The Witches of Carroll County: To Them, Halloween is a holy day

Written By Patricia Bianca

They cluster together in a darkened room: men, women and children – illuminated only by flickering candlelight. After a general reading about the importance of remembrance, they approach an altar, one by one, and light a small votive candle for loved ones who have died.

It looks like any other church remembrance service, but this is no ordinary congregation and this is no ordinary service. These are the Witches of Carroll County, and this is their highest of holy days, Samhain. We know it as Halloween.

“Samhain (pronounced Sow’ en) is a time to remember how you got here, the people who were before you, and what they went through, the suffering, the good times, everything,” explained modern-day pagan Jane Smith, a resident of Carroll County whose name has been altered to protect her identity. “It’s about remembering your ancestors and honoring them.”

Samhain, which marks the beginning of the Celtic New Year, is also a time of reflection and thanksgiving.
Just as in Christianity, there are many different denominations, or spiritual paths, under the umbrella of modern day paganism. Most of Carroll County’s pagans adhere to beliefs based upon Wicca, a contemporary practice that takes inspiration from pre-Christian sources, European folklore and mythology.

Wicca is considered an earth religion, where “God” is literally thought to be present in every living thing on Earth and in the heavens. Although some neo-pagans believe in and pay homage to several gods and goddesses, most are actually monotheistic. They believe in one ultimate being, but refer to that entity in the plural terms of “God and Goddess” or “Lord and Lady” to recognize the feminine and masculine aspects of the divine. They believe in the concept of reincarnation and reject the concepts of the “devil” or “hell.”

Adherents to Wicca are plagued by myths and misperceptions. Unlike media depictions of covens of black-robed teenagers, neo-pagans in Carroll County encompass a surprising mix of personalities, ages and occupations, and most of them worship in private, as “solitary” practitioners. They work in every conceivable industry, and one may interact with them on a daily basis and never know it, because these people look no different from anyone else.

Jane Smith (whose real name has been witheld to protect her privacy), along with her fellow Carroll County Wiccans, James Henry and Mary Jones, (whose names have also been altered) are neo-pagans who effectively break the stereotypes. They are all part of an organization known as MATER, the Maryland Alliance of Traditions and Earth Religions, an eclectic group of solitary and family practitioners who gather monthly in the basement of the Cedarhurst Unitarian Universalist Church in Finksburg to discuss topics related to their worship, participate in workshops and occasionally take part in rituals together.

Henry, who identifies himself as a Wiccan, is fairly new to the religion. A man of average appearance in his 40s, he is anything but the image of a menacing warlock. He is a state employee, Naval Reservist and veteran of Desert Storm, who found a home in Wicca after years of spiritual uncertainty.

“It made sense,” he said. “It wasn’t this concept of totally abasing yourself to a higher power. I couldn’t buy into that. [Religion] shouldn’t be shoved down your throat. It should be a choice that you make yourself.” After attending a Samhain ritual with MATER in 2005, Henry made his choice.

“This really works for me, and I’ve been coming here ever since,” he said.“I like the idea that you ask the Lord and Lady for what you need, but you also work with them to help things along. To me, that’s the way it should be.”

Henry is also drawn to the emphasis of nature in Wicca. Nature is reflected in the Wiccan calendar of holidays, collectively known as The Wheel of the Year.

“We explain it as a wheel,”said John’s fellow MATER member Jane Smith, “because everything is circular.”
The holidays follow the cycle of fertility and harvest, reflecting the agricultural lives of ancestors. The cycle is thought of in terms of light and dark.

“In the fall and winter, you have the darkness,” said Smith. “You’re waiting and trying to sustain life, because back in the old days, if they didn’t stock up enough supplies, they didn’t make it. Then the light comes back with the Winter Solstice, Yule, which signifies getting back out [into the fields] and planting the seeds É it’s basically related to the seasons.”

Magic is another strong element in earth religions, one that is often misunderstood. According to Gerald Gardner, author and anthropologist, whose work has acted as a foundation for the Wiccan faith, “Witches” he said, “are taught and believe that the power resides within their bodies, which they can release in various ways …”

Wiccans may utilize candles, herbs, essential oils and other implements in their magic “spells,” but they are merely tools used to focus the witch’s intention. Chanting, dancing and drumming may also be used to help raise the energy necessary to direct said intention.

