Published 2007-12-05T00:00:00Z”/>

Everett Meyers

—-<em>Watch footage of one pagan ritual with our</em> <a href= “http://media.www.theorion.com/media/storage/paper889/news/2007/12/05/Multimedia/Video.Pagan.Religious.Ritual-3132697.shtml” target=”_blank”>online-exclusive video</a>. <em>It will open in a new window</em>.—-

Sophomore Lauren Kodai decided to become a witch five years ago.

Not in the Hollywood, black cats, bubbling cauldrons sense of the word, but as a follower of the pagan religion Wicca.

“I don’t know if anyone seriously believes this, but Wiccans don’t ride around on brooms with pointy hats and cackle,” Kodai said. “Although that does sound like fun, it’s more of a Harry Potter thing than a reality thing.”

Pagans do not actually use black magic or voodoo dolls for evil as the movie industry often depicts them doing, said Sarah Pike, professor of religious studies.

But they do believe in a spirit world, and through proper worship and magic have access to it.

Paganism borrows ideas from many ancient civilizations, including the practices of Celtic, Norse, Egyptian and Greek cultures, Pike said. Some of the oldest forms of religious expression can be described as pagan, with roots dating back before Christianity.

Unlike Christianity, there are no requirements to be pagan, no central text or organization and no central leader or pope, Pike said. Pagans are polytheistic, believing in multiple gods and goddesses, and they have a profound relationship with nature and its divine power.

“Pagans see nature and the body as sacred in a way that Christians don’t,” Pike said.

Yet Pike thinks there is a big misunderstanding among Christians that pagans are Satanists. As a result Christians have been persecuting pagans for years, she said.

“People have lost their jobs or lost custody of their children, all because they were believed to be Satanists,” she said.

Ironically, many popular Christian traditions have been adopted from pagan holidays, including the gathering and decorating of evergreen trees, said senior Jessie Olson.

Olson has been a pagan for 16 years, and a Druid for the past five years, she said. She also acts as grove organizer for the Feather River Protogrove, which is the Chico chapter of the national organization A Druid Fellowship.

Olson estimates there are at least 100 pagans in Chico, with even more spread throughout Butte County, she said.

Druidry welcomes nondruids, and clergy members are elected, not appointed, Olson said. Additionally, men and women are allowed to be priests. Emphasis is put on academics as much as spirituality, and members further their knowledge by forming guilds for specialized interests or trades.

While pagan beliefs may vary widely for each denomination, most pagans follow two specific tenets: “Do as you will so long as you harm none” and “Be aware that your deeds, whether good or evil, will return to you three-fold,” Pike said.

This is part of what attracted Kodai to practice Wicca, she said. She needed something to look to for guidance during hard times.

“One of religion’s major purposes is to comfort and guide, which is exactly what Wicca did and does for me,” Kodai said.

But at times she finds being a Wiccan in Chico very lonely.

“There are very few resources, and contacting other Wiccans has never produced much because of my age,” Kodai said. “It’s hard to get people to believe you’re serious about being a Wiccan as a teenager.”

The pagan community in Chico is lacking resources for themselves and the public, but some pagans aim to change this, including hellenistic pagan Aileonna Dragon-Wells, owner of Phoenix Rising.

Offering a full line of pagan, witch and metaphysical supplies, the shop sells to Druids, Wiccans, Shamans and Christians, and has divination tools including herbs, oils and tarot decks, she said.

“We get a lot of people in here that are teachers, nurses and everyday people,” Dragon-Wells said.

Yet Phoenix Rising is more than just a store.

In the few months it has been open, the shop has been established as a bohemian center for the community and has hosted public rituals and discussions, she said. Witchcraft and paganism classes will also be offered starting in the spring.

“We have coffee and tea night open to the public where we discuss religion,” Dragon-Wells said. “Anybody with any questions I welcome to come in.”

Everett Meyers can be reached at <a href= “mailto:[email protected]”>[email protected]</a>