Helen A. Berger
Helen A. Berger is an author at Religion News Service.
All Stories by Helen A. Berger
As witchcraft becomes a multibillion-dollar business, practitioners’ connection to the natural world is changing
By Helen A. Berger — July 26, 2023
(The Conversation) — Practitioners of Pagan religions no longer need to go into a forest to find an object for their altars. Commercialization has meant that sacred objects are available online.
Sage, sacred to Native Americans, is being used in purification rituals, raising issues of cultural appropriation
By Helen A. Berger — March 2, 2023
(The Conversation) — Native Americans are struggling to find sage for their spiritual practices as the plant is being overharvested for sale to the wider public.
The ‘sonnenrad’ used in shooters’ manifestos: a spiritual symbol of hate
By Helen A. Berger — June 30, 2022
(The Conversation) — The far-right today shares more than just ideas with white supremacists of yesterday – they also share some pagan-inspired symbols.
Wiccan celebration of summer solstice is a reminder that change, as expressed in nature, is inevitable
By Helen A. Berger — June 17, 2022
(The Conversation) — For Wiccans, midsummer, with the maximum hours of sunlight, is the time for celebrating new life.
Wiccans in the US military are mourning the dead in Afghanistan this year as they mark Samhain, the original Halloween
By Helen A. Berger — October 20, 2021
(The Conversation) — Samhain will be particularly poignant this year for Wiccans who are members or veterans of the US military as they process the end of the 20-year war in Afghanistan.
What is Wicca? An expert on modern witchcraft explains.
By Helen A. Berger — August 30, 2021
(The Conversation) — Interest in Wicca and witchcraft appears to be increasing, but what exactly is Wicca in the first place?
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