Witchcraft Casts Spell On Young
Pastor Dale Morgan
May 20th, 2007 10:58 AM
*Witchcraft Casts Spell On Young*
It's the feminist-friendly religion, claim its growing number of adherents
By Roger Dobson and Lauren Veevers
Record numbers of young women are dabbling in witchcraft, fuelling a
boom in sales of spell books and other pagan paraphernalia, according to
new research.
A study of teenagers and their consumption of books, magazines, kits,
film and other media found that there are some 700,000 internet sites
for teenage witches. The Pagan Federation claims to have several hundred
inquiries a week from young people, and has set up a network for those
under 18.
"There has been a noticeable rise in the number of young people
identifying themselves as witches," saidDenise Cush, professor of
religious studies at Bath Spa University.
The trend is being boosted by American TV series such as Sabrina the
Teenage Witch, Charmed and Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Yesterday, several hundred witches gathered in south London for
Witchfest, held at the Fairfield Halls in Croydon.
According to Professor Cush's report, based on interviews with witches
aged 18 to 24, it is the attitude to women that most attracts them:
"Paganism and witchcraft appealed because of their clear feminist
credentials and absence of homophobia. A main attraction is the positive
valuation of women in comparison with other religions."
According to the women and girls at Witchfest, their reasons for taking
up witchcraft vary. Jayde Harris, 18, became interested because her
mother is also a witch. "I don't always tell people about it," she said.
Fellow Wiccan Lyn Jones said: "I do spells of good luck for people
mainly. I sometimes want to do bad spells but I don't - they come back
to you three times as bad."
And Sarah Jayne Thompson, 13, said: "My family are Christian but it
never seemed to fit with me so I began reading about Wicca. Lots of the
younger kids at school are scared of me, which is cool."
Despite the solidarity at Witchfest, many still keep their beliefs
private. Ms Jones said: "I only tell close friends... standing in the
queue to come in we were worried someone we know would see usand think
we're weird."
© 2007 Independent News and Media Limited