A New Jersey evangelical Fed Ex driver left a Chick Tract with the wrong witch in New Jersey according to an article in the Mount Olive Chronicle. Trish Reynolds, a Pagan author (of such books as The Demons of Drey (Seeker's Quest) and A Question of Balance ) looked out her window one day to see a Fed Ex Driver do a double take at her "Goddess Bless America" and pentagram bumper sticker, return to his truck and come back to put a Chick Tract on her window. If you've ever read one of those rags you know how offensive they are. The list of ridiculous claims made by these is huge (and Wikipedia has such a huge discussion on this subject) She could have just thrown it out, but she's not that kind of witch. She complained and insisted on action. My kind of woman.
More info about Trish Reynolds and her projects can be found at her website http://www.zyalia.com/

I am a firm believer that garb has its place, and jeans have theirs. I admit it I'm a closet fashion junky (you'd never know it meeting me, I know) If you're a fan of reality TV you might be interested in checking out What Not to Wear on TLC this Friday as it features a Salem witch whose witchy wardrobe is put on "trial" (Salem witch trial style) by other members of the Pagan and psychic community, including Christian Day one of the voices of the Hex Education podcast the driving force behind Salem's annual Festival of the Dead before she is whisked off to New York for the usual makeover business. You can find all the dirt at the Glouster Times website.

According to HeraldNet, A missing woman in Washington is believed to have been murdered by her abusive ex-boyfriend, who happens to be Wiccan, apparently. I don't want to comment on this much more because it is unpleasant, but I will say this- If you read the article, you will find that neighbors upon questioning admitted to hearing a "loud and violent confrontation between a man and a woman" in her apartment FOUR DAYS before she was reported missing by her employers because she show up for work!! WTF people? Why do people not call the cops when this shit goes down? WTF I say.

I often complain about the sad state our society is in that people don't know their neighbors, don't check up on their neighbors, don't show any concern for their neighbors. It's amazing to me that up north where there are acres, and sometimes miles between houses people know more about their neighbors than in places where we're practically on top of each other in apartments and McMansions and trailers. Remember this poor woman the next time you ignore the screams from the apartment upstairs.

I have heard the complaints (and written some) about the media and how they misrepresent the Pagans they interview, twist their words and make them look silly. For this reason, I always dreaded the idea of being in the media despite my dream of being a writer. I would certainly never be on one of those reality shows. So when I got a request for an interview the other day I hesitated, but not for long because after all, it was a huge ego stroke. Besides, the interviewer was a fellow Pagan, so surely I'd be safe.

Check out my interview at examiner.com

I received an email a few weeks ago asking for an interview. I thought that the interview was going to be about my various projects, but that was honestly just an assumption based on the fact that the request came through the email tied to one of them. I responded that I would be delighted and awhile later received a list of questions with a request that I include a picture in my reply. I did so with a note saying: I have attached a picture of me last Beltane and also a picture of our altar to Zeus and Hera as it appeared on our wedding day with our handfasting cord there and the wreaths we wore in our hair.

Her response did not include any comments or additional questions, it simply said: Wow, thanks a lot Dawn. Love the photos. Interview is refreshing. You looked beautiful.

Later the interview appeared on examiner.com with a bunch of comments added after the fact. Comments that I would have loved to respond to; some of which showed a complete misunderstanding of what I said and some of which I found quite rude and in some cases patronizing. So, in the interest of full disclosure, and to make myself feel better, I am going to answer these comments here!

First off, the Title: 13 Questions for Dawn Black, an Eclectic Witch. I am a Hellenic Druid or a Neo-Hellenic Polytheist and a Kitchen Witch, three titles she could have chosen from. Eclectic Witch doesn't describe me very well I think I'm too anal retentive to be eclectic. But more on that later.

Comment 4 An academic Pagan is rare, but we certainly need more of them.

I beg to differ. The Druid and the Hellenismos communities are both full of academics. Many of us came to our the Pagan community through academic channels. I myself came to my path in college where I studied anthropology and religion. Many Hellenismos study Greek so as to read the old texts in the native language while many Celtic Druids also study Gaelic. We also like to travel if we have the means.

Comment 5 Understandably, but when you’re ready to chose a proper magickal name, the confusion will end.

I beg to differ again. A third name will only be more confusing. Besides, I have no intention of choosing a "magickal name" as I think they are silly.

Comment 7 Well, you’re not a Santera or Yoruban either and Voodoo practitioners don’t perform blood sacrifice at wedding ceremonies.

Actually, my father is Yuroban. Yes, there are Yuroban Pagans and there are many synchretic movements that can trace their roots to Yuroban Pagan belief, but Yuroba is a cultural language group centered in Western Africa (My dad was born and raised in Nigeria), not a religion. There are Pagans, Muslims and Christians among them. My dad is the latter. This is, of course, the source of his comment.

Comment 8 Essentially, you’re an Eclectic.

No, I'm not. I am a NeoHellenic Polytheist and an ADF Druid. It is true that my ritual style is a blend of Hellenic reconstruction and the ADF ritual style, but the only Gods I call upon are Hellenic. I do not believe in crossing Pantheons and if I did I wouldn't because I am very devout and attached to my personal Gods. I do celebrate the Druid Feast Days (with the exception of Yule) but I attach them to Hellenic practices. It frankly isn't practical for me to follow the Attic ritual calendar in my modern life.

