Published: July 20, 2008 11:28 pm      

Wiccan stabs self accidentally

Lebanon — A Lebanon woman suffered an accidental stab wound when performing a Wiccan rite at Oak Hill Cemetery, Lebanon, Saturday.

Katherine Gunther, 36, 500 block of South East Street, pierced her left foot with a three-feet-long sword, Lebanon Police said.

Friends took her to Witham Hospital emergency room around 2 a.m. Saturday. Hospital personnel are required by law to report stab wounds to police.

Gunther told police she and several friends were practicing a ritual that requires the use of candles, incense and driving swords into the earth during the full moon.

Police said Gunther admitted to having consumed alcohol earlier in the evening.

No charges were filed, police said. The Wiccans were warned that being in the cemetery after posted visiting hours constitutes trespassing.

Wicca, Buddhism and Hinduism are virtually tied as having the fourth-highest members of a religion in the United States, according to the Web site www.religioustolerance.com. Christianity, Judaism and Islam have the most adherents.

Wicca is the largest of the “neopaganism” religions, according to the Web site. Others involve Druidism, Greek, Roman, Sumerian and other ancient spiritual beliefs.

A Web survey to which 3,798 Wiccans responded showed that only 20 percent of them publicly acknowledge their religion.

Wiccan rituals celebrate a variety of seasonal, astrological and personal events.