Witch time

The new young American rebels have little to do with those small crowds getting drunk, crazy parties or furious and alternative slakers of the 90s. Now, the name of the game is neopaganism, although their initiators prefer to call it Wicca. Far from any radical politics or somewhat critical activism, boys and girls of the Bus era are beginning to choose less junkie and risky versions to dive into a world of naturist mysticism.

Witches, spells, nature forces, magical elements and secret fraternities, that’s what half a million teenagers and young adults are up to in the US.

Or even more, because the thousands of shops specialized in magical instruments, courses and books must make a living somehow, and a great deal of people has watched “Charmed”, the series produced by Columbia Tristar, since 1998, when it was first cast.

In former times, those who were said to be healers or have a direct connection with the forces of nature were popular and listened to; they were prestigious shamanic leaders (…). But since the 15th century the Christian Church started persecuting them.

(…)

Even in mid 20th century, this stigma still marked every activity that could be related to witches or sorceresses. On the other hand, the human race and the Earth’s degradation was undeniable. It was of utmost importance to return to that inherited value system that had served so well to the brotherhood of different ways of life, to the responsibility for the environment and to solidarity among all individuals. The name of Wicca was the answer.

At a certain point, England was no longer fertile soil for this new religion; so Monique Wilson (a wiccan disciple), emigrated to the US in the 60s. (…) California welcomed and reproduced the tradition.

(…)

But how did this ideology, close to the hippies’ and to the spiritual quests typical of the Western coast, succeed to find supporters in Canada, survive until year 2002, and become fashionable among teenagers and post-adolescents in other parts of the world?

It’s simple. “The Wicca is presented to young women as a less sexist cult than traditional religions, for one of its main goals is to balance each individual’s feminine and masculine tendencies.” (…)

The Wicca adds to this the Rede: the principle of “do what you want as long as you don’t do harm” (according to the Three Law: the harm you cause will return to you tripled).

As a part of a Whole, the Wiccan takes part in this Whole’s energies, so that it can make use of them through rituals, spells and some magical elements such as cauldrons, brooms, posions, etc.

The Wiccan rules state that anyone can adopt these beliefs, if they are completely convinced of universal harmony and they suspect there is a force in nature.

Translation by Carolina Friszman Autor: Soledad Vallejos
Fuente: rad