By CHRIS CONROY

LOCH SHELDRAKE - Witches are alive and well in today's society. They just may not be what you think.

Dr. Phillips Stevens of the SUNY Buffalo Department of Anthropology spoke to a packed room the night of October 11 at Sullivan County Community College. The topic of his lecture focused on the same topics as a class he teaches in Buffalo: magic, sorcery and witchcraft.

An experienced anthropologist, Stevens has been studying the many complex facets of magic, sorcery and witchcraft for about 25 years. The class he teaches in Buffalo runs a full semester (15 weeks.) In the two-hour lecture at SCCC, he covered many classic topics associated with witchcraft and magic.

The Classic Witch (aka The Halloween Witch)

Anthropologically speaking, witches are evil creatures. Embodying many of the fears of people in general, it is this image of the witch that is the most widely known. Social subversion, perversion, ritual murder, cannibalism and/or vampirism are all attributes that universally attributed to witches. The abilities of flight, transformation and the spread of disease are all part of the makeup of the classic witch.

"These creatures are feared," Stevens told the crowd. Their use of magic brings only bad things to those who cross their path.

Citing examples from world mythology, tribal practices and Biblical verse, Stevens showed how powerful the fear of the witch could be. Often in the history of the world people were condemned to death on suspicion of being a witch.

"None of this," Stevens pointed out, "applies to modern witchcraft."

The Modern Witch

Today, witchcraft is more prevalent than ever. It is estimated by some that Wicca, a religion firmly rooted in magic and whose practitioners (both male and female) call themselves witches, is one of the fastest growing religions today.

"Since the 1960s, there has been an increased awareness of [religions like] Wicca," Stevens said. Today's pop culture has more than cemented that awareness. One need only look to the TV Guide, movie listings or book stores to see the popularity of witches and magic today.

No fewer than three prime time series on the WB television network feature characters that are witches of one type or another. These include Sabrina, the three witch sisters on Charmed and two main characters on Buffy the Vampire Slayer. On the big screen, 1996's "The Craft," a film about witches, pulled in more than $24 million. In bookstores across the country, children and young adults are buying up the newest Harry Potter (a young sorcerer) books.

But what makes the modern witch different from the classical witch?

First and foremost, modern witches are generally normal people. They exhibit none of the evil attributes that belong to the classical witch. Many are Wiccans and follow the rules set forth in the religion of Wicca.

As a recognized religion, Wicca is relatively young. While many claim it is a revival of ancient pagan practices from pre-Christian Western Europe, it is generally agreed that there is not enough evidence to fully support this claim. Instead, most researchers trace the roots of Wicca back to the 1950s and to the 1954 publication by Gerald Gardner, "Witchcraft Today." In it he outlined many of the basic beliefs and practices that can still be found in many Wiccan circles today.

Over recent decades, the Wiccan religion has been joined by a number of other Neo-Pagan religions that practice what many consider witchcraft. Focused mainly on living in balance with nature, Wiccans and many (but not all) Neo-Pagans rely on rituals to commemorate special times of the year.

For Wiccans and some other Neo-Pagan groups, there are two basic rules that guide moral and ethical behavior. The first and most often quoted is a simple rule: "An' ye harm none, do what thou will." The second main axiom of Wiccan belief is known as the "Rule of Three." It basically states that whatever a person sends out will come back to them three times as strong. If you do good, that good times three will come back to you. If you do harm, you will be harmed three times as severely.

"There is no proof that [classical] witches ever existed," Stevens said. However, modern witches most definitely do. How many are there? No one knows for sure. Estimates range from thousands to millions with no accurate count. It is a generally accepted fact, especially among Wiccans and other Neo-Pagans, that there are more out there than most would think.