On Monday, June 21, summer "officially" began. What makes this beginning official is not that it says so on the calendar, but the conclusion reached by those paying attention that it is on June 21 that the sun's time in the sky begins to get shorter. The sun gets less time onstage, so to speak.

While to many this is merely depressing because it means we're heading back towards winter, to some it is cause for celebration. Among these optimists are witches, some of which celebrated the summer solstice Monday by gathering around a bonfire, feasting, playing music, and making offerings. Of course, most people around here have an extremely bizarre idea of what a witch is.

Without getting into the history of witchcraft as a religion, I can assure you that witches are not those silly stereotypes of old ugly women with brooms, cauldrons, and old, run-down houses. In fact, witches are men and women, young and old, and are not even evil. Actually, the whole point of the Wicca (Old English term for "witch") religion is to be nice.

According to Harper's Encyclopedia of Mystical and Paranormal Experience, "Witches have great reverence for nature and all life forms," and have much in common with Pagans. They enjoy, appreciate, and respect the energy of life, and some of Monday's celebrators beat drums to symbolize the Earth's heartbeat. And yes, they practice magic.

Witches are often slammed for being "weird" or "freaks". Sure, in an urban, materialistic world, they may stand out. Their interest lies in the natural world around them, and not in capitalist gain or conversion of others to their religion. I have seen many self-proclaimed devout followers of other religions who are very concerned with making money, owning lots of expensive stuff, looking good, and convincing other people that they should follow their religion, and, consequently, I have not been very impressed.

Witches worship a goddess and a god. To me, this is better the having one deity with one gender, because the world is made of balance between equal forces. The summer solstice represents the end of the god's prominence and the beginning of the goddess's time of strength, which brings the harvest. Seeing the feminine and the masculine as equally important is something that I find appealing.

Throughout history witches have been considered by a confused public as Satanic, and "As Christianity spread, witchcraft increasingly was associated with Devil-worship". Indeed, "Over about 250 years, an estimated 150,000 to 200,000 people were executed for witchcraft. Some were burned alive at the stake; others were strangled first and then burned; others were hung."

But given that witches have very little to do with Christianity, they also have very little to with the Devil. In fact, the supreme law of Wicca is "If it harm none, do what ye will." Most witches "abjure casting spells to harm others. Magic is to be used to help and heal; harmful magic rebounds on its perpetrator." What seems nicer to you: organized brutal religicide or helping and healing?

I spoke to a very open-minded Christian about Wicca. Lacking in positive support from other Christians, she was going through a weak point in her faith and replied "Hmm, maybe I should just be a witch." Her faith has made a full recovery, but this just shows that Wicca is a religion which is vastly misunderstood and unjustly disrespected.

Of course, Wicca is also a popular novelty for teenage girls, but being the only religion which truly values women as equal to men and respects the power of the feminine, that is hardly a surprise in a patriarchal society.

Don't get me wrong, I am suspicious of all organized religion and find the very concept to be ill-suited to my soul and mind. But, in the face of a majority of religions which disdain the Earth, the body, nature, and women, I'm still glad to see witches out celebrating.