Witches, covens, dancing around bonfires by the light of the moon and making
offerings to goddesses – all the stuff of folklore and fairy tale, right?
Wrong.
Welcome to the world of paganism. Walk into any high-street bookshop and,
alongside the usual chick-lit best-sellers, there’s another set of books
flying off the shelves, all about how to find your inner witch. Yes, really.
Hot on the heels of best-selling vampire saga Twilight and new US drama
Eastwick, it seems all things weird are wonderful.
Pagan culture has arrived in the 21st century – and young women are behind its
growing popularity. Intrigued by its mystery and underlying sexuality,
20-somethings are converting in their droves, making paganism the UK’s
fastest growing religion.
According to the Office of National Statistics, there were 31,000 pagans
living in the UK in 2001. Just eight years later, the Pagan Federation
estimates there are now around 360,000.
‘THE MORE I LEARNT, THE MORE IT MADE SENSE’
Mum-of-four Amie Roberts converted to paganism three years ago.
“I’d always been interested in nature, and liked reading about tarot cards and
collecting herbs for healing,” says Amie, 31. “I learnt more about paganism
though my partner, Simon. We met in 2002 and he’d been raised a pagan. It
fascinated me.”
Far from being a niche belief, there are pagans in all walks of life. There’s
even a Pagan Police Association in the UK – in July, it was reported that
they’ll be able to take leave to celebrate pagan festivals like the summer
solstice and Halloween.
It’s a far cry from the 17th century, when suspected witches were burned at
the stake or drowned. So what’s brought paganism out of the broom closet and
into the mainstream?
Bristol University’s Professor Ronald Hutton, a leading authority on paganism,
says it’s partly due to the feminist movement.
“As women become more empowered in their relationships and careers, they’ve
begun to look for a set of beliefs that reflects this,” he says. “In
paganism, women are given an equal role to men – and in some branches,
they’re actually dominant. Women want a religion that empowers them.”
Amie, who took the pagan name Amia Wolf when she became a witch in 2006, uses
chants and spells to enrich her everyday life. Standing in a circle of
stones in her moonlit garden, Amie begins chanting, calling on the powers of
nature to protect her and her family.
“I don’t belong to a coven, I’m a solo witch, so I practise rituals alone,”
she says. “I’ll mark out a sacred circle in my garden, or in the living room
if the weather’s bad.
It’s a protective space – dark influences can’t harm you when you’re inside
it.”
Bonkers? Perhaps. But Amie says it’s changed her life for the better. “I’ve
never been happier. When I converted to paganism, I felt like I’d come home.”
Professor Hutton also believes women are attracted to the fact that paganism
can be practised anywhere and at any time, making it easier to fit around
busy modern lives.
He says: “Rather than going to church at a certain time every week, and
following a set of rules handed to you, pagans can walk their own path in
life and not be restricted by laws and traditions. You can adapt paganism to
suit your life, which is appealing.”
‘I RECEIVED DEATH THREATS FOR MY BELIEFS’
But not everyone embraces this new age of paganism. Amie and Simon, 28, had to
move from their home after receiving death threats.
“We lived in a small Welsh village and once people realised I was a pagan, the
rumours started. People said I was dancing naked in the garden and having
sex with animals – it was ridiculous,” she says.
“Strangers would shout ‘witch’ at me in the street when I was out walking with
my kids. One man even threatened to kill me.”
When her son was picked on because of Amie’s religion, the family decided to
move.
“We couldn’t stay there – we’d been so ostracised,” she explains. “Now we live
near Glastonbury, which is pagan heaven.”
Amie says their shared beliefs add another dimension to her and Simon’s
relationship that other couples could benefit from.
“When we can get a babysitter, rather than go out for a meal or to the cinema,
we go to a forest or a beach – where the elements of earth or water are
present – and create a sacred circle,” she explains. “We talk about
spiritual matters and also personal problems. We do readings from witch’s
cards for one another. It’s very intimate and relaxing, and wonderful to
escape together for a few hours.”
Professor Hutton also believes paganism’s popularity is partly due to our
current obsession with the environment.
“People are attracted to the respect paganism gives the earth,” he says. “It
provides a spiritual dimension to their environmental beliefs.”
