Metaphysical practices and beliefs vary depending on the person, but each practice has become a large part of the Asheville community. Whether pagan, Wiccan or Hoodoo practitioners, most cultures that may be shunned in other parts of the state thrive in Asheville.
“There’s literally a bumper sticker that says, ‘keep Asheville weird’,” said Star Bustamonte, the owner of House of Black Cat Magic Store. “There’s always been this weird, eclectic vibe that Asheville has, so it really attracts those kinds of folks.”
On a metaphysical level, Bustamonte said conductive energies draw people to Asheville. She said the large practice of earth or green magic in the area was drawn here because, for a long time, the land was occupied by the Cherokee, whose Indigenous practices are tied to the earth.
The owner of House of Black Cat Magic Store said the elements most prevalent in Asheville are air and water. These are faster elements and usually draw in people with a connection to the elements and witchcraft.
“These mountains are very ancient and they have a lot of magic in them,” said Jessica Janes, a tarot reader and clairvoyant at Asheville Raven & Crone.
While ideas and beliefs differed, energy was a major focus for all practitioners, regardless of their focus or practice.
“Asheville draws in specific kinds of people. The magical practitioners, herbalists, general weirdos and artsy people,” said Baylen Lavore, the co-owner of Calamus and Honey. “People will tell you it’s the ley lines or it’s the quartz in the mountains. I just think that places have a certain energy and it can draw in like energy.”
Different metaphysical shops offer different supplies for the varying practices in Asheville, focusing on two types of magic: the New Age and the Old Age.
“New Age is metaphysical and when people are using the term Old Age, they’re speaking more to witchcraft and folk magic, things that have been around for a really long time,” Bustamonte said.
As they are partnered with a cat rescue organization, Bustamonte said they have an altar to Bastet, an Egyptian feline goddess, in the House of the Black Cat Magic store, which is considered old age.
While many witchcraft practitioners in Asheville focus on new age practices, those at Calamus and Honey in West Asheville service old age practices.
“We found that Asheville has a lot of new age, crystal, reiki type shops which are pretty common around here. Where it was lacking was the folk magic and roots, stones and bones vibe to witch shops. We are more of a niche to those who practice folk magic, southern folk magic, even European traditional witchcraft,” said Baylen Lavore, co-owner of Calamus and Honey.
According to Bustamante, two more specific classifications are known as theurgy and thaumaturgy.
“Thaumaturgy is more along the lines of a chemistry experiment. You take some vinegar and you add some baking soda to it, then you get this foamy froth. I’m going to banish something, so I’m going to get this black candle, I’m going to inscribe on the candle what I’m banishing, I’m going to get a collection of herbs and I’m going to burn the candle and my intent is this will get rid of whatever negative influence this is,” Bustamonte said. “I’m not calling on any deity or anyone to help me, I’m just focusing my intent on the mechanics of what I’m doing.”
“Theurgy is when you’re invoking a deity. If I’ve got a sick cat, I make an offering to Bastette and I burn a candle to her, asking for her help in healing the cat. There is definitely a spiritual component to that.”
Bustamante said most people she knows are long-term practitioners who incorporate both into their practices in the city. Sometimes, that includes divination.
“There are about as many forms of divination out there as there are types of people. Divination has been around for so long, since we have become a civilized species,” Lavore said. “In my realm of people I know who practice divination, there’s scrying, which is gazing into a crystal ball or a shiny surface, geomancy, which is something I’m still learning about, there’s cartomancy, like tarot but using playing cards and there’s astrology which is very popular in Asheville.”
All three practitioners are well-versed in tarot, one of the most common forms of divination. Janes and Bustamonte have been practicing for over twenty years.
“I feel like tarot is to help you connect with your higher self, your guides or your angels. The more you practice it, the more comfortable you will get with it,” Janes said.
According to Lavore, tarot has existed for around five hundred years and originally started as a card game.
“People just adopted it as a means of divination and it kept developing from there,” Lavore said.
Both Lavore and Janes mentioned the same starter tarot deck: the Rider-Waite beginners deck.
“I’ve never been able to connect with that deck. I’m the type of person that likes shiny, beautiful things, so I go for artwork that I can work and connect with because it helps me intuitively. If the picture speaks to me, it helps me figure out what’s going on in the storyline,” Janes said.
“Oracle is what I started with. I didn’t tarot at first because I didn’t like how structured it was. Tarot has 78 cards, you have to learn all the arcana, such as the major and minor arcanas and what they represent and that’s very intimidating. I had a really hard time with that. Even though I knew it, I didn’t want to do it.”
While oracle and tarot are similar, Janes pointed out that tarot decks have identical 78 cards, whereas each oracle deck is unique and often more specific. She also said that she prefers to mix the two to understand the answers being given better. Lavore had a similar idea but a different approach.
“I find the more specific (the customer) gets, the more specific the reading will get. If you’re vague, the reading will be vague,” Lavore said.
While the three practitioners generally agreed on the basics, each one seemed to have a different stance on the topic of familiars.
“In early accounts of witchcraft, cats were often considered familiars. Really any animal can function as a familiar, where they are acting as a conduit for your magic and helping you to create a wider channel,” Bustamonte said.
(Brayden Giffin)
She said cats seem to be drawn to magic and can be great magical partners. Lavorne disagreed with that idea, saying she views familiars as spirit allies that can take many forms, including dead relatives or elemental spirits.
“Doing research on the history of familiars, I’ve found that it was Hollywood who made the idea of an animal, like your pet, being a familiar,” Lavorne said.
Janes seemed to fall somewhere in between, believing in familiars but recognizing them as both animals and spirits.
“You can tell certain animals have different connections with people,” Janes said. “I do believe that certain people have familiars. I’m not going to say that everybody does. If you don’t meet the animal that is your familiar, then you’re not going to have it with you in this lifetime.”
Despite varying views and personal practices, all three agreed that magic was pulled into Asheville and may even exist here for a very long time.
“No matter where you go in the world, this is there. Paganism is there, the old ways are there, just some people don’t openly disclose that,” Janes said. “The reason it’s so open here is because this is one of those melting pots of energies, where people feel comfortable to come and to express and be that version of themselves, while other places are more stagnant and not open to it.”
