Dead Frogs, Broomsticks and a Burning Cauldron

One may ask, what is Wicca? Is it a cult? Is it a religion? I am here to set the record straight; Wicca is the “religion that emphasizes growth through harmony in diversity, knowledge, wisdom and exploration” (wicca.org).

To start off my blog, I’d like to tell you a story: sliding the keys from his car, Jeremy quickly climbs out of his truck. He’s late but hopefully they already started without him. He traces the woods until he finds a worn path. It’s dark and slightly chilly, with nature chirping around him. When he starts to see a bright orange and red light, he knows he has found the clearing. As he approaches the others, he’s glad to see that they did start the ceremony without him. They have formed a circle around the fire and are chanting. Silently he approaches; they allow him to join in as well. Jeremy is a Wiccan and he is celebrating Beltane, the first day of summer. Jeremy’s ceremony with his coven is a peaceful one that involves worshipping the Horned God and the Moon Goddess. Although there are some that may believe that Wiccans worship the devil and cast dangerous spells, Wicca is actually a very peaceful religion that worships nature.

Founded by Gerald B. Gardner, Wicca is believed to be a part of Paganism. For followers, this can mean different things. They can see Wicca as “…a religion, a philosophy and a way of life” (Guiley 253-255). Under Gardner’s Wicca, he is believed to have combined many different practices such as the “…works of Margaret Murray, Charles Godfrey Leland, Rudyard Kipling, Aleister Crowley, the Key of Solomon and the rituals of Freemasonry” (Russell and Alexander 161). Today, witches follow their own path when celebrating Wicca and they believe that making their religion unique for each individual is one of their strengths. (History of Witchcraft).

For Jeremy, his coven wished to celebrate Beltane together but there are other witches who actually prefer to worship in their own ways. This may include “…a dash of Buddhism… or the feminist philosophy of Cixious or Irigaray” (167). But at the same time, these ways are not evil or destructive.

Reflect for a moment on the witches you may see in movies today. You may remember the witch in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, or Elphaba, her sister, maybe Glinda from the Wizard of Oz. You may also remember Sabrina, the Teenage Witch or Isabel Bigelow from Bewitched.

I’m afraid that these characters are horrible representations of what witches are really like. Hollywood glorifies witches and typically gives them very bad reputations. They’re often seen casting spells; curses or playing mean tricks on those who are not witches. They may be shown as having dark, cellar like homes with snakes and spiders. Some witches are shown with a large cauldron, a flying broomstick or a bright green face.

These fictional movies with their made-up characters don’t resemble what true witches really look like. Let’s focus throughout my blog on the witch from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. While this witch was a queen, she was known for her jealousy when her magical mirror did not name her as “the fairest of them all”. Her jealousy overcame her and she became an ugly, worted, crocked-nosed witch in a long black robe.

In reality, witches may decide to wear traditional black or possibly other colored robes. They may wear the Wiccan symbol: the pentacle, on a chain around their neck, and some may also wear traditional “witch” attire, a long black dress that is trimmed to look like a witch costume. But the majority are known to look like everyone we see day-to-day (What do Pagans Look Like).

While Jeremy, the peaceful witch, was following the Wiccan Rede (the laws of the Witches), the witch from Snow White was most certainly not. While Jeremy would consider “Eight words the Wiccan Rede fulfill; An’ it harm none, do what ye will” (Guiley 57) before he cast any spells, obviously the Queen did not follow the “An’ it harm none” part of the Rede since she was trying to poison Snow White. The Rede is supposed to influence witches’ spells, to make sure that they are always trying to do good, which the Queen wasn’t.

For Jeremy, since he is following the Wiccan Rede, there are many different ways to state it. On wicca.org there was a very long poem posted. The very end of the poem went like this: “True in Love ever be,/ Lest thy lover’s false to thee./ Eight words the Wiccan Rede fulfill: An ye harm none, do what ye will” (wicca.org). Jeremy could receive a lot of advice from this poem and parts may be easy to remember since it was written in rhyme.

