This week we’re working with our first post on the letter C and I have decided to talk about someone who is certainly not a new topic on my blog but one I love nonetheless, Laurie Cabot.  Laurie Cabot was one of the first author’s whose book I read that really inspired me to take the Craft seriously.  I had read Cunningham at that point, two books of his and I was actually reading a third, when I came across Laurie’s book “Power of the Witch” at a local bookstore.  Over the year’s, despite the controversies that have surrounded her, I really adore her.

Laurie Cabot was born Mercedes Elizabeth Kearsey on March 6, 1933 in Wewoka, Oklahoma.  She grew up in California but later as a teen came back to the Northeast to Boston to finish school.  She later when on to be a dancer at a well known club in the city, The Latin Quarter.  In later years Laurie would teach classes at Salem State College as part of the continuing education program, she’d give lectures and classes at other schools as well, and she would do a great deal of community work as well, and earned the Paul Revere Patriot’s Award in the late 1970s from Governor Michael Dukakis for her community service work with dyslexic kids.  In 1977 Gov. Dukakis bestowed Laurie with the title of “The Official Witch of Salem”, a title that Laurie has proudly carried ever since.

Laurie says that when she was a child, around the age of 6, she became aware that she had psychic abilities.  In her book “Power of the Witch” she tells a story about an elderly neighbor Mr. Bancroft, who passes away of a heart attack.  A week before his death she was told by her friend Kenny that Mr. Bancroft died and when Laurie went home to tell her mother she told her that their neighbor was alive and well.   Not knowing what happened or how she got the information Laurie just carried on as normal.  But a week later when Mr. Bancroft did pass away Laurie talked to her friend Kenny to find out how he knew that was going to happen.  He had no idea what she was talking about and said he never told her anything of the sort.  Laurie said that she wished someone had explained to her what precognition was so she could understand these experiences since this wasn’t the first and certainly wouldn’t be the last time she’d experience this.

In 1971 Laurie opened the very first Witch shop in Salem on Derby St.  It was also the first Witch shop in the country as well.  Her shops went through a handful of incarnations, including Crow Haven Corner which was opened by Laurie, later taken over by her daughter Jody, and is still open but under the ownership of a woman named Lorelei, a well known psychic from the area.  Just this week, a few days ago on the 31st of January, Laurie closed her most recent shop, The Official Witch Shop, ending her 40 years of having a shop in Salem.  It was a something the was certainly an end of an era but it was a sign of change since Laurie’s reasons for closing the shop was to make her more available to focus on creating a physical temple for her Cabot Kent Hermetic Temple.  And I am excited for that!

Laurie also founded several Witchcraft advocacy groups over the years including the Witches’ League for Public Awareness (WLPA) in 1986 and later the Project Witches Protection (PWP).  In 1987 Laurie decided to run for mayor of Salem after incumbent mayor Anthony V. Salvo made some derogatory comments in the media about Witchcraft.  Laurie wanted to continue on the efforts to change the perceptions of the idea of who Witches are and what they are capable of, so she started her bid for the office of mayor.  She ended up dropping out of the race on August 11th, and didn’t file the signatures and nomination papers to officially join the race, stating that other obligations, including work on a book, would prevent her from fully filling the mayoral duties.

When I first read “Power of the Witch” after having only read Scott Cunningham at this point, I felt like there was a whole other level to the Craft that I was discovering.  At this point I was 15.  I had read “Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner”, “Magickal Herbalism”, and “Earth Power”.  I had read a few bits and pieces from other books at the library but these Cunningham books were onces that I had bought at a local new and used bookstore.  I was a three years or so into my exploration of Witchcraft and two into actually practicing Wicca.  My interest in Salem was growing since it was only a few hours away and it was the kind of thing that you couldn’t avoid hearing about in school, especially with it being so close.  That was how I heard about Laurie.  When I was in the bookstore in the mall one weekend I started looking to see if I could find this book and much to my happiness, I found it with ease.

The approach that Laurie takes with the Craft as a science, giving a solid basis to many of the practice and beliefs beyond just believing in them, that inspired me.  I’m a person that likes proof and facts.  I don’t tend to beleive something because someone tells me about it or even if ten people tell me.  I need to find facts, history, and then experience things on my own.  And there were some things that she presented that made sense beyond just “oh, I could believe that”.  I think that it was really reading “Power of the Witch” that made me realize that this path was right for me.

Laurie’s Crystal Countdown, which is based on Jose Silva’s “Silva Mind Control” techniques, is by far the most effective meditation technique (for me) that I’ve ever worked with (and later it would reappear somewhat modified when I would begin studying with the Temple of Witchcraft).

And years later I would meet Christopher Penczak, start reading his books, and discover that he was a student of Laurie’s, something that made complete sense because so much of the things that made sense to me from her work comes through in his as well.  Even though I’ve been on this path for 26 years, I’m a huge advocate of always learning and always studying on this path.  So three years ago when Christopher started teaching the Temple tradition on a larger scale it gave me a chance to study with him, learn more about some of the similar things that Laurie teaches that drew me in, and finally put the last piece into the puzzle of my spiritual and magickal path.

On March 5th I’ll finally get to study directly with the woman who I feel is responsible for me seriously being on this path; I’ll be taking Laurie’s Witchcraft 1 class, her first degree class, something I’ve wanted to do for some time.  I’m planning to take Witchcraft 2 as well and, as long as I’m still going to be in Salem and I don’t end up moving back to California (ugh, make it stop!) I’ll be taking Witchcraft 3.