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TWPT:
Tell me
about the fascinating journey that has led you from
your early beginnings in the Episcopal church up to
the point in your life where you began your exploration
of alternative spiritual paths?
CM: Actually, I was only
active in the Episcopal Church for about 10 years, during
my adult life. I grew up in a Lutheran home, and converted
to Episcopalianism as an adult. As a Lutheran teenager,
I had a profound mystical experience, which is not something
Lutherans do, so from age 16 on I had to grapple with
a discontinuity between my own spiritual experience
and the culture of my faith community. Because Lutherans
don't really "do" experiential spirituality,
I wandered over to the world of charismatic Christianity:
you know, speaking in tongues, prophesying, and so forth.
While the charismatics were congenial to my having had
profound spiritual experience, their theology was ultra-evangelical
and centered on an almost paranoid fear of Satan. Again,
my personal experience (of God as a source of mystical
love) didn't jive with the religious culture I was connecting
with.
So I became alienated from Christianity altogether
as a young adult. But I was still a deeply spiritual
person, and an avid reader, and many of the writers
I was reading at the time were either Episcopalian or
Anglican: CS Lewis, Morton Kelsey, Evelyn Underhill,
even Alan Watts was technically an Anglican even though
he wandered off to the east. So when, at age 25, I felt
a tug to find spiritual community, I looked to the Episcopal
Church, and found a community that balanced a rich liturgical
(what we would call "ritual") life with a
basically liberal theology. That worked for me for about
a decade.
I should mention that I had read "The Spiral
Dance" prior to becoming an Episcopalian. It's
my understanding that many Pagans have a profound homecoming
experience when they first learn about Paganism. That
was not my experience. My inner life had been so dominated
by my experience of mystical Christianity that it took
me many years to acknowledge that, in terms of beliefs
and values, I'm really a Pagan, not a Christian or even
a Christopagan. But *spiritually* speaking, I
still believe in the essential beauty and validity of
Christian mysticism. I guess this means that theologically
I'm a pagan, but mystically/spiritually I'm a Christopagan
or even a Buddhist-Christo-Pagan!
So I guess the experience of "exploring alternative
spiritual paths" has been with me all along. As
a Lutheran, I spontaneously explore Christian mysticism
and then charismatic Christianity; while I was alienated
from church in my early adult years I began exploring
a Paganism, and continued that exploration throughout
the decade in which I was active in the Episcopal Church.
TWPT:
Do you think that there are others who have
been on their path for a number of years, whether they
admit it or not, who seriously consider alternative
spiritual paths at one time or another? Why is it that
so many don't act on these impulses to explore outside
of the box?
CM: Of course others consider
alternative spiritual paths -- or at least consider
leaving there current path to follow no path at all.
Once when I was feeling particularly disillusioned with
the Episcopal Church I mentioned this fact to a friend
of mine who was a seminarian studying for the priesthood.
She responded, "I think when people are honest
about their faith, they will always know that on some
level they could leave the church." That insight
both validated me and electrified my sense of what it
means to be an adult who is responsible for one's own
spirituality. And I think this is true whether one is
a Christian, Pagan, or whatever. And we live in a time
when the ability to choose one's religious affiliation
really is available to the average person: a freedom
that certainly doesn't exist in theocratic societies
or in political states where there is no separation
of government and religion. Your question ponders, why
don't people take advantage of this spiritual freedom?
I would guess that, for many people, there's a black-white
understanding of spirituality: one is either a "good"
person (in other words, faithful to the religion of
their upbringing) or else a "bad" person (a
heretic, backslider, apostate, agnostic, atheist, or
whatever). My mother is only 37 years older than I am,
and to her, changing denominations within Christianity
seems huge and momentous, while to me, changing religions
altogether was a possibility that I could act on, even
if it took me years to prepare for it. But why don't
more people make such changes? Oh, for a variety of
reasons. Many people I suppose are perfectly happy with
a casual relationship to the church of their upbringing,
and simply never question it.
Others have that black-white approach I mentioned
above, and see their choices as only between being a
faithful churchgoer or a "backsliding" secularist.
Of course, given the fact that Christian church attendance
is not keeping pace with population growth, it's evident
that more and more people are choosing the "secular"
option. But then again, for those of us born after World
War II, the much richer option of abandoning one's religion
of origin for another faith tradition have truly become
available. Christians are alarmed at how rapidly their
numbers (as a percentage of total population) are declining.
So I think that the interesting question is not "Why
do so many people stay?" but rather "What
forces are at work encouraging so many people to leave?"
And people leave their "home" religion to
adopt a different sect within that religion (from Lutheran
to Episcopalian), to adopt a different religion altogether
(from Christian to Pagan), to adopt a more free-form
spirituality (from Christian to "New Age")
or to simply go "secular." I don't have statistics
as to how those numbers break down, but I believe there
are significant movements in all four of those options.
The last Episcopal church that I was a member
of was filled with ex-Baptists and ex-Catholics. In
a way, I think the spiritual mobility of our culture
reflects the increased physical mobility our society
enjoys. A hundred years ago, it was a big deal to travel
ten miles. Now flying over the Atlantic ocean is commonplace.
