When most people think of magic, they might visualize cackling witches hunched over steaming cauldrons, chanting evil spells.

But to a group of Penn State students who use magic regularly, it means something entirely different.

"Our magik's a spiritual thing," said Sean Wolfe, co-president of Silver Circle, a student club of about 25 members who embrace Paganism.

"Everything has its own energy, and we use magik to direct these energies," he added.

The group uses the word's archaic derivation, spelled magik, to remain rooted in tradition, he said.

Wolfe (senior-environmental resource management) said this kind of magik is concentrated, positive thinking, where members can feel empowered through the energy of all things.

"Paganism looks at everything being connected," he said. "It's not like you and God -- it's you and everything."

Since it is a minority religion on campus, club Secretary Rachel Anson (sophomore-film) said the group spends a lot of time combating stereotypes of what Paganism really is.

"We don't eat babies," she said. "There are no sacrificing of virgins on the altar. There is no Satanism in Paganism."

More than 200 different spiritualities make up Paganism, Anson said, which encompasses earth-based religions dating back to pre-Christianity.

Education through campus activities and student presentations at meetings is a major aspect of the group, said Anson, who represents the club on the student advisory board for the Pasquerilla Spiritual Center for Ethics and Religious Affairs.

One of their most popular activities includes the Witches Ball -- a Late Night Penn State event that brought in more than 300 people -- to celebrate Samhain, a Pagan holiday that falls around the time of Halloween.

The club also holds psychic fairs for various functions, including one last weekend for the Penn State Circle K conference at the Nittany Lion Inn. In the fall, members also traveled to York College, which paid them to host a fair.

On Sunday, members celebrated Ostara, the spring equinox, by planting seeds and herbs.

"It's all about the spring -- the revival of life and nature," Wolfe said.

A tie to nature is something all Pagans share, Co-President Chris Lute (sophomore-electrical engineering) said.

"I think the main thing for a lot of people is the idea of nature and finding divinity there," he said. "For me, taking a walk in the woods is a lot more spiritually fulfilling than sitting in a church."

Sitting in church also didn't feel right to club member Alyson Rhodes (freshman-liberal arts), who was raised a Protestant.

"I didn't believe in just the idea of a single male god," she said. "I didn't like the complete lack of a strong female figure in Christianity."

Rhodes said she found Paganism appealing because of its history and its ability to provide something different for each individual. "It's kind of a buffet you can pick and chose," she said. "There's not set things that you have to do."

Although Paganism allows for a great deal of freedom, Lute said it sometimes lacks the sense of community found in other religions.

"Before [Silver Circle], I was just reading books, and I really didn't have a community in the way that other people have a church or a synagogue," he said.

While many members have grown up Christian, but eventually chose Paganism instead, club member Jessica Hopkins emphasized that the group is not opposed to Christianity.

"Paganism is just another way for people to feel connected to the divine," Hopkins (senior-international politics and Japanese) said. "It's not the enemy of any religion. It's just another path to the same end."