Witchy Sightings in DC

    In a stunning twist of events, I am back in Washington, D.C. for the weekend!! As I spent long hours browsing the shops of Georgetown, I kept my eyes peeled for any witchy inspirations. 

    One blaringly obvious source of magical, mystical inspiration are 'the Exorcist Steps,' Personally, I am not a fan of horror movies, so I have not watched the entirety of the Exorcist. However, Google has given me a fairly vivid description of the stair scene, in which a young woman "walks backward down the stairs on her hands with a mouthful of blood." Now officially designated as a Washington D.C. Tourist Site, 'the Exorcist Steps' are a prime attraction for many film enthusiasts and tourists wandering through the bustling Georgetown shops. While not the typical magical stereotype, I personally believe that the scene is reminiscent of many of the female demons that we discussed in class.

    In addition, there were two separate shops offering Tarot readings, mystical products and advice on the bustling Georgetown cobblestone streets. The continued perseverance of these shops in Georgetown was incredibly surprising to me, especially considering the cost of living in this area. I was extremely dubious that these shops would attract enough foot traffic and customers to maintain an extended presence in this location. After conducting research online and in-person, I am still fairly puzzled over the existence of these shops. I am truly flabbergasted at their ability to occupy their spaces. Both of the shops were 'By-Appointment Only,' so I couldn't simply walk in.

The Chakra Room by Mrs. White

    I chose to research one of these aforementioned shops: the Chakra Room by Mrs. White of Georgetown. On her website, Mrs. White states that she has been in D.C. for the past fifty years and helped everyone from "your next door neighbor neighbor" to "political figures from here and around the world" to achieve their highest aspirations or tackle tough decisions and hardship. On her website, she even has a "Testimonial" section. With both first and last names listed, this section includes past customers describing the life-changing experiences they have experienced through her service. One customer described how un-blocking the root chakra and meditation inside a small pyramid with an orbiting crystal helped him to become sober. Another customer reported that by realigning her chakras with Mrs. White, she was able to become pregnant after 2 years of unsuccessful attempts.

The Chakra Room Testimonials

As I was strolling around Union Market, a marketplace of vendors that serves everything from food to plants, I saw more breadcrumbs of witchcraft influence. I saw a book titled, "Moon, Magic, Mixology," containing recipes to "70 celestial drinks infused with cosmic power." The book is available for only $11.84 on Amazon. To help infuse the drinks with the aforementioned cosmic power, many of the recipes call for crystals, candles, herbs, aromatherapy, and meditations. Below is an example of one of 70 recipes available!

Within the same venue, I also found another witchcraft breadcrumb: Witchie Wicks! Other than the name, there did not appear to be any witchy attributes to the candle. Upon research of the name and product, I found that the name stems from a last name and is unrelated to witches. However, the product still mentions "a strong connection to everything holistic and natural," as well as the power of scent over memories and mood. Perhaps all candles contain some form of supernatural powers.