Christian Day is a modern day Warlock living in the “Witch City” of Salem, Massachusetts. A practitioner of the ancient arts of Witchcraft—a spiritual path devoted to old world folk magic, healing, and veneration of the dead, Christian owns two occult shops in Salem: HEX: Old World Witchery, dedicated to the practices of Witchcraft, Hoodoo, and Conjure, and OMEN, a psychic parlor and Witchcraft emporium which features a staff of gifted psychic readers. Each October, Christian hosts Salem’s annual Festival of the Dead, an event series that includes such popular events as the Official Salem Witches’ Halloween Ball, an Annual Psychic Fair and Witchcraft Expo, and an authentic séance. Among his many media appearances, Christian has been featured on The Travel Channel, Showtime, TLC, MSNBC, Biography, Dish Network and in The Chicago Tribune, The Wall Street Journal, The Boston Globe, The Boston Herald, CNN.com, USAToday.com and, of course, The Salem News.
Christian was born one town north of Salem in Beverly, Massachusetts, where his aunt is a city councilor and his late grandfather was a pharmacist—heirs to the legacy of the potion-makers of old—for many years. He always had a keen sense of the mysterious growing up, and was always intrigued by paranormal phenomena, mystic places, and Ouija boards. While never fully embracing the occult, he was never very far from it.
At the age of 17, Christian bought his first deck of Tarot cards and so began the path of magic that would continue for over two decades. At 18, he dedicated himself fully to the practice of Witchcraft, a vow he made during a thunderstorm when the moon was full. He collected dozens of magical books, attended classes in Witchcraft and psychic development, and took advantage of the knowledge available throughout Salem’s many occult and metaphysical shops.
In 1995, Christian founded SalemTarot.com, a site dedicated to exploring the Tarot from a Witch’s point of view. Still popular today, the site offers a three card reading, Tarot postcards, and was Christian’s first foray into networking with a global community of Witches when the internet was still very young. The site led to Christian’s decade-long career in web marketing, working for private clients, startups, and advertising agencies.
In 1995, he was initiated by Salem’s Shawn Poirier into Raven Moon Coven, a family-tradition where Witchcraft was considered to be a survival of old world folk magic, necromancy, and natural wisdom. When Shawn passed into spirit in 2007, Christian and his coven sister, Leanne Marrama, took the helm of the coven, teaching students and helping to guide their coven sisters and brothers through the disciplines of magic.
In 2003, Christian created Festival of the Dead with his business partner and best friend, the late Shawn Poirier. Christian and Shawn realized that the powers that be in Salem were trying to squash the city’s association with Witchcraft and Halloween and so they decided to bring the holiday back to its roots as a celebration of the dead, creating a month-long series of events dedicated to Death’s macabre customs, heretical histories, and strange rituals. Watching Christian’s innate sense for marketing and promotions, the city realized that the Witch had value after all, the tide turned, and now Christian sits on the board of directors of Destination Salem, the city’s official Office of Tourism and Cultural Affairs, where he aids in finding ways to honor the tragic history of Salem’s 1692 Witch trials while celebrating the growing presence of the world’s largest modern-day Witch community.
In 2007, Christian’s best friend Shawn passed into spirit and left him with the crucial legacy of keeping Salem a place of magic for all who visit.
In 2008, Christian decided to create permanent roots in Salem and opened his first Witch Shop, HEX: Old World Witchery, even purchasing the commercial condo space the shop was to occupy. HEX was designed as an answer to what Christian feels is an unnecessary mainstreaming of Witchcraft into just another faith, devoid of the magic and mystery that has made the Craft such a lasting and powerful practice. With HEX, Christian set about to manifest the magical energies of old world Europe, Africa, and the Middle East, and where they intersected with New World Hoodoo, Conjure, and Voodoo. While Christian wanted to have the more commonly used spells for love, money, and healing, he also wanted HEX to offer everything from spells kits for hexing—to be used only in the name of justice—to candles used to stop another woman from snagging your husband. The spiritual heart of the shop is the ancestral altar, where thousands of visitors leave messages and offerings to their beloved dead throughout the year.
To complete the picture, Christian invited hereditary Sicilian Witch Lori Bruno to take her place in the front window of HEX where she reads for her many clients and helps to define the old world energy of the shop. Born to a Strega tradition, Lori is Christian’s magical mentor and gave him the ritual sword of renowned Witch Dr. Leo Louis Martello, which Christian considers his greatest milestone in the Craft. Lori and Christian have forged a partnership of magic that continues to define the city as a place of authentic Witchcraft.
In 2010, Christian opened his second shop, OMEN, a Psychic Parlor and Witchcraft Emporium that focuses on psychic readings, spiritual counseling, and classes. While OMEN is also a retail shop, the products are more geared towards divination and healing and, where HEX features an altar for the dead, the heart of OMEN is its healing altar, where visitors leave healing requests for those who need it. Christian refers to OMEN as “the softer side of Sears,” and feels that it is a safe introduction for those not quite ready for the hardcore magic of HEX.
Christian calls himself a Warlock rather than a Witch. After much research into the term—used for centuries to describe male practitioners of Witchcraft, necromancers, and those who challenge the authority of the church, he adopted the word in 2010 as a means of celebrating the divine masculine and as a vow to protect and empower his family, tribe, and, of course, his city.
Web Sites
www.christianday.com
www.festivalofthedead.com
www.salemhex.com
www.omensalem.com
www.salemtarot.com
www.psychicsforhire
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