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 Trey Capnerhurst, a traditional witch, performs a naming ceremony by the altar in her backyard in Alberta.
October 30th, 2013
03:32 PM ET
For some Wiccans, Halloween can be a real witchBy Daniel Burke, Belief Blog Co-editor Follow @BurkeCNN(CNN) - Like lots of people, when October 31 rolls around, Trey Capnerhurst dons a pointy hat and doles out candy to children who darken the door of her cottage in Alberta. But she’s not celebrating Halloween. In fact, she kind of hates it. Capnerhurst says she’s a real, flesh-and-blood witch, and Halloween stereotypes of witches as broom-riding hags drive her a bit batty. “Witches are not fictional creatures,” the 45-year-old wrote in a recent article on WitchVox.com. “We are not werewolves or Frankenstein monsters. We do not have green skin, and only some of us have warts.” Warts or not, many witches say they have mixed feelings about Halloween. Some look forward to the day when witchcraft is front and center and no one looks askance at big black hats. Others complain that the holiday reinforces negative stereotypes of witches as evil outliers who boil children in black cauldrons. Capnerhurst falls into the latter camp. Hanging up witch decorations at Halloween is no better than wearing blackface costumes or taking a slur, like “Redskins,” as the name of your football team, she says. “Unless one actually is a witch, dressing up as stereotypical witches is bigotry,” Capnerhurst said. In June, the wife and mother of two started her own church for “traditional” witches called Disir, an old Norse word meaning “matron deities,” she says. (Capnerhurst draws a distinction between “traditional” witches, like her, who were born into the religion, and Wiccans, most of whom are converts.) Most Wiccans identify as witches, and they form the largest branch of the burgeoning neo-pagan movement, said Helen A. Berger, a sociologist who specializes in the study of contemporary Paganism and witchcraft at Brandeis University. A 2008 survey counted about 342,000 Wiccans in the United States and nearly as many who identify simply as “pagans,” a significant increase from the last American Religious Identification Survey, taken in 2001. Three-quarters of American Wiccans are women, according to Berger. “It’s harder to train male Wiccans,” Capnerhurst said with a cheery sigh. “Most men just aren’t going to sweep the kitchen and think about sweeping out the bad energy.” The faith is fiercely individualistic. Although there are umbrella groups like Wisconsin-based Circle Sanctuary, most Wiccans practice their own blends of witchcraft. After centuries of persecution in Europe and colonial America, modern witches still bear a sharp suspicion of authority. The rede, or ethical statement at the core of Wicca, is: Harm none and do as you will. Despite the rising popularity of their faith, many Wiccans remain “in the broom closet,” fearful of losing their jobs, their families or their reputations, said Berger and other experts.  Trey Capnerhurst in her traditional witch garb. Capnerhurst said she was “outed” in 2005 while running as the Green Party’s candidate for local office. A reporter noted the pentacle - a five-pointed star often mistaken as a satanic symbol - hanging around her neck. “I kind of became the poster girl for paganism,” Capnerhurst said. But the notoriety came at a cost. Neighbors have threatened to burn down the house she shares with her family, Capnerhurst says. She’s lost jobs. And people keep asking her whether the “Blair Witch Project,” the 1999 horror movie, is real. “I’m like, What the frick! No!” Raising her 12-year-old daughter, Maenwen, as a witch is not easy either, Capnerhurst says, especially around this time of year, when just about every classroom turns into a coven of construction-paper crones and black cats. In the United States, Circle Sanctuary has founded the Lady Liberty League to advocate for Wiccans' religious freedom and to fight discrimination. Unlike Capnerhurst, however, some witches see Halloween as a treat, not a trick. “Considering that I usually slap on a pointy hat at this time of year (and I have a black cat too), I’m fine with the image of the Halloween witch,” wrote Jen McConnel, a poet, novelist and Wiccan from North Carolina, in an e-mail. “Even though the word ‘witch ‘ is loaded, I have embraced it,” McConnel said, “but it is only one of many hats I wear (pun intended).” McConnel says she enjoys the yearly confluence of Halloween with Samhain, an ancient Celtic festival that marks the end of the harvest and winter’s coming darkness. It’s a time when the veil between the living and the dead grows thin, according to Wiccan theology, and spirits can easily cross the divide. Many Wiccans hold “dumb suppers,” to which they invite deceased ancestors, making sure to prepare their favorite foods, said Jeanet Lewis, a witch who lives in Northern Virginia. “It’s a meditative, silent meal,” Lewis said. Other witches light memorial candles and cast spells for the new year. What do witches wish for? The same things as everyone else, apparently. “Health, wealth and love,” Capnerhurst said with a laugh. “Every single spell falls into one of those three categories.” Even though she dislikes Halloween, Capnerhurst has found a way to blend it with her own sacred days, Samhain. According to some historians, at this time of year, as the days grow darker, ancient Celts would don costumes as stand-ins for deceased spirits, going door-to-door and performing tricks in exchange for treats. Capnerhurst prefers to see the children who come to her door on October 31 as a re-enactment of that ritual. “I’m doing my ritual and they get candy,” she said. “Everybody wins!” And even though she bristles at the thought that some neighbors might abhor her religion, Capnerhurst tries to take it all in good cheer. As October 31 approaches each year, she places a sign on her lawn that reads, "This House Practices Safe Hex." soundoff (2,335 Responses)« Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 Next »
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The CNN Belief Blog covers the faith angles of the day's biggest stories, from breaking news to politics to entertainment, fostering a global conversation about the role of religion and belief in readers' lives. It's edited by CNN's Daniel Burke with contributions from Eric Marrapodi and CNN's worldwide news gathering team.  |
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Mocking Wicca ?
