The daily duties of wit
ches are similar to
anyone else's. says
Samantha She has four
children, and is educating her
oldest son. Adam, at home
"You .worship, we worship
You have babies, we have
babies You clean house, we
clean house." she says
Linda Jencson is a witch
researcher who has studied
the subject for three years
She completed her master's
degree on witchcraft and now
is pursuing the subject further
as a doctoral topic
There are two basic
theories that are the basis of
witchcraft says Jencson One
theory centers around the
Mother Goddess and the
Horned God. the other is has
ed on the story of Demeter
and Persephone, who most
know as the classical
mythology characters. Jenc
son says
Persephone is Demeter's
daughter who is abducted by
Hades, lord of the Under
world Although she is warn
ed not to eat anything while in
the Underworld she is temp
led by six pommegrate
seeds and therefore must
return to the Underworld six
months out of the year to
reside with Hades Demeter,
the Goddess of agriculture,
mourns while her daughter is
underground and the winter
season comes with the death
of plant life during this mour
rting period
Mitzl Linn, a self
proclaimed healer, witch,
psychic and tarot card reader
adds historical significance to
this myth "In earlier
mythology. Persephone
would go there as an initiation
rite She was the actual leader
ol the Underworld." Linn
says
Historically, by 2000 B C*
female goddesses had taken a
back seat to males During the
earlier Paleolithic times.
Women were dominant and
occupied the roles of impor
tance. Linn said
More widely followed by
witches though, is the theory
that the Mother Goddess
gave birth to the Horned
God. whose life cycle sets up
the pattern of celebration dur
mg the year for much of the
pagan community. Jencson
says
There are eight celebrated
dates acknowledged by the
Craft, and the dates and
myths accompanying them
are sometimes debated, says
Jencson
"The Goddess creates
everything. and the God is
born on Winter Solstice (Dec
21 or 22) and is growing at
Candle Mass (Feb 1)
Brigette Is the Goddess of
Healing and many spells for
healing are usually done at
these ceremonies
"Spring F.quinox (March
22) is more growth of the
God and on Mayday or
Beltane (May 1) the God
reaches sexual maturity
Kituals of prosperity are done
during these ceremonies At
the Summer Solstice (June
21) he is a full grown adult
and he sacrifices himself at
Lammas (Aug 1 or 2) so he
can have harvest This is a
time to be thankful, to give
something up." Jencson says
At these ceremonies most
witches give up something
MONSTER COOKIE CO.
FOR HALLOWEEN
1
GHOSTS /
GOBLINS
BATS & CATS
(and other assorted Monster Cookies)
-OJ
Available al lha retail afore
460 Willamette. Eugene
687-1064
Could you use an extra
$100.00 a month
this term?
There are lota ot ways lor a stu
dent to earn extra money But
most employers require regular
hours And even it your class
schedule happens lo lit your
employer’s needs, midterms and
linals often don't
II you're healthy and reliable. In two lo lour hours a week. being
paid on the spot, you can earn up to $100 00 cash a month! Easily
on a lleulble schedule to accomodate you Become a
blood/plasma donor Once or twice a week, visit the nearby Hyland
Donor Center Donating plasma Is simple and sale In Iact, the
donation process, called plasmaphersis,' removes Irom the
blood the only element it needs — the plasma Other whole blood
elements, the red cells, are returned to you Want lo know more?
Need that cash now?
For an appointment call 683-3953
HYLAND PLASMA DONOR CENTER
40 E. 10th
‘We had a little doll we tied up in red yarn and we
vowed he couldn’t pass any legislation until he learn
ed that the earth is alive and being ruined with his
policies.’
— Samantha
they care about by throwing it
into the (ire “Chocolate chip
cookies were popular at the
last one I went to.” Jencson
says Other items included a
doll and baked bread
Fall Equinox (Sept 22) is a
different kind of thanksgiving
celebration, according to
Jencson "It's kind of a let's
party’ time
Halloween, or Samhain.
