Witch Way
Modern witches don't stir cauldrons or straddle broomsticks. They worship the magic of nature and the religion of Wicca.
By Brad Weaver Special to the Kansan
LEAVENWORTH COUNTY — Around a bonfire on a secluded ridge they gathered, greeting the other with names such as Galadrial, Greycloak, Watermoon, Red Eagle and Elllyntari.
Holding hands in a circle and facing away from the fire, they followed the high priestess in a childlike procession.
They chanted, "Thout, a tout tout, throughout and about, good things in, and bad things out."
The chain of people danced and skipped.
This Wiccan group, called the Web of Oz, follows the basic principle of the Wicca religion that says the earth is
sacred. Wiccan practices follow the primal customs and liturgy
Kathryn Web of Oxmember
toms and liturgy
revived from pre-Christian Europe. As the pre-Christian pagans revered nature, her seasons and all her creatures, so do the neopagans.
"The earth is a spiritual being, it's alive and sacred. It's directly related to us," said 33-year-old Elliyarti, a former KU student who also identified herself as Michele Stelting.
Two small children were present with their mother, but they played with each other outside the circle. The 13-year-old son of the high priestess also was there. He took his place in the Web.
Thirty-six-year-old Kathryn, a Web member for two years, served as a sponsor, chaperoning a couple of visitors who were attending their first Web ritual. She asked that her last name be withheld. Kathryn, who is a KU graduate and an 11-year KU employee, said the Web was founded in 1985 by a group of KU students.
"We've got lawyers, we've got psychologists. We span the gamut from blue-collar people to professionals," she said.
Kathryn said the Web had at least 50 members who attended rituals regularly. The Web
allows visitors to attend rituals, but an active member must sponsor and accompany them.
The high priestess guided the gathering, carrying a staff draped in red and gold stars and ribbon. She wore a modest green dress. A high priest, a KU graduate student in his early 20s, wore leggings and an oversized, black pullover shirt.
Then they threw herbs into the fire, which caused bursts of flames and smoke to rise into the air.
The two also passed around food and drink, including bread, cheese, candy and Lucky Charms cereal out of the box. The group also shared a goblet of applejuice.
As a member of the Web of Oz, Michele Stetting, Lawrence resident, has respect for nature. "The earth is a spiritual being, it's alive and sacred. It's directly related to us," she said.
Kathleen Driscoll/KANSAN
A small gift exchange was conducted. The high priestess distributed handmade jewelry and other trinkets.
Then she brought the ritual to a close,
leading everyone in a quiet chant: "The
earth, the water, the fire, the air. Return,
return, return, return."
But the high priest and a few others in the circle punctuated the ceremony's conclusion with a bilthe whoop.
"Be excellent to each other, and party on, dude!" theyVELLED.
--back and affect you three times over. So if you do bad magic, you're really going to suffer."
Stelting never has turned anyone into a frog, and she does not fly on a broomstick. She appears to have more in common with Glenda the Good Witch from "The Wizard of Oz" than with the Wicked Witch of the West.
"When I was really little, I thought God was Glenda the Good Witch," she said.
Stelting and Kathryn agreed that the images of witches in popular culture were unfair.
Kathryn said. "Even some of today's dictionaries define witches as doers of evil magic."
"A lot of those negative images were creat
Timothy Miller, associate professor of religious studies and a scholar of alternative religions, said bad witches could exist.
"There could be isolated cases of bad witches, but even so, what does that really mean?" he asked. "Most witches subscribe to the 'Three-Fold Law of Return,' which is any evil you do, or good for that matter, will come
Some people in Lawrence's Christian community disagree with the notion of a good witch. Pastor Dean Dixon at the First Baptist Church admitted that he had reservations about the concept, "Good witch" is
a contradiction in terms for me," he said. "I was taught early in ministry that there are many spirits, but I'm only interested in one spirit, and that's God."
Kathryn said that most of her friends and co-workers knew that she was a witch, but Kathryn never has told her mother.
