Witches return to German forests (love of nature alert!)

Mail & Guardian ^ | March 8, 2006 | Walther Rosenberger

[NYer]

Witches have returned to the German forests, dancing naked in groups under the full moon and calling to their gods.

The covens vary in size and in how seriously they take their calling, but the numbers are rising, particularly amongst the young.

Their religious ideas are described as "pagan" rather than Satanist, and many of the older practitioners have a history in the environmental movement, where they learnt a passionate love of nature.

In some cases this has led on to a belief in the natural powers of the forests. The women are convinced they can work magic.

"The witches' scene is experiencing a powerful revival," says Lutheran theologian Hansjoerg Hemminger. He says the covens range from "girlie witches" to the so-called "Wicca" covens. Wicca is an old Anglo-Saxon term for a group of witches.

Christian theologians are inclined to see the latter as a manifestation of a new heathen movement. The women tend to be members of associations like the Pagan Federation or the Stone Circle.

Maddalina, a 44-year-old witch, is high priestess of a witches' coven in Berlin, who became interested in Wicca about 15 years ago.

The former doctor's assistant, who declines to provide her real name, says she began looking around for women with similar interests.

"Today you are just a mouse-click away from making contact," she says, and she estimates that the number of witches has quadrupled in her time as a witch.

Conceding she is uncertain, she guesses there are several hundred Wiccans in Germany.

Maddalina is scornful of the teenagers interested in the witch cults. She gets e-mails daily from 13- and 14-year-olds, almost all of which she rebuffs.

Her own coven numbers just eight and the youngest trainee witch is 25 years old.

Most of the teenagers interested in witchcraft gain their information from the media, the internet or from books. Television series on witchcraft are currently popular in Germany.

These sources offer love potions aimed at curing shyness, or magical formulas spoken in the light of the moon to help with schoolwork.

Hemminger insists that these methods are never solutions to real problems.

But Maddalina is true to her beliefs. "We are heathens and believe in the power of magic," she says.

She and her coven go into the woods around Berlin several times a year to stand naked in a circle and call to Baldur, the god of light.

Their requests are of a banal sort; wishes for a better job, a new flat with a balcony, for good health.

By contrast with the teenage witches, the Wicca covens tend to be older women with a background in the women's movement.

Most commentators do not believe the groups have any links to Satanism and black magic. But Hemminger sounds a note of warning.

"Some of these circles operate in complete secrecy. We really don't know what they are up to," he says.

In general he regards the Wicca covens as a means to overcome personal crises that only cause concern once the cult begins to take over a person's life.

Maddalina insists her coven's activities are harmless. "We are not hurting anyone," she says.

And the Berlin forest authorities are taking a similar view, allowing the witches to dance under the moon.

[Dyslexic Mom]

I coined a phrase several years ago in all the talks I had with my daughter over this 'stuff'. (If you read my profile you'll see she actually went too far but with God's help and protection came back)

I call them "Giggle Witches" as in "TEE Hee! I'm a Witch! Tee Hee! Giggle, giggle!"

The teenagers that read about this stuff in magazines and books and from TV and movies just want to belong and this is "COOL!". The GROWN women that dance around the forest naked asking for better apartments are no different than the teeny boppers wanting an AWESOME boyfriend and no one is going to convince me other wise.

That said, there is some truly scary stuff out there and even this "cool" wicca stuff is down right dangerous at it's core. Not only does it disguise the inbred need every soul recognises as a longing for a personal relationship with God, it can distract them so long that they no longer listen to that small voice of the soul and can die without truly knowing God...

As I told my daughter years ago, why would anyone want to have the hassle of arranging a group meeting at some unholy hour, stripping off clothes in Heaven only knows what kind of weather, playing with tools and knives and bowls and incense and yadda, yadda, yadda... when all one has to do is think -where-ever you are -in the car driving home from work, in the shower getting ready to start your day, at school right before the big test, sitting in the emergency room- WHERE-EVER you are - "Dear God... I'm not having a good day..." and pray just like you're talking to your best friend or your earthly father.

I just don't get why some people don't understand that...

[orionblamblam]

Well, both Lucifer and Baldur were in pre-Christian pagan religions. Lucifer, originally from the Greek Heosphoros, the "Dawn-bringer," (AKA the planet Venus) was seized upon by the Christians (originally Jerome, in, IIRC, the 4th century) and "turned" evil. Christian missionaries did the same thing in Scandinavian lands, trying to convince the pagans that their gods were instead Christian demons.

Neither Baldur nor Lucifer are Biblical. Apart from those similarities, there's not much alike about 'em. One's a planet whose name was seized upon and turned into another words for an evil demi-god, the other is a god of good. It's silly to try to try to link them more than that.

[Al Gator]

"You know, not all conservatives are Christians or Jews."

Amen to that!

[RoadTest]

Yup. Playing with fire gets one burned.

[EBH]

Funny you mention ritual vs. personal.

When I went to Catholic school we went to mass every morning. With the priest using all sorts of symbolic things like water, bowels, chalices, incense, bells, and one can't forget the crucifix!

All for ritual purposes, does this mean Catholics can't talk to God outside their ritual?

[Waverunner]

And these are naturalists - meaning no shaving
need I say more

[Dead Corpse]

LOL!!!

Hail Odin!

