SWVA Town Freaks Out Over Tarot Reading
So, here’s the scoop. If you’ve ever been deep into Southwest Virginia, you might’ve heard of a town called Richlands. On the surface, this is a friendly town with kind people and neighbors. Just when you think this little town is as charming as Mayberry, you catch a glimpse at the deeplyly seated hatred and bigotry that happens just beneath the surface. The overwhelming Christian presence in this town did not stop Mark Mullins and Jerome VanDyke from opening their occult shop in downtown Richlands, despite the vehement opposition they faced. They opened their shop in July of 2017, despite town council pushback. Just when they thought they were in the clear, police came to harass the store owners about their usage of tarot cards and how it was illegal in their zoning district to have fortune telling.
Mountain Magic has faced far more pushback since then and despite the opposition, there is overwhelming support from pagans of Southwest Virginia and believe it or not, some of the Christian community. People are rallying behind the occult shop for many reasons, including but not limited to: the first amendment, opposition to tyranny, and a beacon of hope for the non-Christian community.
At the town council meetings held on the subject of fortune telling in their district, many of the Christian community (namely Pentecostal community), those of the pagan community were called many names and many feared for their safety as they were leaving from the event. Pagans were labeled “child molesters”, “devil worshippers”, “a hazard to the community”, “drug addicts”, and “whore mongerers”. What a lovely group of people, don’t you think? Definitely servants of Christ, embodied by the way they treat others who present anything different than what they approve of. Unfortunately. the town council of Richlands will only see reason in their opinions, before they would a legitimate business issue.
To combat the seeming tyranny, Mark Mullins continues to read tarot cards, but in front of his store, on the sidewalk. This service is free to people who are in passing or just stop by to have their fortunes told. They have also began a missive to help feed the hungry in the area, starting a “no questions asked” food pantry, in which anyone can come and get food to combat hunger. It’s more than what the opposition is doing to help the community, to say the least, with their bigoted views and pointed sermons when anyone different enters their chapel.
As a personal friend to Mark and Jerome and a member of our pagan community in SWVA, I would like to add that these men are some of my very favorite people. They are kind, loving individuals who only wish to help others and the overwhelming shit they are receiving in response is pitifully ignorant. The ACLU have been working with the shop owners to come to a solution.
If you wish to support their cause, please visit this website: https://www.generosity.com/faith-religion-fundraising/mountain-magic-battle-4-freedom-of-religion-expen
Howdy, neighbor. I’ve been advertising quite a bit of the SWVA stupidity, too, here on Steemit. I support the magic shop and in fact, the Discord server I administrate called The Writers’ Block has its own Grove channel for our pagan and Wiccan members. And we have quite a few.
I posted links to some of the articles about this kerfluffle when it first made the news. So our folks are familiar with it. Central Appalachia… meet the blockchain. I’m quite glad to see another Tazewell County resident here on Steemit. Our numbers are growing.
Hi! Thank you so much for your continued support of our pagans. I’m actually a worried Russell County resident, trying to spread the message. I’ve been meaning to comment on the situation when it started, but have been incredibly busy.
I think it deserves more publicity than it’s getting. That town has no right doing this to these poor men.
I think it does, too. Someone had mentioned on their Facebook page that I might be able to help with that, but they didn’t respond.
Have you contacted the owners specifically? I’m sure they’d almost certainly be grateful for you trying to spread this!
So let's try this first (since with my local reputation, I may do more harm for them than good, LOL): every Thursday, @shadowspub hosts PYPT, which is a streaming broadcast where people can come on the air live and discuss their posts. There's a morning session at 11 and and evening one at 7. If you can't make one, maybe you can make the other. That's a great place to call attention to this issue and she generally has a full house of listeners.
Absolutely, I’ll do this! I’m nervous about speaking though, lol.
I can do it for you if you want me to. But I do need you in the audience chat to answer questions. They run text chat simultaneously with the broadcast. :-)
It’s alright! I’ll do the 7pm one, though. :)
I found this through Rhonda and the Block. Keep up the good work, all of you! Keep on fighting the mountain mafia!
Thank you! ❣️
Don't forget PYPT tomorrow at 11 a.m. and again at 7 p.m. I'd love to see this post get some exposure to that audience. Here's the link to that Discord:
https://discord.gg/Y2xeWGd
Hey @localyokel, great post! I enjoyed your content. Keep up the good work! It's always nice to see good content here on Steemit! Cheers :)
Thank you so much! Cheers. :)
Greetings and love from the Grove.
Loves 🌸 💕
small minds are often a sign of atrophied brains. When they get small enough they will wither away and die, hopefully before they infect others.
Good luck and keep on growing.
I just wish these small minds didn’t have such a grip on our area. It feels like we are 50 years behind the rest of the civilized world.
It usually takes outsiders moving in and pushing back hard before they start to let go. And they wont do so easily. The shop is taking the right moves, doing good in the community will win over others over time. The die-hards will not go down without a nasty fight though.
I’ve been engaged in full on war with the community leaders here for about five years over animal issues. You are right about this region being behind the rest of the world. Statistics back up that theory. I am sick of the bullshit and ready to rip the roof off the fort they’ve built to keep the world out. Sunlight is the best disinfectant and I say we let some stream in.
I believe its time for a new town council. At one of the town meetings, they talked about their rights as Christians being trespassed upon. Like, oh my Goodness, get over yourselves.
I think it's time for a new town council, new Board of Supervisors, new everything. The Mountain Mafia runs this county, and Russell, and Buchanan. We're a whole community of disorganized crime masquerading as politics. I've written about it rather extensively here: http://www.steemshelves.com/appalachian-heartaches/
I'll find you on FB.
If I can help in anyway with your animal rights efforts, contact me on Facebook. My name is Cheyenne Webb.
I remember reading that article about the town council. I flat out laughed when someone said that they were going to open up 'demonic portals' and one lady 'bound' the ACLU so they couldn't succeed in making them change. Whoops, someone cast a magic spell. Guess it's okay because it's a -Christian- spell. Boy oh boy.
DUDE! The lady was quoted saying, “In the presence of the Holy Ghost, I bind their success.” I was SHOOK! Like, how dare they??
I know right???? I actually had a reading done. I'm not spiritual or religious, but I don't turn down offers of goodwill.
@arrelaine13, let me guess--your reading said you are a kind, generous, and undervalued soul this region is lucky to have. That's what I'd say about you anyway, reading or not.
Ahaha, no. Honestly, if I hadn't saw that they sold Egyptian paraphernalia, I probably wouldn't have gone in. (Fiona collects Egyptian things)
You got my upvote.
Sad how some have to be dragged kicking and scratching into the 20th century, never mind the 21st.
Joe
@joe.nobel
science fiction, fantasy, erotica
throw them some of my Norse God/Soivet Cold War erotica their way and they'll forget about Tarot Readers for a while.
PS Do they have an online catalog? I might find something I like and can support them with a purchase.
You can find them on Facebook! Mountain Magic and Tarot Shop. I think they have their online catalog based there and they do ship! :) Thanks for the upvote, it’s really appreciated. I wish this town would get its act together for once! It’s tyranny.
Also, I don’t think those poor ladies could clutch their pearls hard enough if they caught wind of some of your erotica, lol.
RFLMAO!!!!!!
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