Posts Tagged ‘Wicca’

  Over the past week, millions of Potter fans bravely bid farewell to the final film of one of the most-record breaking franchises ever created. The new greatest story ever told, the legend of Harry Potter touched the world: defying age-barriers, nationalities, and religious conventions (Beach & Wilner 2002; Black 2003; Radigan 2001). It encouraged generations of children believed lost to the digital age to pick up books and read again. It encouraged them to use their imagination and believe in something more than the mundane. And most importantly in the context of this discussion, it challenged the world’s preconception of magick and magickal societies: evoking an unprecedented era of awareness and tolerance for occult paths.

  You may not have even realized that such a quiet revolution occurred, or even how extremely significant it is from an anthropological perspective. Yes, the past century has been a springboard for magickal faiths to take root, but never have magickal communities been as mainstream as they are at the moment. Numerous other supernatural pop culture venues from the classics like So I Married a Witch, Bewitched, and Bell Book and Candle to the more recent Charmed, laid significant groundwork for magickal tolerance. But it was Harry Potter who dashed boldly down the path they had laid out, entertainingly making the masses positively aware of the magickal cultures which have hitherto fore had to lurk in the shadows of typical every day society.

  Centuries ago, the word ‘witch’ was a condemnation. Twenty years ago, claiming the title ‘witch’ would still have the neighbors worried. But in the present day, the word ‘witch’ conjures up a multitude of more pleasant images and associations to the everyday laymen than ever before. And much of this shift is due to the ever-present popularity and acceptance of Harry Potter. Magickal terminology, once only known to those few in the world population engaged in occult studies is now commonplace. Again, courtesy in large part to Harry Potter ~whose familiar use of words like ‘charm,’ ‘divination,’ and ‘griffin’ (to name just a few) has increased the vocabulary of millions. Children grow up appreciating the idea of magick and the possibility of sorcery, rather than fearing it. They come to learn of the balance between light and dark not from dogmatic condemnations of the church, but from the saga of Harry. Children no longer dress as the witch- hag as a scary Halloween costume. Instead they dress as witch scholars: as students of the magickal school Hogwarts ~hoping to be trained in the magickal arts. Indeed, Harry Potter has encouraged not just positive awareness of the occult, but positive awareness of learning in general (Beaton 2006).

  No, admittedly Harry Potter has not accurately explored the magickal world of real-life Witches, Wiccans, Druids, or Neo-Pagans and their brethren. But the mythical magickal world it did explore provided a safe fantasy backdrop for mankind to begin to understand the purpose and functions of magick. Or at least to start believing in it, outside of the realm of superstition which has plagued the occult arts for millennia. Indeed those instances of right-wing disapproval from Christian conservatives and Muslim states ultimately only validated the idea of a belief in magick. For it was the type of sorcery practiced in the pages of Harry Potter, not the existence of magick itself which was at the heart of the majority of these debates (DeMitchell & Carney 2005; Hill 1999; Hill 2001; Kruk 2005). Harry Potter ushered in a new, more open age of man and womankind. One where the mysterious ‘other’ which magick has long represented is not feared and hidden away or dismissed as unbelievable, but is instead something in the public eye and which is accepted by all but the remaining, and ever decreasing number of conservative groups who ignorantly equate magickal practice with devil-worship.

  The shifting morals and scientific explorations of our time allow for tolerant investigation into questions of the mind, physics, and the natural world which have long been relegated to the realm of myth and defined as magick. Science, by any other name, is magick that has been more thoroughly explored than ever before (indeed, this was a much emphasized facet of the other magickal blockbuster of this summer: Paramount’s Thor). As we learned last week in Witches of Antiquity: The Magick of Alchemy ~ the initial Scientific Revolution was the result of magickal investigation and the two are intrinsically tied together. The only thing that has changed is the understanding of the terminology: which skeptically divided science from magick as it attempted to commonsensically divorce science from religion.

