"Witchcraft is a journey into the depths of one's mind and spirit...... Starrfire" Return Home Silver Ravenwolf's Teen Witchcraft Issues I have many concerns regarding misinformation being taught. Now I do not know Silver personally, but I am going to express some concerns about what message is being sent out to the youth. My honest opinion on teaching youth about our beliefs is quite simple, the basis that is taught is the foundation and not glamour. That's really my take on it. I also do not believe in teaching youth Without a parents permission. I have no problems with teaching youth as long as it does not directly go against parental wishes. I am a mother and in such I look at things within the aspect of a mother especially pertaining to children and teens. I have spoken to parents of teens about Witchcraft many times and I am a teen parent myself. So I can speak from experience as well relating to this subject. What I have honestly found within these statements makes me feel pure annoyance. This message is not in my opinion the accurate message or teachings for the youth. Witchcraft is not glamorous, we do not fly around on our broomsticks, we do not tell children to mislead anyone, we do not teach advanced practices to a beginner and we most certainly do not make it appear as if we are better than anyone else. We all basically eat, sleep, walk and talk…. Witches are normal intelligent people simply carrying within us a calling that may differ from others. We see magick in many things, things as simple as planting a seed is magickal. Magick is not glitzy and glamorous, this is simply the truth, Magick is a part of our lives but it is not by far the only part ! I have received many emails over the past years from teenagers regarding Witchcraft. I would never teach Witchcraft to a teen without first and foremost assuring that their parents were in agreement with it. I would also assure that the young adults were properly trained to the best of my abilities with the basis of what it is that we believe, in general. Witchcraft is not for everyone, that is the plain and simple truth. It agitates me seeing it portrayed lacking balance, basis/foundation, sincerity, truth, the God/dess and nature. Being a Witch carries within a responsibility of great proportions especially if we are led to teach others of our beliefs. When writings are done that carry a message that reflects a lack of foundation and/or respect, I have a problem with that especially if that information is given as a guide to beginners and teenagers. I am focusing on the information in Silver's books because recently I have received many questions regarding some of her books in particular and quite frankly I'm a bit tired of trying to un-confuse the mixed messages that these particular writings are obviously giving out. I personally have nothing against her, because I do not know her. I can say this I do not condone certain messages that she is sending out via these books especially towards our youth. Our children are so important and what they learn now is important, if they are being led to The Craft from a calling within them they should be taught foundation and respect of The Craft, their parents and their elders in general. So below is an obvious rant based on book quotes that I found to be unnecessary, non-truthful or simply un-appropriate. This is not a slam per say because I'm sure she has some good content these particular things I do however have a problem with especially being that they are placing all "Witches" in her category. I personally simply do not agree nor do I wish to be categorized as such. This is not a bashing but it is a wake-up call to what is being placed out there as "Witchcraft". I have read many rants on Silver some merited and some not. Yet being a Witch, I find this approach (youths) to be lacking credibility, reality, basis and truth. Below are some issues I have personally with the message she is sending especially aimed at our youth. Some of my opinions are abrasive so if this may be offensive then please do not continue this page. Some of the responses below come directly from Wicca for The Rest of Us. They have a really good site relating to this subject. No. 1 – Downplaying a parents role with their children In Teen Witchcraft, Ravenwolf advises teens to link philosophical and theological difficulties to a need for the existence and practice of witchcraft. Knowing that some parents "won't get past their fear" and accept witchcraft (she says that such parents "aren't behaving in an adult manner"), Ravenwolf tells the children of parents who "still won't budge [to] pray. The Mother will hear you." This is saying to me that if your parents don't accept what it is you want "THEY" (parents) are immature. Well God forbid that parents take notice of what it is their children are reading. This is wrong on so many levels… No. 2 - The Message to the parents Ravenwolf is well aware that many parents, and particularly Christians, object to witchcraft. For this reason, the first section of the book is addressed to parents and claims (in bold print), "This is an okay book for your children to read. There's nothing bad in here, and maybe the book will help you understand why WitchCraft is one of the fastest growing religions in America." She further advises parents, "For pity's sake, don't `tell' [your children] what religion is and is not. Let them discover spirituality for themselves." Now the above is both condescending as well arrogant in my opinion, not to mention she is speaking to the adults as if they are idiots. It comes off as if she is an authority on everyone's children and what as she states is "okay". Well as a Witch and a parent my children wouldn't have this book, I will say that frankly and boldly. The book lacks "basis", "Direction" and it shows a lack of respect