Harm None: A Rowan Gant Investigation Read Free Page B

literally feel his introspection building to a point of
release and knew that the worry clouding the back of my mind would
soon be summoned forward.
    “You’n Felicity are still into that Wicca
thing, right?” Ben queried after an extended silence.
    “If you mean have we converted to Catholicism
or something, no we haven’t,” I answered. “We aren’t connected with
a coven right now, but we still practice. Once you’re a Witch, you
usually stay a Witch.” I lit my cigar and then took a sip of my
Scotch. “Why do you ask?”
    “Just curious,” he replied hesitantly.
    I knew there was more to the question than
mere curiosity, but I also knew better than to press this
particular subject with Ben, for that would only serve to make him
feel ill at ease. He had always been willing to accept that
Felicity and I practiced what was considered by most to be a
non-traditional religion but usually showed a clear desire to leave
it in the background. Out of sight, out of mind. As with most
things that didn’t fit with the majority view, the masses,
including Ben, were entirely off base in their misconceptions
regarding Wicca, WitchCraft and almost any other alternative
religion for that matter.
    I had once attempted to explain to him that
Wicca and WitchCraft, or simply “The Craft” as we often call it,
involved no pointed hats, bubbling cauldrons, or flying brooms. To
the knowledge of any practitioner of the religion, it never did
truly include such things. I told him that Wicca was simply an
Earth religion, and as for deities, ours were the Earth and the
Moon: Diana and Pan, respectively. There was no evil intent, and in
fact, our most basic and all-important covenant was to “Harm None.”
We viewed our religion as a way of life through which we did our
best to live in harmony with nature, and through study and
meditation, we attempted to learn control over the natural energies
that inherently reside within all of us. I further explained that
in doing this, we sometimes developed abilities that some would
consider psychic in nature, such as an uncanny sixth sense or the
ability to heal others and ourselves: We think of these as learned
talents, nothing more, and nothing less. I even added that I knew
of no incident where anyone had been turned into a frog, except in
fairy tales. The simple fact was that even if that were possible,
no self-respecting Witch would consider it.
    Even after I had answered his several pointed
questions, he still clung to his misconceptions, and so, out of
respect for him, I made sure to steer clear of the subject
entirely.
    Now, for the second time in less than a week,
Ben was asking me about a part of my life he normally avoided. I
wasn’t about to push, so I was more than willing to bide my time
and wait for him to get around to what he wanted. I could feel his
preoccupation thick in the darkness around us, so I was certain my
wait would be a short one.
    “So… You remember when I called you ‘bout
that five-pointed star a couple days back?” he finally asked.
    “You mean the difference between a Pentacle,
and a Pentagram?” I returned. “Yeah, I remember.”
    “That’s it,” he affirmed. “Would ya’ mind
tellin’ me the difference on that again?”
    “No problem. A Pentacle is basically just
what you said, a five-pointed star surrounded by a circle. It’s a
very common symbol in the Wiccan religion. When it’s upright,” I
scribed the symbol in the air with my finger, “with only one point
at the top, it represents man and the spirit as it rules over the
four elements. That’s when it’s called a Pentacle. If on the other
hand you turn it one hundred-eighty degrees, and two of the points
are at the top,” I spun my finger in a circle, “it’s called a
Pentagram and represents the spirit’s union with material
elements.” I relaxed back into my chair. “Some however, place an
improper, albeit widely accepted, meaning on the Pentagram. They
claim it represents