{file "A Neo-Pagan Filmography (Mike Nichols)" "bos115.

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A NEO-PAGAN FILMOGRAPHY
An Annotated List
of Recommended Viewing
=======================
(compiled 3/89)
by Mike Nichols
Although this list is a long one, it could
easily have been much
longer. In fact, the hard part was deciding which of many
good movies had
to be left out, due to limitations of space.
So I used
a few rules to
guide me.
First, I gave preference to movies that had
a strong Pagan
message, as opposed to films that are 'merely'
entertaining. Thus, a film
like 'Never Cry Wolf', though it has no supernatural
elements, made the
list; whereas superbly crafted atmospheric entertainments
like 'Gothic' and
'Eyes of Fire' didn't.
Second, in dealing with the
supernatural, I
concentrated on films that informed, or at least stayed
within the realms
of possibility. Hence, I include 'The Haunting', but
not 'Poltergeist'.
Inevitably, I will have left out some of your
favorites, for which I
apologize in advance. But I had to stop somewhere.
APPRENTICE TO MURDER, 1988, C-94m
D: R.L. Thomas.
Donald Sutherland, Chad Lowe, Mia
Sara, Knut Husebo,
Rutanya Alsa.
Intriguing fact-based story of a man who was a 'hexmeister' in the
Pennsylvania Dutch tradition. His practice of folk
medicine lands him in
trouble with the law, and a final confrontation with a
rival sorcerer leads
to a charge of murder. Sutherland is appealing in the
lead role, and the
story unfolds mainly through his eyes.
Mia Sara does
a nice job in a
supporting role. There's a lot of authentic folk magic to
lend atmosphere.
THE BELIEVERS, 1987, C-114m
D: John Schlesinger.
Martin Sheen, Helen Shaver,
Harley Cross, Robert
Loggia, Elizabeth Wilson, Lee Richardson, Harris
Yulin, Richard Masur,
Carla Pinza, Jimmy Smits.

Afterthe death ofhis wife, Sheen andhis son

moveto New York City,
where they become involved in a grisly series of cultish
human sacrifices.
Although the religion of Santeria is unfortunately
shown in a negative
light, there is enough authenticity to lend lots of
interest. A gripping
thriller.
BELL, BOOK, AND CANDLE, 1958, C-103m
D: Richard Quine. James Stewart, Kim Novak, Jack Lemmon,
Ernie Kovaks,
Hermione Gingold.
Yes, I'm well aware that this movie, based on
the John Van Druten
play, is responsible for more misinformation about
Witchcraft than anything
outside the 'Bewitched' TV series.
Still, I hardly
know a Pagan who
doesn't love it. For many of us, it was the first time
we'd encountered
the idea of Witchcraft alive and well in a modern
metropolis. And Kim
Novak is STILL my idea of what a Witch OUGHT to look like.
And none of us
will ever forget Kovak's reading of the line 'Witches,
boy! Witches!' Or
Stewart's offhand comment that it feels more like
Halloween than Christmas.
Lots of fun.

528
BROTHER SUN, SISTER MOON, 1973-Italian-British, C-121m
D: Franco Zeffirelli. Graham Faulkner, Judi Bowker, Leigh
Lawson, Alec
Guinness, Valentina Cortese, Kenneth Cranham
For most Pagans, St. Francis of Assisi is
usually considered an
honorary Pagan, at the very least. His insistence on
finding divinity in
nature is exactly what Paganism is all about. This film
biography portrays
his extreme love of and sensitivity to nature with
poignant beauty. And
the musical score by Donovan is such a perfect choice
that, having heard
it, nothing else would ever do. This is also a visually
stunning film, as
those who remember Zefferelli's 'Romeo and Juliet' might
expect. If ever
Christianity could be made palatable to the sensibilities
of Neo-Pagans, it
would have to be through the eyes of a nature mystic
like Francis.
The
Catholic Church came close to naming him a heretic but, at
the last minute,

(Old

the Pope (played by Alec

Obi Wan comes
through again!)

Guinness) sanctioned

him.

BURN, WITCH, BURN!, 1962-British, 90m

D: Sidney Hayers. Janey Blair, Peter Wyngarde, Margaret
Johnston, Anthony
Nicholls.
Based on the Fritz Leiber classic 'Conjure
Wife' and scripted by
Richard Matheson, this is an interesting view of
Witchcraft. Granted, this
has as many misconceptions as 'Bell, Book, and Candle',
yet the premise is
intriguing: that ALL women are secretly Witches, and
ALL men don't know
about it. This is mainly about one woman's use of
magic to advance the
career of her schoolteacher husband.
DARBY O'GILL AND THE LITTLE PEOPLE, 1959, C-93m
D: Robert Stevenson.
Albert Sharpe, Janet Munro,
Sean Connery, Jimmy
O'Dea, Kieron Moore, Estelle Winwood.
Simply the best fantasy ever filmed. No kidding.
This is a PERFECT
little movie, and (along with 'The Quiet Man') the
ultimate St. Patrick's
Day film. Sharpe is sensational as Darby O'Gill, who
likes to sit in the
pub telling stories about his adventures with the King of
the Leprechauns.
Unbeknownst to everyone, they are TRUE stories! Every
tidbit of Irish
folklore, from banshees to the crock of gold to the costa
bower (the death
coach) is worked into the plot. The music and songs are
great. So is the
cast, many of whom were brought over from the Abbey
Theater in Dublin!
Sean Connery makes his screen debut, in a SINGING role!
The subsequent
untimely death of Janet Munro robbed the screen of one
of its brightest
actresses. (Her character's combination of willfulness
and femininity is a
textbook study.
Compared to her, Princess Leia's
character is not
'strong-willed' -- it's just snotty!) The special
effects are miraculous
for 1959! When Darby walks into King Brian's throne room,
we walks THROUGH
a crowd of Leprechauns, and I defy anyone to find a matte
line! In fact,
the special effects are so good throughout, that you
FORGET that they're
special effects, and end up deciding that they must have
rounded up some
real Leprechauns from somewhere.

