|
Letters
Networking
Coven of the Two Lands is a newly formed Wiccan Coven in the suburban Philadelphia area. We are a group of Solitary Witches who join together to celebrate the Sabbats and other special occasions. Our rituals, which honor both the Goddess and the God, are somewhat eclectic, with a special emphasis on Egypt, Tarot, herbalism, crystals, scholarship, ecospiritualism, etc. For further information, please contact:
Coven of the Two Lands
PO Box 144
Fairless Hills, PA 19030
Wiccan Research
My name is Stephanie Wardwell and I am a graduate student in the Department of Folklore and Folklife at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. I am also an eclectic Wiccan, and have been practicing for about two years. These two points in my life have come together in the formation of my dissertation topic, tentatively titled, Contemporary Neo-Paganism: Modern Ritual and Ancient Roots. I am just now beginning to set up my research proposal, and am hoping that you and your network may be able to help me.
One of my goals in this project is to examine modern Pagan celebrations, including legends and stories about particular Sabbats and the rituals that go along with them. There seems to be very little written material on this subject for me to work with, and what is written does little to clarify why each celebration is important and what the relevant symbolism is for each. This is where I hope that you may be able to assist.
I am asking for people to send me stories, legends and rituals that they know and use in the annual celebration of the quarters and cross-quarters. I am only looking at Sabbats at this point and not the Esbats. Submissions could include ancient legends collected for ritual use, stories people have written for themselves, rituals they use to honor the relevant deities, songs and poetry created for the occasion, etc. I am also interested in the process of ritual construction. Entries of that sort would include an explanation of the defining process of major elements on the ritual, the significance of the tools and chants chosen, and anything else the priest/ess sees as important to the particular ritual. (I will accept all entries in either handwritten form or on computer disk (either 5.25 of 3.5, using Wordperfect, Wordstar 3.3 or Multimate II)). All entries should list whether the informants wrote the work themselves, or if the work was passed on to them and by whom. I also need the informant's name, address, occupation and philosophical alignment for possible follow-up. If they do not wish their names used, I can use their craft names, or make up names to be used. However, I do need their real names for the purpose of non-threatening follow-up. It's more discreet to write to Joe Smith than to Mordecai Thunderstroke! I am also willing to accept celebratory art, preferably with an explanation of the symbolism important to the informant and where the work was obtained. All entries can be sent to:
Stephanie Wardwell
c/o Dept. of Folklore and Folklife
415 Logan Hall
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA 19104-6304
Gads! This is just the thing I'm always begging for (though for less academic reasons). If you'd like to participate in Stephanie's research, but are a little leery, you can leave a name (not necessarily your own) and number for her at the Folk Dept. (215 898-7352). She will call you back and discuss with you any problems or questions you have. If you're willing to see any of your original work in print, we'd also be very interested!
The Hazards of Wax
In my candleburning, I prefer to use taper candles. The problem is while I prefer to let them extinguish naturally, this results in 1) a pool of wax on whatever surface I'm working on, and 2) cracked or burned holders. Is there any way to prevent the holders form cracking or a special type of holder that can be used safely? I've considered onyx or metal, since I know wood, glass and ceramic are all out. I know some people would say silver—ever price a half dozen silver candlesticks?
S.H.
Fairless Hills, PA
I've never had any problem with metal cup-type holders (when they didn't leak the liquid wax). Anything else presents potential problems under these circumstances. You should be able to find brass holders, or dirt-cheap cast iron or sheet metal holders. Check to see how they are mounted—for instance, if they are held on with a screw through the bottom, or badly soldered, they will probably leak big-time.
You should also be able to find dripless candles. If you buy the 19 tapers at the local Pic-n-Save, you can expect congealed lakes of paraffin. But if your (relatively) expensive dripless candles do this, you will at least have the satisfaction of complaining at someone.
Remember to be very careful burning unattended candles! Leave them somewhere that they cannot start a fire even if there's an earthquake or the cat gets to them (like in the tub).
If anyone has any suggestions on this, please write in.
Here Comes the Judge
Dear Judge Viewer:
Thank you for your recent letter regarding The Judge. Your viewership and comments are greatly appreciated.
Many thanks for your support!
Sincerely,
THE JUDGE
Viewer Request Department
What is this? A response to some uninspired fan mail? Not hardly. This was the response I got to the following letter:
Genesis Entertainment
3050 Agoura Rd. #200
Agoura Hills, CA 91301
Dear Genesis,
I have enjoyed your syndicated series The Judge for many months. I have a problem, though, that I hope you will help me with. A subscriber to our magazine, New Moon Rising, called me to tell me of an episode (#1643) dealing with Witchcraft and child abuse. According to her, it left the viewer with the impression that Witches all worship the Devil and are universally negative. This is a common misunderstanding. Informant's, Witches are members of modern versions of various pre-Christian matrifocal nature religions. They do not believe in, much less worship, the Devil, and their philosophy is positive. Unfortunately, they do not receive the media attention that devil worshipers do. It is easier and more lucrative for the media to adopt the accepted disinformation dating from the Middle Ages.
