SheTotem Samhain/Yule 1990 issue Page 1 ======================================================================= =========================================================================== = = = = = = = SSSSS hh TTTTTT = = SS SS hh TT tt = = SS hh eeeee TT ooooo tttttt eeeee mmm mm = = SSSSS hh hhh ee ee TT oo oo tt ee ee mmmmmmm = = SS hhh hh eeeeeee TT oo oo tt eeeeeee mm m mm = = SS SS hh hh ee TT oo oo tt ee mm mm = = SSSSS hh hh eeeee TT ooooo tt eeeee mm mm = = = = = = = =========================================================================== Samhain/Yule 1990 Issue =========================================================================== Publisher: === CONTENTS PAGE Ruelte === About this Issue.......................... 2 Managing Editor: === PubliShe-Torial........................... 3 Elizabeth Crockett === She-Torial................................ 3 (aka Laurel) === From Letters to Myself the Goddess/God: Production Editor: === on Creating a Safe Space............. 5 Randall Stukey === Family Samhain............................ 7 (aka Arn) === Techno-Pagan: Staff Artist: === Introduction to Computer Networking.. 8 Diamond === Graffiti of Ours.......................... 13 === Paganism & Role-Playing Games: 1990 Update 14 === The Goddess Coin.......................... 16 === Cauldron and Candle: === Bringing Neo-Paganism to T.V......... 18 === On Prosperity............................. 20 === The Pagan Bookshelf....................... 23 BBS Distribution: === Neo-Pagan Newswire........................ 30 Nul (1:387/255.0) === SmorgasBoard === Fido Publication: === BBC === San Antonio, TX === USA === Fidonet: 1:387/255.150 === === === === === === ======================================================================= Copyright (c) 1990 by Panic Press SheTotem Samhain/Yule 1990 issue Page 2 ======================================================================= ======================== == == == ABOUT THIS ISSUE == == == ======================== This issue is a text file version of first issue of the new SheTotem. It contains all the printed text of the printed issue of SheTotem, but, unfortunately, none of the art work. If you enjoy this issue, we hope you will subscribe to the printed version of this journal and help make it break even. Submissions are also welcome! This is the Samhain/Yule 1990 issue of SheTotem -- a women's magic publication. SheTotem is published quarterly by Panic Press. Subscriptions are $10.00/year in the U.S and Canada. Please make all checks payable to SheTotem. Copyright (c) 1990, Panic Press. All rights returned to original authors and artists. Trade and barter in exchange for subscriptions is encouraged. Please address all letters, etc. to SheTotem, PO Box 27465, San Antonio, TX 78227- 0465, USA. Illustrations, articles, letters of comment or praise are always welcome. Submissions may be sent on paper or on standard sized IBM-PC format floppy disks (disks will be returned if labeled with address). A plain cover for your subscription may be obtained by sending us an extra $1 with your payment OR by sending us 4 envelopes of at least legal size. ============== == Policies == ============== SheTotem is dedicated to the idea that networking and communication between individuals and groups is both necessary and desirable for the continued growth of Wicce. To further this end, SheTotem will print personal ads from subscribers for these purposes. Those ads which present and encourage forms of barter will also be printed. It is up to the subscriber to send the ad to us. Non-subscribers may buy an ad at $.10/word. When sending your ad please include a phone number, if possible, and a SASE in case of any questions. No ad will be changed without permission, but no ad of what the editors consider to be "dubious taste" will be printed. SheTotem is pro-magic and as non-sexist as we can manage while still being human. We offer SheTotem to those people who cannot afford to pay cash in a variety of trade or barter arrangements. Simply write and propose a trade, including a SASE, and we'll write back with a subscription or counter-offer. Blessed Be! ======================================================================= Copyright (c) 1990 by Panic Press SheTotem Samhain/Yule 1990 issue Page 3 ======================================================================= ===================== == == == PubliShe-Torial == == by Ruelte == == == ===================== Well, folks. Its been about 2 years since I got a bit too busy to produce SheTotem due to various factors such as moving and finishing my BA and beginning my master's work in biology. They say you can't get rid of a good thing. SheTotem has continued to be a major impact in my life through contacts and the QP Lending Library, however I had decided that I would not allow it to, once again, take over virtually all my life. School is as fascinating, in its own way, as magic. The people I meet, whether Pagan or not, are all vastly interesting. And getting out in the public has advantages that sitting in front of a typewriter or computer doesn't have. So I put SheTotem into hibernation. I finished my degree in both Botany and Anthropology. I started Aikido and Judo. I began working on my masters in Marine Botany with plans to transfer to a different school to work on a doctorate in anthropology. Yes, I kept in touch with some of you - through short notes or visiting. I continued writing some articles on magic or Paganism for future insertion in SheTotem between papers on Hegelian philosophy and social interactions according to Durkheim. But the situation was never quite right and the time never really caught up with enough to produce SheTotem. So I did what any normal person would do ... I bitched and complained. Betty, tired of my complaints (and no, they really weren't bad complaints, merely small gripes), said she would take over SheTotem. Well, what can I say? SheTotem is no longer under my control. I've given it over totally to Betty and her cohorts in conspiracy. She allows me to look over articles first, when I'm here. However, I don't think that I could yell her into submission if I really disliked an article. That's a good thing. It allows for a diversity in thought and opinion that wouldn't exist otherwise. SheTotem has always encouraged diversity within a humanistic and holistic framework. With our new editorship, I hope this trend will continue. SheTotem is no longer my baby. It's no longer a baby. I've let go of needing SheTotem and SheTotem no longer needs me. I love you all and while you won't see me every issue, you will be seeing me occasionally. ================ == == == She-Torial == == by Laurel == == == ================ Well, it's been long overdue, the wheel has made the circuit more than once since the last issue of SHE-TOTEM was last published, and I'm sure that many of you have gone on to other things....for the wheel does turn, and life does move on. But, we're back (which is obvious if you're reading this!) and I hope you'll find us as strong and appealing as ever. We thought it appropriate to come out of our long hiatus at Samhain which is ======================================================================= Copyright (c) 1990 by Panic Press SheTotem Samhain/Yule 1990 issue Page 4 ======================================================================= always a time for focusing energy as well as the Wiccan New Year. I hope you'll enjoy this first issue of what I hope will be many more to come. We'll be continuing in the quarterly tradition and will be trying to focus each issue, in part, on the celebration(s) following its publication. Consequently, this issue will have all the usual general fun and mayhem such as book reviews, essays and such but will also have articles on the upcoming Sabbat festivals (submissions allowing). As always, we'd like to invite you to submit your comments, your writing, and your ideas. Let us know if you like (or don't) the new formatting and give us feedback as to what you'd like to see in these pages. Artwork and other contributions for publication are cheerfully received and definitely solicited. Thank you for patiently waiting. I hope that we won't disappoint you! ======================================================================= Copyright (c) 1990 by Panic Press SheTotem Samhain/Yule 1990 issue Page 5 ======================================================================= ============================================= == == == From Letters to Myself the Goddess/God: == == On Creating a Safe Space == == by Susan Benedict == == == ============================================= As the New Year approaches I reflect on the past and look forward to the next year. I always strive to be a better mobile temple, but never, somehow feeling that I have made any real progress. This year has been different and I am thankful that the inner transformation has finally begun. The bricks that block the Fox have finally come loose and are ready to be pulled out, one brick at a time, ever so slowly, to let the light in and my path begin. I am finally ready to face my pain and my rage, to grieve at my loss of self and put aside blame. I am now ready to accept myself: feel what I feel, know what I know, see what I see, and hear what I hear without distortions. This is impossible to do without a safe space, an inner temple, that up until now I had always equated with a house and a garden that I would purchase -- someday. That symbol is something I have spent years working towards, but found it be always out of reach. And then recently, I found my safe space. A space that neither represented any of the good