Within the poem of the Wiccan Rede, the Threefold Law is also brought up. This Law states that witches should follow the Wiccan Rede because if they do, the spirits will grant them magic. But if Jeremy does not follow the Wiccan Rede, like the Queen, he is supposed to “…suffer a karmic boomerang effect and bring negativity or evil up themselves” (Guiley 359). The Threefold Law states that if a Witch does something wrong or against the Wiccan Rede, then their wrong deed will be brought back upon themselves three times. This may be the reason why the Queen is not able to first kill Snow White, and eventually ends up dying instead.

If the Queen were a true witch, she could have cast spells to instead help criminals be caught, find the true and perfect love, or for environmental concerns (Guiley 359). But, I guess we’ll leave that up to Jeremy.

While Jeremy worships the Horned God and the Moon Goddess, the Queen appeared to only worship her magic mirror. The Horned God and the Moon Goddess would have probably given the Queen from Snow White better advice than the mirror had. These figures mean special things. “The Horned God represents the male aspect of divinity: the Lord of Death, Winter, and the hunt, while the Moon Goddess represents the female aspect: the Mother Goddess, Summer, fertility and birth” (Russell and Alexander 188). Jeremy may have seen his High Priestess and High Priest possessed by these figures at his ceremonies. While they are not the typical figures that are worshipped in America, the Horned God and the Moon Goddess are not dangerous and they act as other religion’s godly figures when people pray or blame them in times of need and hope.

In America, the Queen from Snow White is widely known, but her practices as well as Jeremy’s are not acceptable. I challenge you to look up Wicca on a common website, say YouTube. After you watch a short flick about Wicca, browse through the comments underneath. The majority will either be hateful comments or comments speaking against the haters. If Jeremy lived in England, however, his practices may be slightly more accepted there. Jeremy’s coven could have celebrated Beltane with other Wiccans and non-Wiccans and their coven would be accepted into the local parade as well. (National Geographic).

While the evil Queen was eventually chased away by her neighbors, the seven dwarfs, she is not the only one facing discouragement by her neighbors. Jeremy often faces discrimination as well. He has seen burning crosses in his coven members’ yards and their outdoor circles. Their outdoor circles, the place where Wiccan ceremonies are celebrated, have been destroyed before as well (Shook). Jeremy has also faced opposition from people who want him to change his beliefs to an “acceptable religion.”

For those that do oppose Wicca and witchcraft practices, they typically believe that Wiccans are actually worshipping the devil and that Wiccans are just doing the devil’s work of spreading curses and evil deeds. While the Queen was the one actually spreading curses and evil deeds, not even she was worshipping the devil. Some may believe that Witchcraft is a ridiculous belief full of fantasy and lies and that witches deserve the bad reputation Hollywood gave them. But Jeremy has done nothing wrong. He does not worship the devil, he believes strongly in his witchcraft and the Horned God and Moon Goddess and he is not spreading curses or bad spells. Jeremy, along with the rest of the witches, worship nature, the Wiccan Rede and the Horned God and the Moon Goddess, not the devil. They are forbidden by the Wiccan Rede and the Threefold Law to cast evil deeds or curses on other people. Hollywood created the horrible reputations for these witches, as seen by the Queen from the Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. As for the religious aspect, Wicca is no more ridiculous than any other religion’s beliefs are. This can be demonstrated by the belief that a person can “absolve” everyone’s “sins” by dying, or that a person should be buried with many expensive and special belongings and their organs should be separated and placed into jars, or believing that eating pork is a sin. Each religion has its own practices that every other religion declares as “ridiculous” or “silly.”

Wicca is the “religion that emphasizes growth through harmony in diversity, knowledge, wisdom, and exploration” (wicca.org). While the fictional characters throughout Hollywood may cast evil spells, curses and worship objects like their mirrors, Wiccans obviously do not. The Queen may become ugly, cranky and evil, but Jeremy-a true Wiccan- is very peaceful with his coven. They celebrate specific ceremonies together and worship the Horned God and the Moon Goddess. With the evidence I provided, it is obvious that the myths and ignorant beliefs against Wicca are wrong and that Hollywood is a main cause for Wiccans bad reputation. The majority of Wiccans practice peacefully and do not worship the devil or cast evil curses or spells. So be sure to keep in mind the next time you’d like to ridicule a Wiccan, what you do to others is supposed to come right back to you three times.

