[I'm away at the Florida Pagan Gathering, and won't return to normal blogging activity until November 10th. In the meantime, I'm presenting some of my favorite posts to tide you over, consider it a "greatest hits" of The Wild Hunt. Today, I'm re-printing an interview I did with ground-breaking Pagan author and journalist Margot Adler. Done way back in 2006, it was this blog's first foray into doing regular long-form interviews with figures of note within the Pagan community, and I couldn't have been more honored than to have the subject be the author of "Drawing Down the Moon".]

The beginning of this month saw the publication of the third revised and updated edition of one the classic books on modern Paganism “Drawing Down the Moon: Witches, Druids, Goddess-Worshippers, and Other Pagans in America” by journalist Margot Adler. Originally published in 1979, “Drawing Down the Moon” was the first extensive look at the growing modern Pagan community, and has since become a touchstone for modern Pagans, academics hoping to understand our communities, and those outside our faiths curious about our motivations and worldviews. I was lucky enough to conduct a short interview with Adler via e-mail about the new edition of the book and her current views on modern Paganism.

Margot Adler

This is the third revised and updated edition of your seminal book “Drawing Down the Moon”. Do you think there will come a point where you will no longer desire to update and revise the work? Is this a life-work or do you think you’ll come to a point where the book is “finished” and you won’t feel the need to do more revisions or updates.

When I first wrote Drawing Down the Moon, I had no idea that it would become the main history of Paganism in the United States, and continue to be regarded as such a resource. The first serious revision which was done in 1985 and was published in 1986 was necessary because the movement had changed so much due to the festival phenomenon, the emergence of new groups like the radical faeries Now, it seemed necessary to revise again because the movement has probably tripled or even quadrupled in size; some festivals are huge; the movement has mainstreamed and opened itself to families and children. Also, the internet has brought huge changes to the movement. There are probably more than 5000 Pagan websites and there are people who come to Paganism completely through the internet, for good and bad. I could go on and on. So, I have no idea if this will be the last update or not. What might happen is that in a few years I will put out a new resource guide as I did in 97, with no other changes.

Despite the explosion of Pagan publishing since 1979, your work is still pretty unique. Did you expect the book to remain so important to our communities (and to outsiders looking in), and do you think with the growth of modern Paganism that such a work like “Drawing Down” would even be possible in today’s communities?

As I said, I never expected the book to have, as it were, a movement behind it to fuel its success. I do think it would be possible to do a completely new book today, but it would take even more time than my original work took, and that was three years. And remember that was the 70’s. You could actually live on a $7500 advance with a part time job. That would be impossible today. So the book could be written today, but it would be much harder to survive and do it.

One area that receives a sizeable update is reconstructionism. How have your feelings changed about religions like Asatru? Do you have much contact with other reconstructionist faiths like the Celtic, Hellenic, and Kemetic reconstructionist communities? What role do you think such movements play in the larger modern Pagan context?

My feelings have changed about Northern European Paganism, or Heathenism, including Asatru. I started with a pretty negative view about it, stressing the groups that were racist and so forth. But I have really come to see the movement as incredibly diverse, and growing! I have met Heathens from all kinds of ethnic origins, and gay Heathens. Heathenism is incredibly complex, with different strains philosophies, and shamanic practices. As for Hellenic Paganism, remember that was my first love, and is still really the deep Paganism of my heart. If Wicca hadn’t been the only thing in my back yard in 1971 and 1972, I would have ended up in a Greco-Pagan group, if such had been available. I have had very limited encounters with Kemetic groups, only a few contacts, so far.

You have listed yourself as not only a Pagan, but as a Unitarian-Universalist. Your book “Drawing Down the Moon” is listed in the Unitarian Universalist Association Ministerial Fellowship Committee Reading List (and is in fact the only book on modern Paganism in that list), and Pagan and “Earth-Centered” spiritualities make up around 20% of the UUA. What role do you see congregational religion playing in modern Paganism? Is our involvement with bodies like the UUA a positive thing? Where do you see that relationship developing?