‘I’M NOT AN EVIL PERSON – I’M A NORMAL MUM’
One young pagan who’s made recycling a spiritual experience is Emma
Reece-Peacock, 26, from Helmsley, North Yorkshire.
“I’m a Celtic pagan, so my beliefs focus on nature and the energies within the
earth,” says Emma, who lives with her pagan partner Steve, 26, a council
worker, and their three-month-old son, Reuben.
“Simple, everyday actions like recycling, buying organic and treating the
earth with respect are all spiritual.”
Both Emma and Amie are in the throes of planning their weddings for next year
– or hand-fastings, as they’re called in pagan circles, because the couple’s
hands are tied together during the ceremony.
Both are planning outdoor ceremonies officiated by a high priest and
priestess, using pagan vows they’ll compose themselves. Emma’s gown will be
green “to symbolise new beginnings”, while Amie has plumped for a purple
medieval-style dress, followed by a hog roast on the beach. Conventional it
isn’t – but if paganism continues to grow, hand-fastings could be the next
big thing.
Both Amie and Emma say they won’t force their beliefs on to their children.
“Of course, my four children – Jake, 12, Ben, 10, Sophie, nine, and Cari, four
– are exposed to paganism, but we’d never insist they become pagans too,”
says Amie. “Jake is showing an interest though, and recently asked for an
invocation – like a prayer – to protect him during his teenage years.”
Emma used her beliefs to prepare for giving birth to Reuben.
“It was very important for me to have a natural birth and rely on energies
within myself rather than drugs,” she recalls.
Like Amie, Emma has also experienced negative attitudes from other people.
“I have a dear friend who’s a Christian,” says Emma. “She thinks I’m a lovely
person but has told me I’m going to hell. Knowing she believes that is sad,
but I hope that if I have to go before a Christian god when I die, he’ll
know I lived a good life and won’t punish me. And once, when I worked in a
bar, a woman refused to be served by me – she saw my pentacle tattoo and
said I was a devil worshipper.
“Incidents like that are upsetting, but I know I’m not an evil person. I’m a
normal young mum, who likes fashion and make-up, going out with my friends
and caring for my baby. I just happen to be a pagan as well.”
‘I’M MISUNDERSTOOD BUT LOVE BEING A PAGAN’
Kim Huggens, 25, is an author and part-time receptionist from Cardiff.
She says: “I believe in magic, but that doesn’t mean I think rabbits can
be pulled out of hats or evil spells cast on people! I think everything
comes from the same divine energy source, which means everything is sacred
and should be treated with respect.
I practise vodou (pronounced voo-doo), one of the lesser known branches of
paganism. When I tell people, they think of voodoo dolls and black magic –
it’s very misunderstood. It means I believe in a number of gods and spirits
and say prayers and carry out rituals to celebrate them – some by myself,
some with other practitioners.
In vodou, we take a symbol of something we want – for example, a new car or
job – and focus our thoughts and energy completely on that symbol. We
believe that by channelling that energy into what we want, our goals can be
achieved.
Paganism encourages a sense of personal responsibility. You’re forced to
decide for yourself what is right and wrong, and work out your own values,
as opposed to just being told and not exploring it for yourself.
I do think that independence from a strict set of rules is very attractive and
could be one of the reasons for the growth in paganism in recent years.
People today like finding their own way in life, not just being told what to
do.”
WHAT IS PAGANISM? Modern paganism started in the 16th century, when
people in Europe became aware of the pagan gods and goddesses who had been
worshipped in Ancient Greece.
Paganism is a diverse collection of spiritual beliefs, all based on a deep
respect for nature. Druids, wiccans, heathens and shamans all make up the
pagan community, along with people practising many other beliefs.
To find out more, visit Paganfed.org.
PHOTOGRAPHY: SYRIOL JONES, ALICIA CLARKE, STUART GLOSSOP
HAIR & MAKE-UP: TALLY BOOKBINDER AT NEMESIS, KELLIE MITCHELL STYLING: LUCIE
CLIFFORD AMIE WEARS: DRESS, OASIS; SHOES, PRIMARK KIM WEARS (THIS PAGE):
DRESS, OASIS; NECKLACE, LIMITED COLLECTION AT MARKS & SPENCER; SHOES, RIVER
ISLAND (NEXT PAGE) DRESS, OASIS EMMA WEARS: TOP AND SKIRT, OASIS; SHOES,
NEW LOOK
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