The Five Paths Read online

  Follow the Circle:

  Book 1: So Mote It Be

  Book 2: Merry Meet

  Book 3: Second Sight

  Book 4: What the Cards Said

  Book 5: In The Dreaming

  Book 6: Ring of Light

  Book 7: Blue Moon

  Book

  8

  The Five Paths

  Isobel Bird

  Contents

  PerfectBound Special Feature

  Know Your Rights

  Chapter 1 “Can you believe summer is actually over?” Sasha asked . . .

  Chapter 2 Kate fumbled with the combination lock . . .

  Chapter 3 “Want some company?” Kate looked up from her lunch . . .

  Chapter 4 “I can’t believe we’re about to see a movie . . .”

  Chapter 5 Cooper looked at the slip of paper in her hand.

  Chapter 6 The next morning Cooper, Annie, and Kate met Sasha . . .

  Chapter 7 “She did what?” Stephen Rivers asked his daughter.

  Chapter 8 “What did you think?”Annie was standing in . . .

  Chapter 9 “Now that we’ve heard Coach Richmond’s report . . .”

  Chapter 10 “Where is it?” Annie asked Kate and Cooper anxiously.

  Chapter 11 Kate kept rolling the apple over and over

  Chapter 12 “She’s not here,” Annie said to Cooper.

  Chapter 13 “I can’t believe that woman!”

  Chapter 14 “That was just what I needed,” Cooper said . . .

  Chapter 15 Kate clicked on the mail icon on her computer . . .

  Chapter 16 “It was really horrible,” Sasha said.

  Chapter 17 Cooper pushed her food around her plate.

  Chapter 18 Cooper was nervous. It was 6:45.

  About the Author

  Credits

  Copyright

  About the Publisher

  Know your Rights

  In The Five Paths, Cooper discovers that not everyone is accepting of people who proclaim their interest in Wicca.

  So what are your rights as a young person interested in the Craft, and as someone who might want to express her involvement in Wicca?

  First of all, it’s important to understand that Wicca is a legally-recognized religion in the United States. That means that people who practice Wicca enjoy the same freedoms and protections as people who practice Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, or any of the many other religions recognized by the government. So if anyone tries to tell you that Wicca isn’t a “real” religion, refer them to the several court cases involving Wiccan beliefs and practices.

  There is, for example, the 1985 case Dettmer v. Landon, which was decided by the District Court of Virginia. In this case, the court ruled that Wicca is “clearly a religion for First Amendment purposes.” Since the First Amendment protects, among other things, the freedom of religious expression, the rights of Wiccans to practice their religion and to express their faith is protected under that amendment. This decision, which was appealed, was later upheld by the Fourth District Court of Appeals.

  While the U.S. Supreme Court has never directly addressed the issue of Wicca, the court has dealt with the rights of people to engage in the practices of Santeria, another pagan religion, in the case Church of Lukumi Babalu Aye, Inc. and Ernesto Pichardo v. City of Hialeah, 508 U.S. 520 (1993). This particular case involved the right of followers of Santeria to engage in animal sacrifices as a part of their faith. While Wicca never involves the sacrifice of animals or other living things, this case is important to Wiccans because in it the court recognized the rights of religions that differ from more "accepted" religions, and it has been used successfully on several occasions to defend the rights of Wiccans to practice their beliefs.

  So what does all of this mean for students who are Wiccan? For one thing, it means that if your school allows other religious groups to use school property to hold meetings, the school must allow Wiccan students to do the same thing if they wish to. The school cannot discriminate against Wiccans any more than they could discriminate against a Bible study group or church group using school facilities.

  The rights of students to express their religious beliefs was further outlined in the 1995 Equal Access Act. This document, sent to all public school administrators by the U.S. Secretary of Education, outlined the rights of students and the responsibilities of school administrators when it comes to dealing with issues of religious expression in schools. Among other things, the Equal Access Act stressed the rights of students to express their religious beliefs in the form of clothing or jewelry, stating: “Students may display religious messages on items of clothing to the same extent that they are permitted to display other comparable messages. Religious messages may not be singled out for suppression, but rather subjected to the same rules as generally apply to comparable messages.”

  What does this mean in plain English? Essentially, the Equal Access Act says that no school administration may prevent students from wearing items of religious expression (for example, a pentacle, cross, or Star of David, or clothing with images of these things on them) simply because they find it disturbing or disagree with their message. While schools can forbid students from wearing items of clothing that express profanity or racist, homophobic, misogynistic, or otherwise offensive images or statements, they cannot limit some religious expression on clothing unless they limit all religious expression on clothing. In other words, if your school allows students to wear crosses or other religious symbols, they must also allow students to wear pentacles or other images associated with Wicca.

  If you come into conflict regarding this issue, you should do the following:

  1. Don’t start an argument. If a teacher or school official says that you aren’t allowed to wear a pentacle or other item of clothing or jewelry reflecting your Wiccan beliefs, don’t get into a screaming match. You’re going to get the best results if you approach the situation calmly. Not only will this help you feel better, but it will show the school officials that you are a responsible, reasonable person.

