Wiccan Priestess to Give Invocation Before Iowa Legislature

45 thoughts on “Wiccan Priestess to Give Invocation Before Iowa Legislature”

1. Greetings and blessings, brothers & sisters. I am writing this as a response to statements made by Deborah Maynard while being interviewed in regards to her upcoming scheduled invocation. In this interview she states, and I quote “Wicca has a bad reputation as a religion as many may associate it with witchcraft.” But she stressed not all Wiccans identify as witches, and not all witches follow Wiccan beliefs…. (Read more athttp://www.kcrg.com/…/wiccan-priestess-to-give-invocation-t…) Crucial elements of that statement are fundamentally incorrect, and I would like to address them.
   I agree, parts of Maynard’s statement are true, and I’d like to point those out first. It is true that not all Witches are Wiccan. In the same regards, not all Wiccans are witches. To give you a working definition of those so that we may carry on, a WITCH is simply someone who believes in and practices ritual or elemental magick (to clarify, yes, I do mean “Witchcraft”). Therefore, by definition…you can be a practicing witch of almost any faith. There are Wiccan Witches, Druidic Witches, Hereditary Witches, Jewish Witches, Atheist Witches, Satanic Witches, Christian Witches…just to name a few. Some consider Shamans, Medicine People, Energy Healers, and Psychics, Oracles, or practicers of divination to be in this category, as well. Now, a Wiccan is someone who embraces the theologies of the practice of WICCA or the Wiccan faith, and yes, it too is a “practice”, which is clearly stated in the Wiccan Rede. The Rede is our code of conduct, comparable to commandments, if you will. I have attached a copy at the bottom so that you may view it in it’s entirety. It’s most crucial element is the “Harm None” aspect of it…..”Eight words the Wiccan Rede fulfill, An it harm none do what ye will.”, Wicca is a peaceful and loving faith in which we aim to do no ill or harm. However, that is just one very small aspect of the Rede. It also tells us to keep our Moons, and honor our Sabbats..uphold the laws…the attributes and practices for our sacred woods…..how to cast our circles and seal our spells..how energy moves and reciprocates..to behave morally, just and kind… how to choose our associations…love…and what I find most important, recognizes the Lady, and honors the feminine in the divine. Yes, we Wiccans are Goddess worshippers! Not to abandon the God, but to find balance, we recognize the duality of, and balance of masculine and feminine in the creative force. Our Laws which were originally 161 in their entirety have been condensed over the years, but our Rede does address them directly. There are many versions of the Rede(the most popular attributed to author and High Priestess Doreen Valiente), and Wiccans adhere to this or a similar writing “The Charge of the Goddess” (same author) as a moral code of conduct, often accompanied by or supported with “The 13 Goals of a Witch”(Scott Cunningham), The Witches Pyramid, The Charge of the God, and The Witches Creed are just some. But you can Google any and all of them. Embracing those theologies clearly stated in our Rede in their entirety is what defines one as Wiccan. Not all Wiccans consider themselves Witches, not all practice the craft. I, personally embrace and identify with both.
   Now, that being said…my problem with Maynard’s statement is that she claims Wicca’s “bad reputation” derives from it’s wrongful association with Witchcraft, which implies that Witchcraft itself is bad, or worthy of that “bad reputation”.Let me just say right now, that that is entirely inaccurate and grossly misguided. Witchcraft is magick, the movement of energy, it is neither good or bad. It is an instrument. I’ll give you an analogy… Witchcraft is a knife, with that same knife you can either cut an apple, or slit a throat…but the knife itself is neither good nor bad. It is often said good or evil lies in the heart of the Witch, but whether the good or bad is determined by the wielder or deed is another topic, my point is the knife….the tool….this is the Craft. Anything else is simply not true.
   I would further like to add that it is offensive to imply that any Witch who is not Wiccan is a bad person or does bad magick. Just because they don’t embrace our particular theology or moral structuring does not at all mean that they lack their own. A Witch need not be Wiccan to be a good person. Equally true, a Wiccan need not abandon magick or disassociate herself with being a Witch to be a good person. That is ridiculous, and nothing less than reckless for any spiritual leader anywhere to claim.
