No trick, just treats: The Belden Witch offers healing potions, elixirs and tonics
From homemade salves done as a hobby to a business that serves the community, this Minturn witch is helping to cure what ails you
Madison Rahhal/Courtesy photo
For centuries, the word witch has conjured up images of characters dressed in black wearing a pointed hat riding on broomsticks, creating potions and brews, casting spells and following the cycles of the moon but in modern times – minus the riding on broomsticks part – if you look a little deeper, those practices follow nature and the ancient knowledge of years past to help remedy some of today’s ailments.
Meet Jocelyn Laferriere, founder of The Belden Witch Metaphysical Shop & Apothecary in Minturn. The self-described witch, empath, healer, yoga instructor and cacao practitioner aims to help you cure what ails you with age-old remedies that have stood the test of time. After all, to quote Laurie Cabot, witch, psychic, medium, teacher and author: “The witch knows nothing in this world is supernatural, it is all natural.”
“All these natural remedies that people have been using for years and years, whether they’re wild harvested ingredients or homegrown ingredients, is a return to or coming closer to the land in a multitude of ways. It can be so simple, but it’s so powerful,” Laferriere said. “I have people who will refer to this practice and say, ‘this is so New Age,’ and I’ll say, ‘this is not New Age. This is old, very old, and has an old wisdom to it, which is why it works.”
“Double, double toil and trouble; fire burn and cauldron bubble.” That famous line spoken by the three witches in William Shakespeare’s “Macbeth” may paint the picture of a caldron that symbolizes stirring up evil brews and hexing potions, but Laferriere uses her caldron to whip up healing tinctures, tonics and elixirs. Her Elderberry Elixir with ayurvedic spices, honey and Colorado lavender supports a healthy immune system response, heart health and overall wellness. The Fire Cider is a spicy and sweet tonic of apple cider vinegar and local raw honey infused with citrus, spices and herbs and is best used daily for your immune system and digestion and gut health.
“People say my wild harvested pine resin salve helps take care of their eczema or I have a client who says this is the only thing that cures his cowboy’s hands during roping season, and I mail it out to this ranch in Wyoming,” Laferriere said.
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In addition to her products, Laferriere also hosts full moon rituals each month, utilizing the potential of the full moon and the energy behind it to help others find answers and to create change. The moon’s phases symbolize transformation, renewal, rebirth and some believe that working with the moon can bring about physical or psychological shift.
“At first, people are always very like, ‘ooh, I don’t know…a full moon ritual? What’s this all about?’ I always joke when we sit down in circle and say, ‘we’re not doing any human sacrifices,'” Laferriere said. Here, she guides the group through a meditation, she’ll pull some oracle cards and have an altar space set up with candles and crystals. Participants will also drink a cup of ceremonial grade cacao.
“Cacao is a high vibrational drinking chocolate that’s associated with the heart chakra. It helps crack the heart chakra wide open so energy is able to flow freely out of the heart and into the heart,” Laferriere said. “In today’s society, we tend to hold everything in and we’re not actually processing how we feel in real time because we’re just moving so fast. It’s really cool just drinking that cup of ceremonial chocolate during the full moon ritual.”
The oracle cards and tarot cards are popular outside of the full moon ritual and Laferriere will do readings for people or teach people how to interpret the cards on their own.
“When people are looking for a tarot reading or an oracle reading, they’re looking for something, they’re stuck at a crossroads or confused about something. Some of the things that come through in the cards may resonate. Some of them may not. But usually, they’re pretty spot on, allowing people to tap into their own intuition. It’s so beautiful to see people who are a little anxious when they come in, but then you see them truly letting go. They lean in and find the answers,” Laferriere said.
Earlier in October, Laferriere hosted a broom crafting workshop. The sold-out event explored the history and folklore of the witch’s broom and attendees got to craft their own broom out of locally foraged and dried flora and other decorative adornments like crystals, feathers, dried fruits and flowers.
The Halloween season is also a time to think about spirits and those who have passed. Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) is a blend of Mesoamerican ritual, European religion and Spanish culture and is celebrated each year from Oct. 31-Nov. 2. Laferriere said she practices the Gaelic and Celtic tradition of Samhain, which also honors the dead.
“Samhain is a really beautiful way to honor past loved ones and your family in a really beautiful, intentional way that doesn’t need to be this kind of dark, heavy sadness,” Laferriere said. “You host a meal where you place an extra plate at the table and invite in your loved ones and cook some of their favorite recipes or have their photos up, set up a little altar space with trinkets, candies, anything that they would like. And it’s as if you were inviting your past loved ones to dinner with you.”
Ironically, Laferriere grew up 60 miles south of Salem, Massachusetts, which is famous for its 1692 witch trials. She’s been helping others for years working in the service industry and feels like she can tell what people need before they even ask for it or even know they need something. That intuition became more evident when she leaned into it and realized her skills as an empath and did hundreds of hours of yoga training to hone in on those talents. She’s been making elixirs and tonics for years and finally decided to open up a brick-and-mortar shop in Minturn and goes by the moniker, The Belden Witch. Does she mind being called a witch?
“I’ve always felt a deep connection to the sensory and spiritual world and I’m so glad I can help people on a deeper level. I truly think it is my dharma to help other people find magic in mundane moments because we’re constantly searching for this big thing that’s going to happen, right? But what if we found that now in the present in small, teeny moments? It’s like your whole life could be a miracle,” Laferriere said. “It’s this humanness that we’re sharing that is making you feel magical because you are. We all are.”