I became a Unitarian-Universalist through the back door as it were. I was put on the board of CUUPS, the Pagan UU organization, and then from there sort of joined a church, and even was a delegate a couple of times to their General Assembly. But I am not a church goer, I may go to my local UU church a couple times a year at most. I mainly associated myself with the organization to fight for the sixth source, to have earth-based spirituality included as an important part of Unitarian-Universalism, and that fight was won. But I am not an organization type. I think having a congregational part of Paganism is mostly very good, particularly for people in small communities where Paganism is still in the closet; it provides a respectable cover for feminist spirituality, men’s spirituality, rituals, etc.

Are there trends and movements within modern Paganism that you wish you could have added to the updated edition of “Drawing Down” but couldn’t due to time or space constraints?

I think I did pretty well on some of trends, particularly on the changes in festivals which I think are huge… Some festivals are now so large, and there is so much new music and ritual, that we are fragmenting a bit which is complex. Once everyone knew the same chants, that’s impossible now. If I had had more time I would have expanded some of the sections, included more traditions and visited more festivals and groups to get a sense of what is new. And the 300 groups, festivals and newsletters in my resource guide would have been more than 600.

What are your current frustrations with the modern Paganism movement? What one piece of constructive criticism would you give our communities today? Have your frustrations changed over the last 30 years or are many of them the same?

Actually, many of my frustrations with Paganism are the same as always. Isaac Bonewits once said that the basic principles of a polytheistic outlook make certain abuses less common, but it doesn’t mean they don’t happen. I still find egos, guruism, arbitrary rules, “by the book” attitudes in a religion that is supposed to be in contrast to the religions of the book, and so forth. On the other hand, Paganism now has real leaders, people who are doing real work to heal the planet, real nature sanctuaries, seminaries, charitable organizations, and that was much less true when I started out. Also, the large Pagan organizations – places like Circle, EarthSpirit, that is something no one anticipated when all of us thought entirely of circles, covens and groves. There are now people who come into Paganism through these organizations, that is a new difference.

Which voices within modern Paganism today do you feel are shining a light towards our future? Who are we not listening to that we should?

I really don’t know how to answer this. I think we are beginning to have real elders, people who have been in this movement for 40 years, and some of them have real wisdom to impart. Then there are young people, often the third generation and second generation Pagans are a really interesting phenomenon, and some of them are dynamite!!!! I also love that there are actually books that are deeper than mine at this point…I started out when there were few books around, except for Murray, Gardner, Graves, Lethbridge, Justine Glass, and a few others. “Triumph of the Moon” is utterly brilliant! I think we have to keep true to the anti-authoritarian, pluralistic spirit at the heart of contemporary Pagansim. It is truly an antidote to the authoritarian religions of our time.

Do you think you’ll ever write another book on Paganism, or do you feel that “Drawing Down” is your definitive statement and contribution?

I might well write a totally different kind of book on Paganism. But first I have to stop being a wage slave and get my 10th grader into and through college.

Since the first edition of “Drawing Down” academic works about(and by)Pagans have expanded considerably. Do you keep up much with current scholarship within Paganism? If so, what works have impressed you?

Triumph of the Moon by Hutton, some of Chas Clifton’s works, there are many works I like that are recent, including “Witching Culture” by Magliocco and “Coming to the Edge of the Circle,” by Bado-Fralick, in fact my bibliography is about double the size it was last time. But Triumph is my favorite book.

Where do you see yourself within the world of modern Paganism? How has that conception changed since 1979? As one of the most “famous” modern Pagans, what role do you envision for yourself in the years to come?

Heavens! I don’t have a clue! I hope to keep a bit of humor and humility, and tell people that this is a hugely important movement for changing the world and ourselves but that doesn’t mean we should take ourselves overly seriously. I think some of the things I emphasize in speeches, that the sacred is in the hear and now, that you don’t have to die to “get the good stuff,” that everyone’s ancestors way, way back were Pagan, and that every person in the U.S. had their ancient traditions torn from them, whether through slavery, colonialism or by assimilation, and that it is possible to combine ecstasy and rationality, body and mind, and that reality is like a jewel, more paths mean a richer deeper reality, those are the kinds of things I have always emphasized and continue to. Other than that, I am still a minstrel, singing, chanting, doing ritual and believing in the polytheistic vision, and being involved in less magic and more earth reverence.

Previous Wild Hunt interviews: Starhawk, Gus diZerega, Jeff Sharlet, Brendan Cathbad Myers, Rita Moran, Janet Farrar and Gavin Bone, Phyllis Curott, Tim Ward, Lupa, J.C. Hallman, Margot Adler.