I've really explored your question in terms of people
leaving Christianity. But I suspect similar forces of
spiritual mobility are at work within all religions
at least in the United States. Meanwhile, forces such
as respect for one's elders, tradition, resistance to
change, fear of divine retribution, and simple spiritual
inertia work to keep people in the religion of their
upbringing, as well.
TWPT:
Was there any one thing that convinced you
that you needed to explore beyond your spiritual roots
and investigate what it was that your heart was trying
to tell you about the spirituality that lay just beyond
your vision?
CM: My experience. One of the reasons why my theological
position is mostly a Pagan one is because Paganism validates and celebrates
the prime authority of each individual's personal experience. Religions
that are based on a code or a scripture are really based on someone else's spiritual
experience, wouldn't you say? Now, I don't want to knock the importance
of learning from our elders or celebrating the body of knowledge (spiritual
and otherwise) that we receive from those who have gone before us). But
just as science is based on the fact that an experiment ought to be repeatable,
so too I think the spiritual experience of our forebears stands or falls
with how well it resonates with our own experience (now, I also believe
in taking things the other way. One of the ways in which we judge the
merits and value of our own experience is by seeking to understand it in light
of the experience of our forebears). So you may be wondering, "What was
it about my experience that impelled me to read Starhawk or Adler or to seek
out Pagans to circle with?"
There, I don't think the answer is reducible
to "any one thing" but rather reflects a cluster of ideas and experiences that
collectively shaped my emerging Pagan identity. My love for nature, which
began as a boy. My belief in the importance of mystical experience. My
interest in psychic and paranormal phenomena. My political and social views,
which are largely ecofeminist and therefore more Pagan-friendly. My
desire to connect with the spirituality and wisdom of my Celtic ancestors. My
interest in Native American lore and wisdom. But all of these ideas
or interests were validated by my intuition saying, "Yes, explore here"
and that in turn was validated by my belief that spiritual truth was not just an idea
to which one submitted, but rather an experience which one could live. And
that, in turn, arose out of my mystical experience at age 16.
TWPT:
Tell me about the effect that reading The Spiral
Dance by Starhawk had on your spiritual path and about
some of your first impressions of Pagan ritual as you
began to actively participate. Do you find that books
are underrated as to the profound changes that they
can bring about in the reader and why is that?
CM: I read The Spiral Dance in late 1983, I was 22 years
old and still "in between" my participation in the Lutheran and
Episcopal Churches. At that point in my life I was a deeply spiritual person
and was politically quite left of center, with my views largely falling along
ecofeminist lines. As you know, Starhawk's contribution has been in her ability
to articulate Witchcraft as an ecofeminist religion. So it electrified
me. I might also add, it scared me, I still had too much internalized
Christianity within me at that point in my life, and I didn't feel safe
simply leaving the church and going to study the craft. In the early '80s finding
Witches was still rather a challenging thing to do, and I didn't make
the effort to take on the challenge. It was easier for me to seek spiritual
community in the Episcopal Church, and so I followed the path of least resistance.
Of course, that eventually came around to bite me, but from the perspective
of 17-20 years later I just figure I had some unfinished business
with the church that I needed to work through before I could become a fulltime
Pagan. Anyway, the effect that The Spiral Dance did have was that it
made me serious about learning about Paganism. From there I read Margot
Adler, I read Janet and Colin Bord, Raymond Buckland, Tanya Luhrmann, Scott
Cunningham... It took me seven years from the reading of The Spiral Dance
to participating in my first circle, but those seven years were filled with research
on a variety of levels. From an early age (thanks to my adolescent
dalliance with charismatic Christianity) I had been indoctrinated that Witchcraft
was evil. I needed to do enough research to assure myself that this indoctrination
was untrue before I took the plunge to actually participate
in a ritual. And remember, throughout that seven year period I was an enthusiastic
and committed student of Christian mysticism. I think many people embrace
Paganism because they were unhappy with Christianity. For me it was the
other way around: I became unhappy with Christianity only after I embraced Paganism.
What were my first impressions of Pagan ritual? I
loved it! My first ritual was Mabon 1990 on a remote mountain bluff in eastern
Tennessee, with an Appalachian herbalist and her husband. Wow. It was
a mystical experience to rival the one I had had at church camp 13 and a half
years earlier.
Are books underrated? I don't know. As a writer,
naturally I hope that my books (and books in general) will make a difference
in peoples' lives.
Certainly many books, both Pagan and otherwise, have
made a profound difference in my life (including books I've written!