towards your elders, in which I most certainly cannot agree with. Not to mention it is full of spells, were talking about 75% of the book. That's a major problem right out the gate… No. 3 – "I don't think this [practicing Wicca] constitutes abnormal behavior, but some stick-in-the-mud unenlightened people do," Here she is asserting that anyone who doesn't agree with her practices and beliefs is a "stick-in-the-mud" and "unenlightened". Truthfully many teens gravitate towards The Craft because they think it's glamorous and they think they will suddenly be "somebody". This behavior can constitute other issues, like possibly "low self-esteem" a need for "attention"… etc. The statement is simply condescending and arrogant put nicely. Not to mention in my opinion it's again targeting adults (parents) who may not wish for their kids to get involved in The Craft. No 4 – Here we go again with the arrogance… "uneducated, unenlightened people believe that witches are bad." Here we go again with the presumption that anyone who doesn't like a Witch is basically stupid. I suppose has she ever pondered upon the thought they observed such statements as she boldly makes and then drew their personal conclusions? Hmmm… This is simply a low blow. I don't like it when people stereotype us but she is doing the same thing they do. Here's a few words "lead by example". Education is the key not stupid statements. One of my favorite quotes that seems to fit this statement. "The problems that exist in the world today cannot be solved by the level of thinking that created them." --Albert Einstein No 5 – Parents are childish "Some parents just won't get over their fear and listen." When this occurs she asserts that these parents "are not behaving in an adult manner," as if concern on a parent's part represents immature conduct based on irrational fear. She goes on to state, "A few parents get foolishly hysterical. These people irritate me." Well hun.. Your condescending, arrogant behavior irritates me… So welcome to the real world. No 6 – God I feel like I'm riding a dead horse… Friends of the would-be-witch are targets for Ravenwolf as well. "Here's where you separate the true friends [adults included] from those who have no clue," she begins, then, "once you start moving to a higher level of consciousness, it is natural that those people who aren't on your wavelength will drift away." One short blurb she managed to again exert her "I am better than you mentality" now I may be crazy but my "true friends" are just that and I personally could care less what spirituality they follow. *Newsflash* they have a clue, they may not agree but I think it's called .. ahh.. what's the word "Individuality". Since when did being a Witch mean that everyone has to be on your "wavelength" to be around you… I can't even go there. No 7 – What "Real" Witches don't do… New definitions everyone….LOL "Real witches do not . . . take illegal drugs . . . work black magic . . . get into sexual perversions. . . summon demons. . . charge money to work magick. . . cast love spells . ." I love the way she categorizes everyone into her definition of "real". Now sometimes I coin the phrase "real" Witches opposed to "fake" Witches but the above is neither true nor historical correct. The "black magick" thing really tweaked me to be honest. Oh yes I forgot "black=bad" and "white=good"… gotcha Sorry, one last note, we don't charge money to work magick we only charge money for "Magick in a box" and a book titled "Silvers spells for LOVE"... we don't cast love spells we only write how to books on it....okay....gotcha..... So I suppose practice what you preach would fit in quite nicely here.... No 8 – This is simply horrible, the words I want to use are inappropriate. What to tell your parents. "Then we've got the double sneak-attack - working only with angels. Angels, angels everywhere and Mom or Dad won't even care. Sure, because everyone likes angels" (pg 232) Words can't truly express how I feel about this. What kind of pure garbage is this?. Teaching kids to LIE and not to mention mislead (I'm being nice here) their parents ("double sneak attack, I can't even express words at this point"). This really burns me up. "hey kids just lie to your parents and make us all look like ass holes...." Sorry..but I had to say it. This is wrong on so many different levels!!!!! No wonder people consider us a freaking "cult" with these types of statements being thrown at the teens. No 9 – Wicca and Witchcraft are the same Wicca -- It is thought that this term was originally coined by Selena Fox of the Circle Sanctuary in an effort to describe the modern religion of WitchCraft (as begun by Gerald Gardner in England in the 1950's). There is NO difference between Wicca and WitchCraft. Anyone who tells you there is a difference is experimenting in the theory of Occum's Razor. *Newsflash* At this point I don't know what planet she just came from but I can think of some major differences right off the top of my head. Oh and FYI it's Occam not Occum. HUMMMM Let's see.... off the top of my head... Wicca=Karma (which is a hindu buddhist origination) Witchcraft=Fate Wicca=The Rede (which came about in the 1970's) Witchcraft =Personal Ethics Wicca=More organized Formal System Witchcraft=Natural & Simplistic i.e. "why" you do something verses "how" you do it. Wicca=Year and a Day Witchcraft=Follows no set time frame That's just off the top of my head…geesh No 10 – Did you know that we now have a place that appears to be "hell". Teen Witchcraft pg 130 per 6 "The Dark Side - Witches don't go there" "Witches do not work magick to harm others and we know that no real power lies in evil." My response: This is such an asinine statement, Now we have the dark side aka Silvers special version of hell. I'm simply speechless at this moment. I love it when people