Halloween\nKnown to witches as "Samhain," Halloween is the celebration of a new year for the Wiccan religion.\n"It's basically a time of self-reflection, thinking about your past, present and future, and remembering those who have passed," said sophomore Amy Payne. \nCommunication with the "other world or afterlife" is easiest on this day, Payne explained, because the veil that separates this world from the next is at its thinnest.\n"A lot of Halloween traditions celebrated in the U.S. are derived from Wiccan tradition," said sophomore Sarah Downs. "It's the cultural impact left over from old Pagan traditions."\nJack-o'-lanterns and dressing up for Halloween, for instance, first began as Wiccan traditions, she said.\nHalloween isn't the only holiday that corresponds to a Wiccan celebration. The day of Yule, Downs said, was originally celebrated Dec. 25, the day Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ.\n"A lot of holidays we celebrate were converted into Christian rites," she said. "I guess it's easier to convert people when they get to keep their holidays."
Beliefs\n"Wicca is a worship of a god and a goddess," Downs said. "Rather than saying that they live in heaven, and there's a devil in hell, their divinity is reflected in the earth, people and animals." \nThat divinity means those natural objects have a universal power, she said.\n"We each have divinity in ourselves, and we believe that we have powers," Downs said. "We do spells to direct those powers out into (the) universe." \nWiccans believe in reincarnation and three-fold karma, Downs explained. \n"When you do something bad to someone, we believe that it will come back to you three-fold."\nPayne explained that the first rule of Wicca is the old phrase "An it harm none, do what ye will." \n"Wiccans should practice what they believe in, as long as it harms no one, including themselves," she said.
Witches\nAlthough Downs considers herself to be Wiccan, Payne said she considers herself a witch. \n"A witch is someone who practices magic, but does not necessarily follow the religious aspects and rules of Wicca," Payne said. "Wiccans follow the religious rules and often practice magic as well."\nMany Wiccans consider themselves witches and either practice as solitary witches or in larger groups called covens, Downs said.\n"I don't let anyone but my closest friends know too much about my religious beliefs and practices," Payne said.
Magic and Spells\n"(Today) magic is all about Harry Potter," Payne said. \nAn avid fan of the series, she said the magic in J.K. Rowling's series is not the type of magic that witches practice in real life. \n"Our magic is unique to each person," she said. "There are some spells that are more common or widely known for certain things. I like to write my own. It's more personal."\nMost spells are used with fresh herbs, Payne said, but they aren't appropriate for all ailments. \n"I use herbs as often as possible for health and healing," she said, "but a lot of the time Aleve works just as well." \nPayne and Downs both said spells are absolutely forbidden unless they have the permission of person being spellbound.\n"Our magic is about helping ourselves, helping others and thinking positively towards others and sending healing thoughts," Payne said.
Brooms\nPopular representations of witches conjure up figures flying around on brooms. While this association has some accuracy, Downs pointed out a few misconceptions regarding Wiccans and flying brooms. \n"There is an old Wiccan tradition used as a ritual to make the wheat grow as high as the broom was," she said. "So, witches would straddle a broom and run through the fields to bless them."\nBut then, she explained, the drunken villagers would come from the pubs and see the witches running through fields on brooms. \n"They thought they were flying, and somehow a rumor got out that witches could fly on broomsticks," Downs said.\nBroomsticks in Wicca are actually used now to sweep the negative energy away from the circle where a witch practices, Payne said.
\nIn the movie "Hocus Pocus" starring Bette Middler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy as witches, the trio goes on a hunt for Middler's "Book of Shadows," which the devil himself had given her. This interpretation of the book is far from how Wiccans use their "Book of Shadows," Payne said.\n"(It) is a very personal book for each Wiccan," she said. "Anything that a person wants to write and have it remain private, she or he should write it in his or her 'Book of Shadows.'"\nNo one but the owner should ever read a "Book of Shadows," she said.