   What can be done to rectify this situation, I am not sure. My heart is broken that history will be made with a gross misrepresentation of my faith. I grieve that such inaccurately painted picture of what I so passionately believe will be immortalized in a sense. My heart is saddened, and spirit wounded by it. All my life I’ve longed to be accepted and understood, like so many others..this works against our tolerance, let alone acceptance.
   It was important to me to make this statement for the people I love….. my family, my coven, my church, my friends. There is no no inherent evil in Wicca or Witchcraft….like anything else, there is good and bad in all things……..there is no hurt that comes from peaceful, loving, protective,or healing magick…and it holds the power of any other mighty prayer…..but let it ignite no more fear in your hearts than those prayers. Know that love and light live in the heart of the Witch…and that there is light and dark in each of us, as in all things. Be blessed & be well.
   Sincerely-
   Rev. Amy Jean Gooslin C.Ht
   High Priestess Morgana Moonwater
   of the Coven of the Raven Moon
   The Wiccan Rede
   (Full Version)
   Bide within the Law you must, in perfect Love and perfect Trust.
   Live you must and let to live, fairly take and fairly give.
   For tread the Circle thrice about to keep unwelcome spirits out.
   To bind the spell well every time, let the spell be said in rhyme.
   Light of eye and soft of touch, speak you little, listen much.
   Honor the Old Ones in deed and name,
   let love and light be our guides again.
   Deosil go by the waxing moon, chanting out the joyful tune.
   Widdershins go when the moon doth wane,
   and the werewolf howls by the dread wolfsbane.
   When the Lady’s moon is new, kiss the hand to Her times two.
   When the moon rides at Her peak then your heart’s desire seek.
   Heed the North winds mighty gale, lock the door and trim the sail.
   When the Wind blows from the East, expect the new and set the feast.
   When the wind comes from the South, love will kiss you on the mouth.
   When the wind whispers from the West, all hearts will find peace and rest.
   Nine woods in the Cauldron go, burn them fast and burn them slow.
   Birch in the fire goes to represent what the Lady knows.
   Oak in the forest towers with might, in the fire it brings the God’s
   insight. Rowan is a tree of power causing life and magick to flower.
   Willows at the waterside stand ready to help us to the Summerland.
   Hawthorn is burned to purify and to draw faerie to your eye.
   Hazel-the tree of wisdom and learning adds its strength to the bright fire burning.
   White are the flowers of Apple tree that brings us fruits of fertility.
   Grapes grow upon the vine giving us both joy and wine.
   Fir does mark the evergreen to represent immortality seen.
   Elder is the Lady’s tree burn it not or cursed you’ll be.
   Four times the Major Sabbats mark in the light and in the dark.
   As the old year starts to wane the new begins, it’s now Samhain.
   When the time for Imbolc shows watch for flowers through the snows.
   When the wheel begins to turn soon the Beltane fires will burn.
   As the wheel turns to Lamas night power is brought to magick rite.
   Four times the Minor Sabbats fall use the Sun to mark them all.
   When the wheel has turned to Yule light the log the Horned One rules.
   In the spring, when night equals day time for Ostara to come our way.
   When the Sun has reached it’s height time for Oak and Holly to fight.
   Harvesting comes to one and all when the Autumn Equinox does fall.
   Heed the flower, bush, and tree by the Lady blessed you’ll be.
   Where the rippling waters go cast a stone, the truth you’ll know.
   When you have and hold a need, harken not to others greed.
   With a fool no season spend or be counted as his friend.
   Merry Meet and Merry Part bright the cheeks and warm the heart.
   Mind the Three-fold Laws you should three times bad and three times good.
   When misfortune is enow wear the star upon your brow.
   Be true in love this you must do unless your love is false to you.
   These Eight words the Rede fulfill:
   “An Ye Harm None, Do What Ye Will”

   • Please don’t quote something without proper attribution.

