Dialogue: Harry's wizardry sign of the times

You just can't please everybody. Some parents encourage schools to ban hot cross buns and Christmas carols on the basis that they subliminally promote one set of beliefs.

Now we hear of others who find the Harry Potter phenomenon distasteful as his fictitious dabbling in wizardry may be encouraging sorcery and witchcraft, which they deem inappropriate for children. But poor old Harry is not so much promoting witchcraft as unconsciously paralleling increased consumer interest in this area.

Dubbed the fastest-growing spiritual movement in the United States and England (where it is more commonly referred to as paganism or witchcraft), Wicca is a movement that once again is reaching critical mass.

Witchcraft has apparently been around since well before Christianity and while Wiccans are happy to coexist with other more traditional religions one gets the impression the feeling isn't mutual.

There are many reasons why people are becoming "bewitched." You couldn't get a more politically correct movement on the face of it. It promotes choice (you can practise in a group but, hey, it respects your individuality if you want to be a sole practitioner), it celebrates nature and it not only worships God but also the Goddess. Wicca has always been a movement strongly linked to feminine energy (or should I say "girlpower") and thus has all the makings of a very contemporary concept.

Having being burned before, Wiccans have spent years in the closet, either alone or in clandestine covens. Now, however, the Wicca movement seems to be manifesting itself in popular culture everywhere. And where there is smoke there is fire.

In entertainment we are inundated with witchy movies and programmes which aim at the young, imaginative and experimental.

Last week I was in a teenybopper boutique, shopping for my god-daughter (who was, incidentally, baptised a Catholic). On offer were knick-knacks ranging from bath oils to promote happiness to a fortune-teller prophecy and a "make a wish" spell for romance.

Lifestyle paraphernalia is big business and now that the masses have got their heads around simple concepts such as aromatherapy, we see the upper end pushing things further.

A new, trendy lifestyle magazine advertises an upmarket incense kit costing around $130. Burning frankincense and sandalwood on a charcoal burner is "very calming," it reports, and "puts some simple pleasure back into everyday life."

This is simply a repackaging of an ancient Wiccan ritual.

All religions use symbology and ritual, and the props they use have been trendy for a while. We have just come out of a phase where Catholic altar props were hot design items. But Wiccan stuff tends to captivate on a deeper level.

The essence of Wicca and the core attribute that attracts is the promise of magic. And this strikes a chord at a time when many people are trapped.

While they bandy around words like "lifestyle" and "balance," many have no idea how to disentangle themselves from their commitments and habitual modus operandi to achieve such goals.

They want a simple life but things are complicated, they want to slow down but the world is speeding up, they want to spend more time with the family but even the kids have a full Filofax.

They know that money should be the result, not the purpose, but they are addicted to acquiring it. The only thing that is going to get them out of this mess is a little magic.

A Wiccan friend of mine just sold her house in a depressed market for a ridiculously large sum, using a mix of real-estate marketing ploys and some well-planned witchcraft. It included dropping a magnet in some "attraction oil" while chanting "bring a buyer with your fire, by magnet and metal a house deal settle." And - hey presto! - with a bit of well-timed moon-gazing and a couple of strategically placed pentacles, the house was sold within three weeks, after more than 100 parties poured through the door.

You may scoff or you may be intrigued. My guess is that those who have suffered the typical open home, where poor weather is blamed for only the neighbours dribbling through, will find themselves jotting down the aforementioned spell. But they won't tell anyone.

If you suspect Harry Potter's motives are sinister, take note that the Wiccan concept of magic is apparently natural, not supernatural, and it has at its heart "benefit to all parties."

So, give Harry a break.