How do you feel when you go into an occult shop?

[Starwitch]

I was just wondering how normal people might feel when they see or enter an occult store? I get really excited and rush to see everything (in a semi-casual, trying-not-to-freak-out way). I LOVE occult stores and I feel totally at home in them. In my area, there is only one such store and it's really more of a New Age store. I love the New Age store too but it's not as mystical and magical as an occult/witchcraft store. I asked Ron about this the other day and he said that he thinks most normal people would be afraid of going into such a place and they would feel uneasy, like the devil is gonna reach out and snatch 'em up. (Okay I added the devil part myself.) Of course, none of you are normal people really so you may not have any clue as to the answer of how normal people feel, but at least you can tell me what it feels like for you if you've been to one.

I thought of it because I was visiting this occult store online who had asked me for a link exchange and I noticed that they have GOLD pentacle jewelry here! I bought a gold pentacle in Salem, MA but I have never seen them anywhere before or since. I'm excited to see that they are carrying them. (Now that I have totally switched over to wearing silver.)

Then I noticed that they have a real live store in Allentown, PA. If any of you live near there, you are pretty dern lucky. You can go visit. PA is so beautiful. I don't know about Allentown though. From the Billy Joel song and video I don't get a pretty picture of the place. Plus, there is the problem of the nuclear reactor thing on Three Mile Island. That sucks.

Here is the link to the store if you want to see the gold pentacles:
Gold Pentacle

Sorry about all the rambling.

[[ShadowPhoenix]]

I have only been in one a few times, but I always feel that same excited feeling! Here in New Orleans there are mostly just Hoo Doo shops but there are a few occult/mytic shops that I know of in the next city over. Some of the 'normal' people I dragged in with me before did feel uncomfortable. Although, there was one who found it interesting.

[Starwitch]

You live in New Orleans? I went there last year for the first time and LOVED it. It was the most beautiful city. It really upset me to see all the homes that were damaged by Katrina. We drove through neighborhood after neighborhood where the homes were completely destroyed by flooding.

I would love to come back to New Orleans. I even thought about moving there when I visited. So I guess I'll see you tomorrow! lol (well maybe, maybe not.)

[JackRabbitSlims]

I have no occult, new age, or magick stores where I live.

Not even oahu has them, and oahu has everything from Chanel to China town. Lol

I have to use online stores and I've really really come to favor www.themagickalcat.com

Maybe we need to start a real store here....

Anyone want to open up an occult store in hawaii?
It might actually bring some cultural difference to this island.

[LaFiamma]

Then I noticed that they have a real live store in Allentown, PA. If any of you live near there, you are pretty dern lucky. You can go visit. PA is so beautiful. I don't know about Allentown though. From the Billy Joel song and video I don't get a pretty picture of the place.

Being from central PA and living there for twenty-two years, I can tell you that it is a perfectly nice area- albeit a bit boring. Judging the area by the song is ridiculous- that song was written back in the seventies- almost forty years ago, not top mention the fact that the song is actually NOT about Allentown- it's about Bethlehem and the Bethlehem Steel corporation- the nam was changed because "Allentown" sounds more American (and I would venture a guess because it's easier to write lyrics around the suond of "Allentown" than "Bethlehem")

Plus, there is the problem of the nuclear reactor thing on Three Mile Island. That sucks.

why is this a problem? The issue was thirty years ago and the potential meltdown was contained. We're not talking about Chernobyl. Yeah, it sucked at the time- but it's not like the area has been contaminated. I lived half an hour from TMI for twenty-two years- trust me, the place is fine. Boring but generally harmless.

[[ShadowPhoenix]]

You live in New Orleans? I went there last year for the first time and LOVED it. It was the most beautiful city. It really upset me to see all the homes that were damaged by Katrina. We drove through neighborhood after neighborhood where the homes were completely destroyed by flooding.

I would love to come back to New Orleans. I even thought about moving there when I visited. So I guess I'll see you tomorrow! lol (well maybe, maybe not.)

See ya tomorrow lol . Yeah, actually to be more accurate, the outskirts of N.O. I first went through when my mom and step-father decided they wanted to drive to our estate in Mexico (why anyone would WANT to drive that far is beyond me ) but I didn't really get to SEE the city. That was when I was living in northern MS, like around the Tupelo, and Oxford area.

I first visited and got to see it in the summer of 2006 when I was coming home from my vacation in Ft. Lauderdale. Of course, by then everything was still destroyed but much had been rebuilt. Six flags, decimated. Homes in N.O. East which is one of the most residential areas of the city was utterly destroyed, and abandoned. Then, I moved here in 2007, even more had been rebuilt.

Bourbon street is good times, you should come visit again, who knows you might even get to come party with me . Southern Decadence Pride Festival is coming up this Labor Day I think you'd have a lot of fun there. Mardi Gras isn't til next year, but if/when ya do come again...we'll SO have to visit some occult shops together cuz I don't have anyone to visit them with .

[Starwitch]

Yeah that would be fun, ShadowPhoenix. I'll look you up next time I come to town.

Sorry to offend you, LaFiamma. I'm glad you defended PA against my preconceived notions because it is one of my all-time favorite travel destinations and I've often thought of moving there. I've really never seen such a beautiful state. Granted I've not been anywhere besides a small portion of the east coast, but still, PA was gorgeous, especially in the Fall. I LOVE all the old buildings and homes. There's nothing like that in Tennessee. We have beautiful mountains and trees and parks here but no historical buildings.

[RuneGeek]

Well, not being at all "normal", it's hard to say what a normal person would feel. None of my friends are "normal" either.