<smile>). But by the same token, I think there's a lot of crap getting
published in the name of Witchcraft, Wicca and Paganism. Such books are the
cynical product of non-Pagan publishers who see our community as nothing
more than an exploitable resource from which they can make a quick
buck. I don't know why Pagan and Wiccan authors choose to write books that
depict our path as silly (one bestselling book has a "Doodlebug Love
Spell" in it. Seriously!) or that encourage the use of hexes and cursing, or give teenagers
the trivializing message that spellcraft is all they need to find
spiritual happiness. But obviously, such books do exist, aimed at a vulnerable
segment of our population that is susceptible to the specious ideas
contained within such works. As a writer, I know it takes a lot of hard
work to bring scholarly and ethical excellence to my work, and especially when
deadlines are looming, there's a real temptation to cut corners. I fear
that some of the writers in our community have given in to this temptation in
a big way, and they are the natural prey of the profit-worshipping publishing
world. The result is a body of Wiccan/Pagan literature that not only promulgates
spiritually questionable values, but actually paints our religion in an unflattering
light. Many non-Pagans dismiss the Pagan community as intellectually
naive and the premises of our spirituality as fundamentally flawed,
thanks to the plethora of books that continue to put forth inaccurate history,
dysfunctional psychology, and weak ethics all in the name of "Wicca"
or "Witchcraft" or "Paganism." We Pagans need to be demanding
better literature from our writers and their publishers. If we tolerate and accept crap,
then crap will remain a major ingredient in our intellectual diet. And that's
a shame.
But back to your question. Yes, books can facilitate
profound change. But I believe there are probably more efficient ways to
effect such changes. I do believe it's better to learn one's spirituality from
a teacher, rather than a book. Now, Francesca De Grandis says she'd rather
recommend a good book over a bad teacher. And I agree. But between a good teacher
and a good book, I say go with the teacher. Books cannot provide individualized
feedback. They don't respond to the fluctuations of our emotional and
spiritual processes as we mature as Pagans. If a student doesn't have access
to a teacher, a book is better than nothing; and when a student does have
a worthy teacher, good book s are essential supplemental
tools for the learning process. But any book that gives the message "You don't need a teacher,
all you need is this book" is doing our community a disservice. Such a message
benefits the publishing community -- not the student or the Pagan community
as a whole.
So I don't know if books are underrated, but I do
believe that books should only be one part of a person's overall spiritual
practice.
TWPT:
Many who leave something that has been so
deeply ingrained in their psyches tend to have much
guilt and feelings of condemnation as it becomes apparent
that they can no longer go back to what they knew before.
Were there any inner conflicts as you moved away
from what you had known onto this new path?
CM: Absolutely. The "guilt factor" is one of
the reasons why it took me seven years from reading The Spiral Dance to actually participating
in a Wiccan circle, and then another seven years before I intentionally
and consciously disaffiliated myself from active participation in
the Christian religion. I think all religions have some sort of internal mechanisms
to dissuade participants from leaving. Many Wiccan groups proclaim,
overtly or implicitly, that their particular brand of magic
is "the real thing." In other words, if you leave you're turning your back
on true magic and will just spend the rest of your life floundering around
with all the other wannabes out there. That, in my opinion, is just
a kinder gentler version of the "leave-and-you-go-to-hell" message
found throughout Christianity.
Alan Watts described the threat of hell as a scarecrow.
It's a scary thing, but on close inspection you see that it's not real.
It's a con job. But to face the scarecrow requires a variety of tools, from
a clear understanding of human psychology to a basic sense of the history
of world religions to a willingness to trust one's inner experience rather
than the received dogma of the church. It takes time to assemble the various
tools necessary to deconstruct the scarecrow. And in the meantime, the
scarecrow just keeps on scaring you, so for many people the process of moving
past the scarecrow can be heart-wrenching. It certainly was for me. I had
to get furious at God, furious at the church, mad enough so that the anger
gave me the courage to face down the fear.
TWPT:
Have there been an external conflicts created
as it became apparent to those around you that you were
venturing beyond the boundaries of the church?
CM: Well, my 80-year-old parents wish I were a still
a nice little Christian boy.
And I don't discuss religion with my in-laws, some
of whom are staunchly conservative Presbyterians. But as a Pagan writer,
I've chosen to be out of the broom closet, and to support that choice, I've
chosen to live and work in settings that accept and/or support my spiritual
path. I am a Pagan and a vegetarian living in the buckle of the Bible belt:
Atlanta. Ironically, in my day to day life, I experience more social conflict
about my vegetarianism than about Paganism. I guess that's because I hang
out with a lot of carnivorous Witches. <smile>
TWPT:
Has writing always been something
that you aspired to in your life? When was it that you decided that writing books and
sharing your ideas with the world at large was something
that you wanted to seriously pursue?
CM: When I was in the eighth grade one of my English
teachers praised my writing, and that's when it got 'on the radar screen' as a
potential vocation. At first I saw myself writing fiction, but it only took
writing one novel (which I haven't even attempted to publish) to put that
dream on the back burner.
Yeah, part of me would still love to write fiction,
but it's a low priority.
My college degrees are a Bachelor of Arts in English
and a Master of Arts in English with a concentration in Professional Writing
and Editing. That was a nonfiction writing program. My Dad saw me being a
technical writer, but that never interested me so I didn't pursue it. Throughout
my twenties I not-very-seriously wrote fiction, and worked as a
bookstore manager, so I wasn't even using my degree. Then, at age 31 I was
in a serious car accident, broke my jaw in three places, broke several teeth,
and pretty much got startled into reevaluating my life. I realized that
I had (to use a Christian concept) "buried my talent." So I began
writing again, only this time I saw myself writing nonfiction spiritual literature rather
than fiction. That was about the time that the Indigo Girls had a song where
they sang "If I have a care in the world, I have a gift to bring."
