University of Kansas - Jayhawker Yearbook (Lawrence, KS)

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child I thought there were people in them, Alexander said. I sometimes think I was a tree in a past life. Trees are really neat to me very special to me and very sacred. It was through her involvement in the Kansas City Renaissance Festival that Alexander discovered Wicca. She realized Wicca was based on what she already worshiped: nature. During a Festival meeting at the organizers home, Alexander said she noticed a huge bookshelf. It was a wonderful bookcase. It had everything, she said. Alexander began borrowing books, and within them, she many different backgrounds and choose a name, image or form to worship, Phillips said. Phillips was attracted to Wicca be- cause the deities were worshiped in male and female pairs. A lot of people, including myself, have a problem with a single ruler that is usually a male, Phillips said. As a child Phillips did a lot of unique reading. He was fascinated by magic. While attending a pagan feSiiV-21, Phillips met a Wiccan high priestess. He visited with her, he said, and asked her to teach him the Wiccan faith. Alexander is a self-taught Wiccan. She ' ' a, 4-Qge' Haag' gr - :IN fi- JY ee' W.. 26 .. fan: -., .Wil-lt L-9 W dk, -1,5 again' Wiccan tools of the trade include the pentacle, a chalice, candles, incense and a holy Bic. All items had to consecrated before the were fit to be used in worship. discovered Wicca. The owners never ques- tioned or pushed her. They just let me exist and come into it on my own. With Wicca, I finally found something that practiced what I prac- ticed, Alexander said. Alexander became a Sax-Wiccan and chose to worship a brother and sister pair of gods, Freyr and Freya. Alexander chose this pair and faith, but other Wiccans belong to different covens and worship other gods. All gods are one god. People involved in Wicca are from Gina Thornburg has read numerous books beginning with her book of choice, Raymond Buckland's Complete Book of Witchcraft. Which, although it is wonderful, Alexander said, is in no way complete. In the next four or five years, Alexander plans to write a book about witchcraft that will explain her beliefs and faith. I won't write a book about the correct way to believe or practice because there is no correct way. I want to write a book not geared to Wiccans, but geared to the mundane commLmity, she said. 1 1 S119 medic in eX2UlPle handdif' dew' Cannot be def M' c0n511Ulm AWN pate in fhe Odober- fl '1 noni pr0mi59 ill Children 111 nhile he ended JW Algeandef 'My pan fadd1allI1 Alexende diSn1Ssedh they have 5 has never a As a doin and herhai wedding ce fasting. Although ing ef her h said others slanhed, hee feels llllllIE againsn hen 'The dn lllg as we th broom dna Though diwininne Pfffeption lmpollilll 1 For exnn bloom dur faded mul ffflbnre hen Brogms Order ho W Chan, 3 Q1 15 Wd to I Wihhe snnenping myth ni he brnhms 0 hlexar DMS 1 wen.. I

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is way of what people choose to do. Based on this belief, the threefold-law was very important to Alexander. She explained the law with her stoplight theory: A driver was waiting at a stoplight. Others drivers were trying to merge into traffic. If the driver waiting at the stop light let the other drivers in, the next three lights would be green. The good the person did would come back to them threefold. Based on this law, witches are able to practice bad magic. However, if they do, they will send three times the bad back on themselves. honoring all living and nonliving things. We honor all the critters and happy green things and happy green nonliving things, like rocks and dirt, Alexander said. The Mother Goddess or Mother Earth represents life, Alexander said. Life comes from the Earth in the form of food rain and sun. Alexander said things in nature origi- nate from a male and female. Wiccans usually worship a pair of gods, which consists of a male and a female, to repre- sent the balance of nature. Others wor- ship only the triple goddess, Alexander said. The triple goddess has three faces: ,ff Watch what you say and do. Temper your words or they will come back to haunt you, Alexander said. we ffm Jan: maiden, mother and crone. The balance Laffy of nature is achieved through the female Phllhps Cycle. Wican high Despite the importance of free, it is not The nature aspect of Wicca first inter- the main focus of Wicca. Nature is the primary component. ested Alexander. prays near l'Ve always been a part of nature. I Wicca is a nature-based religion used to talk with trees. When I was a

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ll Clwoi up, .ca bt Bgd ml myself, lllltl lllaz elim. V Uldgiu. Nhxal ' 1 iestess. E, sled llg ll'iccan,5, il. Qkill' A' , m . if 1 1 Gina WW Wgmig ll i Budddtlt 1. Wlldl . lxandffwf 'Sf Alexandf irclidall V HI won. .th Way to TC L9 no 200k not to 519 d. She plans to write about the rituals and magic included in the Wiccan faith. Gne example is the marriage ritual, called hand-fasting. The bride and groom bind their hands together with a cord. The cord cannot be removed until all the wedding guests have gone home or the couple has consummated their marriage. Alexander and her fiance plan to partici- pate in the hand-fasting ceremony in October. Alexander s fiance is not Wiccan. I Won't marry anyone Lmless they promise free will and promise to raise our children under free will. My fiance prom- ised this, Alexander said. While her fiance and his family are excited about the hand-fasting ceremony, Alexander' s family is not aware of it. My parents are happily oblivious to the fact that I'm a witch, she said. Alexander and her parents have never discussed her faith. Although she thinks they have some idea, she said, the subject has never actually been mentioned. As a courtesy to her parents, Alexander and her fiance will hold a traditional wedding ceremony after their hand- fasting. Although her fiance's family is accept- ing of her beliefs and practices, Alexander said others are not. She has had her tires slashed, been harassed on the phone and fears future employers will discriminate against her. The American society is not as accept- ing as We think it is. We like to stay in our broom closets. she said. Though Alexander makes light of the discrimination with reference to common perceptions of witches, brooms are an important part of Wiccan practices. For example, Alexander will use a broom during her hand-fasting. The hand- fasted couple jumps over a broom to ensure fertility. Brooms have other uses for Wiccans. In order to worship, Wiccans usually cast, or draw, a circle to house their altar. A broom is used to sweep evil spirits from the circle. Witches can straddle the broom while sweeping the circle, Alexander said. The myth of witches flying through the air on brooms comes from this practice. Alexander bought her broom at a Dillon's grocery store for 33.95. Generally, witches purchase their brooms at craft stores or general stores, Alexander said. But in order to use a broom for magic and rituals, it must be consecrated. Consecrating involves introducing the broom to the elements, water, earth, fire and air. Alexander built her own altar for the consecration. Although altars are important, Wiccans can participate in worship and magic even when one is not available. Witches take their church with them. We can worship anywhere, Alexander said. You don't need the tools because the tools are within you. Although witches use altars and do use the pentacle, which is a pentagram, they are not - . Satanists, Alexander Q said. Wiccans are not Satanists. Satan is a Christian idea that we don't believe in, Alexander said. Phillips said, I never got into Satanism. As a matter of fact, I've , never even met some- one who I knew was a Satanistf' Alexander also empha- sized the fact that Wiccans do not try to recruit members or convert people of other faiths. People, Alexander said, must be happy with the faith of their choice. If you can't laugh and be happy, what the hell are you doing in the faith? 'Some names have been changed to protect privacy. iawi-.H Wicca could be solitary. Elizabeth Alexander prays near her favorite tree, which she named Big Tree