The magic of Wicca with Wicca Priestess Phyllis Curott

THE MAGIC of WICCA. In this program, Caer Hallundbaek talks with Phyllis Curott -- attorney, Wiccan priestess, and author of the best-selling memoir "Book of Shadows: A Modern Woman's Journey into the Wisdom of Witchcraft and the Magic of the Goddess," and also the book "Witch Crafting: A Spiritual Guide to Making Magic." Curott is a trustee of the Parliament of World Religions and is the Wiccan representative to the Harvard University Religious Pluralism Project's Consultation on Religious Discrimination and Accommodation.

A social and spiritual activist, she is a long standing member of the American Civil Liberties Union and founder of the Religious Liberties Lawyers Network. Curott has successfully battled the legal system for the right of Wiccan clergy to perform legally binding marriages in New York City and has also helped to secure the rights of Wiccans in the military, schools, the workplace and child custody cases. She received her B.A. in philosophy from Brown University and her Juris Doctor from New York University School of Law. She is founder and president of the Temple of Ara in New York City, where, with Temple elders, she offers lectures and workshops on Wicca, initiation, training, and clergy training.

In this intriguing hour, Curott defines what Wicca is, and what it isn’t; its origins as the Old Religion; its renewal in post-World War II England under the aegis of Gerald Gardner; its development since then; misconceptions about Wicca, and persecution; the mystical occurrences she experienced that led her to Wicca; the role and healing of the natural World; Wiccan ethics, beliefs and practices; similarity to other belief systems, including Native American spirituality;  the role Wicca in contemporary culture; how Wicca helps her to find meaning; and more.