[Tulane]

Lol...leave it to a historian of the antiquities to ruin all the "fun."

Is there any doubt that the neo pagans are "prgressive" and would vote for our democrat friends if they lived here? No, I didn't think so.

[Al Gator]

You forgot the biggest ritual, communion.

[Al Gator]

Bad visual, bad, bad visual.


Very bad..........

[Al Gator]

As a matter of fact, you have touched on the true essence of my definition of "evil"!!

:-)

[reagan_fanatic]

[trisham]

In some cases this has led on to a belief in the natural powers of the forests. The women are convinced they can work magic.

**************

Schizotypal Personality Disorder

A pattern of peculiarities best describes those with schizotypal personality disorder. People may have odd or eccentric manners of speaking or dressing. Strange, outlandish or paranoid beliefs and thoughts are common. People with schizotypal personality disorder have difficulties forming relationships and experience extreme anxiety in social situations. They may react inappropriately or not react at all during a conversation or they may talk to themselves. They also display signs of “magical thinking” by saying they can see into the future or read other people’s minds.

http://www.nmha.org/infoctr/factsheets/91.cfm

[joesnuffy]

Hogwash....Wiccan is Satan worship..regardless of what Wiccans claim..

Wiccans aren't any more evil than the rest of us apart from Christ

I've known a couple and one in particular comes to mind who is a great gal..hard working, smart,loyal,kind etc

If you aren't in a saving relationship with Jesus Christ you are lost...there is only ONE TRUE God

The God of Abraham,Isaac & Jacob..He is a triune God...being of three distinct personages but ONE GOD...

God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit...

There is no salvation apart from Christ...He Is The Only Way to salvation..You miss Him..you miss out..

Any other god...is simply Satan,

aka

Lucifer,Abaddon(Apollyon),Beelzebub,Belial,Baal,Osiris,Ishtar,Isis,Allah,Mohammed,Moloch,the Wiccan horned god, Quetzacoatl,The Red Dragon,all pagan deities,satanists,Buddists,all worship the same false god and his various avatars (and fallen angels who rebelled with him essentially 1/3 of the company of Heaven- BTW 1/3 of how many? we do not know)..

These fallen angels, (demons),lying spirits, appear in every human culture and in every historical decade..masquerade as gods,and inspire all anti Christ human movements and philosophies these deny Christ's deity and sovereignty

Our Creator God is a jealous God...(So He says)

And Very intolerant of pretenders to His throne...

We will all someday soon (for life is short) stand before Him to give an accounting of our lives...and to be punished or rewarded for our deeds,words,thoughts,actions,...apart from the grace of Jesus and acceptance of His death for our sins...we have no one who has the power to or who can save us from our just punishment

There is no other name under Heaven whereby man must be saved

Acts 4:12

I pray God gives you ears to hear and gives you the faith necessary to believe

It can come from no other source..especially not ourselves

For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God- (attaining salvation)

Romans 3:23

Good luck in sorting out the absolute truth...

The Truth...The whole truth..and nothing but the truth

It's Out There(unfortunately there is a million lies & liars, for each grain of it and Satan the author & father of all of them)

imo

[DesignerChick]

This says it all:

"By contrast with the teenage witches, the Wicca covens tend to be older women with a background in the women's movement."

They are atheist feminazis looking for spiritual fulfillment after rejecting the 'patriarchal' religions and living the hollow promises of the womens rights/abortion movement..... gaining the 'power' to control nature thereby making themselves gods/goddesses....hence the rituals, spells, etc.

The demand for abortion is also the so-called 'ability to control one's fertility'. The idea of CONTROL being key.

All witchcraft is is a lust for God's power and the odd psychological need to justify that by simultaneously rejecting God/Faith and creating there own gods/faith.
Even better you YOU are the god.

[Billthedrill]

Baldur? Whoa...somebody needs a quick course in mythology. You are correct, of course - Baldur is a Norse god associated with Ragnorak IIRC. Wiccans nominally believe in the Goddess, and "witches" don't necessarily have any particular deity in mind at all.

I'm all for nekkid dancing in the woods, though. As long as I gets to pick which witches...

[iluvlucy]

"Wiccans are misguided but often well-meaning people."

I can not see it the same way as you do. I came into contact with quite a few Wiccans while in the military and they did not fit that description. The most kind words I could ever come up with is "Loosers". Ever one of them were discipline problems, even the mildest was a committed lier and more than willing to write bad checks. That was the closest I ever came to one that was "misguided AND well-meaning".

One young "lady" (Lord have mercy for the abuse of that noble title) was trying hard to get pregnant (unwed of course). It was a never ending source of nightmares for me to think of some small child dependent on that shipwreck of a character. We put her out of the Navy after a long personal headache for myself. I thank God I never heard of her succeeding in her goal. God is merciful.

She was not fit for military service let alone motherhood.

[cspackler]

I got better....

[iluvlucy]

"Lucifer and Baldur are not synonymous"

There is a Christian school of thought that would disagree with this statement. Saint Paul identified all the pagan gods as devils. Several Christian saints throughout the ages have done likewise. It is only in recent and modern times have anyone in a "Christian" religion ever suggested otherwise.

While free will gives you the ability to say it please do not expect Christians to agree with you.

[2 Kool 2 Be 4-Gotten]

Well, we did do the nose...