Wicca is a modern pagan, witchcraft religion that was developed in the mid-20th century. It is based on ancient pagan beliefs and practices, particularly those of the pre-Christian Celtic tribes of Western Europe. Wicca is a nature-based religion that reveres the Earth and its cycles. Practitioners of Wicca believe in the existence of a divine power, often referred to as the Goddess and the God, who are seen as the embodiment of feminine and masculine energies in the universe. These deities are often associated with specific aspects of nature, such as the moon and the sun. Wiccans celebrate and honor the changing seasons and cycles of the Earth through various rituals and ceremonies.

Stockard Channing: Aunt Frances

Sally Owens : All I want is a normal life. Aunt Frances Owens : My darling girl, when are you going to realize that being normal is not necessarily a virtue? It rather denotes a lack of courage! Sally Owens : Well, it's what I want.

[making margaritas] Aunt Frances Owens : Eye of newt and toe of frog, wool of bat and tongue of dog. Aunt Jet Owens : Adder's fork and blindworm's sting. Aunt Frances Owens : Barbados lime is just the thing. Aunt Jet Owens : Cragged salt like a sailor's stubble! Aunt Frances Owens : Flip the switch and let the cauldron bubble!

Young Gillian Owens : [about the Owen's ancestor, Maria] Is that why they wanted to hang her? Because she was a witch? Aunt Frances Owens : The fact that she was a bit of a heartbreaker didn't help. Nor did it help that most of her lovers had wives on the hanging committee.

[all drunk] Gillian Owens : You southern shrew! Aunt Jet Owens : Ingrate! Aunt Frances Owens : Goodie two shoes! Sally Owens : WITCH!

Sally Owens : [after Michael's death; brings the spell book out] You brought him into my life and now I want you to bring him back. Bring him back! I have never asked you for anything. I've never asked you for spells but do this. I know you can bring him back. Aunt Jet Owens : No, dear. We won't do that. Aunt Frances Owens : We don't do that. Sally Owens : But you can. You can do this. I know you can. I remember. I found it here when mommy and daddy died. Aunt Frances Owens : Even if we did bring him back, it wouldn't be Michael. It would be something else. Something dark and unnatural. Sally Owens : [Starts crying] I don't care what he comes back as. As long he comes back. Please do this for me. Please? Please? Please? Please?

Aunt Frances Owens : [to young Sally and Gillian] That's how you came to live with us. We tucked you into our lives then. We've raised you the best way we know how. Aunt Jet Owens : In this house we have chocolate cake for breakfast. We never bother with silly things like bedtimes or brushing our teeth. Aunt Frances Owens : But with the sweets comes the sour. Aunt Jet Owens : So when you find yourself the center of attention. It's not that they hate you. It's that, well. We're different.

Aunt Frances Owens : [about Jimmy] We have to banish him. Aunt Jet Owens : We have to force his spirit back into the grave. Aunt Frances Owens : We need a full coven. Aunt Jet Owens : Nine women. Twelve's better. Aunt Frances Owens : [to Sally] Do you have any friends? Sally Owens : [Cut to the Kitchen, Sally on the phone] Linda! Hi, it's Sally. I'm activating the phone tree. Look, uh, you know the - the stuff that everyone's always whispering about me. the hexes, the spells, the. Well, here's the thing. Uh. I'm witch!

Frances Owens : She heard the beetle ticking for your father's death all day long. She knew that when you hear the sound of the deathwatch beetle the man you love is doomed to die.

[first lines] Aunt Frances Owens : For more than 200 years we Owens women have been blamed by everything that's ever gone wrong in this town.

Aunt Frances Owens : Oh come on, Jetty, even you have to admit that any man who gets involved with an Owens woman is bound to end up 6 feet under. Aunt Jet Owens : Spare me. Aunt Frances Owens : What about my poor Ethan? Aunt Jet Owens : It was an accident. Aunt Frances Owens : It was fate. Aunt Jet Owens : [More forcefully] It was an accident. Aunt Frances Owens : [Also more forceful] No, no, no, it was fate. Aunt Jet Owens : [yelling] Accident! Aunt Frances Owens : [also yelling] It was fate!

Sally Owens : [about Gillian] This is insane. She keeps going through all these guys. Aunt Frances Owens : Hopefully, someday she'll find a guy who'll go through her.

