Question by DesiDani(still waiting for 12am): Blunt question to pagans. Do you mind when stores or websites that cater to the witchcraft, wicca, and…?
,,,other pagan faiths are sometimes located next to message parlors, back alleys, x-rated links online, or something associate with the sex industry.
Not quite, where I live in Vegas, I know of one that is in an area that I make sure my windows are rolled up. Perhaps you have good real estate.
Best answer:
Answer by mia delight
no…….
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is that what you see? it’s not what i see.
Wouldn’t bother me one bit. However, I’ve never seen that. The stores here are actually next to each other on a busy corner. The store my husband and I used to own was next to a travel agency, a bead shop, and a restaurant. So your stereotyping is way off base, as stereotyping generally is.
Sometimes, those places are the only places some Christians will not go to harass the Pagan storekeeper. There used to pe a Pagan shop in a couple of towns over. The churches banded together to shut it down because it had a nice location in the town square. I guess they thought it should be behind the bowling alley.
Jeanmarie, you had a reaction to the herbs. That happens to my husband too. The other thing you felt was purely psychological. You saw the pentacle first, and to say otherwise is a lie.
hmm… haven’t seen that. What are your sources?
Just yesterday I went to a Witch store, there are only 3 that I know of in this area I live in. What shocked me, and was a bit disappointing, was in this witch store I found a bunch of crap (seriously, it was like a bad thrift store) and a section on sex ointments, lotions, “spells” etc. Bunch of sex- related stuff. The sex junk made up about 1/3 of the store. It was kinda sad.
I’ve never seen a Pagan shop or Goddess shop or anything of the sort next to a massage parlor, bawdy house, x-rated movie theater, strip club, back alley, etc. I don’t know where you live, but no where I’ve ever been has it been like that. As far as websites, how would I know where they are?
But why are you so afraid of sex? And how do we know you’re not typing this sitting in squalor, with empty Cheetohs bags surrounding you?
Pagan supply stores I’ve been to have all been in beautiful artistic areas of the cities they where in. Your just generalizing and seeing what you want to see.
First, your generalization is way off base and shows your ignorance.
Second,
Once I was shopping with a friend. We were going into small quaint shops one after another.
We walked into one shop without looking at the name. I could smell candles. I all of a sudden felt sick, kind of dizzy. I had a bad bad feeling about it. And when I felt these things I didn’t even know what kind of a shop it was. Then I saw all the pentagrams, all the witchcraft stuff.
I could feel the evil, the lack of hope there, no light only darkness.
My friend who was not Christian was amazed I could “feel” this even before we knew what it was.
I got out ASAP.
I thought this was funny cause sometimes when I am forced to go inside a church the smell of the candles and incense makes me light headed and makes my stomach turn, I can feel the hypocrisy and anger, My girl friend often wonders how I can “feel this” just by waling in the door..
I’ve never had that experience, the only ones I’ve shopped in have either been in neighborhoods you’d never know they were in (hidden in plain sight in “residential” neighborhoods), or in touristy places.
Okay I’m an atheist but I live around the corner from a pagan shop, I live in a quiet suburb of Hartford. The neighborhood is good and no one has ever bothered the store. There are quite a few shops here and of course I see many when I go to Salem, MA. They are always clean, the staff well-mannered and I find such shops interesting to go into. As I love to burn incense to make my house smell nice, I almost always buy it from a pagan shop because the quality is impeccable.
I’m not sure how a website can be located next to anything. X-rated links are often invited or deliberate as a segment of the pagan population emphasizes sexuality as a part of its spiritual practice.
As far as brick and mortar stores go it depends on the individual shop owner and the local real estate market. In my area these shops are on main street near the local university or are near (or part of) health food stores or are in smaller out of the way suburban venues as bookstores or gift shops.
Greetings!
I “mind” when sex offenders live in Churches, and are not prosecuted because of where they live.
