After a hard day at the coven, Caroline
pauses for a spell
Sun Herald Sun, 24/11/96
Caroline Tully became a witch 12 years ago because she
thought mainstream religion was boring.
Now, at 30, she is the most senior Victorian in the Church
of All Worlds, the pagan church.
With pointy hat, broom, wand and cauldron, it is no surprise
to learn Ms Tully is a witch.
Witchcraft is one of several denominations of paganism,
a religion rapidly spreading across the world.
Ms Tully could soon become only the second person in
Australia to be ordained in the Church of All Worlds and
reach pagan clergyhood.
"It is all to do with idealism. We are hoping for a better
Earth through religion." she said.
"Ideally, it is a green religion. It is like a spiritual
dimension to ecology." Most pagan icons symbolise sexual
organs and functions: The straw broom is a phallic symbol
representing male generative power. It is also used to
purify places.
The idea of flying was slander created by the Christian
church, Ms Tully said, although many witches did claim
to astral travel.
The broom is also partner to the cauldron, which represents
the womb.
The pointy hat uses both male and female sexual organs
in its symbolism, as do the wand and chalice.
Ms Tully also cast spells, which she calls probability
enhancement techniques.
Athough most ceremonies are performed naked, robes are
worn in winter and on public occassions.
"Ideally, we perform our rituals in forests, outdoors,
somewhere wild, perhaps on a mountain," Ms Tully said.
Witches do not worship Satan, saying Satanism is a Christian
belief.
They worship Diana the moon goddess and Pan the horned
god.
Athough there is no official record of the number of
pagans in Australia, conservative estimates suggest there
are between 4000 and 5000 followers, according to the
director of Australian operations of the Church of All
Worlds, Mr Sean Knight.
He said paganism was the fastest growing religion in
Britain, and prisons and hospitals in the US and UK had
even begun appointing pagan chaplains.
The rapid growth of paganism - one of the world's oldest
religions - is being spurred by the newest technology.
The World Wide Web has become a major player in spreading
the pagan gospel.
Pagan pages on the Net recommend books, give dates of
festivals and ceremonies, provide contact names and numbers,
and list the beliefs of different pagan denominations.
The Church of All Worlds has a home page on the Internet.
The church was founded in the US in 1968 and was introduced
to Australia in 1992 by the Rev. Fiona Judge, the church's
high priestess and first Australian pagan to be ordained.
Pagans consider all life to be sacred and worship nature
as a manifestation of the deity. They do not worship rocks
or tress, but revere the divine forces they claim are
within them.
They do not believe in the notion of "good versus evil"
or heaven and hell in the Christian sense, and many believe
in reincarnation.
Sun Herald Sun, 24/11/96
by Steven Wilson
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