529
THE DARK CRYSTAL, 1983-British, C-94m
D: Jim Henson and Frank Oz. Performed by Jim Henson,
Kathryn Mullen, Frank
Oz, Dave Goelz, Brian Muehl, Jean Pierre Amiel, Kiran
Shaw.
The creators of the Muppets come up with an
entire fantasy world,
where even the flora and fauna are original. And this
world is in grave
peril unless the missing shard of the Dark Crystal
can be found and
restored to it.
This is a
hero-quest in the
classic mold, with art
stylings
by Brian
Froud.
Although
wonderfully
imaginative
and
entertaining, it has a very strong message of
mysticism, all about
universal balance and the synthesis of opposites.
(One wonders if the
entire quartz crystal fad of the late 1980's had its
origins here!)
DON'T LOOK NOW, 1973-British, C-110m
D: Nicolas Roeg. Julie Christie, Donald Sutherland,
Hilary Mason, Clelia
Matania, Massimo Serato.
Based ona so-so occultthriller by Daphnedu
Maurier, thisbecomes a
brilliant film in the hands of Italian director Nicolas
Roeg (famed for
'The Man Who Fell to Earth).
Shortly after their
daughter has drowned,
Sutherland (who restores mosaics in old churches) and his
wife go to Venice
where they meet two sisters who are spiritualists. They
begin to receive
messages from the daughter, who keeps warning Sutherland
to leave Venice
because he is in mortal danger. If ever a film captured
the real feeling
of how psychic ability operates, this is it.
The
use of subjective
editing, and the symbolic use (and total control of!)
color throughout the
film is masterful. (This film also contains one of the
most stylish love
scenes ever filmed.) Squeamish people need to be warned
about the violent
ending, however.
THE DUNWICH HORROR, 1970, C-90m
D: Daniel Haller. Sandra Dee, Dean Stockwell, Ed Begley,
Sam Jaffe, Lloyd
Bochner, Joanna Moore, Talia Coppolia (Shire).
Nice adaptation of an H. P.Lovecraft story, with
a wonderfulcast.
Dean

Stockwell is the quintessential ritual magician, both

mysterious and
compelling. He steals the original 'Necronomicon' from a
library in order
to 'bring back the Old Ones', a race of powerful but
dark beings that
inhabited the earth before humans.
Sam Jaffe is
wonderful as his crazed
grandfather.
(What happened to the father is part of
the mystery!) And
Sandra Dee is perfect as the innocent virgin chosen to
be the unwilling
host mother for the rebirth of these demons. (Some
versions of the film
cut the last scene short, which shows a developing fetus
superimposed over
Dee's abdomen. 'Nuff said.) By the way, no film has
ever shown the raw
power of otherworldly beings as well as this. No
'latex lovelies' here.
Just pure, unadulterated elemental force. Nice job!
THE EMERALD FOREST, 1985, C-113m
D: John Boorman. Powers Boothe, Meg Foster, Charley
Boorman, Dira Pass.
A look atour ownculture through theeyes of
theaboriginal tribesof
the Amazon.
(They
call us the 'termite people',
because of the
deforestation and
industrial development we have
brought to their
homeland.) The director's son, Charley, is totally
convincing as a young
boy raised by aborigines. Great music by Junior Homrich.

530
THE ENTITY, 1983, C-115m
D: Sidney J. Furie. Barbara Hershey, Ron Silver,
Jacqueline Brooks, David
Lablosa, George Coe, Margaret Blye.
The trulyfrightening thing about thismovie is
that it'sbased on a
true story, about a woman who is repeatedly violently
raped by an invisible
presence. Initially, she seeks the help of a
psychologist, who is a strict
behaviorist and thinks that it is all 'in her mind'.
It is not until a
chance encounter with a team of parapsychologist from the
local university
that she finally finds people who understand her
problem.
One of the
film's great strengths is its portrayal of the
professional rivalry that
develops between the psychologist (who has begun
taking a personal

