Practicing witches from around the world gathered in Salem by the hundreds on Thursday night to honor Stormy Daniels at their annual “magic circle” ceremony recognizing loved ones who have died.
Daniels – the adult film actor who allegedly had an affair with Donald Trump and was at the center of his May criminal trial that led to the former president’s conviction on 34 felonies – was chosen to be honored in the Halloween ceremony as the organizers believe that she has been the victim of a modern-day witch hunt.
The event, which started at 5pm at Salem Common in Salem, Massachusetts, was part of the Festival of the Dead, an annual event series exploring “death’s macabre customs, heretical histories and strange rituals”.
The magic circle ceremony is intended to be a time to “renew connections, mourn those you miss and to celebrate all that these cherished souls brought to your life”, according to the event details.
About 1,500 people gathered in the large witch circle on Salem Common, some dressed as witches, others in an array of Halloween costumes. They chanted and clapped to a beating drum while they blessed the four corners: north, south, east and west.
At the event, Daniels was awarded the first ever “Salem Witches’ Woman of Power Award” which, according to the Boston Globe is given in recognition of someone’s strength, intuition and magic.
“A lot of people know Stormy for being a porn star and fighting against Trump in court,” said Christian Day, an organizer of the event and a local warlock. “But a lot of people don’t know that she is a practicing witch, and that she is someone who stands out as a woman of power.”
Daniels referenced her experiences in court as she accepted the award. “I was put on the stand two years ago and someone said I was unfit to testify because I was a witch. I was honest, I was telling the truth and I was persecuted.
“To me this award should inspire others to speak up and not be silenced.”
In an interview with the Globe, Daniels said that she has been a practicing witch since her childhood in New Orleans and that her 13-year-old daughter is also a practicing witch.
When asked about being honored at the event in Salem, Daniels said that she couldn’t find “the words to explain emotionally how big this is to me.
“No one understands what the last six years have been like for me,” Daniels told the Globe. “Everyone else gets to turn off the TV and forget about politics, which has reached this next-level, dark insanity. I don’t get that opportunity. I’m living in an RV because I can’t go home.
“The persecution those witches felt hundreds of years ago feels very familiar to me,” she added, referencing the Salem witch trials, which took place between February 1692 and May 1693. During this period, more than 200 residents of the Salem community were accused of witchcraft, which resulted in the execution of 20 individuals.
Daniels conducted the interview with the Globe from her RV, telling the outlet that she has been living on the run ever since her home address was displayed onscreen by Trump’s lawyers during the trial in New York, which they claimed was an accident.
In May, Trump was found guilty of falsifying business records to cover up a $130,000 payment to Daniels in exchange for her silence before the 2016 presidential election about the alleged sexual encounter she has said she had with the former president.
Daniels has said that she has received harassment and death threats from Trump supporters in recent years, as well as threats to rape and murder her daughter and other family.
Trump has repeatedly denied having a relationship with Daniels.
One of the magic circle event organizers, Brian Cain, told the Globe that the decision to honor Daniels, “and the onslaught she’s been under”, was a “way to say she is a part of our family”.
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Daniels shared with the Globe that throughout her life, she has always been able to see spirits and communicate with the dead. But, she said that she has always been “a solo practitioner” so Thursday is her first experience being part of a circle.
“And what a prestigious and amazing way to do that”, she added.
She mentioned that her specialty is creating herb-filled “spell jars”, and that people come to her with requests that she cast spells on their court cases.
“I try to be ethical and do ‘justice-served’ spells instead because I don’t know what’s going on, who’s right and who’s being unfairly prosecuted,” she explained.
In recent years, Daniels created Spooky Babes, a paranormal television show featuring herself, and has hosted ghost hunt events around the country. Her Instagram page for the show states that she is a “proven medium/paranormal investigator”.
In the interview with the Globe, Daniels also dismissed claims made by Trump in recent years that he is the victim of a witch hunt.
“The best part is that Trump always says it’s a witch hunt against him, that’s funny,” she said. “People like to say Donald Trump is evil, but you need to be a genius to be evil, and he’s not that smart.”
The organizers of the Salem event said they decided to delay announcing Daniels’s appearance until a day before the planned event to prevent any potential disruptions.
On 23 October, the organizers hinted the announcement in a video but did not reveal who the identity of the guest until Wednesday.
“She is a very important symbol in our troubled times right now for female empowerment,” one of the organizers said in the video, referring to Daniels.
“And because witches are goddess worshippers, we believe in the goddess and because we believe in women’s power and the power of the witch, we are going to give this woman a very special award.”
Rick Findler contributed to this report
