Interviewed by Gwinevere Rain
Can you explain the central concept behind your book Spirited? Why did you decide to address the social aspects of the path rather than tackle a basic 101 format?
In the foreword of my book I explain briefly how I came to be inspired to write Spirited in the first place. I was frustrated and disappointed at the lack of valuable intermediate and 'beyond' Pagan reading material and so I decided to write the book I craved. Quite a few authors find this type of situation to be stimulating to the literary genius! In a nutshell there are a vast quantity of great 101 books out there - I didn't need to write another. Thus 'Spirited: Taking Paganism Beyond the Circle' was birthed.
In Chapter 3: Schooling Pagans, you discussed young pagans at school. You even mentioned Christian students became aware of your path. What advice do you have for a teen weighing the option of "coming out" at school?
Coming out as Pagan, whatever your path/tradition, at school is always a tough choice to make - especially when you may end up sacrificing friendships in the long-run. If anyone at all is considering the options in regards to this issue one really needs to be level-headed, grounded and open to the wisdom of the Gods at all times.
I explain in the Schooling Pagans chapter how I never intended to 'come out' when I did; it was discovered that I was Pagan when a Christian student noticed my pentagram and asked about its significance. I explained to her the symbolism of the pentagram as any Pagan worth their maypole would, and yet the information just seemed to go in one ear and out the other. Immediately the satanic remarks and stereotypes surfaced. The whole encounter actually caused quite a bit of emotional unrest in my life. The moral of this story I believe is that one needs to be absolutely 100 percent certain of who, when, why and how they will 'come out'.
Coming out is such a big issue for so many minority groups in this world. It's a strange and often unwelcome fact that people find they have to come out as anything in the 21st century. Everything is questioned - sexuality, religion, ethnicity, creed, political preference. Questioning is great! However when the motive is to draw lines and imprison people via labels questioning becomes a relic of the various Inquisitions that plagued Europe back in the day. We should all be proud heretics (those who choose)! I think ultimately the (Neo)Pagan community can gain a lot from observing and interfacing with the GBLTIQ (Gay, Bisexual, Lesbian, Transgender, Intersex, Queer) community in that the Queer community embraces 'Pride' as our avenue towards greater freedom of expression - freedom of being! I am Pagan and I am proud - once you reach that point, coming out becomes more of a right rather than a privelege.
You seem to have a very close group of pagan friends and community. Some even wrote passages enclosed in spirited. Have you ever had infighting? How do you address squabbles between individuals?
My coven (the Coven of the WildWood) is a community. We are a family of wildkin who embrace each other in every facet, in every way. We can all truly attest to the traditional Craft proverb - "to meet, to remember, to know and love again". We are all consiously aware of past lives we've shared with each other, of deep soul-connections that are often so intense words will never do justice and the Magick we weave together is unlike anything I have ever felt before - pure, raw...WILD! We've had our tiffs here and there, but just like any friendship, if it's worth it (and they are!) all parties work wilfully towards solving the problem at hand. The most important thing to keep in mind is that we are a social and spiritual network - like trees in a grove the integrity and balance of the grove itself rests on that ephemeral quality which is embodied in 'more than the sum of its parts'. In any relationship every individual needs to look at another and affirm "I am another you".
In Chapter 7: The Spell of Witchcraft you wrote, " . . . the primeval power of spellcraft has suffered from the claim that spells are synonymous with payers. There are many similarities between the two, but the difference that distinguishes them must be grasped to fully understand spellcraft" (Spirited, 109). Can you explain what the difference is to our Copper Moon readers?
Spellcraft is both a magickal artform and a metaphysical science. It requires psychic diligence, clear and pure intent and a contextualised understanding of Magick. The main difference between a spell and a prayer is that a spell is hard work! To explain:
A prayer is a simple offering-up of wish/yearning/desire to a greater/higher power - to the Gods/Angels/Devas/etc. Generally whether that prayer is answered is up to whichever spiritual power you directed the prayer to. With spellcraft and magickal operations of personalised/communal conscious intent a great deal of power (of the self) is committed to the goal - it is gathered up/raised, directed, channeled and released to effect a desired outcome that has been meditated, concentrated and focussed on by the Witch/magician. A spell is a charged pulse of power released into the higher-vibrating realms (often the 'Astral') in order that the seed which is therefore planted will then manifest its fruits on the physical plane, as all things eventually do. I advocate both prayer and spellcraft for positive and uplifting change in any regard.
