Many of modern Paganism's detractors claim we are
irrelevant. We stand accused of practicing a
religion which draws more from fantasy than
history, of spending our time playing at
spellcasting rather than facing reality. Do they
have a point? Sure, waving crystals around in the
moonlight and chanting "harm none" is
entertaining, but what does the Craft have to do with the Real World?
We at newWitch say "plenty."
As this issue goes to press, the Iraq War has
claimed the lives of over 3,600 American soldiers
and between 62,000 and 68,000 Iraqi citizens.
Think-tanks speak of Sunni/Shi'ite conflicts and
socioeconomic stressors; protestors blame the
Bush administration for sending too few troops to
do the job, or, conversely, for sending troops at
all. For Specialist Duncan Brennan, a Pagan
soldier, the Iraq conflict is a daily reality. In
an exclusive interview with Phil Brucato, Brennan
shares his thoughts and experiences and makes the Iraq War personal.
Asians have seen their share of evil, injustice
and suffering: like many of us, they have turned
to religion to offer guidance. In this issue's
"Closer Look" Devi Spring introduces us to one of
the world's oldest and most respected spiritual
traditions, Hinduism. Patricia Ramos proves
Rudyard Kipling wrong; her article on making
Pagan Prayer Wheels brings East and West together
and offers ways in which you can incorporate
techniques from Tibetan Buddhism into your
personal practice. Devi Spring adds more Eastern
wisdom with her article on "The Magic of
Mantras." Closer to home Bri, Lance's "Meditating
on a Train" offers suggestions on how to join our
mundane and spiritual worlds and turn our daily
commute into an opportunity for worship.
Witchcraft holds that we are all magicians and
thus responsible for bringing the light into the
darkness. Christopher Penczak has written nearly
a dozen books teaching us the hows, whys, and
wherefores of the Craft; in his latest, Ascension
Magick, he bridges the worlds of Witchcraft and
the New Age. Our interview with Chris offers
pointers on incorporating magic into our lives
and gives us tantalizing tidbits about his upcoming work.
Thousands of years ago the ancient god Dionysus
drove the Maenads to madness in the hills of
Greece. Danica Davidson tells us about this god
of wine and ecstasy, and about the people who worshipped him. Was his cult maniacal or magical?
We'll let you, our readers, be the judge.
Meanwhile, our Usual Suspects (I mean columnists)
have returned for this issue. Kathy Latzoni
shares shopping tips in "Cargo Cult," while Isaac
Bonewits comments on spellwork for men, Elizabeth
Barrette describes the delights of sensual
pleasures, Phil Brucato urges us to go outdoors,
Elizabeth Hazel reveals the summer spellcasting
forecast, and Galina Krasskova illuminates the worlds of magical herbs.
All this will (we hope) enlighten, entertain, and
educate our readers. But our work will not answer
the "Why?" which rings through the Virginia
mountains after the Blacksburg shootings and the
battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan. For those
of us who cannot rely on fanaticism's sharp
borders or insanity's stark clarity, answers are
hard to come by. That's something else we know as
Witches: we have no governing body, no Official
Book of Dogma. We don't have The Answer, and
we're not even sure that one exists. But that
doesn't keep us from asking Questions. Nor does
it keep us from holding this world sacred, from
honoring our gods with laughter as well as tears.
Even amidst darkness, we have not ceased to believe in the light.
Peace, Kenaz Filan
Many of modern Paganism's detractors claim we are
irrelevant. We stand accused of practicing a
religion which draws more from fantasy than
history, of spending our time playing at
spellcasting rather than facing reality. Do they
have a point? Sure, waving crystals around in the
moonlight and chanting "harm none" is
entertaining, but what does the Craft have to do with the Real World?