  2. Collect the information you need to fight back. Make a list of the court cases discussed above, as well as other cases relevant to the issue. Get copies of the rulings in those cases. Also get a copy of the 1995 Equal Access Act. This material is available on several excellent websites, most notably WitchVox (www.witchvox.com). Having these documents with you will prepare you to speak knowledgeably about the subject, and will also give you incontrovertible proof of what you’re saying. Meetings where both sides just yell or argue don’t accomplish anything, but meetings where you come prepared will likely yield results.

  3. Schedule a meeting with the school principal or head administrator. If possible, have your parents come with you. At the meeting, explain your situation and let the administrator know that you understand your rights, as well as the responsibility of the school to uphold your rights. Again, try to remain calm and keep the conversation neutral. If the person you’re meeting with disparages Wicca, or tries to belittle your concerns, inform that person that you’re fully prepared to take the matter to the school board, the head of the school district, or whomever you need to, to get it resolved.

  Usually this will settle the matter. If it doesn’t (and sometimes schools will try to argue that their own rules take precedence over government-mandated laws) then you might consider contacting a lawyer. Sometimes a simple letter from a lawyer will show that you mean business, and cause reluctant school officials to back off. Note, too, that the Equal Access Act does not apply to private schools, alth
ough you may be able to successfully argue your point there as well by reminding the school officials that religious discrimination of any kind is prohibited under the First Amendment.

  These same principles apply if you’re interested in starting a Wiccan club that meets at your school. Again, the Equal Access Act provides guidelines for the use of public school facilities for religious groups: “Student religious groups at public secondary schools have the same right of access to school facilities as is enjoyed by other comparable student groups. Under the Equal Access Act, a school receiving Federal funds that allows one or more students noncurriculum-related clubs to meet on its premises during noninstructional time may not refuse access to student religious groups.”

  Again, if you want to start a Wiccan student group at your school, do some groundwork first. Find out what the proper procedures are for starting a club and obtaining official status in your school. This might mean getting a teacher or other faculty member to act as a sponsor, or writing up a proposal for your club that outlines its purpose and what would take place at club meetings. Remember, if your school allows other religious groups to meet at the school and use its facilities, it must also allow Wiccan groups to do the same, providing you’ve followed the set procedures for establishing the group and requesting use of the school facilities. Similarly, the school is required by law to allows religious student groups to use school media – including newspapers, bulletin boards, and the public address system – to announce meetings and other club-related events.

  More and more young people are becoming involved in Wicca, and more and more often issues like the wearing of pagan-oriented jewelry and starting Wiccan-related groups in schools are being addressed by school administrations. If you find yourself involved in a situation where your rights as a Wiccan are being violated, know that the law is on your side. If you have to fight against a school administration that doesn’t support your rights – either because they simply don’t understand what Wicca is or because they don’t agree with it – try to view it as an opportunity to educate people. Talk to newspapers and television reporters. Get them interested in your story. Talk to your fellow students. Use the information available to you to let others know what Wicca is and (just as important) isn’t. Remember, you are a representative for Wicca when you do these things. Present the Craft in a way that is positive, but also shows that you know your rights. When you do that, you empower yourself and you help others understand how important it is to respect one another’s beliefs.

  CHAPTER 1

  “Can you believe summer is actually over?” Sasha asked as the girls sat on the pier enjoying what they knew could very well be the last ice-cream cones of the season. The sky was blue and the sun shone brightly off the gently rolling ocean waves, but the breeze was noticeably cooler than it had been just a week before. They’d started wearing long sleeves again, although Sasha, Annie, and Kate were still in shorts. Cooper, of course, was dressed in jeans and her favorite black Doc Martens.

  “It went by really fast,” remarked Annie as she took a bite of her strawberry cone. “Why did it seem to last longer when we were kids?”

  “Maybe because when we were kids all we did was play outside instead of worrying about cancer, breaking up with our boyfriends, and becoming a little too much like the goddesses we were invoking,” Cooper suggested thoughtfully.

  The others glared at her for a moment before breaking out in laughter. “Leave it to you to sum up the past two months so succinctly,” said Kate, wiping traces of vanilla almond fudge off her lips.

  “Well, it’s all true,” Cooper replied as she licked the edge of her mint chocolate chip cone just before it dripped on her leg.

  She was right. All of those things had happened to them in the short time since their sophomore year had ended. In fact, a lot more had happened. First, Cooper had temporarily left their Wiccan group after a strange run-in with some out-of-control kids at a Midsummer ritual. Then, Kate’s aunt had been diagnosed with cancer and they’d done a healing ritual for her, much to the concern of Kate’s suspicious parents, who clearly were wondering just how involved their daughter was in Wicca. Most recently, Annie, who earlier in the summer had been saddened by the sudden death of one of the residents at the nursing home where she was volunteering, had undergone a weird transformation after invoking the goddess Freya during a full moon ceremony, causing all kinds of problems.

