Object Lesson
March 21st, 1998 Good Weekend Magazine,
The Age
By Lily Bragge
When people discover that rock singer (formerly of
Def FX) and journalist Fiona Horne is a practising witch,
they invariably ask her the same questions: Can she
place a hex or evil spell on someone and does she take
drugs and indulge in group sex when she is taking part
in witchcraft rituals?
In her semi-autobiographical book, Witch - A Personal
Journey, Horne answers those sort of questions and
explores the history and current state of witchcraft
in Australia. With chapters that include: "How Many
Times Do I Have to Tell You? Witches Do Not Worship
Satan!" and "Bitchcraft: Hexing, Psychic Attack and
Protection", Horne corrects a lot of misnomers and falsehoods
that abound regarding Wicca (witchcraft).
She says: "Witchcraft, like any organised religion,
attracts its share of crazies, and it's these fruitloops
[people who take part in unlawful acts while claiming
to be witches] who have attracted so much of society's
negative attitudes towards witchcraft".
Although the book contains enough information to teach
a novice the basics and practicalities of Wicca, it
was not written as a "how-to-be-a-witch" guide. The
book came about as a natural progression of Horne's
paganism. She says she is not on a mission to preach
or convert anyone. Rather, she is an atheist with a
spiritualist attitude who would like the world to shed
all of its witchy misconceptions.
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