interest) and the parapsychologists, who are interested

in investigating
the phenomena.
The final scene in the gymnasium is the
only part of the
film based on speculation only. At last report, the case
was still active.
EXCALIBUR, 1981-British, C-140m
D: John Boorman.
Nicol Williamson, Nigel Terry, Helen
Mirren, Nicholas
Clay, Cherie Lunghi, Corin Redgrave, Paul Geoffrey.
A stylish adaptationof ThomasMalory's 'Le
MorteD'Arthur'. Boorman
knew exactly what he was doing in combining certain
key characters and
keeping the spirit of the legends.
The Grail Quest is
especially well
handled.
Williamson's Merlin and Mirren's Morgana
are both brilliant
performances. Great music. Try to see this one on the
big screen.
HARVEY, 1950, 104m
D: Henry Koster. James Stewart, Josephine Hull, Peggy
Dow, Charles Drake,
Cecil Kellaway, Victoria Horne, Jesse White, Wallace Ford,
Ida Moore.
Imagine a movie that chooses as its main theme a
Welsh animal spirit
called a pooka (or 'pwcca' in Welsh)! That would be
improbable enough by
today's standards. But the fact that it happened in a
1940's Pulitzer
Prize-winning play and subsequent movie boggles the mind!
The pooka in
question is a 6-foot invisible rabbit named Harvey, who
manifests himself
only to a gentle tippler named Elwood P. Dowd, played
to perfection by
Stewart.
Jesse White (the lonely Maytag repairman)
made his film debut
here. Few movies are as much fun as this.
THE HAUNTING, 1963, 112m
D: Robert Wise. Julie Harris, Claire Bloom, Richard
Johnson, Russ Tamblyn,
Lois Maxwell, Fay Compton
Based on ShirleyJackson's masterpiece
'TheHaunting of HillHouse',
this is probably the ultimate ghost movie. A
parapsychologist and a team
of student assistants investigate a haunted house.
Based on the premise
that no ghost ever hurts anyone physically; the damage
is always done by
the victim to himself, psychologically. Julie Harris is
marvelous.
INHERIT THE WIND, 1960, 127m
D: Stanley Kramer. Spencer Tracy, Fredric March, Gene
Kelly, Florence

Eldridge, Dick York, Harry Morgan, Donna Anderson,

Elliot Reid, Claude
Akins, Noah Beery, Jr., Norman Fell.
This should be required viewing for every Pagan.
For many of us,
there came a time when our own ideologies simply
collided head-on with
fundamental Christian faith, and we knew we could no
longer accept it.
Never has a movie embodied this theme so well. Based on
the play by Jerome
Lawrence and Robert E. Lee, it deals with the Scopes
Monkey Trial of 1925
in Tennessee, where a high school teacher was
arrested for teaching
Darwin's Theory of Evolution. The debate that ensued
was between two of
the most brilliant minds of their day, the great trial
lawyer Clarence
Darrow for the defense, and two-time Presidential
candidate William
Jennings Bryan for the prosecution.
Kelly's
character is based on
acid-tongued columnist H. L. Mencken.
This is
riveting, from first to
last.

531
JONATHAN LIVINGSTON SEAGULL, 1973, C-120m
D: Hal Bartlett. Many seagulls.
Although the film is flawed and drags a little toward
the end, it is
nevertheless well worth seeing. The photography is
beautiful, and Neil
Diamond's score (including 'Skybird') is marvelous.
It is, of course,
based on Richard Bach's marvelous tale of a little
seagull that refuses to
fit in with his flock, preferring to follow a
higher, more mystical,
calling. This is yet another one you should try to see on
the big screen.
LADYHAWKE, 1985, C-124m
D: Richard Donner. Matthew Broderick, Rutger Hauer,
Michelle Pfeiffer, Leo
McKern, John Wood, Ken Hutchison, Alfred Molina.
Whoever decidedon themusic for thisfilm should
beshot! Think what
a nice soundtrack by Clannad would have been like. That
reservation aside,
this is a great medieval fantasy concerning two
lovers who have been
separated by a curse, and a young thief who becomes their
ally, an unusual
but charming role for Matthew Broderick.
(If anyone
ever gets around to

filming Katherine Kurtz's 'Deryni' books, this is the team

that ought to do
it.)
THE LAST UNICORN, 1982, C-84m
D: Rankin & Bass. Voices of Mia Farrow, Alan Arkin, Jeff
Bridges, Tammy
Grimes, Robert Klein, Angela Lansbury, Christopher Lee.
Based on theincomparable fantasy novel by
PeterS. Beagle, this is
very adult animation.
And because Beagle himself wrote
the screenplay,
this film contains spiritual one-liners that hit you
right in the gut.
Example: 'Never run from anything immortal. It attracts
their attention.'
Though this is NOT classic Disney animation (in fact, it
looks like limited
animation), the voice-work, screenplay, and art stylings
are all so good,
you're inclined to overlook it.
Angela Lansbury's
character voice for
Mommy Fortuna is marvelous.
And there's a lovely
lyrical score by the
group America.
THE LAST WAVE, 1977-Australian, C-106m
D: Peter Weir. Richard Chamberlain, Olivia Hamnett,
(David) Gulpilil,
Frederick Parslow, Vivean Gray, Nanjiwarra Amagula.
Chamberlainplays anAustralian lawyerdefending
anaborigine accused
of a murder that was actually done by magic. This is a
rare and wonderful
glimpse into the tribal religion of the native
Australians, their myths,
and their belief in the Dream Time.
Peter Weir (famed
for 'Picnic at
Hanging Rock') directs this atmospheric thriller.
LEGEND, 1985-British, C-89m
D: Ridley Scott. Tom Cruise, Mia Sara, Tim Curry, David
Bennent, Alice
Playten, Billy Barty.
Oneof the mostvisually luscious filmsever
created. Every frame is
gorgeous. The plot is nearly archetypal, with evil
(Curry) attempting to
seduce innocence (Sara). Though it's hard to accept
Cruise as the hero of
this Grimm's-like fairy tale, Curry and Sara turn in
good performances.
The European version runs 20 minutes longer and retains
the original (and,
in my opinion, superior) musical score by Jerry
Goldsmith.
The American
score is by Tangerine Dream.