Works Cited

“Basic Tenets of Wicca Craft.” Wicca.org. Ed. Church and School of Wicca. Church and School

of Wicca, 26 Sept. 2006. Web. 9 Apr. 2010.

"Dianic Wicca Interview with Byron Ballard." Interview by Anna Shook. InterFaith Online.

Warren Wilson College. Web. 4 May 2010.

wilson.edu/~religion/newifo/religions/paganism/index/dwicca/interviews.shtml>.

Gibson, Marion. Witchcraft Myths in American Culture. New York: Routledge, 2007. Print.

Guiley, Rosemary E. “Church and School or Wicca.” The Encyclopedia of Witches and

Witchcraft. Second ed. New York: Facts of File, 1999. 57-58. Print.

Guiley, Rosemary E. “Council of American Witches.” The Encyclopedia of Witches and

Witchcraft. Second ed. New York: Facts of File, 1999. 65-66. Print.

Guiley, Rosemary E. “Paganism.” The Encyclopedia of Witches and Witchcraft. Second ed.

New York: Facts of File, 1999. 253-255. Print.

Guiley, Rosemary E. “Wiccan Rede.” The Encyclopedia of Witches and Witchcraft. Second ed.

New York: Facts of File, 1999. 359-360. Print.

National Geographic, prod. “Wicca.” National Geographic. National Geographic. NGC,

Washington, D.C. YouTube.com. YouTube,LLC. Web.

Russell, Jeffrey B., and Brooks Alexander. A History of Witchcraft: Sorcerers, Heretics and

Pagans. New York: Thames & Hudson, 2007. Print.

What Do Pagans Look like. YouTube, LLC, 9 Aug. 2008. Web. 4 May 2010.

Reflection #8

For this reflection, I am going to be posting and giving a description of all the extra things I am hoping to post for my final blog paper.

http://www.geraldgardner.com/images/default//intro.jpg This is a picture of Gerald B. Gardner.

http://www.wicca.org/church/rede.html This is the very long poem of the Wiccan Rede.

http://www.magicalomaha.com/Horned%20God%202.JPG This is a sculpture of an artists vision of the Horned God.

http://www.celticjackalope.com/images/Horned_God_and_Moon_Goddess_Herm_Altar_Statue_Set.jpg This is a sculpture of an artists vision of the Moon Goddess.

http://www.important.ca/images/wicca-coven.jpg This is supposed to be a picture of a Wiccan ceremony.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1nPsyZJBTeQ This is the video I found of Wicca.

http://www.thegreenhead.com/imgs/wicked-witch-of-the-west-2.jpg This is a picture of Elphaba (In the Wizard of Oz).

http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20070203150621/disney/images/thumb/2/24/Snow_white_witch.jpg/200px-Snow_white_witch.jpg This is a picture of the witch in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

http://www.wiccansupplier.com/images/black_scrying_mirror_pentacle_necklace.JPG This is a picture of a pentacle necklace.

http://www.flagshipfancydress.co.uk/ekmps/shops/flagshipenterp/images/classic-black-witch-costume-343-p.jpg This is a picture of a “traditional” witch costume.

http://images.starpulse.com/Photos/Previews/Sabrina-Teenage-Witch-tv-06.jpg This is a picture of Sabrina, the Teenage Witch.

http://www.smh.com.au/ffximage/2005/10/04/lead_bewitched_0509091143_wideweb__375x500.jpg This is a picture of Isabel Bigelow.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-AGyNVWVHiM This is the video about what Pagans look like.

http://www.warren-wilson.edu/~religion/newifo/religions/paganism/index/dwicca/interviews.shtm This is the website for the interview with Anna Shook.

I haven’t decided how many photos, videos and links I’d like to put in my blog post. But I wanted to be sure to get as much as possible so I’d have ideas.

Reflection #7

Lately I’ve been finding that reflections are getting harder and harder to write each week. I’ve feel like I’ve run out of things to write about! Right now, it’s easier to write about how I don’t know what to reflect on than it is to actually reflect on something involving Wicca and class. Well, let’s see… This week we’re meeting for conferences and our rough draft for our blog paper is due this Friday. I spent the weekend cutting down my original paper so I’m hoping to find out that that is okay. If it’s not, things will become a lot more difficult but I’m keeping my fingers crossed. With my topic I mostly used a lot of books, which I had to give back to the library after renewing them twice. The majority of sites on Wicca that I was able to find were discontinued or no longer a website, or they were a personal website that someone had created. While these sites were colorful and full of people’s opinions, they did not look like very credible sites. This is the main reason why I’m hoping what I’ve done for my blog paper will be okay.

