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Page: Profile: Wren's Nest News Local
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Article: 16415
[Pagan]
Date Posted:
10/24/2006
6:39:08 pm EDT
Wvox Stats
Views: 10,831
RSS: 16,159
Comments: 17
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Season Of The Witch
Author: Jim Walsh Source: City Pages (MN)
Title: SEASON OF THE WITCH
The first thing this young darkside waitress did when she encountered Anna Mahan-Miller at a West Bank eatery was lock on to the pentacle hanging from her lunch customer's neck. To the Gnostics, the pentacle symbolizes the magic and mystery of the nighttime sky. For the Druids, it is the godhead. The Pagan Celts ascribed the pentacle to the underground goddess Morrigan. But to the waitress, it was only jewelry—a sign of a poseur that clashed with the business-casual attire of the petite Filipino-American customer before her.
Her purist goth sensibilities duly offended, the waitress mean-girled, "So you're a witch?"
"Yes," said Anna Mahan-Miller.
"Funny, you don't look like one," sniffed the teen, and walked away.
Mahan-Miller didn't elaborate. She didn't explain that she, a 33-year-old military brat and self-described professional "techie," has identified as a witch for more than 10 years. She didn't say that her husband, Scot, a photographer and employee of Mesaba Airlines, is also a witch. She didn't say that she is the current editor of The Minnesota Pagan Press, or that their neighbors don't blink twice now when they see the Mahan-Millers don robes around a firepit and perform rituals with friends in the backyard of their home near the Mississippi River. Nor did she cop to the fact that, upon discovering her witchdom a couple of years ago, a once-friendly co-worker told her she was going to hell.
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Community Thoughts: There are 17 comments posted | Reverse Sort |
| I'll Admit It (even Though I Don't Want To) | Oct 26th. at 8:34:02 am EDT
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Hellas32 (Dacula, Georgia) - Email Me
At PPD or what ever other festival I'm at, I always kind of look at the Goth teens and think "Fuffy". I automatically assume they are in it for shock value and nothing more. I know I shouldn't, but it just seems like such a cry for attention. Part of my brain just screams "can't you be normal for just an hour or 2? Is it really necessary to prove the stereo type every time you walk out the door?".
It's an attitude I need to work on.
Although, a large portion of them prove my initial assesment correct, there are certainly a few that are in fact serious pagans. The sad part is I use to be just as outlandish in my dress and comportment as they are (hardcore rocker/Death Metal type) , but I have toned it down over the years to only having waist length hair, tatoos, and a silver necklace (I'm a guy in the South, so long hair and tatoos is still outlandish down here) .
Overall, I thought Anna did a good job keeping the writer on topic and presenting her views clearly. Good press like this is always important to us as a community.
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| What, Exactly, Does A Witch Look Like? | Oct 26th. at 1:06:50 am EDT
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Jenna (Cary, North Carolina) - Email Me
Most of the goth teens that I've know have been pretty hard core Christian. Only one was not, and he was a Satanist. People have to think back. Wicca is based on European paganism, so ritual clothes should resemble a druid more than they should Judas Priest. I have nothing against goths, but it's a fashion statement not a religion. There are many Wiccans who do embrace the "dark side" and wear goth clothes, but it is not a requirement to being a "real witch". The waitress needs to read over her Wicca 101 books and rediscover that clothing has nothing to do with becoming one with nature and worshipping the Gods (which is what true Wicca is about) .
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| Good Job, Some Poor Writing | Oct 25th. at 9:01:33 pm EDT
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genexs (Newburgh, New York) - Email Me
She was dressed in all black, save for her ashen skin...Hah! The opening sentence of the article should qualify for one of those 'so bad it's comical' writing awards. Then again, maybe the waitress was a Cenobite? Such a waste of darksider (?) imagery, I hope they left a good tip! But seriously, aside from the swipe at Goth culture, the article is not bad.
Dealing with the press can be tricky. A reporter you think is cool can spin your story into something grotesque. Even if you happen to have a good and honest reporter, the editor can screw things up, adding his or her own Hollywood sensationalism. This sort of thing happens a lot, especially in small town papers.
I do not know Anna, but she comes-off qualified, serious, and sincere. I'm sure she touched on a number of interesting topics, much of it winding up culled. The sad thing is, the overwriting threatens to cheapens what's left. I have some humble advice for anyone being interviewed and finding themselves taking on the roll of a representative of Wicca or Paganism: be cautious. Before the interview, go over a few points in your head that you want to stress (such as "We have nothing to do with Satanism" or "Much of our spirituality concerns the cycles of nature") . Then during the interview, bring such topics up several times, in different ways. That will make it hard for the reporter to ignore your issues. I hate to say this, but don't dress outlandishly for the interview. All you'll accomplish is feeding into a stereotype. (Please note how smart Anne was in this regard, as the reporter seemed primed to jump on someone's fashion sense.) I'm happy the point we are like everyone else, was stressed. That's comforting to people who have the wrong impression of us. The article also mentioned Anne's childhood. Brilliant! Most people can relate to childhood influences, even ones alien to their own. This encourages empathy, an emotion desperately lacking in intolerant or judgmental readers. Anne did a very good job.
