response 1 of 91:

Apr 30 16:32 UTC 1996

I hate to say it, but there really was a real Witch on the set.
COG had an advisor on the set.  The advisor's comment afterr the
film was finished was, "Well, if I hadn't been there, it would
have been worse."

I look forward to two weeks from now, when nobody even remembers
this movie.  <fingers crossed>

response 3 of 91:

Apr 30 18:29 UTC 1996

You've got that on the first try, md.  I wouldn't be half as annoyed
with this movie if it were titled "The Witches" or even "The Coven",
but "the Craft" is a term very specific to Wicca, not Satanism.
So the "they're not Wiccans, they're Satanists" explanation isn't
gonna fly.  (So to speak.)

Reall, I don't worry about the public reaction to the movie - those
who hate us will continue hating us, those who know us will not
think any differently of us because of a dumb Hollywood movie,
and those who think we're all loonies will continue to do so.

My main concern is that we'll get a huge influx of teens and young
adults who actually think we can do all that crap, and want us
to teach them how.  *SIGH*

response 5 of 91:

Apr 30 20:14 UTC 1996

I'm writing a novel that is about witches...
and I'm making the point several times throughout it that we can't do
any of that crap...
not that I don't wish we could...  flying through the air
would be fun!  =}
The plot has nothing to do with the supernatural,
but the fact that the main characters are witches is crucial...
it took me a loooooong time to work out a viable pllot that would be
markettable to mundanes and still be an accurate portrayal.

response 7 of 91:

Apr 30 20:32 UTC 1996

i know that spell... i nstead of baby fat, it requires
liquified dinosaur remains...

response 9 of 91:

Apr 30 22:11 UTC 1996

There was talk all over the net about that movie from its inception; folks
had got hold of the script, or something.  Letters of objection, etc. It's
important to let those with money/power know that we exist, are a buying and
voting block and don't want to be misrepresented, but it's also important
not to come off as nuts or go off half-cocked or whatever, which happens
all too often.
As to the sensationalism of psychic abilities, it's less of a problem in
print, I think, since you don't *see* people getting up and flying around
with no strings attached <g>.  The thing that's almost impossible to pull
off effectively in video is that flying really does work- on a psychic or
astral or psychological level.  None of those "feats" are very impressive
in person, and subtlety doesn't carry well in movies.  I wish the industry
were ready to have characters who were interesting in themselves, and also
happened to be Wiccan.  Few and far between, same as with gays...Sigh. When
it's done well, we *need* to vote with our dollars, to support good efforts.
"It would have been worse" doesn't cut it for me, and I think that 
"consultant" sold out.  Just my opinion.  Can't have been an easy choice.
And yeah, "the Craft" is a wiccan-specific in-group term, used by some other
wicca-based or related neo-pagans, *not* reconstructionists and generally
not ceremonial magicians, I believe.  I don't know that it's a *sacred*
term, although it conveys a significant degree of reverence, but it *is* a
private, in-group term; it assumes you know *which* (er, witch? <g>) "craft"
is meant.  Make sense?

response 11 of 91:

May 1 02:49 UTC 1996

Brighn, while the preponderance of fantasy based literature is part of the
problem; part of why so many people want to see us walk through wallsor
whatever, it can also be important.  Many of us have perceptions and 
experiences which are only corroborated in fantasy, and need that room to
expand and stretch into ourselves.  Hmmmm,  I wonder if the same need couldb
be met by memoirs and such, which are candid about those experiences and
skills?  I know I enjoy them, find them useful, but don't get quite as
immersed in them.
Certainly, I agree that we need to do the portraying, if we don't like how
we're portrayed by others.  And there are plenty of talented pagan writers.
We can certainly take lessons from the gay community, since we're traveling
a damn similar road, just a half-step behind.

response 13 of 91:

May 1 08:22 UTC 1996

And Kami, fantasy is fantasy.  If something can only be corroborated
through fantasy, then that's exactly what it is.  there is nothing
that has happened to me that, with the right touch and the right 
tone, couldn't be depicted in a contemporary life novel without 
the mundanes thinking I'm whacked.
If the authors out there writing are too incompetent to manage that,
it's their fault, not the industry's.

response 15 of 91:

May 1 20:10 UTC 1996

<Digression>  I'd just like to wish eveyone a Happy Beltane!

response 17 of 91:

May 2 16:48 UTC 1996

Yeah, it's the non-fiction they put out that gives us a bad name.  >8)

response 19 of 91:

May 2 21:17 UTC 1996

<More Digression> My ritual blade arrived today, and I intend to cleanse it
under the Full Moon tomorrow.

response 21 of 91:

May 2 22:12 UTC 1996

Gee, my favorite tool-consecration ritual requires two people...;)

response 23 of 91:

May 3 05:41 UTC 1996

Re 21 - Never done one of those, kami, being the solitary sort
for the most part.  What exactly would that entail?  >8)