Sal Santoro - Occultist & Owner of The Crooked Path
Upon first glance, you know Sal Santoro is one of us, someone who lives outside of the box and has an affinity for subversion. “I’ve been a weirdo all my life,” he joked during our conversation. Adorned in all black with at least one thick, silver ring on each of his fingers and jet black hair that goes past his shoulders, Sal could easily be a member of your favorite old school death rock band.
Sal and his wife, Popi Mavros own The Crooked Path, an occult apothecary store located in Burbank that specializes in various herbs, oils, stones and candles that one can use to help them along whatever path they are following. The shop is made up of his wife’s business savvy and his vision along with 35+ years in the Occult and Witchcraft community.
Growing up, Sal was an altar boy in the Catholic church. He grew up in an Italian household but his parents didn’t try and push an agenda with religion. “They were very good at allowing things to flow,” he described. As a young adult, Sal got involved in Occultism in New England where he was raised but moved to Los Angeles in 1985 and decided to take his studies to the next level. He seeked out various pagan groups as well as Wicca and Ceremonial Orders to extend his knowledge. He even mentored under George Hiram Derby, who owned Hollywood’s Panpipes at the time, and also mentored The Craft’s Fairuza Balk.
Sal’s largest goal with his shop is to teach people and destigmatize his and other occult stores. He named his shop with that in mind. The Crooked Path was chosen because it is the harder one walked. Secondly, to Sal, knowledge is power, and Occult means hidden knowledge. Lastly, apothecary is the Greek word for warehouse. Together you get a warehouse of hidden knowledge which Sal found to be very fitting.
The Crooked Path aims to have an open-door policy with the neighborhood to allow anyone who is curious to find answers. “The shop is set up so that you can get the products you need to do the work you need to do and we can guide you with that but without any guilt,” he shared. To Sal, it doesn’t have to be about your spirituality, it’s a scientific working. “I look at Witchcraft and Spellcraft as a science. I believe that witches are just people that work with the elements to make change,” he explained.
If you’re looking to learn more about Occultism, Sal and his head tarot reader, Renee Watt, host an hour long YouTube live stream called “Betwixt The Shadows” every Thursday evening at 7pm PST to discuss all things witchcraft, astrology, spell crafting, psychic ability, and esoteric. Write in with your questions to betwixttheshadows@gmail.com for a chance to have them answered on air.
The Crooked Path is located at 2020 West Magnolia Blvd in Burbank, CA and is open 7 days a week from 12pm to 6pm. You can also visit them online on Instagram, Facebook, or their website, www.thecrookedpathshop.com.
This post has been a collaboration between Strange Los Angeles and The Making Waves Project for 13 Days Of Strange – a socially distanced, Halloween photo series spotlighting spooky and strange Angelinos. Visit our homepage for more.
