As a Pagan myself, I am unfortunately no stranger to the kind of fear and ignorance as demonstrated by this old lady. I certainly hope that she will be able to be "enlightened" somewhat.

Reading this thread put me in mind of someone we have in Sydney, who calls himself "Yuri the Storyteller". An important feature of his performance is to have the lights in the room dimmed, light a candle, tell his story, and at the end to dramatically blow the candle out to signify the end of the story, at which point the lights are turned on again. He is a master of his craft, and none of it has anything to do with witchcraft or anything like it, of course. You can read about him here

Here is one comment that has been written about him:

Sydney professional storyteller, Yuri, is once more our guest. The enclosed documentation tells you about the man, but it does little to prepare you for the impact - the magic of his reading. All the lights are turned off. Then, by the light of a single candle, Yuri starts his storytelling. In a storyteller less rooted in the storytelling traditions, this would be sheer gimmickery. Yet, be it an extract from "Cannery Row", a Celtic myth, or set in the foreboding of a Slavic forest, Yuri's candle is a natural adjunct to his storytelling. Actors would murder for his vocal delivery - and an ear which allows him to master all accents and dialects. He is not to be missed, for he is possibly the best storyteller in Australia." - Bill Iden, secretary Poets At The Pub (PATP) Newcastle.