Fastor Dean Dixon First Baptist Church
Many pagans and modern-day witches live a secret life every day because they fear that some people will react negatively to their religion.
--name you use."
Kathryn is not alone. Galadrial and Grey-cloak also have asked that their real names be withheld. They would only identify themselves with their "craft" or Wiccan names.
"We feel connected to the earth and to the water, whatever forces that are out there," said Galadriel, a 38-year-old professional and single mother. "It doesn't matter what
"I'm not out of the broom closet to her," Kathryn said. "She threw me out of the house when I told her I was gay."
Greycloak, a 23-year-old KU graduate student, was raised a Roman Catholic. He said he had reservations about revealing his religion.
Miller agreed that some people saw Wicca as a cult. He said the word cult often carried negative connotations.
"If you were to ask the average American today, 'Are witches in league with the devil or evil?' I think most will tell you, "Yes." he said.
Kathryn said she was hopeful that attitudes and perceptions would change.
"The central ideas of Wicca may eventually enrich the major religions, such as Christianity, which should have a little more respect for the earth," she said. "Wicca is very open. I don't think it will ever become mainstream, but it may become more accepted."
Presidents, Heroes and Cheese
In April the Presidents of the United States of America released their self-titled album on Seattle's progressive Poplama records. In just a couple of weeks the disc was spinning in heavy rotations on West Coast radio stations.
tion on West Coast radio stations and flying out of local record stores.
For band members Chris Ballew, Dave Dederer, and Jason Finn, all of the attention came as a bit of a surprise. Major record companies started calling, writers requested interviews and MTV began playing their hit single "Lump" in their regular rotation.
"It was really overwhelming at first," said drummer Jason Finn. "But that's what we wanted. You'd rather have too much attention than not enough."
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
And now that Columbia Records has re-released their album and sent the Presidents on tour, they definitely don't lack attention.
If anything, the band needs a little breathing room.
Funny, concentration and the Presidents' music aren't two things that I'd expect to together. Their
off for awhile, and I'm trying to play as much golf as possible. Once we get on the road though, we like to concentrate on the music."
"Well, we start our latest tour on November 1 (at the Bottleneck), and we won't really get to go home until next April." Finn said. "So while we were home this time Chris got married and went to Hawaii, Dave took
John Lennon tribute
album is full of songs about insects, kittens, peaches, and comic book heroes on joyrides. Not exactly heady stuff.
"Well, Chris writes our lyrics, and I don't really know how he comes up with them," Finn said. "He's got some pretty different ideas. There isn't anyone else that thinks like he does. But that's our thing: live shows where we come out, start rockin' out and have
Working Class Hero: Tribute to John Lennon Various Artists (Hollywood Records) and Hempilation Various Artists (Capricorn). In the last few years, the tribute/cover album has become a very lucrative fad for the record industry. Here now, are two more compilations destined to sell a bunch of copies on the strength of a few songs and then fade into the $9.99 bin at the record store.
Presidents of the United States of America
Working Class Hero, which features 15 of John Lennon's solo songs performed by groups such as Red Hot Chili Peppers, Mad Season, Candlebox, Blues Traveler, Screaming Trees and Flaming Lips, has its moments (namely the songs covered by Screaming Trees and Mad Season) but in the end, this album simply underlines the fact that Lennon was by far a superior musician. Half the bands on this disc can barely play his songs let alone add something new to their interpretations. The best thing about this disc is that half of the proceeds are to go the Humane Society of America to provide for spaying and neutering cats and dogs. Don't ask me what that has to do with John Lennon or any of the artists included.
a good time. If you come to our show, we want you to have a good time, too. We're playing with our crowds, hopefully. We don't like to play at them."
The Presidents start their State of the Rock address at 9 p.m. Tuesday at The Bottleneck. Call 841-5483 for ticket information.
