Along Maryland Route 5, Wiccans Work Their Magic

[icymist]

They Transform the Shoulders 4 Times a Year

By Dan Morse
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, October 8, 2006; Page SM03

The three hold different jobs: Amber Russell designs bouquets; Anne Rutherford is a legal secretary; Bonnie Smith works for a landscaper.

But the three Southern Marylanders have this much in common: Each considers herself a witch.

They practice a religion called Wicca, one they say is growing in the area, and one that surfaced -- tangentially, at least -- in a St. Mary's County campaign for the Maryland General Assembly. Just before last month's primary election, House of Delegates candidate Clare Calvert Whitbeck issued a statement denying she was a Wiccan, saying she did so to put a false rumor to rest.

Whitbeck clearly wanted to distance herself from the religion. She lost her challenge to five-term incumbent John F. Wood Jr. in the Democratic primary for District 29A, which includes the northern half of St. Mary's and a small piece of Charles County.

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[kiahzero]

1. Minor thing from the article

"To counteract these images, Witches and Neo-Pagans usually differentiate themselves quite forcefully from Satanists."

It also has a lot to do with fundamental differences in ideology - Satanism, as I understand it, is essentially social Darwinism raised to the level of religion. While the Wiccan Rede is "As it harms none, do as you will," the motto of Satanists can be summarized, "Do as you will."