Best City for Pagans? (living, people, pros, downtown)
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Any city in Northern California is likely to have many pagan and pagan like people. In the Bay Area, there are several different pagan flavored gatherings and groups.
I think you should look for Boulder, CO. I don't know if they are specifically Wiccan, but they do have a lot of New Age type of businesses and spirituality so I think that it would be a good place for you since they can be somewhat similar or related. However Boulder could be a strange place because it isn't that far from Colorado Springs, which is the bastion of Evangelical Charismatic Christianity in America, and Denver which can be conservative of a city. So be prepared to be in a city friendly to paganism surrounded by areas of very strong Christianity.
For Goddess' sake, DO NOT GO TO FREAKIN SALEM! I dreamed of going there for years. YEARS. My whole life. And oh yes, there are definately lots and lots of "pagans" in Salem. But if you are looking for followers of the Goddess, look elsewhere. I did not feel Her presence there at all. The Wiccans in Salem, for the most part, have capitalized on the craft to a sickening and ridiculous level. I found it to be absolutely blasphemous. Those stores overcharge for things you can get on the internet at about 75 percent cheaper. They have Halloween decorations up year round, as though a bunch of fake spiderwebs and plastic bats is what witchcraft is about. I would think a place wanting to present itself as pro-pagan would also want to educate the public as to what Paganism really is, not exploit it through misinformation and propaganda. The Witches of Salem should be ashamed of themselves, and the image they are presenting to the public. You don't have to dress in all black, wear 20 lbs of fake occultic jewelry, and decorate your surroundings with skulls to be a witch. Seriously? Maybe if that's what you are looking for, Satanism sounds more to your liking.
If you are looking for a pro-pagan place to live, find someplace where the environment and wildlife are greatly cared for, someplace where a lot of charity work is done, and someplace where all people are treated equally. THAT is a place where you will find the Goddess. And maybe the reason there aren't a lot of places like that is because us pagans are always looking for something that is already founded... basically, a microwave dinner of pagan life. If we want a pagan-friendly place to live, we all need to take responsibility to educate the uninformed masses as to what we really are, and not give in the hype(ocrit). Wouldn't that make us no different than those which discriminate against us? And wouldn't we be proving them right?
For Goddess' sake, DO NOT GO TO FREAKIN SALEM! I dreamed of going there for years. YEARS. My whole life. And oh yes, there are definately lots and lots of "pagans" in Salem. But if you are looking for followers of the Goddess, look elsewhere. I did not feel Her presence there at all. The Wiccans in Salem, for the most part, have capitalized on the craft to a sickening and ridiculous level. I found it to be absolutely blasphemous. Those stores overcharge for things you can get on the internet at about 75 percent cheaper. They have Halloween decorations up year round, as though a bunch of fake spiderwebs and plastic bats is what witchcraft is about. I would think a place wanting to present itself as pro-pagan would also want to educate the public as to what Paganism really is, not exploit it through misinformation and propaganda. The Witches of Salem should be ashamed of themselves, and the image they are presenting to the public. You don't have to dress in all black, wear 20 lbs of fake occultic jewelry, and decorate your surroundings with skulls to be a witch. Seriously? Maybe if that's what you are looking for, Satanism sounds more to your liking.
If you are looking for a pro-pagan place to live, find someplace where the environment and wildlife are greatly cared for, someplace where a lot of charity work is done, and someplace where all people are treated equally. THAT is a place where you will find the Goddess. And maybe the reason there aren't a lot of places like that is because us pagans are always looking for something that is already founded... basically, a microwave dinner of pagan life. If we want a pagan-friendly place to live, we all need to take responsibility to educate the uninformed masses as to what we really are, and not give in the hype(ocrit). Wouldn't that make us no different than those which discriminate against us? And wouldn't we be proving them right?
I agree therefore I would argue that Portland and Seattle probably has a decent concentration of Pagans. As a Pagan myself this is something I have been researching for awhile and everyone who I have asked recommended to avoid Salem, MA as well because of the crass commercialization. But also I will argue that the Goddess can be found in a lot of places. Even here in the semi-rural midwest.
