Witchvox Article

[Gede]

MM~
An article of mine entilted "The Craft: Reflections of an Obscured Path" is currently on the homepage of Witchvox under my name Gede Parma. Here's the link:

http://www.witchvox.com/words/words_2004/e_tcroanop.html

I wrote the article as an introduction to the spirituality of Witchcraft and a concise historical insight into modern stereotypes for non-Witches, so keep that in mind.

Namaste, Gede...

[Pandoras]

Great article! Have you ever though of submitting for IAmAWitch.com? I think the webmaster, AJ, would really welcome the writings of a young, intelligent, and devoted Pagan. The link is below, in my sig.

Also, I am the Contributing Editor for Pagan Parenting at Suite101.com. I happen to know that the Teen Paganism (or Witchcraft - I'm not sure what they call it) is up for grabs. You should definetly consider that. Here's the link - http://www.suite101.com/editorapp/member.cfm

I publish a monthly newsletter for my website. If you ever want to submit something, please do. It's not a paying gig, but you will get a byline and blurb.

Good luck.

[Rin Daemoko]

This article was such a great experience. When I read the second paragraph beginning "Darksome night and shining moon, East, then South, then West, then North; Hearken to the Witches Rune, Hear we come to call ye forth..." I felt a wonderful tingle. How wonderful!


Theirs was the role of hunting and so the gradual growth in favor of flesh moved the tribes to follow the herds in hopes of fulfilling an un-sated craving.
My only problem with this picture is that not every ancient culture survived like this. Many cultures' diets were largely plants and vegetables, with a very small amount being meat. This was a diet most prevalent in Japan, Korea, China, and many places in Africa.

I'm not sure how it was with native North Americans, though, so I can't say anything about that. Perhaps their diet did have a large portion of meat. This sort of nit-picking is what you get for taking an introductory Anthropology class. Boo-urns.


Behind the myriad of names, faces and myths, an underlying evocation to the Mother Goddess of abundance, fertility and Earth and the Living and Dying God of strength, prevalence and potency moved the ocean of their unconscious.
Except that many cultures also had fearsome deities who governed violence, plague, and death. Sekhmet of the Kemetic pantheon was created when Ra poured all of his anger and hatred into Hathor. She became the embodiment of violence and lusted for blood. (As an example.)

Not all deities where fertility and rebirth and happy-happy. ;)

My only other beef with the article is the painting of the stamping out of Witchcraft. As though it was some terrible, sweeping, in human war. This idea overlooks the very simple fact that many pagans of the time willingly converted to Christianity because they honestly believed in what it was teaching. There was no washing out of all pagans, and no pagan resistence and clinging to their happy-happy ways. While, yes, the paganisms (plural) did die out, it wasn't because everyone who held to those ways were slaughtered.

Yes, a lot of people were killed, many of whom were killed because they were falsely accused and were, in fact, devout Christians themselves.

.... having said all that, I do think that this article was very well written. Despite the historical oopses, I really like the author's voice and the way s/he moved from one topic to the next. This is someone who is very skilled or has spent a lot of time perfecting this piece. My congratulations!

Also, having said all of that, I really don't care about where Wicca/Witchcraft came from, what it went through, how it changed, et cetera. To be quite honest. I am mindful of the past, but my focus is here in the present. What is Witchcraft for me today? That may sound selfish, but it's in my best interest. I've driven myself crazy in the past obsessing about things that aren't particularly relevant to the ever-pervasive present moment.

[Dawa Lhamo]

I'm not sure how it was with native North Americans, though, so I can't say anything about that. Perhaps their diet did have a large portion of meat. This sort of nit-picking is what you get for taking an introductory Anthropology class. Boo-urns.Some did, some didn't. The staple of the California Indians, for example, was acorns. Where I live, the last Amerindians probably ate mostly hazelnuts, and maygrass was the chief crop of the Cahokians (one of the largest ancient civilizations). However, that doesn't rule out hunting in these areas. Right next door to me is a site where the Clovis Indians were proven to have hunted mastadons, and with something as big as a mastadon, there isn't much room for another staple. And Plains Indians were known to travel nomadically with buffalo and bison. Honestly, it just depends upon the resources they had where and when they lived.

Personally, I think
Such is the story told by numerous NeoPagan authors today and despite the scrutiny with which various scholars and historians have regarded modern Witchcraft, there is a subtle and romantic truth behind the envisioned history of Witchcraft. says it all. He's not being strictly historical here, but talking about stereotypes and beliefs. Things can be true without being historically accurate. ^_^

In any case, I agree: nice article. It reads very well, and, as you admit, a bit romantic. Good job. ^_^

Tashi delek!
Dawa Lhamo