Book review: The Dark Archetype by Denise Dumars and Lori Nyx

The Dark Archetype: Exploring the Shadow Side of the Divine
By Denise Dumars and Lori Nyx
Publisher: New Page Books, 2003
ISBN: 1-56414-693-6

Review by sunvenus, a.k.a. Rachael M. Roth
Edited by je_reviens
Originally posted on What To Read on December 14th 2008.


In the world of book reviewing, I’ve learned there are times when a reviewer is sent a book that they really want to like, but just cannot recommend as strongly as they’d hoped. It’s a bloody shame too, because sometimes from the titles, pre-reviews, author interviews, hype, and back-cover blurbs, the concept of the book seems so brilliant, so timely, so very needed. Then we open it up, start reading, and that sinking feeling kicks in. All those stars that one had hoped to bestow to begin to wink out as the light of reality dawns.

Unfortunately, this is what happened with The Dark Archetype.

One of the unfortunate facts about paganism is that quite often, newcomers are taken in by the new age myths, misperceptions, and outright lies about “all pagans” or “paganism is” flourishing nowadays. Myths like: all pagans are happy vegetarians who believe the exact same things... all pagans worship one great big goddess who is a girly version of Jesus... all pagans are peaceful eco-feminists with hippy clothes and drums... and my favourite, “paganism is nothing more than new age, multi-cultural mix and matching with a cool label and no real work involved.”

Only if newcomers move beyond the overabundance of misleading books published for the pagan market, and the idiotic, parroted websites slapped together on the internet, can they learn that “paganism” is actually an umbrella term for a countless variety of religions and spiritual paths, united only by diversity. Then these not-so-newcomers have to spend time unlearning those initial falsehoods, before hopefully moving on to meaningful relationships with the divine, in paths that truly speak to their hearts.

It is only after wading through all the claptrap can one discover that, not only do most pagan paths have a well-developed cosmology and structure, but these paths do in fact address some of the less pleasant elements of this life. Paganism is not all about a Jesus-in-drag universal goddess who never, ever corrects her children, and thinks we are groovy no matter what we do. Pagan paths do acknowledge, revere and honour deities some would consider “dark,” destructive, or scary.

So the impetus behind The Dark Archetype is a good one. The reader would expect an in-depth look at various “dark” deities (although as indicated by the title, not as separate and individual gods and goddesses) in such a book. Dumars and Nyx do cover various histories, legends, and myths of several deities, and the book does contain some very good information.

Nevertheless, I have a big problem with the authors’ approach to deities as mere “archetypes.” Obviously, the title makes it clear the book is about archetypes. I admit I am biased, being what many call a “hard polytheist.” I view the deities of all religions and cultures as real, separate, distinct, and non-interchangeable. I may not worship each and every deity of each and every religion, but I do neither view the deities of other religions and cultures as “non-existent” nor as merely bits of one big “ubersdeity.”

I know my view of deity is not the only one, and other views are valid for other practitioners, but hear me out. Even if you believe the axiom put forth by Christian occultist Dion Fortune that “all gods are one god and all goddesses are one goddess and there is one initiator”, if you are going to work with deities in a ritual context, you should at least act as if you think they are real entities. If you are going to “use” (a vile term, but one all too common in neopaganism today) a deity, you should at least take the time and energy to understand the background and history of said deity in order to build a working relationship. Why bother “using” a deity name if you do not really feel that deity exists, or has any power of its own?

In my opinion, this is where Dumars and Nyx miss the mark. In the very beginning of the book, the authors note: “The corners that were called had been dismissed...” (a bad idea – deities should be thanked, not “dismissed” like schoolchildren). [p.14] and then we are treated to directional calls to the elements where deities of various cultures are commanded to “be here now!” [p.16]

Not only is it very bad form to “dismiss” deities, it is also disrespectful to “command” them to appear at your whim. Deities are not cosmic lapdogs, invoked merely to do our bidding. Their names are not mere “pagan poetry”. Even if one does not “believe” in the deities as individual entities, one should at least have the integrity and intelligence to treat them as if they were as real and powerful as you would like them to be. After all, if the deities you “use” aren’t powerful or even functional, then why would you summon them?

Furthermore, in the aforementioned ritual, Dumars and Nyx tell the reader to “command” and “dismiss” a diverse cluster of deities from various civilizations and faiths, without any attention or respect paid to each deity’s cultural and historical preferences, or particular esoteric needs and practices. Nor do Dumars and Nyx consider (or instruct the reader to consider) that deities from different civilizations may not necessarily have good relationships with each other. Just because two deities from two different cultures have attributes in common does not automatically mean they will be the best of friends, or that they are the same deity. It certainly doesn’t work that way for humans, and deities are no different in that respect. (In many myths, even deities of the same pantheon have little in common, or have outright conflict with one another.) To my way of thinking, commanding various deities to appear and expecting them as a happy, cohesive team to do one’s bidding is not only dismissive, it completely counteracts the purpose of working with deity in ritual.

As a side note, Dumars and Nyx are guilty of a particularly annoying misuse of terminology. Could someone please explain -- in short words and with diagrams -- just where in a circle one will find a “corner”? As we all learned in kindergarten, a circle is round, without the meeting of sides in a sharp angle necessary to create a “corner.” If a circle has said meeting of sides then it is not a circle, it is a square. Or a rectangle. Or a trapezoid. Or a triangle. Anything but a circle. Interchanging the word “corner” for “quarters” just has to stop. It’s not poetic and it’s not clever; rather, it is illogical and intimates that one’s alleged “pagan” and “magickal” knowledge comes from insipid movies like The Craft rather than from any legitimate sources.

There may be some determined types who determinedly walk around in the circle desperately searching for those elusive “corners” in order to prove me wrong, and to them I say, “Enjoy the journey, and don’t forget to take some Dramamine.” As for the rest of us, let’s do our part to refer to the fourfold division by cardinal direction as “quarters.” Fight the fluffy tsunami!

Anyway....

