People gather for Pagan sunrise celebrations in Ireland, on the morning of the winter solstice.
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Yule, celebrated by Wiccans and many other Pagans in the Northern Hemisphere on Dec. 21, the day of the winter solstice, is a time for reflection.
Three women executed as witches in Derneburg Germany in October 1555.
Everett Collection
Witchcraft is an enduring source of fascination but also prone to popular misconceptions.
The natural world is an important part of Pagan practice.
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Practitioners of Pagan religions no longer need to go into a forest to find an object for their altars. Commercialization means that sacred objects are available online.
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In the last Census, 33,148 Australians identified with a nature religion, or Paganism. Who are the Pagans – and what do they do and believe?
People admire a massive statue of the Hindu goddess Kali.
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Mother figures from faith traditions around the world reflect many different ways of thinking about the divine.
Stonehenge has long been the site of some of the most famous solstice celebrations.
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The dead of winter, when the longest night of the year takes place, has also traditionally been celebrated as a time of renewal and reverence.
For Wiccans, celebration of summer solstice is a spiritual practice.
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For Wiccans, midsummer, with the maximum hours of sunlight, is the time for celebrating new life.
WitchTok is the subculture of pagans who use TikTok to share spells, learn about mythology and connect with co-religionists.
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Whether someone is scrolling mindlessly or actively conducting research, WitchTok connects witches to their practices and community.
The Rev. Selena Fox of Circle Sanctuary does a ritual of remembrance at the grave of a Wiccan soldier killed in Afghanistan.
Courtesy of Selena Fox
Samhain will be particularly poignant this year for Wiccans who are members or veterans of the US military as they process the end of the 20-year war in Afghanistan.
Most Wiccans in the U.S. practice alone, though they congregate in large gatherings to conduct rituals and learn from one another.
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Interest in Wicca and witchcraft appears to be increasing, but what exactly is Wicca in the first place?
A home in New York decorated for 2020 Halloween.
Photo by Cindy Ord/Getty Images
For members of the minority religion of Wicca and witchcraft – part of contemporary paganism – Halloween is not just a children’s holiday: It is both a celebration and acceptance of death.
An old Canadian law which outlaws magic fraud is about to be eliminated. This print by William Hogarth, ‘Credulity Superstition and Fanaticism,’ from 1762 epitomizes the Enlightenment view that witchcraft and religious fanaticism go hand in hand.
William Hogarth/1762
An antiquated Canadian law against magic and witchcraft is about to be repealed. A close look at its history reveals that it is far less superstitious than it appears.