best,
Gene
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| Missing The Point | Oct 25th. at 10:22:14 am EDT
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Stormsinger (Milwaukee, Wisconsin) - Email Me
The reporter saw the woman he was interviewing dissed by the late-teens-to-early-twenty-something goth/metal girl -- all black and silver and bad attitude. The question was not that the woman being interviewed was dissing the goth girl. She admits that she's certainly met people of that age and fashion persuasion who ARE serious about their alternative religion. And she's met those who aren't. Is this not a fact? Come of people -- the poseurs are out there. They come in all stripes. Shoot, "goth" does NOT equal "Wicca/NeoPagan/Witch" -- a lot of them are Christians, black eyeliner and piercings notwithstanding. Some are Jews, Moslem, Hindu, whatever. Some are still looking. Some have made a religion out of the latest book or band or role-playing game. They are as varied as the people who DON'T do black and silver and piercings. The lesson here is not "goth=bad," or that non-goths will diss or look down on goths (some will, some won't. Human nature.) The lesson here is that you cannot judge a book by it's cover -- and that some of US are Just Like Everybody Else.
And as far as I'm concerned, that's a good thing. Well written article.
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| How Hypocrtical!! | Oct 25th. at 8:48:08 am EDT
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Ambriel (New Windsor, New York) - Email Me
She was dressed all in black, save for her ashen skin and her hair, which was three different shades of red, covered by a black bandana. Her black T-shirt was Satanic in persuasion—Misfits or Danzig or Metallica—and her black cargo jeans were streaked with scar-zippers. Her eyelids dripped black liner. She wore black jackboots and a hangman's noose worth of necklaces, and her ears were trimmed with enough silver to stop a pack of werewolves.
Why the mention of "Satanic" when it comes to metal groups, such as the ones listed above? Why mention a noose when describing her jewelry? Oh, and do you have an issue with piercings as well?? I am highly insulted as both a metal head and goth woman!! I am 37 years old and have been critcized for most of my life due to being a metal/goth/witch! Pagans/Witches want people to not catagorize them, however there seems to be a double standard from this writer! Evidently the writer has a lack of education when it comes to music....metal does NOT equate to Satanic practices!! Albeit there are several black metal/death metal groups who shout the name of the devil in order to gain noteriety as Satanists! The above mentioned groups do not share in this practice! Shame, shame, shame, that in the year 2006 we still have not gotten past this lame issue!! As far as the girls personal choice of piercings and jewelry; Well this may be excessive to you but it is her choice and she should not be ridiculed because of it. Just as a Witch should not be ridiculed for her choices!
In Goth,
Ambriel
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| Sigh... | Oct 25th. at 7:54:19 am EDT
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Cúglas Hiberniae (New Brunswick, New Jersey) - Email Me
More anti-young-Pagan-adult mentaliy. "And a lot of them are young—17, 18, 19, 20. How many of those would I consider a witch?"
I guess because I'm 19 I must be just another "doing it for the sake of cool people". Never mind the seven years of practice and being VP of the college PSA or anything.
Please, just because we're young, doesn't mean we're stupid.
Other than that, great article.
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| ... | Oct 25th. at 5:22:11 am EDT
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Draken (Bronx, New York) - Email Me - Web
Obviously I'm in mostly black all the time because I happen to identify myself as a Goth and as a Wiccan, but I usually make the comment "nice pentacle" (or whatever obviously-Pagan emblem they're wearing) to people on the street. I, as someone who "dresses witchy," do not say "funny, you don't look like a witch." That's just f*cking bad form there.
Anyway, I got a good laugh out of this.
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| Thanks For This! | Oct 24th. at 9:18:32 pm EDT
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Istari (Hazel Park, Michigan) - Email Me - Web
Great article! I truly enjoyed her story and think the reporter did a fine job.
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| Wiccan | Oct 24th. at 7:12:45 pm EDT
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Ahr-Ohn (Bridgeport, Connecticut) - Email Me
I run into somebody who thinks they're a witch or a pagan two or three times a week," says the University of Iowa grad, clad in decidedly un-spooky jeans and a black sweater over a dinner of vegetables and a one-shot mocha at the Riverview Café in Minneapolis. "And a lot of them are young—17, 18, 19, 20. How many of those would I consider a witch? One or two, over the course of a month, who are really dedicated to it, and this really is part of their life, not just an 'I think this is cool so I'm going to say I am' type of mentality.
"You say the word 'witch' or the word 'pagan,' and people don't think of someone like me. They think about someone like the stereotypical woman in flowing dresses who's a little wheeee about everything and was Cleopatra in a past life. But the ones I know are professional people and raising kids and living our lives. It's no different from someone in the next cubicle being Catholic."
That's why it's simpler to use the word Wiccan. How do you say one person is a Witch, while another is not? Gods and Gnostics would have the same problem. Most people wouldn't recognize a Pope as a Witch, but that's what St. Catherine of Alexandrea recently was.
Arawn
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