Storm Faerywolf is a pleasant guy who happens to be a warlock — the male version of a witch. And not just for Halloween.
Faerywolf — he had his name legally changed — is a warlock everyday, but of the friendly helpful kind. Think Uncle Arthur from the classic TV show “Bewitched,” but as someone who wants to help people, not play pranks on them.
Faerywolf loves Halloween, even though he prefers to call it by its original Celtic name Samhain.
“This is definitely my time of year,” he says. “I just love all that witch kitsch.”
Faerywolf and his partner Chas Bogen own the shop The Mystic Dream on North Broadway in Walnut Creek. It first opened as Dolphin Dream in 1989, and Faerywolf began working and teaching classes there in 1994.
In 2007, he and Bogen bought the store from the original owner who wanted to retire, and changed the name.
“We set the dolphins free,” Faerywolf quips.
But the concept of the store remains the same. It is an emporium of the magical and metaphysical. Its shelves are full of tarot decks, astrology books, crystals and incense, oils, spray mists, herbal blends and candles that have a purposeful intent, such as bringing success and removing bad luck. Many of these are hand-blended by Bogen.
The shop also includes rooms where palm readers, psychics, tarot readers, and others reveal the future to their clients. The Mystic Dream offers classes and workshops on tarot, Reiki energy healing, angels and other events.
Faerywolf’s book, “Betwixt and Between: Exploring the Faery Tradition of Witchcraft” will be published in January, and can be preordered on Amazon.
Forget about the “dark arts.” This warlock projects a resolutely sunny attitude and views his visionary readings and spells as a means to help others.
“A good reading is like psychic life coaching. It is putting you in the driver’s seat. Let’s see what you need to look at through the modality of a reading so you can make decisions,” he says. “I don’t even call them readings anymore. I call them consultations — part reading, part life coaching, part magical working.”
“Once people are given a boost of confidence, they can find great success with that,” Faerywolf says. “Sometimes I feel like a bad business person, but I would rather tell someone that instead of paying me $200 to rid their home of bad energy, they can buy a $10 bottle of ‘uncrossing’ spray or a candle.”
Faerywolf, who grew up in Dublin, focused on women’s studies, art and psychology when he attended Diablo Valley College. But he started studying witchcraft and wicca, a religious form of witchcraft, on his own early in life.
“I started doing tarot readings for people when I was 14. My mother got upset and insisted that I throw away the tarot deck. But I hid them inside a box of Uno cards and threw away the Uno cards instead,” he recalled. “I have always been drawn to magic. It is part of my operating system.”
“When I was 20, I joined an established coven in Contra Costa County. Then I started training in the faery tradition,” Faerywolf said. “I trained for five and a half years before I was initiated. I had to spend three hours every week doing rituals, guided meditations working with different spirits and spells.”
Faerywolf, who recently returned from a visit to Salem, Mass., and will spend Halloween in New Orleans, is a firm believer in the power of spells.
“If I didn’t think they worked, I wouldn’t be here. Spells are like prayers with props. If I am doing a spell for someone to attract money, I might use chamomile flowers in an herbal blend because they resemble little gold coins,” he says.
But he adds this disclaimer, “Just like they say about prayer, all prayers are answered and sometimes the answer is no.”
However, Faerywolf is not a fan of love spells.
“I don’t think love spells are a good idea. You can’t make someone love you and why would you want to? Maybe you are better off working on yourself and accepting that this person doesn’t realize how fabulous you are. In which case they don’t deserve you anyway.”
He is quick to defer to mental health professionals when it comes to serious concerns.
“I am not a therapist. I am very aware of what my limitations are,” he said.
Most people who come into the store just want to relax, explore and share what is going on in their lives, according to Faerywolf.
As for himself, like many practitioners today, he need not be physically present to do a reading, spell or candle setting for a client.
“What I’ve learned over the years in practicing and managing spirituality is that we use the term energy, but we are actually talking about consciousness,” he said. “And consciousness is not local. It is not about being in the same room. It is about being in the same space.”
The Mystic Dream is located at 1437 N. Broadway, in Walnut Creek. Visit www.themysticdream.com.
