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One day, as an adult, I was channel surfing and happened to watch a few minutes of Sabrina the Teenage Witch. Nostalgia, ya know? Then it dawned on me. It was like a light bulb was flicked on, or a connection was finally being realized. Their cat was named “Salem” in the show; after Salem, Massachusetts.
You guys, No. Stop it.
I am not a fan of feeding the “Witch Wars” epidemic, but we need to talk about this.
As a reminder of the history behind this place…you know…it’s the place where the Salem Witch trials took place. Where an entire town rallied behind a group of elementary school kids, to put 20 fellow grown ass adults TO DEATH. With no proof other than he said-she said.
I am just going to say it, and I guarantee people won’t agree with me, but I’m still going to say it. Witches (or anyone for that matter) going to Salem like they are going to a theme park is seriously messed up. Since we are on the subject anyway, people of the Wiccan community naming their animals Salem is super cringe-worthy too.
To put it in a bit more perspective, equating Salem to a holy place or “mecca” to a Witch is like saying Auschwitz is the holy land of all Jews. Just stop it. Super offensive, y’all.
Witches going there like it is a fun theme park, should recheck their perspective on history. What happened there not only got 20 people murdered (oh, sorry, “tried and found guilty”… on the basis of no factual information; just saying), but it also started a ripple throughout history that people of the community are still trying to get past. People still think absolutely absurd things like animal sacrifices and devil worship exist in the Wiccan/Witch/Pagan community. Now if people would do some actual research, they would find that it is like accusing Christians of worshiping Tony the Tiger from the Frosted Flakes box. It makes no sense and the perpetuation of this negative information is based on hearsay and fear-based lies.
As for me, I could never set foot in Salem, and you know why? Because I am a Psychic and death permeates that land. Not just the feeling of ‘natural’ death either, it is the kind that never had closure. That is the kind of death that lingers for generations. Then to make matters worse, mass amounts of people flock there, feeding to the energies that can never rest. It is like paving over a Native American Burial Ground in a classic horror movie, you’re just asking for trouble.
Once, while visiting family in New England, I drove close to Salem. I didn’t have time to stop and I admit I was curious, but what I felt while simply in the general area still makes me uneasy. To this day I still get nervous and anxious when I think about how I felt. The air was heavy, the fear leached into every old structure, and I could still hear them screaming about injustice. I stayed for the weekend in the next state over, but I still felt it.
Look, I am not saying that it is blasphemous to go to Salem, just keep in mind what horrible things happened there. Pay tribute in some way. The first thing you do when you visit a place like that is take more than a minute to morn, pay respects, and not just in a fleeting afterthought.
Regardless of what religion you practice or believe in, just remember that people once existed there and they were murdered for no proven reason. Show some respect.
And no, it is not advisable to ask a friend whom you just found out is Wiccan, if they have ever been to Salem. Sure, they may be polite about it, but in the back of their mind they are wondering why you just asked if they have ever been to a mass burial ground where their people were tortured and executed. Are you getting the picture yet?
Good.
-A. Elise