Tonight and tomorrow is when most modern Pagans celebrate Samhain. Samhain is the start of winter and of the new year in the old Celtic calendar. This is a time when the ancestors are honored, divinations for the new year are performed, and festivals are held in honor of the gods. It is a time of final harvest before the long winter ahead. It is perhaps the best-known and most widely celebrated of the modern Pagan holidays.

Lighting candles to honor the ancestors.
Photo by Jere/Tyreseus, CC License

It is a time when some communities acknowledge the Mighty Dead.

“The Mighty Dead are said to be those practitioners of our religion who are on the Other Side now, but who still take great interest in the activities of Witches on this side of the Veil. They have pledged to watch, to help and to teach. It is those Mighty Dead who stand behind us, or with us, in circle so frequently.”

Notable passings within the Pagan community this year include artists Chas Smith and Lady Jaye Breyer P-Orridge, key Goddess movement figure Shekhinah Mountainwater, Tim Sebastion, chief of the Secular Order of Druids, prominent Salem Witch Shawn Poirier, and groundbreaking visionary Robert Anton Wilson.

“I love that story about Susan Anthony that Zsuzsanna Budapest tells in her book. Some journalist asked Susan Anthony, because she didn’t believe in orthodox religion, I suppose, “Where do you think you’re to go when you die?” She said, “I’m not going anywhere. I’m going to stay around and help the women’s movement.” So even if I don’t live long enough to see these things, I’ll be around to make a nuisance of myself.” – Doreen Valiente, the Mother of Modern Witchcraft.

Below you’ll find an assortment of quotes from the media and from fellow Pagans on the holiday.

“The word Samhain means summer’s end … It’s not a festival celebrating death, it’s a celebration of our beloved dead who have passed on … The veil between the living and the dead is at its thinnest then…” – Laurie Smith, Winnipeg Sun

“Most people celebrate Halloween by donning costumes and collecting candy. For the Rev. Theresa McReynolds, a chiropractor from Atlantic City, October is a special, holy time to honor loved ones who have died. At home, McReynolds creates a special altar with pictures and mementoes. She cooks special meals that include their favorite foods. McReynolds, 61, also would take her grandchildren and other relatives to the cemetery and share stories about their ancestors to ‘remind them we came from somewhere and we’re a part of something bigger than where we are now.’” – Michelle Lee, The Atlantic City Press

“It’s a funny festival, when you think about it. A strange collision of All Saints’ day (the Catholic Church’s way of celebrating all the anonymous ‘also-rans’) and the pre-Christian, celtic festival Oiche Shamhain (Old Irish for ‘Samhain’ night, ‘Samhain’ being a festival of the dead), With that kind of heritage, Halloween was always bound to be a bit weird. In Ireland, where pagan and Christian culture have always been satisfactory bedfellows, Halloween is a cause for a major celebration. Fireworks are let off, barmbrack (a kind of fruit bread) is eaten, there is singing and dancing and, of course, plenty of drinking.” – Ben Snook, Bits of News

“In Northern Europe, Samhain (the Celtic term for Halloween, pronounced sow-in as in ’sour’) was the time when the cattle were moved from the summer pastures to winter shelter. It was the end of the growing season, the end of harvest, a time of thanksgiving, when the ancestors and the spirits of the beloved dead would return home to share in the feast. Death did not sever one’s connections with the community. People would leave offerings of food and drink for their loved ones, and set out candles to light their way home. Those traditions gave us many of our present day customs. Now we set out jack-o-lanterns and give offerings of candy to children – who are, after all, the ancestors returning in new forms.” – Starhawk, On Faith

“The veils are thin this time of year, they say. The veils are thin between the worlds seen and unseen, but they are also thin within us. Something in us opens and reaches out into the dark. Something in us reaches into the darkness held deeply in secret, too. Something in us longs for the warming fire. Our veils are thin, our personality parts fight for dominance, and our psychic centers know that there is more. Our hearts do, too. The unseen reaches for us, and we reach for the unseen. There is no difference between the two.” – T. Thorn Coyle

“The next day – or possibly the day after that, depending on your calendar and/or which scholars you believe – is Samhain. This is the day we remember our ancestors of blood and spirit, those who walked before us and made the ways we follow. We will attend their altar, and take down the family photo albums to share once again the lives and memories of our beloved dead with our daughter, so that she can know whence and from whom she comes.” – Executive Pagan

May you all have a blessed Samhain, blessings to you, and your beloved dead on this season. Let this new cycle be one of great blessings for all of you.

