Laurie Cabot
Encyclopedia
Laurie Cabot is an American
Witchcraft high priestess, and was one of the first people to popularize Witchcraft in the United States
. She is the author of such books as The Power of the Witch, The Witch in Every Woman, Celebrate the Earth, while also founding the Cabot Tradition of the Science of Witchcraft and the Witches' League for Public Awareness to defend the civil rights of Witches everywhere. In the 1970s, Cabot was declared the "official Witch of Salem, Massachusetts
", by then-Governor Michael Dukakis
, to honor her work with special needs
children.
She continues to reside in Salem, where she owns a shop called The Cat, the Crow, and the Crown. Cabot claims to be related to the prominent Boston Brahmin
Cabot family
. She is perhaps one the most high-profile Witches in the world. She is a part of Salem lore, and a local celebrity
in that city and throughout Massachusetts's North Shore
.
. She grew up in California
and came back east to New England
as a teenager. She maintains that her interest in the occult
began in childhood. She developed this interest in Boston through time she spent as a young woman in the halls of the Boston Public Library
.
During the 1950s Cabot worked as a dancer in a Boston nightclub called "The Latin Quarter
" owned by Lou Walters (Barbara Walters
' father). Cabot was asked by Mr. Walters to open his Las Vegas Latin Quarter which she declined.
Cabot married and divorced twice, with each marriage producing a daughter, Jody Cabot (b. 1963) and Penny Cabot (b. 1965), respectively. Cabot chose to raise her daughters as Witches, and she began appearing in black robes and black eye-makeup in her everyday life.
In 1970, television's sitcom witch "Samantha Stephens" of Bewitched
visited Salem for a series of episodes, with location filming in the town by the cast and crew. These Salem episodes were seen by millions of viewers (since there were only 3 network TV channels). Laurie Cabot opened the town's first "Witch shop" in Salem in 1971, as it started to become a tourist destination (thanks in part to the national "Bewitched
in Salem" TV exposure). At present time, there are numerous such shops throughout downtown Salem, but it was Cabot who was the trailblazer so far as these businesses are concerned.
Cabot was featured prominently in Season 5 of In Search of..., hosted by Leonard Nimoy, in Episode 13: Salem Witches, originally aired 13 December 1980 . The episode spent much time on Cabot's activities as a leader in the local community of witches in Salem.
Cabot's shop sold herbs, jewelry, Tarot
decks, and other items used in Witchcraft. She later relocated her shop to an old gambrel-roofed house on Essex Street. This new shop was named "Crow Haven Corner". The store is still open, though no longer owned or managed by any member of the Cabot family (formerly, her eldest daughter Jody owned and ran it). Cabot still maintains a shop in Salem, The Cat, The Crow and the Crown, on Pickering Wharf which is a popular tourist destination as well as an important resource for all Witches. She is as well-known for her businesses, lectures and books. Cabot was a guest on both "The Oprah Winfrey Show
" and on Phil Donahue
's talk shows in the late 1980s.
In March 2008, Cabot celebrated her 75th birthday at a surprise birthday party attended by hundreds of Wiccans, including Sully Erna
of the band Godsmack
for whom Cabot had appeared in the band's "Voodoo" music video shot at Hammond Castle
.
She garnered more notoriety in 2004 when Salem Police came to her home in order to remove her adolescent grandson over a custody issue between Jody Cabot and her former husband. Both incidents were covered by local and national press and even featured on CNN. A policeman claimed that during the incident Cabot ordered him to look into her eyes, telling him he was cursed once he did. Cabot denies she ever cursed the policeman, stating "I say it is a curse when you do bad things." This is a reference to the threefold law that whatever you do, good or bad, shall be returned to you threefold (Rule of three
). She has steadily maintained that Witchcraft is never meant to be employed to cause harm or destruction.
Laurie Cabot is also known for what some people call "playing off" witchcraft too much to gain wealth, especially in terms of her store The Cat The Crow and The Crown. Many have claimed Cabot's store to lack credibility, saying it is merely a tourist attraction designed for tourists to spend their money and not filled with legitimate products for actual Witch or Wiccan purpose. An example of this being the fancy wands sold with unnecessary gems and stones that look more dazzled than they actually need to be if used. Or the pre-packaged spells that Cabot sells, in which some Witches and Wiccans claim would never work due to them being pre-packaged. Cabot has been alleged of overpricing her products and psychic readings in comparison to the other local psychics and Witch shops.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Witchcraft high priestess, and was one of the first people to popularize Witchcraft in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. She is the author of such books as The Power of the Witch, The Witch in Every Woman, Celebrate the Earth, while also founding the Cabot Tradition of the Science of Witchcraft and the Witches' League for Public Awareness to defend the civil rights of Witches everywhere. In the 1970s, Cabot was declared the "official Witch of Salem, Massachusetts
Salem, Massachusetts
Salem is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 40,407 at the 2000 census. It and Lawrence are the county seats of Essex County...