It just seems like yesterday that I was discussing the smear job on NPR reporter (and fellow Pagan) Margot Adler by the “liberal media bias” watchdogs at NewsBusters.

“It seems that Graham’s biggest problem with Adler is that she isn’t a conservative Christian, that an atheist was hanging around when she recorded the report, and that she didn’t talk to some conservative Christians. Oh, and she didn’t find a (Christian or conservative) protester to talk to in a completely unrelated story.”

It seems that the folks at Fox News loved that dish so much they asked for seconds!

“A pagan priestess runs into the president of the atheists in a phone booth in New York. No, it’s not a joke — it’s the start of a controversial report from National Public Radio — and your tax dollars may have paid for it. New York City officials this fall launched an art project called “Public Prayer Booth” … To cover the story, NPR sent reporter Margot Adler, a Wiccan priestess and author of two books on paganism. Lo and behold, she happened upon the president of the New York City Atheists, Ken Bronstein, an outspoken opponent of public religious displays.”

Again, note the emphasis on Adler’s religion, as if being a Pagan was a strike against her. Luckily, it seems the NPR spokesperson has got Adler’s back.

“There’s no bias in this story and to imply that there is because of a reporter’s religious beliefs is absurd,” said Anna Christopher, an NPR spokeswoman. “[Adler] spoke with several different people with several different viewpoints on the booth.”

Christopher also debunked the notion that NPR operates “on the government dime”.

“Less than two percent [of NPR's budget] comes from competitive grants from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and the National Endowment for the Arts,”

As for Adler running into the president of the New York City Atheists, it seems far more likely in New York where the “unaffiliated” outnumber the “evangelicals” by 5%. But I suppose the notion of coincidence is unthinkable for Fox News, especially when it involves a prominent Pagan running into a prominent atheist. Maybe they would have accepted it if a Catholic reporter ran into an evangelical pastor? Imagine that happening on the “government dime”!

My semi-regular round-up of articles, essays, and opinions of note for discerning Pagans and Heathens.

The right-wing site NewsBusters, who expose liberal media bias by reveling in their own conservative media bias, takes a few pot-shots at Margot Adler’s coverage of Dylan Mortimer’s Public Prayer Booths for NPR. NewsBuster Tim Graham seems particularly unhappy they sent a “pagan witch” to cover this story.

“NPR sent reporter Margot Adler – the pagan witch – to address this issue, and she just happened to stumble across the New York City Atheists as she opened the story … it’s hard for most listeners to buy the argument that Bronstein [of the New York City Atheists] “just happened to be walking by.” If Adler didn’t contact him beforehand … another reason for skepticism: Adler failed to just discover a protester in August as she delighted in a piece of public art that satirized waterboarding SpongeBob Squarepants … There’s no spokesman for “organized religion” in the prayer-as-art story…”

It seems that Graham’s biggest problem with Adler is that she isn’t a conservative Christian, that an atheist was hanging around when she recorded the report, and that she didn’t talk to some conservative Christians. Oh, and she didn’t find a (Christian or conservative) protester to talk to in a completely unrelated story. Mr. Graham obviously hasn’t done much in the way of “man on the street” reporting (too busy writing about Hillary Clinton I expect), or he would know that you take what you can get, and sometimes it isn’t completely and perfectly ideologically balanced.

The Oregonian positively reviews a new play by Marc Acito entitled “Holidazed”, a comedy that follows a normal Christian family who take in a homeless Pagan teenager.

“Susannah Mars shines at the story’s center as Julia, a typical suburban mother trying to survive a mother’s many holiday duties. This year seems like any other until she gives a bag of Halloween candy to a homeless girl. When the girl asks her name, a random act of kindness becomes a personal encounter, prompting Julia to take her home for the night … As played by Ana Reiselman, Luna makes a wonderful catalyst for change. Sassy but loving, tough but fragile, she is first and foremost a human being, deserving of love and dignity. While paganism may seem strange in a holiday play, Luna’s knowledge of it strips away the family’s illusions about where their supposedly Christian traditions began, opening their eyes to simpler truths.”

The play runs at the Artists Repertory Theatre in Portland, Oregon through December 28th. You can also read about the process of making “Holidazed” in this separate Oregonian article. If any of my readers in Portland end up going to this, please post a review!

