(Asbury Park Press, Thursday, April 7, 1994) ALTAR EGOS by Janine De Fao (Press Freehold Bureau) Modern-day witches are looking for respect and understanding of their religion. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In a darkened room filled with the musky scent of incense, 10 figures file into a circle lit by the orange flame of a solitary candle. A young woman in a flowing skirt, her hair loose about her shoulders, holds a small dagger between her palms. Dipping it three times into a small dish, she calls on the spirits of water to "cast out fear, uncollected thoughts, unhappiness." Adding salt to the water, the priestess then asks for "strength, courage and order in building this sacred temple" to the goddesses and gods of ancient myth whom she will invoke. "Salt joins to water, as man joins to woman, as we would all join to the universe," she intones. "Blessed be," the worshipers respond. She paces round the circle three times, wand in hand, casting a sacred space somewhere between the realm of man and the realm of the gods. Arms outstretched, the group turns to the east, inviting the element of air, "winds of learning, winds of beginning, winds of change." Facing south, they call on fire, element of heat, passion, desire. To the west, water -- "you of rivers and waves, you who quench our thirst" -- is summoned. And to the north, "she who gives all life", earth, is asked to join the circle. Repeating the words of the priestess, the reverent chant: "I am air. I am fire. I am water. I am all things. All things are me. "I am the goddess' perfect child. "I am free." ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- On the bright night of a new moon, this group of college students, doctoral candidates, a marketing project manager, an animation artist, a shopkeeper, a mother and a machinist have gathered in the cozy living room of a farmhouse cottage in Somerset County. But they could be meeting in a forest or field, a student apartment or a comfortable suburban home. They wear street clothes, the only similarity among them the five- pointed star in a circle hanging from their necks. But they could be dressed in long ceremonial robes or "skyclad," wearing nothing at all. They have come to celebrate a religion misunderstood by many, unknown to many more. It goes by various names: Wicca, the Old Religion, Nature Spirituality, Goddess Worship, Neopaganism, the Craft, Witchcraft. Drawn by the concepts of a female deity, a reconnection with the Earth and an emphasis on spirituality and personal participation, thousands of Americans have joined Wicca since it first appeared in this country in the 1960s. But its roots reach far deeper, its followers say, back to the agricultural societies of pre-Christian Europe where "witches" were "wise ones", the village healers and midwives, and "pagan" meant simply "country dweller". In those simpler times, survival meant following the cycle of the seasons. And worshiping Mother Earth, doing folk magic to make the crops grow or the rain fall, was as essential to everyday life as planting and harvesting. Whether those worship rituals were passed down through the ages - - surviving the Inquisition and other Church efforts to eradicate "false" religions -- or whether they have been re-created in modern times is a subject of heated debate among witches today. But it is that relationship with the Earth, and with divinity, that they seek through reclaiming the myths of old Britain, ancient Rome and Greece and even Egypt. "In the high-tech society we live in, (Wicca) speaks to a deep human need to reconnect with the Earth," explained Norm Vogel, a Bound Brook witch. REJECT SATANISM At a time when the word still conjures up images of pointy hats and noses, of black cats and brooms, and of wicked spells and devil worship, today's witches can sometimes explain what they aren't more easily than what they are. Foremost, they insist they are not Satanists. "We don't have anyone in our religious belief that represents evil," said "Prytan," a Barnegat man who asked to be identified only by his Craft name because he fears discrimination at work. "Satan is a Christian concept...It would be impossible for us to have a concept such as Satan simply because it didn't happen until Wicca was already an established belief." The negative stereotypes about witches were created with the establishment of a dominant Catholic Church, which sought to demonize the pagan religions to gain converts, members say. Those misconceptions have been perpetuated by fundamentalist preachers and sensationalist media, they say. "It's very ingrained, when you consider what everybody knows about witches they've learned from fairy tales, cartoons or watching Samantha on TV (on "Bewitched"). Absolutely everything anyone has ever seen or heard or read about witchcraft is wrong. People don't have a chance to be exposed to it," Prytan said. So what is witchcraft truly about? It often depends on whom you ask. As a religion that centers on individual belief, on experience rather than dogma, its members are quick to point out that there is no one standard set of beliefs or rituals. (The partial ritual described above is from Blue Star, one of many Wiccan traditions.) "What this religion focuses on more than