There is a restlessness in the air, a shifting of spiritual tectonic plates that goes far beyond the tourist traps of Massachusetts.
While millions flock to Salem each year—donning the black garb of a dark history; touring the homes of judges and witches and other “haunts”—the reality is that the “Witch City” has become more of a commercial spectacle than a true epicenter.
Dark still, yes; very; you’re wise to keep a distance from its “paranormal” hotspots; things can linger with you; and if you go to witchy places there (not recommended), you’ll have to purge a spiritual residue (or worse).
Where there is commerce, there is a dilution of essence, and much more so when it comes to diablerie.
Make no mistake: the sorcery and the New Age are not confined to the cobblestones of New England, nor Sedona, Arizona, nor Chelsea and Greenwich Village. It has spread, quietly yet firmly, into the heart of the North American landscape.
We often think of the American South as a “Bible Belt” bastion, but a closer look at places like Raleigh and Asheville, North Carolina, reveals surprisingly complex spiritual battlegrounds.
In the shadows of the pines and oaks are active covens and “pagan alliances” thriving in a culture of scholars and artists (and, again, tourism).
The spiritual struggle is not always overt; it often sits at a corner table in a dimly lit bar, watching, waiting, and weaving itself into the fabric of everyday life. In the Midwest, Indiana just south of Chicago and northern Missouri have hidden pockets of satanism. Unfortunately, satanists have claimed as their own many places, often innocently rural, in the U.S. They do more rituals than any—and claim more territory—than anyone wants to believe.
Minneapolis? It’s a locus of Neopaganism, earning the nickname “Paganistan” (among practitioners). Is it any wonder that on the news we now see there what we see?
While it may not have the desert-vortex reputation of Sedona or the historical occult vibe of Salem, the Twin Cities metro area actually boasts one of the highest concentrations of witches and New Age practitioners in the United States.
Are there good and even great Christians at such places?
You bet. Where evil thrives, good fights back. You’ll find some of the most devout Catholics and evangelicals in such areas. Warriors for sure. Holding back disaster.
New Orleans. Savannah.
In the West are (in Canada) Vancouver and back in the U.S. Portland, Oregon, which has become a sanctuary for what many call “intersectional magic.” That’s where the occult is blended with social activism and environmentalism (a good cause, that latter, until it is adopted by pagans). Large-scale metaphysical shops and “queer-owned apothecaries” are no longer outliers; they are thriving centers of community.
In northern California is Bohemian Grove and Mount Shasta and in the California Bay Area we see the remnants of the “Goddess movement” of the 1970s.
If you happen to live in such areas or are passing through, help the Christian cause by sprinkling some Holy Water and blessed salt and praying it away (in Jesus’ Name and only in His Name).
This was the birthplace of a radical shift in alternative spirituality, led by figures who sought to redefine the “divine” in their own images. In San Francisco, the “broom closet” is a thing of the past. There is an openness there—a “let your freak flag fly” mindset—that allows these practices to operate without the veil of secrecy. However, even there, we see the “tech bro” culture of Silicon Valley pushing some practitioners out, proving that even in the spiritual realm, the pressures of the material world are never far behind.
Silicon Valley is in outright need of deliverance (lest its technology, especially AI, become a gigantic Ouija board; has it already?).
What we are witnessing is a formalization of these practices. Many of the leaders in such movements belong to the Gardnerian tradition—a structured, initiation-only priesthood that traces its roots back to the mid-20th century. These are not just hobbyists; they are people committed to a specific “orthopraxy,” a way of ritual that demands precision. It isn’t confined to that Freemason symbol on city signs next to those for the Rotary and Lions clubs and other innocent civic organizations.
Interesting it is that practitioners often struggle with the very land they inhabit.
In California, they find that their “high holidays,” originally tied to the cold, damp cycles of Northern Europe, do not match the Mediterranean sun of the West Coast. They are forced to “adjust” their magic to the local soil. It is a fascinating, if sobering, look at how the ancient “old ways” are being grafted onto the New World, creating a spiritual map that is becoming increasingly crowded.
This is at best an incomplete synopsis.
It’s everywhere. Woodstock. Las Vegas. Miami (ever hear of Santería?).
We must stay alert, keep our lamps lit, and discern the spirits as these hubs continue to grow.
The Lord rebuke you, Satan. The Lord rebuke you!
We take these words from Jude, and are wise to use them everywhere.
[resources: books on spiritual warfare]