For this edition of Copper Moon E-zine, we interviewed Arin Murphy-Hiscock, author of SOLITARY WICCA FOR LIFE and POWER SPELLCRAFT FOR LIFE. She discusses her initial exposure to Wicca, her fantastic books, offers advice for teens and much more!
Can you tell us about your journey into Wicca? How did it alter your original perceptions of religion?
I found out about Wicca while doing research for a character over ten years ago, and while reading about it I realized that I identified with a lot of the precepts and beliefs. . . .
I just kept on reading and researching beyond what was needed for the project and I've never stopped. One of the basic truths about Wicca that really drew me in was the amount of work you had to do yourself in order to get anything out of it. Wicca is far from a DIY religion; it has guidelines and principles and certainly isn't an anything-goes path, but it is strongly rooted in self-examination, -exploration, and –evolution. It's my head, my spirit, my relationship with the Divine; I should have a rather large participatory role instead of subscribing to something detailed and set down by someone else. I was drawn to the sense of responsibility Wicca placed on the practitioner.
It's hard to pinpoint how my perception of religion changed because I never really stopped to think about how I perceived religion before I realized I wanted to formally practice a new one. I was raised Anglican, and enjoyed the fellowship aspect of the religion until I started to feel suffocated by the work demands made on my time within the church community, and I saw that I was valued not for my soul and spirituality but for my man-hours. I felt as if I was putting a lot of energy in and getting nothing back; no one seemed to care about my spiritual health or development. Of course I didn't understand that at the time; I simply felt drained and chased down to work on this committee and in that position. Being much older now I can better comprehend what was going on both in my head and in the church community.
As I researched various world religions past and present, I learned that all religion stems from the search for meaning. Humanity likes meaning, and order, and religion usually offers a defined source for life and the way things happen. Studying comparative religion showed me that religions have more in common than they have differences, which is both a liberating thought and a frustrating one. Another of humanity's quirks is the desire to make everything the same, which is why people focus on those differences, perceive them as wrong, and try to make other people believe what they believe. Conformity is seen as security: if you're different you must be erroneous, or from another point of view, if you're different you're vulnerable. I wish people could be more tolerant and celebrate the differences, instead of trying to eliminate them.
What were the motivating factors that pushed you to write SOLITARY WICCA FOR LIFE and POWER SPELLCRAFT FOR LIFE? Did someone encourage you or were you self-motivated?
It was one of those being in the right place at the right time sort of things. As a consultant I'd helped my publisher develop the imprint and the series concept, and I'd guided the first two books through the process. Then they came to me and said, "Hey, this is the next title we'd like in the series, what do think about writing it yourself?" It wasn't a risk for them, really: they'd seen how I worked, how serious I was about presenting the path in a grounded and approachable light, and I'd done some substantial reconstruction on one project already. So I said sure, and away I went. I based the outline of Power Spellcraft for Life on a five-hour workshop I'd been teaching for a few years, and it was wonderful to finally be able to go into the kind of detail that a two-session workshop can't allow.
If I read your question in another way, yes, there were certainly people who encouraged me. Like many other people I tend to underestimate my abilities, so there were two or three specific friends who kindly sat me down at various times leading up to the opportunity and told me that I could not only write a book, but write a good one that answered questions people asked over and over. Their priming helped me rise to the challenge of writing Power Spellcraft for Life.
In your book SOLITARY WICCA FOR LIFE, you mentioned how sometimes practitioners can hit a block or plateau within their practice. Can you offer some steps to overcome this challenge? What needs to change mentally and spiritually?
When we begin learning a new skill set our growth is always astonishingly quick at first, because everything is fresh: when you apply those new skills you can see the differences immediately. The more you learn, however, the more difficult it becomes to see those changes and advancements, which can lead to a sense of not moving or developing. In one way this means you've absorbed as much as you can absorb for the moment, and the time has come to stop learning and focus on doing, on fully living the things you've been thinking about. On the other hand this can lead to a feeling of frustration and stasis, which is dangerous to feel on a dynamic path like Wicca.