speak clearly from there backside. Hey here's a word for you "BALANCE".... Good Goddess at what point and time did all harmful magick come from the "dark" side. What a load of crap. You could do harm from either side, Now that's the truth !!! "Harmful magick does not come from the side of light or dark that we use it comes from the person casting the spell." Taken from The Journey into Witchcraft I do agree with something she said though, she's obviously never been there… How can you speak about something you have absolutely no understanding of? And then follow it up by saying it's "evil", I love it when people know not what they speak of and yet profess to know much. No 11 – How to tell your parents about your beliefs…*gasp - rolling eyes* ...did you know that Mary Magdalene was not a temple prostitute? That the word "Magdelene" is a title of leadership, not the woman's last name? And that Mary Magdelene of Bible fame ran a temple to the Goddess, designed to educate the rich girls of Jerusalem? True, true...and true. AND, the reason the men hated her was because she believed in the Goddess, and they wanted to get rid of the Goddess. Considering that there has never in history been a worshipped entity known simply as the Goddess, I have serious difficulty believing in the credibility of any portion of this statement. Furthermore, just a little further down on the page Ravenwolf refers readers to Barbara Walker's Women's Encyclopedia of Myths and Secrets for more fascinating revelations. Yet Walker herself describes her repeatedly as Mary the Whore and cites "Magdelene" to mean merely "she of the temple-tower".5 Worse, this passage is a part of the section on telling your parents that you're Wiccan. Clearly, the statement has nothing to do with Wicca or why one should be dedicated to it. Instead, it's another of Ravenwolf's pot-shots at Christianity. Had I approached my parents with this pot shot they would have had me at the church in about two seconds having me excercised…LOL I especially like the part that says "true, true and true". Dear Gods.... No 12 – Who we do not teach The Craft "We do not teach our mysteries to fools, and we will exclude people who we feel are either self-destructive or who we feel have the potential, or a history, of hurting others." Follow-up...lol How does one expect to exclude the "fools" when one markets "magick- in-a-box"? Not to mention a book written For teens that contains mostly spells. Gotcha...... No 13 – Be careful what you do, or not? "be careful what you do blah, blah, blah" she then follows up later by saying if you make a mistake "don't worry, it's no biggie". ARGH!!! What kind of message are we sending here... it's not ok - it's ok ... OH GODDESS I"M SO CONFUSED The following quotes are from To Ride a Silver Broomstick and To Stir a Magick Cauldron. Quote 1: There are two kinds of [divinatory] readings, those for magickal people and those for "once-borns" (a term Bried Foxsong, publisher of Sacred Hart, uses). Once-borns belong to other religions that do not believe in reincarnation or magick. (page 152) A once-born will get "hooked" before a magickal person, because they are totally unfamiliar with the intricacies of magick and divination. (page 158) Follow-up...lol Just in case you non-Christians thought you would be spared her diatribe, don't fear, she hasn't forgotten you. Apparently all non- Pagans are so incredibly simple that they must be given special tarot readings (or other divining method) because they just can't handle a full-blown one. The arrogance is absolutely astounding. Quote 2: "While in Persia, they came across a nasty God that was used in that country. And, wonder of wonders, he resembled the old God of the people in Europe. He was dark, half animal, with horns and a tail. Bingo! They thought and rubbed their hands excitedly together. Now we know how to eradicate the old religion and bring in the new. When they got back to Europe, they told the people that the old God was really Satan because he had horns and a tail. (page 49)" I particularly like how the Christians "rubbed their hands excitedly together" like the bad guy in old movies just after he ties the heroine to the train tracks. Sorry, there is no one "old God" of the pagans. She finishes the section by saying: "I wrote this story to sound rather trite on purpose…It is a good story, though, for children, and an interesting one to tell around the fireplace." (page 50) Good story for children? What sort of values are you preaching here? Quote 3: As someone who works with magick, sooner or later you're going to be found out, anyway. Let's face it. You will probably carry yourself differently (confidence does that to a person). You may become more articulate, more sensitive, more ethical; happier, richer, healthier. You will succeed in your dreams where others spend their lives wishing instead. Eventually, people will wonder what you are doing right! People may also fear you. Not because you have threatened them, but because you obviously are not enjoying the same tragedies they are. (page 278) Excuse me? What sort of cult propaganda is this? News flash #2: non- magical people succeed at their dreams too. And anyone who thinks that Wicca or any other religion or organization will protect them from the tragedies of the world needs a serious and immediate wake-up call. Quote 4: In response to "What do Witches do?" or "Tell me all about Witches," be very careful if you are not familiar with the questioner. Instead, get them to talk about themselves by using the conversation techniques you have learned. They may never get an answer to their question on the first meeting, but they will walk away thinking you are a great person anyway because you listened to them. How do you steer them away from the topic of Witchcraft if you find yourself in a time