Some last minute essays, opinions, and stories (some of it dealing with the upcoming holiday), for discerning Pagans and Heathens.

The Times reviews Emily Wilson’s new book about the death of Socrates. Entitled, appropriately enough, “The Death of Socrates: Hero, villain, chatterbox, saint”, the book looks at the different perspectives through history of this famous free-thought martyr.

“For some Romans, Socrates talked too much while dying a rather comfortable death. According to Plutarch, Cato the Elder called him “a big chatterbox”; the painless demise was contrasted with the hideous suicide of Cato the Younger. As an explicit act of political protest, inspired by Socrates, Cato stabbed himself till his innards extruded; after his wound had been sewn up, he tore it open again and ripped out his bowels. This scene is illustrated, along with numerous versions of Socrates’ end.”

The book goes on to illustrate how Socrates ended up a hero to Christians (thinking that Christ was the culmination of the philosopher’s teachings), and being used as a popular character in a string of recent novels.

New DNA evidence was filed Monday in hopes of overturning the convictions of the West Memphis 3. The three teens were convicted for the murders of three children back in 1993, the case has long been criticized for using “Satanic Panic” to frame the teens, bringing up Damien Echols’ interest in Wicca and Heavy Metal music, and using an “occult expert” to gain a conviction.

“Defense lawyers say two hairs — evidence that looms large in a case long devoid of physical evidence — link the stepfather to the crime scene where the bodies of three 8-year-old boys were found nude and hogtied in a watery ditch … The prosecution’s theory of a satanic motive was key to the convictions … However, forensic reports offered by the defense attribute nearly all those injuries to predators — possibly dogs or raccoons — that fed on the bodies in the hours after the murders.”

In fact, according to a report filed in July, none of the genetic material found at the scene could be trace back to the three teens. It remains to be seen if this new evidence will in fact clear the teens (now in their 30s) or save Echols from execution.

The Idaho Statesman explores the famous witch-trials in Salem through three women descended from victims and accusers at that time.

“‘I lived this for about two weeks – what would he have said, what would she have done – and I literally entered her skin,’ Judith Alexander said. Judith Alexander, Rebecca Bowen-Odom and Lila Hill. The three women recently portrayed their ancestors in a dramatization of the Salem witch-hunt era for Pioneer, the local chapter of the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution.”

The article thinks ergot poisoning was the most likely culprit for the witch hysteria, though there are several theories out there.

Mexico’s Roman Catholic Church has gone on record as saying it doesn’t like Halloween.

“Those who celebrate Halloween are worshipping a culture of death that is the product of a mix of pagan customs,” the Archdiocese of Mexico said in an article on its Web site yesterday. “The worst thing is that this celebration has been identified with neo-pagans, Satanism and occult worship.”

No word on if this includes Dia de los Muertos celebrations as well, or if the death-haunted holiday is significantly free of “occult” influence to remain safe.

Finally, a somewhat strange attempt to enter the Guinness Book of World Records was attempted by a group in Somerville, MA.

“The witches were urged on by Lesley Pratt Bannatyne, the Somerville author of the new children’s book Witches’ Night Before Halloween and an authority on the holiday. Witches’ Night (Pelican Publishing) is her fourth Halloween book, but her first for kids. Pratt Bannatyne wanted to celebrate Halloween in a new way, and Somerville — with its eclectic festivals and “the willingness of people to come out and do something different” — seemed like the place for the first known Guinness attempt for the ‘Largest Gathering of Halloween Witches (Reciting Poetry).’”

No word on how many of the “witches” were also Witches (of the religious sort), but they did succeed in winning the record. Maybe a Pagan group can work towards ‘Largest Gathering of Pagan Witches (Reciting Poetry)’ sometime in the near future.

