Old sucks from every pagan store in existance
Posting this for V Day reminiscences.....Recap: i used to own a new age/gift store. candles and tarot and jewelry and singing bowls and etc.yes, this happened in our store, a lot. it also happened /happens in EVERY store that carries anything even remotely "magic" ,"new age", "pagan" or whatever.
Every single "pagan" store owner dreads these..
someone comes in, usually dithers around and wastes a lot of time, and usually asks you "do these really work?" about the ritual candles...
"we have a lot of people who buy them regularly, and we have good feedback on them..."
"but, i need... something.."
"yes?"
the one of the following sagas would happen:
1. i want a love spell to make X fall for me.
uh, that would be un ethical, and besides. if you really love someone you want it to be genuine. i can sell you some stuff to help them notice you! and attract the right person into your life..
but i want X to fall for me
(cue ten minutes of me patiently explaining ethics, and emotional rights, and how it wouldnt be REALLY love if it worked anyway....)
ok, will you help me get him if i give you a check for $50 dollars?i just said if you DO something like that, even if it never worked, you open yourself up to all sorts of NASTY payback, including people doing that to you........
so?
repeat arguments and "NO" until they either buy a bunch of spell books and candles that you are willing to sell them, or they stomp off to find a store that will help.
2.. start at the same point and then cue ten to fifteen minutes of dithering, before they tell you that their spouse/significant other is in a relationship that this person wants to break up.
now usually if the problem is a spouse is cheating on them, we can point them to a lot of good old folklore that is just for that. but i always tried to find out if there was a problem that could be fixed mundanely.. and it was very sad how often i found out that the spouse was chronically unfaithful, or abusive, or whatever.. but when i suggested that "adultery is a REALLy good thing to have your lawyer sue for divorce with.." they always wanted the guy back.
ok. its stupid and sad. and i suggested counseling a lot...
but what boggled me was they ALWAYS insisted "she /he must have cast a spell on him" even if this was the 5th time they had cheated on the marriage.....
head
desk
3. then we had the ones who were the FLIP side of this one. the folks who came in and wanted a love spell to get some other person's spouse. (just when i started thinking the first bunch were completely paranoid).
i try not to throw any of the cauldrons at these folks. and smile and talk about how bad that is, and i wont help, and the bad karma would be on me TOO if i did that, ya know? and umm... seriously. wouldnt you rather have someone who loved you for YOU... and wasnt going to break up a family?
SOMETIMES we could talk this bunch into just taking some "attract love in your life" spell stuff.. but usually they wanted to make some entire family miserable, because they had their mind set on some guy who was married.
and they expected me.... to help.. them break up a marriage.......(boggle)
it was even sadder when i found out they had been in an illicit love affair with the guy, and he "wouldnt leave his wife" .. let me get this straight? he is a cheating bastard, who is fooling around behind his wife's back, with who knows how many people.... and YOU want HIM??? are you stupid?
i tried to put it a bit more politely than that......
oh yes, and in the same category, but with a bit more sympathy from me.....
4. The parents who came in and wanted a spell to break their kid out of a bad marriage or relationship.
we would talk and if the kid was being abused, or trying to leave and getting harassed or something, we would point them at the protection stuff, and the self esteem stuff. that was FINE, no suck there.....
but the "he/she loves them, and they are ALL wrong for my baby!" crowd.......
look, mama, i can understand. but NO it isnt likely the other person has really cast a spell on your darling baby.. i can sell you spell breaking stuff just in case, but i am honest enough to tell you its more likely hormones.
secondly, NO i will not do anything to manipulate EITHER of the two people.. the closest i can come , ethically,is to sell you instructions and supplies for a "see clearly" and a "protection" spell. .. and yes i will sell you wisdom candles and incense to burn in your house.....
you say you are Christian?
really?
have you considered PRAYER?
invariably it had not occurred to them to pray for the child to have "wisdom and discernment" they were just praying that they dumped the person mom didnt like....because obviously they knew better than anyone that it was BEST for their child to dump this person.....
head desk repeat as needed.
sigh, i knew enough shop owners to know it was inevitable. but .. but.... every single week on average? worse near major "romantic" days?
