Public Perception of Magic and Paganism
Let's deal with the harder question of the public perception of paganism first. I have debated and thought about this for a couple of weeks now trying to research or come up with a valid expression of what a pagan really is and what the public in general thinks of them. This is incredibly hard because if you ask a pagan what is their perception of paganism you won't get the same answer twice. Because this religion is so new, with its modern roots only extending back 40 years or so, it has made no stamp on the human psyche. Have we blown up buildings in the name of a god? Have we decimated entire cultures and warred with others for generations over the ideology of one person over another? The answer to these questions is no. Why have we not done these things? Is it because we are good and have higher purpose - nonsense, it is because we have no consolidated ideology and we do not hold power. The public perceives us as "Geeks in Cloaks" (the Mentalists, Season 1), or as buffoons fooling ourselves with our perceived wisdom and visions. Certain members of society may be neurotic enough to believe that we are dangerous and evil, because they fear that we may hold a secret or a power that they cannot see or feel or control. In buffy season 4, Willow makes a comment after doing some big spell work, that the local members of the Children of Gaia circle, that if they saw real magic that they would probably run in the other direction. So it would seem that within the media, and the public eye we are little more than goofballs constantly deluding ourselves with our crystals and our goofy ceremonies. While I tend to agree with the public perception, because we are definitely a goofy bunch of social outcasts, seekers, and people who are desperate to belong to something bigger than themselves. Yet, for all of our goofy faults I can't help but feel a similarity to another movement that had a multitude of different ideas based loosely around a central core, a group of misfits that didn't quite fit in with their own religion but managed to enlighten others in far away lands. Their persistence and belief was annoying to most in power but eventually grew to not only challenge an empire, but when that empire fell, it was there to pick up the remnants and weave it into a creation that still exists today.
Magic in the Public Perception
As far as magic goes it is still something that strikes wonder in people's hearts. Many may find it amusing or entertaining (like pulling a rabbit out of a hat), while others will indulge in the heart of magic. There are three types of people who indulge in magic. The rationalists will try to disproove magic and argue that it doesn't exist. There are those that are terrified of it and claim it as evil simply because they cannot understand what it is or how it works. Then there are those who work with magic, and those who work long and hard enough will truly understand the essence of it. That being said however, for the 98% of the population who do not indulge in magic what do they think of magic? Often they are thinking of ritualistic ceremonies, based on the followings of ancient brotherhoods who have kept ancient traditions going since the dawn of time. Shakespear's weird sisters from the Scottish Play, evokes the ceremony of spell casting over a cauldron. The victorian fascination with all things egyptian at the end of the 19th century and the beginng of the 20th dreamed up great sacred rights akin to the imagined ceremonies of the Egyptians that built the pyramids at Giza. So prevelant was this sense of mystery societies that it seeped into the writings of several British authors including Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Move forward a hundred years and you get the magical realms created by Tolkein and Lewis, which further ignited the imaginations of readers everywhere. OF course the biggest influence to date is of course Harry Potter. Within the last 10 years or so the airwaves have been filled with many television shows that refelct this fascination with the magical realm. Sanctuary, Supernatural, Charmed, Buffy the VAmpire Slayer, Angel, The Vampire Diaries, The Dresden Files. All of these work with the principles of magic, and continue to mold and change public perception.
As a perfect example of this continuing use of magic themes to propel a story forward, I am including a few links from a TV series called Dante's Cove. A complete superfluous fluff series of guilty pleasures for the gay and lesbian community. It is hardly stellar writing, but the overall central theme to the story is how two lovers are thrust into the scary world of the Treasom Witches. It's attempt to capture the world of magic is laughable at best, but they do try and capture the drama of spellwork in a ritualistic sense. For a few examples try these clips out for size:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZCLZyqGzhc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7tlAzSHGTc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7q9l8lF4Slw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S81szMzc4hw
Let's deal with the harder question of the public perception of paganism first. I have debated and thought about this for a couple of weeks now trying to research or come up with a valid expression of what a pagan really is and what the public in general thinks of them. This is incredibly hard because if you ask a pagan what is their perception of paganism you won't get the same answer twice. Because this religion is so new, with its modern roots only extending back 40 years or so, it has made no stamp on the human psyche. Have we blown up buildings in the name of a god? Have we decimated entire cultures and warred with others for generations over the ideology of one person over another? The answer to these questions is no. Why have we not done these things? Is it because we are good and have higher purpose - nonsense, it is because we have no consolidated ideology and we do not hold power. The public perceives us as "Geeks in Cloaks" (the Mentalists, Season 1), or as buffoons fooling ourselves with our perceived wisdom and visions. Certain members of society may be neurotic enough to believe that we are dangerous and evil, because they fear that we may hold a secret or a power that they cannot see or feel or control. In buffy season 4, Willow makes a comment after doing some big spell work, that the local members of the Children of Gaia circle, that if they saw real magic that they would probably run in the other direction. So it would seem that within the media, and the public eye we are little more than goofballs constantly deluding ourselves with our crystals and our goofy ceremonies. While I tend to agree with the public perception, because we are definitely a goofy bunch of social outcasts, seekers, and people who are desperate to belong to something bigger than themselves. Yet, for all of our goofy faults I can't help but feel a similarity to another movement that had a multitude of different ideas based loosely around a central core, a group of misfits that didn't quite fit in with their own religion but managed to enlighten others in far away lands. Their persistence and belief was annoying to most in power but eventually grew to not only challenge an empire, but when that empire fell, it was there to pick up the remnants and weave it into a creation that still exists today.
Magic in the Public Perception
As far as magic goes it is still something that strikes wonder in people's hearts. Many may find it amusing or entertaining (like pulling a rabbit out of a hat), while others will indulge in the heart of magic. There are three types of people who indulge in magic. The rationalists will try to disproove magic and argue that it doesn't exist. There are those that are terrified of it and claim it as evil simply because they cannot understand what it is or how it works. Then there are those who work with magic, and those who work long and hard enough will truly understand the essence of it. That being said however, for the 98% of the population who do not indulge in magic what do they think of magic? Often they are thinking of ritualistic ceremonies, based on the followings of ancient brotherhoods who have kept ancient traditions going since the dawn of time. Shakespear's weird sisters from the Scottish Play, evokes the ceremony of spell casting over a cauldron. The victorian fascination with all things egyptian at the end of the 19th century and the beginng of the 20th dreamed up great sacred rights akin to the imagined ceremonies of the Egyptians that built the pyramids at Giza. So prevelant was this sense of mystery societies that it seeped into the writings of several British authors including Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Move forward a hundred years and you get the magical realms created by Tolkein and Lewis, which further ignited the imaginations of readers everywhere. OF course the biggest influence to date is of course Harry Potter. Within the last 10 years or so the airwaves have been filled with many television shows that refelct this fascination with the magical realm. Sanctuary, Supernatural, Charmed, Buffy the VAmpire Slayer, Angel, The Vampire Diaries, The Dresden Files. All of these work with the principles of magic, and continue to mold and change public perception.
As a perfect example of this continuing use of magic themes to propel a story forward, I am including a few links from a TV series called Dante's Cove. A complete superfluous fluff series of guilty pleasures for the gay and lesbian community. It is hardly stellar writing, but the overall central theme to the story is how two lovers are thrust into the scary world of the Treasom Witches. It's attempt to capture the world of magic is laughable at best, but they do try and capture the drama of spellwork in a ritualistic sense. For a few examples try these clips out for size:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZCLZyqGzhc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7tlAzSHGTc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7q9l8lF4Slw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S81szMzc4hw
posted by the arboral at 7:39 PM
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