Dumars and Nyx then offer examples of rituals to help “use” (again there is that vile term, but sadly applicable) the various deities. Though their rituals show a lot of creativity and thankfully do not necessarily attempt to pigeonhole these deities into a pseudo-Wiccan ritual framework, the authors certainly do not emphasize treating these deities respectfully. They rarely offer any discussion about building relationships with these deities; instead, deities are treated as mere names to bandy about when you want your oompah loompah right now! As I mentioned, the very minimum requirement for effective deific (theurgic) magick is to at least act as if you feel these deities are real and capable of the powers and favours you demand from them. Instead, Dumars and Nyx treat deities from rich, well-developed cultural paradigms as if they are simply the off the cuff choices of a bored teenybopper looking for some way to kill a dull Saturday afternoon.

That said, I did like a few things about The Dark Archetype. Dumars and Nyx did do some useful research, and a look at the bibliography shows that the resources were numerous and varied. The bibliography does include some problematic sources, such as Barbara Walker’s The Woman’s Encyclopedia of Myths and Secrets, but other than that some very scholarly books were consulted, and apparently, absorbed. A few of the authors’ UPGs (Unverifiable/unsubstantiated Personal Gnosis) are included in the book, but the text is not wholly reliant on those personal observations. This is a refreshing change from the deluge of silly books and websites insisting that some of the “darker” deities (e.g. Morrigan and Kali, to name just two) are merely misunderstood softies that are full of kissy-kisses and white light. The writing style is folksy, and can be a bit flippant in some places (the comment about “Uncle Al” really chapped my hide), but if you’re willing to overlook those few instances, you will still find this an interesting read.

Though I would not recommend The Dark Archetype to brand new pagans, this book can aid intermediate level pagans in approaching paganism as a bouquet of diverse and distinct paths gathered under one label. To those pagans who prefer hard polytheism and reconstructive practices, I’d suggest this book only as a light read for entertainment purposes, and for a differing point of view of deity and pagan theology. Newcomers to hard polytheism might this book helpful if they ignore the take-out menu style of deity name use, and might potentially incorporate some the ideas offered into some personal mediations or rituals.

Criticism notwithstanding, the idea behind The Dark Archetype is indeed timely. It would be so lovely to see another book like this one but written from the perspective of a hard polytheist or Reconstructionist. I am not knocking the authors’ inclinations to see all deities as aspects one big omniscient, omnipotent deity (as in monotheism or monolatry), and I do feel they have potentially opened the gates to more books of this nature, potentially from other pagan theological perspectives. For that aspect alone, a round of applause is given. Perhaps this will encourage other authors to quit going for the quick buck sugar-fluff market and begin writing more books that deal with the meat of paganism. I feel that this book has some protein & vitamins- some spiritually healthy components, although still not nutritionally complete for the soul- but it is a better diet than the spiritually unhealthy saccharine-coated pap of authors such as Cunningham, RavenWolf, Konstantinos, Conway, and Drew.

Official rating: Two stars. Read it, you might enjoy it if only for the “generic pagan” point of view of deity as interchangeable & as mere archetypes.

Copyright 2006 by Rachael M. Roth for Manifestation Publications, a division of Infinite Stars Designs (ABN #30 646 269 206 NSW Australia). All rights reserved. Do not repost or replicate this review in any form without the express written permission of the author. Copyright updated December 10th 2008 by Rachael M. Roth for publishing on The Magick Word and Paganism Australia. To contact the author, please email la235 @ hotmail.com (remove spaces).

The Charge of the Pagan Internet Pervert

I apologise in advance, this is offensive. It is meant to be, but no disrespect is intended to my fellow “oldies” or to the gods or to homosexuals or to anyone other than the sort of cretin described in this prose.

This was originally published by me on my personal blog, I am now sharing it in a few other places, such as on the pagan_parody LiveJournal community, The Magick Word and on Paganism Australia. Please respect my copyright, it found at the bottom of the piece.



The Charge of the Pagan Internet Pervert

Now listen to the panting voice of the Pagan Internet Pervert,
who is lonely and old and called among men
Wanker, Slimeball, Geezer, Predator, Flasher, Creepy, Degenerate, Uncle Fester,
Deluded, ChoMo, Opportunistic, Pathetic, Chester the Molester, Peeping Tom, Wikkenhawk*
and many other names (many of them not suitable for use around children).
At his playgan altar he mourns his lost youth
and sacrifices an infant after the manner of Crowley and cries in his Elderberry wine.

Whenever ye have need of an old timer who once heard of the clitoris, back in about 1970 it was,
once in a month (he wishes, ‘coz that’s about how much Viagra he can afford), but more likely when the moon sprouts trees
Then ye shall assemble in some secret place (gods forbid anyone see you with him)
and bestow upon him the Mercy Fuck, which occasionally old opportunists get a young pagan chick to fall for.

There ye shall dissemble, ye who are desperate to have your willy touched
yet have not had thine willy touched in decades, except by thine own hand.
To those I will teach the secrets of auto-erotic asphyxiation (but hopefully not the secret of reviving oneself before death occurs).

And ye shall be free from dignity;
as a sign that ye are free of common sense as well
thou shalt pursue barely legal teens on teh intarwebz
and ye shall do a song and dance routine taught to thee by Fatty Arbuckle & Roman Polanski, all in the praise of spooky occult-flavoured sex
and also for the anonymity of the internet
until you get caught for loving children in sweaty ways.

Keep pure your KY jelly, for it shall hurt to wank if contains traces of salt;
Strive ever towards your shelf of $ilver Ravenwolf books, if your cane takes you that far
For yours is a secret that shall land thee in prison, if the feds find out
and the bane of all witches and pagans everywhere
whose communities you contaminate in pursuit of gullible teens falling for the old “occult initiation” spiel.

I am the Pagan Internet Pervert
who buys gifts for web cam strippers to get around those pesky laws against prostitution.
Upon my keyboard are traces of gods only know what bodily fluids,
and an overflowing wastebasket with sticky tissues towers behind me,
and nude pictures of Fiona Hosebag Horne are taped to my walls.

Nor do I demand that you really be pagan
for the assumption of a convenient & misunderstood label to get laid
is all an opportunist and predator really needs; nor do I really even know what pagans are.