Spells, curses, covens, black magic, witches, voodooing dolls, hoodooing the results, shadow books, maypoles,
god(s) and goddess(es), Gerald Gardner et al??
Never!!!!
Voodoo and Hoodoo have nothing whatever to do with Wicca. Neither do curses and black magic. Wicca is a nature based religion with a philosophy of "Harm None".
as opposed to a ghost impregnating a married virgin giving birth to a man god who was executed only to come back to life 3 days later and float up into the sky to be with his father / self / the ghost?
And THERE you have it!!!!
As a Wiccan, I would like to suggest you read about Wicca before speaking thing that are not true. Best wishes to you.
Oh, the gardnerians. i always felt they were the more flashy people of the wiccan believers. Highly ritualistic, very defining in their processes. I would probably lean more towards being solitary since i usually keep my beliefs to myself. that is, until i see people getting henpecked. Sometimes it is hard to bite the tongue.
Added details:
http://wiccanspells.info/#axzz2jIe5Q1af
http://www.wiccantradition.org.uk/spellhex.html (curses etc.)
http://www.diffen.com/difference/Voodoo_vs_Wicca
This witch brought up the Redskins?! I've heard everything
Speaking for myself (as a Wiccan), I have no problem with the name Redskins. It harms no one. Wiccans need to have thick skin by necessity these days, so I don't get all freaked out over insults. Insults are only harmful if you allow them to be.
Misinformation and hatred are another thing entirely.
Why would a Wiccan be offended by 'redskins'?!? I don't want to start a debate about Washington football here, but 'redskin' is not a pejorative word for witches... now if you had said 'as a Navajo, I am not offended...' you might have a leg to stand on here.
What you said is every bit as ridiculous as 'As an Irish-American, I am not offended by N-word and see no problem with it's useage'
Being a wiccan gives you no extra insight whatsoever into what may or may not be offensive to Native Americans.
Perhaps she is part Native American. I wonder if she floats.
Humble opinion... part Native American might be worse. I know plenty of Native Americans that are pretty tired of blonde haired, blue eyed 'indians' that are like 1/32, have never seen a rez, and presume to speak for all the tribes.
The truth is, I can't even believe they meant what they said, and am kinda waiting for an 'ouch, that came out really badly, what I meant was....'
I was just shocked to read it. Like jaw dropping, are you kidding me? you did NOT just say that....
And fwiw, I will give them the benefit of the doubt, we can't edit our posts here. I know I have winced at some spelling errors, typos, or phrased something more harshly than I would have liked... and can't take it back.
But man, that sounded bad....
I'm a Wiccan. I would say that most Wiccans do not get offended over people dressing as unicorns or names of football teams. It would not harm me if some team decided to call themselves 'the witches'. My beliefs are still with me and I see no harm being done. Insults are not harm unless you let them be.
After reading, I was not clear in my post (unfortunately, I can' edit). If native americans believe they are being persecuted, they should by all means protest as they will. In contrast, does it do harm if a little kid dresses a native american on Halloween? Or as a witch? I do not see harm there.
However, I do understand and apologize for meshing thoughts so poorly. I'm so used to not letting insults offend me. If Chiefs is considered a racial slur, then it does do harm to someone. In that I stand corrected.
Wiccans also believe that what you put out comes back at you * 3. So I won't be surprised if my mistake comes back to smack me in the next few days. Peace.
"Speaking for myself (as a Wiccan), I have no problem with the name Redskins. It harms no one."
Wow. Dumb bunny alert. You SERIOUSLY need to check your privilege and look at what you're saying... you think converting to a minority religion gives you the ability to state that a racial slur isnt harm? Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight.