anything else is going through (the) rituals until you make a connection with deity. Action and participation come before belief...When I run circles, I can really feel it -- it's a divine experience," explained Sabrina Chase, a doctoral candidate in anthropology at Rutgers. But while they are hesitant to speak for all Wiccans, most members agree to a basic set of tenets. They worship a goddess and a god, in some cases multiple goddesses and gods, as the creators of all things. "I really didn't see a point to not having a female represented in the Christian concept of deity. There's male and female in everything, in all forms of life. The balance (in Wicca) struck me as more harmonious," Prytan said. Wiccans hold nature and the elements sacred and seek to attune their lives to the cycle of the seasons, worshipping at half moons and full moons and celebrating their holidays at the solstices and equinoxes and midpoints between them. The pentagram witches wear -- a circle surrounding a five-pointed star -- represents the elements and the spirit. The pentagram is sometimes mistaken for a Satanic symbol because Satanists have adopted it and inverted it, much as they use an inverted cross as a symbol. Spirituality permeates Wiccans' everyday lives, in which they recognize divinity in animals and plants and each other. "Wicca is a religion that celebrates life. You're taught that you're an integral part of the Earth Mother. You are necessary for her survival just as she is necessary for your survival," said Susan Carberry, who opened a Craft store, Equinox Books and Curios, in Long Branch last April. Wiccans believe firmly that they are responsible for their own actions. Without a figure representing evil, there is no scapegoat of "the devil made me do it." That acceptance of personal responsibility is tied to their belief in reincarnation. It is also connected to the Wiccan Rede, "And harm none, do what you will." Many Wiccans also believe in the Law of Three, that any action they take will come back to them threefold, often used as an explanation why Wiccans would not use magic to harm another. In addition, they do not proselytize. "I think if the general public would learn that we have a code of ethics, that we wish to do no harm to people or to nature....there'd be a lot more understanding. But the 'witch' word and the 'pagan' word and the 'magic' word set off people's alarm systems," said Selena Fox, who runs a Pagan network outside Madison, Wis. A GROWING MOVEMENT But those words are becoming less alarming to some as Wicca grows and people learn more about the nature religion. "In 20 years, (membership) has at least quadrupled," said Fox, director of Circle Network and Circle Sanctuary, a legally recognized Wiccan church and nature preserve. Much of that growth is attributed to Margot Adler's "Drawing Down the Moon" and Starhawk's "Spiral Dance," two influential books on the Craft published in 1979. Witches say those books inspired many to begin practicing Wicca alone or to seek out a coven, or group. No definitive membership numbers exist, as any national structures are loose and many witches don't belong to groups, but Fox and the unfinished Pagan Census Project put the number between one- quarter and one-half million Neopagans in the United States. Wiccans are a large subset of that group. Estimates of Wiccans in New Jersey range from 500 to more than 1,000, local witches said. While the majority of witches are women, some 40 percent nationally are thought to be men, Fox said. As many as 70 percent may be former Christians, she said. Mark Speeney is one such witch. The soft-spoken, 30-year-old Rutgers anthropology doctoral candidate and South Jersey native was "a devout Catholic as a kid." When Speeney was 10, his father died, sending him into a faith crisis in which he began to question "everything (he) was taught about religion." A short time later, he found a copy of "The ABCs of Witchcraft" and "it made sense to me," he said. "It's kind of like something I've almost been looking for my whole life. "I think I always had an envy of the religious orders, of priests and nuns, who seemed to have a closer connection to the divine," he said. In Wicca, he explained, there are no intermediaries to the goddess and god. Every man is a priest and every woman a priestess. "When I get initiated, I can apply for ministerial credentials. I can marry people and preside over other rites of passage...I could say, 'Well, Mom, you finally got your wish. I'm a priest.' " Like Speeney and many Wiccans, "Windrider" also found her way to Wicca, at least in part, through books. After several experiences with Wiccans, psychic dreams and healings, Windrider pulled out a copy of "Spiral Dance" that she had been given five years earlier. "It was almost as if someone put words to my feelings," said the resident of a Monmouth County shore town, where she lives with seven other Neopagans in a communal home, one of 11 such arrangements she knows of on the shore. Windrider asked to be identified by her Craft name because she and her housemates fear job discrimination and worry that their home could be targeted. In the five years they have lived there, the communal home has become a place where people come for emotional and physical healing, Windrider said. 