Someone page Martin Luther: Witches are returning to the forests of Germany.
"Witches have returned to the German forests, dancing naked in groups under the full moon and calling to their gods.
"The covens vary in size and in how seriously they take their calling, but the numbers are rising, particularly amongst the young.
"Their religious ideas are described as ‘pagan’ rather than Satanist, and many of the older practitioners have a history in the environmental movement, where they learnt a passionate love of nature.
"In some cases this has led on to a belief in the natural powers of the forests. The women are convinced they can work magic."
For a good Catholic evaluation of modern witchcraft, see Sandra Miesel’s article "The Witches Next Door."
The news piece on the return of witches to the forests of Germany notes a distinction between teens dabbling in witchcraft because of exposure to the rise of occult literature in the various forms of media and older witches with a background in secular feminism. My guess is that the two groups are attracted to power: The teens want power over their personal lives (the article notes that they want to conquer shyness and master their homework through potions and incantations) while the older women want WomynPower.
"All practices of magic or sorcery, by which one attempts to tame occult powers, so as to place them at one’s service and have a supernatural power over others — even if this were for the sake of restoring their health — are gravely contrary to the virtue of religion" (CCC 2117).
Or, as Lord Acton put it: "Power tends to corrupt; absolute power corrupts absolutely."