nor pain from my past. A space that was totally neutral, free of guilt, limitations, morality, anger and hate. A brick in the walls that surrounded my life, my self, finally fell loose and I snuck out to peek at the other side. There I found my safe space, within my spirit, my own true self. I found it while entering into a guided meditation one Sunday morning. The experience wasn't anything like I thought it would be: a thunderbolt of inspirational manifestation, my space appearing to me with a conviction of its rightness. No, I had to build it by trial and error. It was the same as when one first moves into a new house and arranges the furniture. At first, the chair is put by the window....but that doesn't feel right. So, the chair is moved around until its rightful place is found. In such a way, I created my safe space, like a painter with a paint-filled brush in one hand and a turpentined rag in the other. Paint-wipe, paint-wipe, stroke the canvas once more. . . ahh, that's just right. Through struggle and trust in myself, I was finally able to re-create the safe space that was my own. Re-created, as upon it's discovery, I was struck that it had been there all the time. Only I was unable to find it: as if I walked in circles, lost, sometimes getting a glimpse of it but never quite grasping its presence. Now, I find myself there often. I pop in for some badly needed rest or to contemplate a perplexing problem. Sometimes, I go there just to be, to feel myself being human, or simply to play a game of "tag". I wish that I could take you there to share my safe space. We could eat some fruit, or go for a walk, or sit quietly watching the moon herald in the New Year. ======================================================================= Copyright (c) 1990 by Panic Press SheTotem Samhain/Yule 1990 issue Page 6 ======================================================================= Imagine if you would, an old forest, filled with light, lacking the prickly underbrush that tears at clothes and skin. In this forest is a circle of trees, a perfect circle surrounded by trees with trunks straight and bare as arrows. Their silvery hue reflects the light in, out and down, suffusing the circle in a soft warm glow. At the top, their bushy leaves and branches chat away softly in the breeze about all that goes on in the world. As you enter this circle you see a huge slab of granite, resting on two stones: nature's altar. The slab is both warm and cool to your touch. It lends itself to sitting, kneeling beside it, lying upon it or standing before it. A perfect and flexible altar for your purpose, providing you with whatever you need: warmth in the cold of the waning year, cool relief in the heat of the waxing year. There's plenty of room for our offerings: flowers or food, a paper airplane or leaf. . . even room for playing a game of tag around it, laughing silently when it reaches out to knock a shin -- "you're it!" And when we tire, we can lie on the moss and grass bed that surrounds it and look up into the canopy of the sky, sharing all that we see and feel -- laughing, crying or just being still. Listen to the wind tell of times past or times to come, reading the morse code of the stars. We can stay for a week or just pop-in and touch our centers and say, "How's it going today?" So many of us have sought or still seek our safe space within the world. . . and will probably never find it there. I spent years in this fruitless pursuit, only to find it within myself, where it had been all along if only I'd had the eyes to see. This year will be a very hard one -- a year filled with pain and struggle as I re- learn how to be a functional temple to my spirituality. But now I have my center, my safe-space, and will be able to go there to celebrate my breakthroughs, cry through my defeats, and maybe even play a game of tag with my child-within. I hope I see you there. Tag! You're It! ======================================================================= Copyright (c) 1990 by Panic Press SheTotem Samhain/Yule 1990 issue Page 7 ======================================================================= ==================== == == == Family Samhain == == by Christopher == == == ==================== Cold winds cut the freshly reaped plane. "Close your eyes to see grandma here." Deep inside she feels her again, part of the magic this time of year. The wheel turns as the soul yearns. Dad brings fire from the sacred bic, and mom retells the story old. Sadie slices sweet bread so thick; the altar's set with nature's gold. A waning moon, enclosing cocoon. Cast round and round, as the year goes; Creating space no more mundane. Across thin veils cosmic winds blow. Music from the astral plane in refrain. Participation in divination. Mom chants for the waning lady, Dad sings to the waxing lord. Closing circles are saved for Sadie, three times round with her small sword. Sweet grandma's kiss 'till next year we miss. ======================================================================= Copyright (c) 1990 by Panic Press SheTotem Samhain/Yule 1990 issue Page 8 ======================================================================= ==================================================== == == == Techno-Pagan == == Introduction to Computer Networking (Part One) == == by William Hughes == == == ==================================================== Welcome to this, the first of what we hope will be an unending series of articles on technological aspects of Paganism. In this series, we will examine such topics as computer software, electronic communications, even new developments on outdoor equipment for camping. We solicit suggestions from you, our readers. What do you want to see in these pages? Occasionally we may mention a particular product or service by name. This is not intended as an endorsement -- merely as an example to aid in discussion. Please do not ask us for information on a specific product. Computer Bulletin Boards ======================== One of the recent developments (well, relatively recent) in our society is the proliferation of home computers. I read somewhere that by the year 2000, almost 80% of American homes will contain a home computer of some type. There are countless uses for the home computer. One of these is electronic communications -- using our home computer to pass messages to other systems. Not only do electronic bulletin boards provide amusing and informative mail and social interchange, they can be an important path for finding other people with similar interests and a way of exchanging views and information. Often a very good way for Pagans to communicate with each other and discover that the world isn't always such a solitary place. The Mechanics of Electronic Communications ========================================== A computer uses digital signals. Digital signals are formed by the presence of an electrical current. A simple analogy is Morse Code. Morse Code transmits information by pulses of electricity, which are then decoded by the Morse operator. Unfortunately, these signals are very weak -- not at all suitable for transmission over long distances. To correct this problem, we use a device called a modem. The word modem is derived from the terms MOdulation and DEModulation. Modulation refers to the process of converting digital signals to analog, or audio, signals. Demodulation, therefore, is the reverse of this process -- converting audio signals back to digital signals. These audio signals can be passed on to a standard telephone line for transmission to another computer (assuming it has a modem connected, of course!). By connecting a modem to our home computer, we gain the ability to communicate with thousands, if not millions, of other computer systems. In addition to a modem, you will need a communications program. This type of program is used to connect the modem with your computer. It can dial the telephone, format messages and files for ======================================================================= Copyright (c) 1990 by Panic Press SheTotem Samhain/Yule 1990 issue Page 9 ======================================================================= transmission and reception, and perform routine housekeeping chores. Some of the most popular communications programs are QModem, Procomm and Telemate. What is a Computer Bulletin Board? ================================== A computer bulletin board, or BBS, is a computer which has been programmed to act as an electronic message center. BBS systems allow us to post messages to, and read messages from, other people who use the system. Computer bulletin boards can also allow us access to various types of computer software. Most BBSs maintain a file of programs which can be retrieved, or downloaded, by their users. The greatest number of BBS systems are operated by individuals as a hobby, and rarely charge any fees to users. They are usually set up around a particular viewpoint or subject. For example, a San Antonio BBS called Tranquility Base is dedicated to environmental issues. Other BBS systems cater to computer programmers, cooks, campers, law enforcement professionals, romance novels, Pagans, magic, even Star Trek fans. These boards are usually independent of each other. There is, however, a means to communicate with other systems. Called EchoMail or NetMail, this involves each separate system collecting messages, then (usually once a day), connecting with another system to exchange message packages. This second system, in turn, connects with yet another system in the same manner. Using this procedure, an individual can send a message anywhere in the world. Not all systems