Lord, Have Mercy! Witches are being Portrayed Positively. Conservative Christian Media has the Vapors.
Pearls fallen upon the floor from clutching [Image credit: MJTM]
Writing for one such online magazine, Woman Alive, Hope Bonarcher examines Practical Magic 2 through an explicitly Christian theological lens, describing contemporary interest in Witchcraft as part of a broader cultural embrace of “all things witchy.” Rather than simply condemning the film, however, Bonarcher identifies what she sees as parallels between its magical themes and Christianity, including ancestry and inherited spiritual burdens, the ritual significance of blood, and self-sacrifice. She interprets these elements as occult counterparts—or “counterfeits”—of Christian concepts ultimately fulfilled through Jesus.
The conservative Christian entertainment organization Movieguide takes a more cautionary approach to Disney’s Coven Academy, warning parents that the series presents Witchcraft as a source of friendship, belonging, confidence, and heroic power. The organization argues that its concern is not simply the presence of Witches in fantasy but the program’s association of Witchcraft with positive adolescent identity formation, including sisterhood, romance, self-discovery, and fighting evil. Movieguide cites biblical prohibitions against Witchcraft and encourages Christian parents to discuss the program with teenagers and use parental controls if desired.
Bonarcher wanted us to know specifically that “Not gonna lie, I did wonder how many of my fellow seat mates actually identified as witches, pleading the blood of Jesus as I stumbled down the dark aisle to my seat.”
Just imagine?
Witches watching movies.
The times we live in.
Spellcraft and Queer Identities meet at Tower Grove Pride’s Witches Moot
ST. LOUIS, Missouri – At this weekend’s Tower Grove Pride in St. Louis’s Tower Grove Park, a group of queer Witches and other magical practitioners will gather to launch a new activity space – the Witches’ Moot. Over the course of the weekend, the Witches’ Moot will offer a slate of programming that shows the intersections between these communities.
Among the workshops to be offered are “Queering Divination: Reading Beyond the Boundary,” “Uprooting Hate in Heathenry,” and “Herbs of Our Ancestors,” among others. The breadth of practices on display shows just how many connections can be found between magickal traditions and LGBTQIA+ identities.
Stephanie Diedre, who describes herself as a “flexible lesbian and a lazy Witch,” is the primary organizer of the Witches’ Moot. After disappointment with how the St. Louis Pagan Picnic, which is also held in Tower Grove Park, handled a disruption by white supremacists at the 2025 picnic, Diedre sought out the organizers of Tower Grove Pride for advice. “I wanted to know how to organize an event specifically in Tower Grove Park,” she says, because Tower Grove Park is a municipal park but governed independently of other facilities in the City of St. Louis. To her surprise, Tower Grove Pride offered her a space for Witchcraft at their event.
“The Witches’ Moot isn’t competing with the Pagan Picnic,” says Diedre. “It’s just meant to be a more Queer-centric space. The spaces that we have in mind are a little different from the run of the mill – we like learning about things that are a little darker, or things we can intersperse with our own lives.” She points to the Queering Divination workshop as an example, with its focus on moving out of the “rote masculine/feminine” binary she observes in some Witchcraft spaces.
Diedre also sees the Witches’ Moot as a place for “healthy cultural exchange,” including workshops and rituals that involve traditions outside of Euro-centric Witchcraft. She points to the Herbs of Our Ancestors workshop, which is presented by Camino Cempasuchil, a Curanderismo practitioner who focuses on end-of-life care.
Zoe, a bisexual trans woman who practices Wicca, has been organizing the event alongside Diedre. “I myself am a transplant from elsewhere, and take every opportunity I can to make connections and friends in the local spiritual community,” she said. “So when this opportunity arose, I was very excited to take part and bring the dream to life.
“I think today we take the intersection of Queer folk and magick for granted today, when many of our Queer magickal ancestors like Eddie Buczynski were ostracized from traditional Wiccan circles due to their sexuality,” Zoe continues. “In today’s world, I think LGBTQIA communities are realizing a lot of things we considered settled, solid ground, are in fact eroding under our feet.” She points to the issues with the Pagan Picnic and the loss of St. Louis’s Pagan Pride event as examples of this.