     The long form poem you posted is “The Rede of the Wiccae” published by Gwen Thompson, purportedly written by her grandmother, Adriana Porter.

     And no, the rede isn’t a commandment – the very word rede means counsel or advice.
     https://gardnerians.wordpress.com/2015/02/28/the-wiccan-rede-is-not-a-poem/

     • And actually, the version of the Rede of the Wiccae posted above is NOT the version published by Thompson in Green Egg. It is an expanded version that has been floating around the internet for many years with no attribution. The version Thompson published (and taught to her initiates) can be found on the NECTW website (www.nectw.org).

       And for a piece of advice (~rede~), there sure is a lot of confusion as to what it is. But yes, neither Commandment nor Credo nor Rule nor Law, and certainly not universally accepted by all Wiccans, let alone all Witches.

       [The above are the thoughts of an Elder in the NECTW system as taught by the late “Lady Gwen” Thompson, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts of anyone else.]

       • Thank you for your wise words.

         Utmost respect to NECTW, my own tradition teaches the attribution of the full poem.

         I knew someone from your tradition, online, using the same last name as you are using.

         • Make up a “sock” email and post that, then exchange your actual email addresses in private. That’s what works on anon boards I’ve been on.

         • I went through disqus to their Facebook link they have on their profile, and sent them a pm there.

           Not being fb grinds, it’s likely in “other”.

         • If you are on Twitter or Facebook, both accounts are linked to my Disqus profile.

   • Thank you for this. I am not Wiccan but have just been initiated as a Witch. I, too, took offense to the comment. However, I do think that being recognized by the government in a positive light is a good thing and may help to open more doors.

   • all WICCANS ARE WITCHES NOT ALL WITCHES ARE WICCANS this is from the father of WICCA he was a witch and connected with witches please read the history of Wicca from the UK contrary to popular belief it was not a US religion made in AMERICA

2. https://www.facebook.com/events/1648724912013035/

3. Theological discussions aside, this is very good news in the creating of a Pagan community able to be not only accepted but taken seriously by the larger society. I wish her well. (And I am a Gardnerian Witch.)

4. First of all, the URL given to reference the questionable statement appears to be wrong; the correct one is http://www.kcrg.com/subject/news/wiccan-priestess-to-give-invocation-to-iowa-house-20150328. Second, I agree that to state to the media that Wicca “has a bad reputation,” and to make a distinction between Wicca & witchcraft which implicitly disses witches, does not make for very good public relations. However, the statement attributed to Deborah Maynard — both in the article on the kcrg.com website, and in the accompanying video — does not appear to be a direct quote from her. In both cases, the reporter clearly states that Maynard “said” those things, but there’s no concrete evidence that she actually wrote or spoke those precise words. As someone who’s had a lot of dealings with the media over four decades, to me it looks more like the reporter probably “manufactured” a quote taken from random background comments that Maynard may have made as part of the interview. This kind of out-of-context, indirect “quoting” happens constantly, and the published “quote” may in fact end up representing the opposite of the interviewee’s opinion (it’s happened to me more than once…) I don’t see the point of making a huge deal about this until Ms. Maynard’s actual words or opinions can be determined.

   • I am now seeing calls for boycotting this invocation. Rather than starting a new Witch War that harms us internally and makes us look ridiculous to outsiders, why not 1) contact Deborah Maynard and see if this is really what she said, and 2) if she did, gently explaining how this could be harmful. Unfortunately, social media makes attacks all too easy and immediate.

   • I don’t have as much hands on experience as AndrasArthen, but I have quite a bit, and also many decades experience using the press for research. He is 100% correct in my experience.

     • Knowing Deborah Maynard personally and the manner in which she speaks, I would be unsurprised to learn its an incomplete quote. As presented, it is inconsistent with the Deb I know and our CUUPS group. We are a very diverse group of Pagans who follow many different Paths. Not all of us self identify Witch and Wiccan as the same.