For me, my care was sharing my spiritual journey with others, in the hope that it
might be of some small service. The writing is simply the most efficient
tool by which I bring that gift to others.
TWPT:
Tell me about some of your earlier books
and what you hoped to accomplish by seeing them in print?
CM: My first two books are much more Christian than Pagan.
My first title, "Spirituality: Where Body and Soul Encounter
the Sacred" was published in 1997, the year I left "active duty" as
a Christian. So it was written while I was still a churchman. But I admit at the very beginning
of the book that Neopaganism was an important element of my spiritual
life, and Pagan ideas and attitudes dance throughout the book even though
it is mainly a Christian statement on spirituality. As my first book, it reads
too much like a textbook and so it didn't really meet its objective,
which was to support spiritual seekers wherever they may be. So my second
book, "The Aspiring Mystic: Practical Steps for Spiritual Seekers"
is basically my attempt to fix all the mistakes I made in the first book. The material
is still basically the same -- liberal Christian mysticism with a bit
of Pagan perspective stirred in -- but the tone is much warmer and the
overall feel of the book is far more friendly and accessible than the first book.
Ironically, this book's highest praise has come from Pagans like Francesca
De Grandis and Judy Harrow; I do think it's a book that Pagans can enjoy
and benefit from, as long as they are willing to tolerate its monotheistic
perspective. It was written in 1998-9, after I had left the church, but
it still does have quite a mainstream spiritual feel to it.
My turning point came with my third book, "Embracing
Jesus and the Goddess." This is my most honest and personal book, and was
quite difficult to write.
My editor really wanted a book written for a liberal
Christian audience, and so that's the direction I took, but again it has
made more of a splash in the Pagan community. Unfortunately, the book came out
*literally* the same week as 9-11-01, and so it was simply ignored by the media.
This book is really my farewell love letter to Christianity. In it I explain
why patriarchal Christianity is no longer a tenable spiritual position,
and I detail the ways in which I see Jesus as a "Witch" (not
in a literal sense, but certainly in a metaphorical sense). The book has been very warmly
accepted by the Christopagans online, although it is not really a
Christopagan book as such: I don't advocate a blending of Christianity and Paganism
except in terms of
individual/personal spirituality.
Really, the main message of the book is to take responsibility for one's own spiritual path
and to practice tolerance toward those whose path differs from your own. As
for what I hoped to accomplish with this book, as it is my most personal
statement, on one level I just wanted to get my own hidden "Christopagan
tendencies" out in the open.
Like I've mentioned earlier, no matter how spiritually
Christopagan I might be, theologically I'm really more truly Pagan --
and "Embracing" relects this, as it is a spiritual rather than a theological
work (Gus DiZerega's "Pagans and Christians" came out at about
the same time, and I think it and "Embracing" complement each other beautifully,
his book being the theological statement while my book is the spiritual reflection).
In writing this book, I also wanted to offer support to any person, anywhere,
who is trying to find his or her own path in a way that draws from the
treasures of more than one tradition. And I wanted to take my stand for tolerance.
And, truth be told, I guess I hoped I would freak out a few Christians
with my "If Jesus were here today, he would be a Witch" statement. But I
don't know if that ever really happened.
This question asks about my "earlier" books,
and I would consider the first three (out of seven) to fall within that category.
So I'll stop here. :-)
TWPT:
Tell me about the process that
you go through when you begin work on translating an idea you had for a book into the finished
product? Do you set aside a large block of time out
of your life to work on it or is it just molded in and
around your daily life?
CM: Well, a little bit of both. My first four books were
written while I had a 'day job' -- I was a buyer at New Leaf, a large wholesaler
that specializes in metaphysical products. In fact, it was working
at New Leaf that gave me the idea to write "The Well-Read Witch."
I really admire people who write and work full-time; I found it most frustrating; fortunately,
my wife and I have living simply down to an art and she's been extremely
supportive of my career, so when I got the offer to write the Idiot's
Guide to Paganism I quit the day job. That's supposed to be a really stupid
thing to do; but I've really been blessed. Before the advance on the book
ran out (!), I found a job as a part-time Tarot reader and metaphysical
teacher at a bookstore here in Atlanta; thankfully, the money is good -- not
as much as I was making at New Leaf, but quite lucrative for a part
time job,
and of course it allows me more time to write. So, yes, my writing still is
squeezed in around all the other demands of my life, but I'm fortunate that
those demands are less than that of a typical 40+ hour week.
As for the process of writing a book, I guess the
main point is that there's never a time when I'm not writing. I'll stay up til
2, go to bed, and be up again at 4 or 5. If my muse speaks, I listen. But
then there are other days when I'll take little "vacations" from
writing and just sit around and watch Star Trek DVDs. But that's not being lazy; it's giving
the subconscious breathing room to work out an idea or problem. I'm
a bit of a perfectionist, and every book seems to get rewritten a half dozen
times before the manuscript ever gets delivered to the publisher!
TWPT:
I'm always curious as to the effect
that being an author has on the author himself. Does the spotlight that invariably
comes with being an author and having your books available
all over the world change you in some ways and does
it alter how you relate to the world at large?