532
THE LORD OF THE RINGS, 1978, C-133m
D: Ralph Bakshi. Voices of Christopher Guard, William
Squire, John Hurt,
Michael Sholes, Dominic Guard.
This ambitious but flawed animated feature covers
half of J.R.R.
Tolkien's fantasy trilogy, ending much too abruptly. But
for all the
criticism usually heaped upon this film, there ARE
moments of absolute
genius.
Such as the Dark Riders attempting to kill
Frodo and friends in
their beds at the Prancing Pony Inn. Or Gandalf and
Frodo's moonlit walk
through the Shire.
Or the first time Frodo puts on
the ring.
These
moments alone make the movie well worth seeing.
NEVER CRY WOLF, 1983, C-105m
D: Carroll
Ballard.
Charles Martin Smith, Brian
Dennehy, Zachary
Ittimangnaq, Samson Jorah.
A brilliant performance by Smith (based on author
Farley Mowat) as a
young man sent to study wolves in the Arctic. Again, we
are treated to the
insights of the native culture (the Innuit), and are
shown how it has been
debased through contact with our own greedy culture.
This film contains
some of the most spectacular nature photography ever put
on film. Ballard
was chief nature photographer for Disney Studios for
years.
Try to see
this one on the big screen.
NOSFERATU THE VAMPYRE, 1979-West German, C-107m
D: Werner Herzog. Klaus Kinski, Isabelle Adjani, Bruno
Ganz, Roland Topor.
Forvampire lovers, this film isthe creme de
lacreme. Werner Herzog
is a leader of modern German Expressionist cinema, and
here he is operating
at the top of his form. The spooky atmosphere is so
thick you could peel
it off the screen in layers. (Try to see this one in
the theater.) The
creepiness of Kinski's Dracula is equaled only by the
classic beauty of
Adjani's Lucy. This is the perfect film for Halloween
night.
The German
language version with English subtitles is far
superior to the English
version, and slightly longer. (The SOUND of the German
dialogue actually
fits the mood of the film better.)
ON A CLEAR DAY YOU CAN SEE FOREVER, 1970, C-129m

D: Vincente Minnelli. Barbra Streisand, Yves Montand, Bob

Newhart, Larry
Blyden, Simon Oakland, Jack Nicholson. Alan Lerner &
Burton Lane score.
Probablyinspired by the case of BrideyMurphy,
this musical is all
about hypnosis, past life regression, ESP,
reincarnation, and other 'New
Age' topics (though 20 years too early). (One wonders how
Shirley MacLaine
missed starring in this.
Yet, one is thankful
for small favors.)
Streisand is wonderful, especially in the lavish
flashback sequences.
Montand should have been replaced. Still, the plot's
surprising turns are
well within the realm of supernatural possibility.

533
THE SERPENT AND THE RAINBOW, 1988, C-98m
D: Wes Craven. Bill Pullman, Cathy Tyson, Zakes
Mokae, Paul Winfield,
Brent Jennings, Theresa Merritt, Michael Gough.
Directed by Wes Craven (famed for his
'Nightmare on Elm Street'
series), this is the true story of Wade Davis, an
ethnobotanist who is sent
to Haiti to bring back the
secret of the socalled Zombie drug,
tetrodotoxin.
But the local practitioners of 'Voodoo'
don't yield their
secrets too easily and, before it's all over, Davis finds
himself a victim
of the drug -- which gives Craven carte blanche for the
wonderful special
effects he's famous for.
Like 'The Believers', this
film unfortunately
shows the native religion (Voudoun) primarily in a
negative light. Still,
at times it manages to capture its beauty, mystery
and innocence,
especially in the festival scenes when the entire village
spends the night
asleep in a candle-lighted forest.
7 FACES OF DR. LAO, 1964, C-100m
D: George Pal. Tony Randall, Barbara Eden, Arthur
O'Connell, John Ericson,
Kevin Tate, Argentina Brunetti, Noah Beery, Jr.,
Minerva Urecal, John
Qualen, Lee Patrick, Royal Dano.
For people who think that decent fantasy
films are a recent
development, this movie is going to come as a
delightful surprise.
The
special effects and gentle magic of director George Pal
was the perfect

