Pagan Pride: Celebrate Harvest Time the Really Old-Fashioned Way
Sunday, September 21st, 2008
Growing up literally half-a-mile from Salem, MA, I had mixed feelings regarding witches and witchcraft. On one hand, I had recurring nightmares of coming home from school and finding the Wicked Witch of the West at my house. (I could sometimes tell she was there because her car was parked out front—don’t ask.) On the other, I could barely contain my excitement when Laurie Cabot, the Official Witch of Salem, visited our elementary school. (It was pretty cool.)
As a pre-teen I frequently saw Cabot walking toward her shop in Salem or around the Commons. And in high school, I was intrigued by, and notably accepting of, a classmate’s announcement that she planned to join Cabot’s circle.
With this “doctor’s kid” kind of knowledge into one branch of the ancient pagan religions, I should mention how misrepresented they are as a group, particularly in popular media. And yet, I must also confess that movies like The Craft and Practical Magic are hopeless guilty pleasures.
While we continue to be fascinated with them, pagans are trying to reclaim their holidays and traditions, as they live pretty ordinary lives. And this month we can celebrate with them.
