Witch School to open ‘The World of Witches Museum’ in Witch City, Salem, Massachusetts

Witch School to open ‘The World of Witches Museum’ in Witch City, Salem, Massachusetts

There is a whole world of Witches beyond the Salem Witch Trials and a new
community-driven museum will be sharing the magic with visitors to Salem, The
Witch City. This museum will be more than just tell about Witches; it will
bring you in contact with practicing members of the Witchcraft community.

Salem, Mass. April 16^th, 2010 – 21^st Century Americans
have a hunger for history, especially the untold stories of mysterious people
and taboo places. Salem, Massachusetts, aka The Witch City, is just such a
place and has enthralled us with stories of the Salem Witch Trials and
supernatural happenings for over 400 years. Now a new museum, The World of
Witches will reveal the stories and history of real Witches to seekers
worldwide.

Witch School, which recently moved from Central Illinois to Salem, saw a need for telling the story of Witches, Witchcraft and Wicca from a modern point of view. This meant going beyond the Salem Witch Trials, to
actively telling the stories of the magical folk, from the earliest days of
humanity up to the modern Pagan movement that now has millions of members
worldwide. Witch School, the largest online global educator of Wiccans and
Witches, strongly believes that a museum offers the best way to increase
awareness and act as an anchor for compiling and understanding the history of
Witches and Witchcraft.

Rev. Don Lewis, Curator of the museum and Head of Witch School in Salem
explains, “There is a need in our community to share our history as well as our
future with the public. Museums are more than just a collection of old items
and exhibits; they are living places that share a cultural heritage. In the
case of Witches and Wiccans, there is a real need to understand our community.
It is time to let people know who we are, what we do, what we love, and the
struggles we face on a daily basis. If we can help even a few people get a
better impression of modern Witches and Wiccans, then we will have accomplished
something important.”

Witch School is not alone in this, and The World of Witches Museum has become a
community-driven project. Local businesses including Bewitched in Salem,
Samantha’s Costumes, and the Nightmare Factory have donated materials for the
exhibits. On a national level, Pagan groups including Circle Sanctuary, Holy
City Temple, The Correllian Nativist Tradition, and radio host Larry ‘Zaracon’
Sodders of the Zaracon Show have provided assistance and exhibits to help tell
the story of the modern Witch movement in America. Pledges and promises of more
materials for the museum are coming from not just the United States, but from
Europe, Africa, Australia, and India as well. This has become a global effort
to tell the story of the modern Witch movement worldwide. For many in the
community, this is a unique moment to raise the bar, and have the story of
Witches told from a Witches point of view.

The museum has even gained international assistance from the award-winning and
popular Australian band Spiral Dance, who will be playing a benefit for the
World of Witches Museum on May 6^th at the Salem Cinema, and May 7^th
at a location to be announced in Salem, Mass.
Many others from across the country and across the world have said they
plan to travel to Salem to support this community-driven museum.

The World of Witches will not only be physical, but also virtual. The Witch School online community is deeply social, providing education and community connections, and has helped create a bridge between the
Internet and this museum. The museum has a Facebook Page, an online Think Tank
group, and numerous other ways to share information. Witch School is even using
their social media connections to raise additional funds by using a
cutting-edge website called KickStarter, that helps finance community art
projects through crowd sourcing and social contacts.