How do you devise your own rituals? What is your creation/writing process? (i.e. by hand, how many drafts, over the course of several days? etc.)
The rituals I perform for myself and in my own space and time are never scripted, and rarely are they pre-planned or thought out in any concrete manner. Every week I perform my ritual devotion which is the ceremonial embodiment of my personal tradition and path come to life as an offering to my Gods and all that I hold sacred. I weave together my ancestral traditions of Eire and Bali, Faerycraft, Traditional (British-Celtic) Witchcraft, Stregheria, Hellenismos, WildWood, and some aspects of Wicca (BTW) into my own highly syncretic personalised spiritual tradition. Rituals, or rather magickal workings and spells, that I perform for others tend to be planned in advance and structured so as to ensure the desired effect in all certainty. However, because I have lived the life of a cunning-man (the Witch who is of active service to his/her human/environmental community) for quite some time now, ritual-scripting and ideas tend to come rather swiftly, as I have quite the load of 'case studies/experiences' to refer to in times of need.
The rituals, spells and exercises that I provide in Spirited have all been trialled and tested and work effectively as magickal tools. They were scripted so that any Pagan could find something of use or worth in the psychic processes and magickal methods the book offers. This is why I tend to omit any mention of 'Cast Circle in this way' or 'invoke the God and the Goddess' in Spirited as this tends towards Wicca 101, which I and my book are definitely not.
You write in Chapter 13: Into the Future, about the Greening. That, "a cleansing will eventuate and all will come to the scourge" (Spirited, 263). What do you mean by this? How is this different than the Christian Apocalypse?
In essence the Greening is akin to the Christian prophecies of the 'apocalypse', referring to the 'lifting of the veil' - revelation. However it must be known that almost every culture, civilisation and spiritual tradition known of has prophesied a similar coming time and tide of rapid change and shift of consciousness. In the WildWood Tradition we know this tide of change as the 'Greening', though we are not the only magickal folk to use the term as we do.
The Greening is happening right now; all around us. It is reverberating in every centre, in every cell; it is the Veil being lifted indeed! This is the Veil of ignorance and self-deceit which has long clouded our judgement and foresight and has brought us "to the scourge". Humans, as a species, need to quickly become aware of our great mental/spiritual/emotional/psychological capacity and harness it for positive environmental, social and political change! We Pagans are integral to aiding this shift in consciousness toward a deeper 'eco-psychic' (to borrow a term from the Church of All Worlds) awareness of the subtle and yet significant interconnectivity that is the very foundation of our being! Paganism advocates all of the above and more actively in every facet of its worldview. The wheels have only begun to turn and there is much work to do.
What is next for Gede Parma in regard to writing & teaching?
At the moment I am nearly at the end of my third book which will be published sometime in mid-2010. Once again I am writing for the intermediate and beyond Pagan audience as the market has matured and this is because the NeoPagan community globally has begun to vocalise the collective desire for more advanced material. After the completion of that book I have another one in store which I am writing with a friend and fellow WildWood priest - it will be quirky, light-hearted, but will pack a powerful punch! As ever I have articles, essays and contributions appearing here, there and everywhere - Spellcraft magazine (Australia's premier Pagan/Magickal magazine), various Llewellyn annuals (including the 2010 Witches' Companion and a new Sabbats Almanac!) and on various e-zines like Copper Moon!
In terms of teaching out there in the community I will be spending the second half of 2009 actively promoting Spirited and my just hot off-the-press 'Crafting the Community' (published in Australia by Conjunction Press - a Pagan community anthology I edited and compiled) and travelling around Australia to various Pagan gatherings, festivals and weekend retreats, as well as running workshops and lectures. I am also planning a short visit to the US in early 2010 around the time of PantheaCon so keep your eyes and ears peeled for that!
Thank you Gwinevere and a Spirited Blessing to you all!
Visit Gede's Author Website: www.GedeParma.com
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