Wicca: Is It For Real?

Wicca is not coming to a town near you - it is already there! Witchcraft, gods, goddesses, spells, curses, astral travel, fairies, elves, dead ancestors, animal guides - are these real spiritual realities or they just imagined? One way or the other, it is a growing phenomenon and not likely to go away soon.

Some months ago I was asked to comment on Santería, the West African religion that came to the New World due to the slave trade that flourished from the sixteenth to the nineteenth centuries. The Yoruba tribe of West Africa worshiped deities called orishas. In the New World orisha worship easily melted into the Roman Catholicism that was already present in the Hispanic Caribbean Islands. The new religion – really the old Yoruba religion of Africa – became known as Santería. While reading the story of this transplanted religion, I noticed how much its world view paralleled that of Wicca as I knew it. Having, then, completed a lengthy essay on Santería (it can be viewed at www.earthenvesseljournal.com), I purchased two books on Wicca to try to understand this religion that is growing in popularity, particularly in America.1

Since there is no official document that is the source of authority speaking to the central dynamics and principles of Wicca, the following are statements to which most Wiccans seem to subscribe, yet as is often said, not by all. These statements about Wicca, except those that are clearly historical and factual, are not what I hold to be true realities. My personal commentary on Wicca will comprise the last part of this essay.

Part I Basic facts about Wicca

Wicca is a growing religious system, though there is no Wicca Church as in Methodists or Baptists. The numbers of books on Wicca on the market are growing rapidly, and there are more than 6,000 Wicca-related websites on the Internet. There are Wiccan radio shows, Wiccan umbrella organizations, and state-certified Wiccan churches.
A Wiccan is a person who is following the Wiccan religion/spiritual path and has either undergone a Wiccan initiation or has formally and ritually declared him- or herself Wiccan.
Some Wiccans use the words "Wiccan" and "witch" interchangeably, but there are witches who do not consider themselves Wiccans. Wiccans are a subgroup of witches. Wiccans and witches are both subgroups of a larger group: pagans. Pagans are practitioners of earth-based religions. Most Wiccans and witches consider themselves pagan, but not all pagans are Wiccans or witches.
Witchcraft is what Wiccans and witches do, and "Wicca" is the name of the religion itself.
A solitaire is a witch who practices alone and is not in a coven. A coven can vary in size, but 13 is the number of persons who comfortably fit into the ritual circle. In it is the High Priestess, who is seen as the goddess incarnate and is the spiritual center of the coven. Also is a High Priest, who assists the high Priestess, and is seen as the god incarnate.
Wicca is new but old at the same time. Its origins are shrouded in mystery, but magic – and magic is what Wicca is about – has been practiced since prior to recorded human history. Wiccans spell magic with a "k" - thus, “magick” is the word used.
The Wiccan path is based on the earth rather than the heavens.
A witch uses magick in his or her everyday life.

US Air Force Academy sets up stone circle for Wicca and Druid adherents

There is no central church of Wicca, and no Wiccan Bible or sacred document of any kind that details the beliefs, rules, and teachings of the religion.
"You learn Wicca by loving it," is a common statement made by Wiccans.
Wicca, with its focus on natural cycles and its emphasis on meditation and psychic abilities, provides many opportunities to touch the mysteries of the divine and the cosmos.
Some Wiccans teach that Wicca is European Shamanism: the word shaman refers to a person who enters an altered state of consciousness in order to take a spiritual journey to retrieve information, heal, work magick, tell the future, or commune with the dead. 2
Wicca is a religion that many (but not all) witches practice. It is earth-based religion that honors both the God, represented by the sun, and the Goddess, represented by the moon.
Wiccans are taught to be in tune with their psychic abilities. Magick circles, the sacred space of Wiccans, are said to be "between the worlds," and Wiccans "travel" between the worlds to meet the gods, get information, and heal. Wiccans often enter ecstatic or trance states in order to work magic or commune with the divine.
Many wiccans have life-altering experiences that lead them to the Wiccan path, and Wiccan groups often initiate new members in a symbolic death and rebirth ceremony meant to provide a mini-shamanic crisis and shift the initiate's perspective.3
Wicca is a magical system. As generally understood, there are two types of magic. One, there is every day magic. This might consist of spell work for things like finding a new job or protecting your home. Two, there is magic to manifest or make real the witch's personal power and divinity. In essence, it is a working the witch's will to find purpose in life and alignment with the higher self.