On Wednesday I am supposed to have my conference. I’ve been trying to decide if I would like to buy anything from Starbucks and if I did, what would it be? I’m not a very big coffee fan. Love the smell but the taste is just gross no matter what I put in it. Some people get those iced coffee things, which look yummy, but they have coffee in them so I’m hesitant. How do people decide? Is there a Starbucks sample store where you can just try little sample cups of different Starbucks products like they do at Sam’s? (Not for Starbucks but for other foods). I usually go with a strawberry banana smoothie just because I know what that is and that I like it. But because it is a coffee place, there is sometimes I hint of coffee in my smoothie. I’m sure you can imagine that fruit and coffee beans don’t necessarily mix well together usually. All of this is very important because it is Starbucks and if your going to spend the money there then it’s got to be on something you actually like. This long discussion is also very important because when I go to Starbucks, and possibly decide if I want anything to drink, I will be discussing Wicca and the class. So it is good to inquire over Starbucks drinks in my reflection.

Reflection #6

Every week I watch one show for one hour religiously. It has become my ritual on Thursdays at 8pm to watch Bones. Last Thursday I was so excited because the Bones for the evening was about a murder of a Wiccan, so the entire show was about Wiccans. Because they are in need of viewers they of course had to point out that some covens may undress during their ceremonies, but they also had some other interesting points. Sorry if you like Bones or had wished to watch it on your own, but I'm going to spoil it. The Wiccan that was murdered was actually doing "evil deeds" and had dug up a great grandmother that was a victim of the Salem witch trials. This "witch" was very particular because she was the only witch to have been stoned. The Wiccan doing this deed dug up the Salem witch, dressed her in another woman's wedding dress and locked her away in a safe cabinet that was not destroyed when I fire broke out on the house. I was a little disappointed with the show only because of all the research I have done on Wicca. They did not show the Wiccan group favorably and in the end, the "evil Wiccans" coven were the killers. But, it was made known that the deed was not done on purpose. They had been burning incense and the particular incense they had been burning produced LSD. THIS produced hallucinations apparently and the "evil Wiccan" was apparently not being very nice. They claimed that she was cursing and shouting at them, and the Salem witch was the relative of one of the other girls in the coven. They had wanted to help her, but ended up stabbing her in the design of a pentacle. It was an interesting story, but I really wish that they would have made Wicca appear more peaceful and interesting. The next episode is, sadly, not about Wiccans but I will still watch it.

Why I Write?

I am not a “gotta write” person or a “gotta-be-paid-to-write” either. I would instead say that I am a “gotta-write-for-a-good-grade-or-to-make-a-plan” writer. For those that don’t know me, I am the queen of post-it notes, lists and unless it’s for a grade, short and simple bits of writing. At the beginning of each school year, I buy the “grande” package of post-it notes and hope they’ll give me extras as a special. The back of my bedroom door is full of post-it notes ranging from good books to read, what I need to be sure to grab for the next morning or a list of things I need to purchase. I also keep post-it notes in my planner and computer. These lists may include the tests for the week, a grocery list, a stress list, a list of classes I’m taking, a list of classes I should take, the dates of tutoring listed, the “what I need to do for the week” list or a list of the books I need for my classes. If there’s a will, my way is to post-it or list it. When I do write my lists, it’s not in a lovely paragraph with fancy wording and correct punctuation. No, my lists are messy, scratched out, doodled on sometimes and made to let me see what needs to get done and feel a great sense of accomplishment and selfish pride when I get to scribble it out. When I get something done that was especially difficult I take a lot of time to cross it out so I can feel the overwhelming relief of accomplishment. I may desire this so much that my scratching out goes through the post-it and onto a few pages of my planner. When I make a post-it note on my computer, the delete button is my way of crossing out. When I delete a task that I especially didn’t enjoy, it’s almost like I’m deleting it from existence. I imagine that the delete button will be the first to stop working on my laptop. I would say that I am a “gotta-write-for-a-good-grade—or-t-make-a-plan” writer because of all of my post-it notes, either literal or just a “stickie” on my computer, the majority of them typically have something to do with school and schoolwork, or making a plan for my next move. The few post-it notes I do have that don’t cover these two categories receive special highlighting, placement and constant re-checking. But for the most part, I am completely content with being a writer who either writes essays or papers for class, or plans out her life with post-it notes, lists and short, simple writing that can be crossed out and doodled over.

