I’ve written a few times in the past, either here or on The Lotus Pond, about how Wiccans seem to disagree amongst themselves about whether or not they perform magic. I usually say that I am not a witch because I do not perform magic, meaning I do not cast spells. But, there are those that make the argument that Wiccan ritual practice, specifically Circle casting, is a work of magic, and therefore Wiccans can be seen as witches. Without getting into the whole Wiccan/witch debate, I thought it might be interesting to figure out if casting a Circle really…

The number of people killed during the witch hunts is often misrepresented as 9,000,000 (with at least one site claiming that 85% of which were women).1 Many sites, though, now represent the number as between 50,000 to 200,000 people, including the ever popular Wikipedia. So, where did the larger number come from, and why do many scholar and Pagans now believe the number to be so much smaller? According to Ronald Hutton2, a historian in the small German town of Quedlinburg first reported the number of dead as 9,442,994 in 1793. The historian arrived at this number by taking the…

I just recently finished a CFFN lesson on magic where I wrote about how I thought magic works and also about how I saw the Wiccan perception of magic change through the years. (You can read a version of these two essays here: Why Magic Works and Changing Views of Magic. In response to my essays, a fellow student said that she felt Wiccan religion could not be separated from magic, even if that is the way the trend seems to be going. (Heavy paraphrasing here.) I said that I felt that magic is now more associated with spells and…

The commonly accepted names for the Wiccan Sabbats are: Yule (approx. December 21st) Imbloc/Imbolg (February 1st) Ostara (approx. March 21st) Beltane (May 1st) Midsummer (approx. June 21st) Lammas/Lughnasadh (August 1st) Mabon (approx. September 21st) Samhain (October 31st) Most of these names come from Celtic festivals, and in some case, the Wiccan celebration supposedly vaguely resembles these original festivals. But, as well all know, Wicca is not Celtic. In the tradition I belong to, Universal Eclectic Wicca, there has been a move to change the Sabbat names to the following, with the idea of the celebration/rite occurring the evening before for…

Several years ago I took some courses through Witch School. To say I was unimpressed is an understatement. Although I have had trouble articulating what it is that bothers me about Witch School and the Correllian tradition, someone else has explained it quite well: Nonfluffy Pagans – Why not WitchSchool? (Use the green arrows above the entry to read the next two parts of this essay.) The author of this piece has many valid points. The tests for lessons are laughable easy, and the Correllians seem to becoming more and more commerical as the years go by. I am a…

I’ve noticed that whenever a Wiccan is interviewed on television, she (it is usually a she) tends to be wearing a black robe, a lot of jewelry, and far too much eye makeup. Laurie Cabot, the “Official Witch of Salem”, is a prime example. These Wiccans will often talk at length about what goes on at a ritual, or how they think spells work, but rarely do they speak about the spiritual aspects of Wicca. I guess it comes down to what makes good TV. Who really wants to listen to Sally Normal talk about the ethics and spiritual fulfillment…