It may come as a surprise (not really) that I am fascinated by witches as well as the practices of Paganism and its newer movements including Wicca. The ancient traditions of witches as well as their connections to the earth are incredibly interesting and I find myself wanting to know more about things like tarot and spiritual energy. When I was little, I always wanted to believe in the existence of magic and I still do as an adult. Being able to understand the history of witches and their practices helps me feel closer to that magic. Over this past summer, I went on a family vacation to Boston and I begged my parents for us to make a stop at the town of Salem, Massachusetts. I had always wanted to go but never was able to make it up there, until now. After a medium amount of begging, we made the trip from Boston to Salem.Â
The town was definitely not what I was expecting. I envisioned Salem to be a generally small, sleepy town with a lot more houses than there were stores but that didn’t seem to be the case. We were told on our tour of the town that Salem did indeed use to be small and quiet, but became a destination after the 1960s. This was because of the 1960s TV series “Bewitched” which was partially set in Salem, Massachusetts. There is even a statue of the main character from “Bewitched”, Samantha, in the center of town. Since the TV series put Salem on the map, the town has grown significantly and has many stores and restaurants centered around witches and magic. Overall, Salem is a lot more touristy now than I had originally realized. Some of the stores were definitely tourist traps with gimmicky souvenirs and poor quality t-shirts, but there were a few gems in the mix.Â
One of these stores was a small,crowded shop filled with handmade wands and sitting at the counter was an older woman who introduced herself as the shopkeeper and a registered witch! She was very kind and knowledgeable about witches and the significance of wands. She told us that wands are considered extensions as well as siphons for a witch’s magic. There had to have been over 50 different types of wands in the store with boxes haphazardly stacked on top of eachother on uneven shelves. It looked like Ollivanders Wand Shop straight out of Harry Potter. The shopkeeper asked me multiple questions about myself and picked out a wand that she thought would be a perfect fit for me. I had looked around the store at all the different wands but I had to come back to the one she picked out for me. It was a black stained wooden wand with a thick spiral texture that reminded me of a more extreme unicorn horn. I learned that this wand was best suited for creative minds and ambitious personalities which I thought fit rather well with me. I was so excited to buy the wand and I ended up holding on to it for the rest of our trip there.Â
After some shopping in the many stores in the center of town, my family and I went to meet up with some others to go on a tour of Salem’s history. The tour guide took us to many locations throughout the town and we learned not only about the history of the Salem witch trials, but also some more recent ghost stories. One of the coolest parts of the tour was seeing the famous “Witch House” which is the last remaining building from the original Salem settlement in the 1600s. What looked like a normal sized house would actually be considered a mansion back in the town’s founding. We also saw the graves of some of the women who were convicted and killed during the Salem Witch Trials. We learned that even though there was mass hysteria due to the idea of witches being among the settlers, there in fact were no real witches in the town during the Witch Trials. Even though there weren’t any witches back then, there are now more than 200 witches that call Salem their home.
Our tour lasted into the night and afterwards, it was time to head back to our hotel in Boston. I had the most amazing time in Salem and I learned a lot about its history. I am grateful that it wasn’t too busy in July when we went because, according to the locals, it is busier than Times Square on New Years Eve during the month of October for them. While I may not be able to go back during the Fall months, I would love to go back to visit and learn even more about the history and culture of witches. If you ever get a chance to go to Salem, Massachusetts, I highly recommend going and seeing the magic for yourself.
Witchfully Yours,Â
  JackieÂ