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Neopagan Witchcraft 185
Witches Kevin and Sandie Carlyon of the Covenant of Earth Magic prepare for Hallowe’en, 1997 (Kevin
Carlyon/Fortean Picture Library)
ancient tradition. Although his basic philosophy
was quite different, LaVey did, however, draw on
some of the same sources as Gardner—particularly
ceremonial magic and Crowley—resulting in
certain parallels between Wicca and Satanism
(e.g., both are involved in roughly comparable
magical practices). There are also other, sociological
parallels. Both are, for example, decentralized,
anarchistic movements. Both have adopted the
trappings of traditional figures regarded as “scandalous”
by mainstream society—witches in the
case of Wiccans and devil-worshipers in the case
of Satanists. (In Christian mythology, of course,
witches are devil-worshipers.) It is, in fact, this
scandalous quality that often attracts people to
these movements. And finally, while both Satanists
and Wiccans seem to enjoy shocking people by
embracing images traditionally considered evil,
both also go to great lengths to distance themselves
from the more heinous practices traditionally
associated with witches and Satanists (e.g.,
murder and the like).
Much of the antagonism between Wiccans and
Satanists arises from this last trait. Specifically,
when defending their religion to outsiders,
Wiccans often make remarks along the lines of,
“We’re not Satanists; we don’t sacrifice babies” or
“We’re not Satanists; we don’t worship evil.” The
problem with such statements is that they imply
that Satanists do sacrifice babies and worship evil.
Wiccans will even make the assertion that
“Satanists worship the Christian Devil,” which is
no more true than the assertion that “witches
worship the Christian Devil.”
In an essay that has been posted on a number
of different Satanic websites, “Satanism and the
History of Wicca,” Diane Vera shows that Wicca
has drawn heavily from the literary Satanism
created by the witch-hunts. For example, Wiccan
terms like “witch,” “coven,” and “sabbat” do not