  The word ‘witch,’ too, has come a long way and meant many things throughout its usage. But with the worldwide familiarity of Harry Potter and the general acceptance for the witchcraft practiced therein, ‘Witch’ is no longer a word associated with fear and loathing. Now is a remarkable time to claim the title of witch, for it is the first in which it is culturally accepted and encouraged. And while some may worry that such openness may be dangerous to their craft, consider this: Harry Potter stringently emphasizes the idea of a magickal education before one can practice magick. It urges against the uninitiated blundering in or anyone ever taking up the Dark Arts. J.K. Rowling subtly points out that knowledge is power ~ Hermione (pictured at left) is proof positive of this ~ and is necessary before one delves deeper into magickal endeavors. And so while perhaps mainstream magick may mean that there are many more practitioners, they have already been cautioned via Harry Potter against ignorant use of magick; of following the darker paths; and they have been instructed to learn as much as they can. And really, are these not among some of the best tips which can be given to beginner witches?

Do you feel that Harry Potter positively or negatively impacted the real magickal community?

Are you a Potter fan? How do you feel about the new, latest and last movie in the saga?

Partial Bibliography

Beach, S.A. and Willner, E.H., 2002. The Power of Harry Potter: the Impact of J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter Books on Young Readers. World Literature Today. 76(1), 102-106.

Beaton, T., 2006. Taking Time: Harry Potter as a Context for Interdisciplinary Studies. The English Journal 95(3), 100-103.

Black, S., 2003. Harry Potter: A Prescription for just about Anyone. Journal of Adult and Adolescent Literacy 46(7), 540-544.

Carney, J.J. and DeMitchell, T.A. 2005. Harry Potter and the Public Library. Phi Delta Kappan 87(2).

Hill, R., 2001. Potter’s Darker Side. Fortnight. 401, 22-23.

Hill, N., 1999. Harry Potter and Other Evils, or How to Read from the Right. The Personalist Forum 15(2), 413-423.

Kruk, R., 2005. Harry Potter in the Gulf: Contemporary Islam and the Occult. British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies. 32(1), 47-73.

Radigan, W.M., 2001. Connecting the Generations: Memory, Magic, and Harry Potter. Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, 44(8).

Next in out series of interviews is the very prolific author, Judika Illes! In today’s interview, Judika talks about her love of magic, her many books and her diverse background.

Bernadette:
We would love to hear a little bit about your background Judika!  Many of your books deal with magic from many different backgrounds and cultures, so I’d love to hear about your background and influences!

Judika:
Well, I’m from Queens, one of New York City’s outer boroughs, which partially explains my comfort and familiarity with different cultures. Queens is reputedly the most ethnically-diverse place on Earth. I come from a fairly international family—I have relatives all over the place. I was the first person in my family to be born in the United States. I grew up with people from lots of different backgrounds, cultures, religions, and spiritual traditions, so I was raised to be tolerant and not make assumptions about people.
I think that personally I am a fairly good example of an urban magical practitioner. Magical practitioners from major urban centers like New York are constantly learning from each other, trading and sharing information, and evolving new traditions. The traditions I learned at home were mainly Central and Eastern European, but I was also heavily influenced by people who taught me African-American, Latin-American, Caribbean, North African, and East Asian traditions. Other influences on me include the great occult stores that flourished in New York City during my youth, before rising rents drove them out of business—great stores like Samuel Weiser’s Books and Magickal Childe, and all the botanicas and wonderful herb stores like Aphrodisia, which just closed recently. Growing up, there was also an unofficial but strong and distinct local New York style of magic, mainly an amalgamation of Western occultism and Puerto Rican traditions, especially Espiritismo—I’m very much a product of my background.

Bernadette:

Tell us about what inspires you to write Judika.  Your books are great sources of information for anyone interested in metaphysics.  How do you go about compiling and researching all information that needed to complete the books that you write?