Modern witches tend toward spells that heal rather than harm. Based on the numerous spell books and kits available and the revelations of witches themselves, love, health and finances are primary concerns of neo-pagan practitioners. Wiccans do not participate in animal sacrifice. Many are vegetarians.
Wiccans practice their magic in accordance with a Wiccan Rede, which instructs, “’an it harm none, do what you will.”

“But just as you have good Christians and bad Christians,” said Smith, “you’re going to have people in any denomination of worship who take advantage of or misuse it.

“However, there’s such a belief in karma in so many of the denominations of paganism that it is adhered to pretty well. You wouldn’t want to cast a spell on someone knowing that it could come back to you threefold; some even believe ten-fold.”

Mary Jones, MATER member and preschool teacher who practices a multi-path paganism with her husband and young son, describes Wiccan magic as simply “prayer with intent.”

“I think a lot of the problem lies in that [the general public] thinks we can do more than we can–the Hollywood concept,” she said.

Jones has been a practicing pagan for several years and has seen her share of misperceptions. As one who is more open about her faith, Jones has had to deal with the prejudice of coworkers, friends and even relatives. She said that she had to supply her family with the entire wording of her handfasting ritual (the Wiccan equivalent of a marriage ceremony), just to get them to attend the celebration. She regularly has Christian literature placed on her car and in her doorway.

Jones was leading the MATER group a few years ago when they were asked to stop meeting at a coffee house in Taneytown, because of the intense opposition of surrounding Christian churches. The previous owner of the coffee house, himself a pagan, was eventually forced to close his bookshop and sell the coffee house. “When we were meeting there, we had no clue as to what people thought,” said Jones. “We wore street clothes, and you couldn’t even tell we were pagan.”

Still, many in the area demonized the group, and false reports of crazed rituals circulated throughout the community.

That was when Jane Smith, a member of the Cedarhurst Unitarian Universalist Church, worked with her congregation to give MATER a home. After sitting in on the discussions, she found that Earth Religions provided the connection with the divine she had desperately been seeking since childhood, as well as “diversity, the ability to believe in a god who is living in all of these things, the trees and the animals, and believe that everything that’s living is a part of this god.”

Smith’s request to allow these “pagans” to meet at Cedarhurst was no surprise to Reverend Dr. Henry Simoni-Wastila, Ph.D., who leads the congregation. Cedarhurst Unitarian Universalist describes itself as “an open spiritual community in which people develop their own religious philosophy.”

Pagans draw upon many traditions, including Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism and others.

“Earth Religions are part of these traditions,” said Father Henry. “It’s part of who we are.”

Although the little church in Finksburg has suffered vandalism, Father Henry believes these acts to be targeted against the general tolerance of Unitarianism, and not directed toward the pagans who meet there. In fact, after taking in the MATER group, the congregation enjoyed a modest growth. Father Henry attributes the increase to people who were pleased to find an accepting religious family within Carroll County.

“We love having them here,” Father Henry said of MATER. “They are definitely a part of who we are.”

Still, despite the acceptance of the Unitarian Universalists and the growing awareness of Earth Religions and what they represent, many neo-pagans keep their faith in the proverbial “broom closet,” worshiping alone for fear of losing their jobs or jeopardizing their family.

Legal issues are also a concern. When a neo-pagan is accused of a crime, or custody issues are debated, their religion often plays a significant role in the proceedings.

But many of today’s witches and neo-pagans are hopeful and openly wear pentacles and other symbols of their faith. They don’t proselytize. They try to serve as good examples of employees, parents and citizens.

“It’s getting better [in Carroll County],” said Jones. “But I don’t think we get the acceptance here that other places have. It’s all about attitude. It’s about living life and showing people that you’re not what they think you are. I’ve made a lot of headway with people once they’ve gotten to know me. They don’t necessarily want to follow my path, but they do accept me and my friendship.”