CM: Well, even though as of this writing I have six books
out and the seventh one at press, I think I've been fortunate to have dodged
the spotlight so far.
Part of that is because up until the last year I've
really focussed on writing more than speaking or teaching, which means
I've mostly been this hermit squirreled away in my little house here in
the Atlanta suburbs, busily writing or tinkering with my website, and as such
I've been pretty oblivious to what the world at large thinks of me or my work.
Of course, that's changing: now that I'm full-time self-employed, I'm
looking to expand my outreach. Already I'm doing more and more teaching
here in Atlanta, but the folks who take my classes quickly get to know me
and have a real clear sense that my feet are made of Georgia clay. As for how
I relate to the world at large, I don't know that it's made that big of a
difference. You know, I was in Ireland last year and never once found any of
my books in bookstores there. And even the bookstores in Atlanta often don't
have my books (hopefully that just means they sell out quickly!).
So yes, it's gratifying knowing that people all over the world have access
to my ideas, and on the other hand I'm nowhere near as visible as someone
like Deepak Chopra or even Silver Ravenwolf. So that helps keep me humble.
This question is a bit of stumper, actually. So I
read it to my wife and asked her opinion. She mentioned two things: first,
that being a writer has made me a more confident speaker, which is true.
And second, she has noticed how amused/embarrassed I get when someone 'gushes'
over me (thankfully, that doesn't happen too often). But she said, other than
those two things, I'm still the same Carl. Which is reassuring, really.
TWPT:
Tell me about how The Idiot's Guide to Paganism
came about. Did the publishers approach you with the
idea or was it something that you suggested to them
as a subject that might have some interest among Idiot's
Guide readers.
CM: That's a funny story: My literary agent first sold
a manuscript to the Idiot's Guide Series back in the late 90s: I think
her first one was the Idiot's Guide to Catholicism. So when she got the
deal for that book, she called all her authors and said, "I've got a
relationship with an editor at the Idiot's Guides, so if you're interested, come
up with a concept and I'll pitch it to them. This was back in '97 or '98 I think.
So I pitched "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Paganism and Witchcraft."
At the time, the editor said that concept was a little too far out there
for them. Well, I basically forgot about it and went back to work on whatever
book I was writing at the time. And then, about two years later I'm in a bookstore,
and lo and behold, there is "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Wicca
and Witchcraft," written obviously not by me. So, feeling a little perturbed,
I called my agent and asked her to find out why my someone else wrote this
book. It turned out that when the Idiot's Guides people decided they wanted
a book on Witchcraft, they didn't consider me because -- ta da! -- I'm a guy.
So the editor tells my agent "We wanted an actual Witch to write this
book" or something along those lines. Remember, the Idiot's Guides are not edited
by Pagans, but by people whose main experience is in computer books. So they
had no clue that "Witch" and "male" could coexist in the same person!
Anyway, the story ends happily: it turns out that "The Complete Idiot's Guide
to Wicca and Witchcraft" became one of the bestselling Idiot's Guides. And so they
decided they wanted to follow up with a general guide to Paganism, and they
called my agent and said, "If your author is still interested, we'll
give him first shot at this book." And that's how the opportunity came to
me.
With my second Idiot's Guide, to Celtic Wisdom, it
was totally my idea. The Idiot's Guides people felt that my writing style
meshed really well with their style, and so they basically said, "If
you want to write another one, and you have a good idea, we'll go with it."
So I pitched a book on Celtic Wisdom, and they liked the concept, and so gave me
a contract.
TWPT:
The titles of these books almost make you
not want to pick up a copy because you don't want to
appear to be an idiot. <smile> When you
set out to begin work on this guide what were some of
the guidelines you set for yourself as to what you wanted
to accomplish with the title? What assumptions
if any do you make about the reader who picks up a copy
of this book?
CM: You know, like so many folks I did at one time have
a bias against the "Idiot's Guides." But when the opportunity
came to me to write the Paganism guide, my agent sent me their author's manual, and
I must admit they have a great concept and a pretty solid system. Idiot's
Guides are not meant to be great works of art or literature; they are designed
to be simple, straightforward introductions to subjects written
especially for busy professional people. And even though the acquiring
editor may not be knowledgeable about the various subjects covered
in the guides, it's her job to locate an author who is an expert, and then back
up the author with one or two technical editors who are likewise knowledgeable
in the subject. The tech. editor(s) review the author's work to make
sure the facts are right and that all the necessary material is covered. So it's
really a good system for making sure a basic level of quality is attained
in the book. Meanwhile, the format of the text is designed to be quite user-friendly,
and the tone of the books is intelligent but playful. All of which I
find very appealing. Really, if I could change just one thing, it would be the
title! But on the other hand, I think it's important not to take spirituality
too seriously, and a book with such a tongue-in-cheek title kind of
supports that position.
TWPT:
What kind of feedback have you received
on this title and do you have any plans to follow it
up with say a book called The Idiot's Guide to Wicca
or was this a one shot deal?
CM: Well, as I said above, the Wicca Idiot's Guide had
already been written. In retrospect, I'm happy to have written the Paganism
book -- the Idiot's Guide to Wicca is very spell/magick centered, which gave
me freedom to slant the Paganism Guide toward a more mystical/spiritual perspective.