While the Sacred Hearth Circle is necessarily somewhat eclectic due to the many personalities involved in it besides my own the only Gods we call are Hellenic. My Circle mates are eclectic enough to allow me that idiosyncrasy. So while my Circle may be eclectic due to necessity, I am personally not.

Eclectic Pagans take bits and pieces from different paths and call Gods across pantheons. While I am willing to allow that some Gods may exist in multiple pantheons with different names, I do not call different names and I never mix pantheons.

Comment 9 Well, as an eclectic, you really don’t have to label it all, since what your practicing is borrowed here and there from many cultures and traditions.

No it is not. It's very easily labeled, straightforward and clearly defined within the realms of Hellenic ADF. The adaptations that we have made to the liturgy of the Sacred Hearth Circle are still more Hellenic and Druidic than anything else, we have merely simplified them and made them more entertaining for the kids while adding elements that make other people more comfortable. This does not make me eclectic but flexible- and grudgingly so. My personal practice contains none of these elements and they stand out to me a great deal in group practice. I do admit a great deal of what I do comes from personal gnosis, journey and discussion with my personal Gods but I still wouldn't call it eclectic... Why I am so concerned about being called eclectic... I have no idea.

Comment 10 Interesting. I was referring to deities and spiritual beings that may have inspired you or guided you, not actual people you’ve known in your mundane life. It appears you have many favorites.
I know what you were referring to. I was simply making the point that I don't feel it is very respectful to offer deities less respect than we do humans. No, I do not have favorites. I respect the Gods too much to pick favorites. They are not colors or ice cream flavors. Perhaps you mean to ask which Gods I am closest to? If so, I have answered that- Eos, Hermes, Hestia and Aphrodite in no particular order.

Comment 11 Well, you sound very busy within the confines of your nest. However, perhaps a deeper spiritual connection with a specific deity could help you with your paranoia.

I was not aware that granting an interview constituted a request for advice. As I mentioned, I have close personal relationships with several deities. In fact, a deeper connection with a single deity would probably lead me to further avoid events that weren't directly related to Him or Her. I don't think it's appropriate for a polytheist to worship a single deity to the exclusion of the others.

I'm not paranoid. I am actually very trusting. But perhaps I should have used the word "comfortable" rather than "safe". I have a strict code of ethics and morality tied to my own belief system and I am uncomfortable around those who do not also adhere to it and many Pagans do not simply because many feel that stated morality equates to being judgmental. Further, I am as uncomfortable at a Wiccan ritual (or any ritual that doesn't relate to my own Gods) as I am at a Christian church though I will attend either for weddings, funerals and the like. Since there are few Hellenic Druid events around that doesn't leave me with alot of options.

At home I feel "safe" that I will not be exposed to anything that makes me feel uncomfortable and that I'll have something edible to enjoy while I'm at it. When people come to my house I can maintain control over the rules, kick out the drunks, keep the smokers outdoors, ensure there are plenty of vegetarian options on the menu and choose who to invoke and how to do it. I do go to events, especially when I'm bound by reciprocity (part of that code of ethics), but I choose the events I go to carefully.

Finally, the picture of my altar to Hera and Zeus was labeled my "love altar" which is ridiculous. It's an altar to Hera and Zeus! It is true that the picture was taken on my wedding day and they were invoked to strengthen the marriage and observe the contract and offerings were given to them to encourage their good will... But it remains an altar to Hera and Zeus and love doesn't have much to do with it.

Although I don't particularly like them, I have done email interviews in the past and I have always sent a followup email with questions and clarifications. One-sided interviews are never a good idea. You have to have that back and forth to really get your meaning across. That being said, perhaps I should learn to choose my words more carefully. I think I fell prey to the idea that, since she was also Pagan, she would "get" what I meant and I didn't have to choose my words as carefully with her- though using "safe" instead of "comfortable" was kind of a huge gaff on my part. Lesson learned. I was also thinking at the time that I should try not to be too verbose, so I perhaps didn't explain as well as I could have.

It is annoying to see small excerpts of interviews inside of an article, out of context and mixed in with the journalist's opinions but in this case she didn't even try to write an article, she just cut and pasted my answers and added little comments here and there that could have been followup questions. It's enough to make a girl not want to give interviews anymore. It's one thing not to trust the main stream media, but I'd like to be able to trust the Pagan media.

Methinks I protest too much. In reality, looking back on it, I think perhaps this journalist is falling prey to the same issue as the mainstream journalists we have complained about in the past and so did I. She is looking at this interview through her own worldview lens. She sees magickal names as the norm, I see them as frankly silly- though I did point out that I have a pen name and unnecessary- no one in my Circle has one. She sees choosing a favorite deity as normal and perhaps admirable while I see it as sort of disrespectful to all the rest. I was appalled at the question due to my view of it as disrespectful and she's obviously concerned that I have somehow aborted my spiritual growth by not picking a favorite. It just goes to show the diversity of the Pagan community.

So the interview wasn't that bad. I'm just a little irritated that she got things wrong when they were explicitly stated. But whatever. She hasn't done anything worse than I've done on my own blog or in person. I can put my foot in my mouth just fine by myself, thanks. And it's not as if she actually twisted my words she just added comments that made me feel like she was patronizing me. Ohhh there's that ego again.