means of bringing the Charles Finney classic 'The Circus

of Dr. Lao' to the
screen.
Randall, in a tour de force performance of
six roles, is the
mysterious Chinese guru, Dr. Lao, whose travelling
circus changes the
course of history for a small Western town. For the
better. A lovely and
funny film with a spiritual dimension that would appeal
to every Pagan.
Nice musical score by Leigh Harline combines Western and
Oriental music.
SILENT RUNNING, 1971, C-89m
D: Douglas Trumbull. Bruce Dern, Cliff Potts, Ron Rifkin,
Jesse Vint.
Should be subtitled 'Druidsin Spaaaaace!!!'
Aboard thedeep space
ship Valley Forge, the very talented Bruce Dern (in his
most likable film
role ever) battles to save the last vestiges of the
Earth's forests.
Special effects by the team that created '2001'. And a
brilliant musical
score by Peter Schickele (whose better-known comic persona
is P.D.Q. Bach),
sung by Joan Baez.
SLEEPING BEAUTY, 1959, C-75m
D: Clyde Geronimi.
Voices of Mary Costa, Bill
Shirley, Elinor Audley,
Verna Felton, Barbara Jo Allen, Barbara Luddy.
The all-time masterpiece of the animator's art,
this is the most
lavish and most expensive (by contemporary standards)
animated feature ever
done by Disney studios. The uninitiated may babble
about 'Fantasia', but
the true cognoscente of animation know that THIS is the
apogee of the art
form.
From the lush color stylings (heavy use of greens
and purples), to
the elegantly stylized backgrounds, to the figure of
Maleficent (designed
by Marc Davis), to a fire-breathing dragon that
wasn't equaled until
'Dragonslayer', this film is superb.
Voice work by
Audley and Felton is
outstanding.
The film should also serve as a textbook
example of how to
adapt a classical score (Tchaikovsky's 'Sleeping Beauty
Ballet') to a movie
soundtrack.
Never has it been done better.
See
it.
One last
consideration: this was filmed in the extra-wide-screen
Technerama process,
and naturally loses a lot when transferred to video.
Try
to see this in a
theater.
One with a BIG screen and a state-of-the-art
sound system. You
will be amazed.

534
SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES, 1983, C-94m
D: Jack Clayton. Jason Robards, Jonathan Pryce, Diane
Ladd, Pam Grier,
Royal Dano, Shawn Carson, Vidal Peterson, Mary Grace
Canfield, James Stacy,
narrated by Arthur Hill.
RayBradbury's fantasy novel is brought tothe
screen by a director
who understands it. This is a mood piece, and it's done
to perfection. It
all takes place in that strange twilight halfway
between children's
make-believe and the world of the supernatural. You're
never quite sure
which it is.
Jonathan Pryce is utterly mesmerizing as
the sinister Mr.
Dark, leader of a mysterious travelling carnival. He
has so much screen
presence you can barely take your eyes off him. I haven't
seen an actor in
such total control of a role since Gene Wilder did 'Willy
Wonka'. An added
bonus is that Bradbury himself wrote the screenplay, and
it shows. It's a
real cut above the insipid screenplays we're all used to.
STAR WARS, 1977, C-121m
D: George Lucas. Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie
Fisher, Peter Cushing,
Alec Guinness, Anthony Daniels, Kenny Baker, voice of
James Earl Jones (as
Darth Vader)
Despite the spaceships and high-tech doodads,
this is really more
fantasy than science fiction. And the reliance which
director George Lucas
placed in the theories of Joseph Campbell help shape a
story that is very
near to myth. The other two movies in the trilogy,
'The Empire Strikes
Back' and 'Return of the Jedi' are also important.
The
main interest to
most Pagans lies in the mystical sub-motif of 'the Force',
a kind a 'mana'
that is ethically neutral, but may be used in magic for
either good (as
evidenced by Obi Wan Kenobe) or evil (as evidenced by
Darth Vader). In the
second film, it is the great Jedi Master, Yoda (created
by Muppet masters,
Jim Henson and Frank Oz), who teaches us most about the
Force. This is
pure magic.
THE WATCHER IN THE WOODS, 1980, C-84

D: John Hough. Bette Davis, Carroll Baker, David

McCallum, Lynn-Holly
Johnson, Kyle Richards, Ian Bannen, Richard Pasco.
What I wouldn't giveto have seen thisas a
teenager! Johnson stars
as a girl whose family has just rented an old English
country house, where
she is haunted by the image of a young girl who
disappeared years ago.
During a strange seance-type initiation ritual.
In the
ruins of an old
chapel. During a freak lightning storm. During an
eclipse.
The subtext
is so thick you could cut it with a knife.
Even
though such elements
remain unstated, for those of us interested in power
points, ley lines, and
astronomical alignments, this movie is a real treat.
Someone Knew
Something! Sadly, the end is badly flawed. But no
matter, because the fun
is in the getting there.
A delightful cast, and
great atmosphere
throughout, make this film special.
THE WICKER MAN, 1973-British, C-95m
D: Robin Hardy. Edward Woodward, Christopher Lee, Britt
Ekland, Diane
Cilento, Ingrid Pitt, Lindsay Kemp.
Based on the Anthony Shaffer thriller,this movie
is a favorite of
most Pagans.
The plot concerns a police sergeant
(Woodward) sent to
investigate the disappearance of a young girl, on a
small island off the
coast of Scotland. There he finds a completely Pagan
society. Local color
and beautiful folk music enhance the most loving
portrayal of a Pagan
society ever committed to film.
Unfortunately, in the
end, the Pagans are
'revealed' to be the requisite bad guys. If you can
overlook the ending,
however, this is fine movie. Every Pagan I know who's
seen it wants to
move to Summer Isle immediately.
WILLOW, 1988, C-125m
D: Ron Howard. Val Kilmer, Joanne Whalley, Warwick Davis,
Jean Marsh,

