Visiting Salem!

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Xiao Rong
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Visiting Salem!

Post by Xiao Rong »

I'm super excited - after years and years of hearing about Salem, now that I've got a car and the time, I'm going to visit Salem, Massachussetts! Only for a couple of hours on the way to visit my boyfriend's family in Boston, but I'm really looking forwards to going somewhere pagan (even if its pagan past was very tragic and now super touristy ... )
~ Xiao Rong ~ 小蓉 ~ Little Lotus ~
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Jade Rose
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Re: Visiting Salem!

Post by Jade Rose »

Oh, I really wanted to visit Salem, and still do! Too bad I live on the other side of the globe. :(

Is it far away from where you live though?
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Pinkpower_80
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Re: Visiting Salem!

Post by Pinkpower_80 »

That's great! IMO going to Salem is kinda like a pilgrimage of sorts for us Witches. Maybe you'll be able to connect with some of our ancestors during your visit. I'm excited for you!
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Echo_of_shadows
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Re: Visiting Salem!

Post by Echo_of_shadows »

Even though Salem is touristy, you have a wonderful opportunity to learn more about one of the most popular Pagan spots and you get to do it in person.
I hope you have a great time! :flyingwitch:
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Xiao Rong
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Re: Visiting Salem!

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Thanks, guys! It's actually only about 2 hours from where I live; definitely a doable day trip. I'll let you know how it goes ; )
~ Xiao Rong ~ 小蓉 ~ Little Lotus ~
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Lillady
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Re: Visiting Salem!

Post by Lillady »

Can't wait to hear your adventures, I've always wanted to visit there and feel, smell, hear the history very exciting !
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Firebird
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Re: Visiting Salem!

Post by Firebird »

oooo, can I slip into your suitcase???
“There are things known and things unknown and in between are the Doors.”
― Jim Morrison
“All I have seen teaches me to trust the Creator for all I have not seen.”
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North Star
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Re: Visiting Salem!

Post by North Star »

Enjoy! This time of year is awesome in Salem. Lots of activities and stuff going on. I always wanted to go to The Witches Ball. :)

It gets kind of crazy on Halloween, once we tried and never made it... a ten mile back up to get into the city. Never tried that again! My favorite time is early October (they have so much going on all month) and summer, when it is less crowded with tourists. I love the waterfront in summer... The whole town is so beautiful.

You are going to love it! Yes definetly a doable day trip, I was about the same distance just in the other direction (South Coast MA).

Have fun! Share pics if you can, been a couple years for me! But it is on my list for my trip home next summer. ;)
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Xiao Rong
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Re: Visiting Salem!

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I would looove to go on Halloween!

Anyways, about my trip to Salem (now two weeks ago - wow, time flies by fast): My boyfriend and I drove down, but we only had about four hours there. After getting a quick lunch, we wanted to go by the Salem Witch Museum, which he'd visited as a kid (he grew up in Massachusetts and his school went on a field trip there). We just missed one of the showings, so we wandered down the tourist-y street with all the witchy shops. It was mostly tourists, and the witchy shops were more tourist-oriented than serious (sort of confused between whether they were selling occult things or Halloween costumes or Harry Potter stuff. Not complaining, because they were all cool, but they weren't serious occult stores), though I did wind up buying my first pentacle pendant (I seriously never owned a pentacle up until now!) and a rune pendant with Pertho on it (for my boyfriend, who loves games and game design).

Visited the official Salem witch hunt memorial, which was a pretty sombering experience - there's a spot in the graveyard that has the names of those killed in the witch hunts engraved on stones around you, along with their dates of death and method of death. I studied The Crucible in high school, and it was a little surreal to see the names of many of the characters in the play on the stones in real life.

We then went back to the Salem Witch Museum, where they bring the tour group into this room and do a presentation on the history of the Salem witch hunts using these wax figures and clever lighting (it had been designed in the 60s, clearly). I didn't know how to feel about this, actually, because the narrative was sort of conflicted between talking about Satan in the world infecting gullible girls (they literally had a wax figurine of the Devil with glowing eyes ... ), and it being a terrible human rights travesty brought on by a bunch of very cruel and very bored young women (lots of blaming women's hysteria there).

After the presentation, they took us to a little "exhibit" about the "Evolving Perceptions of Witchcraft", where they talked about witchcraft as the Old Religion (based on prehistoric Goddess worship, using practices such as herbalism and midwifery). The weirdest and most surreal part of the exhibit were these two wax figures of two modern day Wiccans dressed in ceremonial clothing, which did a good job of explaining basic Wiccan beliefs, such as the Wheel of the Year. Still, it's very strange to see modern day Pagans as an actual museum exhibit and to be told by the tour guide that "Salem has its very own coven of witches!!" Funny side story - in the tour group, which was mostly families of tourists from the Midwest or something, I was the only one wearing anything outwardly identifying myself as Pagan (a crescent moon pendant). A father of one of these very all-American, Midwestern families was giving me the stink eye for pretty much the whole time the tour guide was talking, and I'm pretty sure it's because of my necklace!