Part II Generalized Statements from Proponents of Wicca

"If you use your magickal4 energies, they may just help you stay clear-headed and focused. Powers are a special blessing that we all have. Some witches believe that their powers come from the Goddess. Wherever they come from, just know that you have them. If you open your heart and mind, you can use your powers. And the more you work with them the better, the more powerful, you become."5
“The abilities you have are natural and inborn, so there is no reason to be frightened of them. Soon you will come to rely on them.”
Nature is never good or evil, it just is. Wicca is often compared to Native American beliefs and traditions. Witches recognize that it is in our best interests to keep the earth healthy and vital. While many religions have a holy book, our book is the earth itself and all of her creatures.
“The Goddess and God will take notice [of your attention to them through rituals] and your spells will soar!"

"Wiccans believe that the Goddess is in everything and is not some force standing out there watching us. In the faith of Wicca, we believe in deity – the All. We divide that into a male and female spirituality, the God and Goddess, or Lord and Lady."
Wiccans also work with the demigods, who are different, smaller aspects of the All.
Witches are not anti-Christian, nor do they harbor negative feelings about other religions.
"Wiccans believe in the morals that are common to most faiths. But Wiccans do not believe in the Christian concept of original sin. Wiccans live in the now. While some Wiccans believe in reincarnation, life is to be lived for what it is in the present so that we may learn from this lifetime on Earth. As Wiccans, we do not deny ourselves pleasure or put up with unnecessary pain. We believe that we all have a job to do, or a lesson to learn, or maybe a debt to pay from the last lifetime. Once we have succeeded in our mission, we must move on to the Summerland, where we can reflect and chose our mission in the next life. Or, perhaps choose not to reincarnate and rather work as spirit guides."
While Wiccans do not believe there is a hell to punish sinners, they do believe there is a universal law, called karma.6 Witches know that whatever energy or actions they send out, whether negative or positive, will come back to them THREEFOLD.
If you send out positive energies, you will get positive energies in return.
The central principle of Wicca is the Wiccan Rede, "An it harm none, do what ye will."
Witches do believe in God, the pure energy of the All, of the god and goddess, most high. Witches do not believe in Satan.
It's often prudent not to openly broadcast your status as a witch. Spirituality is, after all, a personal affair. If friends are curious, answer their questions honestly but stress the positive aspects of your religion: Harm none; live as though the Earth and all of its inhabitants are sacred; strive toward the positive.7
Wiccans believe that all spiritual paths lead to the same house – union with the divine. Perhaps, in our search for tolerance, harmony, peace, and freedom of spirit, by the end of this millennium all the major religions will have broken down and merged together into one gentle and magickal earth-centered faith.

Part III The Wiccan Deities

In Wicca, the Divine or Deity is greater than creation, and yet it is creation. Deity or the Divine is immanent in all things, but it is also distant and beyond grasp.

In Wiccan thought, the union of the goddess and god creates the universe. The goddess is the god's mother and lover. In the mythos of most Wiccans, the goddess gives birth to the god, he matures, they make love and she becomes pregnant, he dies, and he is reborn of her again. The god's existence is cyclical, like the grains.
Communicating directly with the god and goddess is one of the greatest joys and responsibilities of a Wiccan.
Many wiccans have personal patron deities - in addition to the god and goddess - with whom they work frequently.
The Celtic, Greek, Roman, Norse, and Egyptian gods are probably the most popular amongst Wiccans.
In addition to the god and goddess, a Wiccan may be involved with any number of otherworldly entities. There are, in addition to the personal deities, the animal familiars,8 dead ancestors, gnomes, elves, and so on. It seems there are any number of spiritual entities, not all of the good kind, that hover around Wicca and are involved in casting the spells and conducting the rituals.

There are two types of Wiccan animal familiars: the discarnate (spirits in animal form) and incarnate (spirits indwelling living pets or other animals). Discarnate animal familiars or spirits serve as guides and helpers. Many Wiccans work with animal spirits, but some do not. In the accounts of the witch trials, there are stories of animal familiars, most of which were said by the witches' accusers to be demons in animal form. Proponents of Wicca strongly believe the animal familiars are not demons. A Wiccan chooses the animal spirits to work with, but it is said that sometimes the animal familiar does the choosing.