I do
I'm a Wiccan. We have learned to have thick skin. You cannot make one feel inferior without their permission. I'm not saying native americans should not protest what they believe is persecution. They should be free to do as they will.
What I believe he is saying is it does not offend 'him' if there is a football team called the Chiefs. Heck, I would not be offended if there was a football team called 'the witches'.
If I call a person a bunny, you are feel to state it doesn't harm you. Peace and joy to you.
Wel, it is part of the current discourse. Churchill, i recall, was fired up over it back in the late 80s. it is still being discussed commonly. Seems that puts a bit of weight behind that particular struggle. If people had respect and care for each other, im betting that topic would have been dealt with long ago...actually, it would have never had a reason to exist in the 1st place.
Oh yay. Yet another group of nonsense peddlers on a mission to be offended.
So CNN is fighting for wiccan rights now?
Unless it's a tea party candidate, then it's just ridiculous.
“Unless one actually is a unicorn, dressing up as stereotypical unicorns is bigotry,” Capnerhurst said.
My daughter wanted to be a princess, I told her to stop being a bigot.
My son wanted to be Dracula, I had to teach him about sensitivity. This is nuts.
Keep in mind that not all Wiccans believe what she does. I'm a Wiccan and try my best to live by the rede. In my view, it harms no one to dress as a unicorn...neither you nor I. I don't care if kids have fun dressing as witches on Halloween. I don't expect others to conform to my beliefs, provided that my freedom to worship as I choose is not taken away. Halloween intersects with one of our religious celebration, but it is also a fun and happy time for many Americans, especially children.
I'm a Wiccan and I don't need a pointy hat. I don't need to embrace my beliefs. Let us live in peace.
Typo. I don't need you to embrace my beliefs to be happy. I wish you peace and comfort.
"i'm not a witch."
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44mqiBrB0zI&w=560&h=315]
Great. Now the song is stuck in my head for the rest of the night.
"I'm not a witch."
Wicca, along with all so-called Pagan religions, is a religion that involves worshipping the planet, and nature. These religions follow the natural rhythym of the planet and celestial bodies. These religions were established by men as a way to try and interact with their surroundings and live in harmony with the world around them. Much like native american beliefs, these religions worship the mother earth and the sky father in an effort to co-exist with the planet that gives us everything we have. Pagan faiths generally believe that all religions lead to the same creater, they merely follow different paths to get there, and differ based on the natural developement experienced by geographically isolated groups. By Contrast, Christianity, and all monotheistic religions, are man made religions that teach that man is the master of his surroundings. They do not promote living in harmony with the planet but extole the virtues of being the master of the planet. The bible tells christians to go forth and prosper, to basically over run the planet and control all. It is a religion who's sole purpose is to control the masses and control the planet. It achieves this control and mastery through fear of damnation in a made up afterlife of fire and torture. Christianity and its like faiths, Judaism, and the Muslim faith, all believe they are the one true path to God and that all other beliefs are false. This one fact has caused 90% of all wars throughout history. This belief that if you do not believe as I do, you must be destroyed, has caused more harm to humanity and the planet than all disease and natural disasters combined. So what belief system is better? The pagan system that believes in living in harmony with the planet and that all beliefs systems are equal and merely developed differently based on geographical isolation or the monotheistic religions that believe man is the master of the planet and it was given to him by God to do with it what he will and that their belief is the one true belief and all other beliefs must be purged from the planet by any means necessary? It is obvious which is the better way, but unfortunately you can not overide a lifetime of indoctrination and fear of reprisal with common sense.
–The bible tells christians to go forth and prosper, to basically over run the planet and control all. It is a religion who's sole purpose is to control the masses and control the planet. -
No.
Jesus never said anything about controling the masses or the planet. The sole purpose is to love others.
But sadly, in modern times, for most christians that has come to mean...
"The sole purpose is to love others.... unless they are gay. Or believe differently than you. Or aren't christian. Or a different kind of christian. Or your religious leaders say they are bad people... other than that love away"
I am not christian, But I don't think Christ would like most christians today honestly.
"But sadly, in modern times, for most christians that has come to mean...
"The sole purpose is to love others.... unless they are gay. Or believe differently than you. Or aren't christian. Or a different kind of christian. Or your religious leaders say they are bad people... other than that love away""
Where do you get this information Dave? It's false. Sure, you can find Christians like you have outlined, and you can find these people in all groups. But to characterize most Christians this way is only spreading a lie. I know a lot of Christians. I'm still waiting to meet one as you have outlined.