Every single "pagan" store owner dreads these..
someone comes in, usually dithers around and wastes a lot of time, and usually asks you "do these really work?" about the ritual candles...
"we have a lot of people who buy them regularly, and we have good feedback on them..."
"but, i need... something.."
"yes?"
the one of the following sagas would happen:
1. i want a love spell to make X fall for me.
uh, that would be un ethical, and besides. if you really love someone you want it to be genuine. i can sell you some stuff to help them notice you! and attract the right person into your life..
but i want X to fall for me
(cue ten minutes of me patiently explaining ethics, and emotional rights, and how it wouldnt be REALLY love if it worked anyway....)
ok, will you help me get him if i give you a check for $50 dollars?i just said if you DO something like that, even if it never worked, you open yourself up to all sorts of NASTY payback, including people doing that to you........
so?
repeat arguments and "NO" until they either buy a bunch of spell books and candles that you are willing to sell them, or they stomp off to find a store that will help.
2.. start at the same point and then cue ten to fifteen minutes of dithering, before they tell you that their spouse/significant other is in a relationship that this person wants to break up.
now usually if the problem is a spouse is cheating on them, we can point them to a lot of good old folklore that is just for that. but i always tried to find out if there was a problem that could be fixed mundanely.. and it was very sad how often i found out that the spouse was chronically unfaithful, or abusive, or whatever.. but when i suggested that "adultery is a REALLy good thing to have your lawyer sue for divorce with.." they always wanted the guy back.
ok. its stupid and sad. and i suggested counseling a lot...
but what boggled me was they ALWAYS insisted "she /he must have cast a spell on him" even if this was the 5th time they had cheated on the marriage.....
head
desk
3. then we had the ones who were the FLIP side of this one. the folks who came in and wanted a love spell to get some other person's spouse. (just when i started thinking the first bunch were completely paranoid).
i try not to throw any of the cauldrons at these folks. and smile and talk about how bad that is, and i wont help, and the bad karma would be on me TOO if i did that, ya know? and umm... seriously. wouldnt you rather have someone who loved you for YOU... and wasnt going to break up a family?
SOMETIMES we could talk this bunch into just taking some "attract love in your life" spell stuff.. but usually they wanted to make some entire family miserable, because they had their mind set on some guy who was married.
and they expected me.... to help.. them break up a marriage.......(boggle)
it was even sadder when i found out they had been in an illicit love affair with the guy, and he "wouldnt leave his wife" .. let me get this straight? he is a cheating bastard, who is fooling around behind his wife's back, with who knows how many people.... and YOU want HIM??? are you stupid?
i tried to put it a bit more politely than that......
oh yes, and in the same category, but with a bit more sympathy from me.....
4. The parents who came in and wanted a spell to break their kid out of a bad marriage or relationship.
we would talk and if the kid was being abused, or trying to leave and getting harassed or something, we would point them at the protection stuff, and the self esteem stuff. that was FINE, no suck there.....
but the "he/she loves them, and they are ALL wrong for my baby!" crowd.......
look, mama, i can understand. but NO it isnt likely the other person has really cast a spell on your darling baby.. i can sell you spell breaking stuff just in case, but i am honest enough to tell you its more likely hormones.
secondly, NO i will not do anything to manipulate EITHER of the two people.. the closest i can come , ethically,is to sell you instructions and supplies for a "see clearly" and a "protection" spell. .. and yes i will sell you wisdom candles and incense to burn in your house.....
you say you are Christian?
really?
have you considered PRAYER?
invariably it had not occurred to them to pray for the child to have "wisdom and discernment" they were just praying that they dumped the person mom didnt like....because obviously they knew better than anyone that it was BEST for their child to dump this person.....
head desk repeat as needed.
sigh, i knew enough shop owners to know it was inevitable. but .. but.... every single week on average? worse near major "romantic" days?