I did write my second Idiot's Guide, to Celtic Wisdom, due out in
May 2003. That probably will be my last one, but you never know.
TWPT:
In The Well Read Witch you take a different
approach to the book. This volume is basically filled
with short book reviews. What was it that prompted you
to write this book and what were you looking to accomplish?
CM: In 1997 I began working at New Leaf, a large metaphysical
wholesale company located in an Atlanta suburb. New Leaf carries over
30,000 different book titles on every imaginable spiritual subject. Which
means in Wicca and Paganism alone, New Leaf carries hundreds of titles.
This was right at the time when I was leaving the Christian Church and
coming into my own as a "full-time" Pagan, and all of a sudden
I was exposed to all these books, and found the sheer volume of material overwhelming.
So I had the idea: wouldn't it be great to put together a guide to the best Wiccan
writing? And so I developed the proposal for "The Well-Read Witch."
Ironically, it didn't find a publisher for several years. Originally I wanted
it to review only a small number of books -- maybe a hundred -- with an in-depth
review for each one.
But the more research I did, the more I realized
there was no way I could ever narrow down my list to just 100 books. I didn't
just want to include books that were explicitly Wiccan/Pagan, I also wanted
to cover books on shamanism, meditation, world myth, environmentalism,
herbalism, etc. etc. etc. So I decided to make it closer to 400 books.
With that many books covered, the mini-review format was pretty much necessary
to keep the overall length of a book manageable. I'm really happy with
the result, I think it's a very user-friendly guide. I've had more than one
elder thank me for introducing them to a book or two that they were
unfamiliar with. I figure if even elders can learn something from this book, then
it's certainly got some value. The only problem, of course, is that books
like this quickly get out of date. I originally wanted The Well-Read Witch's
website (www.wellreadwitch.com) to be a place where I could
post new reviews, but thank the Goddess I've stayed quite busy since that
book was published, and really haven't had the time to post more than just
a handful of reviews.
TWPT:
Even though the reviews were rather concise,
from the feedback that you have received has this book
made an impact in what your readers have been considering
adding to their personal libraries or given them new
directions to explore that they might not have been
thinking about before?
CM: I'd say both. Obviously, that's a very personal matter
that varies from reader to reader. One reviewer at Amazon.com complained
that he knew all the books I recommended in the subject areas that interested
him. Well, since they were the subjects he had already found interesting,
is that really a surprise? I hope that he (and others) might explore
areas that may not have interested him in the past, and find some new treasures
to enjoy. With over four hundred titles listed, if a person read one
title a week, it would take about eight years to make it through all the books
mentioned. That's quite a rigorous education.
TWPT:
What kind of relationship do you feel
should exist between the author and his readers? Do you have any
responsibilities
towards those who pick up your books and use them
to as lesson material along their own paths?
CM: Of course I have responsibilities. I have the responsibility
to harm none: that's the bottom line, of course. And I take the
Rede seriously and interpret it conservatively. To me, non-harm means
speaking only the truth, it means being careful with my facts and sources,
it means acknowledging the source of any material that is not my own, it means
promoting views and values that support the highest good for all. In
addition to harming none, I have the responsibility of writing in such a way
that my work benefits my readers, and the Pagan community as a whole, and
most of all is a gift to the Goddess. I'm painfully aware that trees die in order
for my words to find their audience; that means I have the sobering responsibility
to make sure those trees did not die in vain.
As for my relationship to my readers in general,
I think the main thing is to be meticulous about the responsibilities mentioned
in the last paragraph, and then simply trying to be of service to the greater
community. Naturally, being a Tarot reader and teacher in addition to writing,
I have some face-to-face contact with at least some of my readers
(as well as with others who haven't read my books but are interested in this
or that class). I try to bring the same level of integrity to my psychic and
educational work that I bring to my writing.
Finally, I think I have a responsibility to keep
it real. I write out of my own experience -- even my Idiot's Guides have my
personal stamp on them -- and so I work to make my words true to my path. That
may mean that my writing is not for everyone; so be it. Those who do find that
my writing speaks to them will be relating to a voice that is authentic.
TWPT:
Tell me about the relationships that you
have had with the publishers who have made your material
available to the public. How much input do they have
into the final product that we as readers hold in our
hands?
CM: It varies from publisher
to publisher, as well as from editor to editor. Of all
my books, "Embracing Jesus and the Goddess"
went through the most changes, driven largely by how
my editor and I disagreed on the book's audience. I
really saw it as a book for Pagans, while my editor
(who came from publishing liberal Christian books at
Harper San Francisco) saw it as a book for liberal Christians.
In the end, I tried to make it a book that could speak
to both parties. On one level, I'm sorry I wasn't more
assertive with the editor, because as I surmised the
book has been simply ignored by the Christian community
but does have a devoted if small following among Pagans
and Christopagans. On the other hand, I do think the
final product came out well, so I suppose the editor
deserves some of that credit.
On the other end of the spectrum, New Page has given
me very broad editorial freedom. They really have trusted
me with both of the projects I've done for them.
