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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region Forums"Coming out of the broom closet:" Denver witches report a vibrant, growing community as witchcraft c
Coming out of the broom closet: Denver witches report a vibrant, growing community as witchcraft charms mainstream culture
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Rory Lula McMahan, center, teaches a Witch 101 class at RitualCravt on Dec. 6, 2018, in Denver. McMahan, who has been a practicing witch and Pagan Priestess for more than 20 years, holds classes for people interested in the realm of witches, covens, spirituality and what is it like to be a witch in the modern world. The store is located at 2842 W. 44th Ave. in Denver.
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Hailey Jonoubeh's black cat Raja hangs out amongst its owner's tarot cards at her home on Dec. 11, 2018, in Denver. Hailey has an avid interest in tarot cards and the practice of modern day witchcraft.
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People say hello to the sun and goodbye to the darkness as they take part in a drumming ceremony to celebrate the winter solstice at Red Rocks Amphitheatre on Dec. 21, 2018 in Morrison. The winter solstice marks the longest night of the year. The drumming ceremony was to symbolically drum up the sun and while not everyone who participates in the drumming identifies as Pagan, the solstices are important dates in the Pagan tradition.
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Once unmentionable, witchcraft is now trendy, witches and academics who study the craft agree. Its having a moment, not just in Denver, but in the broader culture enchanting a new generation of magic-seekers and affording mature practitioners the chance for more outspoken coven lovin. It is showing up everywhere, for sure, said Rory Lula McMahan, a pagan priestess in Denver. Its hip and cool and faddish, and I have mixed feelings about that.
It means the mainstream is shifting, and theres more acceptance and exploration, but I also worry a witch being faddish means people think listening to Stevie Nicks and wearing black lipstick is what its all about. How do you break through the exposure to get to the value?
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Helen A. Berger, a resident scholar at the Brandeis University Womens Studies Research Center, has been studying the witchcraft movement for 30 years and said she has seen an undeniable increase in interest and members. People are really coming out of the broom closet, as they say, she said. While there arent reliable numbers to determine how many practicing witches reside in the United States, Berger said all one has to do to get a clear picture is peer into the pop-culture crystal ball.
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Women being strong together
A hawk circling Red Rocks Amphitheatre at dawn on the morning of Dec. 21 had a birds-eye view of the hundreds of people who rose early to celebrate the Yule winter solstice a tradition sacred to pagans and other cultures signaling the changing of the seasons and a welcoming of brighter, longer days.The ceremony exuded a primal quality with revelers beating drums, their rhythm reverberating between rock formations. The darkness ripened into a sky lit on fire with the rising sun. Some burned sage, others danced and yipped, and a businessman dressed in a full suit raised his hands toward the orange-singed clouds before heading off to work.
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https://www.denverpost.com/2018/12/28/witchcraft-denver-colorado-ritual-cravt/
frogmarch
(12,153 posts)My sister has been one of those for years, and I suppose she still is. The last time I saw her, she had "magical" stones hanging from the tree limbs around her house, and amulets and weird occult stuff everywhere indoors. She got mad at me for refusing to chant a bunch of "magical" crap to nature with her (and I'm sure for rolling my eyes at the suggestion) so she wiggled her fingers in an angry manner and spouted gibberish at me. I think she hexed me. We haven't been in touch for over two years, and I heard she moved to another state and changed her name. I am thinking of doing that too, just in case.
niyad
(113,302 posts)magickal stones and charms, and . . say, crosses and holy water? or chanting to nature vs chanting to a patriarchal deity?
frogmarch
(12,153 posts)They're all wacko, in my opinion.
DavidDvorkin
(19,477 posts)HipChick
(25,485 posts)crosses, holy water, psalm chanting...
No one will pry my talismans, charms or stones from my fingers...Blessed Be..
maxsolomon
(33,345 posts)Tolerate. Call your sister.
"it does me no injury for my neighbour to say there are twenty gods, or no god. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg."
-T. Jefferson
roamer65
(36,745 posts)frogmarch
(12,153 posts)or where she lives. Apparently neither do any of the people she knew who have contacted me about her. Her now-ex husband doesn't know either and doesn't want to.
I wish her well (and to get well), but I don't want her in my life, so even if I knew her name and where she is, I'm not sure I'd try to contact her. Going by the threats she's made to me and other family members, she is probably dangerous.
maxsolomon
(33,345 posts)I'm sorry for your situation. Good luck to your family, and I hope your sister finds help somewhere.
roamer65
(36,745 posts)As long as they dont try to force their beliefs on me, Im cool.
Anyone tries to force their belief structure on me and thats when the problem starts.
niyad
(113,302 posts)belief systems.