Part IV The Wiccan Ritual

A Wiccan ritual is a means of creating consecrated ground or sacred space in order to pay homage to deity. Ritual is also used to do magick and to work with the energy of the god and goddess.
It is a good idea to do a small ritual every day to honor the Lord and Lady.
Rituals can be performed to ground oneself, to connect with the goddess, to celebrate a sabbat, to honor one’s ancestors, or to perform magick. There are eight sabbats having to do with the earth and the positioning of the sun. These fall about six weeks apart. Four of them, are known as solstices and equinoxes, and the mid-points between them are the "cross quarters."
Covens meet to perform rituals together regularly – for the thirteen esbats, or Wiccan moon rituals, and eight sabbats every year. Esbats have to do with the moon, especially full moons; the sabbats have to do with the sun.

In the ritual, it is necessary to call down "the quarters" – the four directions of North, East, South, and West – and the Elemental powers of Earth, Air, Fire, and Water. Over these is spirit, which sits atop the pentacle. A pentacle is a pentagram, a five pointed star, with a circle around it.
Doing magick takes preparation: Body, Mind, and Spirit – it is very time consuming and all controlling.
A witch's journal is called a Book of Shadows; a witch's recipe book is called a grimoire. The grimoire can also contain lists of angels, spirits, and other magickal properties of objects found in nature.

Part V Summon, Stir, Call, Invite, or Request

You can summon certain entities – the four elements, fairies, and the elementals, for example. The four elements are air, fire, water, and earth. The elementals are personifications of the four elements. The elemental associated with air is sylphs, fire is the salamander, water is undines or nymphs, and earth is gnomes. Other larger, more powerful entities are stirred. These are the Ancestors, dragons, and Watchtowers. You stir them because they are sleeping and need to be awakened before they can attend your ritual. If you want the god and goddess to attend your ritual, you call them respectfully, and they will come. And you can call angels also. When you invite entities to your ritual, you ask them to be present, but not to join you inside the circle. These are the familiar entities. You can request the presence of any of the four winds and of your spirit guides. You also need to tell the entities you have asked to the ritual what you want them to do. You can ask them to protect you, observe, or help you carry out your magick.
Air, Fire, Water, Earth and Spirit have dragons from the Elemental Realm.
Guardians of the Watchtowers – some witches are afraid of them and won't use them in ritual.

Fairies – flower fairies, mermaids, mermen, little people, sprites, and pixies. These can appear as miniature humans, or they can take the form of an elf. They are summoned. You'll know that the fairies have arrived when the flames of your candles start to dance around. They are extremely mischievous. To discourage fairies from taking up permanent residence in your home, hang iron pots around the house. Because iron renders fairies powerless and incapable of magick, they will flee from this metal and leave you in peace.
Elementals – Sylphs, salamanders, undines, and gnomes.
Tree spirits – come from the realm of Fairy.
The Lord and the Lady are all around us all the time. So, too, are all the many varieties of angels. The ancestors also dwell in the Realm of Spirit, but they are sleeping.
Angels – are divided into three levels: One – seraphim, cherubim, and thrones. Two – dominions, virtues, and powers. Three – principalities, archangels, angel messengers, and guardian angels.
Ancestors – are figures from the past who have great wisdom and knowledge. They have lived in the times of Egypt, Rome, or Greece, like Socrates. An ancestor might even be an actual ancestor like a grandparent.

Spirit Guides – like guardian angels, are assigned to us at birth, and we can have as many as seven. Sometimes a spirit guide is a soul that does not need to be reincarnated. Often spirit guides come to us in our dreams. If you meditate regularly, you may start being able to see them.
Spirit animals (disincarnate).
Familiars are individual animals that are inhabited by spirit (incarnate). They can help with magick. Familiars have more dignity than regular pets because they are able to communicate with you telepathically.

Part VI Basic Wiccan Principles and Ethics

Most Wiccan practice can be divided into two categories - eclectic and traditional. Eclectic - This is where Wiccans compile their practices from a variety of sources. Traditional - Wiccans here use a system of practices that have been handed down to them and have a certain level of consistency, though the lines will sometimes blur. Some of the traditions are: Gardnerian, Alexandrian, Feri, 1734, Celtic and/or Celtic Reconstructionist, Minoan, Seax Wicca, Asatru, Church of All Worlds, Covenant of the Goddess, New Reformed Orthodox Order of the Golden Dawn, Central Valley Wicca, Blue Star, Dianic Wicca, and Reclaiming.

