The Lawn Is Open For Music!

For the past month, we have been trying to get our summer concerts started, only to be delayed.  All the delays have been out of our control.  From illness to bad weather, it just seemed like Woodstock Trading Company wouldn’t get to have our lawn concerts.  As July 4^th approached, along with the final performances of the Grateful Dead, we were determined to get a show in to honor the Dead’s 50 anniversary.  Not only would we have a great lawn concert on the 4^th of July, we would have a day filled with the Grateful Dead.  Excitement was in the air. That was until we saw the weather reports.  The reports fluctuated all week between 20% chance of rain and 70% chance.  We did our “anti-rain dance” and kept our fingers crossed.  Making a decision a few days or day before seemed impossible.  We pressed on.

Saturday came along. The sun was out, the rain clouds seemed far off as Franny and The Jugband set the stage.  Then it started to get dark.  The band tried to hold out.  We were getting nervous.  People started to show and the phone was ringing. The big question was, “is the show happening?”  Rain was slowly coming down, but Franny gave the nod.  2 songs in and the rain wasn’t stopping.  The Jugband went into “Bertha”, everything changed.  The clouds began to move and sunlight started to peak through. “Bertha” scared the rain away and the lawn began to fill with more people.  With the help of The Jugband, Woodstock had an amazing celebration of the Grateful Dead.  It was a proper “thank you”!

 

We have more concerts planned.  On July 25^th, a great group by the name of Rock-Improv-A-Ganza will be here to take over the lawn.  The Improv guys will be here with comedian, Jason Pollock, to give us a one-of-a-kind show filled with fun, games, creativity, and laughter.  This event is for all ages. We also have plans for the Garlic Festival and a 60s British Invasion Tribute.  Keep a close eye on our Facebook page, Newsletters, and Events Page for more info.  If you haven’t signed up for our newsletter, just follow the “WTC Newsletter” page to the left.

Ritual Candles

Woodstock Trading Company has been the Rock n’ Roll & Dead-center of South Jersey for over 25 years, supplying the community for all of their classic rock needs. But Woodstock offers more than rock n’ roll items. As many know, Dr. Seth has put together an immense collection of incense from around the world, catering to incense lovers. MOM and Seth have also assembled a wonderful bead selection for the local jewelry makers. However, many do not know that we have also been working hard to make available items for those in spiritual communities. 

Seth, for many years, has supplied spiritual individuals with incense for their prayers and ceremonies. We have Dragon’s Blood resin for those of the Wicca and Pagan faiths, sage for smudging, and Tibetan and Buddhist prayer incense. Local artists have also made rosaries and other prayer beads for the store. After taking suggestions from our community, and some consideration on the best ways to put things in motion, we are happy to announce that we now carry Ritual/Chime Candles. You might be wondering what a ritual/chime candle is.

Woodstock Trading Company Ritual Candle Selections

Standing around 4 inches tall, a ritual/chime candle resembles a standard taper candle. They generally burn for around 2 hours and work well for prayers and ceremonies for faiths like Wicca. Each candle is a different color, having a different use or meaning. 

These candles are $0.50 each. The list of colors and meanings (may vary) are as followed:

White: Enlightenment, Healing, Purification, Protection
Lavender: Selflessness, Compassion, Inspiration
Pink: Love, Friendship, Romance, Caring
Green: Prosperity, Fertility, Luck, Balance
Yellow: Communications, Trust, Happiness
Light Blue: Peace, Creativity, Patience
Orange: Self-confidence, Optimism, Success
Red: Vitality, Will Power, Desires
Brown: Material gain, Home, Problem Solving (Brown is out of stock)
Purple: Psychic Power, Divination, Healing
Indigo Blue: Knowledge, Focus, Truth
Black: Regeneration, Riddance, Transition

We also have Gold and Silver candles. They are $1.00 each. The meanings (may vary) for those colors are:

Gold: Financial Success, Strength, Optimism
Silver: Balance, Health, Victory

Our ritual candles are not available online at this very moment. If you are interested, come on in take a look. If they are something that you would like to order, give us a call at (856) 424-6166, send us an email, or leave us a message on the “Contact Us” page of the Woodstock Trading CompanyWebsite.

