Guide Patti: In the years you've been practicing, Wicca has gone sort of mainstream. As a more public and more commercial perception of Paganism steps into the limelight, what sort of changes -- both positive and negative -- do you see affecting the Pagan community?
Dorothy Morrison: Most of the changes I see are very positive. Most of us have evolved over the years from the hippie-ish, communal, living-hand-to-mouth stereotype into responsible human beings with real jobs, car insurance, and voter registration cards. We are doctors, lawyers, politicians, and company CEO's. We are home owners, soccer moms, team coaches, and members of the PTA. We've learned that "establishment" is not a nasty word, and we are proud to play a proactive role in making the world a better place to live and all that involves. In short, we've evolved into normal human beings who just happen to embrace a religion called Wicca. And that's no scarier to the rest of the world than a normal human being who just happens to be an Episcopalian or a Methodist.
Of course, there are always growing pains - and in our case, it seems to involve those newer to the Craft, those who don't yet understand that the best route toward acceptance often involves "speaking little and listening much." Admittedly, this covers a lot of ground. It means resisting the urge to scream their religion from the rooftops, and refraining from doing their damnedest to scare the neighbors by shoving a ten-inch pentacle in their faces. It means keeping what is personal close to the heart and allowing others to judge them on their own merits. In short, it means refusing to tell folks where they hid the gas can unless they want to be burned at the stake.
This is not to say that Wiccans shouldn't be proud to be Wiccan. Not at all. It's simply that society and the media often seems to focus on those of us who haven't yet settled in to the Craft and learned the value of understated dress - the wild and weird makes for a much better story - poise, or mature behavior. And until we, as elders, make a concerted effort to teach our newcomers some basic behavior skills, our total acceptance into the mainstream is going to be an uphill battle.
Guide Patti: Your book Everyday Magic is one of my favorites, because it blends traditional magic with the idea that we live in a very modern and techno-savvy world. Did you ever expect that a collection of spells dealing with parking spaces, PMS, and hard drives would be successful?
Dorothy Morrison: In a word, "YES!" And I'm glad I was right!
I've always loved magic and magical experimentation, and couldn't see any reason why traditional principles couldn't be updated for modern problems. Magic, after all, hinges mainly on focus and belief - and if you know that something is going to work, it will. So, I worked with modern resources, tested the spells, and the successful results became the spell section of Everyday Magic.
But the real reason that I wrote the book was because I'd grown tired of practitioners pretending that magic was so mysterious that you had to have some sort of special power or initiatory degree to manifest it in your life, and that only the elite could manage it. The truth is that anybody - whether they're four years old or one hundred and two - can work magic and get the results they want. And this book is proof that they don't have to be rocket scientists to do it!
Guide Patti: I just finished reading In Praise of the Crone, which addresses the topic of dealing with menopause, and the empowerment that comes with maturity. Although I have quite a few years before I earn the right to be called a Crone, I'm actually looking forward to it now! This is a far cry from a few years back, when we were all dreading that whole "getting older" thing. What is it about Cronehood that is inspiring to women nowadays?
Dorothy Morrison: Age really does have its perks - perks that far outweigh the inconveniences. So what if you have to make an occasional trip to the salon for a chin wax? It's also a good excuse for a pedicure. Besides, even the little voice in your head wouldn't dare to argue with you. You're a Crone. You deserve it. And that's that!
But I digress. I think that the most inspiring part of Cronehood is the sudden realization that you've finally come into your own. That you have license to be who you are, instead of who others expect you to be. And women who haven't reached that point simply cannot imagine just how freeing that is. For one thing, you can voice your opinions without any fear of repercussion. There's nothing to lose. All youngsters think you're senile once you hit thirty, and the elderly will always see you as an impudent child.
You also cease to care what the neighbors think. Having fun with whatever time you've got left is much more important - even if that means turning cartwheels down Main Street. But most important, you're finally seasoned enough to make executive decisions about everything that affects you and your life - who's a part of it and who's not and the roles you're willing to let them play, your financial status and your career, your spiritual path, etc. - and no one is going to argue with you. At last, you've got license to have dessert before supper, stay up until 4:00a.m. and sleep until noon, and wear that mini-skirt if you feel like it.
And once you've gotten to that point, the fun begins! You become the person you always knew you could be: sassy, sexy, vital, and alive. You become the Goddess Incarnate - and what could be more better than that?!