Judika:

What inspires me to write is my love for my topics. I am so blessed and privileged to be able to write about subjects I love, like spells and witchcraft, saints and spirits. I enjoy the researching process- that part is fun and I would do it for myself, whether I was published or not.
Writing itself is difficult, but I feel an obligation to my material, to preserve it and also to present it in the clearest possible way, so that readers can share in my passions. I love divination, for instance, and I want other people to love it, too. My motivations aren’t entirely unselfish—I think that there’s greater safety for my community of magical practitioners and fortune-tellers if the greater public really understands what it is that we do. Historically, it has been dangerous to practice these arts, as it still is in some places today. I hope that my writing helps dispel fear and misinformation.
My research derives from a combination of personal exploration, learning from books and learning from other people. By nature, I’m a fairly shy person, but I’m a fearless researcher. I contact perfect strangers, if I perceive that they have information needed for one of my books or if I need someone to teach me something or explain something to me—I’ve made some wonderful friends this way.

Bernadette:

Do you have “other” interests or hobbies?

Judika:

Oh, yeah, lots—although whether I have time to devote to them depends on my writing schedule. I love beading and cooking. I read a lot just for my own pleasure: history, mysteries, comic books, art books. I love music. I like to watch movies. I tend to accumulate stuff- I’m an avid collector, especially of witchcraft-themed items like postcards and dolls. I love traveling. Given the opportunity, I’d do all my own field research, if I could.

Bernadette:

What’s in the future for Judika?  What projects do you have coming up?

Judika:

My next book, The Encyclopedia of Mystics, Saint, and Sages will be published in November 2011. It’s another thousand-page encyclopedia, this one exploring saints, holy people, and miracle-workers from many spiritual traditions. It’s a practical work, similar to my Encyclopedia of Spirits, containing information regarding how to venerate and communicate with a wide variety of saints, as well as information on how to determine which saints are most compatible with you and helpful for your own particular problems and issues. I’m also in the process of updating my website and, hopefully, doing some more teaching. Having spent much of the last ten years alone in a room writing, I really appreciate opportunities for personal contact. I have some new classes in the works that I’m very excited about.

Bernadette:

Is there a book that you would like to write, but haven’t done so yet?

Judika:

I would actually like to write some fiction someday—I have a few novels turning around in my head that haven’t made it onto paper yet. I also have several half-completed books. The Encyclopedia of Spirits was initially going to incorporate saints and angels alongside Pagan spirits but the manuscript grew too big. The easiest way to trim it was to delete these categories with the hope that someday they would have their own books. The Encyclopedia of Mystics, Saints, and Sages will be published in November and hopefully the angels will one day have their own encyclopedia, too.
I began my writing career with a large work on fertility that remains unpublished. That manuscript contains a chapter of magic spells. A publisher rejected the book, but liked that chapter, which evolved into my first published work, Pure Magic: A Complete Course in Spellcasting. I would very much like to eventually publish my fertility book.

Bernadette:

I wanted to let people know about your musical background..can you tell us a little about that?

Judika:

I know that’s something we share, Bernadette! My first true loves were music, magic spells, and divination and they remain so today. Some of my earliest memories involve listening to music on the radio and eventually I became a disc jockey. I started off hosting a blues show, but also did standard rock programs and would sometimes fill in for the country and jazz hosts. My taste is eclectic. As with the magical arts, I love and appreciate many styles of music. I was the first female music director of WRSU-FM, the radio station affiliated with Rutgers University. In terms of the craft of writing, the writers who have influenced me the most are the music journalists of the ‘70s, who wrote with clarity and humor and were not afraid to wear their passions on their respective sleeves. When I was eighteen, my career plans involved these musically-oriented paths, but free-form radio was in its death-throes, as was that sort of music journalism, so I ended up on different paths, although, who knows? Radio has evolved and I may return to it someday. The urge to share music with other people spills out of me on facebook, where I’m constantly posting music news and sharing youtube videos.

Bernadette:

How do you feel about the pagan community today?