The Scifi blog IO9 points us towards an upcoming mythical indie film about Thor’s last day on Earth.

“Don’t let the generic indie guitar music fool you, this looks like quite a little cutie. The film follows Thor, the Norse God on his last day on Earth, as he knows he must die to save the planet. On his final day the fearless warrior traverses about a little suburb meeting people and causing a chain reaction through each character.”

Pope Benedict XVI in questioning interfaith dialogue shocker!

“Pope Benedict XVI cast doubt on the possibility of interfaith dialogue but called for more discussion of the practical consequences of religious differences. The pope’s comments came in a letter he wrote to Marcello Pera, an Italian center-right politician and scholar whose forthcoming book, “Why We Must Call Ourselves Christian,” argues that Europe should stay true to its Christian roots. A central theme of Benedict’s papacy has been to focus attention on the Christian roots of an increasingly secular Europe.”

Marcello Pera, a conservative backer of Silvio Berlusconi, has long railed against post-Enlightenment attempts to “build up a society without God”. Yet, long before Europe’s “Christian heritage”, it had a vibrant pagan one. Pera and Benedict have both intimated that Western democracy can’t survive without God, but fail to mention that Western democracy wasn’t invented by the “Judeo-Christian” tradition.

In a final note, a wealthy Druid and his hereditary Witch wife, when forced to downgrade from their Weymouth mansion to a detached house in Dorchester, decided to take their megalith with them.

“The stone circle megalith was originally erected in the grounds of Abbotts Court by Burberry fashion house founder Thomas Burberry in the early 1900s. The Burtons bought the mansion in the 1980s and could not live without the monoliths when they downsized to Dorchester. Neighbours watched in bewilderment as druid John and hereditary witch Suky used a crane and a huge truck to transport the 6ft stones to their new abode. The couple – both antique dealers – aligned the stones at special points along a powerful ley line around the garden to encircle themselves with positive energy.”

Now that’s what I call landscaping!

That’s all I have for now, have a great day!

I don’t know if you had heard, but apparently there is a growing and diverse religious movement that is often labeled “Paganism”, and Halloween is, like, a major holiday for many of them. There are months here at The Wild Hunt where hunting down stories is a chore, then October rolls around and I have far too much to appropriately sum up without doing a “news of note” every other day (a prospect I don’t especially relish, I prefer the more sedate once-a-week or so schedule its been on). Let me just assure you that I’m doing my best to stay on top of things, and delivering what I think are the most interesting picks of this journalistic harvest.

Having said all that, let’s do a quick look at the flood of Halloween/Samhain stories involving Pagans. A mix of that runs from the remedial to the sublime. Featuring well-known Pagans, assorted experts and academics, and cast of unknown locals getting their first taste of press attention.

Reuters looks at a Samhain celebration in Milan, Italy, and marvels at the explosive growth of modern Paganism there.

“Organizers say numbers are elusive, but using sources like mailing lists, event registration and journal subscriptions, they place their ranks at between 2,000 and 10,000. The founder of Milan’s Circle of the Crossroads, Davide Marre, remembers when his group numbered “four cats,” an expression for virtually nobody. Six years later, he has 200 members, with conferences, study groups, a magazine, a book, even a monthly bar fest called the Witches’ Café.”

Interestingly, not a single mention of Stregheria, and one of the Pagans they do talk to seems to identify as Celtic. Is British Paganism gaining more traction in Italy than Italian-American Paganism? The piece also sources an article by Francesca Howell from The Pomegranate.

The North Wind (Northern Michigan’s student paper) covers an appearance by Pagan author and NPR journalist Margot Adler, who discusses the growth of the modern Pagan movement since the 60s and 70s.

“Adler kicked off her presentation by telling a humorous anecdote about her first visit to Michigan in the 1980s to appear on a Detroit morning show. Adler explained that she took extra care to look good for the television cameras and had cut herself shaving as she prepared for the event. At the end of the television appearence the audience was allowed to ask questions. ‘A question that came up from the audience was ‘Is that mark on your leg from some ritual?’ I had to explain that, I had just cut myself shaving while getting ready.’”

The headline proclaims that Paganism “continues to expand”, but nothing in the article follows up on that claim. Guess you have to take what you can get when dealing with student papers. The anecdote was good though.

