"Everybody is a witch at Halloween,” says Loren May – a year-round witch. “Halloween allows people who are afraid to be seen to come out of the shadows. It gives them a cover of safety, and permission to go to the witchcraft shop,” May says before providing one caveat. “I implore anyone going to a witchcraft shop this time of year to be respectful, though, because this is a spiritual practice. This is our connection to god. It’s not a party trick.”
May owns The Veiled Crow, a witchcraft shop in Warwick, with co-owner and witchcraft practitioner Tracey Lawrence. The shop has been in operation since 2011, but moved to its current location in 2022 when the duo outgrew their former space. The current space is flooded with sunlight that illuminates intricately carved candles, a veritable library of books, and shelves of magic-infused herbs and loose handmade incense. The air is filled with scent, and that is by design, according to May, Lawrence, and Laura Tempest Zakroff, a witchcraft educator and practitioner. The three are the founders of the Key and Serpent Society, an organization that hosts ritual-based gatherings and educational meet-ups, with an emphasis on inclusivity and a contemporary approach to traditional witchcraft.
Zakroff says aroma is part of creating atmosphere. “Aroma taps into one of the most primal parts of our brain,” she says. “So many traditions connect scent to spirit. It’s invisible, but you feel it all around you and it becomes part of you.”
“Just like spirit,” agrees May. “If you think about air, it’s going into your lungs and molecules and nooks and crannies of your biology. It pulls you through time and space to connect you with memories. It connects you to your body and to what is around you.”
Visitors to The Veiled Crow may follow the scent of incense deeper into the shop, eventually arriving at the Third Sanctum Art Gallery & Gathering Space. It’s a community art room where works from local artists are displayed, and where The Veiled Crow hosts classes and workshops, as well as author readings, psychic mediums, astrologers, and tarot card readers. For the public, it serves as a third space, defined as a gathering spot separate from work and home, where people can relax in public and connect with each other. It also serves as a meeting place for Key and Serpent Society members.
When May, Lawrence, and Zakroff, who all practiced witchcraft separately, came together to found the society, they did it based on what they viewed as a need in the community. “We believe that magic is fluid and moving,” says May, “and we found the rigidity of some of the traditions stifling.”
“We didn’t want a coven structure,” says Zakroff. “We wanted to develop an open path where people, both as individuals and as part of a group, feel bolstered.”
Key and Serpent holds monthly meetings that alternate between lectures and rituals. “We always pair education with our meetings,” says May. “The lectures are a wonderful way to understand the way we think and the issues we think need to be addressed. And the rituals are super fun to experience.” The society hosts a social hour at the end of each meeting so that attendees can get to know each other and ask questions in an informal setting.
Zakroff says common questions arise when people first discover witchcraft. “People want to know how to empower themselves,” she says. “They are trying to figure out the internal conflict between what they were raised with and their path of personal discovery and spirituality. There’s the longing for like-minded folks. And then they have questions about trends that come and go.”
“We create a safe space for asking questions,” says May of both the society and The Veiled Crow. “There are a lot of shops with owners who aren’t practitioners. But there are people who need guidance and help from knowledgeable people. We can offer that.”
To this society, the concept of guidance is integral. May says that people often come to Key and Serpent looking for a rigid set of rules to follow, similar to what they’d receive from a traditional religion, but they won’t find it. Instead, May says, “We will pave the way for you to figure out what you need, what you want, and what your authentic practice looks like so you can nurture your relationship with what is around you and what is inside of you. Witchcraft is never done. It’s a practice.”
The three women hold a definition of magic that has nothing to do with wands and spell-casting, and they lament that the only word they have to use tends to send people into thoughts of fantasy. “Magic starts with us,” says Zakroff. “It begins with how we think and that influences how we see and interact with the world around us. Our thoughts and feelings and presence in this world is magic. We’re not talking about wishing. If my intent is to find a new job, I’m going to build a candle. And I’m also going to restructure my resume. We all have a hand in our own destiny.” Lawrence agrees. “Magic is not a Bandaid,” she says. “It isn’t a quick fix. You also have to plan ahead.”
For those curious about joining the society, the women advise attending a few monthly meetings to get a sense of what the group is all about and determine what they hope to get out of it. “We provide a lot of information every month that people will find useful,” says Zakroff, “and that might be enough for people.”
But they recognize that some in their group might want more, so they’re on the cusp of launching an advanced path of study that they’ll open to select groups of students who have spent years attending their monthly meetups. “People think advanced study has to be complex and secretive,” says Zakroff. “It’s actually very simple, but simple can be a difficult concept. How do you turn this practice into something you live and breathe every day? An effective practice doesn’t look like Instagram.”
What does it look like? Curious folks will have to stop by and find out. “Just come,” May advises with a bright, welcoming smile. “We’re not scary.”
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