Talk of pentagrams, Pagan ethics and witchcraft was heard in DuSable Hall Thursday, as the NIU Student Pagan Association held its first group meeting.

The group’s founder and president, anthropology graduate student Paul Herrick, said despite Paganism being misunderstood and disfavored, NIU has been open-minded about the group.

Anastasia Blechschmidt, the spiritual adviser from Circle Sanctuary Church and minister in training, lectured on the meaning of the pentagram and the three guidelines of Wicca which illustrated the pacifistic nature of Paganism.

The first of the guidelines was the Rede, which states, “do as you will, cause harm to no living thing,” which contradicts a long-held belief since the 19th century that Pagans conducted bloody sacrifices and were associated with Satanism.

“When you’re the minority and don’t follow the mainstream concepts or ideas, then you’re always under scrutiny,” Blechschmidt said. “We have no Satan nor do we recognize Satanists as being Pagan.”

Events such as the Salem Witch Trials and Feb. 14 gunman Steven Kazmierczak’s pentagram tattoo also have tainted the Pagan image, Blechschmidt acknowledged.

“Walt Disney certainly hasn’t done us any favors,” Blechschmidt said.

As similar as Christianity is to its denominations, Paganism is an umbrella term for various Earth religions such as Wicca, Druidism, Asatru and ancient mythological beliefs.

Only five attended the meeting but those who did were engaged and interested as they debated the three guidelines of Wicca.

“I liked that the meeting became more of a lecture and that it became a debate, person-to-person,” said junior anthropology major Carrie Fassbinder. “It made something in theory more real, and that’s something that affects our lives.”

The group was officially recognized by the Student Association at the March 22 SA meeting.

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The Student Pagan Association will next meet at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday in DuSable Hall to discuss

Totem Animals. Other subjects, such as psychic self-defense, magic, spirituality and the history of Paganism, will be covered in future meetings.