A senior at the Pinkerton Academy has been barred from giving a planned talk on Wicca for the schools “diversity week” after complaints from parents (even though other religiously-themed talks are going forward).

“Pinkerton senior Jerica Haynes may not be able to give the presentation she prepared about the religion of Wicca during Diversity Week this year, but she is still hopeful she can dispel some myths about what it means to be a modern-day practicing witch … Robin Perrin, director of relations management for Pinkerton, said several parents called the school to complain that the presentation was inappropriate. Perrin said the issue for parents was that whole classes sign up for some Diversity Week presentations, and there was a fear that the Wicca presentation would be mandatory for students whose class signed up to attend the presentation.”

The school is currently planning to allow her to do it next week after school, after first performing her talk for a “diversity committee”. Haynes, who is a third-generation Witch, appears to be going along with this, and the school should thank its lucky stars she is. There is certainly grounds here for some sort of discrimination-based lawsuit.

Samhain is usually time for a flood of “meet the Pagans” type articles, and this year won’t disappoint. Burnaby Now interviews Jennifer Thrasher owner of Grimoire’s Books, The Spectator interviews Eau Claire resident Trae Dorn (and cites James Sharpe), The Skyline View attended a talk by Starhawk, The Jambar interviews Kyle Metzger and Torrey Derda, the Boston Phoenix interviews several Pagan students at Boston University, and The Southern Voice interviews Ken “Lord Thespis” Gunter (a member of Lady Sintana’s church).

“Wicca includes the study, respect and celebration of the ebb and flow between male and female, Gunter adds, noting the moon represents the female, while the sun represents the male. Wicca is also a matriarchal religion, where women are held typically in higher regard than male members. There is also room for transgender Wiccans, Gunter says. “We had a transgender woman as a member once and she was a priestess. She lived her life as a woman, so it was simple,” he says.”

The subtitle of this article? Why “Halloween means much more than costumes and candy” of course. If you think that was a lot of articles (and I probably didn’t get all of them), keep in mind we have another week of news stories to go before we hit October 31st.

Finally, I wanted to quickly mention two other articles you might enjoy, The Christian Post gives an unintentional guide to getting your house egged on Halloween night, and VPR marks the passing of Tom “Mr. Halloween” Fagan, founder of Rutland, Vermont’s famous annual Halloween parade, and a man who has appeared as himself in several comic books over the years.

“Tom Fagan was a reporter for the Rutland Herald when he encouraged the city’s recreation department to create the goulish celebration back in 1959. Fagan was crazy about comic books and he worked them into the parade, often dressing up as Batman. He was friends with many comic book writers and he encouraged them to come to Rutland, dress up in costume and appear with him in the parade. In the 1970s, Rutland’s Halloween parade achieved a degree of fame when it was used as the setting of a number of superhero comic books, published by both DC and Marvel. Tom Fagan was himself featured as a character in a number of these stories, usually depicted as an acquaintance of the lead character.”

He will, no doubt, be at his beloved Halloween parade in spirit.

That is all for now, have a great day!

I’ve got quick updates on two recent stories. We’ll start off in Salem…

Mainstream Acceptance in Salem: The panel discussion in Salem featuring Margot Adler and Jerrie Hildebrand is continuing to get coverage from the local papers. This time, Lisa Guerriero from the Salem Gazette reports back from the “No Place for Hate” panel, and pairs it with a recent satellite television appearance by two Salem Witches.

“What is life like for a person who considers himself or herself a witch? How do Hollywood images of witches stack up to their real-life counterparts? These are some of the questions addressed by a No Place for Hate panel in Salem last Saturday [see story, Page 1]. Similar questions were posed recently on a Dish Network TV program, “Magnificent Obsessions.” While the panel explored the beliefs and lifestyle of Wiccans and Pagans, the TV show addressed a different kind of witch. Wiccans and Pagans draw mainly from a resurrected tradition of communion with nature, whereas the Salem witches featured in “Magnificent Obsessions” focus more on psychic work and spells than Pagan traditions. They’re typically the kind of witches you see walking Salem’s streets in all black, sometimes with pointy hats.”