That is all I have for now, have a good holiday in the coming days!

The Salem News reports that the two Witches arrested for leaving dead animal parts in front of two local metaphysical shops in Salem, have had their charges reduced by a judge on Friday.

“A Salem District Court judge yesterday reduced the charges against two people accused of placing mutilated raccoon parts in the doorways of two Salem shops last spring … Sharon Graham and Frederick Purtz had been charged with malicious destruction of property and littering in the incidents, which brought to light tensions within the community of witches and psychics who have established a presence in Salem over the past several decades. Graham also was charged with witness intimidation … During a hearing yesterday, Graham’s lawyer, David Gavegnano, convinced Judge Richard Mori that police had overcharged the two because a charge of malicious destruction requires that property be damaged or destroyed. The buildings were not damaged when the raccoon entrails, body and head were left there, Gavegnano argued; the blood and animal parts were simply cleaned up.”

Graham still faces charges of defacing property and witness intimidation. The prosecutor has also threatened to appeal the judge’s ruling. This case initially stems from an internal struggle within Salem over the licensing of psychics, and some bad blood between Graham and local event organizer Christian Day. You can read my full coverage of the Salem “psychic wars” at this link.

We all know that Samhain/Halloween is an important holiday for many modern Pagans, but it is also becoming an increasingly important holiday for just about everyone else too. The Montreal Gazette takes a look at the long history of Halloween, from pre-Christian holiday to ever-expanding secular celebration.

“Eighty-three per cent of Americans age 18 to 24 will celebrate Halloween this year, compared with 67 per cent in 2005, according to the U.S. National Retail Federation in Washington, D.C. In Canada, men between 18 and 34 are the biggest spenders on the holiday, dropping an average of $72 on costumes and other supplies, according to a recent survey by Pollara for the Retail Council of Canada.”

The Gazette article also touches on how gays in the 1970s helped revive adult celebration of Halloween, which soon spread into the mainstream in the 80s and 90s. But why is Halloween so much more popular now? Why do we pursue the frightening? Tis the season to ask some academics! The Houston Chronicle interviews philosophy professor Cynthia Freeland on why people are fascinated with the frightening.

“When we know that we are safe, we can explore this dangerous territory, deal with it in a vicarious way, and feel brave and bold that we have come to grips with some aspect of evil, some aspect of danger in the world. That’s useful for us. Of course, there are other theories that are psychological or sociological. One theory is that some people are attracted to risky behavior. Surveys have shown that there are some people who go to horror movies and like other risks like drinking and drugs, gambling and risky driving.”

Though retailers have a somewhat different opinion on why interest in Halloween has boomed.

“Missy Becker, the owner of the Spirit stores in Fort Collins and Loveland, has been in the Halloween business for three years. Located in the former Nate’s Steak and Seafood Place on Mason Street and College Avenue in Fort Collins, Becker said Halloween is so popular because it’s the only ‘me’ holiday. ‘You can buy for yourself,’ she said.”

Meanwhile Halloween-themed parties have moved beyond sexy nurse costumes and “Monster Mash” playing in the background. The San Francisco Chronicle puts the spotlight on the 14th annual Le Bal des Vampires, where spooky, elegant, decadence is the order of the day.

“So, naturally, the 14th annual Le Bal des Vampires will draw out the most elegant of the undead, who will arrive in the evening dress of the century and country of their “rebirth.” Held Saturday in the Alameda Elks Lodge, a neo-Colonial mansion with an Edwardian ballroom, bloodsuckers will be invited to join in dances from across the ages – 18th century baroque country dances, Victorian Viennese waltzes and 20th century tangos – to the sounds of chamber band Bangers & Mash.”

Perhaps Halloween is so popular because it becomes what you make of it, even if you decide to suck all the fun out of it and make boring.

“Fall festivals can be considered a time that unites people and families, said the Rev. Dale Hall, youth pastor of Kelview Heights Baptist Church. “They’re usually looking for an opportunity to come together and celebrate as an alternative to something like Halloween, which doesn’t always have the best reflected values,” he said.”

So have a happy Halloween, whether you are celebrating it this weekend, or this coming Wednesday. I’m off to get my house ready for trick-or-treaters.

