Easter means different things to different people. For Dunedin woman Philippa Jamieson, it is a time of earthly reflection. Shane Gilchrist reports.
And like many New Zealanders, she's looking forward to consuming some chocolate, in her case a nest (with little eggs) made by her mother, with whom she plans to spend some time.
Unlike many New Zealanders, however, Ms Jamieson has another reason to celebrate. You see, Ms Jamieson is a witch.
A practitioner of Wiccan rituals, she will mark autumnal equinox tonight (though the celestial event occurred yesterday at 6.26am).
Witches, Wiccans, druids and others whose spirituality falls within the parameters of paganism have a faith that is closely tied to the natural world. Some groups, including Wiccans, work to a Wheel of the Year, in which eight key festivals (or sabbats) mark the cycle of birth, life, decline and death (and rebirth).
Most of the festivals are named after pre-Christian Celtic or Germanic religious festivals, although modern interpretations vary greatly.
In the Wiccan calendar, autumnal equinox, also known as Mabon, is the second of three harvest festivals. As a mid-point between summer solstice and winter solstice, it is a time of reflection, of giving thanks to the Earth for all it provides.
‘‘You're giving thanks for all you've got, the harvest, and also looking forward to what's to come. It's a contemplative time but it's also a very busy time because of it being harvest time . . . It is also a time for collecting seeds to plant things for the spring season and also storing all the harvest, perhaps preserving, making pickles or jams. In times gone by, people were storing their grain and that sort of thing.''
Ms Jamieson has been in a witch coven since 1990. Comprising ‘‘about eight'' Dunedin women, who call themselves the Heavenly Bodies, they meet once a month, gathering in one another's houses or gardens as well as at public places such as parks or beaches. Each takes turns organising meetings, with Ms Jamieson responsible for this year's autumnal equinox celebrations.
Given the harvest connection, food will be a focus tonight. Offerings (‘‘Perhaps someone has made some plum chutney . . .'') will be made, although those present will be allowed to enjoy it later.
‘‘We actually always have a supper after the ritual and often, especially at this time of year, food will be on the altar as well,'' Ms Jamieson explains, adding the group is likely to invite a deity or two.
‘‘We might call on Demeter or Ceres, the Greek or Roman goddesses of the harvest . . . We do focus on what is right for that time of year. But that's not to say we won't introduce other elements. There may be a friend or someone in the group who is in great need of healing so we'll incorporate a healing meditation.''
Among the different strands of witchcraft, Heavenly Bodies adhere to the Dianic tradition, named after the Roman goddess of the hunt and untamed nature. ‘‘It's kind of a modern feminist revival of older practices of witchcraft.''
A Green Party candidate for Dunedin North, a marriage and civil union celebrant and a freelance writer and editor, Ms Jamieson (43) has been a publicist for University of Otago Press, taught English in Japan, bought and sold books and done a range of volunteer work.
She emphasises she lives ‘‘in the real world, in this society'' and is drawn to the coven because she finds it a grounding experience. It is also fun (note: the group used to call itself the Flaming Hags).
‘‘I think that in today's consumerist world, there are fewer chances for people to have meaningful times in their life. Maybe people don't take those chances and religion has lost its hold on people . . . It kind of brings us back to ourselves and it is a good time to acknowledge our spirit. It is also a community of like-minded people.''
For Ms Jamieson and company, environmental and spiritual concerns are entwined. Thus, a celebration of the Earth's bounty takes on ever-growing meaning given the concerns surrounding the environment.
‘‘I'd say most of us are trying, in our daily lives, to have a light environmental footprint and to live close to the Earth. The thing about witchcraft is it is not just a matter of going along to rituals; it's something you practise in your daily life. It's trying to live a good life, I suppose. Most religions have those codes that respect all life.''
Life, in particular new life, is a key aspect in the symbolism of Easter for Christians and pagans alike.
In 325AD, Roman Emperor Constantine, regarded as the first Christian emperor of the Roman world despite only being baptised on his deathbed, ruled that Easter would be celebrated on the first Sunday after the first full moon following the spring, or vernal, equinox.