The two Witches featured in the television show? Christian Day and Leanne Marrama, two Witches who recently opened their own shop in Salem. Guerriero’s observation concerning a split between “Salem Witches” and “Wiccans and Pagans” is an interesting one. While Salem Witches like Day and Marrama may not be Wiccan, aren’t they Pagan? Should a shift of emphasis in style and practice remove them from the larger Pagan family? Perhaps the problem with press coverage of Witches and Pagans is that it is so polarized between sensationalism and statements of normalacy that people like Christian Day and Margot Adler start to seem from entirely different movements, instead of part of a larger religious continuum.

First Shot Fired in British Psychic Wars: Since I first reported on it earlier this month, the controversy over Britain adopting EU reforms on psychic services and mediumship has grown. Today the Independent, the BBC, and the Telegraph all report on a protest organized by the Spiritual Workers Association in opposition to the new legislation.

“Today, representatives of British mediums will march up Downing Street to deliver a petition containing some 10,000 signatories demanding that the Government change its decision to repeal the 1951 Fraudulent Mediums Act in favour of a new EU directive … The SWA complains that the 1951 law, which replaced the 1735 Witchcraft Act, guarantees “genuine” mediums legal protection, penalising only those who seek to hoodwink the public. However, by treating spiritualism as merely a consumer service, mediums believe they risk being sued if customers are dissatisfied with advice brought from the other side – advice they say they always point out should always be treated with care. The solution to the present impasse, according to lawyers advising the crystal-ball fraternity, is via the prosaic expedient of a pre-consultation disclaimer, describing any dialogue with the deceased in terms of either entertainment or scientific experiment. It does not sit comfortably with purist believers.”

Meanwhile, the Spiritualists’ National Union, the largest UK Spiritualists organization, is supporting the law. Expressing confidence that it will only harm con-artists and not divinations or mediumship performed in a religious context. Despite the protest and the petition, all signs point to these new regulations being passed. So we’ll have to wait and see if it only harms con-men, or if it will be used as a cudgel by crusading skeptics or oppositional religious groups (a possibility acknowledged by EU regulations supporter Susie Collings, of the College of Psychic Studies).

A few days ago I mentioned a panel discussion on Wicca, Witchcraft, and Paganism taking place in Salem that featured author/journalist Margot Adler and Pagan activist Jerrie Hildebrand. Today, The Salem News reports back on the event, and paints a portrait of increasing mainstream acceptance.

“Witches get more respect than they used to here in the Witch City. That was a recurring theme among about 40 witches, pagans and Wiccans at a city-sponsored forum held Saturday night to educate the public and challenge stereotypes about their religion. Salem resident Mike Gleason said local witches are no longer shunned or feared. During Halloween, little kids ran up to him to ask questions. Ten years ago they cowered behind their parents … Throughout the evening, the panelists described a mainstreaming of their religion that they never dreamed possible.”

What else did the reporter (and us through reading her story) learn? Well, for one, some Witches are uneasy with the mainstreaming of their faith traditions.

“Nial Hartnett, a witch who lives in Danvers, wondered if this growing acceptance is a good thing. ‘You have mentioned the word ‘mainstreaming’ several times. I wonder if we are in danger of losing who we really are, the mystery and the magic,’ he said. ‘Maybe we don’t want to be like everyone else.’ But Hildebrand insisted that the freedoms gained to practice their religion will be lost unless they work within some official structures, like the federal government.”

Adler admitted that the community isn’t as “edgy” now, as it was when she got involved. Speaking of “edgy”, we also learned that an unnamed freelance writer for Modern Witch magazine thinks Witchcraft is a race.

“A freelance writer with Modern Witch magazine wanted to know if either woman thought it was racist to put a broom-riding witch logo on city police cruisers.”

The general consensus seemed to point to the witch logo, instead of being a point of contention, is actually pretty cool (something of a sea-change from the early days when an assortment of Wiccan crusaders sought to stamp out the Halloween witch). Hildebrand also spoke highly of the local high school team being “the Witches” (would that be the “Fighting Witches” or the “Hexing Witches” I wonder).

Another big topic was Wicca and Witchcraft in Salem, where things are good, but not without repercussions.

“In Salem, the city has benefited from a witch-friendly mayor, Hildebrand said. Recently, Hildebrand wrote a short piece about the modern-day witch that was included in the city’s official tourism guide for the first time. In a further sign of her religion’s growing legitimacy, Hildebrand serves as the first Wiccan chaplain for the state Department of Correction … Here in Salem there’s more tolerance, but also a higher standard placed on witches, Hildebrand said. She said she would be reluctant to report a hate crime, not out of fear, but because she would worry that the media would sensationalize the case, and witches around the country would be harmed. “It’s embarrassing sometimes when I have to listen to what other people think a Salem witch is,” she said.”