carry EchoMail, however. The costs of any long-distance connections are borne by the system operator (SysOp), and with a large number of echoes can mount up very quickly (a not so subtle hint to support your local SysOp). Like private BBS systems, Echoes usually are based on a single subject. One of the older national echoes, in fact, is called MagickNet. This echo is dedicated to the Pagan community. The second major type of BBS is the commercial bulletin board. The largest examples of these systems are CompuServe, Prodigy and Genie. These systems charge a fee for their use, and provide literally hundreds of special-interest message areas. Almost every commercial system maintains a location, called a node, on most larger metropolitan areas. This allows the user to connect with the system without having to pay for a long-distance call. How Do I Connect With a Computer Bulletin Board? ================================================ If you are interested in BBSing, contact your local computer dealer. They can explain the various types of modems and communications programs available and assist you in hooking them up to your computer. They can also give you the telephone numbers of local bulletin boards. Also, a local user's group will be more than happy to help you get started. Your dealer can put you in touch with these groups. Once you have your modem set up and your communications program installed, you are almost ready to start exploring. ======================================================================= Copyright (c) 1990 by Panic Press SheTotem Samhain/Yule 1990 issue Page 10 ======================================================================= Bulletin Board Etiquette ======================== There are a few thing you should know before connecting with any bulletin board system. First and foremost, always remember that when you are on a bulletin board, you are a guest in another person's house. Act as you would expect your guests to act. Because your connection to the board is through a computer it is easy to forget that there are people "out there." Alas, situations arise where emotions erupt into a verbal free-for-all that can lead to hurt feelings. No message on a bulletin board is "private." At the very least, the SysOp can read your messages, as well as the individuals to whom they are addressed. Do not attack people if you cannot persuade them with your presentation of the facts. Screaming, cursing, and abusing others only serves to make people think less of you and less willing to help you when you need it. If you are upset at something or someone, wait until you have had a chance to calm down and think about it. A cup of coffee or a good night's sleep works wonders on your perspective. Hasty words create more problems than they solve. Try not to say anything to others you would not say to them in person in a room full of people. Never say in ten words what you can say in fewer. Say it succinctly and it will have a greater impact. Remember that the longer you make your message, the fewer people will bother to read it. Most people on the board will know you only by what you say and how well you say it. They may someday be your co-workers or friends. Take some time to make sure each message is something that will not embarrass you later. Minimize your spelling errors and make sure that the message is easy to read and understand. Writing is an art and to do it well requires practice. Since much of how people judge you on the board is based on your writing, such time is well spent. The subject line of a message is there to enable a person with a limited amount of time to decide whether or not to read your article. Tell people what the message is about before they read it. A title like "Car For Sale" does not help as much as "66 MG Midget For Sale." Don't expect people to read your message to find out what it is about because many of them won't bother. Some boards truncate the length of the subject line so keep your subjects short and to the point. Without the voice inflections and body language of personal communications, it is easy for a remark meant to be funny to be misinterpreted. Subtle humor tends to get lost, so take steps to make sure people realize you are trying to be funny. Most people use symbols to describe their intent. Some of these include the "smiley" face :-) to point out sections with humorous intent; the frown :-( for disagreement; and the Spock }:-| for satire. No matter how broad the humor or satire, it is safer to remind people ======================================================================= Copyright (c) 1990 by Panic Press SheTotem Samhain/Yule 1990 issue Page 11 ======================================================================= that you are being funny. But also be aware that quite frequently satire is posted without any explicit indications. If a message outrages you strongly, you should ask yourself if it just may have been unmarked satire. Several self-proclaimed connoisseurs refuse to use smiley faces, so take heed or you may make a temporary fool of yourself. When you are following up someone else's message, please summarize the parts of the message to which you are responding. This allows readers to appreciate your comments rather than trying to remember what the original message said. It is also possible for your response to get to some users before the original message when using Echo or NetMail. Summarization is best done by including appropriate quotes from the original message. Do not include the entire message since it will irritate the people who have already seen it, and add to the SysOp's long-distance bill if you are on an Echo. Even if you are responding to the entire message, summarize only the major points you are discussing. When you request information from someone, it is a common courtesy to report your findings so that others can benefit as well. The best way of doing this is to take all the responses that you received and edit them into a single message and then post it to the places where your question originally appeared. Simply write a short summary. Try to credit the information to the people that sent it to you, where possible. Before you submit a follow-up to a message, read the rest of the messages to see whether someone has already said what you want to say. If someone has, don't repeat it. Once something is posted onto a computer bulletin board, it is effectively in the public domain. You should also be aware that posting movie reviews, song lyrics, or anything else published under a copyright could cause you or the SysOp to be held liable for damages, so we highly recommend caution in using this material -- if you do quote from a copyrighted work, be sure to give proper credit and include the original copyright notice. If you are using facts to support a cause, state where they came from. Don't take someone else's ideas and use them as your own. You don't want someone pretending that your ideas are theirs; show them the same respect. When you post something (like a movie review that discusses a detail of the plot) which might spoil a surprise for other people, please mark your message with a warning so that they can skip the message. Next issue: Pagan bulletin boards [Author's Note: Parts of BBS Etiquette are excerpted from a public- domain article by Chuq Von Rospach, originally posted on USENET in 1987.] ======================================================================= Copyright (c) 1990 by Panic Press SheTotem Samhain/Yule 1990 issue Page 12 ======================================================================= Biography William Hughes is a pagan and communications engineer/computer programmer in San Antonio, Texas. ======================================================================= Copyright (c) 1990 by Panic Press SheTotem Samhain/Yule 1990 issue Page 13 ======================================================================= ====================== == == == Graffiti of Ours == == by Lucia == == == ====================== The Nevada sky was blue, cloudless and still, as usual. In a sudden rush of contentment, I turned off the main road onto an unfamiliar, rough, dirt road hoping to find a quiet, unmarred piece of earth to meditate on in solitude. About a quarter of a mile down the road, however, I found a depressing expanse of mutilated land, scarred with dusty paths, gashed from mining excavations. Dilapidated, abandoned metal mining buildings stood sentinel on the beaten land, pieces of metal siding clanging in the wind as warnings. I felt that I'd blundered into a dead zone when I looked into the old monuments to greed and saw a colorful barrage of graffiti: paintings of nuclear explosions; glorified emblems of LSD; the ominous proclamation "Toxic Waste;" names of the most virulently woman-hating rock bands such as Motley Crue; the question, "What do women and screen doors have in common?"; the ancient symbol of woman, the enclosed pentagram, perverted to the symbol of male evil, a goat-faced devil glaring from its center. In the silent Nevada afternoon, these tributes to hatred screamed annihilation. I realized that graffiti is nearly always by males. There on the torn body of a once beautiful western hill I felt intensely those males' efforts to eradicate my voice. It did not appeal to me to splatter paint on the rusting walls, but I needed to reply to them. I drew some of OUR symbols in the dust with a stick, and then filled in the outlines with dark rocks and slivers of wood. To those who fear our existence, I left drawings of the labrys, the butterfly, the goddess, the pristine circled pentagram, and the