   • Knowing Deborah Maynard personally and the manner in which she speaks, I would be unsurprised to learn its an incomplete quote or even paraphrased. As presented, it is inconsistent with the Deborah I know and our CUUPS group. Nor have I seen Deborah dis a Witch in the near decade I’ve known her and we’ve interacted with a LOT of witches from many traditions. We are a very diverse group of Pagans who follow many different Paths. Not all of us self identify Witch and Wiccan as the same.

     • Since you know her personally, could you please ask her to address this issue publicly? It would be very helpful, as I would much rather see this as a celebratory occasion to be proud of vs. feeling publicly condemned from the “inside” (so to speak). I have sent her a personal message on facebook asking for clarification, however, as we are not facebook friends, it goes to that other folder that most people don’t check. Thank you Barb. =)

       • Happily! Deborah’s schedule is nonstop, super booked. I’m sure it’s not being ignored, just she’s not available to respond as yet. The Iowa Pagan community is aware, involved, and supportive of our leaders – local, state, national, and worldwide. I know she was delighted to discover Selena Fox had preceded her. Will forward the request with pleasure!

         • Thank you so much Barb! Very much appreciated. =)

   • The URL was copied directly from the article.

5. We are very excited for Rev. Maynard to deliver the invocation as a representative of Wicca, but we are dismayed by her disingenuous statement that not all Wiccans are witches. The very word Wicca itself means witch. Wiccan ritual is ritualized witchcraft of many, many forms. This simplistic reinterpretation of witchcraft as spellcraft is misleading and shallow. We recognize the need to dumb things down and brighten things up for the uninitiated masses and Judeo-Christians in order to mollify their fears, but this surely isn’t the best way to do so. Just call it what it is, witchcraft, and then point out that the world is still turning.

   • Oh, come off it. There are Wiccans who do not care to use the word with for themselves. Nor is Wicca the whole of witchcraft. It’s reality. Cope with it.

     • We would posit that they are not actually Wiccans. If you brush up on your reading comprehension, you’ll also see that we never said that Wicca is the whole of witchcraft. We say only that all of Wicca lies within the greater bounds of witchcraft, just like the other witchcraft traditions. That is reality.

       • Yes, because you get to define Wicca for all Wiccans everywhere, because you are Gardnerian.

         Oh, wait, no you don’t.

         People do, in actual fact, get to pick the words to describe themselves. You can whine and moan all you want, stamp your feet, but try as you might, you can’t excommunicate people from Wicca. Doesn’t work like that.

6. Don’t want to rain on anyone’s parade and I’m sure Deborah Maynard is a wonderful person and glad she is a fellow UU pagan like me, but…
   should we really be participating in these state sponsored invocations? Let the wall of separation between “church” and state be forever strong, rigid, and absolute, I say.

7. Whoa, whoa, whoa. Regarding those two statements, which were not direct
   quotes and might not necessarily speak for Deb herself: 1. Wicca’s (and
   Paganism’s) reputation has suffered because of people’s attitudes about
   Witchcraft. That’s the sort of thing one points out describing the
   situation to a general audience in a news feature. It’s not putting down
   Wicca or Witchcraft. 2. While I have personally understood that coven traditions that are part of the Wiccan
   pedigree require work in the craft as part of their definition of a
   Wiccan path, the broader reality in our community is that there are lots
   of people around who do identify as “Wiccan” but do not necessarily
   adhere to the same path work as the initiated. An ongoing controversy
   among our own, but again, that’s not on Deb. We have a great moment here
   in Iowa if we don’t kill it. Could we have a little unity?

8. I see the controversy here and I understand. In my interview with the local journalist, I did note that it is a blurred line between Wicca and Witchcraft. Not all Wiccans identify was Witches and not all Witches identify as Wiccan. Witchcraft has a bad reputation in the general Christian community because of the misprint in the Bible citing witches rather than sorcerers. It’s a mistake that has hung over us for a long time. In the one-hour interview that only air for 2 minutes in was “condensed.”

