RDAU_10-11_Oct_Nov Issue

PHOTO CREDIT TO COME The Season of the Witch 1 Across time and around the world, people have been (forgive us) spellbound by witches. En- chanting sorceresses appear in folk- lore, fairy tales and mythology, but also on stage and screen. The 2021 Census recorded 7,786 Australians identifying Wiccan (Witchcraft) as their religion. 2 Witches do exist—not as the spell-casting figures of folklore, but as people who follow mod- ern Pagan religions such as Wicca and other nature-based spiritual tradi- tions. These belief systems celebrate the changing seasons, honour nature and practise personal spirituality. Their numbers are growing, too: the 2021 Census in England and Wales recorded more than 73,000 Pagans and nearly 13,000 Wiccans. 3 In the late 1400s, most Europe- ans believed witchcraft was pure evil—and that witches were in league with the devil himself. Their alleged activities included BY Sarah Chassé readersdigest.com.au     41 illustration by Serge Bloch 13 THINGS