You have to wonder if Hildebrand was thinking of the recent Salem “psychic wars” when she formulated her response. Like it or not, when people think “real live Witches”, they think of Salem. While sensationalist press coverage is always a problem, I’m not sure that refusing to report a hate crime would be a good response. Justice should always be served, even if it comes with the occasional embarrassing media interview.

On the whole, the event seemed very positive and productive. The real challenge now is to work towards having such consciousness-raising events outside places with Pagan-friendly politicians and large active communities, and into the places where education is desperately needed. Perhaps someday soon we’ll see a Pagan-focused barnstorming tour across the country, visiting places where Pagans don’t dare come out of the closet. Until then, this panel discussion is a great first step. Congratulations to the organizers and participants.

The Salem Gazette published three Wicca/Witchcraft related stories yesterday, each one revealing different aspects of the practice of Witchcraft in the “Witch City” of Salem, and the different ways that modern Paganism enters the mainstream. The first article concerns a panel discussion taking place tomorrow featuring author/journalist Margot Adler and Pagan activist Jerrie Hildebrand.

“The city of Salem’s No Place for Hate Committee will host a panel discussion on April 12 that will focus on practices within the Wiccan faith and the everyday lifestyles of those practicing paganism. The objective of the event is to inform those in attendance about the religion, lifestyle and culture of those who practice Wicca while also touching on the history and its distinction within the Salem community.”

The talk will be opened by Mayor Kimberley Driscoll, a politician who has enjoyed support from the local Pagan community since she first ran for the office. The event is free and open to the public, and will be held Saturday, April 12 at 7 p.m. on the second floor of Old Town Hall, Derby Square.

The second story concerns the opening of a new Witch-themed shop called “Hex”. The store, co-run by Leanne Marrama and Salem impresario Christian Day, promises an “old-world folk magic” feel and approach.

Christian Day and Leanne Marrama

The ornately designed store is just the latest project from Christian Day, who has become a commercial force to be reckoned with in Salem. Running a tarot consultancy service, a psychic consultancy service, and a popular Salem festival.

The third and final story is a profile of Lori Bruno, a Strega Witch and folk-magic practitioner, who will be offering her services at Christian Day’s new Hex store.

“At 68, Lori Bruno considers herself a kind of real-life version of the storybook witch strega nona. Upon meeting you for the first time she just might call you little cucinella and invite you over for a cup of tea. She smells of warm clothes that just got out of the dryer, has long dyed black hair tied in a loose knot and wears 13 gold rings on her fingers. From her ears dangle gold ankhs and peace signs. Around her neck hangs an Egyptian scarab beetle. And above her kitchen sink, beside the coffee maker, hangs a large stone pentacle. Bruno comes from a long line of streghe, or Italian witches. Growing up in Brooklyn, her mother, a southern-born Italian, would give psychic readings to her Jewish and Irish neighbors, reading tarot cards or using a glass of water like a crystal ball to tell the future.”

These three stories help illustrate the ways that modern Paganism is slowly entering the mainstream. Through activism and education, through commercial ventures and public events, and through sympathetic journalistic profiles. Modern Paganism has utilized these three overlapping factors to slowly inch us towards acceptance since our emergence. Salem, with its large Pagan population (and Pagan tourist trade), represents a “perfect storm” of these elements.

In addition, the stories show how Witchcraft in Salem encompasses everything from the salacious to the sedate. You have practitioners in pointy hats and yards of black fabric wielding wands and brooms, and you have the more reserved wardrobes and methods of the Witches engaging in discussion with academics and politicians. Both serve a clearly defined purpose inside and outside our communities, and both are equally a part of the modern Pagan movement.

Nevada Public Radio KNPR has posted an interview with modern Pagans Margot Adler, NPR reporter and author of “Drawing Down the Moon”, and Candace Kant, professor of history at the College of Southern Nevada, talking about modern Paganism and Wicca.

“NPR’s Margot Adler and CSN Professor Candace Kant join us to discuss paganism and the Wiccan culture in this region. That’s Tuesday at 9 am and 7 pm on KNPR’s State of Nevada, News 88.9, KNPR.”