Location: northern Vermont - previously NM, WA, & MA
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You don't know Salem
Quote:
Originally Posted by Earthgrainalp
For Goddess' sake, DO NOT GO TO FREAKIN SALEM! I dreamed of going there for years. YEARS. My whole life. And oh yes, there are definately lots and lots of "pagans" in Salem. But if you are looking for followers of the Goddess, look elsewhere. I did not feel Her presence there at all. The Wiccans in Salem, for the most part, have capitalized on the craft to a sickening and ridiculous level. I found it to be absolutely blasphemous. Those stores overcharge for things you can get on the internet at about 75 percent cheaper. They have Halloween decorations up year round, as though a bunch of fake spiderwebs and plastic bats is what witchcraft is about. I would think a place wanting to present itself as pro-pagan would also want to educate the public as to what Paganism really is, not exploit it through misinformation and propaganda. The Witches of Salem should be ashamed of themselves, and the image they are presenting to the public. You don't have to dress in all black, wear 20 lbs of fake occultic jewelry, and decorate your surroundings with skulls to be a witch. Seriously? Maybe if that's what you are looking for, Satanism sounds more to your liking.
If you are looking for a pro-pagan place to live, find someplace where the environment and wildlife are greatly cared for, someplace where a lot of charity work is done, and someplace where all people are treated equally. THAT is a place where you will find the Goddess. And maybe the reason there aren't a lot of places like that is because us pagans are always looking for something that is already founded... basically, a microwave dinner of pagan life. If we want a pagan-friendly place to live, we all need to take responsibility to educate the uninformed masses as to what we really are, and not give in the hype(ocrit). Wouldn't that make us no different than those which discriminate against us? And wouldn't we be proving them right?
For goddess sake, don’t be so uptight. I live in Salem and I know a few practicing wiccans personally. They are not Holloween trinket shop owners. You are judging them because there happen to be some small business owners in Salem that own shops selling nostalgic Halloween trinkets, which happens to be a big celebration here. You go as far as saying they ought to be ashamed of themselves. You didn’t actually meet the practicing wiccans here did you? Did you stop by Lori Cabot’s witch shop on Pickering Wharf? It’s nothing like you described. She’s very highly respected in the community and by Wiccans from all over, as is Lori Bruno. They are very accessible and people come from all over to meet them, and neither of them are hocus pocus like you have judged the wiccans in Salem to be.
There are several museums here depicting the history of the witch accusation hysteria and trials in 1692. Many of them offer great insight into the lessons of religious tolerance learned from the witch trials. They become a foundation for the separation between church and state and freedom to practice the religion of your choice. There are museums and historical homes with educated historians educating the what you would call "uninformed masses" if you will.
OK, so perhaps the Halloween commercialization can be a bit overdone, but Halloween is a very big deal here and it’s a lot of fun and appreciated by many. Holloween is suppose to be fun; has your sense of humor escaped you? The wiccans here don’t seem to be too offended by it. To call it blasphomous is being a bit mellodramatic.
There is so much more to Salem than your narrow perceptions of it. It was once a prosperous seafaring merchant port in the 18th century, the city had many manufacturing jobs during the industrial revolution. It was home to famous novelist Nathaniel Hawthorne; author of The Scarlet Letter and the House of Seven Gables. It's also a college town home to Salem State University putting a youthful energy into the city. There are many excellent restaurants to dine in, a large selection of pubs and lounges with great atmosphere, and it’s a wonderful city to live in with lots of interesting people. So we hold no shame in that. Your narrow perceptions colored by your judgment based upon a handful of trinket & souvenir shops and psychic studios; Salem is so much more than that. I feel the presence of goddess here, it’s quite lovely and I'm very grateful to live here.
Last edited by Champ le monstre du lac; 09-15-2011 at 10:58 PM..
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You don't know Salem