Pete, I have known christians that were outstanding, kind, tolerant people that were all about love and peace. People I genuinely respect and think are ethical paragons.
But the majority are narrow minded, self righteous, and intolerant. Where do I get my info? Personal experience. It was christians that drove me screaming from this religion. Not Christ. As evidence, why don't we count posts in this very thread from kind and tolerant christians, vs those filled with hate and self righteousness?
And for what it's worth, if you find yourself in the former category, instead of the latter, next time you catch a christian going off on some hate filled rant, consider the damage this does to your religion.
Pete,
Just go to any event where Westboro Baptist church is also there.
I'm sure many modern day witches are well-meaning and kind. I know a witch who went to school to learn how to treat people with kindness and became a high priestess. However, she turned into a psychopath. She lies, distorts truth, turns people against each other, and schemes to get her way. She is a source of mayhem, fear and chaos. Her focus is on power, not enlightenment. She gives all witches a bad name as she represents the stereotype handed down in fairytales.
Sounds like the Nun who was my 6th grade teacher.
Talking of distorting truth and lying....where the heck was this school where she went? And how on earth is she anything like fairy tale witches?
You mean she was a real, normal human, who exhibited real, normal human problems?
How weird!
If you read between the lines and look at religions of the bible rationally (instead of literally), one would see that maybe religions like Wicca, Christianity, Judaisms, Buddhism, etc have a lot more in common than meets the eye
Rob, that was a bunch of arrogant hogwash. You have no right to go on the internet claiming to know what other people, Pagan and Christian alike, believe. My great grandmother was a witch from germany and she did not worship nature. She taught me her religion. She worshipped God and used natural things as representations of different aspects of God. But at no point did she ever confuse nature with the God who created it. Further, the Bible does not tell Christians to dominate everything. Since you're not a Christian or a Jew, you are even less qualified to give an interpretation of Judeo Christian scripture than you are to give public statements about what other Pagans believe in. If you want to go on the internet and talk about what YOU believe, fine. But you should probably keep your arrogant mouth shut about what other people believe.
Sooo much to comment on! But I will choose only one basic thing. Wiccans do not worship the planet or nature, they worship the Goddess and the God, the Lord and Lady. If you can't get this basic fact about Wiccans right . . .dosen't bode well for the rest of your paragraph.
Almost certainly the church had a lot to do with spreading the stereotypical image of the witch.
Sounds like another minority group that will one day seek special privileges.
If by "special privileges" you mean equality, then yes. We already have sought that through the Lady Liberty League and several well-known Pagan leaders. We are now allowed equal rights in the military, can be buried with the pentacle or Mjölnir placed on our headstones. We cannot be discriminated against based on our religion. And we have every right to peacefully assemble in parks, following local laws, to hold festivals. It's amazing how that equality thing works.
Mike, another minority group? OMG! How many are there now?
You are the minority group of one, and everyone else gets special privileges but you don't know it.
We invented Halloween so we could watch you dress up in silly costumes.
We invented money to distract you, none of us actually use it...only when you're around.
It's all a joke on you Mike. You're actually a black Muslim woman in South Africa having a dream right now.
I am not a witch, but the Halloween I remember was a lot more fun than the current edition. It was full of ghost stories, bonfires, s'mores, candy, apples, crisp evenings, pumpkin carving, and the shiver you got crossing empty silent fields with a group of friends on the way to parties. We dressed up and had a lot of non-commercialized fun. Where is THAT Halloween?! I don't blame people of this faith are leary of the portrayals as warty nosed green individuals with a penchant for cackling, we are not really so far removed from the bad behavior of our ancestors as we would like to think.
Halloween was killed by paranoia- urban legends of poison candy and razor blades in apples.
Gone are the days of simple freedoms...Halloween, air travel without strip searches...fear has taken
the joy out of life for many of us. This happens in a society where fear takes the place of reason.
"Letting fear take the place of reason", that's it in a nutshell.
It does seem to me we had more fun back then, than they do now. I remember all those things. and really being scared. in school, we would, cut out black cats make ghost just on and on. I truly am sorry to see it is not the same.
@andrea-my dear, u r NOT the only one who feels the way u do.there r 2 of us!alot of these comments do not make a lick a sense to me.could b the reason i stick to what i know.as long as no one is getting hurt, who cares?shouldn't have to be kept a 'secret',or lose one's job overshameful!.HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!
@andrea-my dear, u r NOT the only one who feels the way u do.there r 2 of us!alot of these comments do not make a lick a sense to me.could b the reason i stick to what i know.as long as no one is getting hurt, who cares?shouldn't have to be kept a 'secret',or lose one's job overshameful!.