international symbol of woman. I smiled often during the rest of that day. Sometimes I laugh to think of the confusion my drawings must have caused that vociferous minority. Biography Lucia is an aspiring crone determined to steer weirdward forever more. She's not much for patriarchal "compromise" (read: defeat), or "growing up" (read: giving up). If you must know, she is rather white and under 30 with no children but several cats who like to help her read in the evenings. ======================================================================= Copyright (c) 1990 by Panic Press SheTotem Samhain/Yule 1990 issue Page 14 ======================================================================= ================================================== == == == Paganism and Role-Playing Games: 1990 Update == == by Arn == == == ================================================== Even if you aren't a science fiction fan or a role-playing fan, you have undoubtedly heard of the role-playing game craze, especially in the Dungeons and Dragons category. After all, the fundamentalists have been targeting this (and others like it) for the past several years and there has even been a best-selling novel by Rona Jaffe, Mazes and Monsters, which points out the dangers of brainwashing our youth by allowing them to become overly involved in these dangerous fantasy-realities. Witchcraft and TSR's Dungeons and Dragons seem to be completely interdependent upon each other in the thoughts of your average fundamentalist. I am sure that by now many pagans have heard of or seen the Dark Dungeons tract ("Chick" Publications) in which a game that can only be D&D is used to recruit players into some perverted version of "the Craft" that has apparently never heard of the Witches' Rede or the concept of ethics. As someone who has been involved in role-playing games since the appearance of the original version of Dungeons & Dragons in 1974 and a pagan for slightly longer, I have to admit that I find the tract highly amusing, especially the narrator's comment that "The intense occult training through D&D qualifies Debbie to enter a witches' coven as a Priestess" since about the only occult training you are going to get from D&D is a modified version of the "magic" system that science fiction writer Jack Vance made up for his Dying Earth stories. The trouble is, of course, that while we know this, the fundamentalists (most of whom have never even bothered to actually read the D&D rule books) have managed to connect Dungeons & Dragons with Satanism (which they often refer to as "witchcraft") in the minds of many of the general public. TSR did not help matters any when they began referring to the magic-using characters of their "humanoid" species (orcs, goblins, hobgoblins, and other generally evil non-humans) by the term "wicca" in 1985. Many pagans thought that the usage of the term "wicca" in this manner showed a lack of sensitivity on the part of TSR toward the Wiccan religion -- especially as TSR was going out of its way to avoid offending the fundamentalist Christians at that time. A grass-roots letter writing campaign was started to let TSR know that pagans did not approve of their usage of the term "wicca" for a (generally evil) humanoid magic-user. Well, it took five years, but TSR seems to have finally decided that perhaps the term "wicca" is really not appropriate as the following note from the introduction to the Dungeon Master's Sourcebook for the Hollow World D&D boxed set illustrates: A Note from the Editor: In this product there is one change in terminology, TSR no longer uses the term "wicca." Humanoid magic- users are now called "wokani." No change has been made aside from the name; they still do all the things they did before. This change ======================================================================= Copyright (c) 1990 by Panic Press SheTotem Samhain/Yule 1990 issue Page 15 ======================================================================= is the result of careful thought, and debuts in The Hollow World boxed set. It will carry over into all future D&D game products. When I spoke to a TSR representative about concerns relating to products previously issued by TSR using this term so erroneously I was told that the term "wicca" will be replaced by "wokani" in older material as it is reprinted. If you'd like to thank TSR for being as considerate to Pagans as they are to Christians, you can write TSR at TSR, Inc., POB 756, Lake Geneva, WI 53147. Just as one battle is successful fought, another potential controversy has appeared. Mayfair Games released a volume of its Role Aids series entitled Witches. According to the blurb on the back cover, this 96 page volume written by Nigel D. Findley contains "all of the necessary information for including the witch as a new character class.... Each of the eight [there are actually NINE in the volume--Arn] distinct witchcraft traditions: Classical, Dianic, Golden Dawn (of which the famous occultist Aleister Crowley was a member), Wiccan, Voodoo, Animistic, Elemental, and Deryni (based on the series by Katherine Kurtz) is outlined in the book." I purchased this one ($10.00) with no little trepidation. To put it bluntly, Witches was not as bad as I feared it would be. The author has done some research and has based the various witch classes he presented on that research, but there is a clear statement in the introduction that states "...I have taken considerable liberties with fact to increase playability and to enhance the enjoyment of both GM and players." While I disagree with the author's decision to include voodoo and Golden Dawn as types of witches, the other four that the author bases on reality are handled fairly well. In his system, classical witches are those followers of the Mother Goddess in the period of classical Greece and Rome. His Dianic witches are based on witchcraft during the middle ages. Amazingly, the author avoided the easy path of making these witches followers of the devil as the medieval Christian church insisted they were and instead makes them followers of Diana -- but (sigh) he has witches signing a pact with Diana instead of the Christian Devil. His Wiccans are basically a game-version of modern day Wicca. While surprising this does not make me ill, his provision for evil-aligned covens where members advance by killing those above them is not going to help our Wicca if the fundies see it. Finally, his animistic witchcraft appears to be a game version of shamanism. While there are objectionable things about this volume, I think that most pagans would be able to live with it. It is the most unbiased and unoffensive treatment of the subject in D&D terms that I have seen (if you are willing to ignore the Voodoo and Golden Dawn "witch" classes). However, I am sure that this volume will provide yet more anti-Wicca material for the fundies when they take things out of context and ignore disclaimers as they often seem to do. So while I cannot bring myself to condemn Witches, I can't make myself praise it either. ======================================================================= Copyright (c) 1990 by Panic Press SheTotem Samhain/Yule 1990 issue Page 16 ======================================================================= ====================== == == == The Goddess Coin == == by SunBear == == == ====================== Ever wonder why coins are circular, or why they often have the Goddess of Liberty or Plenty? Yes, it's true: coins represent the moon and sun. A silver coin was sacred to the Goddess as a reflection of her moon. Coins made of gold were sacred to her consort. One coin in the ancient world, from Rhodes, had Helios, the personification of the sun, on one side and a lily, symbol of the Goddess, on the other. The Greeks minted coins with Athena or her Owl. Coins needed the blessing of the Goddess by way of secret rituals at her temples when they were struck to be real. However as patriarchal institutions, and especially the military dictatorships, gained more power, images of political leaders became more common. Roman emperors had themselves or family members stamped on the coinage. Some still had the Goddess on the reverse. This implied that he was the Consort King, as earlier kings in the fertile crescent had become through the Sacred Marriage or Heiros Gamos. It is interesting to note that in the United States images of Liberty or of wildlife were used exclusively until 1909 when Lincoln was portrayed. (There were the Indian head coins but that was most likely a racist reference to "wild indians" or the "noble savage" concept.) The motto that is unconstitutionally on U.S. coinage, "In God We Trust," was first introduced during a time of fundamentalist Christian revivalism in the mid-19th century. However, it didn't become standard until just after World War: Act II, during the McCarthy era. This is the same time that "under God" was inserted into the Pledge of Allegiance by an Act of Congress. I wanted to do coin spells with a silver coin and kept a silver dollar in my medicine pouch. It has a wonderful image of Walking Liberty draping herself in the American flag with a sun just rising above the horizon. But somehow it didn't feel right. What with the motto on it and all. I wanted a coin that was truly a Goddess coin. I spoke with other Witches in my area and found that they also thought it would be fitting to have our own coin. We barter our skills in the craft and handicrafts; why not have a currency that is our own to facilitate trade, encouraging a Pagan economy? One thought was to commission a coin and set up a bank at Pagan gatherings. One could exchange