   • I don’t understand how not all Wiccans identify as witches.
     The very word Wicca is the original form of witch, to act otherwise is disingenuous.

     • There are Wiccans who do not identify as witches. They are real people. They exist. They have various reasons for not identifying as witches. Go ask them about their reasons instead of getting pissy at someone who’s very busy and isn’t even one of them.

     • I think the problem here is how one defines Wicca. It would be beyond bizarre for an initiated Wiccan to not identify as a witch. It is, though, a lot less so for a solitary eclectic Neo-Wiccan whose information is limited and who focuses strictly on religious elements to not identify as a witch. Although I think in these cases that the things they think are “witchcraft” and the things they think are “religious” don’t break down that way at all, and their general lack of info hurts them.

   • I have known Deb for a very time as a friend/Sister witch/leader/organizer. Yes Wicca in terms does mean witchcraft however, there are many wiccans that may not use the term ‘witch’ I have heard it before. Some may call themselves new agers. Some pagan, druid or even by their traditions. For me I am a witch pain and simple and sometimes will just say I am from the pagan beliefs just make a long discussion into a short discussion. I never use the word wiccan for myself. Others do though. I don’t see this has a huge deal we have to look at this at another point for us as withes, wiccans, pagans an so forth. Deb is number 3 that has done this. She is not going to sit and discuss her beliefs se is giving an invocation for a few minutes and that is all she is doing. If you have seen the newscast on this on KCCI in Des Moines they said that there were matters to be discuss and she has a couple minutes to do this in. It is a honor and cool beans that she is doing this. We all have our own beliefs and we as witches or wiccans or whatever you want to call yourself, we have to be better than those other religions that belittle us! Lets conduct ourselves as so. Be better, do better and act better. )0( Lady Tanaradiana

     • “we have to be better than those other religions that belittle us!”

       I agree 100%!

       The problem though, is a large section of “us” has now been publicly belittled by one of our own (Deborah Maynard), regardless if that was her intention or not.

       While I understand the reporter may not have “condensed” it properly, it is up to her to fix this by retracting it or having the reporter and news station retract it.

       I absolutely agree this should be a unified, honorable and proud moment for all of “US”, however, as it stands (per the interview stating it was her words), it is only a proud moment for the Wiccans that don’t associate with the bad reputation of witches and witchcraft.

       According to this Wild Hunt article, Deborah Maynard DOES identify as a witch, so I have no doubt the above was not her intent at all. This issue still remains, if our own leaders wont stand up for us or even themselves, who will?

       • agreed, Alicia…

       • Have you ever given an interview to a newspaper reporter? If so, were you satisfied with how the resulting article presented what you said?

         If you have no experience representing a group to the media, you may underestimate how challenging it is to get accurately and fairly quoted. It’s fairly simple to get corrections printed for clear cut factual matters like the spelling of a name or the organizational affiliation of a person, but getting a newspaper to retract or correct a misquote or a matter of interpretation is much harder.

         I think you are setting unreasonable standards for the people who give unpaid service to the Pagan community by being publicly identified spokespeople. Ms. Maynard isn’t getting any personal benefit out of this.

         • Honestly, I would probably be more surprised by any news report being 100% accurate than not. It is the nature of the beast. That does not change the fact the statement was harmful and I personally dont feel it is something that should just be allowed to slide because the reporter and station refuses to make the correction.

           My standards are not unreasonable at all, especially considering we still have witches and Wiccans who do identify as witches hiding in the closet out of fear for the safety of their jobs, children, families, etc. Statements such as what is in the interview are the things that keep them there.

           Paid or not, the decision to take on a public role, comes with responsibility to the public, the entire public that you represent. When one of your own is wounded because of your actions or words (even if twisted by another), it is still your responsibility to make it right.