The Idiot's Guides editors have given me plenty of
freedom in terms of my content, but of course they have
very strict protocols regarding their style. So with those books, it was a matter of making my
stuff fit into their mold.
TWPT:
Your latest book, When Someone You Love
is Wiccan, is aimed more at those outside of Wicca,
what were your goals as you wrote this manuscript and
did you approach the subject differently since you were
talking to those who presumably did not have a background
in Wicca?
CM: When I worked at New
Leaf, I saw how well the books aimed at teenagers were
selling. It occurred to me, "Most of these books
are selling to kids from non-Pagan homes" (all
the kids I know whose parents are Wiccan think the teen-witch
books are stupid. After all, they've been exposed to
the real thing). Which means that nearly all the kids
buying these books have two (or more!) parents who could
conceivably be very freaked out when they discover they
have a kid who's into Witchcraft. And that's where the
idea of "When Someone You Love is Wiccan"
first arose. Although the book is aimed at anyone who
may know someone interested in Wicca and Paganism, I've
often felt that the *primary* market will be family
members: parents, siblings, spouses, or others who may
have lots of questions about what this spiritual path
called Wicca/Witchcraft is all about.
As for how my approach was different: as one of my
reviewers pointed out, this is a *pre-101* book. In
other words, I assumed that the average reader's knowledge
of Witchcraft ends with the wart on Margaret Hamilton's
nose. So I begin by acknowledging all the stereotypes
that have come out of Hollywood, and then step by step
deconstruct the misconceptions before going on to discuss
in the most basic of terms such things as the Wiccan
Rede, the Sabbats, and the role of magic in the Craft.
It's very much a simple, easy to read book. People I
know are reading it in a single sitting, and that's
exactly how it was meant to be read.
TWPT:
Do you feel that those who are outside of
Wicca are actually searching for material such as what
is presented in your new book or are they relying primarily
on their misconceptions and the misinformation
that is handed out via the media and churches across
the country? How hard is it going to be to correct these
ingrained images of what Wicca is and is not?
CM: Oh, naturally most
people will rely on their misconceptions. That's human
nature. There will be a few folks who take the initiative
to do their own research, but I would guess they would
represent only a small percentage of the cowan population.
I really think that most of the sales of "When
Someone You Love is Wiccan" will come from Wiccans
and Pagans who buy the book and then give it to their
loved ones and say "Here, read this."
New Page is promoting the book to Law Enforcement
Agencies, Teacher's associations, and other groups who
may be in a position to deal with situations where disputes
have arisen because of a person's practice of Wicca.
But once again, I think the book will make its biggest
impact in terms of the everyday person who buys it his
or her family is dealing with one or more Wiccan members.
TWPT:
You mentioned Gus DiZerega in one of your
previous answers and we have spoken to Gus in one of
our previous interviews here on TWPT. Gus had some interesting
ideas on interfaith efforts regarding Wicca and Christianity.
Explain to me the importance of interfaith dialogues
as it pertains to Wicca and its relationship to the
wide variety of religious movements throughout the world?
Can Wicca exist within it's own world with no contact
between it and the rest of the religious world?
CM: You know, there's a
saying: "Get Involved! The World is run by those
who show up." In other words, I think that Wicca
trying to remain unsullied by politics or public activism
is a mistake. For too many people, Wicca is little more
than a hobby, something they do for fun in their living
rooms or backyards and which they feel should be kept
alienated from the messy issues facing society at large.
But Wicca is not a hobby, folks! It is a spiritual path,
a mystical journey. It makes a difference not only in
the lives of those who practice it, but it also makes
a difference in the lives of all those who are related
to us, including our Mother Earth herself. We who claim
to worship the Mother: who will be her advocate, if
not us? Who will be the champions of religious freedom,
if not us? Who will take a stand for alternative healthcare,
and the freedom to consult legitimate psychics, and
the rights of our children to receive a public education
that isn't tainted with religious propaganda, if not
us? So I think Wiccans have an obligation, as Wiccans,
to be involved in the arena of politics and public debate.
As for interfaith dialogue, I think the great value
there is that Wicca will increasingly be accepted by
at least the liberal wings of other faiths. When Christians
see Wiccan representatives participating in the Parlaiment
of World Religions (Covenant of the Goddess and Circle
Sanctuary are among the Pagan groups that participate
in the Parliament), it sends a message that our path
is every bit as real and valid as theirs. On another
level, I think Wiccans need to be humble enough to admit
that we can learn a thing or two from the innovative
leaders of other religions. Just because we don't see
eye to eye on every fine point of dogma doesn't mean
that there is nothing to be gained from dialogue and
sharing of information/research/theory. Quite the contrary.
Many people have a romantic love affair with the
secrecy element of Wicca and Paganism. Now, I support
the idea that discretion is a virtue when it comes to
sharing or not sharing one's spirituality with others.
But I don't see the benefit of secrecy. I'm an "open
source" kind of guy. Just as the gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgendered
community has been strengthened by coming out of the
closet, so too I think Neopaganism can only benefit
from participating in the public arena.
TWPT:
How will those who are already grounded
in the Wiccan religion benefit by reading your new book?
