They do not wear ruby slippers, they do not worship Satan, and they do not sacrifice animals. So what exactly do those of the Wiccan religion or of the Pagan following really believe and practice? Along Main Street in Radford, you will find a small shop called Chrysalis, which is described as a new age/metaphysical shop that also caters to the local arts and crafts community. The shop’s proprietor, Suzanne (spiritual name: Shanti), is Pagan and along with an independent contractor, Andrea, who offers services such as massage, agreed to explain their faith in more detail.

One of their colleagues, Rev. Draigh Lunara, also provided information on the subject. Each one of them has a different path within their religion, but in the end, they can all be related in one way or another.

“Chrysalis is a place to come and introduce yourself to different cultures, religions, music, etc. and participate in workshops,” Shanti said. “We offer healing techniques, a massive amount of varying classes, meditation, hypnosis, tarot cards, yoga, massage, and reiki (stress reduction technique).”

Shanti, a high priestess, describes herself as eclectically Pagan and said she has walked many paths in her life. “My interest (in spirituality) began as a young child and as I explored many paths I kept always coming back to the ‘craft,’” she said. “It wasn’t until I was in my mid 20s that my first husband accidentally introduced me to Wicca and I was initiated into a local path of Wicca.”

Shanti said that her interest kept growing and she soon began an initiation process to become a Priestess that would span six years and take her through many groups/covens and eventually to where she is today as a High Priestess. “I am interfaith ordained, however, my personal path is Eclectic Earth Centered Paganism,” Shanti said.

Her colleague, Andrea, is also a Spirit Degree Priestess. She has an interfaith certification and said she does not fully walk the Pagan path. “I borrow many varying practices from Christianity, Buddhism, Islam, Native American Beliefs and many other of the world’s religions to make my own practice very personalized for my own spiritual development,” she said.

“To me, in my heart, whatever or however I classify my relationship with the Most Holy is a sacred place and sometimes words are not enough to convey it properly,” Andrea said.  “This practice of complete love for all paths allows me to strengthen my faith, personal growth, spiritual lifestyle, and gives me hope when life becomes troubled, hectic, or unfocused because I always have a way to relate to God.”

Shanti and Andrea help others find their own paths if requested. The two said that they never force their views onto people; they only wish to help others find spiritual paths that work for them. And the Pagan path is growing in popularity.

A recent article at religionlink.com addressed the growing popularity of Wiccans and pagans. “In surveys, contemporary pagans are usually classified under the heading of New Religious Movements and ‘other religions,’ which includes everything from Scientologists to Spiritualists,” the article said. “According to the American Religious Identification Survey, members of “other religions” and New Religious Movements went from 1.3 million in 1990 to 1.8 million in 2001 to 2.8 million in 2008.

“Specifically, the number of Wiccans more than doubled from 2001 to 2008, from 134,000 to 342,000, and the same held true for neo-pagans, who went from 140,000 in 2001 to 340,000 in 2008.”

Rev. Draigh Lunara, who also follows the umbrella term of all these paths, Paganism, shared exactly what Pagans believe. Lunara is a high priest who said that those who follow Paganism are continuously learning and experiencing new aspects of their respective spirituality.

“The most basic way of describing our religion is that it is nature based,” Lunara said. “We hold nature in a place of honor and respect, not dominance and control. We see ourselves as living very simply under the single rule of ‘An ye harm none, do what thou will,’” he said.

Paganism has eight high Holy Days including Samhaim, Yule, Imbolc, Ostara, Beltaine, Litha, Lughnasadh, and Mabon. Some followers celebrate all eight days in different ways, and others only celebrate some of them or even just one.

Samhaim, the Pagan New Year, is where Halloween has its origins. This is a time when the veil
between our world and the spirit world is very thin and we pay respect and give honor to our ancestors as well as use the time to communicate with our beloved friends and family who have passed away,” Shanti said. “We make offerings of incense, food, song, and dance to ancestors, to the God and Goddess . . . we also use the time to prepare for the winter ahead spiritually.”

Within these holidays they communicate with the dead, perform healing rituals, provide offerings, and just get together to catch up and converse. The followers of Wicca or Paganism do have a Book of Shadows (spells) and some regularly perform them. Lunara claims that the spells are nothing more than focusing one’s will to a certain goal instead of having the goal brought to the person.

Most Pagans worship one all-encompassing Father God or Mother Goddess, but this can be made up of all different types of deities. It is rather like looking at a diamond from all different angles. Each angle is unique in its own right, however, they all form one central object: the diamond.

Lunara said that most all religions have core values in common. He stated the commonalities as, “Doctrines, a set of beliefs; Experience, those ‘getting close to God’ moments; Myth, a set of stories conveying important information; Ritual, expression of belief like dancing and prayer; Morality, a set of rules of what to do and not to do; and Organization, a grouping of people.’”

Shanti and Andrea estimated that the negativity they have faced within their religion or spirituality only makes up about 2 percent of their overall experience.

Shanti said that others have closed themselves off from her upon hearing of her beliefs and she has received bad messages from followers of other religions. She’s even been verbally assaulted. But she said that Wiccans and Pagans actually “hold normal jobs and live rather ordinary lives.”

The local Wiccans and Pagans want to be understood, which means many myths often have to be busted. Shanti said her children have faced negative situations because of her beliefs, although her kids do not go out seeking to convert others. In fact, it is forbidden for them to recruit others, and the children are free to pursue whatever path of spirituality they so choose. Andrea has faced similar hardships including being disowned by friends and having rumors spread about her both personally and professionally.

Each individual has experienced and followed other religions in the past, ranging from Christianity to Buddhism and Judaism to Islam, which is what led them to believe as they do today.

The most accepted way to view the world as a Pagan is to believe in reincarnation. There is a type of Heaven, referred to as the Summerlands, but they do not believe in Hell. “The Summerlands is what we believe to be the natural home of all spirits/souls,” Shanti said. “We go there between lives during the reincarnation process to reflect on the past life, to study, to grow, to plan for a new life . . . the goal is to always be growing and learning and to one day ascend spiritually in a way that reunites back with the One that is the collective All of all existence.”

Pagans believe in the five elements: Earth, Wind, Fire, Water, and Spirit, with Spirit being the most important and worshiped.

All three Pagans pointed out a favorite aspect to them about their religion. Andrea cited that the best part about her spirituality is that if she makes a mistake, she has a “do-over” the very next day.

Shanti said the best part of her religion is that she is able to see the beauty in every person, and is undeniably responsible for her own actions and strives for her own betterment.

Lunara stated the best part for him was the immediate connection he formed with his deity, something he had not felt until he began exploring Paganism.

Belonging to and even orchestrating their very own covens, these individuals seek fellowship among their peers. While they do not recruit others to become Pagan, they do look forward to performing rituals for others, as well as themselves. Some rituals involve the sun and the moon, others focus on life events such as birth, marriage, or death, while others rituals and ceremonies can vary quite widely.

If you are looking for more information on Paganism, Wiccans, or some other form of spirituality, visit Chrysalis where these two women are more than happy to share their experiences and beliefs. Visit witchvox.com or religioustolerance.org to learn more about the practices mentioned here. Also, the Pluralism Project at Harvard University maintains a Pagan resource page. Want to compare your religious tradition with another? Check out the Side by Side lens at Patheos.

Chrysalis is located at 1109 East Main Street in Radford. For more on their Halloween events, check out this news brief. Call 540.818.0680 for more information on workshops and sessions.

Josh Nash is an intern for the New River Voice.