535
Patricia Hayes, Billy Barty, Pat Roach, Gavan O'Herlihy.
Despitethe story byGeorge Lucas, thisis NOT
the'Star Wars' of the
fantasy genre. Too derivative (especially Mad Martigan,
who is a Han Solo
clone). Still, the film has a lot to say about magic, and
Davis gives a

delightful performance. Jean Marsh is terrific as the

evil Queen Bavmorda
(in a role that almost parallels her role as Queen
Mombi in 'Return to
Oz').
And the scene in which Chirlindrea appears to
Willow in the forest
is as close to an epiphany of the Goddess as I've ever
seen on film. That
scene alone is worth the admission price.
WINDWALKER, 1980, C-108m
D: Keith Merrill.
Trevor Howard, Nick Ramus, James
Remar, Serene Hedin,
Dusty Iron Wing McCrea.
This is the best cowboy-and-Indian movie I've
ever seen. Mainly
because there are no cowboys in it. It is pure Native
American. Trevor
Howard is incredible as the old Indian chief who returns
from the dead in
order to protect his family, and restore to it a lost
son, a twin who was
stolen at birth by an enemy tribe. This film FEELS
more like genuine
Native American than any other I can think of.
The Utah
mountain scenery
is breath-taking. Costuming (mostly furs) is authentic.
And dialogue is
actually in the Cheyenne and Crow languages, with English
subtitles.
And
there's enough mysticism (especially in the old Indian's
relationship with
his horse) to please any Pagan audience.
WIZARDS, 1977, C-80m
D: Ralph Bakshi. Voices of Bob Holt, Jesse Wells, Richard
Romanus, David
Proval, Mark Hamill.
Post-holocaust scenario withthe forcesof evil
technologyled bythe
wizard Blackwolf arrayed against the forces of benevolent
magic led by the
wizard Avatar.
With background stylings a la Roger
Dean, and character
design that borrows from Vaughn Bode, this is tongue-incheek wizardry at
its finest. The character of Elinor, a faery nymph, is a
complete success
-- a milestone in adult animation. Great voice work and
nice music. And
who is that wonderful (uncredited) narrator???
XANADU, 1980, C-88m
D: Robert Greenwald. Olivia Newton-John, Michael Beck,
Gene Kelly, James
Sloyan, Dimitra Arliss, Katie Hanley.
Yeah, yeah, I know. On one level, it's just Olivia
Newton-John on
roller-skates.
But on another level, it is the story
of how one of the

nine muses of classical mythology (Terpsichore) comes

down from Olympus to
inspire a young artist. On yet a third level, it is the
biggest Hollywood
musical produced since the golden years of MGM.
And it
works well on all
counts. The brilliant musical score (including several
chart-toppers) is
provided by the Electric Light Orchestra's Jeff Lynne, and
Olivia does them
up proper. Gene Kelly might not dance as well as he
once did, but he can
still charm as well. And did anyone notice that's
Sandahl Bergman leading
the muses in dance?
As if that weren't enough, the
film includes a
delightful animated segment that marked the debut for
Don Bluth studios,
which later gave us 'The Secret of NIHM' and 'An American
Tail'.

536

{file "Candlemas (Gwydion)" "bos116.htm"}

C A N D L E M A S
by Gwydion Cinhil Kirontin
It seems quite impossible that the holiday of
Candlemas
should be considered the beginning of Spring. Here in the
heartland, February 2nd may see a blanket of snow mantling
the
Mother. Or, if the snows have gone, you may be sure the
days are
filled with drizzle, slush, and steel-grey skies -- the
dreariest
weather of the year. In short, the perfect time for a
Pagan
Festival of Lights. And as for Spring, although this may
seem a
tenuous beginning, all the little buds, flowers and leaves
will
have arrived on schedule before Spring runs its course to
Beltane.
"Candlemas" is the Christianized name for the holiday,
of

course. The older Pagan names were Imbolc and Oimelc.

"Imbolc"
means, literally, "in the belly" (of the Mother). For in
the
womb of Mother Earth, hidden from our mundane sight but
sensed by
a keener vision, there are stirrings. The seed that was
planted

in her womb at the solstice is quickening and the new year

grows.
"Oimelc" means "milk of ewes", for it is also lambing
season.
The holiday is also called "Brigit's Day", in honor of

the

great Irish Goddess Brigit.