Aunt Frances Owens : [about the hanging of Maria; the Owen's ancestor] They feared her because she had a gift, a power that has been passed on to you children. She had the gift of magic. And it was this very gift that saved her life. She was banished to this very island. With her unborn child growing inside her belly. She waited for her lover to rescue her. But he never came. No one came. In a moment of despair, she cast a spell upon herself that she would never again feel the agony of love. But as her bitterness grew the spell turned into a curse. A curse on any man who dared love an Owens woman.

Aunt Jet Owens : Oh, dear. It seems we've not arrived in the nick of time. Aunt Frances Owens : Well. I see our instincts are getting a little rusty.

Practical Magic Quotes

“There are some things, after all, that Sally Owens knows for certain: Always throw spilled salt over your left shoulder. Keep rosemary by your garden gate. Add pepper to your mashed potatoes. Plant roses and lavender, for luck. Fall in love whenever you can.”
― Alice Hoffman, Practical Magic

“My darling girl, when are you going to realize that being normal is not necessarily a virtue? It rather denotes a lack of courage." - Aunt Frances”
― Alice Hoffman, Practical Magic

“It doesn't matter what people tell you. It doesn't matter what they might say. Sometimes you have to leave home. Sometimes, running away means you're headed in the exact right direction.”
― Alice Hoffman, Practical Magic

“The moon is always jealous of the heat of the day, just as the sun always longs for something dark and deep.”
― Alice Hoffman , Practical Magic

“Trouble is just like love, after all; it comes in unannounced and takes over before you've had a chance to reconsider, or even to think.”
― Alice Hoffman, Practical Magic

“Do you ever just put your arms out and just spin and spin and spin? Well, that's what love is like; everything inside of you tells you to stop before you fall, but for some reason you just keep going.”
― Alice Hoffman, Practical Magic

“Pride is a funny thing; it can make what is truly worthless appear to be a treasure.”
― Alice Hoffman, Practical Magic

“Unrequited love is so boring. Weeping under a blue-black sky is for suckers or maniacs.”
― Alice Hoffman, Practical Magic

“Some things, when they change, never do return to the way they once were. Butterflies for instance, and women who've been in love with the wrong man too often.”
― Alice Hoffman, Practical Magic

“Every problem has a solution, although it may not be the outcome that was originally hoped for or expected.”
― Alice Hoffman, Practical Magic

“No one knows you like a person with whom you've shared a childhood. No one will ever understand you in quite the same way.”
― Alice Hoffman, Practical Magic

“The moon is always jealous of the heat of the day, just as the sun always longs for something dark and deep.

They could see how love might control you, from your head to your toes, not to mention every single part of you in between.

A woman could want a man so much she might vomit in the kitchen sink or cry so fiercly blood would form in the corners of her eyes.

She put her hand to her throat as though someone were strangling her, but really she was choking on all that love she thought she’d needed so badly.

What had she thought, that love was a toy, something easy and sweet, just to play with? Real love was dangerous, it got you from inside and held on tight, and if you didn’t let go fast enough you might be willing to do anything for it’s sake.

She refused to believe in superstition, she wouldn’t; yet it was claiming her.

Some fates are guaranteed, no matter who tries to intervene.

After all I’ve done for you is lodged somewhere in her brain, and far worse, it’s in her heart as well.

She was bad luck, ill-fated and unfortunate as the plague.

She is not worth his devotion. She wishes he would evaporate into thin air. Maybe then she wouldn’t have this feeling deep inside, a feeling she can deny all she wants, but that won’t stop it from being desire.

Love is worth the sum of itself and nothing more.

But that’s what happens when you’re a liar, especially when you’re telling the worst of these lies to yourself.

He has stumbled into love, and now he’s stuck there. He’s fairly used to not getting what he wants, and he’s dealt with it, yet he can’t help but wonder if that’s only because he didn’t want anything so badly.

It’s music, it’s a sound that is absurdly beautiful in his mouth, but she won’t pay attention. She knows from the time she spent on the back stairs of the aunts’ house that most things men say are lies. Don’t listen, she tells herself. None if it’s true and none of it matters, because he’s whispering that he’s been looking for her forever. She can’t believe it. She can’t listen to anything he tells her and she certainly can’t think, because if she did she might just think she’d better stop.

What good would it do her to get involved with someone like him? She’d have to feel so much, and she’s not that kind.

The greatest portion of grief is the one you dish out for yourself.

She preferred cats to human beings and turned down every offer from the men who fell in love with her.

They told her how sticks and stones could break bones, but taunting and name-calling were only for fools.

— & now here she is, all used up.

