Lifestyle & Culture

Wiccans Defend their Modern Version of Ancient Religious Traditions

On a small patch of grass in Tompkins Square Park, 17 members of the New York City Wiccan Family Temple walked around a red altar, burning incense and chanting.

“Circle ‘round the fire to raise a cone of power, to bring what we desire. So mote it be,” they repeated, clapping at the end of that ritual.

The last sentence of their chant means “so may it be,” a phrase that Wiccans routinely use to end their spoken wishes.

Even as they practice their nature-focused religion, many Wiccans say their traditions, though ancient, are still widely misunderstood and often trigger other people’s hostilities. But they are determined to maintain their beliefs, despite others’ views about them, temple members said.

“It is less about deities and more about a reverence for nature and the world around us,” Queens resident and temple member Michael Vuolo, 36, said before the park ritual began. “We talk more about the elements and the natural world and the trees and the animal spirits, and things like that.”

“It’s not just a religion to me,” said Shayla Ayn, an administrator for Wiccan By Nature’s Facebook page, where several members answered The Spectrum’s questions. “Being Pagan is how I stay connected with the Earth and the universe around me. It is also how I stay connected with my inner self.”

Wicca is a form of paganism, which religious scholars define as a broad range of religions outside of the world’s three main religions, Christianity, Judaism and Islam. Because what they believe and practice is so different from the three main religions, members of Wiccan Family Temple say many outside their religion unfairly dismiss them as heathens or worse.

“Others think we’re evil, devil-worshipers who use our magic for evil and for our own wants,” follower Cassie Klein posted on Wiccan By Nature’s Facebook. “There is more tolerance for the craft, but there seems to be much ignorance.”

Ayn claims that students from Davis College, a Bible college near Binghamton, N.Y., where she resides, have vandalized her property. They ripped cables and rain gutters from her house, she said.

“I do read of hate crimes happening. But it’s nowhere near as bad as, say, when my parents were my age. Very thankful for that,” Ayn said.

She said she is scheduled to speak at Davis College about the impact of religious intolerance on people and communities. The Spectrum was unable to confirm that with college officials.

Another follower, Lizz Choi, told The Spectrum, via Facebook post, that “Although [others’] preconceived notions of who we are and what we do has been clouded by TV and movies, some have the heart and peace to understand that it’s a religion, just like their own.”