Hear the heavy breathing of the Pagan Internet Pervert
he who often inserts his altar candles up his bum, but swears he isn’t gay
but he may try it once or twice, particularly if the teenage boy has long, blond hair and a kewl pagan name like Raven or Merlyn.

I am he who is saggy and befuddled
and can’t remember where I put my glasses, which is why I keep several pairs stashed around the house
and in my fanny pack for when I go out for walks in my sandals and long socks (yet otherwise skyclad).

For I am the soul of declining ethics and sexual desperation
as I get older and my kids forget to visit me at the home.
From me are long and rambling stories about my imagined sexual prowess of my youth.
Let my waning libido be celebrated unto the ages
or at least until Matlock comes on.

Let there be semi-nekkid pagan chix and hot oil rubs and jello wrestling,
Wet t-shirt contests and naughty nurse games and much recitation of Cunningham books.
And you who seek my erection may find it with an electron microscope,
but know that such seeking will arouse me, but may cause a stroke.
But in the greater scheme of things it will be no big loss
for the pagan and magick communities have enough problems without Wilford Brimley trying to dance Maypoles and chat up witchlettes, and pretending to be the pagan Hugh Hefner.

For behold, there have been opportunists like me plaguing your communities since time began,
and I am that which should be kicked in the nuts
and banished back to sniffing bicycle seats at grade schools.

*** *** ***

* I have been asked about the term “Wikkenhawk”. I made it up in October of 2008 in response to a certain pervert who was harassing young on a pagan forum. A wikkenhawk is a creepy, opportunistic old geezer that trawls neo-pagan, witchcraft, Wiccan and magick communities trying to convince people to touch his willy. Preys especially on young & gullible newcomers, wiccabes or wiclettes. If you’ve been in the neo-pagan or occult communities for even a little while, both in meastspace or on the 'net, you’ve surely seen one or more of these guys.

©2008 Rachael M. Roth. (aka SunVenus) Please do not share, repost or reprint this without the exclusive written permission of the author. To reach me, send an email to la235 @ hotmail.com (remove spaces to email). This is a spoof of the lovely "Charge of the Goddess" by Doreen Valiente. No disrespect is intended towards anyone other than the occult/neo-pagan predators (aka "wikkenhawks") described by this prose. To them I say you are getting off lightly, IMO. You ARE being watched.

Book review- The Coven: Making Magick Together by Fiona Horne

The Coven: Making Magick Together

By Fiona Horne

Publisher: Random House Australia, 2003

ISBN:1-74051-232-4

Review by SunVenus, a.k.a. Rachael M. Roth

Edited by Je Reviens
Originally posted on What to Read on October 26th 2006

Wise minds often quote an old saw: “Never judge a book by its cover.” For the most part, this is very good advice. Outward appearances are often a poor indicator of inner qualities, whether of a literal book or a person or anything else. However, in the case of Fiona Horne’s The Coven: Making Magick Together, the cover serves as a blatant indicator of the sugar-coated, fanciful pap contained within.

This gooey, pink-covered book shows a lounging, overly-made up, leather-skinned Horne on a white fur rug, over a hazy photo of the author dancing in a circle with her covenmates. It is gag-worthy, and the vomit impulse doesn’t diminish when you turn the book over -- the back cover has cutesy-wootsey pink starry-sparkles all over it, highlighting the combination author’s blurb/book promo which is more of Horne’s usual self-serving, Hollywood-wannabe posturing. Random House has placed this book in the “new age/inspirational” category and with this I agree. The Coven is newagey to the point of scoring nearly off the charts on the woo-woo scale, and only inspirational in that it inspires one to a) puke, and b) decide to do one’s very best to never put money in this silly twit’s pocket.

Inside, things get much, much worse.

The cover makes it obvious this book is being targeted to the alienated, teenybopper girl market -- those impressionable and easily influenced kids looking for some way in which to rebel and be just a little bit naughty. Shamefully, Horne’s advice doesn’t direct these kids to a decent source of truth about Witchcraft, Wicca or Pagan paths at all, and wouldn’t appeal to those more serious youngsters who are called at an early age to explore alternative spirituality and the fascinating worlds of the numinous.

I could go through and list point-by-point Horne’s copious errors, self-serving antics, name-dropping tripe and flat out nonsensical UPGs (Unverifiable/Unsubstantiated Personal Gnosis) rendered as actual Witchcraft lore. But then this review would turn into something else -- an exegesis on why has-been singers and “z” grade celebrities should stick to making silly TV shows and leave the real work of writing about the mysteries to those who have some decent experience, who adhere to some sort of ethical standard, and who have the integrity to take responsibility for what they teach. For the sake of length, I will merely touch on some of the ugliest highlights in this silly book -- a few examples to keep all but the fluffiest of bunnies away from this self-aggrandizing collection of words.

Horne’s first hypocrisy assaults the reader immediately: “…I grappled with [writing this book] for a while, wondering if it was appropriate to be so open about what is essentially an occult spiritual tradition (the dictionary definition of ’occult’ is ‘hidden and secret’). I wondered if whether I was contributing to the dissolution of [Paganism’s] essence -- making it too available and even trivialising it?” (pg. 2)

Horne goes on to justify doing exactly that by saying she has had “positive feedback,” but when one views the overall package, when one sees the way that Horne milks the Hollywood-Witchcraft fad, her hypocrisy -- a tradition that is becoming all too prominent in publishing circles -- is glaring.Horne seems blissfully unaware that real Witches, Wiccans and Pagans aren’t following various Pagan/magick paths to look “kewl” or to make a statement: “Witchcraft is not a fashion statement -- it’s a spirit statement.” (pg. 11) Apparently Horne’s cutesy comment applies only to the masses, but doesn’t apply to overblown playgan loudmouths such as Horne, Laurie Cabot, Silver Ravenwolf, Konstantinos, and others of that ilk. Is she afraid that the fluffies who that dress up in ridiculous garb are gonna “out-witch” her?