You can download the show, here. Topics include how Paganism spreads, what modern Pagans believe, and the mainstreaming of Pagan faiths. For more from Margot Adler, check out my interview with her from last year.

Yesterday on NPR, Margot Adler interviewed Susan Cooper about the upcoming movie adaptation of her classic Newbery Medal-winning book “The Dark is Rising”. As you listen to the audio, some portions are almost heartbreaking as you hear Cooper talk about the extreme changes that have been made to the book.

“Cooper has written many screenplays herself, and she hastens to say she hasn’t seen the film yet. She has only seen the trailer and read the screenplay. “You do have to do violence to a book to make it into a screenplay – the two mediums are so different,” Cooper says. “But the alteration is so enormous in this case. It is just different.” … Cooper is waiting for the movie, but with a certain sadness. She says she sent a letter requesting changes to the film’s script, but she’s not sure any alterations were made.”

In a separate essay posted to NPR, Alison MacAdam, a producer with “All Things Considered”, fears that the movie is so different that it won’t encourage children to read the source material.

“Sure, I hope the movie will lead new readers to Cooper’s books. But I fear an opposite scenario: that it will be so unrecognizable from the original story that it won’t drive kids to Cooper’s novels; it will replace the novels. As if to confirm my fears, I got word one week – one week! – before the film’s release on Oct. 5 that its name had been changed. Not that the strangely-punctuated The Seeker: The Dark Is Rising had struck me as a winner, but now the filmmakers have erased The Dark Is Rising altogether: The film will hit theaters as simply The Seeker.”

Also worrisome is the fact that the movie hasn’t been screened for critics yet, even though the film opens in three days. Usually when a smaller film like “The Seeker” cancels advance screenings, it is to avoid bad reviews on opening weekend. Perhaps Walden Media is hoping their core audience of parents and children will trust they are getting a good, safe, family film and will care little about how true to the books the film is.

At this point I hold out little hope that the original spirit of the work has been preserved. It is obvious that anything that was too “difficult”, or embraced themes that weren’t Christian, have been sanitized from the film. So even though “The Dark is Rising” is one of my favorite young-adult novels, I can’t in good conscience recommend seeing it. I suppose that is the end-result when you have a conservative-Christian director and a conservative-Christian owned movie studio get together to film a book chock-full of mythic and pre-Christian themes.

New York public radio station WNYC has a program called “Radio Rookies” that trains teens from a variety of backgrounds on how to use the radio to tell their stories, and the stories of others. Yesterday’s “Radio Rookie” broadcast was by Sonia Ponce, a child of Mexican immigrants who has bucked her family’s religious traditions and now considers herself a “witchcraft-practicing atheist”.

“We are from Mexico, and we were all raised as Catholics-mom, dad and all 13 kids. I’m the only witchcraft-practicing atheist … So I’m the weirdo’ in my family-all 14 of them are like geese together flying in a V. I’m the only one going my own way, and I’ve flown on a lot of different paths: vegetarian, agnostic, atheist, witch, wizard, anorexic, bisexual, lesbian, vegan, activist, honors student and head banger! But my parents refuse to hear about it. Maybe they would understand me better if we had the same education and culture.”

Ponce, in addition to telling her story and interviewing her family, also talks to NPR reporter and Pagan author Margot Adler about practicing Witchcraft.

“One problem as someone involved in Wicca or paganism is that there are a number of people who think you are involved in Satanism. You got a real problem when you meet people and you got to do the whole anti-satanic rap.”

Ponce talks about how she returned to her family after running away due to their disagreements about lifestyle and religion, and how they are all learning to respect each other.

“While my mom was cleaning up she said everything has been going well … But don’t get me wrong, I still believe there is no God, and that evolution made us who we are. But more and more, my parents and I are agreeing to disagree. My mom doesn’t call me a devil worshiper any more, instead she calls me Brujita, little witch. And I’m thinking about getting a tattoo of my mother’s name-Isidra — with a cross and rosary beads in the background. Just to show everybody that I love her, and respect her religion and beliefs.”

You can listen to the entire program at the page, or download an Mp3 of the segment. I think it is an interesting look into how different cultures mesh and combine. Specifically how two ideas of “witchcraft” morph into something new and different. Good on WNYC for allowing teens the opportunity to this training, and to let their voices be heard.