Witches

Our patrons sometimes labor under erroneous impressions, which, taken in their totality, constitute a--let's face it--full-blown stereotype. All of us librarians are timidly conservative, unhappily single, primarily interested in quiet and order, and unrelentingly dowdy, right? If your hackles just started to rise, count your blessings: at least we aren't usually thought of as orgy-participating, evil-spell-casting, Satan-loving, human-blood-drinking hags. Such is the lot of the modern-day witch (now nature-loving, holistic-medicine-believing, goddess-worshipping, soul-healing spiritualists), and this Lifetime Intimate Portrait skillfully introduces us to her origins, history, traditions, and customs. The program reports that despite the hardships of what has been called the "Women's Holocaust," there exist 200,000 followers of Wicca today, who are feared and mistrusted not because they are wicked and depraved (they are not), but because their religion is nature-based and does not revolve around a male god. Narrated by Angelica Huston, and featuring the stories of several historical figures and present-day practitioners, this tape is highly recommended for its fine production values and solid information. You go, Glinda! Aud: J, H, C, P. (K. Glaser)