The Chicago Tribune takes a closer look at Witch School’s recent move to Rossville, IL and finds a troubled town deeply unhappy with its new Pagan neighbors.

“Things were already going downhill in this small farming community when the witches arrived. Area factories had shut down. So had the local high school. A suspicious fire had gutted much of the downtown. The use of methamphetamine was destroying families. So when a group of Wiccans from out of town moved into a storefront this summer and erected a sign advertising “Witch School,” it was only a matter of time before alarm bells sounded and tempers started to boil in this village of 1,200, about 125 miles south of Chicago near the Indiana border.”

It seems that anti-Witch canvassing, regular prayer meetings, and even an anti-Pagan billboard reading “Worship the Creator not Creation” have all emerged since Witch School’s move here from Hoopeston with dreams of building a new “Salem” in the Midwest. But it may not be the Salem they were hoping for.

“‘Remember the Salem witch trials?’ resident Adam Marganski said. ‘That’s what is happening here.’ … more than 150 people filed into the shuttered high school Wednesday night for the meeting, Andy Thomas, youth minister at the Rossville Church of Christ, said residents had a spiritual responsibility to drive the witches out. If they didn’t, he said, young people were in danger of being pulled off the Christian path … ‘They’re trying to make us scapegoats,’ [Don Lewis] said as he slipped into the meeting unannounced.”

On Wednesday, another meeting was held concerning the “Witch problem” featuring speaker Robert Kurka. While Kurka presented a message of tolerance instead of hostility, this new truce seems fragile at best.

“When the meeting was over, many of the opponents appeared calmed. They vowed to turn down their anger and increase their prayers. Lewis was pleasantly surprised. “It seemed like he was trying to uphold the peace,” he said. But it was unclear how long the peace would last. When a local pastor approached Lewis shortly after to say he would pray for him, the exchange between the two men quickly heated up. It looked as if a fistfight might break out. Then Lewis decided Kurka was right. He turned and walked away.”

It remains to be seen if something like Witch School can survive in a small Christian town already troubled by economic and social problems. While tolerance should be practiced (and enforced) on all sides, one has to wonder if such ingrained hostility will ever allow the enterprise to truly flourish.

My semi-regular round-up of articles, essays, and opinions of note for discerning Pagans and Heathens.

The Pagan law enforcement and emergency personnel organization Officers of Avalon is sending out a call for donations to their Avalon Cares Relief Project in order to assist those affected by the recent California wildfires that have destroyed over 1,400 homes, and evacuated nearly a million people.

“As our members are Pagan professionals in the emergency services, we’ve had a lot of people on the ground in the affected areas from the start. I’m starting to get reports on what has been affected and where help might be needed. I encourage you to do the same. If you know any one who has needs as a result of this disaster, please write to us and let us know … Once again, we’re showing the world what Pagans can do. Yet we must stick with it. We need you all to continue to donate what you can. If you can’t donate money, donate your time to volunteer efforts. Do your own fund raising events to help us in this disaster relief effort. Open your doors to the displaced. Give blood. If you’re a Pagan in the emergency services or related fields, join us at Officers of Avalon and help us help Pagans.”

Officers of Avalon has has 501 (c) status (so your donation is tax-deductible), and 100% of the money collected by the Avalon Cares project is going to the relief effort in California. Donation links can be found, here.

For those of you who have been following the story concerning the Federal Bureau of Prisons’ controversial plan to limit religious books for prison libraries to an approved list (currently on hold due to massive protests), some recent information has come to light thanks to a Freedom of Information request put in by one of my readers. According to the FOI document sent to me, there are no records of outside consultants, or fees paid to outside consultants.

“In reference to your request for the names of consultants, fees paid to those consultants, and the invoices related to those fees, there is no information responsive to this request.”

This seems to back up claims by the American Academy of Religion that no members of its organization were involved in making the lists. It also looks very likely that the BOP was “misstating” when it said they relied on experts to make the lists. Which raises the vision of BOP bureaucrats making the lists by doing Google searches. These facts should make for interesting background when the lists return in 2008.