", by then-Governor Michael Dukakis
Michael Dukakis
Michael Stanley Dukakis served as the 65th and 67th Governor of Massachusetts from 1975–1979 and from 1983–1991, and was the Democratic presidential nominee in 1988. He was born to Greek immigrants in Brookline, Massachusetts, also the birthplace of John F. Kennedy, and was the longest serving...
, to honor her work with special needs
Special needs
In the USA, special needs is a term used in clinical diagnostic and functional development to describe individuals who require assistance for disabilities that may be medical, mental, or psychological. For instance, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders and the International...
children.
She continues to reside in Salem, where she owns a shop called The Cat, the Crow, and the Crown. Cabot claims to be related to the prominent Boston Brahmin
Boston Brahmin
Boston Brahmins are wealthy Yankee families characterized by a highly discreet and inconspicuous life style. Based in and around Boston, they form an integral part of the historic core of the East Coast establishment...
Cabot family
Cabot family
The Cabot family was part of the Boston Brahmin, also known as the "first families of Boston."-Family origin:The Boston Brahmin Cabot family descended from John Cabot , who immigrated from his birthplace to Salem, Massachusetts in 1700...
. She is perhaps one the most high-profile Witches in the world. She is a part of Salem lore, and a local celebrity
Celebrity
A celebrity, also referred to as a celeb in popular culture, is a person who has a prominent profile and commands a great degree of public fascination and influence in day-to-day media...
in that city and throughout Massachusetts's North Shore
North Shore (Massachusetts)
The North Shore is a region in the U.S. state of Massachusetts, loosely defined as the coastal area between Boston and New Hampshire. The region is made up both of a rocky coastline, dotted with marshes and wetlands, as well as several beaches and natural harbors. The North Shore is an important...
.
Life and career and possible inspirations
Laurie Cabot was born Mercedes Elizabeth Kearsey in 1933 in Wewoka, OklahomaOklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
. She grew up in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
and came back east to New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
as a teenager. She maintains that her interest in the occult
Occult
The word occult comes from the Latin word occultus , referring to "knowledge of the hidden". In the medical sense it is used to refer to a structure or process that is hidden, e.g...
began in childhood. She developed this interest in Boston through time she spent as a young woman in the halls of the Boston Public Library
Boston Public Library
The Boston Public Library is a municipal public library system in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It was the first publicly supported municipal library in the United States, the first large library open to the public in the United States, and the first public library to allow people to...
.
During the 1950s Cabot worked as a dancer in a Boston nightclub called "The Latin Quarter
Latin Quarter (nightclub)
Latin Quarter is a nightclub in New York City.The Club which originally opened in 1942 featured big name acts. In recent years it has been a focus of hip hop, reggaeton, and salsa music....
" owned by Lou Walters (Barbara Walters
Barbara Walters
Barbara Jill Walters is an American broadcast journalist, author, and television personality. She has hosted morning television shows , the television newsmagazine , former co-anchor of the ABC Evening News, and current contributor to ABC News.Walters was first known as a popular TV morning news...
' father). Cabot was asked by Mr. Walters to open his Las Vegas Latin Quarter which she declined.
Cabot married and divorced twice, with each marriage producing a daughter, Jody Cabot (b. 1963) and Penny Cabot (b. 1965), respectively. Cabot chose to raise her daughters as Witches, and she began appearing in black robes and black eye-makeup in her everyday life.
In 1970, television's sitcom witch "Samantha Stephens" of Bewitched
Bewitched
Bewitched is an American situation comedy originally broadcast for eight seasons on ABC from 1964 to 1972, starring Elizabeth Montgomery, Dick York and Dick Sargent , Agnes Moorehead, and David White. The show is about a witch who marries a mortal and tries to lead the life of a typical suburban...
visited Salem for a series of episodes, with location filming in the town by the cast and crew. These Salem episodes were seen by millions of viewers (since there were only 3 network TV channels). Laurie Cabot opened the town's first "Witch shop" in Salem in 1971, as it started to become a tourist destination (thanks in part to the national "Bewitched
Bewitched
Bewitched is an American situation comedy originally broadcast for eight seasons on ABC from 1964 to 1972, starring Elizabeth Montgomery, Dick York and Dick Sargent , Agnes Moorehead, and David White. The show is about a witch who marries a mortal and tries to lead the life of a typical suburban...
in Salem" TV exposure). At present time, there are numerous such shops throughout downtown Salem, but it was Cabot who was the trailblazer so far as these businesses are concerned.