  Although each of them had had her own issues to face, they’d all shared one particular ordeal during the summer: boyfriends. Sasha was still reeling from a terrible relationship with an ex from California, and Annie had gone on her first date and had her first kiss with Brian, a guy she’d met at a record store. Cooper and her boyfriend, T.J., had almost broken up after disagreeing about how public Cooper should be about her interest in witchcraft. And Kate and her boyfriend, Tyler, were still trying to figure out exactly where they stood on that same subject, with Tyler urging Kate to be more open about her involvement in the Craft and Kate unsure of how to do that.

  “I think it was easier when we just had to play hide-and-seek,” said Kate.

  “But not nearly as interesting,” Annie added. “I wonder what will happen next.”

  “I hope nothing happens,” Kate said. “I’d like it to be a stress-free junior year.”

  Nobody said anything for a few minutes as they all licked their cones and enjoyed the afternoon. Then Annie popped the tail end of her cone into her mouth, wiped her hands on her napkin, and proceeded to unzip her backpack. She pulled out a sheaf of papers.

  “Here,” she said, handing one piece to each of them. “As promised, I collated all of our schedules and put them on one page so we can see where everybody will be and when.”

  They’d received their schedules a couple of weeks earlier. Although they’d each been excited to see that they’d gotten into classes they’d wanted, there had also been some unpleasant surprises. Looking at all of their daily routines combined on one page, they were reminded that not everything had come out the way they’d hoped.

  “Algebra at eight in the morning,” Cooper said grimly. “I could barely do it at eleven in the morning last year. I’m doomed.”

  “At least you don’t have to take gym at the end of the day,” Kate said.

  “Nobody told you to play basketball, jockette,” replied Cooper jokingly. “And this year you’ll be on the varsity team.”

  “If I decide to play,” Kate said. “I still haven’t made up my mind.”

  “Your parents will flip if you don’t,” said Annie.

  Kate nodded. “I know,” she said. “But I’m not sure I’m as into it as I used to be. Besides, Tara and Jessica will be on the team, and that might be weird.”

  They were all silent as they thought about what Kate had said. Tara and Jessica were two of her former best friends. Things had been up and down between them ever since Kate had stopped hanging around with them and Sherrie Adams, the other member of their once-inseparable group. The situation had been further strained when Sherrie had spread a vicious rumor about Tara after she’d helped Kate and her friends embarrass Sherrie in public. And when Annie slapped Sherrie in front of Jessica a few weeks before the end of the summer, it had seemed to sever the last ties between Sherrie and the girls who had once hung on her every word.

  Kate, Cooper, and Annie were all happy to see Sherrie get her comeuppance, but they didn’t know what might happen next. Sherrie wasn’t one to take defeat quietly, and they all suspected that she might try to cause trouble for them if she could. Annie in particular was apprehensive about seeing Sherrie again. And although Tara and Jessica appeared to have given up on Sherrie, none of the girls knew where they stood with the two of them now.

  “You guys worry too much,” Sasha said, breaking the silence. “Look at the bright side—we all have lunch together.”

  “Not me,” Kate said glumly, correcting her. “I have lunch fifth
period. You guys have it sixth. The only class we all have together is history, and that’s hardly going to be fun, especially since we don’t have Mr. Draper this year. We have Mrs. Greeley.”

  They all groaned at that. Where Mr. Draper was young and had a sense of humor, students joked that Mrs. Greeley had been teaching at Beecher Falls High School since the Ice Age and had a personality to match. The girls weren’t looking forward to a year of facing her frosty personality on a daily basis.

  “Hey,” Annie said lightly. “At least we all got the special stuff we wanted. I got on the school paper, Cooper got into the creative writing class, and Sasha is in drama club. Plus, Kate, Sasha, and I are all in driver’s ed together.”

  “Okay,” Kate said. “So there’s one good thing.”

  “And you and I have French together third period,” Cooper reminded her. “We can conjugate together.”

  Kate smiled. “Mais oui,” she said.

  “And I have fifth period study time,” Annie pointed out. “I’m sure I can sneak into the caf for lunch with you from time to time.”

  “What?” Cooper said, feigning shock. “Annie Crandall skipping a study period? Am I hearing you right?”

  Annie flipped her hair and gave Cooper a look. “Not everything went back to normal when I asked Freya to back off,” she said, referring to her recent experience with aspecting the assertive goddess.

  “What’s Brian’s schedule like?” Sasha asked Annie. “Will you two have any classes together?”

  Annie shook her head. “He’s a senior,” she explained. “But we’ll see a lot of each other anyway. At least I hope we will. We’re both going to be really busy.”

  One of the things Annie had feared about giving up the aspects of Freya’s personality that she’d taken on after her invocation ritual was that Brian wouldn’t be interested in her anymore. But she’d discovered that she really had changed during her experience. She was more confident and more outgoing. She’d learned a lot about herself, and it had had a big effect on her. She and Brian were still going out, and he hadn’t seemed to notice anything different about her at all. She didn’t know where things would go with them, but she was having a good time for now and that was what mattered.