Irish

At her shrine, the ancient

capital of Kildare, a group of 19 priestesses (no men

allowed)
kept a perpetual flame burning in her honor. She was
considered
a goddess of fire, patroness of smithcraft, poetry and
healing
(especially the healing touch of midwifery). This
tripartite
symbolism was occasionally expressed by saying that Brigit
had
two sisters, also named Brigit. (Incidentally, another
form of
the name Brigit is Bride, and it is thus She bestows her
special
patronage on any woman about to be married or handfasted,
the
woman being called "bride" in her honor.)
the

The Roman Catholic Church could not very easily call

Great Goddess of Ireland a demon, so they canonized her

instead.
Henceforth, she would be "Saint" Brigit, patron saint of
smithcraft, poetry, and healing. They "explained" this by
telling the Irish peasants that Brigit was "really" an
early
Christian missionary sent to the Emerald Isle, and that
the
miracles she performed there "misled" the common people
into
believing that she was a goddess. For some reason, the
Irish
swallowed this. (There is no limit to what the Irish
imagination
can convince itself of. For example, they also came to
believe
that Brigit was the "foster-mother" of Jesus, giving no
thought
to the implausibility of Jesus having spent his boyhood in
Ireland!)
Brigit's holiday was chiefly marked by the kindling of
sacred
fires, since she symbolized the fire of birth and healing,
the
fire of the forge, and the fire of poetic inspiration.
Bonfires
were lighted on the beacon tors, and chandlers celebrated
their
special holiday. The Roman Church was quick to confiscate
this

symbolism as well, using "Candlemas" as the day to bless

all the
church candles that would be used for the coming
liturgical year.
(Catholics will be reminded that the following day, St.
Blaise's
Day, is remembered for using the newly-blessed candles to
bless
the throats of parishioners, keeping them from colds, flu,
sore
throats, etc.)
The Catholic Church, never one to refrain from piling
holiday
upon holiday, also called it the Feast of the Purification
of the

537
Blessed Virgin Mary. (It is surprising how many of the
old Pagan
holidays were converted to Maryan Feasts.) The symbol of
the
Purification may seem a little obscure to modern readers,
but it
has to do with the old custom of "churching women". It
was
believed that women were impure for six weeks after giving
birth.
And since Mary gave birth at the winter solstice, she
wouldn't be
purified until February 2nd. In Pagan symbolism, this
might be
re-translated as when the Great Mother once again becomes
the
Young Maiden Goddess.
lore.

Today, this holiday is chiefly connected to weather

Even our American folk-calendar keeps the tradition of

"Groundhog's Day", a day to predict the coming weather,
telling
us that if the Groundhog sees his shadow, there will be
"six more
weeks" of bad weather (i.e., until the next old holiday,
Lady
Day). This custom is ancient. An old British rhyme tells
us
that "If Candlemas Day be bright and clear, there'll be
two
winters in the year." Actually, all of the cross-quarter
days
can be used as "inverse" weather predictors, whereas the
quarterdays are used as "direct" weather predictors.
Like the other High Holidays or Great Sabbats of the
Witches'

year, Candlemas is sometimes celebrated on it's alternate

date,

astrologically determined by the sun's reaching 15-degrees

Aquarius, or Candlemas Old Style (this year, February

6th).
Day.

Another holiday that gets mixed up in this is Valentine's

Ozark folklorist Vance Randolf makes this quite clear by

noting
that the old-timers used to celebrate Groundhog's Day on
February
14th. Once again, this shows the resultant confusion of
calendar
changes and "lost days" that have accumulated down the
centuries.
For modern Witches, Candlemas O.S. may be seen as the
Pagan
version of Valentine's Day, with a de-emphasis of "hearts
and
flowers" and an appropriate re-emphasis of Pagan carnal
frivolity. This also re-aligns the holiday with the
ancient
Roman Lupercalia, a fertility festival held at this time,
in
which the priests of Pan ran through the streets of Rome
whacking
young women with goatskin thongs to make them fertile.
The women
seemed to enjoy the attention and often stripped in order
to
afford better targets.

and

One of the nicest folk-customs still practiced in many

countries, and especially by Witches in the British Isles

parts of the U.S., is to place a lighted candle in each

and every
window of the house, beginning at sundown on Candlemas Eve
(February 1), allowing them to continue burning until
sunrise.
Make sure that such candles are well seated against
tipping and
guarded from nearby curtains, etc. What a cheery sight it
is on
this cold, bleak and dreary night to see house after house
with
candle-lit windows! And, of course, if you are your
Coven's
chandler, or if you just happen to like making candles,
Candlemas
Day is the day for doing it. Some Covens hold candlemaking
parties and try to make and bless all the candles they'll
be
using for the whole year on this day.

538

Other customs of the holiday include weaving "Brigit's

crosses" from straw or wheat to hang around the house for
protection, performing rites of spiritual cleansing and
purification, making "Brigit's beds" to ensure fertility
of mind
and spirit (and body, if desired), and making Crowns of
Light
(i.e. of candles) for the High Priestess to wear for the
Candlemas Circle, similar to those worn on St. Lucy's Day
in
Scandinavian countries. All and all, this is certainly one
of the
prettiest holidays celebrated in the Pagan seasonal
calendar.

539

{file "Opening the Circle" "bos117.htm"}

OPENING THE CIRCLE

The High Priestess goes to each of the four directions in

turn,

and draws a Banishing Pentacle, saying,

Guardians of the East (South, West, North), Powers of
Air

(Fire, Water, Earth), we thank you

For joining in our circle
And we ask for your blessing
As you depart
May there be peace between us
Now and forever. Blessed be.

She raises her athame to the sky and touches it to the

earth, then
opens her arms and says,
The circle is open, but unbroken,
May the peace of the Goddess
Go in your hearts,
Merry meet, and merry part.
And merry meet again. Blessed be.

