“You worship the devil, don’t you?” came the reply of one of the kids in the back of my World Religions course at Broward College. The instructor, a 67-year-old former pastor, had never in her life heard of America’s fifth largest religion: Wicca. I was asked to stand up in front of the class and explain my spiritual path. “No,” I calmly replied, “We don’t acknowledge the belief in a devil.” The student rolled her eyes.
In a society dominated by Christianity and Judaism, the term “Wicca” usually spawns one of two responses: “It doesn’t exist” or “It’s evil.” Wicca is defined by Google as “the religious cult of modern witchcraft, esp. an initiatory tradition founded in England in the mid 20th century and claiming its origins in pre-Christian pagan religions.” Wicca.com, however, defines it as “a modern Pagan religion with spiritual roots in the earliest expressions of reverence for nature.” Both are valid definitions, but the terms “cult” and “witchcraft” are enough to send the average person jumping to negative conclusions.
Witchcraft in ancient history was regarded as “The Craft of the Wise.” Today’s modern witch believes in love, light and oneness with the divine and all that exists within the universe. We acknowledge the lunar phases, the seasons and the cycles of nature. We concentrate on the beauty and power of Mother Earth. We lay out in the grass at night underneath the new moon, meditating as the sun rises. We live by the rede Do What Ye Will, But Harm Thy None. We accept responsibility for our own actions, and live to benefit ourselves and the world we inhabit. We live in the present and hardly concentrate on what will become of us in the afterlife. Our time on Earth is a gift.
A year following my World Religions class, a discussion about Halloween in my Mass Media and Society course at the University of Tampa led me to raise my hand. “I’m sorry, how do the devil and Halloween even relate?” There was a simple answer from the girl in front of me: “Well, it’s a Wicca thing.” I replied, “Samhain, which falls on the 31st, is a Wicca thing. It’s a holy day, but-“ “Exactly.” “No, we don’t believe in a devil.” Silence. All heads turned to me. Since that instance, none of my classmates have spoken to me. It’s saddening to think that any educated individual still holds the belief that the “big bad” witch is the direct link to the fiery gates of hell.
This misconception dates back to the year 1692 in the town of Salem, Mass. Men and women were being dragged before courts and burned at the stake. Midnight rituals around a fire and meditating outside under the full moon could only be attributed to one thing: Witchcraft! Any spiritual belief other than Christianity was condemned as devil worship, even if the belief was in the natural magick of the universe. Fast forward to 2013. America recognizes Wicca as a federal religion, and yet pentagrams, the star-in-circle symbol which represents the five elements commonly used to decorate the Wiccan altar, are considered signs of devil worship. What about the Inverted Cross? Saint Peter was crucified upside down, as he didn’t believe he was honorable enough to have the same execution as Christ. Yet somehow the sign is incorrectly associated with today’s modern witch.
Where can a practicing Wiccan coexist amongst their peers? The answer for some is college. Dartmouth College, a small Ivy League in New Hampshire, has its own student-formed Pagan/Wiccan organization. The University of Missouri has Pagan holidays on its annual school calendar. UT offers Witchcraft and Magic in the Early Modern World as a course. On a campus that’s open-minded and non-denominational, it’s easier to come out of the broom closet.
The first step? Tell your roommates. There’s no way you can set up your altar full of crystals, pentagrams, statuettes and wands without the inevitable, “What is that?” from your mate on the other side of the room. If your campus has its own Pagan or Wiccan collective, join it. That way you don’t have to celebrate holidays by yourself, or accidently (and awkwardly) include your roommate. If a teacher or classmate prompts a discussion about Wicca (usually by asking a question involving broomsticks and Satan) don’t be afraid to raise your hand. Change some minds, make some friends, educate your peers and even your professor. And if there isn’t an organization on campus, do some research and start your own. You never know, you could be making it easier for other on-campus Wiccans to come out of hiding, too. Most importantly, no matter what comments your classmates might make or how your roommates react: stay true to yourself, and to your spiritual path. Live ye must and let to live, goes the old rede, fairly take and fairly give.
Lauren Milici can be reached at lauren.milici@spartans.ut.edu
The part about the broom closet was so cute hah. I found it an interesting read, and my new age class has the same reaction to Wicca but I’m glad they’ll be educated on it. I’m excited to learn about it as well! This makes me more interested in it
Wicca is not the 5th largest religion in the U.S. that is just a completely false statement. Very poorly written article and completely off the mark on so many of the complaints against the Wiccans.