Allison, 17, is a typical Indianapolis teenager in many ways -- she goes to school, works a summer job and hangs out with friends. But she lives in fear that her secret may be uncovered.

Allison, who asked that her name be changed to protect her privacy, is not concerned about her race, ethnicity, gender or sexual preference. However, she is Wiccan, and she has seen the hardships suffered by her friends and fellow followers.

Wicca is one of America's most misunderstood religions. To many, Wicca is a form of black magic linked to Satan worship or the Goth subculture.

In reality, Wicca is an ancient nature-based religion that has its roots in England. Merriam-Webster's online dictionary defines it as "a religion based on pre-Christian beliefs and practices of western Europe that affirms the existence of supernatural power (as magic) and of both male and female deities who inhere in nature."

Allison wishes more people would check the dictionary before making assumptions about her faith. "The definition is accurate, and I'm surprised people don't look it up more often, so they don't associate it with other things such as Satanism," she said.

Because of these misconceptions, and because her parents are Christians, Allison chooses to be in the "broom closet," she says, referring to the Wiccan expression for a secretive witch.

However, Olivia Markley, 11, from Fort Wayne, is upfront about her faith. She became a Wiccan when her mother did. "I first learned about it when my mom learned about it and then she told me about it," she said. "It sounded fun."

Five elements

The main doctrines of the religion are centered on five elements: earth, water, fire, air and spirit, which are symbolized in the five points of a star. Wicca celebrates positive spiritual energy, and includes the worship of one supernatural higher power that takes the form of both a god and a goddess. Wiccans also believe that a human has the ability to use this higher power, which is known as magick, to cast spells.

Wiccans traditionally revere one passage from their holy book, "The Wiccan Rede": "Harm none, do what ye will." Allison explains that this precept is similar to the golden rule, which advises people to do unto others as they would want others to do unto them.

This passage is bolstered by The Threefold Rule, which states that any harm or good created by a spell cast by a Wiccan will return to him or her three times greater later on in life. As Allison said, "So if you're going to try and do something bad to somebody else, think about it. Is it really worth three times the bad stuff happening to you?"

This use of spells only for good runs counter to most popular portrayals of witchcraft. Allison says she has cast several spells, all for good. "Real magic is more a kind of manifestation of will and the energy toward the goal, like getting a job or giving somebody love."

To cast a spell, such as a healing spell, a witch uses some sort of invocation or positive visualization, such as visualizing angels, spirits or dragons, or even comical characters. "I usually call on angels," Allison said. "You can usually envision a white light of feeling surrounding them. The better visualization you can get, the better the results usually. So you can see like little repairmen working on (the sick person) or something like that. The funnier the better, if it can stick in your mind."

Another misconception is that Wicca is associated with Satan. "Witches do not believe in absolute evil," or what some people call Satan, Allison said. "To give something a name is to give it power, and why would you want to give evil a name and a power?"

Similarly, the pentacle (a five-point star in a circle) is a symbol that Wiccans use for protection. It has nothing to do with the devil, Allison said. However, Satanists sometimes use a pentacle with the star's tip pointed downward.

No sacrifices

Another affront to Wiccans is the belief that witches offer sacrifices. Nothing could be further from the truth, Olivia said. "Christians, I don't know why they blame us for sacrificing things. Like in the Bible, they always sacrificed animals."

"We don't do anything bad," added Allison. "I mean drinking blood, that's harming an animal. Even if we're supposed to use a feather for a spell or something like that, we make sure it's been lying on the ground. We rarely even take live wood from trees, and we always leave something in return for that," Allison said.

Even the term "witch" is often misinterpreted, the girls said. "Witch" is old English for "wizard," which comes from "wise," "which doesn't mean it has to be a girl," Allison explained. "It's genderless. Guys can be witches. Girls can be witches. I mean, a cow could be a witch, for crying out loud, if it were actually that wise."

Nevertheless, the media perpetuates misinformation about Wicca, the girls say. Pentacles are often shown splattered with blood, and Disney villains are often portrayed as witches with deadly potions. The "Harry Potter" books and movies show spells being used for evil as well as good.

Even TV shows like "Charmed," which both girls like and say is a fair depiction of Wiccan life, exaggerates the power of evil. "Some of the special-effect spells show like demons popping out of houses and stuff like that. That kind of stuff doesn't happen. It'd make things interesting if they did, but they don't," Allison said.

But while the "Charmed" misconceptions are entertaining, real-life discrimination is not. "Most people at my school are Christian, and they're upset that I am pagan," Olivia said. "Most of the people don't talk to me anymore because I'm like that."

Allison says she had a Wiccan friend chased out of a Christian church. "He got invited and somebody in the middle called him out, saying he was a witch and believed in reincarnation. He had to run for his life from that church as they tried to beat him," she said.

Both girls just want their faith to be accepted. "There are always going to be people in some religions who discriminate against the rest," Allison said. "As my favorite author, Silver Ravenwolf, put it: God is like a huge diamond, and each facet is a different religion. It's the same overall being, the same creator, it's just in different forms."

Olivia added, "The other thing that I like about our religion is we're very open, and we don't care if you're a different religion than we are."

REPORTERS: Jordan Denari, 13; Kelsey Impicciche, 13.

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