotel. The first, on Friday, Oct. 26, is run by local witch Christian Day and features Fiona Horne, an Australian rock star billed as “the world’s most famous witch.” The other, on Halloween night, is being staged by Laurie Cabot, who also is “the world’s most famous witch.” Cabot, of course, is the official witch of Salem, a title bestowed upon her three decades ago by Gov. Michael Dukakis … It could be argued that Day, 37, and Cabot, 74, are the new and old guard of Salem witchcraft. They have loyal followings, are occasionally controversial and unabashedly entrepreneurial.”

You can find information for Day’s ball, here, and Cabot’s, here. These Samhain events, held on different coasts, help illustrate the diversity of attitudes and approach within modern Paganism (specifically religious Witchcraft) while preserving essential elements of the holiday (honoring the ancestors, acknowledging those who have died, celebrating life through feasting and dance, connecting with divinity). To a certain extent, a shared practice (praxis) binds these Witches together far more than any shared theology or ideology. A point that often escapes those looking to pigeonhole “what Witches (or Pagans) believe”.

The Boston Globe looks at Salem’s preparations for the upcoming Halloween season, when Witches, Pagans, curious tourists, and people who just want to party, all gather in the small New England city. This year Salem is selling a new discount card (called a “Haunted Passport”) to help offset the city’s expenses.

“In an effort to manage the Witch City’s biggest moneymaker – the Halloween season – the city is offering a $13 discount card to the hordes who descend on Salem every October for Haunted Happenings, a local celebration of everything witchy, ghostly, and ghoulish. “It’s almost like a diner’s card where you buy it and you get a discount,” Mayor Kim Driscoll said of the card, which is called the Haunted Passport. She said proceeds from the card will help the city coordinate and pay for public safety efforts, such as sending out extra police patrols, positioning portable bathroom facilities near attractions, and getting street-closure notices to residents.”

Among those participating in the program is the Salem Witch Museum, and local Witch Christian Day, who is throwing his annual “Festival of the Dead”.

“Christian Day, a local witch who puts on several events collectively called the Festival of the Dead, said he already has seen customers making use of their cards when ordering tickets through his website. Day said he decided to support the program because it promotes the city while helping him to advertise his festival to a wider audience.”

As more Pagans get formally involved in Salem’s tourist preparations, it seems like only a matter of time before the large and growing number of Pagan residents in the city help elect one of the first openly Pagan politicians. In a city where Witchcraft is big business, anything can happen.

The two individuals thought to be responsible for dumping a mutilated raccoon corpse at the doorsteps of two Salem businesses were arrested on Monday. The suspects, Sharon Graham, a High Priestess of Salem Witchcraft, and her roommate, Fredrick Purtz have both plead not guilty to charges of littering and malicious destruction of property (the raccoon is believed to been found already dead by Graham, so no animal cruelty charges are pending).

Sharon R. Graham and Fredrick L. Purtz at their arraignment.

These arrests come in the wake of a ongoing conflict over the licensing of psychics in Salem, where big money is to be made by the annual tourist trade in the “Witch City”. The split between established shop owners (including Laurie “Official Witch of Salem” Cabot) and newer residents who have been making money off of large “psychic fairs” seemed to escalate in May when two shops Angelica of the Angels, and The Goddess’ Treasure Chest found the remains of a mutilated animal at their doorsteps.

“The remains of a mutilated raccoon were left at the doorways of two of the city’s psychic shops. At 12:41 a.m. yesterday, John Ray of Salem flagged down police Sgt. Richard Gagnon and alerted him to a raccoon’s skull and a pile of intestines that had been left at the entrance to Angelica of the Angels, a shop at 7 Central St. While patrolling Essex Street about an hour later, Gagnon discovered more remains at the door to The Goddess’ Treasure Chest at 172 Essex St.”

Some in the community pointed fingers at Christian Day, a Salem Witch who organizes psychic fairs and a whole host of Witch-themed activities during the Samhain/Halloween season. But while Graham has indeed worked with Day in the past, it was also him who urged a witness to come forward that brought about the arrests.

“‘I would never condone something like this,’ Day said of the mutilated raccoon corpse. ‘I’m responsible for these people being arrested single-handedly. I made (the witness) go to the police.’ [Salem Police Detective] Doyle confirmed Day played a part in the witness coming forward. Day said he’s trying to clear his name and wants an apology from everyone who accused him of mutilating the raccoon and leaving it on the businesses’ doorsteps.”

Since the “raccoon incident”, the city of Salem passed a compromise measure that put some new limits on psychic readers coming in from outside, but also increased the number of potentially licensed readers. A situation that has left Cabot and some shop-owners unhappy.

“…a group calling itself the Witches’ Public Awareness League, made up of several locals who have for years offered psychic readings for a fee, said the proposal isn’t enough to stop interlopers who show up during the busy Halloween season and steal their business.”

So while this particular incidence of black magic seems to be wrapping up, tensions still exist between the camps, and it remains to be seen if a lasting peace will come from these arrests. As for Sharon Graham, one wonders if her new infamy will ruin her career in Salem, or simply increase her profile in certain circles.

ADDENDUM: The Salem News has a good follow-up article that goes into more detail about the arraignment and the alleged spell-work that was performed by Graham and her followers.

“Richard Watson said he went back to his Bridge Street apartment on the night of May 26 to a disturbing scene: his roommate, Sharon Graham, dressed in black, surrounded by four young men, also all in black, standing around a jar. Inside that jar was the eye of a raccoon, police say. And in two trash bags in Watson’s refrigerator was the rest of the critter, which had been dismembered.”

The witness who came forward is also claiming that her actions were partly an attempt to frame fellow Salem Witch and psychic fair organizer Christian Day, and partly an attack on the two stores. As for Christian Day, to say he is happy with the arrest might just be an understatement.