Mary Lefkowitz, professor emerita at Wellesley College, has an editorial up in the L.A. Times endorsing a return to polytheism, specifically, a return to the Greek pantheon.

“The world, as the Greek philosopher Thales wrote, is full of gods, and all deserve respect and honor. Such a generous understanding of the nature of divinity allowed the ancient Greeks and Romans to accept and respect other people’s gods and to admire (rather than despise) other nations for their own notions of piety … Ancient Greek religion gives an account of the world that in many respects is more plausible than that offered by the monotheistic traditions. Greek theology openly discourages blind confidence based on unrealistic hopes that everything will work out in the end. Such healthy skepticism about human intelligence and achievements has never been needed more than it is today.”

I dare say this is a call for a return to traditional values that most Christian conservatives aren’t really expecting!

For those who loved “Pan’s Labyrinth” by Guillermo Del Toro, but thought it was too “cheery”, the acclaimed director is planning to tackle H.P. Lovecraft’s “At the Mountains of Madness”, an essential tale in the ever-popular Cthulhu Mythos.

“…it will NOT be next on his list. It is still possible that a studio has finally agreed to a deal … it looks very good that GDT will soon be in monster heaven soon, thanks to Don Murphy’s Angry Films, and Susan Montford, who will be on board as producers, and an as yet unnamed studio. At one point the film was being looked at by Dreamworks/Paramount and Warner Bros., but looks like Universal may be the frontrunner now.”

The film adaptation was co-written by Guillermo del Toro, and a review of it is posted, here.

Finally, in Witch School news, the small town of Rossville, Illinois (the new home-base of Witch School) held a town meeting for those worried by the recent influx of Pagans. But rather than controversy, Robert Kurka, professor of theology and church in culture at Lincoln Christian College in Lincoln called for tolerance and co-existence.

“About 150 people from Rossville, Hoopeston and other parts of the county attended the event that was open to the public. Kurka talked for more than an hour about the history of Wicca religion and the ideas behind it and compared the beliefs to Christian beliefs, showing how the two differ. Kurka encouraged the mostly Christian audience to treat the Wiccans in a Christian way, by welcoming them to the community as they would anyone else.”

This seems to have somewhat surprised the Witch School members in attendance, who no doubt feared an anti-Pagan fire-breather had been sent to rally the faithful.

“It wasn’t what I thought it was going to be. I thought it would be more ‘We have to get rid of these people’ attitude. I was pleased to know it was more friendly,”

So it look like Rossville is coming to terms with its new Pagan neighbors, though it remains to be seen if Rossville will ever become the “Salem of the Midwest” as some hope.

That is all I have for now, have a good day!

Fellow Pagan blogger (and academic) Chas Clifton punches massive holes in the conspiracy theories being manufactured by Aidan Kelly and Thoth Publications on the release of “Inventing Witchcraft: A Case Study in the Creation of a New Religion”.

“The book they tried to ban. When the first edition of this book was released, conservative Gardnerian Witches attempted to suppress it, claiming that it discredited their religion. Even though its first printing quickly sold out, the original publisher, faced with death threats and boycotts, agreed to abandon the project, and no other publisher has dared to reprint it before now.”

To which Clifton replies: “Horse s**t. Elephant dung. Monkey poop.” He then proceeds to debunk the conspiratorial claims one by one, including the “fact” that Llewellyn would be intimidated by controversy or anger from Gardnerian Witches.

“[Llewellyn] wanted to publish it. After thirty years in the occult publishing business, [Llewellyn president Carl Weschcke] probably treated the displeasure of his reading public less seriously than he treated Minnesota mosquitoes. Death threats indeed. Controversy is good for publishers, as Thoth is obliquely admitting by trying to manufacture some.”

So why all the ruckus? “Inventing Witchcraft” is an expansion and re-working of “Crafting the Art of Magic” (published in 1991), the first book entirely devoted to tracking down the origins of Wicca using textual criticism on various copies of the Gardnerian Book of Shadows. In short, the book challenged the idea that Wicca was an ancient lineaged mystery religion, an action that made him controversial.