U.S. currency for "Lunars" and buy desired items from vendors. The bank would then exchange monies back if the vendors desired (or needed...Hey, we all have to buy our groceries and pay our rent in green backs). The coins do cost money to produce but this cost would be covered by people keeping some of the coins for gifts or their own altar. The plan seemed workable and fun. All that was needed was a few thousand dollars and trust in the vision. I have that, so here today is the first coin. ======================================================================= Copyright (c) 1990 by Panic Press SheTotem Samhain/Yule 1990 issue Page 17 ======================================================================= The obverse of the coin was selected from several submissions by a panel of three respected individuals from South Bay Circles, an inter-coven council in the south San Francisco Bay area. The image was submitted by Tourquois Moon, a young (15 years) woman from Luna Circle, an open women's circle. The reverse was designed by me. The Celtic Knot Pentacle I originally designed for my Book of Lights and Shadows cover. The wreaths of oak leaves, acorns, and grain symbolize Mother Nature's abundant gifts. This reverse will be the same, save for the denomination, on future coins. The Lunar coin is 1/2 oz of .999+ fine silver. It is the size of a U.S. half dollar and makes a fine pendant using a sterling silver bezel to hold it. I am accepting suggestions and artwork for these future issues. The individuals whose submission are selected will receive the first coin struck. I am also interested in learning of other folks' coin spells to put together a series of articles. Blessed Be SunBear Moon Coin Mint 1556 Halford Ave #163 Santa Clara CA 95051 ======================================================================= Copyright (c) 1990 by Panic Press SheTotem Samhain/Yule 1990 issue Page 18 ======================================================================= ======================================================== == == == Cauldron and Candle: Bringing Neo-Paganism to T.V. == == by Arn == == == ======================================================== A group of Pagans and Witches here in San Antonio, Texas are in the production stage of creating an educational and informative community access television show about Neo-Paganism and alternative spirituality called Cauldron and Candle. This is a vast project, done with no little trepidation. San Antonio is a very conservative environment and much of the Pagan community here is underground. Despite this, these intrepid (if foolhardy) Pagans have decided that ignorance is not bliss. At least not for promoting tolerance and mutual understanding in our society. While the group involved does not intend to promote "open" Paganism everywhere for everyone since this is not necessarily advisable for many pagans in today's almost reactionary environment, they fell allowing misconceptions to prevail in the non-Pagan public only feeds into humanity's natural(?) tendency to persecute what it does not understand. This program also does not seek to encourage "converts" to the Craft or other Neo-Pagan groups. Nor does it intend to be confrontational vis a vis mainstream religion. The focus is to educate an otherwise misinformed or ignorant public as to the reality of our collective viewpoints concerning spirituality, ethics and lifestyle. Nor is the program designed to provide substitute spiritual counseling or teaching, although as the series progresses topics will be discussed that are of more interest to Pagans. Hopefully, it will provide a basis of factual understanding for the non-Pagan as well as an opportunity for Pagans to network with each other and a forum for Pagans of all orientations to air their views. The show is being produced on a shoestring budget for community access television (a forum provided by cable companies under federal law for locally produced shows such as ours, "Atheist Forum", and others of any nature) and consequently will have a fairly low production quality. The general format is one of a "magazine talk-show" and it is hoped that eventually it will be possible to interview Pagans from all over the country on the show. In developing the general outline for the first "season's" shows, it was decided to have subjects such as magic and divination covered in later episodes so as to avoid instant intolerance due to the many public misconceptions. (This outline will be found as a sidebar to this article - ed.) The biggest concern of the production company is the need for more widespread Pagan input. They request that anyone having ideas for shows, ideas on how to handle or how NOT to handle certain issues, any anecdotes of your previous experience with such enterprises, or any constructive criticism you would like to add, please forward these to the production company's address: Bell, Book and Candle, P. O. Box 27261, San Antonio, Texas, 78227-0261. A self-addressed, ======================================================================= Copyright (c) 1990 by Panic Press SheTotem Samhain/Yule 1990 issue Page 19 ======================================================================= stamped envelope for replies would be appreciated. Also, if you have the ability and the desire to tape your own 5 or 10 minute segments (such as a ritual you think would illustrate a point, an interview or dialogue among the Pagans and/or Witches in your community, or an on-camera essay), please feel free to send it as well (VHS format, please). They do not promise to air it and may edit, but any edited will be submitted for your approval before airing. The intention of the program is to air a variety of viewpoints within the Pagan community in as factual and entertaining a format as possible. We here at SheTotem will keep you posted on their progress and their reception within the San Antonio area. ======================================================================= Copyright (c) 1990 by Panic Press SheTotem Samhain/Yule 1990 issue Page 20 ======================================================================= =========================== == == == On Prosperity == == anonymously submitted == == == =========================== I keep reminding myself of how good I really have it. I have a lovely little house; I drive a late model car. I can make financial contributions to organizations like Circle or the local hospital when they ask. Life is good. And yet, I sometimes succumb to the temptation of playing the "I don't have enough" game. I don't have enough to buy that 100 acre parcel of forest land that I really want. I don't have enough to take the cruise down the Rhine and the Danube that my mother is treating herself to. If I make up a list I could probably come up with a number of ways to blow my first million within a month. (These things take time, you know. It's no secret that this is a consumer oriented society. I find it fascinating to read in the papers where an economist says, in a three inch column article, "Save more, save more!" while the full page ad across from it screams "spend more, spend more!" Is it any wonder why people pick the latter course? I think that shopping has become a substitute for sex for some people. The interesting thing that I see is the position of the Pagan community vis a vis money. On the one hand we reject the nature of the modern economic system, the Wage Slavery that people subject themselves to for a half-century of their life span. We don't agree that any human has the right to buy and sell a precious resource like land. On the other hand, I see great interest in actually buying the land, assuming that we hit the lottery next week. After all, who makes the kind of money to buy land out in the country? As funny as this may sound, this article began with my diet. I have been on my diet for over a decade now. My weight has varied with the seasons, but I have managed to lose about fifty pounds. Now I am stuck at a plateau, hopefully the last plateau ever. I have come to recognize that, in order to lose the last ten pounds I want to lose that I will have to understand more fully the nature of my appetite. For years I have been under the impression that I had to eat until I was full. That was the nature of the beast. That was how I came to be 245 pounds. My family had a term: we called ourselves the Beef Trust, and all the members were at least six feet and 200 pounds. I was proud to be a member. Then I discovered that you didn't have to eat in this fashion. You could stop when you were no longer hungry. You didn't have to fill up. Lo and behold, whenever I would eat in this way, the pounds ======================================================================= Copyright (c) 1990 by Panic Press SheTotem Samhain/Yule 1990 issue Page 21 ======================================================================= would melt off. Then a party weekend, or a weekend with the family, would come along and I'd balloon back up again. It has been a struggle. Which brings me back to the topic at hand. It seems that Americans are trained to eat until we are full. If it's not food, it's a new car, new clothing, or the latest in compact disk players. Virtually everyone reading this was an American before they were Pagan. The old programming is still there. We may deny it aloud, but parts of us still want the Good Life, as evidenced by L.L. Bean and five acres of land. Most Pagans I know are doing okay and would like to be doing better. I know of one Pagan Prosperity group, and even a Pagan investment club. But, despite all the interest being shown, there doesn't seem to be