“So this is a way to say, we are still here, we are still queer, and we are still going to rule the world.”
Her workshop, “Solomonic Pentacles for the Discerning Queer Revolutionary,” is, she says, about “bringing low the high.” The workshop will focus on three pentacles from the Key of Solomon, showing how a practitioner can blend “high” ceremonial magick with “low” folk magick.
“I think a lot of people can get scared away because grimoire magick is so esoteric,” Zoe says. The workshop is meant to introduce the community to these practices and demonstrate how they can be useful in the physical world – and in making change. “To me, the personal is necessarily political, and magick is helpful when it helps me in the real physical world. That includes when I’m engaging in political action of all kinds.”
Another event at the Witches Moot is the Whimsy, Wonder and Witchcraft photo shoot by Sarah Rue, a Queer photographer who describes herself as “a ball of beautiful chaos that hops through this reality spreading whimsy and joy.” That spirit is carrying over into the photo shoot, which invites attendees to come dressed in their favorite Witchy attire – “whether that’s classic Witchy attire, a personified version of your zodiac sign, or your favorite deity, demon, god or goddess.” She describes the photo shoot as an opportunity for Queer and Witchy creatives to collaborate.
While this is the first year for the Moot – and, Diedre stresses, the event is something that has come together in only two months of organizing – Diedre feels that there is a lot of potential for the years to come.
“My expectations for this year are, I think…” She pauses to consider. “They’re healthy,” she says with a laugh. “And next year we’ll have a whole year to plan.”
Workshop registrations are open now. The Witches’ Moot at Tower Grove Pride runs this weekend, September 26th and 27th, in St. Louis’s Tower Grove Park.
Survey
By David S. Soriano – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=125089281
Author Yvonne Aburrow is asking questions about the intersection of AI and Paganism and proposing a new book.
AI is shaping up to have a significant impact on human society and our relationship with Nature, each other, and our humanity.
Following on from their previous call for contributions to an anthology of Pagan, Heathen, polytheist, and animist responses to generative artificial intelligence, Yvonne Aburrow is now conducting an online survey to canvas a broader range of opinion on the subject.
The survey is completely anonymous. Please follow this link: https://forms.gle/U58AykemajoJRvU78
Cherry Hill Seminary Holds Fall Ordination Ceremony
Columbia, S.C.— Cherry Hill Seminary held a service of ordination on Saturday, September 19, 2026, for four of its graduates: Timothy Billbrough, CMC; Brenda Ann Cole, Certified Spiritual Director; Karen Bilan (Bee) Gomez, CMC; and Lisa Lake, CMC, Certified Spiritual Director.
Each of the ordinands completed a thorough course of study, including a supervised internship local to them. A Clergy Review Committee, which included Rev. Wes Isley, MDiv, HPs Carol Kirk, Rev. Karen LeBlanc, MDiv, Rev. Cedar Monroe, MDiv, and Dr. Robert Patrick, MDiv, reviewed applications and interviewed each candidate before approving them for ordination. Prior to this review, the Seminary contracted with an outside firm to conduct extensive background checks.
Rev. Cedar Monroe conducted the ceremony, concluding with remarks appropriate to the approaching equinox. Rev. Monroe shared that people have said that ordination is both the culmination of and the beginning of one’s ministry.
Seminary director Holli Emore added that each student is on a unique journey, saying, “The choice to seek ordination shows a willingness to cross a threshold into the next stage of their life path.”
Cherry Hill Seminary is not tradition-specific and does not train students for particular traditions. Core elements of seminary training include ethics, exploring the student’s personal theology, interfaith leadership, ritual development, and more. Candidates for ordination have demonstrated the understanding of and ability to support others spiritually.
Those who wish to make a gift in honor of one or all the ordinands may do so at this link.
Cherry Hill Seminary is the leading provider of education and practical training in leadership, ministry, and personal growth in Pagan and Nature-Based spiritualities, by providing transformative education and empowering students to advance academically and lead spiritually.
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Community Announcements
Hekate’s Sickle Festival Returns This November to the Salish Sea for a Three-Day Rite of Devotion, Mystery, and Community
The Aquarian Tabernacle Church (ATC) announces the return of Hekate’s Sickle Festival, a three-day Witch Retreat devoted to Isis, Hekatean practice, sacred arts, and community ritual, to be held November 6-8th at Camp Moran State Park on Orcas Island, Washington.