CM: Well, they won't really
learn anything, remember, this book is even more basic
than Scott Cunningham! But what Wiccans might get from
it is one idea of how to approach sharing your
faith with non-Wiccans in a gentle, open, non-defensive
manner. Coming out of a closet is, like anything else
in life, shaped by our expectations, anxieties, etc.
When Wiccans present their spirituality in an open,
undefended, positive way to non-Wiccans, there is less
of a chance of having an ugly scene ensue. Our confidence
can be reassuring to our non-Pagan loved ones. But if
we act like Paganism is something to be ashamed of,
you can rest assured that our coming out experience
will be at risk of turning into a big emotional blowup.
TWPT:
Do you see a light at the end of the tunnel
that will signal the acceptance of Wicca in the general
populace as a legitimate religious belief system or
is that too much to wish for at this juncture of Wiccan
development?
CM: You know, ten years
ago I was frustrated by the lack of Wiccan/Pagan scholarship,
and now there's all sorts of wonderful resources available,
including the writings of Ronald Hutton, Gus DiZerega, Judy
Harrow, and others. Ten years ago I wouldn't have believed
that Wicca would so quickly find a presence at the Parlaiment
of World Religions. So I do believe we'll enter the
mainstream, and probably faster than anyone could guess.
But of course, that will occur at different times in
different parts of the country and the world. Atlanta
will take longer to become Wiccan-friendly than Minneapolis!
But then again, Atlanta has a coven that has had
IRS tax-exempt status since the 1970s. So even in the
Bible belt, we can see real progress.
TWPT:
Tell me about some of the face to face contact
that you have with your readers and with the community
in general? What do the teachings that you do
or the tarot readings that you conduct bring to the
mix when it comes time to write a new book? Do you feel
that your contact with the community through these kinds
of events helps you define the kinds of materials that
you might present next?
CM: Obviously, every time
to talk to a person, whether in the context of a class
or a reading or just chatting about one of my books,
I'm looking for information to help me with my next
book. The book that I'll be writing the first half of
2003 arose out of a conversation I had with the publicists
at New Page Books and a couple of occult store owners
from New England. So input from readers has been quite
important for me.
The thing to remember: authors/teachers/psychics
are human too! I love to take a class, to read a book,
to go have a pint of Guinness with some of my students
or just with a few friends. Just getting to know what
issues are important in people's lives, what unanswered
questions they're wrestling with, and where they hope
to take their spiritual journey is vitally important
in terms of helping me focus the direction where I'll
be taking my writing. I see the role of the writer as
a participant in the grand discourse of a community
or society. It is only by getting to know what issues
are important to my friends, students, clients, readers,
and the community in general, that I can hope to find
something to say! I feel tremendously privileged to
be part of the first century of the Neopagan/Wiccan
movement.
Even if my books are all forgotten a hundred years
from now, I hope that my words will have been of some
service to others.
TWPT:
Has the internet had any influence on how
you as an author relate to your readers and the public
in general?
CM: Well, I've had a website
in some form since the summer of 1996, before my first
book was published. I tend not to participate in newsgroups
or mail lists, I find they distract me from my professional
writing... although I really do enjoy interesting and
thoughtful emails (and I am always lurking on a half
dozen or so lists, just to keep my pulse on what's being
said out there in cyberland). I love maintaining my
website, it's helped me to reunite with old friends,
to make a number of new ones, and hopefully it helps
potential readers find out about my work. If you want
to mention it, the URL is www.carlmccolman.com
I think we still don't have the foggiest idea just
how big of an impact the Internet will have on society.
Certainly it has been a major tool used by the Neopagan
community. Five years ago, meeting a boyfriend or girlfriend
on line was considered pretty dicey. Now it's commonplace.
Five years ago it was edgy to buy a book online. Now
we buy cars and houses online. Bottom line: who knows
what the next 5, 10, 20 years will bring? One thing
is for sure: we can count on the impact that the Internet
has on society as a whole to be mirrored in the impact
it has on spirituality. I think, as a Wiccan writer,
I'd be a fool not to be online daily.
TWPT:
As a look ahead what do you have on the
drawing boards for your next project? Are there any
last bits of wisdom or some thoughts you might like
to share with our readers as we close out this interview?
CM: Well, I just finished
"The Complete Idiot's Guide to Celtic Wisdom"
which should be out later this year. My new project,
which I mentioned in passing above, is a book on the
ethics of spellcraft. I also want to write a book on
the Tarot, and a book on the spirituality of the Charge
of the Goddess. So I have lots of ideas gurgling about
in my cauldron. Also exciting: I've just begun working
with a publicist who will be marketing me outside of
the Atlanta area. So hopefully I'll have a chance to
meet more folks in other parts of the country.
As for bits of wisdom: gee, I don't know. Trust your
intuition. Do something creative every day. Stick up
for yourself. Always choose to keep a positive attitude
and have fun. And fall in love with something or someone,
at least three times a day. How's that? :-)
TWPT: That's
great Carl. I just want to take this opportunity to
thank you for your openess and your willingness to participate
in this interview. We here at TWPT wish you much success
with your future projects and on your walk along this
chosen path.
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