'FOCUSING THE WILL' Most Wiccans do some type of magic or spells, healing magic being the type most often cited. Whether chanting or dancing in groups, or lighting a certain color candle and mixing herbs when alone, the witches seek to raise energy and direct it for a purpose -- for healing, protection, to ease childbirth, or even for money or a new job. Wiccans say they have no more power than anyone else. They simply learn how to use it. And while they admit that some may use magic against others, most witches say they believe anything they do will come back to them. "People are often upset about Wiccan magic. Wiccan magic is about focusing the will, the mind...It's no different from saying a rosary and trying to focus it on something," Windrider said. Said Speeney, "Miracles are real to (my Catholic mother) but there's no such thing as magic. To me, miracles and magic are the same thing. "Wicca is very poetic -- the poetry of believing that there's something like magic in the world and you can experience it," he said. "I'm also aware of the little things, that there's magic in every sunrise and every sunset and poetry in seeing the full face of the moon. I acknowledge that I'm part of everything that happens." Said Carberry, the Craft shop owner, "It's more of a philosophy of life than a religion in the traditional sense." ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Back in the circle, the Witches have made their new moon vows for the lunar cycle, with promises ranging from taking a walk each day to writing letters to avoiding chocolate. Kneeling one-by-one before burning incense, they recite their pledges and bind them, tying a knot in the air. The ritual is more personal than rote, serious but not solemn, infused with mirth and laughter. The group of friends then sits casually discussing the ritual and sharing news of their lives since they've last met. When they are finished, they rise to bless the wine and cakes in the Sacred Marriage. Standing before the kneeling priestess, the priest draws his athame, a small knife, and says, "Be it known that a man is no greater than a woman..." "Nor is a woman greater than a man..." she replies, offering a wine- filled chalice. "For what one lacks, the other can give," they say together. "As the athame is to the male..." "So the chalice is to the female..." "And when they are joined they become one in truth," all join in as the athame is lowered into the chalice, "for there is no greater magic in all the world than love." ================================================ MANY WITCHES STILL IN (BROOM) CLOSET While many witches agree that being more open about their beliefs and practices would help dispel some of the myths about their religion, some say "coming out of the broom closet" is a risky undertaking. Many people "don't realize it's a serious religion, and a highly responsible one at that. A lot of the secrecy in the Craft today is hurting us," said Norm Vogel, who directs the New Jersey chapters of the Witches' Anti-Discrimination Lobby and Witches Against Religious Discrimination out of his Bound Brook home. But for some, being more open about their faith opens them up to discrimination from their family, friends, neighbors, and employers. The horror stories abound. People have lost their children, their jobs, their homes and their businesses, despite the fact that religious freedom is guaranteed in the Constitution and Wicca -- as their belief is most commonly known -- is a legally recognized religion. The Mississippi woman fired from her jog in the late '80s when her boss learned she was a witch. The Georgia college student whose shrine was confiscated from her dorm room. The Arkansas couple whose Craft store was driven out of town by local preachers. The Florida group whose neighbors shot at them during a backyard ritual. Many who oppose them refuse to believe Wiccans don't worship Satan, despite what they say. "What they are doing is promoting witchcraft, which is evil. Read your Bible," said Gary Taylor, a Christian minister in Jonesboro, Ark., who was instrumental in keeping a Craft store out of his town. "They're worshipping Wicca god and Wicca goddess. There's only one God, and that's the God in heaven," Taylor told a New York talk show audience. "Witchcraft, Satanism, New Age -- they're all under the same umbrella." Some say the Northeast is more tolerant; others just that discrimination is more subtle. "I know they can't fire me because of (my religion), but it would be difficult for me to prove that I didn't get a promotion or something along those lines based on it. So I figure the less the people in charge know about it, the better," said Prytan, a Barnegat witch who asked to be identified by his Craft name because he fears discrimination in his job. Susan Carberry, who opened a Craft store in Long Branch last April, said she has had few problems. But on occasion, people stand outside her Brighton Avenue shop and try to dissuade customers from entering. And Vogel had his "first acquaintance with public bigotry" when he was invited by Ocean City to speak about Wicca on Halloween in 1991, and later had the invitation withdrawn when local ministers protested he was "bringing Satan to town" and could