The following is a statement sent out by Madeleine Heyser - Public Information Officer of our Chamisa Local Council. This communication should be helpful, and it appears that the folks there will continue to monitor the situation and the media coverage as the story develops.
"Dear Editor,
A woman has been charged with murdering a man in the Albuquerque foothills. She said she was a Wiccan and defended herself by stabbing to death the man with whom she had been drinking. The Albuquerque police charged her with murder. We do not want to further comment on the details of this evolving murder investigation.
Instead we want to describe the Wiccan religion (also known as Witchcraft). After thousands of years of "bad press" we are coming out of the "broom closet" to educate the public about ourselves and our religion. Wicca, or Witchcraft, is an earth religion -- a re-linking with the life-force of nature, both on this planet and in the stars and space beyond. Women and men meet on the new and full moons and at festival times to raise energy and put themselves in tune with these natural forces. They honor the old Goddesses and Gods, including the Triple Goddess of the waxing, full, and waning moon, and the Horned God of the sun and animal life, as visualizations of immanent nature. We see the Goddess as the immanent life force, as Mother Nature, the Earth, the Cosmos, the interconnectedness of all life.
Modern Witches hold rituals according to the turning of the seasons, the tides of the moon, and personal needs. Most rituals are performed in a ritual space marked by a circle. We do not build church buildings to create this sacred, ritual space -- all Earth is sacred and in touch with the Goddess and so any place, indoors or out, may be consecrated for ritual use. Two main activities occur at a Wiccan ritual: celebration, and the practice of magic. Celebration is most important at the major seasonal holy days, the Sabbats. At these times, the myths of that particular holiday are enacted in ritual drama, and dancing, singing, feasting, and revelry are all part of the festivities.
A primary tool, which is owned by most Witches, is an athame or ritual knife. The athame is charged with the energy of the owner and is used as a pointer to define space (such as casting a sacred circle) and as a conductor of the owner's will and energy. It is never used for mundane purposes, even for self-defense.
The spring religious celebrations include the holidays of Ostara and Beltane. Ostara is the Vernal Equinox celebration held around March 21. Beltane ocurs on May Eve (April 30). Numerous Ostara celebration were held during the past wekend. Some were public and some were private gatherings.
In summary, Wicca is a positive celebratory religion. A practicing Wiccan will never harm another, except in self-defense. The Covenant of the Goddess, COG, (www.cog.org), compiled and distributed this information. COG is a league of covens and individuals from all over the United States, with members in Canada and abroad. It was incorporated in California on October 31, 1975 as a non-profit religious corporation, with all the rights, privileges, and responsibilities of any church.
I can be contacted at
Vivianne1101@gmail.com or 505-268-9159.
Respectfully,
Madeleine Heyser
Public Information Officer
Chamisa Local Council of the
Covenant of the Goddess."
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