So the first thing that needs to be redefined is your expectations. It's kind of like falling in love: the first few months are thrilling and emotional, and then eventually things settle down into a comfortable relationship. What many people don't understand is that the comfortable relationship part is what you should be striving for; the thrills and emotional highs aren't the norm. I suppose this would qualify as the main mental adjustment. The spiritual adjustment will be different for everyone. Sometimes it can help to step outside your area of focus and explore new things – history, similar cultures, completely different cultures – to help see your path in a fresh way. This doesn't mean abandoning your current path entirely, it means studying something in parallel with the intent to enrich your spiritual development. A shot of something new and different can enliven your practice, or at least help you discover new connections and spark new ideas.
Also in SOLITARY WICCA FOR LIFE you say, "This isn't a question of relearning the basics; it's a question of exploring the fullness and richness of your spiritual path" (page 23). What aspects of Wicca do you think intermediate practitioners should re-examine to gain a better sense of completeness or satisfaction?
When I say the basics I’m not kidding. Return to the elements, for example. Spend six weeks working with a single element, from one sabbat to another. Do rituals invoking only it, meditate on it, read as much as you can about it in occult use as well as everyday use, and make notes. Answer plain questions like "Define the Goddess" or "Define the God" -- not that those are simple questions at all, but they can provide a straightforward starting point for taking a really deep look at how you perceive the concept of God/Goddess. Define the terms 'magic", "spirituality", "religion", "Wicca", and "witchcraft", then examine your definitions and ask yourself why you've defined them as you have. Don't just sit and think: actually write out answers in your book of shadows or your magical journal as you consider and meditate.
Go back to sitting outside and closing your eyes to just listen to the sounds around you, or breathe in the scents of your environment. We tend to get caught up in the formal intricate stuff, and end up trapped in our heads. Wicca is really a very simple path; remember, it’s a way of life, not just a practice. The more complicated stuff comes with the tradition you choose to follow, and the dogma and traditions associated with it. And complicated stuff isn't necessarily a bad thing; it's just that it can distract you from the profound truths and deepest connections that Wicca is built upon. And remember to journal everything. It's good to go back and revisit how you see those basics every once in a while, and compare how you perceive them now with how you perceived them then.
How do you handle people who don't understand Wicca and are disrespectful regarding your path?
With as much grace as I possibly can. Every person is an ambassador for their spiritual path, and if you behave in an aggressive or close-minded fashion then that's the kind of association you make with your religion as well. I stay calm and politely correct misunderstandings. If the person with whom I’m speaking refuses to accept anything I’m saying then I civilly terminate the conversation, either by physically moving on or by changing the subject. And you know what? Some of those people self-identify as Wiccans. It's not just people of other faiths who are disrespectful of others' paths.
I'm not a saint; I do get frustrated very quickly when faced with someone of any faith who stomps all over the ideals and precepts I hold sacred, especially when they do it while not listening to what I'm saying. I have to keep reminding myself that I succeed simply by being calm and civil and by demonstrating tolerance.
In the beginning of POWER SPELLCRAFT FOR LIFE you say, "Magic often transforms the caster instead of the environment around the caster." Can you elaborate on this profound statement?
Magic inevitably takes the easier road. And really, it's much easier for you to change in some way than for the rest of the world to change to meet your desires. Note that I do not say it is preferable; in fact, much of the time we fight change in ourselves tooth and nail, consciously and unconsciously. If you're struggling with things in your life, magic isn't going to make them go the way you want them to go. Instead, it will generally work on your own perceptions, habits, reactions, and thought processes so that you will be able to better work with what were previously obstacles.
Let me point out again that I said the easier road, not the easy road. The easier road may well involve you losing your job, breaking up with your significant other, and moving across the country instead of rendering your footloose partner an adoring sycophant and your minimum-wage job a high-paying cakewalk. If you're going to effect change by manipulating energy, then you've got to be ready to ride the results.
