- Title: AUSTRIA: The first school of witchcraft established at Klagenfurt
- Date: 11th October 2002
- Summary: (EU) KLAGENFURT, AUSTRIA (OCTOBER 8, 2002) (REUTERS) CRANE: TRIO PERFORMING CEREMONY IN FOREST. LV: THE THREE MEDITATING. VARIOUS: (SOUNDBITE) (German) HEADMASTER ANDREAS STARCHEL, WHO PREFERS TO BE CALLED BY HIS DRUID NAME DANAKETH, SAYING "We get our energy from above, just like the trees, they get their energy through the leaves from the sun. The beech trees, they are protecting us. The marvellous light, which is coming through the leaves." (2 SHOTS) CU:STUDENT WITCH KATHARINA, MEDITATING. SCU: STUDENT WITCH SALTAH, MEDITATING. SCU: TREE STUMP. CU: TAROT CARDS. VARIOUS: (SOUNDBITE) (German) DRUID DANAKETH SAYING "The knowledge of Tarot cards belongs to the oracles. Tarot is just one method of many, to put it in inverted commas, to tell fortunes.Telling fortunes is not to be misunderstood in a way that one could, in fact, predict any events based on the cards - this is what one should not do. When one is just developing the ability to see things in the future, then he should handle it very carefully. We try to explain the whole thing. There are different ways of laying the cards down." SV: LAYING THE CARDS DOWN. CU: CARD OF JUSTICE. SV: STUDENT WITCH SALTAH WATCHING. CU: TAROT CARD. CU: SEVEN TAROT CARDS. CU: TAROT CARDS. SV: (SOUNDBITE) (German) DRUID DANAKETH WITH DIVINER SAYING "The thing is that the finest perceptions which a man has got, just think of the five senses, that these perceptions, when someone has got used to it, will articulate it through the finest movements of our muscles. A divining rod or a pendulum serve basically for this reason, to make these finest movements of the muscles visible." VARIOUS: STUDENT WITCH SALTAH USING THE DIVINING RODS TO FIND ENERGY LINES IN THE EARTH. (2 SHOTS) CU/PAN: POND IN THE FOREST. SCU: MUSHROOM. VARIOUS: (SOUNDBITE) (German) STUDENT WITCH KATHARINA USING PENDULUM TO FIND OUT IF MUSHROOM IS EDIBLE SAYING: "Please show me if I can eat you. Please be precise. No, this mushroom is not for eating." (2 SHOTS) SLV/PULL BACK: TRIO WALKING THROUGH FOREST. SCU: (SOUNDBITE) (German) DRUID DANAKETH , SAYING "Our school is a school for witches. Where we try to teach all the necessary knowledge to become a witch." LAS/LV: FOREST SCU: (SOUNDBITE) (German) DRUID DANAKETH SAYING "So, actually, to be a witch in the historical sense, one has to have a high extensive knowledge about nature and to cultivate intuition and a highly developed sense of feeling." SLV: FOREST. SLV: TRIO WALKING INTO HOUSE IN THE TOWN OF KLAGENFURT. VARIOUS: IN THE KITCHEN STUDENT SALTAH MAKING BREW. (5 SHOTS) SLV: IN THE GARDEN TRIO STANDING AROUND TELESCOPE. SCU: (SOUNDBITE) (German) STUDENT WITCH KATHARINA, LIBRARIAN, SAYING "My interest developed, as Christianity was too narrow for me and didn't give me the answers I needed. I wanted to know and I wanted to use what I know." SCU: APPLE TREES. SCU: (SOUNDBITE) (German) STUDENT SALTAH SAYING "I have always been interested in mushrooms and herbs. My background is technical, I think a lot with my head. I realised I simply wanted answers to so many things I couldn't comprehend." SLV: TRIO STANDING AT TELESCOPE IN GARDEN.
- Embargoed: 26th October 2002 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: KLAGENFURT, AUSTRIA
- Country: Austria
- Topics: Arts / Culture / Entertainment / Showbiz,Quirky
- Reuters ID: LVAE2MODITT99HVVLD14D95YPZH6
- Story Text: You won't learn how to fly a broomstick or cast spells with the flick of a wand, but a potent dose of grit and study will turn you into a witch, promises Europe's first School of Witchcraft.
It all looks quite meditative, but those looking to emulate fictional young wizard Harry Potter will be a mite disappointed: this school of witches, Europe's first, has a downright scientific curriculum and eye of newt is nowhere to be seen.
Headmaster Andreas Starchel, who prefers to be called by his druid name Danaketh, said he established the school in the southern Austrian city of Klagenfurt to demystify witchcraft by explaining phenomena using scientific methods from physics, chemistry, and biology.
"Everything that is taught and learned at our school can be proven using natural scientific and psychological methods."
he told Reuters during a training session in the woods.
"We teach everything needed to become a real witch in the historical sense -- that is to have an all-encompassing knowledge of nature and a highly developed sense of intuition.
"Being a witch is not inborn. Anyone can learn to become one," he added.
Practitioners of witchcraft focus on the good in life and the spirit, and reject any connection with the devil, Starchel said.
Since their beliefs date back to ancient times well before the birth of Jesus, witchcraft has no bond with the Christian embodiment of evil.
The headmaster stressed that his school, established in 1998 for wannabe witches and druids of 18 years and above, has no ties with religious organisations nor follows any esoteric movement.
The syllabus originally lasted three years, but has now been revised to a more flexible form to suit students' busy time schedules. In a sign of the times, it teaches courses over the Internet as most of its students live outside Austria.
A student graduates with a venefica or veneficus (from the Latin for witch/druid) certificate after passing written exams in seven modules and submitting a final thesis.
The first module focuses on awakening intuition, specifically on how to find sources of energy in nature and how to channel it. Other modules are astronomy, astrology, botany, holistic healing and ritual magic.
Curriculum information on the school website www.hexen-schule.de shows there are no modules like the Defence Against the Dark Arts class which Harry Potter had to take in the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
The school has received a huge fillip from the Harry Potter books by J.K. Rowling and television series such as Sabrina the Teenage Witch.
Student witch Katharina,said she was drawn to the course because something was missing from her life.
"I was looking for direction. Christianity was too narrow for me and didn't give me the answers I needed," she said.
Like Katharina, aspiring witch Saltah embraced the craft three years ago due to a thirst for knowledge.
"It started off as curiosity about mushrooms and herbs, but then I realised that I simply wanted answers to so many things I couldn't comprehend and that this school could provide me with them," said Saltah, who is in her mid-20s. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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