I have included a draft copy of a flier on the subject which I put together in response to some inaccurate information that was in circulation locally. (I do not presently have and production copies available, but the text is identical). I hope you will agree that it is important not to support the wide misconception that Witches are evil Devil worshipers. Such ideas lead to brutal prejudice. The woman who called me was very worried about her family's safety.
I hope that you will be able to direct me to someone in a position of sufficient responsibility to address the problem this episode presents. Ideally, I would like to see it removed from distribution; but I recognize that, economically, this may be an unfair request. However, at the very least, I think that the show requires an obvious disclaimer. I would like to discuss this necessity and how best to address it.
Since I have not seen the episode myself, my knowledge of it is only hearsay. I hope it is possible for me to get a copy or a transcript of episode #1643. Please let me know.
I recognize that, because so few are aware of what Witchcraft really is and how popular it is, I may seem like a crackpot. I hope you will take me seriously, though, because this is a serious subject and a serious problem. Please at least take the time to respond so that we can begin a dialog. I have included a self-addressed, stamped envelope for your convenience.
Thank you very much for your time.
If I'd known how little time that would be, I would not have thanked them very much at all. It looks like they are not going to be very helpful. The problem is that mass media are the targets for every crackpot with a stamp. An individual has little chance of catching their attention no matter what his message. They pay attention to numbers, because that affects them in bank balance. What I would like to do is call for a letter writing campaign (which has been effective with Knott's Berry Farm, for instance). Unfortunately, I don't feel I can do that without firsthand knowledge of the episode. So now I'm looking for a tape or a transcript of that episode. If anyone can provide me with one, I would be very grateful.
Pagan Conscientious Objection
One does not have to be a Quaker to be a C.O. According to literature sent me by the Central Committee for Conscientious Objectors, more than 230 religious organizations had members who were granted C.O. status during World War II. A CCCO pamphlet titled Saying No to War states, According to the Supreme court, you need to have a sincere and meaningful belief that occupies a place in your life, like that of a more traditional religion. The law makes no distinction among religious, moral and ethical beliefs.
The pamphlet also states that, practically all religious groups recognize and support conscientious objectors. For a Pagan boy or teen, what kind of support is there? More specifically, what Pagan religious organizations would be willing to accept the preprinted postcard supplied by CCCO intended to be sent to one's religious group to help document CO status. (The card has two sections, one to be sent to the CCCO and the other for the religious group. The card isn't mandatory for establishing CO status, but every bit of documentation of opposition to war is helpful to a young man facing the draft board.)
One organization, the Draocht Fein: A Druid Fellowship, will accept the postcard for ADF members only.
For witches, the Covenant of the Goddess has a policy back to 1985 of accepting the CO card for members and non-members of CoG.
There is also a newly formed group in the San Francisco Bay area called, The Pagan Committee for Conscientious Objection, which is co-chaired by Richard Christopher, and experienced draft counselor.
Richard has some specific advice for young men who are, or think they may be, conscientious objectors. When collecting a portfolio of documentation to present to the draft board, he said it's important to show a consistent train of thought going back as long as possible. Keep a diary specific to issues around war, peace, death and destruction. He recommended that young men write a statement describing how they feel. He said that the youngest CO he had ever known was a 14-year-old during the Vietnam War era, and that it was definitely appropriate for a 15- or 16-year-old to begin compiling a record.
Richard also said that the CO committee wants input from as many people as possible on a religious statement they are drafting on Pagan conscientious objection. The committee also hopes to have as many Pagan organizations as possible endorse this statement. He also noted that the committee is working with the West Coast branch of the CCCO to train Pagan clergy as draft counselors.
A few ideas as to why Pagans may take a theo/logical stance against the war are: the damage warfare does to the living body of the Mother Earth; the common Pagan belief in the immanence of divinity in every person, which makes killing another person deacide; and, of course, the Wiccan Rede. Harm none seems to me to be pretty clear-cut.
For youngsters grappling with these issues, a particularly powerful piece of literature is a comic book published by the CCCO called, Real War Stories. This comic book tells the stories of real men and women in the military, and does so in a professional manner that will hold the interest of even the most sophisticated youth. It costs $2 if you should decide to write to the CCCO.
CCCO/ Agency for Military & Draft Counseling
2208 South St.
Philadelphia, PA 19146
CCCOWestern Region
P.O. Box 42249
San Francisco, CA 94142
Founded in 1948 as the Central Committee for Conscientious Objectors, CCCO is a nonprofit, non-governmental organization that aids individuals with matters of conscience, war and militarism.
CoG/ Covenant of the Goddess
Box 1226
Berkeley, CA 94704
Pagan Committee for Conscientious Objection c/o Ancient Ways
4075 Telegraph Ave.
Oakland, CA 94606
Nan Kates, coordinator
NYC Pagan Parents Network
P.O. Box 834
New York, NY 101895 | 