Olde English Witch Balls

Legend has it; Witch Balls were hung in the windows of English homes during the 18^th century. They were uses to ward off evil spirits and cleanse the area of bad fortune. The usage remains the same in present day life. 

Traditionally when a new glass studio is assembled, the first object that is made is a witch ball. They are usually created in a hot shop (Furnace Work). The spokes inside the glass orb are the home the witch. Once the bad spirits filter through the glass they will get snagged on the spokes and the witch ball, and the witch will zap all the negative spirits away.

Seth and I have been blowing glass and love to share some of the history and lore of the craftsman who make wonderful handmade items. We have introduced these items into our store and have them in three sizes 2 inch, 6 inch and small personal pendant size. They are handmade items and we have a select number of them in the One Of A Kind section of our website.

Since we have had these witch balls in Woodstock Trading Company’s store, there seems to be only positive vibrations at all times in our environment at all times...

MOM, Seth, & Woodstock in JerseyMan

Around the beginning of February, MOM and Seth were interviewed by a gentleman named John Scalon for JerseyMan Magazine. As we were looking over the store's Facebook page today, we see and post by JerseyMan. It was a link to the article. Mr. Scanlon did a great job! His article captured the passion and love that MOM and Seth have for the business, the music, and their customers. There are interesting stories and tidbits in the article. If you have ever wondered why MOM and Seth got into the business, or why they love it, this article answers those questions. If you want to check out the article, just follow the link.
Take Care!
JerseyMan Magazine's Woodstock Trading Company Article by John Scanlon

Come & Bang Your Drum

What is a drum circle? Let’s take a look at the Wikipedia definition and find out (we know you can’t completely trust Wikipedia):

“A drum circle is any group of people playing (usually) hand-drums and percussion in a circle. They are distinct from a drumming group or troupe in that the drum circle is an end in itself rather than preparation for a performance. They can range in size from a handful of players to circles with thousands of participants.”- (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drum_circle)

The drum circle brings individuals together as a community, creating a new sound and rhythm. Much of the time, there are no leaders or followers at a drum circle. Someone can start the beat, but another can change it. You can follow along if you want, or do your own thing. In the end, everyone plays as one. And it is just plain fun to do.

So, you may be wondering why we are talking about drum circles. That is simple. MOM has restarted the drum circles at Woodstock Trading Company. Last Friday, January 17^th, MOM had the first drum circle in what seems like forever. Everyone had a great time. This first gathering was small, about 12 people, but it was loud. We had all different people of ages and background gather into the store. Many assume that hippies at festivals only do drum circles. Not true at all. You can be a banker, a truck driver, a waiter, a grandmother, or a kid. It doesn’t matter who you are or what you do. Some join into a drum circle for spiritual and/or metaphysical reasons. Some come because it is a great way to meet and interact with people. Don’t be afraid to come if you don’t have a drum. Not all drum circles include drums alone. 

Most drum circles us some form of percussive instrument. It wouldn’t be a drum circle if you didn’t. However, it also depends on what your definition of percussion instrument is. We have had people come out with pots and pans. People have banged two sticks together. They have even played the beat of themselves or the floor. This past circle, someone used a water jug. You can really make a drum out of anything, with a few exceptions. We have also had people come with guitars, harps, and keyboards. These circles turn into big jam sessions. We have had dancers come out. Native American tribes have joined our circles. We have even had demonstrations on how to play certain types of drums.

MOM is having another drum circle on Friday, February 14^th, Valentine’s Day. She keeps saying the nothing is more romantic than beating on a drum under the Woodstock “candlelight”. If you are interested, please come out and join us. It is ok if you don’t have a drum or instrument. You can just hang out with us. All Woodstock events are family friendly, so you don’t have to worry about anything. We hope to see you all at the next drum circle.

Fondly,

Jim of the Woodstock Gang