In magick and the Craft, your Word and your Will is your bond. Certainly, anyone may change their mind, but Horne constantly back-pedals and reverses herself. I can hardly bear the hypocrisy of Horne, a former cast member of “Mad, Mad World” and “Australian Celebrity Survivor: Vanuatu” criticizing “Survivor” and reality television in general: “My agents were saying that everyone is so desensitised from the onslaught of reality shows like ‘Fear Factor’and ‘Survivor’ that [the public has] a hyper concept of what is real.” (page 245)

Yes, those shows are so evil according to Horne and her agents… that is, until Horne is broke and desperate for attention. Then she appears on the exact type of shows she decries. Oh yes indeed, reality television is so very bad in Horne’s estimation that she pouts and is in a snit for days when she is one of the first people voted off of “Australian Celebrity Survivor: Vanuatu.” If the reality genre is so bad, then why the sour grapes from Horne at losing? And why is she making a career of appearing on such shows?

Yet another example more hypocrisy on the part of Fiona Horne: “Being an unconventional Witch, I am an atheist.” (pg. 95) But on the episode of “Australian Celebrity Survivor: Vanuatu” where she is evicted ... she suddenly becomes a religious witch, saying that “I always leave an offering for the gods”. (Australian Celebrity Survivor: Vanuatu Episode 4)

If Horne isn’t secure enough in her beliefs to hold fast to certain esoteric concepts, then she should not be writing books and taking upon herself the onus of moulding minds. If Horne isn’t able to stick to one concept or belief long enough to focus, she should not be promoting herself as a teacher of the Craft. Stability, focused will and intent, and high ethical standards are the hallmarks of a good teacher, and Horne misses the mark on all counts.

This book is disgustingly full of gratuitous self-promotion: “…check out the forums on different websites. Mine has a very active forum and there are links to lots of other Australian-based Witchy websites…” (pg. 217) Yet a sampling of the letters from her forum in this chapter shows that most people who post there are seemingly illiterate blessed wannabes. The letters are full of poorly written, fanciful comments, spelling affectations and netspeak, and overall the tenor of most of the quoted posts are those of teenagers looking for faddish ways to impress their friends, rather than rational, adult-minded seekers looking to explore their spirituality. If that is a sampling of the sort of people Horne – as a teacher and public figurehead -- finds suitable for the craft, then she needs a serious wake up call.

Horne does not seem to understand that name-dropping and celebrity pals don’t make you a real Witch (or even an impressive person for that matter). Her celebrity fetish is unrelenting and reads like a teenager’s dream diary. I shan’t quote her, but examples can be found on page 21, pages 50-52, page 241, page 246, pages 260- 263. Ick. On those pages, Horne speaks of her visit to Crispin Glover’s house (page 50), or her spell-casting with Danni Minogue (page 263), or her glimpse of Madonna at the local new age store (page 21), amongst other celebrity naming games used merely to titillate star-struck people, and apparently Horne herself.

Witchcraft and the various Pagan paths and mystery traditions aren’t about whom you know, they are about what you do -- orthopraxy rather than orthodoxy (but those polysyllabic terms are likely beyond Horne’s range of understanding). Like, celebrity worship is soooo like juvenile, like, ya know? Does anyone have the feeling that Horne plasters the walls of her room with pictures of celebrities torn out of Teen Beat and People magazines?

In addition to the most blatant errors about Wicca and Witchcraft that Horne includes -- coven members should not “be friends” or otherwise associate with each other outside the coven (pp. 46-47) (although later in the book she suggests a coven “movie night”); same-sex covens are superior to mixed gender covens due to an alleged lack of “sexual tension” (pg. 45); misperceptions about the Great Rite (pp. 209-210) -- Horne also makes moronic statements like: “I have a lot of respect for Traditional Covens, though I don’t relate to the hierarchical attitude that some have.” (pg. 39)

If Horne doesn’t like hierarchies, why does she claim to be the “leader” of her coven? She claims her “leadership” is based on being “the most knowledgeable,” but that is still a hierarchy. Horne also obviously has a misguided idea of what hierarchy means (the correct definition can be found here), and has probably had a bad experience or two with some of the less than scrupulous occult opportunists’ “covens” that seem to thrive these days. (Nauseatingly enough, this book of half-truths and misinformation is just going to contribute towards breeding more bad groups.) Horne seems to think that in traditional covens, only the leaders contribute. This is untrue. The job, the duty of the leader of a “Traditional Coven” is to teach, and that means hands-on participation from all the members. There are no free rides, and no vicarious experiences.

Appallingly, Horne uses fiction to back up her silly ideas about Witchcraft. For example, she cites the fictional but entertaining book Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean M. Auel as the source for her suggestion that covens of differing traditions come together every summer, just like the Neanderthal tribes did in the Auel book (although they met every seven years, not every summer). (pg. 46) Whilst it is a nice idea, Horne is confused -- gatherings like this already take place in the Wiccan/Neo-Wiccan/Witchcraft/Pagan/Neopagan world in many countries and all over the world.

Horne also thinks that, like the gatherings Auel refers to in her fiction, Witches and Wiccans should congregate for the purpose of “mixing up the blood.” Is she suggesting that all traditions should eventually merge into one mindless, massive, skipping-and-hand-holding new age commune? So much for diversity, and the sanctity of small tribal family groups that are one of the most delightful features of real Wicca and legitimate Witchcraft.

Oddly, Horne feels qualified to advise using “sun signs” as a way to screen potential coven members: “It is worth noting people’s sun/star signs and ascertaining the likelihood of unproductive friction.” (pg. 57)

Horne makes the newbie mistake of assuming that all 6 billion humans on this globe fall into precisely one of twelve patterns of action. According to Horne, at least two of out every thirteen people will act exactly the same way and have exactly the same traits. Using a professional quality natal workup on prospective coven members is useful, but that is beyond Horne’s level of skill.

In astrology, a natal chart is cast using the birth date, birth time, and longitude and latitude of the location of where the subject was born. This provides a far more detailed picture as there are plants, houses, aspects, fixed stars, asteroids and other calculations that help pinpoint traits and patterns -- a picture that is individual and unique for that person. (Even twins are born on average of two to four minutes apart, if not more, and that can mean a difference in degree of rising sign which puts a whole new spin on personality traits.)