much progress in anyone's finances. If we are capable of so much magick, why not? First, it seems that many Pagans just don't believe that magick works in the "real world." Bulls**t! Magick works in Assiah, as this plane is known in the Qabalistic system, as well as in any other, if you understand the rules. Rule number one is that the denser the plane, the more energy and time are required to effect changes. How many of us have met others who "only work up on the planes?" Isn't this just another way of saying I can't cope with the real world, that I can't have things my way, so I'll just ignore it? Let's look at an example, namely our dwelling places. Have you ever walked into someone's house and had your skin start to crawl as you scoped out the downstairs: dirty dishes and pizza boxes strewn about the living room, roaches crawling around the dining room, a green scum encrusting the kitchen sink. And then there's the upstairs: a bathtub that still has standing water from the hairball that lodged in the drain last week, a catbox full to overflowing from an indignant cat, laundry strewn from one end of the bedroom to the other. That was my house, once upon a time. Those that know me now (my wife included) find it hard to believe the circumstances that I lived in more than a decade ago, but, admittedly, it is true. I was a lazy slob. Of course, my house now is not the cleanest, but I am not ashamed if we have company drop in. It took me a decade to recognize that the condition of my house is a reflection of my mind and my magick. There is a term that comes from the Qabala and ceremonial magick that reflects this. It is called the Master of the Temple. (As a side note for students of language, I might mention that "Master" refers to one who has mastered, and can be either male or female.) Mastery must be absolute. One small leak will allow a large amount of manna to escape. Our dwelling is, in a very real sense, our temple. Therefore, if we are not in control, Masters, of our Temple, we are not in control of our magick. The same is true of my body. If I look at it with a sigh and say, ======================================================================= Copyright (c) 1990 by Panic Press SheTotem Samhain/Yule 1990 issue Page 22 ======================================================================= if only I could do something about it, then I am admitting that my magick is for nought in Assiah. Start out small. Go for a walk every day. Start to jog. Take up swimming. Get control of your diet. It will take time, a year or more, but in the end, the control that is gained is worth the price in discipline. All your magicks will gain more power as you gain power in the Kingdom. I might mention that the state of your house or body that makes you happy is not the same as what makes your neighbor happy. If you have three kids, it's going to be a big struggle just to keep the house picked up after them. If you're fifty years old, you have a different set of body expectations than the twenty year old gymnast down the hall. The second rule for making magick in Assiah is that convincing people is the easiest way to get things done. One person could hardly have flown to the moon. A crew of thousands did. This is where the art of salesmanship comes in. Look at the War in Vietnam. For several years, anti-war protesters told the rest of the American public that the War was wrong. And, for all those years, American involvement kept creeping up and the rest of society looked at the protesters as kooks and Communists. The tide of public opinion did not turn until four Americans were martyred at Kent State, plus two more at Jackson State in Mississippi. Only then did Americans stop, pinch themselves, and realize the bad dream they had been having. Only then did the Vietnam War come to an end. Why didn't the protesters have more of an effect on the American public? They broke the basic rules of salesmanship. They said, "You're wrong. You're doing something evil and stupid." Of course, John and Joan Public do not like being told that they are evil and stupid (for so they heard it), especially when they had been told all their lives that it is the right and courageous thing to do. The right way to approach salesmanship is to complement the customer, to show how smart and intelligent the customer is for turning his or her ear in this direction. Surely so discerning a person can see the advantages in my product. In this case, the product does not have to be a thing. It can just as easily be an idea or philosophy. It is only when the public is sold on the idea that the environment will be cleaned up. Do you want to make a lot of money? Find a product that you like, a product that you yourself are sold on, enough so that you own and use it yourself. Then go out and sell it to others. There's only one more thing to be said about prosperity. I've mentioned the concepts of fullness and not being hungry, but perhaps the answer lies in a different concept altogether. Perhaps it is not the quantity at all that makes the difference, but the quality. Maybe what we should do is practice being satisfied with what we have. ======================================================================= Copyright (c) 1990 by Panic Press SheTotem Samhain/Yule 1990 issue Page 23 ======================================================================= ========================= == == == The Pagan Bookshelf == == == ========================= Ms. Magazine ============ Robin Morgan, ed. Vol. 1, No. 2, (Oct-Nov) $4.50/issue, $30/sub. special reviewed by Laurel The new Ms., The World of Women, has come back into publication, and it has indeed been worth the wait. By now, this news has probably reached just about everyone who is interested in feminist literature, but we thought it worth a review for those who have been cautious in putting out the $4.50 to find out if dumping the advertisers would really merit such a high price for a nationally distributed magazine. It is. Having never considered myself a rabid feminist (being big on balance and equality and seeing the world as having improved considerably since my childhood), I had some trepidation myself. I spend so much money on Pagan publications (happily) that I just didn't know if the content would be worth the added expense in my rather tight budget. It is. Apparently, a lot of women (women being their main subject and the majority of their subscriber base) did think it would be worth the risk. The first issue sold out within one week of publication (alas, I was too cautious and missed it!) and hence, I am reviewing their second issue. It is definitely an eye-opener. I was fond of the original Ms. but the decision to live without advertising has put some real teeth into the magazine, something it had problems with in its first life. While the many voices represented in this issue are constructive in their criticism, there is no mistaking their anger at the current world-wide treatment of women. Andrea Dworkin's article, "Israel: Whose Country's Is It Anyway," is a thought-provoking and militant treatise on the impact of Zionism. "The Ms. Conversation: Chai Ling Talks with Robin Morgan", gives the real story of the heroes of Tiananmen Square. Then there's the whole section on "Everyday Violence Against Women." The content of these articles and the issue as a whole is militant and political: two adjectives I have never really applied to myself. For those of us who have complacently taken pride in our advances and our freedoms, this issue is a "kick in the seat of the pants." I was appalled with the state of our "progress" by the time I was done reading it. A month later, I'm still appalled -- and no longer as complacent. I was afraid that the new life of Ms. would involve a great deal of man-bashing (and being rather fond of men, I didn't relish this concept), but rather it indulges in patriarchy-bashing. ======================================================================= Copyright (c) 1990 by Panic Press SheTotem Samhain/Yule 1990 issue Page 24 ======================================================================= The editorial leadership has made a real attempt to attack the problems and not the individuals responsible for the unpleasant realities in which we as women must live. Yes, the tone is often emotional, but emotion is never allowed to control the information which is presented with rational thought and intelligence. It is depressing to read, but also refreshing. It pulls no punches, but in doing so it gives us a badly needed understanding that the world in which we live needs our active involvement in order to accomplish any changes for the better. They cover women's issue globally and always with an underlying sense of compassion to alleviate the anger. For any woman who truly cares about the state of humanity and wishes to have her eyes opened and doesn't fear dealing with her own anger, this is a magazine that simply must be read; and more importantly, purchased. I'm not sure how I'll manage to fit this into my budget, but somehow I'll find a way. As we pride ourselves on networking within the Pagan community and dealing with women's rights in this country, Ms. is an important and necessary tool in these pursuits. Many of the articles and items deal with women's spirituality (including the Goddess as a viable spiritual center!), I highly recommend that you buy the next issue you can get your hands on (it is available at all the large, national bookstore chains). Just be warned: you'll not look at things quite the way you used to. And maybe, just maybe, the complacency of the 80's will begin to turn more