Wiccan Principle 1: Deity becomes a polarity. Many Wiccans believe that there is a single great divine force, which they call spirit, the All, the Divine, or just Deity.
Wiccan Principle 2: Deity is immanent, meaning that deity is inherent or present in all people and things. This is close to the definition of animism, which is that everything has a consciousness of its own, but different in that there is a sacred force than infuses everything, and that force is deity or a part of deity.9
Wiccan Principle 3: The Earth is divine. Wiccans believe that the earth is a manifestation of deity, and may be called Gaia.10 Therefore, many Wiccans believe that a significant part of their spiritual path is taking care of the earth.11
Wiccan Principle 4: Psychic power or psychic abilities help Wiccans with many things, like honing their intuition, divination (reading astrological charts or tarot cards, for example), and sensing things that science cannot yet explain, like the spirits of the dead or the presence of the gods with people.
Wiccan Principle 5: The use and practice of magick – the idea that everything is infused with the divine and thus the divine can cause change to occur in conformance with the will of the magickian. Further, it is the concept that all things contain some divine energy, which can be tapped into in order to affect things.
Wiccan Principle 6: Reincarnation. Wiccans have different positions on this. One, some believe that our souls are reborn into new bodies. Two, our essence "recycles" after our bodies die and become cosmic energy. Three, we all share one soul, and that this soul experiences the many possibilities of life by inhabiting all of our bodies at the same time.
Wiccan Principle 7: Sex is sacred, sexuality is then considered a gift from the gods, and gay sex is as good as any other form of sex – except that none are to be harmed in the practice of sacred sex.

Key ethical principles of Wicca:

Wicca is not Satanic or anti-Christian. Wiccans do not believe in Satan. Satan is part of the Christian religion, and Satanism is a Christian heresy.
Wiccans do not try to convert others to Wicca.
Wicca is not dualistic, as in a good god fighting with a bad god. Wicca does not see god and Satan as opposite partners, or two parts of a whole.
Wiccans can honor more than one religion.
Wicca is not a way to get power over others, not only about magick, not an excuse to wear edgy clothes, nor is it a mask for sexual abuse.
Witches should never attack, but they can use their magick to defend themselves.
Do no harm. Everything else is fair game.
“Black magic” – magick is like electricity. It is neither good nor bad. It just is. If you intend to harm, you are doing negative magick. If you intend the greatest good for all, then you are working positive magick.

All things in life exist along a continuum. Our actions are neither totally good nor totally bad, but lie somewhere between these two polarities.
Are life forms killed in a healing, let us say, when germs are poisoned by antibiotics? Everything has a right to live. But a virus or bug is making someone sick, and a healing is therefore justified. The point is the greater good predominates.

Wiccans point out that for them, nature is neither good nor evil – it just is. Witches recognize that it is in our best interests to keep the earth healthy and vital. While many religions have a holy book, Wiccans' book is the earth itself and all of her creatures.

Part VII The Threefold Law

Many, but not all, Wiccans subscribe to the Threefold Law. This law teaches that whatever you put out into the world or universe will come back to you three times. And this may be good or bad.

This is based on the principle of "like attracts like." The goal, therefore, is to put out positive energy and not negative energy. It is not necessarily dealing with good or bad behavior, since that would begin to evolve into rule-setting and then performance of that which was good and avoidance of that which was bad.

When the Threefold Law and the Rede, "An it harm none, do what ye will," are taken together, you see that if you are working your true will, if you are synchronized with the universe and the divine, then the positive energy you generate ripples out and affects everything around you, and it is a beacon for other positive energy to be attracted to you. This is the place where Wiccans strive to be.12

Part VIII Summerland

Summerland beckons - it is not heaven and it is not hell. Some witches believe it is where spirits go after death to rest and reflect in the company of the god and goddess, and to decide how they are going to reincarnate. Each soul chooses who it will be and what lesson it will learn in its new lifetime. Once it is reincarnated, it does not remember what its lesson is, but must find out by living through all the experiences of its new life. If a soul does not wish or need to reincarnate right away, it may become a spirit guide. Ultimately, each spirit, after it has learned all it needs to learn and taught what it needs to teach, is reunited with the All. In each lifetime, the spirit advances toward this ultimate goal.
Though Wiccans believe that all animals have souls, these do not go to Summerland, since the souls of animals are so pure they have no lessons to learn in this life.

