In the last almost year that The Witches' Circle has been in operation I have spent a great deal of time working with and talking to beginners of the Wiccan and Pagan path. And, I have to say, that I am very blessed to have had the opportunity to pass on the knowledge that I have gained over the years with so many of you and to see several of you grow in the light of the Goddess in the past few months. But all too often I have young teens coming to be asking me if I can do the LIGHT AS A FEATHER STIFF AS A BOARD trick or do I know the "suicide spell" from the movie "The Craft".
I understand as well as anyone what it's like to try and find your right path in life. I was only 13 when I started out seriously studying about witchcraft. I didn't have a computer with net access and no way to contact others in my area about the subject. My learning for the majority of my first few years until a witch shop opened a few towns over, we confined to books and what I saw on TV. So I know what it's like to see a movie like "The Craft" and think that since it's a movie, not just a TV show, that it must hold a bit of truth and show some light into the life of real witches. The sad part about it, is that as entertaining of a film as that one was, it holds so little truth about what witchcraft is really like that it makes things very hard when you try and teach the truth to someone that has someone been brainwashed into thinking that that movie is the end all be all of witches.
There are a few things in the film that are true and that are good. The first being that there is a focus on the "be careful what you wish for" aspect of Magick. When the girls do their wine spell in the forest after they initiate themselves into their circle they all learn what happens when you ask from something like making someone fall in love with you. These are things that I can't express enough to someone that comes to me asking for spells without having any real working knowledge of Magick.
The second thing that I found true and useful is the fact that the Three Fold Law was stressed and mentioned several times. Along with the fact that the girls lack of knowledge and experience was going to get them when Nancy bought the book on Invoking the Spirit
The film has two characters that should have had more of a focus and that would have possibly made for a more positive film (Sarah and the lady from the witch shop). But as with all things that Hollywood has a hand it, it was more of an exploitive film than anything else showing things that were out and out ridiculous.
Now, it has it's bad points because many people watch this movie (mostly young girls...sorry) and think that this is what it's about. You can make your hair and eye color just change like that (sure, if you use hair dye and contacts) and that you can float about the room wielding knives slicing people's wrists. It doesn't work that way.
But I personally did like the movie. I found it to be very entertaining, There were some great clothes and some good music, and some pretty good one liners. The problem that I find with most people when it comes to this movie is that they take it way too seriously. I hear people say all the time about how they walked out of the theater after a half hour because they were so disgusted with it. Well all I can say to that is couldn't you tell from the trailers on TV what sort of path this movie was going to be on?? I could tell right off the bat, but I go to the movies to have a good time, not to get educated. That's what PBS and the Discovery Channel is for! The movie wasn't aimed to do a disservice to the Pagan community and I don't really know as if it did. I think that it may have stirred up a few more crazies out there, but I don't know as if it did anything that horrible. It did give some people, of all ages, a starting off point for further study. And that's what something like that should do. Simply plant a seed and give you some food for thought.
When it comes to things like this, I try not to get too upset. I know that there are people out there only interested in making a buck...hence books and movies like "The Craft" pop up all the time. I personally don't take offense to these things. I guess it's just me and I don't see much of a point in getting all riled up about it. But I do make a strong point to all that come to me with the questions regarding this movie that it is just that A MOVIE. There is a little bit of truth to it but it's like trying to find a needle in a haystack. Go to your local bookstore, go to some Wiccan chats and search the internet. It might not be as action packed as the film, but a true call to the Goddess or a good job of Drawing Down the Moon is far more exciting than Hollywood could ever create on their own.
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