“In 1991, Llewellyn published a book written by Kelly titled Crafting the Art of Magic, which he describes as a trade version of the scholarly work the publisher rejected, in which he challenges Gerald Gardner’s claim that Wicca is an ancient tradition. Rather, Kelly wrote, Wicca was something that Gardner made up himself. Kelly claims that his research indicates that Gerald Gardner invented modern witchcraft in 1946 and that Aradia was one of Gardner’s major sources. Kelly also charges that certain aspects of Gardnerian practice were a result of Gardner’s alleged ’sexual addictions.’ In his book, Kelly defends Wicca as ‘a thriving, beautiful religion in its own right (that) does not require an appeal to the past for legitimacy.’”

While Kelly’s work is still considered a valuable asset by scholars studying the history of Wicca (it is acknowledged as an essential resource in Ronald Hutton’s “Triumph of the Moon”), and it is nice to see the book back in print again, the need to drum up controversy by talking about death-threats and a supposedly cowed former publisher does nothing but stir up bad blood over an old issue that most of us have collectively moved on from.

The oldest and largest interfaith organization in the world, The Council for a Parliament of the World’s Religions, has elected two leaders from the Pagan community to serve on its executive council. The Rev. Angie Buchanan, director of Gaia’s Womb, and Rev. Andras Corban-Arthen, a director of the EarthSpirit Community.

“Two well-known leaders of the Pagan community were elected to executive positions by the Council for a Parliament of the World’s Religions (CPWR), in Chicago, Illinois this past weekend … Since its founding, CPWR has sponsored major international interfaith conferences in the USA, Africa, and Europe, and is preparing for the next conference to be held in Melbourne, Australia in 2009. On October 22, 2007, Rev. Angie Buchanan was elected for a three-year term to the Office of Secretary for the Board of Directors of the Parliament and will also serve on the Executive Committee … In addition, Rev. Andras Corban-Arthen, serving as a member of the Parliament’s Board of Trustees since 2006, was also elected to serve on the Executive Committee as a “Member at Large” at the same meeting this past weekend.”

It was at the 1993 Parliament in Chicago (the first in 100 years) that the growing Pagan community “came out” to the larger religious world for the first time*.

“The Pagan presence at the Parliament was historic. The fact that this Parliament included Pagan group sponsors, speakers, and delegates in the first place was noteworthy, since Nature religions were excluded from the first Parliament. At this Parliament, however, there was inclusion, respect, and support. In addition to Wiccans and other Pagans, there were those from a variety of traditional Nature wisdom paths, including Winnebago, Navajo, Hopi, Yoruba, Maya, Santeria, Lakota, Cheyenne, and others. Pagan and Native American participation received widespread positive media attention. Some reporters commented that just as the first Parliament served to introduce Hinduism, Buddhism, and other Eastern religions to the realm of religions in the West, this Parliament served to bring Pagan and Native American spiritualities more fully into the community of the world’s religions.”

Since then modern Pagans have been an active part of Parliament-related interfaith forums and activities. Becoming a valued and respected part of its organizing council. Pagan participants are expected to be a valuable voice in the 2009 Parliament of the World’s Religions, where issues of aboriginal reconciliation, sustainability, and global climate change, will be explored through the lens of indigenous spiritualities.

The fact that modern Pagans have risen to places of leadership in the global interfaith movement in less than fifteen years is extraordinary, and is a credit to our collective movement. One can only hope that this is a positive sign for the future, and that modern Pagan and Heathen organizations from across the world will step up to make their own voices heard in our global community in the coming years.

* The sponsoring Pagan organizations at the 1993 Parliament were Circle Sanctuary (Circle), Covenant of the Goddess (COG), EarthSpirit Community, Fellowship of Isis, and Lyceum of Venus of Healing.

Halloween is quickly approaching, which means that journalists across the country are looking for willing (real live) Witches to interview. This time of year is usually one of the busiest (journalism-wise), and the theme often turns to “dispelling myths” concerning Witchcraft and Paganism. Such is the case in a recent interview with Salem’s own Laurie Cabot.

