All hail to the guardians of the Eastern Watch Tower.
And I am the High Priestess.
To be a witch is incredibly relevant in today's society.
We kind of work the magic together.
Nestled in the heart of the Hudson Valley is the church of the Eternal Circle.
The only legally recognized Wiccan Church in the state of New York.
We kind of follow the tradition of the craft of the wise.
We are witches.
Where for the very first time, members invited CBS2 to attend their services.
~ My thoughts can heal ~
Lisa Stewart, and her husband, Anton, are the founders of the church.
There are definitely more of us than you think. It is estimated as many as
a million people identified as being a witch in the U.S.
With 20% of the population to be in New York. We have people who are
professionals of all kinds. Including a librarian, a computer scientist, a nurse,
and a homemaker. Very normal people are part of this religion. In addition to
practicing witchcraft, Dr. Davis Brog, a former Methodist, is a practitioner
of internal medicine. Joe Ladadi, a sculpter converted from Catholicism.
I'll keep an open mind.
Unlike its pop culture portrayal, members say witchcraft is actually
grounded in love and spirituality. Stereotype of course is a broom.
It's for sweeping your circle and clearing the energy. Not for flying?
Not for flying. This is a somber celebration marking the start of winter.
In the Wiccan church, Samhain is known as the Night of Souls when
witches honor their ancestors. And magic is simply the belief you can make
anything happen. It's kind of like a prayer. There's no devil worship. Only a love
for the Goddess of Creation and Inspiration. Along with Antler God of all things wild,
CHURCH, THIS IS KNOWN AS A
NIGHT OF SOULS WHERE WITCHES
HONOR THEIR ANCESTORS.
AND MAGIC IS SIMPLY THE BELIEF
YOU CAN MAKE ANYTHING HAPPEN.
IT'S KIND OF LIKE A PRAYER.
Reporter: THERE IS NO DEVIL
WORSHIP, ONLY A LOVE FOR THE
GODDESS OF CREATION AND
INSPIRATION.
ALONG WITH THE ANTLERED GOD OF
ALL THINGS WILD AND FREE.
WHEN I TELL PEOPLE THAT I AM
A WITCH, I MET SOMETIMES WITH
HORROR.
Reporter: BUT, THIS IS BASED
ON OLD MYTHS.
THESE MODERN-DAY WITCHES NOW
WANT TO DISPEL.
IT REALLY IS A BEAUTIFUL WAY