1974 Revisited - American Council of Witches and WitchFest

This is more of an essay than a blog entry, but I think it’s worth the read.

After many years of trying to track down what actually happened at WitchFest 1974, and who was there and who was actually responsible for the 13 Principles of Witchcraft, I was given a lead by a dear friend who said, well, didn't you read the Playboy Article on the 74 Witchfest?

Playboy??? Who knew??? Well, I hurried up to eBay, that source of all things old, ancient or just not wanted, and found a copy from July 1974. With shipping, it came to about $6.00. Yes, I bought Playboy for the article. Deal with it...

So, I got the issue and sat down that evening with my cuppa tea in front of the fire, and proceeded to dig into the article. It is written by Mordecai Rickler, who comes equipped with lots of skepticism and tongue in cheek. The event takes place at Hyatt Lodge, Minneapolis, and is listed as the Third Annual Gnostic Aquarian Festival of Astrology, Mind Power, Occult Sciences & Witchcraft in the New Age.

Needless to say, after reading that article, it is obvious why these folks choose not to be known as the witches who were at that gathering. After all, 73 witches on the council and no where on the web does it mention the entire cast of players. Nor does Llewellyn, who put on the party bash, speak of it on their website. You would think they would be proud to have their name associated with the Witches Council of 1974 and the 13 Principles of Witchcraft?

I warn you, if you do pick up this magazine for its "historical" value, there is a spew alert attached. Do not drink and read, or you will mess up your copy of Playboy.

Mr. Rickler makes a point in his article. We are looking at players. We are looking at folks who are after the $$$, the book contract and the Crown of Queen of Witches. We are looking at Gavin and Yvonne Frost giving classes to harness sex energy by not having an orgasm. We see a very young Isaac Bonewits, only 22 at the time, discussing his ability to cure blood diseases and control the weather. Tim Zell, not to be outdone, also tries to make it rain.

We have all sorts of people discussing themselves in the past and present, former lifetimes, current lifetimes, and astral lifetimes. We have way too many kings and queens reincarnated, you know that.

The best was a glimpse of (the now late) Lady Sheba. At a private meet, we have her declaring that she IS the queen of the witches, she always HAS BEEN the queen of the witches (since Camelot), that she WILL publish the Temple books, and "If you won't follow me there are thousands who will." Mr. Rickler makes note of her Kentucky accent and the following temper tantrum where George Lincoln (he is noted as a lecturer and consultant on witchcraft and there is a complete fashion statement that follows) challenges Lady Sheba "In the name of the Great White Brotherhood, do you stand in the light?" She replies with a challenge for him in the "astral". Go for it.

Gavin Frost is referenced as Gavin of Boskednan. Hmmmm... We have Crescent Dragonwagon, Officer J. P. Little, Carl Weschcke and his wife Sandra. We have Lady Circe, Lady Cybele, Charles Leach, Morning Glory, Russ Michael, even Jehovah... wow.

The story is well worth the price of the magazine for the entertainment value, the historical rendering of a point in time, and a look at where some of today’s authors came from, and what some of our authors were like back then. It is too precious not to acquire if you are into the craft history in the US.

The American Council of Witches in 1974 presented the world with the "new witchcraft" and made Wicca do a left turn from the traditional British Witchcraft that we had up to that time. It was a marker for the US to take off on its own and explore spirituality in a new light.

That the messengers were just a little bit "off" is probably inconsequential, but the message that came out of that was we were different, we were liberated and we are going to plow forward and create something new.

There were a few bucks to be made here, and you know that was the focus of most of the parties present. We are looking at publishing deals, books to sell to the occult starved American public, TV contracts, talk shows. Well, if you look at it that way... not much has changed, has it? We still have authors fighting for publicity any way they can get it, book contracts being a key element to a free ride, witch schools looking to jump in bed with the media.

For all things have changed, some things have not.

Least we become jaded with the history, remember; the practice has become individualistic. We each come to our path in our own way. While the books help, they are not the only source, nor should they be the main source of our practices. We are in this for only one reason... to connect with Deity to enable ourselves. We practice magic also to enable ourselves.

But it is interesting to see where this all started. And it is an amusing read.

