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Witches gather in U.S. to honor ancestors at Halloween

By Jackie FrankMon Oct 29, 9:13 AM ET

There are no plans to fly on a broom across the full moon or send black cats scurrying through graveyards, but witches' covens will gather on October 31 to honor and commune with beloved ancestors.

For while other Americans don costumes and go trick-or-treating, members of the pagan religion of Wicca will gather to celebrate the Wiccan New Year of Samhain, which is considered a precursor to modern Halloween.

"It is the most important holiday of the year, and some traditions believe it is the new year," said Dianne Piantedosi, a member of Wicca which is officially recognized as a religion in the United States and is estimated to have up to 500,000 followers.

"(At this time) the ground is holy and hallowed because that is where the ancestors reside. It is a special time of year," said Piantedosi in an interview at her store "Spark of Spirit" in this Washington, D.C. suburb.

On that evening, she will gather with her coven to remember and honor relatives, friends and pets who have "crossed over."

They will prepare a "dumb supper" with plates of the favorite food and drink of the deceased, display photos of those they want to remember, and burn candles.

"Then we sit down and we commune with them," she said. "They say this is the time of year that they would come and divine secrets to you and tell you what the year would hold in store for you."

Asked if she had communicated with those who have passed, she said simply: "I've gotten my messages, yes."

The depictions of a crone on a broomstick certainly don't apply to Piantedosi, 40, who has medium-length light brown hair and is dressed casually in tan pants and a white shirt.

"I don't have a pointy hat, but I do have a broom and I do have a caldron," she said, adding that the broom is used to sweep negativity away from the house and not to fly.

She has a caldron but she will make stew in a pot as it's easier on Samhain, which historically was the Celtic New Year's Eve, when the pagan year begins.

BELIEFS AND PREJUDICE

Piantedosi, who cautions she does not speak for all Wicca members, was raised Jewish and has been involved in the Wicca religion for about 12 years, opening her polytheistic religious store three years ago with husband Tanner Piantedosi.

Wicca, based on nature and spirit, is a new religion that was started in the 1950s out of several ancient traditions with Wiccans holding services called "ritual" in covens, ideally with 13 members, in homes or other locations.

The Wicca religion, predominantly involving women, is growing in the United States but slowly as they do not proselytize.

One reason is wariness of outsiders and the potential for discrimination or persecution, but as it becomes more familiar to people, she said these fears are starting to be dispelled.

Piantedosi's store sells religious books of all doctrines and some stones, seeds and oils used in magic spells, with the most popular linked to love and money.

But Wicca magick -- spelled with a k to differentiate it from magicians' tricks -- is to direct the energy around the earth to a specific positive purpose such as healing.

"Magick is about changing consciousness. It's about energy manipulation," she said. Wiccas are required to do no harm.

Samhain is one of eight major Wicca holidays and in recognition of the holiday, Piantedosi has set up an ancestor altar in the store with candles, a chalice, a ritual knife used to direct energy called an athame, and statues representing the god and goddess, male and female spirits.

No "eye of newt and toe of frog" are found in her store although bottles of red dragon's blood bubble bath are sold.

"But it's expensive because it's difficult to get the little guys to donate," she said with a smile.

Copyright © 2007 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters shall not be liable for any errors or delays in the content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon.

FROM WICCA.COM

Wicca is a deep appreciation and awe in watching the sunrise or sunset, the forest in the light of a glowing moon, a meadow enchanted by the first light of day.   It is the morning dew on the petals of a beautiful flower, the gentle caress of a warm summer breeze upon your skin, or the warmth of the summer sun on your face.   Wicca is the fall of colorful autumn leaves, and the softness of winter snow.   It is light, and shadow and all that lies in between.  It is the song of the birds and other creatures of the wild.   It is being in the presence of Mother Earths nature and being humbled in reverence.   When we are in the temple of the Lord and Lady, we are not prone to the arrogance of human technology as they touch our souls.   To be a Witch is to be a healer, a teacher, a seeker, a giver, and a protector of all things.   If this path is yours, may you walk it with honor, light and integrity.

Wicca is a belief system and way of life based upon the reconstruction of pre-Christian traditions originating in Ireland, Scotland, and Wales.   While much of the information of how our ancestors lived, worshiped and believed has been lost due to the efforts of the medieval church to wipe our existence from history, we try to reconstruct those beliefs to the best of our ability with the information that is available.

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