But Horne, in her limited understanding of astrology goes on to babble: “For example I couldn’t bear to be in a Coven that had two female Leos in close quarters -- argh! -- or two Scorpio males.” In essence, Horne is discriminating against potentially wonderful coven mates simply because she has no understanding of astrology. She does go on to mention rising signs and such, but instead of recommending good sources for astrological study, she suggests Linda Goodman’s Sun Signs, which has little to do with real astrology and the depths to which it can go.

One more point -- astrology aside, part of being in a coven is learning to work with others. In covens - and in regular life as well – people that start out on seemingly opposite sides of the fence may grow to agree and learn from one another, or at least learn to agree to disagree with grace and respect. Horne’s message is, “my way or the highway” based on an extremely biased and limited point of view. The person she discriminates against next could easily be you simply because you aren’t born under a sun sign that she favours.

Because Horne chooses a vegetarian lifestyle, she also extrapolates that all Witches must ascribe to her dietary views: “But most Witches I know have very particular attitudes to the meat they eat.” (pg. 233) Horne really needs a larger circle of witchy associates. Witchcraft and the various paths and mystery traditions under the Pagan label usually don’t have much to do with what one eats. There are plenty of Christians, Muslims and Jews as well as people with no path/religion at all who also choose not to eat at McDonalds, and plenty of Witches, Wiccans and Neo-Wiccans who choose to ingest things that aren’t so healthy (like loads of processed food, or drugs and alcohol to excess). By promoting her views on veganism/vegetarianism as part of the Craft, Horne is trying to both politicize and police a generation of children that she really has no business speaking to. Parents are the ones who get to educate their kids on proper eating habits, not some fluffy hack-tress who is seemingly into Witchcraft merely as a gimmick to pimp her Hollywood image.

Most astonishingly, Horne is also obviously confused about the Wiccan Rede. She writes, erroneously, that the “Wiccan Rede” is “To Know, To Dare, To Will, To Be Silent.” (pg. 209) Wrong again! Apparently, in Horne’s world of glitter and McWicca, all ceremonial magicians, all Freemasons, or all people who follow that four step tenet are Wiccans. What she is mislabelling at the Wiccan Rede is actually a common axiom in magick and esoteric orders, not specifically that of witches (although it has recently been labelled “The Witches Pyramid”).

The real Wiccan Rede has a few forms, all of them revolving around the bottom line: “an it harm none, do what ye will.” Contrary to popular belief, the various Wiccan Redes do not apply to all witches or even all Wiccans for that matter -- different traditions have different ethical tenets. (For an in-depth look at the various Wiccan redes, their history and usage, please visit this terrific website).

Horne also slams Traditional Wicca, making this ignorant and dismissive statement: “It’s true that some traditional Covens are very pedantic about doing things ‘by the book.’ Covens whose practices are derivative of Gardnerian or Alexandrian traditions are an example. However as I have made clear in this book, an Eclectic Coven is one that is more fluid and versatile and relies on the input of the individual members…” (pg. 223) Stating that so-called “Eclectic Covens” are somehow better that British Traditional covens because they are allegedly “fluid,” “versatile,” and listen to “the input of the individual members” is obnoxious and highly misleading. There are plenty of eclectic covens that are dictatorial and that have been set up as nothing more than mini “cults of personality” for the leaders’ ego-gratification. In addition, far too many so-called “eclectic” groups -- in their urge to be ever so open and fluid -- are in fact directionless, lose focus too easily, and frequently cause their members to develop bad habits that need to be unlearned later.

As far as it is known, Horne is not Gardnerian, Alexandrian, Mohsian or any sort of British Traditional Wiccan, so how would she know what is done at their rituals, or in their lore and training? (No, reading about what someone “thinks” these folks do does not make up for her utter lack of knowledge in these traditions. The only way to know what the Gards, Lexies, et al do is to be accepted for training & initiation with a coven and actually go though the process. Even descriptions of some wiccan-flavoured ideas given by initiates of Wicca in no way replaces the process of working and learning in those egregores and that specific current.)

Traditional covens are versatile in many ways, and they do listen to the input of all their members, facts Horne might know were she actually trained in a Traditional coven. Colouring the newcomer’s mind to the idea that “traditions are bad and limiting and stifling” (which is an outright lie) is a tool that new age/occult/playgan hucksters use to sell their books. After all, if their readers find a home in a structured group or Traditional coven, they will be less likely to waste money on irresponsible “anything goes” books like this one -- books that encourage people to believe that any whim that floats into the reader’s head is to be labelled as “good” or “Wiccan,” even though it may be a bad idea, or clearly not Wiccan.

And finally, Horne’s snotty comments are not restricted to Traditional covens and their members. She also makes several rude statements about Americans. For example: “…as they love talking about themselves they assume that everyone else does too!” Considering Horne lives in the US, she tries to keep this statement from being wholly offensive with a parenthetical qualification: “(I’m not bagging Americans -- I love them and I love living here -- but they are what they are!)” (pg. 23) but it doesn’t work. It is Horne who loves to talk about herself. Pot-kettle-black. And that comment about how Horne loves Americans is very reminiscent of the phrase other bigots use when they are insulting a particular race/religion/etc. but don’t want to be considered a bigot. But as Horne says, you are what you are.

For some reason, Horne decides to paint all Americans as not only loud talking, insensitive braggarts, but as completely humourless too: “Most Americans don’t have much of a sense of humour (well, they certainly don’t get the Aussie touch of ‘taking the piss’)…” (pg. 53)

That is an amazingly rude statement. As an American living in Australia for over five years now*, I will say that the Aussie sense of humour is wonderfully irreverent -- then again, so is the American sense of humour. Horne has an unfortunate attitude I have found in a tiny minority of Aussie Pagans. They are vocally, stridently, anti-American, yet they flock to American movies, TV, books, music, scientific advances, etc. all the while putting Yanks down. It isn’t a common attitude, but it is annoying, especially when it comes from someone like Horne who spends most of her time in Los Angeles, California, USA, sucking up to the Hollywood crowd.