Cabot was featured prominently in Season 5 of In Search of..., hosted by Leonard Nimoy, in Episode 13: Salem Witches, originally aired 13 December 1980 . The episode spent much time on Cabot's activities as a leader in the local community of witches in Salem.
Cabot's shop sold herbs, jewelry, Tarot
Tarot
The tarot |trionfi]] and later as tarocchi, tarock, and others) is a pack of cards , used from the mid-15th century in various parts of Europe to play a group of card games such as Italian tarocchini and French tarot...
decks, and other items used in Witchcraft. She later relocated her shop to an old gambrel-roofed house on Essex Street. This new shop was named "Crow Haven Corner". The store is still open, though no longer owned or managed by any member of the Cabot family (formerly, her eldest daughter Jody owned and ran it). Cabot still maintains a shop in Salem, The Cat, The Crow and the Crown, on Pickering Wharf which is a popular tourist destination as well as an important resource for all Witches. She is as well-known for her businesses, lectures and books. Cabot was a guest on both "The Oprah Winfrey Show
The Oprah Winfrey Show
The Oprah Winfrey Show is an American syndicated talk show hosted and produced by its namesake Oprah Winfrey. It ran nationally for 25 seasons beginning in 1986, before concluding in 2011. It is the highest-rated talk show in American television history....
" and on Phil Donahue
Phil Donahue
Phillip John "Phil" Donahue is an American media personality, writer, and film producer best known as the creator and host of The Phil Donahue Show. The television program, also known as Donahue, was the first to use a talk show format. The show had a 26-year run on U.S...
's talk shows in the late 1980s.
In March 2008, Cabot celebrated her 75th birthday at a surprise birthday party attended by hundreds of Wiccans, including Sully Erna
Sully Erna
Salvatore Paul "Sully" Erna , is an American vocalist and primary songwriter for the American heavy metal band, Godsmack. Erna is also a guitarist and drummer, performing these both on albums and during live shows. He has a daughter named Skylar Brooke Erna and an older sister named Maria.-Early...
of the band Godsmack
Godsmack
Godsmack is an American heavy metal band from Lawrence, Massachusetts, formed in 1995. The band is composed of founder, frontman and songwriter Sully Erna, guitarist Tony Rombola, bassist Robbie Merrill, and drummer Shannon Larkin...
for whom Cabot had appeared in the band's "Voodoo" music video shot at Hammond Castle
Hammond Castle
Hammond Castle is located on the coast of Gloucester, Massachusetts. The castle, which was constructed between 1926 and 1929, was the home and laboratory of John Hays Hammond, Jr. Mr. Hammond was an inventor who was a pioneer in remote control and held over four hundred patents...
.
Incidents and controversies
Laurie Cabot is also known for her sometimes controversial behavior. There was a legal situation in the mid 1990s in which Cabot allegedly threatened local real estate agent, Janet Andrews, with her gun. Cabot denied she had ever acted in such a manner and upon further investigation all charges against Cabot were dismissed and she still retains a gun permit.She garnered more notoriety in 2004 when Salem Police came to her home in order to remove her adolescent grandson over a custody issue between Jody Cabot and her former husband. Both incidents were covered by local and national press and even featured on CNN. A policeman claimed that during the incident Cabot ordered him to look into her eyes, telling him he was cursed once he did. Cabot denies she ever cursed the policeman, stating "I say it is a curse when you do bad things." This is a reference to the threefold law that whatever you do, good or bad, shall be returned to you threefold (Rule of three
Rule of Three (Wiccan)
The Rule of Three is a religious tenet held by some Wiccans. It states that whatever energy a person puts out into the world, be it positive or negative, will be returned to that person three times...
). She has steadily maintained that Witchcraft is never meant to be employed to cause harm or destruction.
Laurie Cabot is also known for what some people call "playing off" witchcraft too much to gain wealth, especially in terms of her store The Cat The Crow and The Crown. Many have claimed Cabot's store to lack credibility, saying it is merely a tourist attraction designed for tourists to spend their money and not filled with legitimate products for actual Witch or Wiccan purpose. An example of this being the fancy wands sold with unnecessary gems and stones that look more dazzled than they actually need to be if used. Or the pre-packaged spells that Cabot sells, in which some Witches and Wiccans claim would never work due to them being pre-packaged. Cabot has been alleged of overpricing her products and psychic readings in comparison to the other local psychics and Witch shops.