Customer Reviews

Ancient Mysteries: Witchcraft in America [VHS]

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Although the satanist in the video clearly says that he is not a wiccan/witch, just the presence of a satanist in the video gives the impression that witchcraft involves devils and/or demons (it does not). Excluding the satanist part, the video was just O.K. It didn't really give much useful information and anyone looking to buy this video to learn about modern witchcraft or wicca, in my opinion, will be disappointed.

Thank the Goddess the producers of this video found Gerry O'Sullivan, Professor of Religious Studies at University of Pennsylvania. This dear man gave much non-biased information on Witchcraft and Wicca, accurately calling The Burning Times and Witchhunts a Women's Holocaust because those tortured and murdered in the name of Christianity were innocent mothers, daughters, herbalists, midwives, landowners and basically, independent & assertive women, not all of whom were even pagan. The video traces the historical persecutions of so-called witches and the reasons why they were labeled witches and therefore something evil. Although a small amount of information on the video is incorrect or slightly skewed, it is still something I wish every school would show to teach young children and adults alike that Witchcraft/Wicca is, in fact, a true religion and has nothing but peace, love and good will to it. I was VERY uncomfortable with the producers' grouping of Wicca with Satanism (which IS NOT even remotely related to Witchcraft - and a Satanist priest even says so very clearly on the video!) and Voodoo. I think their point was to say that these religions survived by various means of adaptation. I was also embarassed to hear Archdruid Isaac Bonewits call Satanists "jerks and psychopaths." Let us not digress, Isaac. Clips of a Wiccan ritual are also shown - intelligent, normal people; children present; very peaceful. The theme "Dispelling Witches" does not apply. I had conflicting reactions after watching this. It doesn't dispell as well as it could have, and doesn't seem like they put very much time and energy into researching it adaquately enough. But it doesn't go Hollywood with Witchcraft either. I think a better theme title would have been: "A BRIEF Look at Witchcraft: Past and Present."

Not really much was there to be honest. This was something to teach high schoolers with. It really doesnt dawn on "withcraft" on a whole, because it really doesnt talk about certain kind of traditions or go into into the history such as Gardner and other well know wiccan authors to explain what witchcraft is.
Anyways, it does tell about the Salem trials however i didnt think it went deeper within the history. Also, it was too much into voodoo, eventhough it is part of it; its not all of it. All i say to those that want to buy this, is to look somewhere better than this VHS about witchcraft...its good and watchable, but, not that great.