As a modern witch there is much value in depth perception.It is not enough to have a connection.Whether it is recognized or not , there is an entire dichotomy involved. The connection alone can only afford so much with out the need to understand the connection. Where does it come from ? How does it operate? What drives the perception? I could go on with the many things I learned from my experience in Salem but for the sake of sharing the experience I should start there. The drive was twenty hours long of bubbling anticipation.
I always enjoy arriving to a new land. For me its almost a tangible vibration I can pick up. Different places pull different strings for me. There was alot of anticipation coming to Salem because of this. I was blessed enough to stay in the heart of the historical district next to downtown. Arrival felt clean and light. I wasn't entirely sure what I expected , but if im honest it wasn't clean and light. We chose to go during Mabon. This is a pagan holiday that references autumn equinox. The reason for chosing this was to avoid the tourist rush of Halloween. In America economic holidays can easily drown out the market and block some of the authentic experience in landmark areas.Driving into our destitnation around nine p.m. gave a closed ghost town version of what could be expected.
The first couple of days was spent taking in the shopping and the driving culture. If I had but only one critique it would have been the aggressive driving. Lucky for me where Im from also drives aggressively, but it seemed different than the rest of the aspects here. The air was soft, and the wind felt mischeivous. Essex street was the very first on the list. It was very alive with all kinds of people. Similiar to other main streets in other larger cities. You could tell the diverse difference between locals and tourists as well. Most if not all the shopping experiences were targeted toward their inhereted land narrative. This means alot of witchy and sub culture shopping. You could tell who was where they should be and those partaking in the market.
Something I noticed to be a thing was tarot readers conducted business in the shop windows.It definitely set a tone for the passerby on the street. It felt welcoming and appreciated amongst those walking by. I enjoyed what they referred to as "Witch city". So many wore little witch hats while others would be out in full decorum. It is truly a site to be held beyond our own perceptions. I found myself wondering how must those persecuted might have felt observing this. Many places worked hard to give an ambiance while others directly set up like a standard gift shop.
I think one of my favorites had to be Blackcraft. Their entire experience really put you into the mood of where you were.
From the worlds largest witch dangling in the front entrance all the way to the themed coffee shop in the back, it gave a full throttle "Witch City" experience. It was easy to get lost in if Im honest. An entire trip to Salem could be spent shopping alone if permitted. Between the shopping and the food you could easily forget the full spectrum of what Salem has to offer. But there has to be more , right?
The second portion was spent visting the cemeteries. Much like the arrival there was consistent feeling of light and clean. Maybe one or two shifts from that feeling within my experience but over all it felt almost absent. While we explored the second cemetary of the day, I got out of the car to stroll with mu umbrella. The rain was light and it felt almost wrong to not seize the moment.
Stepping out of the car in this moment felt a bit different, however. I was the only one who wanted to get out at that particular moment, so I slowly strolled while the car followed behind. The rain definitely added to the ambiance. Beyond its light taps and walking on wet gravel I could here something in the distance. It was a deeper voice speaking spanish on what sounded like speaker. The speaker spoke slowly and almost monotone. I looked around to see if I could spot anything that would be omitting this sound. It was eerie as it felt without emotion.
I wouldnt say it made me nervous as much as it drew caution from my instincts. But alas all I could see was a car off in the distance. Briefly I thought to myself, "Well thats strange". Before I could think any further one of my friends from the car began strolling with me. We began discussing the beauty of the structures and what it must be like to watch these grounds.Over by the end the road we were currently on there was a taller structure. It was beautiful and I felt like it was worth soaking in. My friend walked off towards another one, and as I began walking toward the structure I could here it again. Same radius of distance as before. Still only the one car over in the distance. This time someone was here , so I walked over to ask. "Did you hear that?", I asked casually. "No, I dont hear anything but the rain" they said while looking at the site they stood before. I didnt mention it any further from that moment. It was much longer that we both got back in the car and started on our move to the next cemetery. There was so much beauty in the cemeteries in Salem. Even the oldest and most basic of site felt rich with ambiance. This was another angle in which an entire trip to Salem could be spent on.
The next day was spent by what I felt to be the heart of the downtown experience, the shipyard. The ocean is something I love to see from any perspective. It is after all , divine where the land meets water. The cobble stone streets and shops along the way gave a very welcoming vibe to the surrounding atmospshere. There was a healthy mix of classic boutiques,alternative, and pagan shopping. Things were ,in my opinion, moderately priced. The food was also a presence in the streets. We began our experience on schooner named Fame.
If Im honest I feel this was an experience anyone visiting Salem should experience. The staff was very friendly and allowed you to help with sails for a more immersive experience. Being out at sea felt amazing. The wind was of course strong that day but I felt like it added to vibe of what we were doing. It felt almost magical watching little people off in the distance walking to their locations and random light houses along the way. Some of the ride was spent soaking it all in , while another portion they shared more history of the land and what we see today. Salem was ,in its orignal context, a fishing mecha.