“We don’t dress up like the chainsaw massacre. We don’t paint our faces green because we’re not green. We don’t have a hatchet sticking out of our heads asking to be murdered. We dress up like what we want to be … I think propagandizing our holiday in such a nasty way is not educating anybody or making anybody happy. I’d rather see the whole world dressed up in something beautiful in October and have a great time and still party.”

You don’t have to be a (in)famous author/personality from Salem to get an October article, you just have to be willing to speak out about your beliefs. You can even get away with saying some rather contentious things about religious Witchcraft/Wicca like Utah Witch Daneen Deuel:

“Wicca is more than just being a witch … Wiccan’s have a deep love of nature, and work on self improvement, and sending good out toward the universe … Wicca is an ancient Celtic religion which was revived around the twentieth century … It’s really hard to explain Wiccanism because there are really broad principles, and you can take whatever you want from it … We believe that all Deity are aspects of the same universal power that we are all a part of and we are here in this sphere to learn and grow,”

Of course these articles also take time out to convey important facts about our lifestyle and the ethics we live by:

“Real witchcraft is not glamorous in any way shape or form … We’re not sacrificing babies and boiling cats, for crying out loud…”

Most Wiccans and Witches interviewed for an October article try very hard to come off as normal and harmless as possible, in an ongoing battle to normalize modern Pagan religions.

“The neighbors are really good. We’ve never had any problems because they know we are good people. We have a dog and a turtle and two children. We are a normal family … We honor the gods and goddesses of ancient mythology. We honor the sun, the moon, the Earth. There is nothing evil about it [Wicca] … Many witches believe in the wiccan rede – that what you do to others comes back to you threefold. So we don’t do harm.”

But no matter how “normal” we all try to appear, it is important to remember that journalists are drawn to odd eccentrics like moths to candle-flame, so expect a fair helping of Witch interviews to follow that trend.

“In 1999, when she went by the name Laurie Jean, the spirits commanded her to change her name and be reborn as a witch. What followed, she said, was a period of deep research on her part of the “ancient archives on the mysterious and unknown things” … Israel [Shvhu V. Magdaglene] recognizes herself as the reincarnated spirit of Egyptian queen Cleopatra; she claims to be waiting for Mark Antony. If he shows up at the shop, though, he might miss her. Israel plans to move on, possibly in a year or two, to model goddess, witch, vampire and princess clothing in New York City … Until then, however, she’ll be content to run her store in Melvina with her two Timber Arctic wolves. She keeps them as pets and says they’re kind and sweet.”

So enjoy the Samhain/Halloween season, just watch out for journalists lurking in the shadows, they may want to interview you!

Back in July I reported on the actions of Dixie Deerman (aka Lady Passion), a Wiccan from Asheville, North Carolina, who was trying to save a local magnolia tree marked for cutting by developers.

“Wiccan priestess Dixie Deerman of Coven Oldenwilde in Asheville says the line has to be drawn somewhere, and this is it. Deerman, also known as Lady Passion, has invited Pagans, Wiccans and others to encircle the tree Friday evening and chant spells to protect it.”

It seems that some local environmentalists showed up to her rally, including Elaine Lite, a candidate for the Asheville City Council. Lite, I’m sure, thought nothing of her appearance until news footage of the event was re-edited and used as a political attack ad by local conservative group Carolina Stompers.

Local Democrats weren’t pleased and filed a complaint saying that the Carolina Stompers need to register as a PAC (political action committee) if they are going to run attack ads. But so far the conservative group has used the loophole of not telling people how to vote to escape this legal classification.

“A television ad bought by the conservative Carolina Stompers – which mocks City Council candidate Elaine Lite for participating in a Wiccan prayer – may not force the group to register as a political committee. The commercial doesn’t explicitly ask voters to reject Lite, the message that would legally identify it as a campaign expenditure, according to the state elections board.”

Lite calls the attack “desperate”, and support for the candidate has been snowballing. But this ad marks yet another occasion in which affiliation (real or otherwise) with modern Paganism has been used as a political weapon. This event recalls the recent story of Rita Moran, a Democratic Party Chair in Maine, who was “outed” as a Pagan and subsequently stalked in order to smear the State party. The Republicans who engage in these activities must be truly bankrupt morally and ethically if using religion as a weapon seems like a good idea to them.