Set amid evergreen forest and wide water views in the San Juan Islands, Hekate’s Sickle Festival invites practitioners, seekers, and dedicated devotees to step into a concentrated weekend of ritual, teaching, devotional practice, and fellowship. The festival’s programming centers on reverent engagement with Hekate through guided rites, workshops, and community spaces designed to support both newcomers and long-time practitioners.
“While the amenities of the hotel are comfortable, Witches want to be in the wild woods, under the moon, with firelight, and drums,” said Belladonna LaVeau, Archpriestess and CEO of the Aquarian Tabernacle Church. “Hekate’s Sickle is a witch retreat, dedicated to magic, deepening your connection with deity and each other, so we can return to our lives strengthened by shared mystery and sacred work.”
Register now, as space in the camp is limited and spots are filling up fast. The Weekend Registration is all-inclusive; we feed you and give you a bed in the camp cabins for the weekend for only $299.
A Festival Designed for Real Bodies and Real Lives
ATC acknowledges that rustic state-park lodging can be a barrier for some attendees. The park does not have ADA-compliant facilities in the cabins. In response to community feedback, ATC is highlighting nearby off-site lodging options that offer a higher-comfort environment while keeping attendees close to the heart of the event.
- Doe Bay Resort (approximately 12 miles from Camp Moran): https://doebay.com/
- Rosario Resort (approximately 9 miles from Camp Moran): Rosario Resort | 1624 Rosario Road, Eastsound, WA, USA https://www.rosarioresort.com/
Because November is a quieter season in the San Juan Islands, these properties may be open to negotiating rates, and ATC can help coordinate pickup and drop-off between the festival site and either lodging location.
Registration
Registration is open now, and discount tickets are still available for a limited time.
- Register: http://sickle.atcwicca.org
About Aquarian Tabernacle Church
The Aquarian Tabernacle Church (ATC) is a 501(c)(3) religious organization serving a broad Pagan community across the United States, Canada, and South Africa. ATC supports spiritual education, seasonal festivals, devotional practice, and community-building through local branches and online resources.
Monthly EBSAT meeting on Monday, October 12, 2026
7:00 PM Central Time /
6:00 PM Mountain Time /
5:00 PM Pacific,
and last 30 minutes.
For The Love of Books
An online day about books for Pagan book lovers
On Saturday, October 17th, Ardantane presents an online program for Pagans who enjoy reading and all things bibliophilic. The program will take place starting at 10:00 am Mountain Time (9 am Pacific, 11 am Central, and 12 noon Eastern). It will wrap up about 4:30 pm Mountain Time.
The day will include short workshops on:
- Meet Seshat, the Egyptian goddess who is Mistress of the House of Books
- Ancient Scribes: Enheduanna, the Sumerian priestess who is the first known author in human history. Listen to a reading of her “Hymn to Inanna.”
- Ancient Praise: a smattering of hymns and praise for the Divine Ones from various ancient texts.
- Manuscript Art and Illumination: the Book of Kells, fun with marginalia, and more
- How to make your own Book of Shadows: Making inks, papermaking, embellishment, illumination process, resources
- Organizing and Caring for Your Library
- Writing and Publishing YOUR Book, with authors Amber K and Azrael
- Freedom to Read: activist tips for fighting book bans
There will be breaks between workshops, and a longer lunch break. Participants can attend the whole program or any portions they wish.
And fun! Enter several drawings for door prizes—mostly books!—which will be mailed to lucky winners after the event.
The program is organized by the Stewards of Seshat, Ardantane’s library committee. Seshat is the ancient Egyptian goddess Who is our library’s patron deity.
To sign up, visit Ardantane. The fee for the whole program is only $15; which goes to Ardantane, a non-profit Pagan school and retreat center based in New Mexico. Registration closes at 5:00 pm Mountain Time on Friday, October 16.
“Bring us Witches with agency. Bring us transformation. Bring us rot and bloom.”