It wasnt until the Puritannical settlers began to arrive that the narrative would shift. Before that it was far less religous and political. The main focus was spent agricultrually. One thing was certian from his stories, fisherman love the sea. By the way our speaker shared his information , you could here the passion in his voice and what being out at sea felt for him. Truly a testament of what belonged here before murder would take the narrative. I thought very heavy on this for the remaineder of the boat ride. I desired to see more than the narrative of what is be considered a witches haven in Salem. So many would walk around partaking in the moment but where did the witches go? Did witches come here or was it an inherited narrative? Fishermen would be the best to inherit I suppose. Between their connection to the land and sharing lore, it makes sense. The bounty of the land comes from the lore and the ocean. As mentioned before the food held presence on the streets of the port. The excitement of food weighed heavy on those present as listened to stories of fishing and what it meant in Salem's history. Coming back to shore my mind was full of thoughts. It wasnt long before the smell of food would distract me from the lingering questions.
Next to our port was restauraunt called Fin's.
It sat along the port allowing its patrons to spectate the shipyard. The service was very kind and informative on the cuisine. The textures and smells complimented each other as we aborbed our experience. The food itself was amazing. The quality of sea food was something to be mentioned. Everything was exactly what it needed to be following the lore of a fishing mecha.
Dinner was followed by more shop experiences and glimpse of what it looked like at night for the locals. Alot of the houses were close in vicinity. Fall had truly begun. In fact while in Salem the calendar arrived to Mabon. Mabon is a pagan holiday that focuses on the arrival of fall and the harvest from summer. While this holiday has more than one name, its place among the ancestors was important. I antcipated its recognition in a place of witchcraft. Surely there would be some direct recognition of the equinox but I personally struggled to find it as blatant as the consumerism from what appeared to be an inhereted narrative. The house were however decorated. There was atleast an overall unity in what this time of year repsresented for the town of Salem. From the pumpkins on the porch or the candle and decorum in the windows. Downtown Salem at night was something to be seen. But where were the witches?
The remaineder of the trip would be focused on the more monumental parts of the city. We began that portion with the Satanic Temple. It wasnt very surprising to find this here. For those who do not know the satanic Temple is a religous structure that works to empowers its community. Satanism its self is built off tenats that strengthen the core of living life to its fullest. Despite propaganda, all if the involvement that comes from the foundation of this church reflects the opposite of a menacing worhsip. Most of its constituents do not adhere to standard religion. The idea of believing in Satan is not at all required. Satan is more of metaphorical presence in the defiance of power and control for alot of these individuals. Baphomet is often used to depict this character. and while it has its own history it has been adopted as a mascot of sorts.
The Baphomet statue located in Salem holds American history. The pursuit of religous liberty is a core american value. The right to worship as desired is at the very root of America. This particular statue was made in response to others attemtpting to monopolize the religous narrative in another state. As a result all religious affiliation was removed from that site and this statue was brought here. Standing before it felt surreal. The craftsmanship was wild as every detail displayed itself remarkably. The temple itsself served also as a place of experience. Between the library and art exhibits , the temple attracted all kinds of people.
It wasnt hard to recognize the spiritual and communal relevance this temple played here. The staff was kind and conversational. There was a in fact a welcoming vibe seprate from the consumerism of Salem. Beyond the shopping , there was a focus on films that were filmed in Salem tour guides were not hard to find. We wrapped up the experience with what seemed to be an intrensic part of the community here. The "Salem Witch museum" had and hand and reference in most if not all the experiences in the vicinity.
Tickets were affordable and fairly simple to obtain. We were told that video and pictures were prohibited once entering as everything there was copywritten. They divided the overall group of people into two groups as we were informed while being seated. This would be because the second portion had a smaller space.Walking in you could smell the buildning was older than many other structures. We would be seated in what seemed to once be a congregation hall gutted out for a auditory and visual experience. Different wax statues and scenes would be lit as the over all audio would recount the history that brough us all here. Once that ran its course they separated us into the two groups and so began the second portion. While listening to the mueseum employee recite their script I came to a couple of conclsuions. This is an inherited narrative handled with the utmost respect. People died here as a result of religous extremism. The remnants of that have left the soil prosperous with notoriety and revenue. It is not done out of ignorance either. Another conclusion this brought to me was that should I return here I will be more vocal on the substance beyond the consumerism. It has to be there.
There was a nice gift shop at the end of the mueseum. I looked around as I absorbed these revelations. Many are curious about experience Salem, and to them I would say aboslutely do it. What I did not find must exist there. Mystery continues to stain my mind with this location. As I share my experience Im sure I will continue to uncover parts of Salem. Until then I hope to have shed a little light from the perspective of a river witch from Memphis,Tn.
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