or place that is not suitable for such a discussion? This is an easy one; just ask them exactly what they wish to know. Most often their questions are vague and you can give them an equally vague answer and ask them something about themselves. (page 278-279) First comes the presumption that non-Pagans are stupid enough to fall for this, followed by a pat on the back for deliberately misleading people. And why exactly are you being asked these questions in the first place? If you are not familiar enough with the questioner to be talking about such things, why did you let this person know you were a Witch to begin with? Quote 5: And speaking of telling the world about your Witchiness... I began by telling my father [that I was a witch], then my children and my two best friends; I went on to others that had known me for several years, and progressed to those who did not know me well at all. I told my new employer before I even accepted the job. (page 277) There is zero reason to tell a prospective employer what your religion is - by law he can't even ask. There's only two reasons you would behave like this - you're looking for attention, or you're looking for trouble, knowing that eventually you'll come across someone who will make an issue of it, at which point you can scream persecution at the top of your lungs. Quote 6: "Satanic Witch: One cannot be a satanic Witch because Witches do not believe in satan." …. OK this is so asinine, not to mention it completely lacks any actual "research". *News Flash* Most Satanists do not believe in the Christian Devil nor do they worship him. Quote 7: New Definitions Everyone "Another name for a solitary Witch is a "Natural Witch". Ahhhhhh….. WHAT? That's news to me. I thought a solitary WItch basically works alone "hence the word solitary"…LOL At what time did a natural Witch (ie: someone who has natural Witchy abilities) automatically become a synonym for Soliatry. I love these new rules… LOL Invoking and Evoking found throughout many of the books: I noticed these statements within even her first books... wondering if she knows the difference. Her teen Witchcraft book gives a ritual where she says "invoke". *Newsflash* you do not tell teens/beginners to "invoke" anything. Invoking brings the spirit, deity etc. into your body, it's not something you do lightly. Evoking brings it within your space, invoking literally brings it into you personally. She uses this word in many of her books where in my opinion it should say "evoke". For Goddess sake if I invoked everything as she states in her books I'd be having a serious identity crisis….LOL Overview: When this book first came out I thought hey a book out there to help teens with the basis of Witchcraft with some direction, that's not a bad concept. I spoke to soon… The whole darn book is basically spells Geesh!…. This just sends me into orbit. It's written in a manner not to mention as if they are speaking to a two-year old. I sincerely believe that many teens carry a decent vocabulary, their not first graders. Many teens even think this book is lacking… that's pretty bad. I have been holding myself back from writing this, but quite frankly I'm tired of receiving emails from beginners who are so darn confused because they have been reading these books. I have to wonder at this point and time if anyone even edits this stuff. Okay, I know much of this page comes off a bit harsh, quite frankly it's meant to. I believe Silver had her original motivation in the right place because I feel teens should have books that they can read but quite frankly this is not one of them. It is a far cry from realistic, it lacks foundation on many levels, it asserts open evasive/misleading behavior with parents/adults, it's full of spells, carries many contradictory statements and quite frankly much of it is arrogant in nature. She speaks as if there are those people and us while asserting how everyone should have respect for everyone else. It's not a book I would suggest to a Teen who actually wants to learn something about the foundation and beliefs in Witchcraft. If you have to sell yourself out to what people want "glamour wise" instead of exerting the basis and truths within the beliefs, then possibly these people should actually be concerned about the true practices, rather than making it appear like a "Charmed" Episode. "Digging in your garden is not exactly "glamorous" yet why do people feel the need to make it look "glamorous" ? Let's jump out there and be honest for a moment. Witchcraft is not for everyone and "bulletin" we do not have to make it appear as if we live a "Charmed" Episode everyday. If people come to The Craft because of glamour, well we should possibly ponder upon the thought they these same people should not attempt to become …. Ah what's the word Witches. Duh!! To sum this up, I am a writer and I agree with bringing books out to help teens that are learning about The Craft with parental approval. I believe children and teens are capable of so much. They should have good materials to read that allows them to understand nature, The God and Goddess and balance. They have enough on their plates simply being teenagers without being given this type of mixed signal from their elders. Any adult who instructs teens to act in an openly evasive manner with their parents or other adults needs a serious wake up call. I appreciate her effort but quite frankly I think this book openly sends out too many mixed signals, it's mostly spells and it lacks foundation on many levels. Thumbs down in my opinion. Sources: To Ride a Silver Broomstick To Stir a Magick Cauldron Teen Witchcraft www.fortunecity.com/roswell/vanthal/608/id140.htm www.souldevice.org/writings_ravenwolfwitchcraft.htm http://wicca.timerift.net/ravenwolf.html BB- Starr © Copyright 2001-2003 The Witches Way all rights reserved