Although she’d never believe it, those lines in *’s face are the most beautiful part about her. They reveal what she’s gone through and what she’s survived and who exactly she is, deep inside.

She’s gotten back some of what she’s lost. Attraction, she now understands, is a state of mind.

If there’s one thing * is now certain of, it’s house you can amaze yourself by the things you’re willing to do.

You really don’t know? That heart-attack thing you’ve been having? It’s love, that’s what it feels like.

She knows now that when you don’t lose yourself in the bargain, you find you have double the love you started with, and that’s one recipe that can’t be tampered with.

Always throw spilled salt over your left shoulder. Keep rosemary by your garden gate. Add pepper to your mashed potatoes. Plant roses and lavender, for luck. Fall in love whenever you can.”
― Alice Hoffman, Practical Magic

“Avoid men who call you Baby, and women who have no friends, and dogs that scratch at their bellies and refuse to lie down at your feet. Wear dark glasses; bathe with lavender oil and cool fresh water. Seek shelter from the sun at noon.”
― Alice Hoffman, Practical Magic

“Young Sally Owens: He will hear my call a mile away. He will whistle my favorite song. He can ride a pony backwards.

Young Gillian Owens: What are you doing?

Young Sally Owens: Summoning up a true love spell called Amas Veritas. He can flip pancakes in the air. He'll be marvelously kind. And his favorite shape will be a star. And he'll have one green eye and one blue.

Young Gillian Owens: Thought you never wanted to fall in love.

Young Sally Owens: That's the point. The guy I dreamed of doesn't exist. And if he doesn't exist I'll never die of a broken heart.”
― Alice Hoffman, Practical Magic

“Holding a tear back makes them drain upward, higher and higher, until one day your head just explodes and you're left with a stub of a neck and nothing more.”
― Alice Hoffman, Practical Magic

“Always keep mint on your windowsill in August, to ensure that buzzing flies will stay outside, where they belong. Don't think the summer is over, even when roses droop and turn brown and the stars shift position in the sky. Never presume August is a safe or reliable time of the year.”
― Alice Hoffman, Practical Magic

Practical Magic Quotes

There are some things, after all, that Sally Owens knows for certain: Always throw spilled salt over your left shoulder. Keep rosemary by your garden gate. Add pepper to your mashed potatoes. Plant roses and lavender, for luck. Fall in love whenever you can .

My darling girl, when are you going to realize that being normal is not necessarily a virtue? It rather denotes a lack of courage." - Aunt Frances .

It doesn't matter what people tell you. It doesn't matter what they might say. Sometimes you have to leave home. Sometimes, running away means you're headed in the exact right direction .

The moon is always jealous of the heat of the day, just as the sun always longs for something dark and deep .

Trouble is just like love, after all; it comes in unannounced and takes over before you've had a chance to reconsider, or even to think .

Do you ever just put your arms out and just spin and spin and spin? Well, that's what love is like; everything inside of you tells you to stop before you fall, but for some reason you just keep going .

Some things, when they change, never do return to the way they once were. Butterflies for instance, and women who've been in love with the wrong man too often .

Every problem has a solution, although it may not be the outcome that was originally hoped for or expected .

No one knows you like a person with whom you've shared a childhood. No one will ever understand you in quite the same way .

Avoid men who call you Baby, and women who have no friends, and dogs that scratch at their bellies and refuse to lie down at your feet. Wear dark glasses; bathe with lavender oil and cool fresh water. Seek shelter from the sun at noon .

Young Sally Owens: He will hear my call a mile away. He will whistle my favorite song. He can ride a pony backwards. Young Gillian Owens: What are you doing? Young Sally Owens: Summoning up a true love spell called Amas Veritas. He can flip pancakes in the air. He'll be marvelously kind. And his favorite shape will be a star. And he'll have one green eye and one blue. Young Gillian Owens: Thought you never wanted to fall in love. Young Sally Owens: That's the point. The guy I dreamed of doesn't exist. And if he doesn't exist I'll never die of a broken heart .

Holding a tear back makes them drain upward, higher and higher, until one day your head just explodes and you're left with a stub of a neck and nothing more .

Always keep mint on your windowsill in August, to ensure that buzzing flies will stay outside, where they belong. Don't think the summer is over, even when roses droop and turn brown and the stars shift position in the sky. Never presume August is a safe or reliable time of the year .

You can never tell about a person by guessing. that's why language was invented. Otherwise, we'd all be like dogs, sniffing each other to find out where we stood .