Hempilation puts a little different spin on the compilation concept. All proceeds from this album are to go to NORML, the National Organization for Reform of Marijuana Laws. The idea behind the record is to get some of modern rock's better acts to put their voice behind the legalization movement by recording their favorite pot-related songs. Some of the better weed-smoking tunes on the disc are the Black Crowes' version of Bob Dyian's "Rainy Women #12 and 35," Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers" "In the Flow," Sublime's dub-reggae reworking of the Peter
Tosh classic "Legalize it" and a rowdy live performance of "I Wanna Get High" by Cypress Hill. The rest of the disc, which features Blues Traveler, Widespread Panic and 311, is little more than filler.
Overall, out of 10: Working Class Hero: 5 Hempilation: 7
Monterey Jack Buzz (self-produced) and The Chris Blake Band demo cassette (self-produced). Now that the Lawrence local music scene has been tagged as the "hub of the Midwestern punk sound" by national media, some new criticism has popped up. It seems that some people think that all Lawrence-based bands sound the same.
Strange then, that one doesn't have to dig very deep into Mass. Street to find two local bands that not only have sounds independent of the Lawrence norm, but also have lots of potential. Monterey Jack and The Chris Blake Band both have started to attract a bit of a local following without the usual distorted guitars and punk attitudes. Monterey Jack's latest CD Buzz has some great jam-rock moments, and Chris Blake's deft blues guitar has been known to cause
Monterey Jack
dancing at weekend shows at Mulligan's, the club known to have the least-musically inclined crowd in town.
Both the Monterey Jack disc and the Chris Blake cassette are self-produced, so neither ought to be too expensive. Check local record stores
or ask the band after their shows for more information.
Overall : Monterey Jack: 7 The Chris Blake Band: 6 Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness Smashing Pumpkins (Caroline). Regardless of critical opinion, this double disc set will sell just under a ka-jillion copies. Thankfully, it's a musical achievement deserving of its monumental sales. As the first of many singles, "Bullet with Butterfly Wings" embodies what the album is all about: catchy lyrics, flawless post-production and some of the best straight-up guitar rock around.
Overall:8
Robert Moczydlowsky's e-mail address is mrozuck@faon.co.ucan.edu
Tonight
Nightlife Calendar
LA Ramblers, with Stir, 10 p.m., at The Bottleneck, 737 New Hampshire St. Cost: $4.
Blues Jam, 10 p.m., at Full Moon Cafe, 803 Massachusetts St. Free.
Tim Mahoney and the Meenie's, 10 p.m., at The Jazzhaus of Lawrence, 926 1/2 Massachusetts St. Cost: $3.
Urban Safari, 9:30 p.m., at Johnnie's Tavern, 401 N.
2nd St. Cover charge.
Big Sandy and His Fly Rite Boys, with Chubby Smith 5,
10 p.m., at The Bottleneck, Cost: $5-$6.
Musical Schizophrenia, 10 p.m., at Full Moon Cafe.
Free.
Monterey Jack, 10 p.m., at The Jazzhaus of Lawrence.
Cost: $4.
Urban Safari, 9:30 p.m., at Johnnie's Tavern. Cover charge.
KANU Goodtime Radio Revue, 8 p.m., at Liberty Hall,
642 Massachusetts St. Cost: $4-$8.
Caribe, 9 p.m., at the Granada Theater, 1020 Massachusetts St. Cost: $4.
Monday
Open Mic Night, 9 p.m., at The Bottleneck. Free.
Tuesday
■ Billy Goat, with Let's Go Bowling, 10 p.m., at The Bottleneck. Cost: $7-$8.
Moxie's Poetry Jam for women. 8 p.m., at Full Moon Cafe. Free.
*www.moxiespoetryjam.com*
President of the U.S.A., 10 p.m., at The Bottleneck,
Cost: $6.
1
Hoodoo U Love, 8 p.m., at Full Moon Cafe. Free.
The Bobs, with 8:1, 8 p.m., at Liberty Hall. Cost:
$12.50.