Tuesday, July 04, 2006

I do believe in spooks. I do! I do!

Took a day trip with my family up to Salem, Massachusetts. The drive down was good and the weather was favorable. It was sunny and warm after a long bout of clouds and rain.

We started our tour with the Salem Witch Museum. The large stone building with its Gothic arches more than hints that the building at one time was a church building. The show depicted with what I think were wax figures outlining the witch trial events in 1692. It was a decent show. Beyond the main area was another room with a display called "Witches: Evolving Perceptions" It showed witches as depicted through the media, and a time line comparing events in both pagan and Christian history. They also considered a 'formula' that caused the witch hunts as 'fear plus trigger equals scapegoat', and compared by this concept the witch hunts to the Japanese American internment after Pearl Harbor, the McCarthy Communism hearings, and the persecution of the gays at the start of the AIDS epidemic. They ended with a display (perhaps wax figures) depicting modern day Wicans in ceremonial dress. Their appearance was striking. The sound system projected as if they were speaking to us, and telling of themselves.

We saw the Salem Wax museum, which depicted Salem history with about 20 displays, mostly in one large room. It was a read along as you go kind of thing. It did not really hold my attention like the other place did, but they had a large statue indoors I believe it was called "The Towne Sisters". That was the most impressive sight there.

There were many shops along the streets, gift shops, candy shops, snack bars. We stopped in at several shops, a couple of them were candy stores, most were gift shops that gleamed with Wiccan themes.

As for the title of my this entry. You may remember this quote from the cowardly lion in The Wizard of Oz. I am not inferring that there was anything supernatural along my trip, and even if so, I doubt my reaction would be like one of that particular lion. I can say that I had this eerie feeling for two brief moments on the trip.

The first was when we approached the Old Burial Point along the north west point of it (if someone knows, I would love to know the history of who was buried there), I got this feeling of apprehension. We went into the graveyard, staying on the paths, we never approached that point, and that feeling was gone.

A second feeling of eeriness as we were walking on the side walks and passed a book store. The feeling never reoccurred after that, and the fact that I can't easily describe how I felt could simply mean it was anything from too much sun to that I was hungry. The most amusing thing is that the best word I can use to describe it is...creepy, not that there was any real impact of me, but it did add to the flavor of the trip. I'm sure if I would have gone into the House of Seven Gables there would not have been any bed warmers following me. **grin**

Overall, had a pretty good trip. I'd recommend if you have never been to Salem that you check it out sometimes if practical. I think you might enjoy it. I'm not lion.

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