It had made her too helpless, because that's what love did. There was no way around it and no way to fight it. Now if she lost, she lost everything .

He knew exactly how to hit a woman, so that the marks hardly showed. He knew how to kiss her, too, so that her heart began to race and she'd start to think forgiveness with every breath. It's amazing the places that love will carry you. It's astounding to discover just how far you're willing to go .

I never even believed in happiness. I didn't think it existed. Now look at me. I'm ready to believe in just about anything .

All this kissing was making her crazy; it was reminding her of what she could feel, and how it could be when you wanted someone as much as he wanted you .

You watch teenage girls and feel shivers up and down your arms -- those poor creatures don't know the first thing about time or agony or the price they're going to have to pay for just about everything .

Helplessness and anger make for predictable behavior: Children are certain to shove each other and pull hair, teenagers will call each other names and cry, and grown women who are sisters will say words so cruel that each syllable will take on the form of a snake, although such a snake often circles in on itself to eat its own tail once the words are said aloud .

As they were falling asleep, Gillian could have sworn she heard Ben say Fate--as if they were meant to be together from the start and every single thing they'd ever done in their lives had been leading to this moment. If you thought that way, you could fall asleep without regret. You could put your whole life in place, with all the sadness and the sorrow, and still feel that at last you had everything you ever wanted. In spite of the lousy odds and all the wrong turns, you might actually discover that you were the one who'd won .

Never look back, that's what she's told herself. Don't think about swans or being alone in the dark. Don't think of storms, or lightning and thunder, or the true love you won't ever have. Life is brushing your teeth and making breakfast for your children and not thinking about things, and as it turns out, Sally is first-rate at all of this. She gets things done and done on time .

Although she'd never believe it, those lines in Gillian's face are the most beautiful part about her. They reveal what she's gone through and what she's survived and who exactly she is, deep inside .

Fourth time's the charm," she says to people who ask her what the secret of a happy marriage is, but that's not the way she feels about it. She knows now that when you don't lose yourself in the bargain, you find you have double the love you started with, and that's one recipe that can't be tampered with .

The lonelier you are, the more you pull away, until humans seem an alien race, with customs and a language you can't begin to understand .

He has the ability to catch someone by the way that he looks at her, and make her wish he would go on looking .

She knows where she's going, and what she has to do. She could, after all, find her way to Route 95 South blindfolded. She could do it in the dark, in fair weather or foul; she can do it even when it seems she will run out of gas. It doesn't matter what people tell you. It doesn't matter what they might say. Sometimes you have to leave home. Sometimes, running away means you're headed in the exact right direction .

How wonderful to say whatever you wanted without having to go over it in your mind, again and again, to make certain it wouldn't set him off .

. and from then on whenever he smells lilacs he'll think about this moment. How the bees were circling above him, how purple the ink on the leaflets he's been distributing suddenly seemed, how he realized, all at once, just how beautiful a woman can be .

Alice Hoffman > Quotes

“There are some things, after all, that Sally Owens knows for certain: Always throw spilled salt over your left shoulder. Keep rosemary by your garden gate. Add pepper to your mashed potatoes. Plant roses and lavender, for luck. Fall in love whenever you can.”
― Alice Hoffman, Practical Magic

“My darling girl, when are you going to realize that being normal is not necessarily a virtue? It rather denotes a lack of courage." - Aunt Frances”
― Alice Hoffman, Practical Magic

“It doesn't matter what people tell you. It doesn't matter what they might say. Sometimes you have to leave home. Sometimes, running away means you're headed in the exact right direction.”
― Alice Hoffman, Practical Magic

“The moon is always jealous of the heat of the day, just as the sun always longs for something dark and deep.”
― Alice Hoffman , Practical Magic

“When I walk, I walk with you. Where I go, you're with me always.”
― Alice Hoffman, The Story Sisters

“People hide their truest nature. I understood that; I even applauded it. What sort of world would it be if people bled all over the sidewalks, if they wept under trees, smacked whomever they despised, kissed strangers, revealed themselves?”
― Alice Hoffman, The Ice Queen

“Every fairy tale had a bloody lining. Every one had teeth and claws.”
― Alice Hoffman, The Ice Queen