Reflection #5

This week we have to turn in our final eight-page paper and I will admit I am not only nervous I am very stressed as well. This week is going to be a very crazy week for me; shall I describe it for you? I think I will. Today (Monday) I had to wake up at 5:20 so I could leave my house early and get a parking spot on "free street" Martin Luther. I had a slight scare when all of the spots were already taken, but I did find one a Bishop so that was a good start. I worked out in the morning, went to class and had to rush home to go to work from 3 until 8:15. After that, I came home to do my English homework, work on the study guides for a midterm and type up my reflection. Tuesday (tomorrow) I must wake up at 4:30 to leave by 5:20 so I can be at work by 5:45. I will work at UC’s Recreation Center from 6 until 11am. Then it’s class, home, pick up my sister at 5 and get my homework done. This is when I am hoping to fix up my English paper. Then on Wednesday, I will be most likely waking up around 6:15 (I get to sleep in!), dropped off around 7:30, work out, class and then I have to head home and study rapidly for a 12 chapter midterm I have in a very important class: Survey of Communication Disorders. (I’m told that I must pass this class to continue for my major so how about another order of pressure to add to my main course of stress?) After I study I’m going to bed to wake up around the same time, get dropped off at the same time but instead of working out or just working, I have tutoring. I will be tutoring at Hays Porter for two hours, heading back to UC, going to my two classes for the day and I am hoping that I can stop by the Writing Center this day to get my paper double-checked over. After that, I head home to quickly fix up any changes that need to be done, have dinner and then watch the one show that I religiously watch every week: Bones! (I only watch about one hour of television of week, so this moment is cherished) After that, it’s a quick visit with the sandman because I’m up again at 4:30 for work down at UC’s Recreation Center. This weekend, my sister’s school’s musical is going on and she got the lead part! She’s Beauty in Beauty and the Beast and we’re all very excited for her. So as you can see, this week is going to be awesome for me. Especially because besides this paper I have to study for that 12 chapter midterm, write an Honors “I believe statement”, deviance homework, and keep my sanity long enough to survive week six. Luckily, I have this reflection finished though.

The Homeless Guy

http://thehomelessguy.blogspot.com/

-The blogger is responding to the May 2010 issue of The Contributor and how happiness is not very well known for those that are homeless.

-The blogger feels that happiness should be spread throughout homeless people because it is an energy that is needed for people to eventually get out of homelessness. He wishes that we could form a community with homeless people to help spread happiness, instead of hope.

-The blogger appears to be agreeing that The Contributor was supposed to be filled with “happy stories”, even when people are homeless, but it still was depressing for others.

-He really wants everyone to understand that “hope” is not the word for what needs to be spread towards the homeless. “Home is a static word. Hope is about waiting, and expecting something better to come along, later. Hope is expecting someone else to deliver. Hope goes no where, hope gets you no where.” He really wants “happiness” to be what we try to spread. He is doing it just by stating how hard homelessness is on a person. He states that “Homelessness is death, and no one should be resigned to that.” He believes happiness is welcoming and caring for everyone as well as sharing life. He really sounds very motivational and impacting. I feel almost inspired to spread joy and cheer around.

-This appears different from an essay in a book, or something I might read in class because it is not a paper written about other characters or the autobiography of an author. It doesn’t sound formal and I didn’t have to use a dictionary to understand what is going on. It really relates to everyone even though he is specifically only talking about the homeless. A book or essay normally has other characters, while this just has a general character: the homeless. Books and essays are normally really formal and some may be difficult to understand, this one is very “down to earth” and written for the average person who owns the Internet to read.