Part IX What is Energy and what is meant by Visualization?

For some Wiccans, energy and deity are the same thing. Or, some call such the “life force.” For others, deity is sentient, that is having consciousness and the capacity to experience things as humans do with their senses, but energy is not. Still others think that energy emanates from deity, or that it comes from the goddess.13

Others will say that energy is power, and that of three types: personal power, divine power, and earth power.
Visualization is the creating of a picture in the mind's eye of what it is the magickian wants to happen. Once visualization occurs, energy follows thought. If you can see something in your mind, then you can affect it or make it happen.

Part X Trance and Pathworking

A trance is a gently-altered state of mind, somewhere between being fully awake and asleep. Hypnotism is a trance state, for instance. Daydreaming is a form of light trance.

During a trance, the conscious mind does not quite depart, though it may seem so, but it is occupied elsewhere, and the subconscious has freer ability to come to the forefront.

Wiccans deny that there is any danger in being in a trance, but do assert that a person in the trance state is more vulnerable to "ambient"14 energies, because the conscious mind, which would normally trigger you to tune out unwanted energy, sounds, or other distractions, is on a little vacation when you are in trance.

Pathworking depends upon the trance state. Trance states can be reached by any number of ways. Attempts at centering, balancing, grounding, relaxing, focusing on a single object, letting the mind wander, emptying the mind of all – these are some of the mechanisms commonly used to enter into trance. Drugs can be used, and extreme experiences such as in a sweat lodge, reduction of oxygen coming into the brain, and other esoteric practices can be employed.

Once in the trance state, the pathworking can begin. Along the path, helpful guides may be encountered who can be asked for information. Likewise, your inner self (supposedly the personification of the subconscious) may be encountered. Or an animal or human spirit that is associated with a sacred site may be found. Also, Pathworking can be used to meet with, talk to, and get information from the dead.

The advice given to one doing pathwork is to be polite to any being encountered, be they human spirits, gods, fairies, elves, animal spirits, ghosts, folklore characters, or other entities.

Part XI Divination

Wiccans will rely on various forms of divination to work their craft. Astrology and numerology are two chief forms of determining the future and making decisions used in Wicca.

Divination is said to help with day-to-day decisions. Besides the aforementioned practices, the pendulum, runes, and tarot cards are commonly used.

Part XII Wicca viewed from a Christian's Perspective

Is Wicca real? After all, it has to do with fairies, elves, gnomes, ghosts, and far more. Is it a game of make believe? Do Wiccans really believe in what they are doing? Do they really think they are talking to dead ancestors and even communicating with gods and goddesses? Or is it something else or something more? Is its reality different than even Wiccans themselves understand?

The world view held by Wiccans is that energy, live energy, is supposedly everywhere and in everything and can be manipulated by spells and rituals. If Wiccans are right, is science wrong when it sees energy not as spiritual or personal, but as something that can be empirically measured and observed?

Is there something unknown or at least unrecognized behind Wicca? Could there be a demonic element? Yes, Wiccans go ballistic when accused of being in league with the devil; but, how do they know they are not?
One issue that is simply ignored is: how is it that Wiccans can be so sure of what they are believing and doing? Or, to put it another way - What is the basis of their authority? They have no sacred book, no actual central authoritative doctrine, no revelation, no vision even. What they rely on is myths, fairy tales, and ancient concepts from a wide variety of cultures. If all the deities, gods, and goddesses were to be added up, the final total would be quite large. Wiccan beliefs are indeed a patch-work quilt. To accept all that is declared to be Wiccan would suggest that perhaps the mind was far too open.

Is it make-believe? A child's game not let go of? A form of rebellion against the teachings of the Bible? A demonic deception? Likely, in my view, all of these at once.

To put things bluntly - why should anyone accept what the Wiccans proclaim as the true reality?

Spirit of Samuel Appearing to Saul at the House of the Witch of Endor, Salvatore Rosa

From a Christian's perspective, Wicca embraces what the Scripture condemns. In Torah, Deuteronomy 18:10-12 lists those "pagan" practices that were ubiquitous in the ancient world and which the people of Israel were to reject as false.
There shall not be found among you anyone who burns his son or his daughter as an offering, anyone who practices divination or tells fortunes or interprets omens, or a sorcerer or a charmer or a medium or a wizard or a necromancer, for whoever does these things is an abomination to the LORD.