California — Coreopsis Journal has announced an international call for submissions for Spellbound, the first volume of a planned three-book fantasy anthology inspired by The Coven, a series of paintings by Ukrainian fantasy artist Inna Vjuzhanina.
Vjuzhanina, who lives and continues to work in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, created The Coven as part of what organizers describe as her personal spiritual and artistic journey. She is collaborating on the anthology with the team behind Coreopsis Journal. The project is being published by an independent Canadian publisher, with the first volume planned for 2027.
Each of the three proposed volumes will feature nine of Vjuzhanina’s paintings accompanied by original fiction and poetry inspired by the artwork. For Spellbound, writers select one of nine paintings and create a work in which the depicted Witch is essential to the story. The figure may be interpreted broadly—as protagonist, antagonist, deity, familiar, machine, memory, place, or something else entirely—but editors emphasize that the work should not function without the Witch at its center.
Submissions are open to writers worldwide. Fiction of up to 15,000 words and poetry of up to 50 lines will be considered, along with shorter and flash fiction when appropriate to the selected artwork. The project offers a token payment, with organizers hoping to increase compensation through fundraising.
An optional priority-reading process is available for Ukrainian and Ukrainian-diaspora writers and writers currently living in or displaced from war zones.
Editors say they are particularly interested in imaginative, emotionally engaging work featuring Witches with agency and transformation. They will not consider work relying on ethnic stereotypes, pseudo-Slavic caricatures, stock portrayals of Witches as evil hags or seductive villains, graphic sexual content, sexual violence, or gratuitous violence. Writers drawing upon living cultures or traditions outside their own are asked to approach the material with research and care.
Submissions for Spellbound close December 1 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time.
More information, the nine paintings, and submission instructions are available from the Spellbound project at Worldsmyths. Questions may be directed to publishing@worldsmyths.com.
And they shared some Magical Music to write by …
EarthSpirit Announces Fall schedule
WESTERN MASSACHUSETTS — The EarthSpirit Community has shared its calendar of rituals and gatherings for the remainder of 2026, beginning with an Autumnal Equinox Ritual and Sacred Land Walk near EarthSpirit’s home in western Massachusetts.
Twilight Covening, EarthSpirit’s annual intensive spiritual retreat, will take place October 9–12 in the Berkshires. The community will return to Glenwood on October 25 for an Ancestor Ritual and Sacred Land Walk from 1 to 5 p.m., including a ritual walk at 1 p.m. and an Ancestor Ritual at 3 p.m.
EarthSpirit’s Samhain Ritual is scheduled for Friday, October 30, from 7:30 to 9 p.m. at the Williamsburg Grange in Williamsburg, Massachusetts. The community will close its 2026 seasonal ritual calendar with its Yule celebration. Specific details below:
Autumnal Equinox Ritual and Sacred Land Walk
September 13, 2026 1 – 5 pm
at Glenwood, EarthSpirit’s home in western MA
Ritual Walk at 1 pm, Harvest Celebration at 3 pm
Twilight Covening
October 9-12, 2026
in the Berkshires of western MA.
Ancestor Ritual and Sacred Land Walk
October 25, 2026, 1 – 5 pm
at Glenwood, EarthSpirit’s home in western MA
Ritual Walk at 1 pm, Ancestor Ritual at 3 pm
EarthSpirit Samhain Ritual
Friday, October 30, 2026 7:30-9pm
Williamsburg Grange, Main St, Williamsburg, MA
EarthSpirit Seasonal Rituals in Williamsburg:
Yule – December 19
Events and Announcements
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Deck: Sun and Moon Tarot, by Vanessa Decort, and published by U.S. Games Systems, Inc.
Card: Four (4) of Swords: Truce
This week could offer up some interesting challenges that may require unexpected pivots and shifts. The need to be flexible and open to new options is likely to be highlighted, but making hasty decisions should be discouraged. Finding a balance point is liable to be key. If there is uncertainty, a step back to fully evaluate the situation is likely to be called for.
Conversely, the need to recognize that taking a break is likely to be front and center. Otherwise, expect to be forced by exhaustion to do so. Attempting to push through despite the need for rest has the potential for frustration and even burnout. Even a forced respite can allow for being more fully present mentally and emotionally and is conducive to making a clearer assessment of what is truly needed.
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