remains special to many wit
ches "It's the time when the
God enters the other side,
whatever the other side is
Magic works better on that
night The souls of the living
and dead are going back and
forth and the whole universe
is thrown into a kind of time
warp." she says
For Samantha. Halloween
is an important time of year
also It s a time when we
finally say goodbye to that
which is dying It's a time for
soul searching, a reflective
time for turning inward It's
the halfway point between
winter and autumn. she
says
hour witches are now sta
tinned at the north, south,
east and west areas of the cir
cle They >tand with their
arms and legs wide and heads
high, their bcxhes imitating
the symbolic star as they
believe the most energy flows
through the bodv in this posi
non Some hold wands in
their hand, others knives
They will call the direction
spirits to guard the circle at
each of the four directions of
the circle The witch at the
southerly end of the circle
begins in a low powerful
tone
“Hail guardian of the
south Be with us this Solstice
eve Come' So mote it be'"
The medieval term, so
mote it be. is repeated and a
candle is lighted in each direc
tion as the other witches in
yoke the individual spirits
The practice ol wit
chcraft seems to take
two forms. There is
the ritual and ceremonial side
to worship, where witches
gather in covens or ‘‘circles"
to combine energy and create
magic But a witch's magic
can be used Just as effectively
in day to day life, according
to Samantha
She practices magic on a
private level, and thinks there
is magic in most aspects of
everyday life "If you have a
child that is scared to death
and you are able to hold him.
comfort him and change that
fear that's magic she
says
She is not. however,
limited to this type of magical
change, and described an in
cident of "dramatic magic"
where a small group of wit
ches performed a "binding''
on James Watt, former
Secretary of the Interior
"We had a little doll we tied
up in red yarn and we vowed
he couldn't pass any legisla
tion until he learned that the
earth is alive and being ruined
with his policies He didn't
learn so he lost his office." she
says
And this is about as black as
the magic gets, she says "It
isn't harmful "
Local practicers ol the Cratt
acknowledge that images of
satan worship, human and
animal sacrifices and other
devilish deeds all come to the
minds of many with the men
tion of the word witchcraft
Jencson. however, has yet to
come across any Satan wor
shippers in Lane County “It
kind of surprises me. because
I've heard rumors about horri
ble things done in connection
with Satan worship It's in
credibly well hidden or it just
isn't there." she says
The confusion between wit
chcraft and satanism is a con
tinual irritant to witches Most
reject completely all aspects
of Christianity, according to
Jencson "Most are fairly
feminist, believe in reincarna
tion. karma and a spiritual
energy you can get in touch
with There is usually a
callous disregard for Christian
beliefs; most have slight
respect for all religions but
have the least respect for
Christianity." Jencson says
Ray Noah, associate pastor at
Willamette Christian Center,
says Christianity does have a
stand on witchcraft, though it
is not a “doctrine ”
“We feel it is very un
biblical The Bible talks about
withcraft and there are
specific references in the Old
Testament to the sin of wit
chcraft Witches were put to
death and outlawed in the
land Witchcraft has its roots
in satanism Its ties are in
Satanism and you can't divide
the two." Noah says
Samantha is feverishly
disturbed by the idea that
members of the Craft are
somehow aligned with the
Devil We don't have a devil
We don't externalize our fears
like Christians do with the
Devil We take responsibility
for our own lives. " she says
Samantha explained that
while witches do
acknowledge their own inner
darknesses, they lack the base
beliefs in Christianity
necessary to believe in or
revere a devil character "The
base idea that a god would
sacrifice his child is repugnant
and also that that same god
would have only one child is
repugnant Also I have trou
ble with the idea that God is
just kind of somewhere out
there." Samantha says
Noah does not invalidate
witchcraft in its concept or
power "I believe there are
certain powers that witches
can have Not only is God all
powerful, but Satan has the
ability to manipulate people
and countries and whatever I
think it is valid in the sense of
being real and having
power ”
Back in a circular forma
tion. the predominant leader
in the group now stands
before her fellow witches She
talks briefly about the
significance of the calendrical
holiday then there is a mo
ment of silence before the
chants begin which will call
first the Horned God. then
the Mother Goddess to the
ceremony
"Come people come
to the radiant sun
Come people come
to the radiant sun
Golden shining shield,
radiance, radiance
Homed one come to us "
REYNOLD STAFFEL ORIENTAL RUGS
Offering a fine selection of handwoven
carpets for those who appreciate the
best in quality and craftsmanship.
MonJov Friday 12 am in 6 pm
Saturday 10 am la 5 pm
767 Willamette Street
505 485-5254