Practical magic: Mayor, local psychics featured in TV program - Salem, MA - Salem Gazette
Salem - 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.
Two witches cut from that cloth are Christian Day and Leanne Marrama, who are the focus of a half-hour TV program produced by Voom HD Networks, a provider of high-definition television channels.
One of Voom’s channels, Treasure HD, features all-original programming devoted to people and their passions. Their “Magnificent Obsessions” show explores a different lifestyle in every segment, from skydiving to roller-derby queens, and is available to American viewers on the Dish Network.
The segment on Salem’s “magnificent” witches aired about two weeks ago. The program takes viewers through a tour of witchcraft in Salem, exploring its history, its modern-day witches and how the community views the practice today. During the course of the segment, Day and Marrama demonstrate spells and charms and are shown with a group of their peers, memorializing those hanged in 1692 and banishing the negative energy of the condemners.
Energetic and animated, Day and Marrama discuss the multifaceted face of magic and witchcraft. There is witchcraft’s ancient roots — how, since ancient times, people have turned to spiritual members of their community everywhere from Africa to Europe to New Orleans. And the practice of witchcraft also wields power as a business market, illustrated in the program through Day and Marrama’s new shop, Hex, which is one of the segment’s locations.
In Salem, the history and commercial aspects combine. A good example is the flowing black cloak that Day describes to the interviewer. The tourists love the pageantry, he says: “So we’re giving the tourists what they want, magic in their lives.”
But the cloak also has spiritual meaning. It’s adorned with the classic pentacle of witchcraft spirituality, with a piece a wood he found that was struck by lightning in the Old Burying Point and with a small vial filled with the ashes of a relative. Plus, he says of the all-black garb worn by witches, “Let’s face it, it also looks cool!” It’s a humor-infused approach to witchcraft that resurfaces often in Day and Marrama’s interviews.
Day and Marrama consider themselves to have a hands-on approach to witchcraft, providing a service to their customers just as a witch doctor might in Africa or a voodoo priestess would in New Orleans. The camera captures Marrama performing an intricate love spell, while Day mentions charms like putting a bayleaf in one’s shoe before a court date, for courage and luck.
Although the program focuses on Day and Marrama, it also includes interviews with Salem witches Sandra Power, of the Raven Moon Coven, and Lori Bruno, who practices an Italian tradition passed down through her family. Each woman discusses the path that led her to witchcraft and how it has become a defining part of her life.
All the witches address how and why Salem has become a hub of activity for both witches and Wiccans. Apart from the history, Day says he considers the city one of the places on earth, like New Orleans or Giza, that have special power. Power agrees, telling producer-interviewer Kevin Blond, “if there are lay-lines, Salem is an epicenter of them.”
While much of the show was taped in the Witch House, also known as the Corwin House, it includes footage of numerous Salem locations, including Hex, The Broom Closet and the Witch Trials Memorial and non-witch spots like the Friendship and the Roger Conant statue.
The segment also features interviews with city leaders and the Salem Gazette. Mayor Kim Driscoll and Kate Fox, who is executive director of the Destination Salem tourism bureau, discuss witches as a significant part of the community, both in population and business and cultural contributions. Fox says she’s heard estimates that around 10 percent of the city is Wiccan, Pagan or witch.
Fox and Driscoll also respond to questions about how witchcraft is largely accepted and tolerated in Salem, but some resentment exists. Driscoll notes that the word “Salem” comes from shalom, for peace, something she believes is valued here. “We are a city that embraces people,” she says, noting that it was an isolated period in history that people were hanged over false accusations.
The mayor notes that Salem offers unparalleled architecture preserved from early America and a one-of-a-kind maritime history. Still, for better or worse, the witches remain a fundamental part of Salem’s image and reputation. When you’re out of town and tell someone you’re from Salem, Driscoll notes, “the first thing out of their mouth is something about witches.”
Salem - 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.
Two witches cut from that cloth are Christian Day and Leanne Marrama, who are the focus of a half-hour TV program produced by Voom HD Networks, a provider of high-definition television channels.
One of Voom’s channels, Treasure HD, features all-original programming devoted to people and their passions. Their “Magnificent Obsessions” show explores a different lifestyle in every segment, from skydiving to roller-derby queens, and is available to American viewers on the Dish Network.
The segment on Salem’s “magnificent” witches aired about two weeks ago. The program takes viewers through a tour of witchcraft in Salem, exploring its history, its modern-day witches and how the community views the practice today. During the course of the segment, Day and Marrama demonstrate spells and charms and are shown with a group of their peers, memorializing those hanged in 1692 and banishing the negative energy of the condemners.
Energetic and animated, Day and Marrama discuss the multifaceted face of magic and witchcraft. There is witchcraft’s ancient roots — how, since ancient times, people have turned to spiritual members of their community everywhere from Africa to Europe to New Orleans. And the practice of witchcraft also wields power as a business market, illustrated in the program through Day and Marrama’s new shop, Hex, which is one of the segment’s locations.
In Salem, the history and commercial aspects combine. A good example is the flowing black cloak that Day describes to the interviewer. The tourists love the pageantry, he says: “So we’re giving the tourists what they want, magic in their lives.”
But the cloak also has spiritual meaning. It’s adorned with the classic pentacle of witchcraft spirituality, with a piece a wood he found that was struck by lightning in the Old Burying Point and with a small vial filled with the ashes of a relative. Plus, he says of the all-black garb worn by witches, “Let’s face it, it also looks cool!” It’s a humor-infused approach to witchcraft that resurfaces often in Day and Marrama’s interviews.
Day and Marrama consider themselves to have a hands-on approach to witchcraft, providing a service to their customers just as a witch doctor might in Africa or a voodoo priestess would in New Orleans. The camera captures Marrama performing an intricate love spell, while Day mentions charms like putting a bayleaf in one’s shoe before a court date, for courage and luck.
Although the program focuses on Day and Marrama, it also includes interviews with Salem witches Sandra Power, of the Raven Moon Coven, and Lori Bruno, who practices an Italian tradition passed down through her family. Each woman discusses the path that led her to witchcraft and how it has become a defining part of her life.
All the witches address how and why Salem has become a hub of activity for both witches and Wiccans. Apart from the history, Day says he considers the city one of the places on earth, like New Orleans or Giza, that have special power. Power agrees, telling producer-interviewer Kevin Blond, “if there are lay-lines, Salem is an epicenter of them.”
While much of the show was taped in the Witch House, also known as the Corwin House, it includes footage of numerous Salem locations, including Hex, The Broom Closet and the Witch Trials Memorial and non-witch spots like the Friendship and the Roger Conant statue.
The segment also features interviews with city leaders and the Salem Gazette. Mayor Kim Driscoll and Kate Fox, who is executive director of the Destination Salem tourism bureau, discuss witches as a significant part of the community, both in population and business and cultural contributions. Fox says she’s heard estimates that around 10 percent of the city is Wiccan, Pagan or witch.
Fox and Driscoll also respond to questions about how witchcraft is largely accepted and tolerated in Salem, but some resentment exists. Driscoll notes that the word “Salem” comes from shalom, for peace, something she believes is valued here. “We are a city that embraces people,” she says, noting that it was an isolated period in history that people were hanged over false accusations.
The mayor notes that Salem offers unparalleled architecture preserved from early America and a one-of-a-kind maritime history. Still, for better or worse, the witches remain a fundamental part of Salem’s image and reputation. When you’re out of town and tell someone you’re from Salem, Driscoll notes, “the first thing out of their mouth is something about witches.”
