(October 26, 2001) -- A witch flying on her broom, casting evil spells over the country? Is that the image of Wiccans that you have? Maybe you know nothing about Wiccans. Wherever you stand, buckle your seat belt Dorothy; you and Toto are going to see the other side of the rainbow.

According to Wiccan junior Lily Hambartsoumian, this religion has been around since the beginning of time. Doug’s Wicca Page, a website describing Wicca, says man’s first religion was shamanism, which was nature, or earth-based. Shamans practiced magic rituals and communicated with spirits of nature by fasting, meditating and ingesting hallucinogens among other ways.

When Christians came to power, they persecuted Wiccans, believing it devilish, says Hambartsoumian. Hambartsoumian feels that the persecution towards Wiccans “sometimes makes me feel [some] hatred for Christians because they don’t want to look at the truth because of their ignorance… all I feel is the wish [that it will] change.”

Christian Club advisor Judy Thomsen responds, “We don’t hate other religions, we just believe in different things.”

Wiccans worship the Goddess, the God and everything in nature. The Goddess and God’s names vary depending on the individual so prayer is comfortable. In Wicca, women are higher than men because they hold knowledge of the world and can create life. Wiccans show faith with daily meditation, prayer and practice of the craft, to name a few.

Wicca’s central law is “an it harm none do what ye will.” Do what you want, but don’t harm anyone, says Hambartsoumian. They also believe that every action you take will come back to you three-fold, whether good or bad. Still think Wicca’s a cult? “Wicca goes against any type of control and manipulation. Wicca trusts you with freedom and with your own common sense, unlike cults,” says Hambartsoumian.

Samhain is Wicca’s new year, which is around Halloween on the traditional calendar. Because the veil between the living world and the world of the dead is thin, the dead can enter the living world.

Should Wiccans be forced to keep their practice concealed because of widely-held stereotypes? “No, America is about freedom of speech and it’s up to people to decide how they should live,” says Thomsen.