towards activism for constructive change. At the Pool of Wonder: Dreams & Visions of Awakening Humanity ============================================================= written by Marcia S. Lauck & Deborah Koff-Chapin published by Bear & Company Publishing 113 pages, $16.95 reviewed by Frmn. Skye Marcia Lauck seems to be a talented Lucid Dreamer who enters planes of shamanism, Magick and Soul, and has archetypal (and sometimes ego-shattering) experiences in the Dreaming. She reports of high- level contact with other Dreamers, Medicine People, magickal animals and even a few gods in a tone that is somehow both journalistic and conversational. She has a profound sense of order, harmony, and disruption which emerge as story after story blend together in holocosmic meta-story; to wit, the journeys of a Dreamer. Many others who Dream will recognize the characters and places she and the artist, Deborah Koff-Chapin, encounter. I must remark that i have never seen nor heard of Deborah Koff- Chapin's "touch drawings" up until i received this book. The drawings are done by a sort of "fingerpaint-printing," done with the paper face-down in ink; and watercolored or tinted after the ink dries. It looks like aquatemp, watercolor, or tempera, but at no place in the book does the artist specify this. In many cases, the touch drawings have some tangible relationship with the Dream they accompany. In as many cases, we must wait (sometimes in vain) for the cumulative tale to illume the tenuous links between the Dreams of two independent artists. ======================================================================= Copyright (c) 1990 by Panic Press SheTotem Samhain/Yule 1990 issue Page 25 ======================================================================= In all, a worthwhile book, but probably not for the non-mystically inclined. I give it 83 mana points on a scale of 100. The Song of Eve =============== by Manuela Dunn Mascetti Fireside Books: a division of Simon & Schuster Trade Paperback, $16.95 239 Pages; Hundreds of color and b&W plates reviewed by Laurel While I don't like to admit it, I have to say that I appreciate the surge of interest we Pagans are seeing in the mundane world for "THE NEW AGE" (gasp). It seems that we have become "trendy" in many segments of society. Yes, a lot of tripe and nonsense is coming down the mainstream publishing pipeline. And yes, some people are charging incredible fees for teaching the gullible to find their bellybuttons with psychic and other "new age" classes. But just when you think you want to sigh, giggle, or get truly frustrated.....along comes a book like The Song of Eve, by Manuela Dunn Mascetti and you decide that perhaps you'll overlook just a little more silliness and preppiness if they'll keep printing more like this one. This is a luscious tribute to the Goddess in her many forms and archetypal images throughout the ages in both eastern and western societies from the ancient to the present. It is both feminist and Jungian in it's approach as well as thoroughly researched and documented. It is definitely a tribute to the Divine Female and its entertaining style and integrated artistic media (both sculpture and painting is well represented) make this book a joy to indulge in. The book is divided into the different aspects of the Goddess; the Maiden, Mother, and Crone, as well as Woman as Creator/Destroyer are well represented. To close, I'll quote you something especially revealing from her introduction: This book is a lavish study of the Goddess in all her colors and finery. The substance of the study is to bring words and illustrations together as a sort of tapestry of beauty so that the reader can sample the contents through more than simply the intellect, and thereby appreciate the power of femininity with more than one sense. In the past, the Song of Eve was not only written, it was also sung, danced, and painted. It was more often than not memorized and passed on through word of mouth, through story telling and all the forms of sensual representation. So why would we here wish to do any different? Why indeed? Medicine Cards: Discovery of Power through the Ways of Animals ============================================================== ======================================================================= Copyright (c) 1990 by Panic Press SheTotem Samhain/Yule 1990 issue Page 26 ======================================================================= written by Jamie Sams & David Carson illustrated by Angela C. Werneke published by Bear & Company Publishing 221 pages plus 44 Medicine Cards, $26.95 reviewed by Frmn. Skye The cards themselves are alright, i suppose. The pictures were created by a professional graphic artist -- and it looks that way. This is not to say that the deck is unattractive or lacking in Power, but the artwork looks contrived. As for the book, the Indian legends it offers are informative and entertaining, and the traditional meanings of the animals are honored. There is a nice body of interpretive material which is, unfortunately, somewhat sugar-coated, but otherwise clear-headed and sound in describing the various arenas of behavior and the players thereof. They also include 9 blank cards, on which you can put pictures of your own Power Animals, your Ally, yourself, and (we are told by the authors) pictures of cars, houses, and other things you want! [C'mon guys! Was that the business manager's suggestion?] As usual, throw the box away, even though you paid a dollar for it. In summation, i really like using the cards -- the animals are friendly and tell me useful things, but i still can't recommend shelling out the cash for them if you know someone with the book and can make your own cards. I give it 55 mana points. The Spiral Dance: A Rebirth of the Ancient Religion of the Great Goddess ====================================================== 10th Anniversary Edition written by Starhawk published by Harper and Row 1989, trade paper, 288 pages, $12.95 reviewed by Arn Starhawk's 1979 book, The Spiral Dance, is considered by many to be one of the seminal works on neo-paganism and Feminist Wicca. Many also consider it to be responsible for the formation of more neo- pagan groups than any other book printed in the last 15 years. Despite some minor disagreements in philosophy with the author, this book has been one of my prime sourcebooks since I acquired a copy in 1980. I discovered this 10th Anniversary Edition by accident at a science fiction convention this summer. I was at the "filk" (like folk, sort of) sing and saw a copy in someone else's stack of books! This was the first I had heard that a new edition was out. I wasted no time in locating a copy for myself -- after all, I reasoned, even if a lot had not been changed, it was a good excuse to replace my 1979 edition which had not been in the best of condition when I purchased it. ======================================================================= Copyright (c) 1990 by Panic Press SheTotem Samhain/Yule 1990 issue Page 27 ======================================================================= The text of the book has changed only marginally -- Starhawk seems to have decided (correctly I believe) that one should not mess with something that works. The good news however, is that there's quite a bit of new material. A thirteen page introduction to this edition leads off the book, 38 pages of notes (keyed to chapter and page) entitled "Ten Years Later" follows the original thirteen chapters, and the bibliography has more than doubled in size. Even if my original copy of The Spiral Dance had not been in dire need of replacement, I would not have begrudged the money spent on this second edition. Starhawk's philosophy has remained intact for the most part during the decade between the first and second editions of this book -- so those who were uncomfortable with its feminist leanings and its downplay of the God as a method of redressing the centuries of God- dominated religions are still going to have trouble with the author's philosophy. As this reviewer is one of those who believe that the best way to redress imbalance is to restore the balance -- not to go to the other extreme -- I have my problems with Starhawk. However, in spite of my minor philosophical reservations, The Spiral Dance is one of the three books (the other two being Margot Adler's Drawing Down the Moon and Scott Cunningham's Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner) I strongly recommend to anyone who expresses an interest in learning about Wicca. If you haven't read The Spiral Dance, I strongly suggest you buy a copy of this 10th Anniversary Edition. If you own a copy of the 1979 edition, take a look at the new edition, I believe you will find enough new information to justify the purchase price. The Rites of Odin ================= written by Ed Fitch published by Llewellyn Publications 1990, trade paper, 335 pages, $12.95 reviewed by Arn In contrast to the new edition of The Spiral Dance, a new text has appeared on Norse mythology adapted for modern Pagan use, The Rites of Odin. I'm glad that I had a few months between the reading of these two books or I might have been institutionalized from trying to rationalize two such diametrically opposed viewpoints! The mention of Odinism does unfortunately bring up visions of Nazism, racism, and a strongly patriarchal religion for most neo- pagans -- things that most of us reject. Margot Adler did not cover Odinism in the first edition of Drawing Down the Moon for this very reason. Unfortunately, despite Ed Fitch's previously admired work and his best efforts here, this vision is unlikely