Judika:

I try to approach people as individuals, regardless of their background. I think that we are blessed to live in a spiritual renaissance and that we should be ever-vigilant to preserve hard-won liberties. I think that it’s crucial that we cultivate tolerance for each other.

Bernadette:

Any advice for aspiring pagan writers?
Judika:

People are constantly writing to me, telling me what book they think I should write next—sometimes describing these books in great detail. And what I always tell them is that if you can “see” a book that doesn’t yet exist, then maybe you’re meant to be the one that writes it. That’s how I began my career—I perceived a need for a book and I could “see” the book that would fulfill that need. If you can see it, then you can write it. This is a good time for spiritual publishing, so don’t wait. If you have a book in your head, put it down on paper. Just write it— it’s easier to fix or embellish something that already exists, rather than agonize over words in your head. My other word of advice is to consider the format in which you would like to present your work. If you hope to actually publish something in book form—whether in a traditional book or an e-book—then don’t post too much of the actual work on the internet: save it for the book itself.

This interview was such a pleasure to do!  Judika’s books have become the”mainstay” of anyone who is interested in the study of spells and magic.  I refer to her books on a daily basis!

Here are just some of her many books:

http://www.judikaIlles.com

We now continue with our series of interviews with noted author Christopher Penczak!

Bernadette:

Many of the celebrations of the Wheel of the Year were originally created and celebrated by a culture that were no longer a hunter-gatherer society but were an agricultural society.
Many of us today are not following an agricultural lifestyle, though we receive the benefits of such.

Does this cultural change of today’s times warrant today’s pagans to reassess our magical celebrations?

Christopher:

While we’re not involved in an agricultural lifestyle, one could argue in terms of food, we still an agricultural society. Even when you don’t live on a farm, the markers of the season are important touchstones to the cycle of life in the course of a single year. The outer signs, such as the first flowers, the changing of the leaves or the rise and fall in sunlight indicate tides of life force that flow in our world, and its important as magickal people to be in touch with those tides. They influence our health, mood and magick. I think they are particularly important for those of us who are not living on a farm, to keep in touch with the lifetides that feed and support us.

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Lets take a look at today’s card-The World:

We see a woman who is surrounded by a wreath made of Laurel which is a symbol of protection, peace and purification. Her legs are crossed which represents overcoming obstacles (the crossroads). The figures in the four corners of The World card represent the four fixed signs of the zodiac, Leo, Taurus, Scorpio and Aquarius. This is symbolic of all the stars coming into alignment for me. Today, my focus should be on world issues or world events, encounters, and gatherings; travel, change, or physical concerns; organizations, risks, and new opportunities; but also any restrictions, walls, or blocks that I may have.
Eventually I’ll surmount any limitations or obstacles that I may have and come out on top. It’s time to realize what my goals really are and to start to count my blessings.  My obsession (or preoccupation) with the past is hindering my ability to see what is really going on, but no matter how bound you’re feeling now, you can still break free. Things can change for me. Lessons of the past should help me- NOT hinder me, if I have learned my lesson well!

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Let’s take a look at today’s tarot card-The Tower. I am using the Rider-Waite/Smith deck today. There is a tower that is being struck by lightning from above. Flames are shooting out from the top of the tower as well as coming out from it’s windows. There are two people falling down from the tower with a look of fright on their faces. At the very top of this card, there is a crown that looks as if the lightning bolt knocked it off the tower and is in the process of falling down.

How does this card apply to me today? What can I learn from it’s messages?

I look at the bolt of lightning, and I think “ego”. Sometimes ones ego needs to be knocked down a notch or two. Lets look at the fire that is so prevalent in this card. Fire is about transformation and cleansing. When a forest burns down, the growth is cleared away for new growth! What needs to cleared out of your life? What changes do you need to make now, not later?

Maybe your in a relationship that really needs to end now. Is it really fulfilling to you?  Do you find that you or your partner tend to be volatile?  Do you tend to argue all the time?

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