           Does anyone remember the 2012 Pagan Spirit Gathering Press Conference and what it was about? (Short version) There was discord between transgender women and Dianics over certain rituals transgender women were excluded from for not having a womb. I realize this is a completely different issue, but where it is related is one of our own, was hurt by another of our own. That was not the intent of the ritual, however, Selena Fox did the appropriate thing, making a very public, beautiful and emotional apology expressing her own pain and regret over anyone feeling hurt. Some amazing dialog and important issues were addressed and dealt with.

           In this issue now, with the statement out there separating the “bad reputation” witches and witchcraft from Wicca, it unfairly dredges up a lot of hurt and disappointment for some of us and Deborah Maynard should do the right thing and offer an apology and speak out against what was actually reported in her name.

           I have been in brief dialog with her outside of this forum and I absolutely believe she is an incredible person and also agree that all of “US” should celebrate her invitation to give the invocation. That still does not change the fact that I also believe it is her responsibility to repair the hurt done in a greater way than simply stating the reporter condensed the interview poorly or misunderstood.

9. Is this real? It’s April Fool’s Day.

10. I Thank you, Deborah and greatly respect that you have the conviction to respond to our concerns and address the issue. Honestly, from your replies I cannot entirely assess if you believe that witches and witchcraft bring an undeserved reputation to Wiccans or not. But your personal views are not up for debate. My concern began and ended with the injustice communicated through the statements reported and the negative effect they would have on the movement towards acceptance of not only Witches, but Wiccans and Pagans in general…… “I know you think they suck, but we aren’t all with them” is NOT an acceptable response. And when that is the response, or perceived to be….I find it irresponsible to not speak out against it. However, I can accept that the message got misconstrued in translation by someone who is unfamiliar with the terms and importance of maintaining their integrity. I find it very disheartening that when you expressed to the reporter the inaccuracies that got communicated that they felt no need to correct, clarify, or retract…….I guess that speaks volumes of their stance on truth in reporting. I also agree with the above statement that a formal response or address to the general public clarifying that the very negative message delivered was inaccurately translated, would be the most responsible thing to do. Once again, I thank you for your consideration and reply. Furthermore, I would like to add that I sincerely apologize for any personal anguish that this has caused you…and want you to know that had it not been an attack on you or your right to choose and define your own path, but rather a retaliation against something that fueled negativity that so many have worked long and hard to dispel. Some at the cost of even their own lives. Let that not be in vain. Remember the burning times. Best of luck to you in this endeavor and all that you do. Blessed Be.

11. Dug up this little gem 🙂 https://youtu.be/8DqZI8VHUSM

    • Great find!

      • I actually work for legislative media at the capitol. A coworker told me about it years ago and we have been trying to find it ever since lol We have all House and Senate Chamber Floor Sessions going all the way back up to 1993 on DVD, most transferred from VHS and or quarter inch tape. So finding it without the actual date was pretty impossible given our free time. Thanks to this article we were able to find the date and upload it. I came in before work to snag it as I didn’t want it to be a conflict with my work time.

        • You sir, are awesome! Do you by chance have some connections in Wisconsin that could dig up Selena’s as well? =)

          • I do not D: But I might be able to track someone down. I know there are not many video departments as long running as ours. It’s always worth a shot though 😀

12. blessings love and light ! May the Goddess and the God be her guides

    • futhermore YES ALL WICCANS ARE WITCHES for further info go back to basics check the father of WICCA Gerald B Gardner he proclaimed high and loud that he was a witch If you do not like the word witch then don t bother with saying you are Wiccan

13. I’m somewhat sad that I have seen far more negativity about this from Wiccans than Christians, who have either been supportive or said “I’ll pray for you” and left it at that. I will happily identify myself as pagan, and Wiccan rituals (including ones I have attended led by Deborah Maynard) have given a lot of meaning and spirituality to my life, but it is this sort of thing that makes me much less willing to identify as a Wiccan. News outlets misquote people all the time, and there is never enough time or space to give full consideration to the things said in an interview. Let’s remember to be compassionate and try and remember we are all operating out of our best intentions.