Views

[Yvonne Belisle]

What are your views on the influence of movies, theater, fictional writing and tv shows on how we percieve the occult? Do you feel that there are good things that can come of shows like Charmed, The Craft, and Practical Magic? Do the views of a fictional character affect how we are percieved? How do you feel the public's opinion of the gods has been affected by such? Has something you read or watched changed how you percieve the god or goddess?

[loopy]

I definitely think there are some good things that can come out of witches portrayed in the media. Sure, you get the Hollywoodized cackling frogskin a lot, but lately, there have been shows and media portraying Witches as heroines, real people. Special effects work side by side with realism, but it's a vast improvement, I think.

Buffy gives us a supersmart, self-sufficient Willow. Charmed gives us vixens. Bewitched gave us fluffy bunnies and nose wiggling. It all contributes to the recent hedge towards acceptance of witchcraft as a practice or religion, or just as magical and something to be smiled upon, rather than feared or destroyed.

As for Gods and Goddesses... Charmed makes no mention of witchcraft/Wicca (the words are used interchangeably there) as a religion. They are the Charmed Ones, who say a lovely rhyme and vanquish the Big Bad. All the magic is within them.

Willow calls upon Gods, and the nature of the show digs into mythology, with this recent season's prime enemy being a Goddess herself. I think this might have opened up viewers who wouldn't have thought so before to the possibility of seeking a different God than the one they'd been raised with, or just acknowledging that there can be more than one God/dess, depending on who you're talking to and what you're looking for.

Looking objectively at The Craft... one main character, Nancy, takes the power her God (Menot?) has infused her with and procedes to darken it, Hollywood-darken it, until it is evil. She abuses this power in selfish ways and deliberately harms others. In the end she gets punished for it, karma-style. Another character, Sarah, calls upon the same God's power and is healed by it. Saying, I think, that it's not exactly the power that makes or breaks things; it's what you do with it, and ultimately, strength lies within yourself. I think other viewers get this, so they don't see this God/All-figure as negative.

I would guess that most people who see witchcraft/Wicca portrayed in TV/movies focus more on the magic and special effects than on the Gods, so I don't necessarily believe that many people form their opinions of God/desses on what happens on the tube.

Whew. Did I really type all that? Did any of it actually have to do with this topic? :)

[Spirahl]

Loopy, your post made perfect sense to me, it's how I feel about it too. There is too much focus on magic, not enough on the spirituality or The Divine. The magic as such is way out of scope with reality. At least they are portraying witches as people good intentions.

[silvrsnstr]

My aura is yellow from thinking to much today, so i'll be brief. Charmed - to much magick, they say they'r Wiccan, they are Christian so, Bad.
Buffy - Nice self dependent Witch, with partner Witch, flashy but good focus on Goddesses. No God mentioned to date, that I can think of. so, good.
The Craft - Had The CoG working with them, and had a God that would help or harm. Not alot of flash, but no Goddess. Good plot, one of my faves, and helped increase awareness about Witchcraft. BTW, Nancy from that film is a Jewish mysticist, i m pretty sure. so, good. not just cuz of that tho.
Blessings,
Crimson StarRaven

[Mairwen]

CoG was involved with The Craft? Learn something new daily! ;D

[Mariposa De La Luna]

And then there's The Mists of Avalon. When I read this book it totally entralled me. It just seemed so real! I wanted so bad to be able to learn to be a priestess on an island with like minded wise people like that! I have no idea what it has done to my views because I read that before I even had any on Paganism.

[MistOfTheSea86]

You are not the only one who wishes they knew what it was like, I so want to meet Merlyn or Taliesin! And be taught under them, I used to imagine that he were here teaching me in my mind. It had me at my little desk writing and him circling me moving his finger up and down, teaching and lecturing his wisdom. That is a dream of mine.

In the part for the shows. I never was really unfluenced by them that much, besides for the fact, that before I knew about wicca, I thought I could fly and stuff from the TV shows. I was a major Fluffy-Bunny! Then I found Wicca and my perceptions changed. I wasn't actually dissapointed, I just put it in my mind as Hollywood. And realized how much they make things look different then they really are. Now I just leave it in my fantasys. My own little World in my head where Making ice in your hand is possible and in the real world, I do what I can. None of it bores me ever. You just sometimes need the surreal to make sure that you are not completely forgetting your imagination! Hope this makes since.:D

[Myst]

This was brought up in the "Debate Class" section awhile ago, but didn't generate too many responses due to other things going on (I think).

IMHO, anyone who is serious about this stuff will look beyond tv shows and movies for their information - even if it was the tv show that got them interested in the first place. Otherwise they don't have the dedication to it that they should and will probably bore of it anyway.

So yeah it does seem to generate more uneducated types, but it also puts the subject of Paganism into the public eye and gives people the choice to learn more from there.

[Myst]

On the Merlin thing, I don't know if I would want Taliesin or any other Merlin to be my teacher. Yes they were wise and everything but they worked with priestesses, and the life of the priestess was difficult. There was fasting, challenges, and duties (such as laying down your maidenhead if chosen to perform the ritual wherein the king lies with the priestess to show his allegiance to the land and Goddess). It was a very hard life; far harder then the life of the simple Pagan who practiced through their own means. In those times war and murder were commonplace as well, as was sickness. Not everyone was called to be a priestess of the Goddess anyway...

It would be a hard, hard road.

[MistOfTheSea86]

I need to have things hard for me, so I appricate it more later. I know it sounds stupid and illogical but it is just a standard I hold for myself. If the work isn't difficult I wouldn't feel fulifilled. Although you bring up an excellent point Willow, it just doesn't govern me.;)

[Myst]

Maybe, but I think you'd have to be there to understand how hard it really was. I think you'd have to be there to understand the true magnitude of the sacrifices required. :)

After all, I'm not suggesting it should be easy - just that we really have no idea how hard it was. When was the last time you fasted several days to use a scrying mirror or perform other magick? Probably not too recently; and that was a way of life for them. Same with giving up their entire life, family, and friends to study at Avalon, meaning no work, no school, no hobbies, friends, or even very many visits with family. And (for the maidens) giving up their virginity to a stranger and continuing to have to sleep with strangers in a ceremony tended by other people. When was the last time you had sex with someone you didn't even know for ceremony, and were watched too? The list goes on. We can only imagine the sacrifices.

[MistOfTheSea86]

Your wisdom is vast Willow and Pherhaps I will reconsider what I stated. But I still think it would be neat. And I never said I wanted to become a member of avavlon! YOu made it sound like I did.:D I just wanted to know what it was like. CAn you imagine how knowledgable we would be afterwards? Well it is a thing of the past and we should pay attention to the present. That is what I think anyways. YOu are right Willow I have no idea what it was like so how would I know if I wanted to be a student under him. I will re think things. You see. I am not totally unreasonable!8O Bright blessing Willowh

[Myst]

Well I dunno about vast wisdom lol 8O

Yup it would be neat to at least be a fly on the proverbial wall wouldn't it?

I never thought you unreasonable! :p

Oops I think we got a li'l OT hehe :D

[MistOfTheSea86]

WHat does OT MEan?:D

[loopy]

OT= Off Topic. :)