Further research brings into play some folks claim to have written Carl Weschcke about this whole affair. The supposed replies vary. I can not really place any stock in the material as it does not seem to be consistent. Some supposed correspondences with Carl say that Carl can not remember who was at the Council. He claims it was long ago and he does not remember. Other correspondences suggest that Carl drafted the 13 Principles himself and then presented it to the group for approval. The name of the council was drafted up, discussed, the principles were adopted and that was the end of that.

The Principles are interesting. While some folks find them words to live by, others do not feel the material is pagan enough. The lack of substantiation does not seem to affect anyone’s trust in the material, as most take it that this was approved by a body of learned pagans. Even The Army’s material regarding “Religious Requirements” seems to mention the Council as “many witches have affiliated with the American Council of Witches, formed in 1974, to provide a structure for cooperation and mutual sharing.” Interesting when it was supposedly disbanded later in 1974. (From Army Pamphlet #165-13 - I only found this referenced on line; can not find the actual pamphlet)

So where does this all leave us? I believe if you really want to follow something that offers guidance to the Craft, this is probably a baseline from which to work. I personally find it a bit too, shall we say, leaning towards appeasing and appealing to other faiths so as not to offend their “delicate” natures.

However, I also feel that this probably is not something we should place a lot of reliance in as it appears not to have any substance other than to those at a particular time, in a particular place working on a particular means of publicity. While “nice”, it does not satisfy any other needs of the community today. The material is now dated, does not reflect the practices of today’s pagan community nor does it offer any real insight into who we are. As individuals, it seems to classify us as all the same. It also has offered itself as a universal statement on witchcraft, hinting at a central body of authority, which we also know does not reflect the pagan community today.

So, read through the material available. Also, actually read those principles. See if they make a statement on your particular path, and then decide for yourself if this is how you want the rest of the world to look at you. And get a hold of the Playboy article. I think it says volumes on who did what when and why.

Boudica

(art piece - Dulle Griet or Mad Meg by Pieter Bruegel The Elder)

Beginning and Ending - My Right to Choose

I had some time to contemplate discussions I participated in recently. The discussion was "Beginning and End of Life" and it was in context with ethics.

Who decides this for us? When we discuss this with each other, how do we communicate about what we feel or what we want on this very delicate topic?

My own thoughts on this were mixed. While I have my own ideas on how I would manage these decisions, is it really my right to question someone elses decision. As a High Priestess in my own group, I find the discussion must be handled with care, so as not to force my own beliefs on another, while allowing them to explore their own beliefs in regards to the decision they are making. That is the basis for the belief systems within the Pagan community. Each individual has the right to choose the path they walk. And they are personally responsible for the path they take, as it is their choice and their choice alone.

Someone pointed out that the Ancient Greeks separated religion from ethics, allowing the Priests/Priestesses to deal with religion and spirituality while the philosophers pondered the question of ethics. Maybe we should take a page from their scrolls.

Another good point made was how we should honor a person's wishes, respect their right to decide and then uphold their decision. This does not mean we cross the line when it comes to legal issues. But in the decision on "beginning and endings of life" we should honor the person's right to choose.

We should also look at the practical when it comes to decisions such as this. While we may want to approach this from strictly a spiritual angle, we should also consider the effects of what we choose, from our own feelings and emotional needs to the impact it may have on others. Ending a life in dignity can cause issues if it is not legal in the state you live in, or if there are issues with insurance that someone else may be dependent on to pay the bills we leave behind. While a long, drawn out illness can devastate a family financially and emotionally, we need to make sure all our lose ends are tied up, and everyone else is taken care of financially, spiritually and emotionally.

Finally, the choice of a woman to decide the use of her body. This is confusing, heavly debated, and a very emotional issue. It brings hot blood to the surface and creates rifts through families, friends and groups. We need to examine the individuals needs, the conditions surrounding the event and the way it is handled. It is not an easy topic to discuss, but under the right conditions it can be handled with level heads and understanding hearts. The bottom line is that the ability to choose based on need and situation needs to be guaranteed as a woman's right, or we lose the right to decide anything on our own.

There is much to consider. There is much that each individual needs to think about, and make sure that if you make the decision, you made it with the best knowledge available, within the legal parameters of the law, and with the best intentions and a clear head.

These are things that need to be discussed in our community, with our family and friends. We should be opening the doors to discussion. Take a piece of this discussion back to your group, talk about it and see what needs may be there. Work on it now. Don't wait for the crisis to arise.

(art piece - The Death of Socrates by Jacques-Louis David)