I had to leave after that, but I guess I came away more affected by the fact that the Salem Witch Hunt was a terrible human rights tragedy ... after all, most of the so-called witches weren't practitioners of the Old Religion, but God-fearing Puritans. It was still an enjoyable experience, but I felt kind of disturbed after the fact that there were so many tourists there to exploit a really terrible event in human history (and yes, myself included ... ) I suppose if people come away with a greater tolerance and understanding for Paganism and witchcraft, then that makes it a little better.
~ Xiao Rong ~ 小蓉 ~ Little Lotus ~
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Re: Visiting Salem!

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I also bought my first pentacle in Salem many years ago! :D

Yeah, there is not a lot that comes out of visiting Salem as far as spirituality goes (for a pagan). It is a little upsetting sometimes for those of us who take it more seriously. Definitely caters to tourism and not the witchcraft community.

The graveyard was the most moving experience for me. Very somber feeling. And you are right Xiao, they were not witches. Simply accused of being so. So much sadness in that... and unfortunately even some among ourselves (pagan community) have no idea the real meaning behind it all... many assume these were witches, they were most likely not. Many do not even know Salem was not where it originally began, it was in Danvers.

Laurie had very nice shops, I loved Crow Haven Corner (my first pentacle!) and her other shop closed last year I believe (I think under new ownership outside the family). 'Crow' was a beautiful shop when Penny owned it. Now what you have is places like Hex run by 'warlocks' and unfortunately, yes, Harry Potter witchery feel to it. No offense to Christian Day, but whatever...it is not the craft I know and love and was influenced by. The tourism factor I think has only gotten bigger since I first went in the 90s (maybe the internet age of everyone claiming to be 'pagan' because it is trendy, and the Harry Potter mentality etc., since the early 90s it has been a decline of depth, IMO)... and so much is lost about what witchcraft really is. It has for sure been more commercialized. I have always wished there would be more for the real pagans who visit, something the town really lacks.

If I remember correctly, in the 80s Laurie Cabot fought against the way The Salem Witch Museum presented the stories of the trials. I grew up listening to such debates about Salem and witchcraft in general (Oh, my Aunt would go on and on! I loved listening to her go!) Personally, I don't think what Laurie attempted went too far... from what I remember there is (or was) some kind of plaque that explains some truth behind it, but the idea they present in these tours and 'entertainment' has never really changed much.

I never went on the tours. I knew the way I would feel about it, had no desire. I just enjoy the town, do some sight seeing, shopping, and eat. :) Salem reminds me a lot of my other favorite New England town... Newport, RI. Both very touristy, but if you are lucky enough to experience them at a quieter time... you can find your own beauty (and magick) in it.
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Re: Visiting Salem!

Post by Echo_of_shadows »

I'm glad you two are sharing your Salem stories with those of us who haven't been there. It definitely sounds enriching.
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Re: Visiting Salem!

Post by MagickalMist »

That's so awesome! I hope you have fun! Maybe you could upload a picture or two? (:
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Re: Visiting Salem!

Post by Vervain »

Xiao Rong wrote: Visited the official Salem witch hunt memorial, which was a pretty sombering experience - there's a spot in the graveyard that has the names of those killed in the witch hunts engraved on stones around you, along with their dates of death and method of death. I studied The Crucible in high school, and it was a little surreal to see the names of many of the characters in the play on the stones in real life.
This sounds amazing. I'd never really given much thought to the idea of visiting Salem before, I guess because the people actually being persecuted for the most part weren't witches--doesn't mean it's not worth visiting, it just hadn't occurred to me. Now I really kind of want to go!
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Re: Visiting Salem!

Post by River SilverWolf »

I really want to go someday.Actually we want to plan a new england trip not just salem. Never been to that part of the country and want to. Most likely will try in the next couple of years. The other place we are planning (that's a bit closer for me) is New Orleans!
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Re: Visiting Salem!

Post by Shadow Riverlark »

One of these days, I'd love to get out to Salem, too, especially after hearing about your experiences. It sounds like a very fulfilling and educational journey, despite all of the touristy things. My uncle lives out near DC, so maybe one of these days when I go out to see him, my husband and I can take a train up to Massachusetts for a weekend. ^^
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