Our friend Wilma had an occult store near us up until a few months ago, when finances forced her to close it. We used to go almost every Saturday and just hang out with her (well, we'd usually buy stuff, too!)... other people from the pagan community would come in and out and we'd greet, talk, hang out... it was great.

Of course the store itself was full of wonderful things... books, candles, music, stones, ritual tools... it was such a comforting environment just to spend time in. We really miss it, but fortunately we still get to see its owner from time to time... she was over at our house on Thursday as a matter of fact. She's wise, kind, and full of wonderful stories... and there's a sparkle in her eyes that would tell me she's pagan if I didn't already know.

[Release.the.bats]

Well, the only occult shoppe in my town, I believe i've posted about under 'for everyone'. The witch that owns it I dislike and she fills the place with her negative energy. Most of the time, I feel like I should bring a tent and live in the occult shoppe. My boyfriend is relatively normal [not really but he appears that way to the unknowing eye] and he dosen't mind them, he just dosen't want me to take forever. haha.
I'm one of those witches that has to go around smelling, touching, seeing everything before I decide to buy something. Just in case I missed something.

[LaFiamma]

Yeah that would be fun, ShadowPhoenix. I'll look you up next time I come to town.

Sorry to offend you, LaFiamma. I'm glad you defended PA against my preconceived notions because it is one of my all-time favorite travel destinations and I've often thought of moving there. I've really never seen such a beautiful state. Granted I've not been anywhere besides a small portion of the east coast, but still, PA was gorgeous, especially in the Fall. I LOVE all the old buildings and homes. There's nothing like that in Tennessee. We have beautiful mountains and trees and parks here but no historical buildings.

Not offended, but thoroughly baffled by the need to throw in comments about TMI and employment issues from thirty-five years ago into the post, as if they somehow made PA a questionable place to visit.

[LaFiamma]

I was just wondering how normal people might feel when they see or enter an occult store?

Additionally, I'm curious as to what you mean by "normal people"?

[Starwitch]

I would like to retract my former apology to LaFiamma.

[Moon_Stone]

Wow... geesh people- stay on track! LaFiamma, I'm sure wasn't trying to intentionally offend you, and thank you too for offering your perspective on PA for those who didn't know... but really, being that ticked off about something this simple is quite counterproductive. Point taken, you're defending a State you care about. And for the record, Normal: 1. conforming to the standard or the common type; usual; not abnormal; regular; natural 2. serving to establish a standard (per dictionary.com)

Back to the actual subject, I do notice a certain air that seems to linger in occult shops that is very "warm fuzzy" for lack of a better term. It seems to beckon and welcome... which is a lovely feeling. So far as the "normies" going into the shop, my daughter (age 12) is still a "normie" and she has mentioned that she does feel the same welcoming air in the shops, but she has told me she actually feels scared to enter-- she's afraid the shop keeper will expect her to have some pagan knowledge that she doesn't have, and she's afraid she'll be embarrassed. So... potentially the other "norms" out there may also have a bit of that in them too. :28:

Great post though! -I wish we had more shops locally as well. Had one that was as Release.the.bats said: bad ownership with even worse vibes (who is now out of business), and another that made a very bad decision to move her location into the swap meet to reduce her overhead-- she didn't even last 2 months after that. (And hasn't resurfaced yet either). -We have a new one though, the staff are really nice people... but the selection is extremely limited. I hope they grow, but their space is also really limited. (Rent out here for businesses is ridiculously expensive.)

Also, if anyone is looking for gold pagan jewelry, (and silver too), there's a great site I've purchased a few things from that I can suggest: http://silverenchantments.com/. I can speak highly of the tree of life pentacle as that's one I wore for many years. :28: Happy shopping!

~BB~
*M

[LaFiamma]

Wow... geesh people- stay on track! LaFiamma, I'm sure wasn't trying to intentionally offend you, and thank you too for offering your perspective on PA for those who didn't know... but really, being that ticked off about something this simple is quite counterproductive. Point taken, you're defending a State you care about. And for the record, Normal: 1. conforming to the standard or the common type; usual; not abnormal; regular; natural 2. serving to establish a standard (per dictionary.com)

I would just like to say one more time, I was not offended. I was not ticked off- though I'm starting to feel like maybe I should be now. I am sorry if I caused any confusion when I explained why I asked but reading that post, if I didn't know any better regarding the historical issues, I would have thought there was something seriously wrong with the area because of them.

Regarding the "normal" thing...I am well aware of the dictionary definition. I frequent a lot of pagan forums. I've seen the word thrown around with various uses and meanings. Honestly, I regard almost everyone I've ever met, regardless of religion, spirituality, whatever to be somewhere in the realm of "normal" and in many cases (I'm NOT saying this one, I'm NOT saying all) when people on this sort of forum refer to "normal" people, there is some sort of derogatory sub-test to it. Hence, asking for clarification.

[AzureImpaler]

I really agree. I feel so at home. And it's kind of weird when I go with some of my more... strongly Christian friends. They're not the type to bash other beliefs, but I know a few more vocal people. Usually I just show them around, and they're at least mildly interested in learning.

I love looking at the different things, even if I can't buy them. >< It's like a candy store for some of us, I suppose. Which reminds me, I recently bought a leather bound Ankh book which I have not written in yet. I must get to that.

That book was bought on vacation. Which reminds me, I must add, I LOVE finding Occult stores in other cities and on vacation, and then remembering or marking where they are. It's always nice to keep track and meet the people again sometimes.