All in all, I would advise everyone to avoid this book for anything but a laugh, or for advanced students to use as an exercise in pointing out dangerous and stupid errors. I certainly wouldn’t purchase it. If you want to see it for some reason, get it at the library -- don’t contribute to this woman’s income. As an author, Horne is self-obsessed, as a “Witch” she is juvenile and misinformed, and as a teacher she is unethical and lacking in the basic skills needed to convey the concepts of the numinous in any meaningful way to anyone with an IQ over that of a doorknob. This book may be suitable as a coaster or a doorstop or perhaps shredded and used to shore up gullies on farms to prevent erosion. Read it at your own risk, and have some headache tablets handy for the saccharine-induced pains you will surely suffer.

Rating: Craptacular. Total BS. Avoid like the plague.

* I had been in Oz for just over five years at the time I first published this review. I’ve now been here almost eight years. My observations remain the same—the Aussie sense of humour and the American sense of humour aren’t so far apart, and the sad, tiny minority of anti-American Ozzies is still being as distasteful as ever whilst latching onto anything American that benefits them. Then again, there are “anti” [insert race, religion, country name, or political or sexual orientation or whatnot here] in every country I’ve been to, which is a few. Fortunately, they are almost always the minority, and speak only for a small handful of the populace.

One more update:Juliaki has also written an article on the problems with Fiona Horne. To see more of why Horne is a fluffy menace to neo-paganism, please visit this site.

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Copyright 2006 by Rachael M. Roth for Manifestation Publications, a division of Infinite Stars Designs (ABN #30 646 269 206 NSW Australia). All rights reserved. Do not repost or replicate this review in any form without the express written permission of the author. Copyright updated Dec 6th 2008 for publication on The Magick Word and Paganism Australia. To contact the author, please send an email to la235 @ hotmail.com (remove the spaces to email).

Acceptance?

Acceptance?

I wrote this in response to an ongoing discussion on that bastion of fluffitude, Wiccan Together. A particular person—a self-proclaimed “Wiccan” whose total experience was in reading one book by $RW and allegedly “practicing for 8 months” but then said they’d also observed a full Wheel of the Year’s worth of sabbats-- decided that they wanted to set up a website to educate all the Christians about how Wiccans and witches were just like them, yadda yadda. Of course, whilst one may appreciate the sentiments behind the over-zealousness of this newbie bookwitch, it was pointed out that they don’t know enough to even hold a conversation with another pagan or witch or Wiccan. (Some of it was snarked on elsewhere, in particular the OP alleged that Wicca is 50,000 years old and Christianity wasn’t even 500 years old. Oookay…) As those of the $ilver Ravenwolf Arrogance & Ignorance Tradition are wont to do, it attacked any of us who tried to point out flaws in its thinking, gaps in its knowledge and so on.

The person who inspired this particular post wasn’t siding with the OP, they were clearly supporting the few of us rational and long-term practitioner’s POV that teaching --- if done—should be left to those who are qualified; in other words, not left to utter n00bs with an imaginary degree in $RW playganism and fadcraft who can’t speak or express themselves clearly and who haven’t had experience in any real world forms of paganism, magick and mystery traditions. But something the poster said stuck a nerve in me, and hence we have this post.

Whilst I think that if a person of another religious path wants to know more about paganism we should tell them, I don’t think we should strive for “acceptance” amongst them, or go out of our way to systematically “educate” or be “in your face” (so to speak) the way they are about their paths. We tend as a loose collective to have a different approach, and most of the paths & systems under paganism are veiled—for instance Wiccans are known as “the Hidden Children of the Goddess”, not out of fear, but because their mysteries are not for all. Many paths have similar modes of thought. We have a quieter, gentler approach, and many of the other paths have mysteries at their heart which they do not wish to sully by holding them up to be pawed over by bored spiritual tourists like trashy paperbacks in the bargain bin at the local chain bookseller. I’m not saying that our approach is better (although I prefer it); it just is how we work. (Except for fadcrafters and those leaping on the pagan bandwagon without knowing much about the various and individual paganisms—they tend to try to overlay the practices and beliefs of their former paths on to ours, e.g. Jesus & Mary as “the god” and “the goddess”, Christian ethics on systems that already have developed ethical platforms, proselytising, the idea of victimhood being a sign of legitimacy, etc. and thus are not really practicing any form of paganism-- and certainly not Wicca or Celtic Reconstructionism or whatnot).

In a healthy individual, our self-esteem and self-worth should come from within ourselves, and as pagans, witches and so on, we don’t need the approval or acceptance or tolerance of other religions, particularly the mainstream religions—they are not our conscience, nor do we answer to them in any way. They don’t ask us for validation, we need not ask them. I don’t say this out of aggression, but because as I grow more and more into late adulthood, I realize a lot of my time had been spent in the past worrying about things I can’t control. Once I recognised that validation is within me, it made it much easier to live. Granted, I do not recognise many so-called “pagans” as pagans. This does not mean that they are not human beings and special people on their own, but they simply do not fit the bill for what I’d consider pagan, and I don’t accept them, nor do I want them speaking for us. This will be a litmus test: if they are healthy people, my non-acceptance of them won’t matter. If they are posers, they’ll kick up a fuss.

Enjoy.

**

[Name withheld], I agree with some of your sentiments, but one thing you said doesn’t sit quite right with me. You said: “I think acceptance is the one thing that we all wish for.”

I beg to differ. My sense of acceptance does not come from others. I mean this in an overall sense, not merely what I should feel as a witch, Thelemite and Hellenic polytheist. I do not need others to make me feel wanted, valued, necessary, useful and worthy. Those feelings come from within me; I am complete human being on my own and do not need the acceptance or approval of others to feel anything. No one “makes” me feel anything I do not choose to feel, and my self-esteem and self-worth are not based on the opinions of others. I also credit my gods and those beautiful, established, well-functioning spiritual paradigms in which I work and gave and trained and studied in for helping to shape who I am, but again, that is not part of what makes me “accepted” or not in the eyes of the public. I could care less what the general public thinks, and whilst I do wish to conduct myself in ways that are a credit to may paths, to my loved ones and to those I honour as “fellow travellers”, I know that if I base my self-worth on what others think it is not a true picture of who and what I am.

