Captain Stamina
03-04-2004, 09:49 AM
Witches land in Albany
By Sean Wolfe
Albany Democrat-Herald
They're out of the broom closet, and they're not going back in. That's the word from the owners of Every Witch Way Shoppe, a new store in Albany that caters to pagans and practitioners of the Wiccan religion.
Sonja Anderson, 43, of Albany and Lesley Herl, 60, of Lebanon said they had been thinking of opening a shop for years. After looking at a few locations, they settled on an empty storefront opposite City Hall at 237 Third Ave. S.W.
Clad in what she calls 16th century "wench wear" - a floor-length white dress and an ornate vest - Herl said she expects to be able to help thousands of customers all over the state.
"There are a tremendous amount of pagans in this area, from Portland to the coastline. They haven't had this kind of resource until now," Herl said.
"There are a lot of shops that deal with a few things for pagans - they handle a few things, but not all of it. We're going to offer everything."
"Everything" includes a variety of wares relevant to Wiccan ritual, including cauldrons, candles, chalices, oils, incense, books and other objects, such as the athame, or ritual dagger. Then there's brooms, statuary and, coming soon, custom-made wands.
Certainly, resources abound on the Internet for practicing Wiccans - potions, herbs, incense, candles and the like can be found on hundreds of Web sites. But Herl and Anderson said what they offer besides the trappings is the training that goes with them.
"We always ask what people are going to use this stuff for. And we will hold classes soon. Another specialty is that we'll be able to help people put together charm bags and help them do spell work," Herl said.
Herl's idea of spell casting is a far cry from the whiz-bang effects depicted in movies such as "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" or the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy.
"It's like what other religions think of as prayer. We're putting out into the universe what we want to see coming back," Herl said.
"We're using intent in order to have it help other people. And we never, never, never cast anything on anyone without their permission. We have ethics."
Herl, who has been practicing Wicca for the past 40 years, said there's a great many misconceptions about the religion, in part because of the large number of Wiccan sects, including some that have been alloyed with feminism and others that have taken on elements of Freemasonry.
"People see pentagrams, and they wonder if it has something to do with Satan, and I usually say, 'No - he's a Christian god, not a pagan god,'" Anderson said.
Herl said early attempts at finding a spot for the shop were impeded in part by some landlords who said tenants had "concerns" about having a witch's shop next door.
Since opening their doors last Tuesday, the store has grabbed the attention of both the pagan faithful and the curious.
"We had people come in in tears saying, 'You're finally here,'" Herl chuckled.
"We also have had a few derogatory remarks, but we were expecting that. One thing we're big on is educating people about what we do, and why. Mostly, we point them to history - because it's all there."
The U.S. Census of 2002 estimated that out of 288,368,698 Americans, there were 173,021 identifying themselves as Wiccan, with a slightly larger population of 201,858 identifying themselves as pagan.
The Every Witch Way Shoppe is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Its phone number is 924-9936.
By Sean Wolfe
Albany Democrat-Herald
They're out of the broom closet, and they're not going back in. That's the word from the owners of Every Witch Way Shoppe, a new store in Albany that caters to pagans and practitioners of the Wiccan religion.
Sonja Anderson, 43, of Albany and Lesley Herl, 60, of Lebanon said they had been thinking of opening a shop for years. After looking at a few locations, they settled on an empty storefront opposite City Hall at 237 Third Ave. S.W.
Clad in what she calls 16th century "wench wear" - a floor-length white dress and an ornate vest - Herl said she expects to be able to help thousands of customers all over the state.
"There are a tremendous amount of pagans in this area, from Portland to the coastline. They haven't had this kind of resource until now," Herl said.
"There are a lot of shops that deal with a few things for pagans - they handle a few things, but not all of it. We're going to offer everything."
"Everything" includes a variety of wares relevant to Wiccan ritual, including cauldrons, candles, chalices, oils, incense, books and other objects, such as the athame, or ritual dagger. Then there's brooms, statuary and, coming soon, custom-made wands.
Certainly, resources abound on the Internet for practicing Wiccans - potions, herbs, incense, candles and the like can be found on hundreds of Web sites. But Herl and Anderson said what they offer besides the trappings is the training that goes with them.
"We always ask what people are going to use this stuff for. And we will hold classes soon. Another specialty is that we'll be able to help people put together charm bags and help them do spell work," Herl said.
Herl's idea of spell casting is a far cry from the whiz-bang effects depicted in movies such as "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" or the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy.
"It's like what other religions think of as prayer. We're putting out into the universe what we want to see coming back," Herl said.
"We're using intent in order to have it help other people. And we never, never, never cast anything on anyone without their permission. We have ethics."
Herl, who has been practicing Wicca for the past 40 years, said there's a great many misconceptions about the religion, in part because of the large number of Wiccan sects, including some that have been alloyed with feminism and others that have taken on elements of Freemasonry.
"People see pentagrams, and they wonder if it has something to do with Satan, and I usually say, 'No - he's a Christian god, not a pagan god,'" Anderson said.
Herl said early attempts at finding a spot for the shop were impeded in part by some landlords who said tenants had "concerns" about having a witch's shop next door.
Since opening their doors last Tuesday, the store has grabbed the attention of both the pagan faithful and the curious.
"We had people come in in tears saying, 'You're finally here,'" Herl chuckled.
"We also have had a few derogatory remarks, but we were expecting that. One thing we're big on is educating people about what we do, and why. Mostly, we point them to history - because it's all there."
The U.S. Census of 2002 estimated that out of 288,368,698 Americans, there were 173,021 identifying themselves as Wiccan, with a slightly larger population of 201,858 identifying themselves as pagan.
The Every Witch Way Shoppe is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Its phone number is 924-9936.