Thus the death and resurrection of Christ were overlaid on existing pagan rituals surrounding the Saxon goddess of Eastre (or Eostre, Oestre or Ostara), a deity of fertility and spring whose symbol was the rabbit. Eggs are also regarded as a symbol of rebirth with Christians assimilating them into the resurrection story.
‘‘Easter is a Christian festival that has been layered over the top of a pagan festival - spring equinox. It is complicated in New Zealand because Easter has been imported to the southern hemisphere without concern for its seasonal origins, so it's celebrated in autumn rather than spring, and the symbols of new life, such as eggs and rabbits, aren't so meaningful to us here in autumn,'' Ms Jamieson says.
‘‘For Christians, obviously Easter is a time of death and rebirth. And for pagans, the spring equinox was a time of rebirth; the sun was coming back, spring was in the air . . .''
However, as Christianity grew, paganism declined. A fifth-century Catholic Church edict instructed Christians to not entertain a belief in witches; however, by the 13th century, successive popes had authorised the torture, trial and execution of heretics and sorcerers; and by the 14th century witches were widely believed to worship Satan.
By 1450, when the first major European witch hunts began, pagans were stereotyped as witches able to summon demons, evil types who ate their victims, brought disease and caused male impotence. The century from 1550 to 1650, when trials and executions peaked, is known as the ‘‘burning times''.
More recent episodes of paranoia include the decision of the Rev Jack Harvey, pastor of the Tabernacle Independent Baptist Church in Killeen, Texas, to arrange for at least one member of his congregation to carry a pistol during services in 1999, ‘‘in case a warlock tries to grab one of our kids''.
More recently still, in Saudi Arabia, Fawza Falih is hoping King Abdullah will grant her a pardon from her death sentence for ‘‘witchcraft''. Her accusers include a man who claimed she rendered him impotent with her sorcery.
Certainly, there is no shortage of stigma attached to the label ‘‘witch''. That is part of the reason Ms Jamieson agreed to be interviewed for this article.
‘‘I have a great sorrow about that period in history and I don't think many people today know much about or have thought about the implications. When they are scared of witches, I would actually welcome people to read more about that period in history and perhaps come to some more understanding of what happened . . .
‘‘The word ‘witch' is really scary for a lot of people. People in general view witches as bad and are often shocked if I say that I'm a witch. It's like the whole lesbian/gay thing; it's like coming out. You have to cop a bit of flak in some circles.
"A lot of the time, I simply haven't mentioned it. I might talk about my faith or my spirituality in general terms and not actually talk about it directly. This is one of the first times I've ‘come out' as a witch.''
Brought up an Anglican in Dunedin, Ms Jamieson went to Sunday school, was in the church choir at All Saints Church and St John's. At the age of 11, she became an atheist ‘‘because I couldn't believe in this bearded man in long flowing robes in the sky''.
"From the age of 13, she began exploring astrology, tarot, and the paranormal. She enrolled in religious studies at the University of Otago and in her second year discovered the writings of an American witch who married feminist thought and Wiccan traditions.
‘‘Everything made sense to me; the reverence of the natural world, the acknowledgement of a spiritual dimension in every being. And to a certain extent, the green politics of it. If you are going to be part of the Earth, you have to advocate for the Earth.
‘‘I didn't get involved in green politics formally until I personally joined the Green Party in 2000. But I have been involved in environmental issues since I was a teenager. My mother was, so I kind of followed in her footsteps.''
Her beliefs aside, Ms Jamieson sees wider benefits in the Easter tradition. ‘‘Often families have their own traditions. Whether those have arisen out of Christianity or are family traditions that they don't even know where they come from . . . It is meaningful that families have set things they do every year. It provides a sense of the familiar and cements family relationships.
‘‘I generally will spend a bit of time with my mother who is the only one of my family left in Dunedin now. We'll probably eat some hot cross buns together and just spend some time, have a meal or something.
‘‘My mother makes little Easter nests, a chocolate nest with little Easter egg lollies in it. She likes to give them out to each of us in the family.''
On the subject of cooking, the witches of Heavenly Bodies do have a cauldron, a ‘‘lovely'' cast-iron one. Unfortunately, it was dropped a while ago. Though the break has been welded, they can no longer make liquid brews or herbal potions in it.
‘‘We tend not to put food in it. It's a bit, well, not exactly rusty, but . . . it's a bit old.''
