Zsuzsanna is a colourful and controversial public figure in America. In 1975 she was arrested reading Tarot for an undercover policewoman, tried, and found guilty of ‘predicting the future’(!) leading her to fight against anti-prophecy laws for nine years before the laws were repealed. She now has her own Cable TV show in America on women’s spirituality, broadcasts on radio and regularly releases books and articles on feminist Wicca.
Overall, I have a pretty ambivalent attitude towards the herstory of Wicca. While I value the wisdom gained from trial and error, tradition and experience, I like to focus on the present. That the herstory is as nebulous as it is makes the present-day Craft no less valid for me than if it did have a seamlessly documented record of existence back to prehistoric times.
I sometimes think herstory is given too much importance in the present day scheme of things. To have an elitist attitude because your tradition has the longest documented herstory; or because your mother initiated you, her mother initiated her, her mother’s mother initiated her, (i.e. you’re a Hereditary), etc, etc, seems a bit narrow-minded. It goes against one of the few things I actually believe in, which is everyone has the right to their own opinion and there’s plenty of room in the Universe for everyone’s opinion. Herstory is so subjective – what we often perceive as indisputable fact is, in most cases, just one person’s opinion, and the events viewed through the veil of that person’s scrutiny are often incomplete. It’s obvious that the only person that can preach on a pedestal and say, ‘This is what really happened’ would have to have actually been there, which, in the case of ancient magickal practices, is impossible.
What I like about Witchcraft is that it creates its own herstory as it goes. There’s very little documentation from before the last hundred years or so and most of what is available is dubious in accuracy. Lots of present day individuals will make up an ancient history that fits their current view of the Craft. I like this: the stories people fabricate of the past are fascinating insights into the structure of the present. I also like the fact that the present-day Craft draws from so many different cultures’ spiritual traditions from all over the world. It truly is a holistic religion that acknowledges and respects all manifestations of spirit in humans on the planet, even the ones it doesn’t necessarily relate to or agree with.
For example, throughout this book there are many references to my frustration and disillusionment with Christianity; however I dig Jesus and so do many other Witches. It’s not his fault that Christianity is so confused today, and as a person he was a very special guy, wise and generous, selfless and loving. I think he’d be horrified to see what his teachings have come to today. In fact, I’d go so far as to say that if he was around today, with his values of tolerance, acceptance, respect for Nature and fellow people, he’d be a Witch!
One more thing before finishing up this chapter – why the word ‘Witch’? There is an old Germanic root word wit meaning ‘to know’, which some consider to be the origin, but there are many other possible origins. The one that seems most likely is that it is evolved from the Anglo-Saxon root word wicce meaning ‘to bend or shape’. Witches relate to this from the premise that we bend the energies of nature to promote healing and growth and we shape our lives and environments to be harmonious with Nature. I like the word ‘Witch’. For so long, because of fear and ignorance, it has been considered a negative term. I enjoy being a part of reinstating its rightful meaning. In a nutshell, the word Witch describes a person who sees divinity in nature, worships Goddesses always, and Gods most of the time, practises the healing arts, is in touch with their psychic abilities, practises magick and experiences their lives as an ever-evolving miracle.
WITCHY STYLE AND WHEN TO TAKE YOUR CLOTHES OFF!
Going to a coven meeting wearing dramatic robes and ceremonial jewellery can be fun and stimulating but for me, being a Witch is about being relaxed and happy with yourself. Wearing dramatic Witchy clothing all the time reminds me too much of when I was a teenager screaming out for people to look at me and notice me. The same goes for making a big deal about my beliefs in public, i.e. waving my arms around in public and casting spells on all and sundry.
Running Around in the Nude
… or ‘going skyclad’ is the more dignified way of putting it. All jokes aside (and indeed, why should there be any?), it is appropriate for Witches to perform their rituals and spell-castings without clothing, though by no means is it essential. The body is sacred to Witches and nudity is considered a blessed and whole state, not debauched or vulgar. When a Witch is naked nothing comes between her/him and the Universe – after all, everyone is born naked. In group gatherings, depending on people’s preferences, ritual robes and other clothing are most often worn, but personally, in any solo rituals or gatherings with trusted kinfolk, I am comfortable working naked. It is a personal choice, and no-one should ever feel pressured to perhaps drop their guard and reveal themselves as they truly are, unless they are ready to. Going skyclad should have you feeling blessed, perfect and magickal just the way you are, never uncomfortable or exposed. If you do feel the latter, put something on straight away!
Some Witches I know enjoy the drama and shock value of elaborate clothing, jewellery, hair colours and the unleashing of grandiose eccentric behaviour on the average suburban community. However, two of the most powerful and knowledgeable Wiccan High Priestesses I know are very low key. They are both uniquely beautiful middle-aged women who work in corporate environments, and the only concessions they make to traditional Witchy gear are predominantly black wardrobes. Of course, the majority of office working women have wardrobes with a high black content anyway. A lot of male Witches I know tend to grow the pointy goatee beard, like Pan, and wear black clothing and pointy-toed shoes but then, a lot don’t, too. The general consensus amongst most Witches is that if someone walks around advertising their spiritual path in a self-aggrandising way then they’re a bit of a loser and probably more of a talker than a doer.
It can be a pretty spectacular sight, however, when you attend a coven meeting or festival gathering and everyone is out in full Witchy clobber. A lot of people go for a medieval theme; woman bedecking themselves in sumptuous, swishy velvet skirts, lace-up bodices and wide belts with athames, amulet pouches and purses hanging off them; while the men have big shirts tucked into tight pants and boots, long hair and medallion necklaces. Others are into looks like the esoteric street-urchin fairy look with dreads, hand-dyed tattered threads, glitter everywhere and leather thonging cluttered with crystals tied around their necks.
People following specific traditions such as those based on Nordic teachings, may dress in animal fur and leathers with elaborate headgear – like a hat I saw made from the head and body of a skinned feral cat, and at one gathering, one of the members was in a full chain mail suit! Celtic groups have the men dress in authentic bardic costume with woven wool tunics over leggings and swirling capes secured at the shoulder with a decorative metal pin.
So, what do I wear at these gatherings? Well, seeing as I’m a bit of a rebel, I rarely wear black. For daytime I’ve been known to stomp around in lurid red boots, a t-shirt or jumper and flared fluorescent coloured patchwork pants with a big brown belt, on which I hitch my athame in its sheath and from which I also hang a couple of amulet pouches, their contents being part of spells in progress. I always wear my pentacle tight at my throat, and maybe a big chunk of citrine quartz crystal hanging on leather suspended over my solar plexus chakra to facilitate mental awareness and communication – handy qualities to amplify when you’re mixing with lots of strangers.
For one of the first coven meetings I attended I was told to wear a cape, but for many years as a solitary Witch I didn’t own one, practising my rituals in the privacy of my own home and usually skyclad. Then one day I was visiting my Aunt Magda and she was getting rid of a whole lot of old clothes and she invited me to go through