No, Wiccans do not burn sons or daughters, or anyone else for that matter, as offerings to appease idols, but the rest of it - well, you would have to say they routinely do the rest of it.

A witch might say, "So what?" I prefer to worship and practice my religion any way I want to. And I would heartily agree. However, it might be prudent to examine what else is involved.

This is not to say that Wiccans do not really communicate with spirits, angels, gods, and goddesses. They do, in a way, but these entities/deities are not what they present themselves to be. The short and quick answer is that they are unclean or demonic spirits in disguise.

Wiccans pretend to value Christianity, but in reality they hate it and fear it. They know that if the Scripture, the Bible, is correct, then they are in very deep trouble. Not only are they worshiping false gods, but they are fully engaged with and possessed by demons whose leader is Satan himself.

There could not be more disparate world views than Wicca and Christianity or biblically faithful Judaism, for that matter.

Whatever is gained in Wicca for the Wiccans, and there is something there of course, the unsuspected loss is too much even to contemplate. This life is not child's play; it is life and death, and not merely of the physical kind.

Wiccans may become trapped by the very religion they practice. It promises freedom and power, but in time, it proves to give neither. Inside them will likely be voices that shout at them to ignore the crazy Christians. The reason for this is that Jesus Christ is the only One who has power and authority over the demons who masquerade themselves as gods, goddesses, spirit guides, and more. A cosmic spiritual battle is underway here, and ultimately the real and true God will prevail. It is only a matter of time.

For those Wiccans who read this essay, please see it as an attempt to speak a word of hope to you. Please apply critical analysis to the religion to which you have committed yourself. Perhaps locate a sympathetic and understanding Christian to engage with you in conversation.

If anyone wishes, please contact me by email: kentphilpott@comcast.net.

Kent Philpott
Mill Valley, California

See also another article on Wicca in this Journal:
www.earthenvesseljournal.com

1 These books are: Wicca for Beginners by Thea Sabin, Llewellyn Publications, Woodbury, MA, 2007 and Wicca and Witchcraft by Denise Zimmermann and Katherine A. Gleason with Miria Liguana, Alpha, a member of Penguin Group, New York, New York.

2 This particular concept - the altered state of consciousness - figures large in religions like Santeria and Wicca, along with a number of other religious or spiritual practices. Another word for the altered state of consciousness would be "trance." Trance is particularly important in Wicca.

3 In many ways Wicca is a mirror, but reverse image of Christianity. Or, it might be said that Wicca is the flip side of Christianity. The parallels are exact to the point it might be said that one is a counterfeit of the other.

4 Magic is what magicians do, on the stage, in film, on television; magick, magic with a k, is what Wiccans do.

5 Zimmermann and Gleason, Wicca and Witchcraft, page 6.

6 Unlike the Hindu version of Karma and reincarnation, Wicca employs a dumbed-down version of the two concepts, making them more acceptable to the western mindset.

7 There is the tendency of Wiccans to be less than forth coming about what they actually do and believe. Full disclosure is not common among witches, which is a mark of a cultic mentality.

8 A familiar spirit is one that masks itself as someone familiar to you--a deceased grandparent for instance. The animal familiar will appear as a dog, cat, or other animal that one is familiar with.

9 The distinction between ancient animism and Wicca's concept of the force or energy in all appears to be but a quibble.

10 Gaia, in Wicca, is a female deity that can be involved in magick and ritual. Gaia theory, the concept of an earth, indeed a universe, that regulates itself in unknown ways, is not a part of Wicca and is more accurately seen as a scientific theory.

11 Interestingly, Wiccans tend to think that Christians, who believe in a heaven, are not living in the "here and now" and take little interest in the environment. This is a "straw man" device.

12 This is a concept that seems like wisdom at first read, but upon further examination, actually might lead one to question whether anything even approaching it might be possible at all.

13 Wiccans will capitalize "Goddess" and "God" but I usually use the lower case.

14 Ambient here means energies, especially supernatural entities, that might happen to be nearby and might not be friendly, might even be nasty. Wiccans would not be prone to describing these as being evil.