Veronica Lake had neither green skin nor noticeable warts in "I Married a Witch". Definitely mischievous though.
Great movie.
I got better.
Burn Her!
It's a fair cop.
Does she weigh more than a duck?
Dave,
Because it is silly and immature as fart jokes and as intelligent as Shakespear all at the same time....in my opinion.
I think we do the quote thing because Python isn't a comedy troupe at all...
It's a cult with a great sense of humor 😉
Well it must be my true faith then because I haven't been able to stop watching since the first time I saw the Twit of the Year episode on PBS when I was 7.
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yp_l5ntikaU&w=640&h=360]
Anyone ever wonder why it is us Python fans feel compelled to start quoting as soon as someone else does it? It's like an illness. And I am as bad as anyone...
That is a very interesting question Dave.
A social meme that allows self identification of a person who shares common humor with others who are liable to ask interesting questions.
So we may have a social communion of a shared memory in the joy of the absurd?
A fast way to make friends with strangers that's more fun than picking the nits of the back of fellow social primates on the plains of South Africa?
Perhaps it's because we remember the dialog without intentionally memorizing it because we understood it.
I wish I knew some bright anthropologists or sociologists I could ask.
What are your thoughts Dave?
Goddess, but I do love that bit! I told my kids I wanted that performed while my cremated remains are being floated away in my margarita ball-out into the Antlantic.
Help, help I'm being repressed! Come and see the violence inherit in the system! I'm being repressed! (Not that I totally disagree with her.)
Look like youtube took down the how-to video for this great Halloween pumpkin design, but you can see the final product here:
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_h_T3EYCsKI&w=640&h=360]
To make a Jesus jack o lantern instead of a Manson one, just make the "X" above the head a cross, and walla!
"(Capnerhurst draws a distinction between “traditional” witches, like her, who were born into the religion, and Wiccans, most of whom are converts.)"
I wonder what would she consider me? I am neither born into the religion or Wiccan.
I'm a Wiccan and I don't agree with some of the things she said. It does no one harm to dress as a unicorn. It does no harm for kids to dress as witches and enjoy Halloween. No one can insult you without your permission.
I would define you as a fellow American, someone who should believe what -you- wish. Most Wiccans that I know do not need the pointy hat. I'm not saying she is wrong to dress as she wishes; I'm just saying her view is not the view of all Wiccans.
That would mena Hoglosi...Hitlery...Boxer...Freaknenstein...Jackson-lee...Moosechelle...Subelius...
BEFOREHAND: close door, each window & exit; wait until time.
open spellbook, study, read (scan, select, tell us);
write it, print the hex while each watches,
reverse its length, write again;
kill spiders, pop them, chop, split, kill them.
unlink arms, shift, wait & listen (listening, wait),
sort the flock (then, warn the "goats" & kill the "sheep");
kill them, dump qualms, shift moralities,
values aside, each one;
die sheep! die to reverse the system
you accept (reject, respect);
next step,
kill the next sacrifice, each sacrifice,
wait, redo ritual until "all the spirits are pleased";
do it ("as they say").
do it(*everyone***must***participate***in***forbidden**s*e*x*).
return last victim; package body;
exit crypt (time, times & "half a time") & close it,
select (quickly) & warn your next victim;
AFTERWARDS: tell nobody.
wait, wait until time;
wait until next year, next decade;
sleep, sleep, die yourself,
die at last
See, this is precisely why you shouldn't eat wild mushrooms without extensive training by a bona fide biologist specializing in field mycology.
No, no you misunderstand. This is *exactly* why you should eat wild mushrooms without extensive mycology study.
As a Witch I love Halloween. I have enjoyed it since I was a child living in a Christian Family as a Christian. Dressing up, getting free candy and going to fun filled Halloween parties. What's better than that (Oh, Yeah! Christmas) Now that I'm an adult and I celebrate Samhain I enjoy it even more. Not only do I get to celebrate and recognize my ancestors and have a feast while honoring them (sounds like what Christians do for Jesus) and a night of mystery (so, the non Pagan's like to think of it) but then I get to take my son trick-or-treating, party with my friends, in costumes and have twice the fun. There is nothing scary about Halloween unless you make it scary. Evil will not attack you unless you play with Ouija Boards and perform Seances. I'm not saying evil doesn't exist but if you fear it and play with it you give it power. Halloween is not about evil or "SATAN" is about playing dress up and having fun.
This is the most ridiculous statement I've read all night!
As a "witch" you should no better than making the following statements:
"Evil will not attack you unless you play with Ouija Boards and perform Seances."
"evil" will not attack you unless you yourself are "evil". It has NOTHING to do with using Ouija boards or performing seances. Get a grip!
*know