And Vegas is built upon Sex, Gambling, etc. everything is “next” to those “places” so to single out Pagans is the last refuge of a brainless bigot.
Is that “blunt” enough for you?
/!
I’ve never seen that.
All of ours are on the main streets, between the cafes and banks and jewellery shops, or in the big shopping centres.
These shops are no different to the christian bookshop, although I’ve spotted christian bookshops in some seedy areas… Not that I wander through seedy areas….. Just heading through the seedy area to get from A to B 🙂
When I enter into a church, I break into a cold sweat, I get really dizzy and I am over come with this feeling that my head is going to start spinning and I will vomit pea green soup… 😉 Some of us are very over dramatic.
I’ve never seen that. The one I’ve visited the most is next door to a subway restaurant. I doubt that qualifies as seedy.
No and your point is?
Wait – so are you saying massage is associated with the sex industry? Hmmmmm…’cause the place I go to get my shiatsu massage is a lovely relaxing place in a nice section of the closest city to me, and it shares a building with an organic/natural foods store and cafe. I’ve never been offered anything sexual there.
Oh, but you live in Vegas – that explains a lot. Look at the patronage Vegas caters too. I have never been to Vegas, nor do I have any desire to go there being that I’m not a gambler. Yes, I’ve heard there are some good shows in Vegas as well, but honestly, I can easily catch a lot of good shows in Boston, so I’m all set.
There was one Wiccan & witchcraft store located in the nearby city that started out in a rundown section of the city which I’ve always thought may be a little “seedy” – but by appearances only, it’s not a well kept up area. I saw no adult x-rated stores or anything of the sort nearby. In fact, what I did notice was there was a Salvation Army branch and a Christian church a few buildings down. I believe this particular shop owner started out there due to the cheaper rent, because once she had built up her business a few years later, she moved to a larger, nicer location on a more main street in the city that’s located nearby a local college and a whole slew of good restaurants.
There are two other shops I frequent – one shares a building with a nice Irish restaurant in an artsy-crafty kinda town, located on a street which has a plethora of specialty shops – I like to go there the most because then I can pop over to O’Brien’s for a pint or two of guiness and a little lunch, and then wander up and down the street and pop into some of the other crafty shops.
The other is located in a quaint country town in an old Victorian home. And of course, I make regular trips to Salem, MA, where you can find a pagan oriented shop almost on every corner. It’s a really nice town albeit quite touristry, not only because of the witch trials history, but also because of its maritime history and an abundance of interesting architecture.
Now, I am a member of One Spirit book club, which isn’t strictly Wiccan/witch/pagan oriented, but includes plenty of material that would interest those on such paths. The club does offer some books on the subject of sex – titles such as “Sexual Reflexology”, “Tantric Sex”, “Real Sex for Real Women”, “The 10 Secrets to Great Sex”. I see nothing wrong with this. They are geared toward helping people overcome sexual problems, improving your sex life with your partner, loving your own body and being more confident, etc. There is absolutely nothing wrong with embracing your sexuality, and enjoying a healthy and pleasurable sex life with your partner.
Nowhere near any pagan-oriented shops, groups/clubs, or events have I seen anything that comes remotely close to promoting prostitution, sex with minors, illegal porn, or anything like that. That I would definitely have a problem with.
No but it speaks volumes about the quality of the merchandise. Would a Christian trust a store next to them?
I stay far away from those stores even good nieghborhoods. I just end up pissed at the massacre of my beliefs that those places manage.
I’ve never encountered one that was in such a location. I’m not sure I would visit one (due to safety concerns), but it doesn’t offend me that such a shop is located there.
no, generally they are in those areas because leasing is cheap due to the surrounding stores. I personally don’t care where they are, they are nice places.
I only know of two stores, one in the next town over from me. That one is in the owner’s garage and the other is in Bisbee, Arizona. It is in a beautiful spot right on the main drag. I think that most of us probably find a store that suits our needs and the location isn’t an issue.