WELCOME TO WITCHVILLE (Home of Scream Cuisine & Other Stuff)

Living in Victoria, BC (Canada) has a few perks.

Second to Salem, Massachusetts (the world capital of witchcraft), Victoria, BC is Canada's "most haunted house city".

This "California-North", left-coast, cosy community with unique distinction of being dubbed Canada's "garden city", it also has something else strange going for it.

According to most recent Canadian census,it seems that Victoria has largest per-capita witch population in country. In fact, more than 1,000 folks filled out a form declaring themselves truly "out-of-broomstick the-closet"! However, more optimistic estimates, by local pagan and witch community, put this figure closer to 5,000!

Even though Statistics Canada has stated that paganism is fastest- growing religion in country, Victoria has earned novel title of being one of few places in country where witches can legally marry, wear witch attire in public, (and die) in grace.

So what makes Victoria such a "happening Halloween place" all-year round?

Some have said, it is Victoria's strategic location on San Andreas fault line. (The "energy of place" makes it a great spot for those who like to feel earth tremble beneath their web-feet -- it also rains here).

Other's say it has to do with ocean (and perhaps far too many seagulls leaving their telltale signs behind to guide ghosts around at all hours of day and night).

If you have read that novel, you know this simple query put everyone's life in jeopardy. Everyone, that is, who was serious about it.

Some want enough religion to keep from getting real thing but not enough to change or inconvenience their lifestyle. Not everyone is serious about his or her religious life.

Many people want to go to heaven but they want to do it their way and in their own good time. If these people treated their job same way they treat God, they would not have a job for long.

It's a good question: What would Jesus do? I have thought a lot about it myself and must confess it has done some good in my direction. Now, whenever I see those initials WWJD it gives me some pause to think about what I am doing. And, if you have to know, I've had to not do some things I had projected.

Recently, in light of WWJD resurgence, I have seen bracelets, and jewelry and other paraphernalia with these initials, reminding people of message. I'm all for anything that will encourage people to do right thing, regardless of any inconvenience.

I think, however, that some people have taken a left when road map indicated a right.

For example: Someone wrote a book on What Would Jesus Eat? I did not read book but I'm guessing he ate a lot of fish but absolutely no pizza, let alone a nice slice of New York-style cheesecake.

Often I have wondered how our Lord survived without cheesecake. Don't tell anyone, but I have a sneaking suspicion he would have enjoyed a slice, as well as me.

Some advertising genius got on wagon and struck up band with "What would Jesus drive?" I could be way out of line here but I'm thinking Jesus drove a donkey, if you can drive a donkey.

One of last things he did was to ride a donkey into city of Jerusalem. Apart from lowly donkey, Jesus wore out a lot of sandal leather.

If I'm going to "drive what Jesus drove," I will have to turn my car in for a low mileage donkey. Donkeys are great on gas but it is post-donkey problem that keeps piling up.

I know what Mistress of Parsonage would say (and do) if I brought a donkey home some evening. Mr. Donkey and Yours Truly would be traveling companions, to be sure.