Bewitched! - Veinot, JOFMM Spring 2004

On September 17, 1964 the television show “Bewitched” premiered
Darrin (Dick York), the bumbling but lovable regular guy,
who married Samantha (Elizabeth Montgomery) and soon discovered
she was a witch. Samantha, as it turns out, had the ability to
cause all of creation to conform to her will by casting a spell with
but the twinkle of her nose. But then, this was only make-believe
in the world of entertainment. No one really took seriously the
idea that anyone actually possessed such power.
Over the ensuing years, culture has changed and so has the face
of witchcraft (or Wicca). I was at the Parliament of The World’s
Religions which was held in Chicago in 1993. New Age mysticism
was, of course, widely accepted within culture by then and well
represented at the Parliament. Several Wiccan groups were there
participating in the general sessions and teaching workshops. Lady
Olivia, an Episcopalian from Ireland, along with her brother, an
Episcopal priest in Ireland, had founded the Fellowship of Isis a
few years earlier and were quite excited that they had fielded a
membership of about 12,000...