“You build your world around someone, and then what happens when he disappears? Where do you go- into pieces, into atoms, into the arms of another man? You go shopping, you cook dinner, you work odd hours, you make love to someone else on June nights. But you're not really there, you're someplace else where there is blue sky and a road you don't recognize. If you squint your eyes, you think you see him, in the shadows, beyond the trees. You always imagine that you see him, but he's never there. It's only his spirit, that's what's there beneath the bed when you kiss your husband, there when you send your daughter off to school. It's in your coffee cup, your bathwater, your tears. Unfinished business always comes back to haunt you, and a man who swears he'll love you forever isn't finished with you until he's done.”
― Alice Hoffman, Here on Earth

“If every life is a river, then it's little wonder that we do not even notice the changes that occur until we are far out in the darkest sea. One day you look around and nothing is familiar, not even your own face.
My name once meant daughter, grandaughter, friend, sister, beloved. Now those words mean only what their letters spell out; Star in the night sky. Truth in the darkness.
I have crossed over to a place where I never thought I'd be. I am someone I would have never imagined. A secret. A dream. I am this, body and soul. Burn me. Drown me. Tell me lies. I will still be who I am.”
― Alice Hoffman, Incantation

“Trouble is just like love, after all; it comes in unannounced and takes over before you've had a chance to reconsider, or even to think.”
― Alice Hoffman, Practical Magic

“. he had a way of taking your hand which made it clear he'd have to be the one to let go.”
― Alice Hoffman, Local Girls

“When all is said and done, the weather and love are the two elements about which one can never be sure.”
― Alice Hoffman, Here on Earth

“Do you ever just put your arms out and just spin and spin and spin? Well, that's what love is like; everything inside of you tells you to stop before you fall, but for some reason you just keep going.”
― Alice Hoffman, Practical Magic

Wiccans celebrate and honor the changing seasons and cycles of the Earth through various rituals and ceremonies. They believe in the concept of magic and the use of spells and rituals to bring about desired outcomes or to connect with the divine. Wiccans also place a strong emphasis on personal responsibility, ethics, and harmony with nature.

One of the key tenets of Wicca is the belief in the Wiccan Rede, which states "An it harm none, do what ye will." This means that Wiccans are encouraged to live their lives in accordance with their own will and desires, as long as it does not cause harm to others. Wicca is a decentralized religion, as there is no central authority or figurehead. Instead, Wiccans often practice in small groups called covens or as solitary practitioners. These groups may have their own traditions and rituals, but they generally adhere to the core beliefs and principles of Wicca. In recent decades, Wicca has gained a significant following and has become more widely recognized and accepted as a legitimate religion. However, there are still many misconceptions and stereotypes associated with Wicca, often fueled by misinformation and sensationalism. Overall, Wicca is a deeply spiritual and nature-centered religion that encourages its practitioners to connect with the divine, honor the Earth, and live in harmony with themselves and the world around them..

Reviews for "The Place of Wiccvn Religion in the Contemporary Pagan Movement"

1. Mark - 1 star - Wiccan religion is nothing but a bunch of hocus pocus. I found their beliefs to be completely ridiculous and lacking any evidence or logic. The idea of witches casting spells and worshiping nature just doesn't sit right with me. I prefer religions that are based on facts and evidence, rather than superstitions and whimsical practices.

2. Sarah - 2 stars - I tried to understand and appreciate the Wiccan religion, but I couldn't get past the fact that it seems like a made-up fantasy. The rituals and ceremonies seemed more like role-playing rather than genuine religious experiences. It all felt very artificial and contrived. I believe in spirituality, but Wiccans just didn't resonate with me at all.

3. John - 1 star - Wiccan religion definition is pure hogwash. I couldn't wrap my head around the idea of worshiping pagan gods and goddesses. It all felt like a throwback to ancient times with no relevance to the modern world. The lack of a solid theology or philosophical framework also made it difficult for me to take Wiccan beliefs seriously. It's just not a religion that I could ever see myself practicing or respecting.

4. Laura - 2 stars - I respect people's right to practice whatever religion they choose, but I found the Wiccan religion definition to be confusing and convoluted. The emphasis on witchcraft and spellcasting overshadowed any potential spirituality for me. It all felt too mystical and esoteric without any clear moral teachings or principles. I prefer religions that provide guidance and a clear moral compass, which is something I did not find in Wicca.

5. Michael - 1 star - Wiccan religion definition is nothing more than a bunch of New Age nonsense. The beliefs and practices seemed more like a fad rather than a genuine religious tradition. The lack of historical evidence and solid theological foundations made it hard for me to take Wicca seriously. It felt like a trendy spirituality for those seeking something unique and alternative, rather than a legitimate path for spiritual growth.

Wiccvn Religion and Healing: Exploring Alternative Medicine Practices