Salem

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.

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. She has steadily maintained that witchcraft is never meant to be employed to cause harm or destruction.

Population: 40,407 (2000)

Salem is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. It and Lawrence are the county seats of Essex County.  Home to Salem State College, Salem Willows Park and the Peabody Essex Museum, Salem is a residential and tourist area which includes the neighborhoods of Salem Neck, South Salem and North Salem, and Witchcraft Heights.