Specifically when it comes to my paths & trads and the magick and neo-pagan communities overall, my sense of “belonging” is not shaped by outsiders to my paths. If it were I’d have to act all blue and tragic as the general population of so-called “pagans” certainly don’t like me and others of my ilk, nor do they recognise my paths. I say this as we’ve all heard the asinine statements that many of these so-called “pagans” make:
* “all pagans are earth worshippers”—they deny my existence as a pagan as I am not an earth-worshipper
* “all pagans are nature worshippers—again they deny my existence as I do not worship nature
* “no pagan believes in the devil or Satan”—I do, Satan is part of the Christian “pantheon” and if my gods exist then I expect theirs may, too
* “no pagan would use blood in magick”—this invalidates not only me but many other paths with a practice & history of blood in magical practice
* “all pagans believe the same things”—absolutely not, this is one of the most damaging assumptions and is why most popular “Pagan” authors should be ignored and their books left to rot, such an assumption invalidates many paths
* “all pagans worship “the god” and “the goddess”—wrong again, another myth of the bookwitchery crowd, this nonsense invalidates many paths
* “all pagans believe that all gods are one god and all goddesses are one goddess”—no, not all of us believe that and some of us find that disrespectful and silly (especially as that is a truncated quote from Christian occultist Dion Fortune and many so-called “pagans” do not realise that she isn’t talking about soft polytheism, she is talking about all deities being just aspects of the Christian god. The entire quote is “All gods are one god and all goddesses are one goddess, and there is one initiator.” The initiator she is referring to is Jesus. This abused axiom invalidates many other modes of thought when it comes to the nature of divinity.

There are many other examples I could give, but those are the ones that bug me most or that I have heard most recently. All of those invalidate me and many other pagans, from within what are allegedly “our own ranks”. No thank you.

Frankly, I don’t want the average so-called “pagan” to accept me anyway. I do not wish to be lumped in with mushy-minded fadhoppers who think paganism and wicca mean “make it up as you go along, like totally!!11”. I don’t want to be lumped in with intellectually lazy, ethically bereft (they don’t have to be my ethics, but they need to have carefully considered, well thought-out ethical platforms, not just simper and toss out that much abused “harm none” platitude), or be mistaken for fruitloops who have the reputation of being flaky, unreliable and rebellious just for the sake of being “different”.

As for when the people of other religions come to my door? It depends. If they are willing to engage in a civilized dialogue about religions, spirituality and are willing to really listen to my opinions on the matter—AND conduct themselves as expected of a guest in someone’s home-- then yes. I will listen to them, they can listen to me, and we can discuss these things. Sadly, most of the time the door-knockers are so woefully ignorant of basic theology—even of their own paths—that the discussion breaks down the first time I use a term like “henotheism”. And if they are not willing to adhere to the standards I listed prior, I don’t bother with them.

As for setting out to deliberately educate mainstream religionists about my paths—I already do this, with professional clergy of other paths locally and in some of the other places where I’ve lived and where I go to teach. But this isn’t a job for “Lady FireShadowCatDragonCrystalRavenMoonUnity” whose total training has been reading some $ilver Ravenwolf, watching Charmed and yammering away on message boards with other posers. Any “educating” on these matters should be left to those who have the education and background to speak well and represent us all fairly. In short, I don’t want blathering idiots playing dress up pretending they speak for Wicca or whatnot, I want well-educated, long-term practicing, cross-initiated, professionally appearing, rational, functioning citizens of “normal” society speaking for me. Sure there are many of us that are a bit “fringe”, but there is a difference between being part of “fringe” subsets and being ignorant, loudmouthed, and latching onto paganism as a convenient way to seem a bit special or spooky, or to advance some other agenda (like trawling for occult-flavoured sex, or to rebel against Christianity, or to gather mindless followers to worship them as some deity because you didn’t get enough hugs form mummy as a child).

It sucks in some ways, but in order to be taken seriously in this world, we have to play by the rules of society. A person who want to represent us needs to bathe regularly and raise their children well, and not be a societal burden, and not think they are above the law, or screech about imagined persecution or whatnot. They need to work hard, study hard and play hard. They need to be well-rounded individuals, and have an in-depth knowledge of all sorts of pagan and esoteric paths from the inside, not just fadcraft or bookwitchery. They need to present themselves proudly as the sort of people the average person would want to be around, for the most part. Sure they should be individuals and be as unique and special as they like—but if they are going to play on a public scale to a mainstream audience, then they need to be the sort that that audience will relate to, or else the message is lost. This is where the “all pagans are X”, $ilver Ravenwolf reading fadhoppers fail. This is where the angry former Christians who aren’t so much pagan but more just rallying against Christianity let us down (which I think may be a large percentage of the so-called “pagans” out there), and this is where the creeps, the degenerates and the frauds who join paganism as a place to “hide” and commit their unsavoury acts lower our ability to be taken seriously—even by other pagans—give us an unneeded reputation. I don’t want their acceptance, and I don’t recognise them as fellow pagans.

But like I said, acceptance comes from within ourselves, and I suspect if more of these so-called “pagans” that I listed in the preceding paragraph had healthy self-esteem and normal emotional health, there’d be less issues and less of them grabbing our labels and trying to say they are part of our communities, and hence, less of an urge to “educate” outsiders on paths that most of them really don’t care to know about. It isn’t the hardworking, normal seeming, well-rounded and properly trained and educated pagans who are screeching about “ZOMG edumacating dem thar eville Christians!!1!!”, it is the fadhoppers who feel a deep lack of acceptance within themselves.

Copyright ©2008 Rachael M. Roth (aka SunVenus). All Rights Reserved. This essay may not be reposted or used anywhere without the express written consent of the author. la235 @ hotmail.com (Remove spaces to email me.)

