Witchy Update - Issue #23

If you're anything like me, you take notice when anything even slightly witchy turns up on TV. And if that's a Pagan family on Wife Swap or Tyra Banks' all-out assault on our witchy sisters, it really gets your attention!

Now if you happen to live in a box that's not hooked up to the Internet, chances are you have missed the flurry of blogs and web commentary galore about the "Lives of Witches" episode of The Tyra Banks Show that aired on January 29 (check out some of the blogs in the links section to get caught up!).

However, if you're like the rest of us, you've been reading them all and rolling your eyes. How dare Tyra say she needed to burn sage (our thing) because she got the "heebie jeebies" from her own guests? How dare she insinuate that it was offensive to her viewers to refer to Wicca as a religion? And what roles do Satanists and born-again Christians have to play on a program about Witchcraft? In the end, I guess it's just sad that anyone felt that she would even attempt to be unbiased; she showed clearly enough that she was petrified of offending her Christian audience.

But just how right-wing Christian is her audience? I did a very, very informal analysis of the viewer comments that appeared on the network's web site by the next day. At that point, I counted roughly 150 peeved Pagan voices, some demanding an apology; about 50 comments that didn't admit being Pagan or not but said either that they enjoyed the show or that they thought Tyra was being too biased; and less than 50 that said they were irate with Tyra for being so irresponsible as to brainwash all these innocent, susceptible teens who watch her program because all witchcraft is of the devil. That's about two hundred against fifty. So all in all, Tyra did a much better job at garnering Pagan wrath than the Christian variety.

But let's back up just a bit. Tyra may or may not be deserving of this outcry (did she ever claim to be an unbiased journalist, or is she a daytime talk show hostess?) but what about Fiona Horne? Pagan venues have been saying some rather unfriendly things about her, mainly about being too light, fluffy, and who knows what else. Does she deserve this? She is simply putting her best face forward as a non-threatening, clear-spoken, mediagenic representative of Witchcraft. Pagans are more tolerant of people from other religions than from their own, even though we know and acknowledge at every turn that Paganism - and witchcraft - is a highly personal belief system that differs for everyone. Who is anyone to say that Fiona is "too light" in her beliefs or practices, or in her public image for that matter?

I'll tell you what (here comes my two cents). There are always going to be newcomers to Wicca, who will seek out those 101 books so many of us are bored with; who are curious about a new, empowering belief system that works for their lives; and if they find even a grain of interest in what gorgeous blonde Fiona had to say, then Fiona did deserve to be on that show. And you know what? There were tons of viewer comments asking who she was, what the book she mentioned was, how they can do the spell she talked about. And if she can get these curious seekers into the metaphysical section of the bookstore or library, or even to do a little exploring on the Internet, it is widening their horizons and opening their minds. As Fiona wrote in her blog, "Despite the ending being so loaded with negativity against Modern Witchcraft (as the show wrapped on the Christian girl's negative opinion and Tyra echoed that) something wonderful happened. I have had so many Christians emailing me and saying they didn't support Tyra's opinion and saying positive things about Modern Witchcraft." (Check out her blog for the full account of what happened behind the scenes that day with Tyra, and afterwards!)

Later this spring we will be publishing a book by Fiona, L.A. Witch, that details in a fun and rather bubbly way how to get together with like-minded people to form a coven. (Having fun is a good way to get people involved in their spiritual life - just look at Christian youth groups for a case in point.) In it, Fiona never says that her way is the only way. She encourages readers to go further, to form reading circles, attend workshops, and "experiment, explore and enjoy!" She outlines a whole slew of study topics that wouldn't fit into just one book, and recommends her favorite books, including ones by Phyllis Curott, Amber K, the Farrars and Gavin Bone, etc.

So what's my point? Simply that we have enough Tyras to bash Pagans; why should Pagans bash each other? In today's American media, yes, sometimes we need a beautiful, articulate celebrity just to open the door for people to actually consider us as something other than evil, dark, scary and Satanic. I say go for it, Fiona!

All right, enough of my soapbox rant. Let's get to some new books! In March we have the long-awaited new book from Christopher Penczak - Ascension Magick. This hefty book is more than 500 pages and it is incredibly fascinating. If you automatically think of Christians when you hear the word "ascension," think again! I never knew what ascension and "lightworking" really was and how it nicely tied into neopagan magickal beliefs until I read this book. Beyond a greater understanding of the philosophy behind it, you also get practical exercises in energy healing, meditation, past life regression, spells and more. I highly recommend this one!

Also coming in March is Soul Flight by Donald Tyson - another truly groundbreaking work (two in one month? What's the deal?). Basically Tyson says that we've been holding the same beliefs about astral projection for over a century, with every new book rehashing the old. He views the experience of astral travel in a completely new light, changing the way you'll think about it forever. Have you tried without success to leave your body for an astral adventure? Tyson has new rituals, astral doorways, tips about spirit guides, and more that will help you get a handle on this. The book covers everything from witches' flying ointment to CIA remote viewing experiments. Find out how they all fit into the astral world.

And finally, a true gem of a book, Women's Rites, Women's Mysteries by Ruth Barrett, a Dianic High Priestess for more than 25 years. In this book you'll find ways to personalize ritual and to mark life's passages - from birthdays to quitting a job! Ruth is truly a wise woman in every sense of the word and will pass her wisdom on so you too can become a stellar ritualist.

Have a wonderful Ostara, and see you in April!

Gently place one egg in a pan that is half-filled with boiling water. As you watch the egg boil in the steaming pot, concentrate on something you feel is gone from your life that you wish to have manifest back into it. Conceptualize this desire as living within the egg, a need that will be birthed into being with the eggs assistance. Visualize this miracle happening with as much clarity and detail as you are able. Do this for at least five minutes, then remove the pan from the heat and allow it to cool. When the egg is able to be handled, take crayons or felt markers in any color or colors you feel best represents your desire and draw a symbol or some other representation of your wish on the egg. Bury the egg near your front door, as deep as is reasonable. Each time you walk past the place where the egg is buried, be sure to remind yourself of its purpose by restating to yourself an affirmation of your desire. In a short time the egg will break down, the shell cracking open and the yolk decomposing. This symbolic life, death, and rebirth of your wishing egg is linked by magick to your life, and it will help your desire to be rebirthed soon.

Ruth Barrett has over twenty-five years of experience in ritual. She is a Dianic High Priestess and award-winning recording artist of Goddess songs. For two decades she served the Goddess community of Circle of Aradia in Los Angeles. As a teacher of magick and ritual arts, she has appeared at festivals and conferences in the U.S., Canada, and Great Britain. Today she lives in Wisconsin, where she co-founded Temple of Diana, a national Dianic religious organization.

New Worlds: Why are rituals important? What benefits do they provide that something like silent prayer and meditation do not?

Ruth Barrett: Rituals are important because they provide a form to convey meaning to us through manipulating symbolic objects and enacting specific activities with the purpose of initiating transformation. You can design a ritual to initiate a life change or attitude, facilitate a change already in process, or name and claim a change or transformation that has already occurred. Prayer focuses on communicating to the divine, and silent meditation on receiving communication from the divine. Spellcraft is a process of communication with the divine when you ask the universe to align with your desire for something, and then experience the universe responding by manifesting your desire. Rituals are about consciously creating an experience that you wish to receive -- whether created and provided by others or especially through personal rituals created by the process in my book -- and may include invocation (similar to prayer in some ways), meditation and spellcraft. When a woman takes an abstract idea or issue in her life through the ritual making process, she must choose what would physically represent her idea or issue.