ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½

There's no denying that the teenage witches on the TV have made witchcraft really appealing to whole new generation of girls and teenagers.

Willow - teenage witch and role model

Like Samantha before them (a TV witch character from the 1960s) they highlight the desire to get in touch with the magickal side of our personalities.

You often hear kids wishing they could be invisible or fly or be in two places at the same time. And it's not just girls that feel this need to get in touch with their magickal power.

Boys and girls have found Harry Potter one of the most compelling characters of all time.

Control

Why? Because the TV witches and Harry Potter can do what we can't. They can control things that are out of our control.

Teresa Moorey is a real LIVE witch. She lives in Gloucestershire and she's written loads of books about teenagers and witchcraft including "Spellbound: The Teenage Witch's Essential Handbook".

Teresa said: "The first thing I tell a teenage witch when she/he writes to me is not to say they are a witch. People won't understand the term as it really should be understood and witches do get persecuted.

"Although the TV witches are far from the reality of witchcraft today they have made it fun and created a real interest in Wicca."

Wicca

Wicca is a form of Paganism which is all about worshipping nature. The Witch's Handbook describes how to create your own altar and how to find the things you need to be a Wiccan.

But Teresa is keen to stress the responsibilities that witchcraft brings. "Witchcraft is a path of dignity and self-respect and all witches have to give a good example.

Witchcraft has had such a bad press and parents are often very scared to discover their teenagers are seriously interested in it. I usually tell parents to read the dedicated chapters in my books explaining that Wicca is about self-respect and self-knowledge - NOT about devil worship.

Teresa Moorey

"Witchcraft has had such a bad press and parents are often very scared to discover their teenagers are seriously interested in it.

"I usually tell parents to read the dedicated chapters in my books explaining that Wicca is about self-respect and self-knowledge - NOT about devil worship.

"Witchcraft seems especially relevant to teenagers who are looking for purpose and meaning in the Twenty-first Century."

Teresa explained that teenage girls generate a lot of energy and power during puberty and this energy gives them the motivation to explore the magickal and spiritual side of their lives.

But Wicca is not about harming anyone or anything. "Witchcraft is one of the only practices in this country that talks of a Goddess rather than a God. This is very powerful for young women who despite equal opportunities are steeped in a patriarchal society."

As well as being a witch Teresa is also a counsellor, hypnotherapist, astrologer and a mother of four children.

Ìý