Recently, I had a conversation that centered around the belief that more women are Wiccan than men. Do you agree? If so, what do you make of the gender disparity?
I'm not sure I agree with this popular belief. I know a lot of men involved in Wicca, and generally they tend to stay pretty quiet because of the feminist associations with the path. My own husband was verbally attacked by a female Wiccan because of his gender, which according to her prevented him from fully encompassing the horrors of the adversity experienced by witches throughout the ages, which in turn meant that he couldn't possibly fully experience the depths and truths of modern Wicca because he carried a Y chromosome. I think that's utter codswallop.
That's not exactly what you asked, though. I think more women are willing to talk about their attraction and empathy with Wicca because they find it empowering and welcoming. Equally, I think men are quieter about their involvement with Wicca because they often end up as targets for women shedding years of feeling oppressed by society in general, or feeling like second-class citizens because of their gender. Certainly the feedback I've had from people who have read my books and written me letters or e-mails or left comments online has been split roughly fifty-fifty between the two genders. Over the years, I'd have to say that I've met about a sixty-forty split, with the slightly higher number being women. I think the gender distribution is a lot more equal than the popular perception believes it to be.
What advice can you provide for teenagers who are just starting out as a Wiccan practitioner?
It's hard to provide general advice because every adolescent is in slightly different circumstances, but I'll give it a try. First of all: Respect your parents' beliefs and rules. I can't stress that one enough. If you want your beliefs to be respected, you have to do likewise for others. Additionally, your parents are your legal and moral guardians until you come of legal age, and while their rules may not make sense from where you're standing, they act out of concern for your well-being. Be as grounded and calm as you can about your chosen path when talking to your parents and teachers; demonstrating maturity goes a long way to helping them understand that what you're interested in isn't wacky or damaging in any way. Remember that Wicca is a way of life, not the tools and trappings; if your parents have rules about candles, incense, and pentacles, respect them and use other symbols to represent the concepts you're working with. Read, read, read to learn as much as possible about the roots and variations of Wicca, and never rely only on the Internet for your material because ninety percent of what's out there is watered down or plain wrong (check out book lists on official sites for reading recommendations though, and hit Witchvox regularly). Wicca is about evolving the self and forming a personal relationship with the Divine; the other stuff like circles and rituals and such are fun, but they're not the essence of the religion.
Apart from that, which is pretty much the same kind of advice I'd give anyone (just replace "parents" with "significant other" and "friends"), I think every teen should be given a BS-sensor. I've seen some seventeen to nineteen-year-olds pretty messed up by people claiming to be traditional Wiccans who manipulate and confuse the heck out of them until they realize that they're in a really bad situation. Heck, I think everyone getting into Wicca should be given a BS sensor. If we can't have official BS sensors, then I think a healthy sense of suspicion and distance should be standard-issue, along with an open mind and an understanding that the path is different for everyone, so there is no one right way of doing things.
Are you writing something new? If so, can you tell us a little bit about the new book and when it will be released?
I’m not currently working on anything at the moment. I handed in the first draft of a manuscript last November, a book about working through the spiritual changes of pregnancy in a Pagan mindset that's scheduled for Spring 2008. It was an interesting book to write, and as usual I feel I haven't been able to address even a drop of what I would want to see in a book like this. I have two proposals that raised some interest, one on spellcrafting with seasonal energies and one on practicing kitchen witchcraft, but I'm taking a break. My son is turning two and he's obviously taken up a lot of my time, but apart from that teaching and writing so much about spirituality truly forces you to re-examine your own beliefs and practice, and I need some serious down time to work on myself and my path. I’ve been going back to basics, if you will, and really turning inward again. A spiritual path such as Wicca honours the concept of cycles, and this is a manifestation of that.
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Author Website: www.arinmurphyhiscock.com
Wow, this was a great, long interview packed with interesting questions and wonderful answers! She sounds like a terrific person and it sounds like a good book. Now I have to find some time to read it...
Posted by: mrcakes2u | July 20, 2007 at 10:26 PM