influence children, he said. Rev. Darryl Duer, associate pastor of St. Peter's United Methodist Church in Ocean City, was one of the ministers who objected to Vogel's appearance. While Duer said he realizes a number of good people are Wiccans, "where I begin to get wary of it is that there seem to be a large number of Wiccans who attend occult shows giving these young people ideas about amulets, potions and certain things they can do to affect fate... "The core of (Wicca) is rooted in a falsehood: that you can control what happens to you," Duer said. "The central issue of the Christian experience is that we are not in control. God is in control." The Catholic Church takes an even stronger position on witchcraft, condemning it as superstition that is contrary to the teachings of the Church and the Bible, said Joseph M. Donadieu, spokesman for the Diocese of Trenton. "One who believes in and practices witchcraft is putting one's faith somewhere else in this world, in objects and spirits" rather than in God, Donadieu said. -- Janine De Fao ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ================================================ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (Asbury Park Press, Tuesday, April 26, 1994) BRICK SEX CASE LEADS TO ARREST OF 'SORCERER' Authorities accuse a man involved in witchcraft of inducing teen- age girls to become his victims. by William K. Heine Press Toms River Bureau TOMS RIVER -- A New York man described by authorities as a sorcerer who uses witchcraft to lure young women is being held on charges he had sex with two 15-year-olds in Brick Township last year. Carl S. Truchel, 47, faces 15 charges of criminal sexual conduct, sexual assault, criminal sexual assault and endangering the welfare of a child. The assaults all happened in Brick between April 18 and June 19, 1993, according to the complaints. Truchel, of Queens, used his affiliation with the Wicca religion to attract the girls, a law enforcement source said. State police and the Ocean County prosecutor's office are investigating whether there are more than just the two victims, the source said. "It's the type of approach he's using to attract young women to follow his teachings, his beliefs," the source said. "It's alleged he engaged them in sexual activity." Truchel also claims to be a full-blooded Comanche Indian chief. Truchel has been the subject of numerous articles in Long Island newspapers about Indian artifacts and culture. He calls himself Chief Strong Sun and describes himself as an actor, a stunt man, an archaeologist and an Indian rights activist. State police arrested Truchel Saturday morning at the Point Pleasant Beach train station. A warrant for his arrest was issued Jan. 26. Assistant Prosecutor Deborah Hanlon-Schron said she did not know why Truchel was in Point Pleasant Beach nor did she know what his connection with Brick was a year ago. Truchel appeared in an Asbury Park Press story last May about a swan that had been killed at Godfrey Lake in the Herbertsville section of Brick. Truchel found the swan, which had a reputation as being aggressive toward humans, in its nest with its neck broken. The story identified Truchel as a Long Island resident who was staying with a woman on Godfrey Lake Drive. Sources yesterday said he was staying with his girlfriend. Truchel told the Press then that he used to visit the lake to feed the swans. Truchel claims to be self-employed and told authorities he owns the Chief Strong Sun Trading Post on Route 209 in Marshall Creek, Pa. Hanlon-Schron said she did not know whether he had actually opened the business yet. She declined to comment on whether authorities suspect more than the two victims. Truchel was being held last night in Ocean County Jail, Toms Rive, in lieu of $100,000 bail set by Superior Court Judge Peter J. Giovine. Wicca is a legally recognized religion that goes by various names as a subset for Neopaganism: the Old Religion, Nature Spirituality, Goddess Worship, the Craft and Witchcraft. Thousands of Americans have joined Wicca since it first appeared in the United States in the 1960s, drawn by the concept of a female deity, a reconnection with the earth and an emphasis on spirituality and personal participation. Wiccans hold nature and the elements sacred and seek to attune their lives to the cycle of the seasons, worshipping at half moons and full moons and celebrating their holidays at the solstices and equinoxes and midpoints between them. Wiccans also believe firmly that they are responsible for their own actions. No definitive membership numbers exist. The unfinished Pagan Census Project put the number between one-quarter million and one-half million Neopagans in the United States. Wiccans are a large subset of that group. Estimates of Wiccans in New Jersey range from 500 to more than 1,000. The majority of witches are women, but about 40 percent nationally are thought to be men, said Selena Fox, director of Circle Network and Circle Sanctuary, a legally recognized Wiccan church and nature preserve in Madison, Wis. Local sources within the Wicca religion said yesterday they do not condone taking advantage of others, said Lady Shannon, a member of a Monmouth County Wicca group who identified herself only with her Wicca name.