t MYSTERIES,.L EGENDS, AND UNEXPLAINED PHENOMENA - MYSTERIES, LEGENDS, AND UNEXPLAINED PHENOMENA WITCHES AND WICCANS - . A MYSTERIES, LEGENDS, AND ::.,.~· ·-~ ..-.U ""' NEXPLAINED PHENOMENA Astrology and Divination Bigfoot, Yeti, and Other Ape-Men ESP, Psychics, and Psychokinesis Ghosts and Haunted Places Lake and Sea Monsters Shamanism UFOs and Aliens Vampires Werewolves Witches and Wiccans • • .. . WITCHES AND WICCANS ROSEMARY ELLEN GUILEY CHELSEfl HOUSE I PUBLISHERS '1• An imprint of lnfobase Publishing WITCHES AND WTCCANS Copyright © 2008 by lnfobase Publishing All rights reserved. No part of this book 1nay be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any in formation storage or retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher. For information contact: Chelsea House An imprint oflnfobase Publishing I 32 West 31st Street New York Y 10001 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Guiley, Rosemary. Witches and Wiccans / Rosemary Ellen Guiley. p. cm. - (Mysteries, legends, and unexplained phenomena) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN-13: 978-0-7910-9397-9 ISBN-10:0-7910-9397-2 I. Witchcraft. 2. Wicca. I. Title. II. Series. BF1566.G855 2008 I 33.4'3-dc22 2008022658 Chelsea House books are available at special discounts when purchased in bulk quantities for businesses, associations, institutions, or sales promotions. Please call our Special Sales Depart111ent in New York at (2 L2) 967-8800 or (800) 322-8755. You can find Chelsea House on the World Wide vVeb at http://www.chelseahouse.com Text desig11 by James Scotto-Lavi no \ Cover design by Ben Peterson Printed in the United States of Ainerica Bang EJB 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 This book is printed on acid-free paper. All links and Web addresses were checked and verified to be correct at the time of publication. Because of the dynamic nature of the \,Veb, some addresses and links may have changed since publication and n1ay no longer be valid. * Contents Foreword 6 Introduction 11 1 Boiling Up A Pot of Trouble 15 2 The Inquisition's Reign of Terror 23 3 Anatomy of a Witch Trial and Execution 33 4 Witchcraft in Early America 43 5 Witchcraze in Salem 51 6 The Old Religion Comes Out of the Broom Closet 63 7 Wicca and the Goddess 71 79 8 Becoming a Witch/Wiccan 9 Spellcraft 89 99 10 Wiccan Celebrations 106 Timeline 108 Glossary 111 Endnotes 113 Further Resources 114 Bibliography 116 Index 120 About the Author and Consulting Editor 5 * Foreword D id yo.u ever have an experience that turned your vvhole world upside down? Maybe you saw a ghost or a UFO. Perhaps you had an unusual, vivid dream that seemed real. Maybe you suddenly knew that a certain event was going to happen in the future. Or, perhaps you saw a creature or a being that did not fit the description of anything known in the natural world. At first you might have thought your imagination was playing tricks on you. Then, perhaps, you wondered about what you experienced and went looking for an explanation. Every day and night people have experiences they can't explain. For 1nany people these events are life changing. Their co1nfort zone of v.,hat they can accept as "real" is put to the test. It takes only one such experience for people to question the reality of the 111ysterious vvorlds that might exist beyond the one we live in. Perhaps you haven't encountered the unknown, but you have an intense curiosity about it. Either way, by picking up this book, you've started an adventure to explore and learn n1ore, and you've come to the right place! The book you hold has been written by a leading expert in the paranor mal- someone who understands unusual experiences and who knows the answers to your questions. As a seeker of knowledge, you have plenty of company. Mythol ogy, folklore, and records of the past show that hu1nan beings have had paranorn1al experiences throughout history. Even prehistoric cave paintings and gravesites indicate that early hu1nans had concepts of the supernatural and of an afterlife. Humans have always sought to understand paranorn1al experiences and to put them into a frame of reference that makes sense to us in our daily lives. Some of the greatest 6