to be changed by reading The Rites of Odin. While I have always been personally fascinated by Norse mythology, the few Odinists I have met seemed to have a philosophy so different from mine (and these were not the neo-Nazis types either) that I never bothered to pay much attention to the revival of Odinism as a religion. Coming across The Rites of Odin on the ======================================================================= Copyright (c) 1990 by Panic Press SheTotem Samhain/Yule 1990 issue Page 28 ======================================================================= bookshelves of my favorite bookstore, with Ed Fitch's byline, I decided to remedy my neglect and give this aspect of mythology and ritual a chance. The Rites of Odin is basically a text on "How to Worship the Norse Gods". Fitch starts out by explaining in a disclaimer that while Odin, Thor, and Frey were the deities most honored in ancient times, he has elected to replace Frey with his sister, Freya, in one of her older, more all-encompassing (Maiden/Mother/Crone), forms. This immediately raised my hopes for the book. Unfortunately, these innocent hopes were fairly well bashed by the rest of the book. While neither the book nor the philosophy espoused therein are openly racist, statements like the following from the Rede of Honor are of concern: "Humankind, and especially your own family and folk, has the spark of divinity within it", or "In the world, your first trust and responsibility should be to your own people. Yet be kind and proper to others whenever possible." While Fitch makes it clear that the "your people/your folk" constantly referred to in the book means your (extended) family and your close friends, many of the ideas expressed here seem awfully close to elitism, if not outright racism. While I believe that most people would tend to choose one's friends and family over faceless humanity as a whole when making moral decisions (something born out in the Kohlberg morality psychological test profile used commonly as a diagnostic tool), I consider this somewhat of a flaw in myself, and certainly not something around which to base a philosophy. Also, the Fitch version of Odinism honors the warrior in humankind and clearly believes in fighting to defend things one considers worth fighting for. While this does not particularly bother me as I believe the Warrior has value as an archetype, it may bother many neo-pagans. However, many Feminists/Wiccans may find this book more than a little disturbing in its outlook on the role of the female in society, as I do. Here is a very illustrative quote from the introduction to Betrothal Ceremony to explain why: Traditionally, the father or the best friend of the male suitor should go to see the father of the prospective bride, to ask him for her hand. The reason for this archaic custom is that now, as in times long past, such a spokesman is able to enumerate the suitor's good qualities. If the discussion goes well, then the conditions of the marriage, such as home, jobs, and schooling should be discussed. Although the father or other close relative of a young maiden will speak for her and make arrangements for her, a widow or divorcee may betroth herself, as may a woman who is of age. Traditionally, good birth should be considered, as well as the power, wealth and influence of the families and of prominent relatives. It has always been good practice for the families to be fairly closely matched in rank, wealth, intellect, personal interests and so on. Now as in the distant past a marriage has a better chance for success if ======================================================================= Copyright (c) 1990 by Panic Press SheTotem Samhain/Yule 1990 issue Page 29 ======================================================================= both man and woman have much in common, both materially and mentally. Still, every betrothal, every marriage is different. In the final analysis, the feelings of the man and the woman for each other will, in the present era, usually be the determining factor. Thank the Goddess for THAT. Even with this last qualifier, I cannot help but feel that most women will feel demeaned by this treatise on the "proper" form of betrothal. This attitude toward women is perhaps the most offensive aspect of the book. Fortunately, the meat of the book is in the actual rituals, and I must admit that some of them are quite beautiful -- as one might well expect from Ed Fitch (who previously brought us The Magical Rites From the Crystal Well, also from Llewellyn Press). Three sets of seasonal rituals are provided: the first for groups (called groves), the second for small family units (households), and the third for solitaires. Also included are various "social" or "rites- of-passage" rituals such as coming-of-age, betrothal, marriage, and divorce. I was very pleased with the idea of household rituals as I have long felt a need for something for the family unit without knowing exactly what I was looking for. When I read Fitch's household seasonal rituals, I suddenly realized that what I was looking for were rituals that a family can do together until they become family traditions. The modern Neo-Pagan movement is so new that few of us have had time to think of things like this -- and I must congratulate Fitch for putting these rituals together. While I personally could not use any of the ones provided in this book -- I can take many of the ideas and put them in the trappings of my own tradition. So can you -- these 20+ pages alone are worth the price of the book as a sourcebook of ideas for creating family rituals. The book includes detailed instructions on making some of the items needed for its rituals, but just gives pictures of others, including the costumes. The bibliography is sketchy, but a good list of the principal Norse sagas is given. In summary, I would say that The Rites of Odin is an interesting book, although I wouldn't put it on my "must have" list. I have learned quite a bit about at least one branch of Odinism by reading it and that I have a bit more positive opinion of Odinism after reading this book although I am now certain that it is not the path for me -- despite the limited appeal of some of its features -- and that knowledge alone was worth the price of admission. ======================================================================= Copyright (c) 1990 by Panic Press SheTotem Samhain/Yule 1990 issue Page 30 ======================================================================= ======================== == == == Neo-Pagan Newswire == == == ======================== Firebird Arts and Music, Inc. POB 453, El Cerrito, CA 94530 offers the folk and filk music of Meg Davis, Leslie Fish, and Mercedes Lackey as well as art by Kelley Freas. A catalog is available from them and the music -- from Golden Bough and Patrick Ball's Celtic music to Star Trek filksongs -- is wonderful. The American Atheist General Headquarters has several interesting books and pamphlets available from POB 14505, Austin, TX 78761- 4505. Send a SASE for more information. The American College Health Association, 15878 Crabbs Branch Way, Rockville, MD 20855 or (301) 963-1100 has a pamphlet available entitled "Women & Aids." Send a SASE for more information. A wonderful engagement calendar for 1991 entitled "Celebrating Women's Spirituality" is available from The Crossing Press, Freedom, CA 95019. The calendar is divided into weeks with artwork or ritual. Thirteen of the plates of artwork are in full color and the rituals are emotionally moving. Full and new moons are marked as well as most holidays. Rituals are by a variety of authors including Starhawk, Judith Laura and Diane Mariechild. It's out. It's Here!!! The 15th annual edition of the Lunar Calendar is now available for $12.95 from Luna Press, POB 511, Kenmore Station, Boston, MA 02215 or call (617) 427-9846. As usual this calendar teaches aspects of the monthly tree-alphabet and has graceful spirals depicting the monthly cycles. The calendar includes days and dates, phases of the moon, earth festivals, zodiac transits as well as an excellent bibliography and resource section. "Addiction of Perfection and the Pregnant Virgin" by Marion Woodman are now available in leather-bound deluxe gift editions from Inner City Books, Box 1271, Station Q, Toronto, Canada M4T 2P4. Inner City Books was founded in 1980 to promote the understanding and practical application of the work of C. G. Jung and carries a wide variety of studies in Jungian Psychology. Campfest Festivals, Rte #1 Box 91, Penn Run, PA 15765-9731 produces Campfest and Womongathering. Womongathering is a festival of Womyn's Spirituality. For more information about the festivals or to be a performer, presenter or staff member for these women's festivals contact them at the above address. "Take Back the Night", a Lunar calendar for 1991 from Full Womoon Productions is now available. This is a standard month/page calendar for the wall. The calendar is set-up in lunar months with each day represented by a drawing of the pertinent moon-phase. Each month is highlighted with poetry or essays with B&W original artwork. Highly recommended. Look for it in your local alternative bookstores or write them at: Full Womoon Productions, P.O. Box ======================================================================= Copyright (c) 1990 by Panic Press SheTotem Samhain/Yule 1990 issue Page 31 ======================================================================= 1205, Santa Cruz, Ca. 95061. Retail is $10.00. ======================================================================= Copyright (c) 1990 by Panic Press