Pagan predators and occult opportunists in our communities

I thought I'd thought I'd share this little essay I wrote recently as it is a very necessary and useful bit of information. I've been involved in magick, neo-paganism and the like for a few decades now, and these types are getting more and more brazen. I have several theories of why they view our communities (both online and meatspace) as "happy hunting grounds", but it boil down to this:

They presume that we have "no rules"; they imagine we have "no standards" and they mistakenly assume that "no one is watching". They couldn't be more wrong. Most of the paths, systems and mystery traditions gathered under the "pagan" umbrella label DO have ethical standards and expectations for how their adherents function; and we do police our own. It is not the free-for-all hippie-dippie lovefest the fluffy newage horde makes it out to be. Do not mistake healthy, open attitudes about sex, or different views on deity as being bereft of standards. And do not assume that just because someone says they are "pagan" or a "witch" or a "magician" that they are a decent person. Most are, but a few-- like those described in the essay below-- are vile and wouldn't know what real paganism or magick was if it ran over them with a steamroller, and have an agenda of getting something from you, rather than actually teaching you anything.

That said, we are still faced with many scumbags who are out to take what they can get from unsophisticated new pagans/occultists, and they especially prey on the new and the young.

We won't stand for it.

Yes, the language in here is rough, but this was written in response to a creepy wikkenhawk who gleefully is trawling for occult-flavoured sex on a newcomer’s forum populated with children under the age of 18, and posting his nude photos. Instead of simply admitting he made a mistake, he has gone on an angry rampage of self-justification. As any rational person knows, such justification is the hallmark of someone with an agenda, or the sign of someone who is mentally unstable. Any decent, rational person would have apologised and moved on.

This is cross-posted elsewhere.

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Pagan predators and occult opportunists in our communities

Is anyone else grossed out (and occasionally deeply disturbed) by creepy fuckers claiming to be witches who are really just interested in getting laid? Or the typical armchair magician who puts on airs of Being Ever So Mystical, posing as a real occultist and claiming the only way to be an initiate is to suck his (tiny little) cock? What about the loudmouthed, self-appointed “Ladies” who get on a power trip and think that every one is in love with them? Yeah, you know the sort of people I am talking about.

We’ve all seen ‘em; at least those of us who’ve been around for a while. And of those of us who’ve been around for a while and who are actual initiates of traditions that have sexual components to them, we’ve developed a keen sense for being able to spot posers. We know the signs, the words, the catchphrases, the attitudes and all the little unconscious signals these arseholes shed like fleas off a dying dog. I will not explain all those “tells” here, it is more productive to watch these scumbags operate and warn their targets than to post the clues they send and blow their games. Just like any other sexual predator, if you give them an inkling that you are on to them, they flee underground for a bit, or change their name and approach.

Don’t get me wrong, I am no prude. I practice certain forms of sex magick and I am unabashedly open with my sexuality and my practices and my beliefs on these things. (In context; I certainly do not share them with children or people who don’t care to hear about them.) I have no problem with polyamory, bisexuality, homosexuality and certain ‘alternative” forms of sexuality. Some of them I even participate in. I have no issue with sex for the sake of sex, sex without love and good old-fashioned, anonymous quickies, as long as it is done safely (physically as well as magically “safe”.) I do draw the line at anything that compromises the will of those involved, particularly those who cannot give fully informed consent: animals, children under 18, the dead, the mentally or emotionally challenged, people under duress or times of extreme stress and most readers of $ilver Ravenwolf. (Yuck, I wouldn’t fuck those $RW reading sorts with someone else’s pussy!) I encourage sexual exploration between consenting adults, and feel that the institution of marriage as defined by the governments in the majority of US states and here in Australia is outmoded and in dire need of an overhaul. I think sexuality should be less repressed and the puritanical fear of body parts needs to be alleviated quicksmart.

But come on, using the occult and pagan communities to trawl for mystical-flavoured sex? Please. At least have the integrity to be honest about it. If you want to have a “spooky occult flavoured booty call” just bloody well say so. If you are an old fucker after hot young chicks but want no attachments, simply say so. Do you really think tricking others into touching your saggy bits is the right thing to do?

The sad fact is that the pagan and magick communities are targeted by opportunistic scumbags and predators because these communities are incorrectly viewed as having no rules, having no standards and having no one “policing” them. Boy, are these cretins ever wrong! Most systems of paganism and neo-paganism and magick do have well-developed system of ethics and tenets and practices—it isn’t “anything goes”. Most of them have very high standards, for instance, in the better magick orders and the valid mystery traditions, one must be a “proper person (to borrow a term) and this is determined after a very lengthy, extensive and thorough screening process. And as for policing? We police our own. If a predator or opportunist or general fuckwit comes in, the word goes out… and you’d be surprised at just how wide-spread that word can be.

So how do you tell if someone is an opportunistic assclown, out to get into your knickers? Two dead giveaways are:

1) The “poor me” ploy. The “I’m ever so misunderstood, pity me” gambit. It’s an oldie. Sexual predators use this one, sometimes posing as an injured person or as a person who has lost a cute little doggie in order to seem “harmless”. If you see someone on message boards claiming how they are ever so put upon and no one understand them and that they are misunderstood because they are such lofty, sexually aware witches or magicians, run away.

2) The “Christians are bad, mmmkay” tactic. Anytime they start in with how Christians are persecuting them and how they and other pagans are morally superior and how Christians have infiltrated everything, that is a sign of someone who has a very muddy, flawed thought process, and who really doesn’t understand magick or paganism at all. (Here’s a clue: bashing Christianity does not make you pagan, normally it means you are a pissed off ex-Christian. You haven’t embraced paganism; you merely grabbed a convenient, misunderstood label to rally against your former path.)

Trust me on this. Real sex magick practitioners don’t advertise in forums with kids, they don’t use tactics common to sexual predators and they are generally well-rounded and well-informed people. As I said, there are other tells and signs, but I don’t want to tip my hand to the perverts we are watching.

Love is the law, love under will.
SunVenus (Rachael M. Roth)

©2008 Rachael M. Roth. All Rights Reserved. You may not re-use, re-post or share this essay without the express written consent of the author. If you wish to show it to someone, please give them the link to this page.