response 1 of 110:

Oct 25 19:18 UTC 1998

I've been ignoring it since I lost interest in Samantha Stevens.

response 3 of 110:

Oct 26 05:58 UTC 1998

Madonna is a long way off from Wicca; that's pure arrogance on the quoted
person's part; she's kneedeep in Eastern mysticism and shows no sign of
dislodging.

As for Sabrina, eh. It's a cute sitcom. It appears to be the same plot over
and over: Sabrina misbehaves; the Council threatens to take her magic away;
she learns her Sugar-Coated Morality Lesson; dancing, songs, and smiles. It
is *not* about Wicca, nor is "Charmed" (the new WB drama about a trio of
sisters with paranormal "witch" powers)... it's Hollywood zap crap again, just
like Bewitched.

I'd love it if the Hollywood spotlight were turned seriously on Wiccans. It
isn't.

response 5 of 110:

Oct 26 17:13 UTC 1998

True. One of the major evening dramas (LA Law, I beleive) had a Christian
character... she was non-proselytizing, but freely discussed her view of the
universe, including her Christianity, when people asked. Other characters
would occasionally come to her and say, "I'm feeling *whatever*... how do you
deal with that," and she would give a straightforward answer abouther own
experience.

The critics condemned the character for open proselytizing and trying to
convert the audience. Myself, I thought that the character was one of the most
positive portrayals I'd even seen in my life of an openly spiritual person,
and applauded the show and the network for including the character.

response 7 of 110:

Oct 27 12:47 UTC 1998

Those interested in a movie featuring a realistic Wiccan, check out:

        http://www.drawingdownthemoon.com/

(The movie is still looking for a distributor after more than
two years - I guess nobody is interested after all!  >8(

response 9 of 110:

Oct 27 19:00 UTC 1998

More than 3 Brighn; in addition to Orthodox, Conservative and Reform
congregations, there are Reconstructionists- they are sort of neo-mystical,
and Chasidic-extremely orthodox mystical.

response 11 of 110:

Nov 2 12:39 UTC 1998

Does anybody see the Detroit News? I won't buy it, but we've had some
discussion of an article, based on interviews with Kami, Ivory Cat, and me
that may or may not have been unfair to Ivory, who was ready to sue them for
misstatements. Oakland Press also printed an interview with Ivory, together
with her picture, which seems to have been much better for her. Big problem
with this sort of thing is their need for titillating their readers. 

response 13 of 110:

Nov 2 17:50 UTC 1998

Re #3: Sabrina has always been a televisionization of Sabrina the 
Teenage Witch from Archie Comics.  I've always been more want to wonder 
where the rest of the Archies characters (even just as a cameo) are in 
that series than any relation to Wicca.

response 15 of 110:

Nov 2 23:32 UTC 1998

Not to continue drifting, but I do believe that I have seen spidey on at least
one X-Men episode.  Now, as to seeing the Silver Surfer on either might aslo
be a problem since that's Haim Saban (eeew.  I hat to say it, but he and
whomever he worked with did a really good job with this, unlike his earlier
shows which I think every one of is crap.) domain.

set drift = off.

response 17 of 110:

Nov 3 16:51 UTC 1998

Has anyone seen the movie Practical Magic?  I haven't seen it yet, but I want
to.  From what I can tell it is a semi-acurate potrayal along with the needed
Hollywood crap thrown in, but as I say I haven't seen it so I'm not positive
as to it's protrayal.

As for Sabrina I'm with gypsi (hope i didn't spell the login wrong) I think
it is cute and entertaining and that is the point of the show.  The show isn't
about Wicca or really even witches it's about growing up and being a teenager,
same as the ill fated 80's show Out of This World, that revolved around a
teenage  girl who's father was an alien.... 

As for the WB show I've only watched it once and wasn't thrilled with it. 
Not from a Wiccan view but from the perspective of someone who has some idea
about writing (although I can't spell) There were so many plot loopholes int
he show I saw that I found myself calling the writer many choice words....

Ok I think I'm done rambling..

response 19 of 110:

Nov 4 23:05 UTC 1998

Woody Allen and Mel Brooks do a good deal of wallowing, too, for that matter,
particularly the former.

But I don't think it's fair to say that negative portrayal of Jewish
stereotypes, when presented in a general context of Jewish life, necessarily
reflect self-hatred.

In Deconstructing Harry, for instance, there are some *obscene* depictions
of Jews. But in the context -- a secular Jew's perspective on how his more
religious brother-in-law behaves -- I don't think it's necessarily inaccurate
so much as it's magnified. There's a difference.

Many of the more obscene depictions are in the context of adults remembering
their childhood, and frankly, most of us exaggerate our negative memories and
downplay our positive ones. If I were to write depictions of my childhood as
the son of a minister (and I have, but not in detail), I would fill it with
old ladies with too much perfume, busybodies who make three-bean salad and
fight over who's brining the carrot-jello to the potluck.

response 21 of 110:

Nov 10 12:13 UTC 1998

The current Utne Reader has an article about the controversy which
supposedly is raging about the origins of Wicca.  The conclusion
seems to be that it is a 20th century invention with few or no
ancient roots and no continuity or direct link to whatever it is
actual witches used to do.  I've known for a long time that there
were "old believers" who do claim such continuity and who aren't
especially impressed with Wiccans and their book-learning.  The
article quotes a well-known Wiccan as saying that none of this
really matters or is relevant to the power and truth of Wicca.
What impressed me most about this article was the assertion that
Wicca is one of the fastest-growing religions with hundreds of
thousands of practitioners, and that it won't be long before it
enters the mainstream.  Part of me feels a twinge of regret at
this possibility, but for the most part I think it's a good thing.

response 23 of 110:

Nov 10 17:43 UTC 1998

Thanks, md.  I think I'll go look for that issue of Utne at Shaman Drum. (how
appropriate...<g>)
Gypsi, I'm sorry, but that article is accurate.  *Wicca*, as such, can be
traced back directly to--Gerald Gardner.  Period.  His claims of being
initiated into "the Oldforest Coven" grow flimsier the more information we
get.  On the other hand, folks who study such things find more and more
indication that the time he spent in Malaysia (?) had a very great influence
on his work.  Certainly, the surviving folk customs of Northern Europe are
a strong thread in what came to be Wicca, and can still be drawn upon for
inspiration.  That, in its way, is our "direct link", along with a sincere
reverence for world mythology as a kind of truth about how to be in
relationship with the gods.
Now, as to the "Catholics" "storming" into Ireland, etc.--there weren't any
Catholics at that time.  The Christians showed up, told stories, built
churches, taught, healed, preached, occasionally pulled a dirty trick like
St. P. being the first to light the fire upon the hilltop at Beltaine, thus
"claiming" the land for his god.  They also listened to stories and wrote them
down (The Colloquy of Old Men being an example of a story of sharing stories).
Some were undoubtedly lost, changed or "whitewashed" in the process, but more
were preserved.  The *vikings*- who were essentially testosterone laden/hunger
or greed driven young men, not a fair representative of the Norse people,
burned churches Groves and villages, distroying many records in the process.
To the best of our knowledge, while the assertion that the Celtic
people/Druids never wrote down anything of importance has been discredited
by finding Roman-era spell tablets, they *were* mostly an oral culture.  The
Christians were a "people of the book".  Put it together.
No great villain her, sorry.