DAVIS, W.Va. – Witches and Halloween enthusiasts gathered at the Sticks and Stones Day held Oct. 18, 2025, in Davis for ritual, fellowship, magic and some Halloween fun.
The event celebrated magic and had sigil making, tarot cards, and a witch's dance. This event has been preceded by the rise of pagan pride gatherings in the state, giving a physical space to a spiritual shift in the Mountain State.
According to the Pew Research Center, from 2007 to 2023, the number of West Virginians who identify as Christians dropped from 78% to 64%. Over the same time period, the amount of people practicing Pagan and Wiccan religions rose from less than 1% to 2%.
“These things have always been here, and people like me or people who go a different spiritual path then what they were raised, they’ve always been there they’ve just been kind of quiet about it,” Shanae Crossland, who is a practicing witch and the owner of Sister Witches Crafting Company as well as a co-founder of the Sticks and Stones Day, said. “We’ve reached this point where it was more accepted.”
Belief in magic stretches back generations in Appalachia. In the 18th century, people in the region believed witches put curses on people and objects, specifically guns and livestock. But anti-witches were also trusted members of the community and used similar rituals to remove these curses.
“If there’s no doctor around, if it’s hard to get to the next community – and geographic isolation is a big part of colonial Virginia – resorting to folk magic is kind of what you have at your disposal,” Tomlin said.
Tomlin says the modern rise in these beliefs could be attributed to the internet promoting spirituality, as well as common superstitions being linked to America’s early belief in magic, such as wishing on a coin or having a lucky jersey.
Crossland believes curiosity, as well as more acceptance, are contributing to the rise.
“It’s a scary world out there and people are searching for something to give them comfort,” Crossland said.
She plans to hole more gatherings like the Sticks and Stones Day in the future.