540

{file "Circle Casting (Avaloian)" "bos118.htm"}

Ritual of Casting Sacred Circle

Many times we are asked "how do you cast a circle ?"
There are so many
different was that this can be done.
Differs from each
Tradition to the
next. Even within our own Avaloian Tradition we make
improvisions on this.
The main factor is to cast a sacred space.
A space
separates this
world from the other.
A space that we ourselves make
holy. And that is
what is important. A space that you set aside from all
else, to glorify
and exalt. For you are the one casting, cleansing,
purifying, and setting
it aside from all else.
that

Before you cast, one should make sure of the intent

of casting.
Ask
yourself why you are doing it.
Once you have this the
gathering is made
easier. If you are doing this with a group of people One
must be chosen to
be the Lord or Lady. The Lord or Lady usually has one
person who waits
them.
This is not to say the Lord or Lady is higher
than they, but the
fact that they shall be the God/dess incarnate.
You
may also do this
solitary. Depending on the amount tending.
The Lord/Lady has the sword brought to them. All else are
standing outside
where the circle is to be cast.
The Lord/Lady takes
the sword and walk
deosil (clockwise) around the space to be cast. The wait
has a small bell
with them.
Beginning at the East, the sword, in a nonthreatening manner,
is raised.
The wait rings the bell.
All fill fall
silent.
Moving
clockwise the Lord/Lady salute each direction. If there
are four novices
present each will stand to the directions as the Lord/Lady
passes.
Lord/Lady: Let all those that wish to partake enter ye
(the bell is
rung)

now !

Everyone enters by stepping forward (no actual circle has

been cast yet)
Wait:
My Lord/Lady all those that wish to partake in
this Magickal Rite
are now present. I pray you, cast the Sacred Circle.

Lord/Lady: What thou doth sees makes here this

shall be forever
within this circle. So Mote It Be !

night,

(When anyone speaks the So Mote It Be or Blessed Be, all

shall repeat it)
Again at the East, the Lord/Lady takes the sword and
within the
ground or upon the floor the circle saying as the pass...

draws

"I draw this magick circle let no evil or ill will cross
its mark."
Once the Lord/Lady has reached the East again, They
take the sword and
place it upon the shoulders of the novice, and says...
"be thou the guardian of this gate... I call I
summon I stir oh ye
spirits of Air, come forth now I pray thee and witness
our Rite. So Mote
It Be !"
The Guardian answers: I am he/she the guardian, no evil
or ill will shall
pass by me, My Lord/Lady.
the Wait rings the bell
The Lord/Lady goes to each quarter and perform the same,
on each guardian.
The Wait will ring the bell as each guardian answers.
Once the quarters are called the Lord/Lady goes to the
center of the circle
as the Wait preforms the cleansing of the circle with
salt and water.

541
Incense can be used instead of salt and water
mixture. The Lord/Lady
summons the spirit of the Great Lady and the Great Lord by
saying....
Great Lady witness
you in Perfect Love
and Perfect Trust.

now your children who stand before

Standing East, with the censer the Lord/Lady says....

Great Maiden Come To Us.....
All repeat....
Standing South, with the torch or candle the Lord/Lady
says....
Great Mother Come To Us....
All repeat...

Standing West, with chalice of wine or water, the

Lord/Lady says...
Ancient Queen of Wisdom Come To Us....
All repeat...
Standing North, with the salt, the Lord/Lady says....
Brother Come To Us...
All Repeat...
Drumming, rattles, any form of music making can be added
to this. As you
can take note there really isn't any particular God or
Goddess called, this
is the Avaloian Tradition. All Gods are one God, all
Goddesses are one
Goddess.
So there is the very basic beginnings of Magical
Workings... you can take
it from here..... Do What Thou Wilt, Save Harm None, Shall
Be the Whole.
Bright Blessing...
Lord OberRon
Knight of the Sacred Light

542

{file "Coven Leadership" "bos119.htm"}

LOOKING AT YOURSELF
before you go a step further, take a good long look
your
desires, motivation and skills. What role do you see
yourself
playing in this new group?
"Ordinary" member?
Democratic
facilitator? High Priestess? And if the last -- why do
you want
the job?
at

The
title of High Priestess and Priestess are
seductive,
conjuring up exotic images of yourself in embroidered
robes, a
silver crescent (or horned helm) on your brow, adoring
celebrants
hanging on every word which drops from your lips...
Reality
candle

check.

The

robes

will be stained with wine and

wax

soon

enough,

and

not

every

word

you

worth

remembering. A coven leader's job is mostly

between
rituals and behind the scene. It is not always
place to
act out your fantasies, because the lives
being of
others are involved, and what is flattering or
to you
man not be in their best interest. So consider

speak

is

hard work
a good
and wellenjoyable
carefully.

If your prime motive is establishing a coven is to gain

status
and ego gratification, other people will quickly sense
that. If
they are intelligent, independent individuals, they will
refuse
to play Adoring Disciple to your Witch Queen
impressions. They
will disappear, and that vanishing act will be the last
magick
they do with you.
And if you do attract a

group

ready

to

be

subservient

Spear

Carriers in your fantasy drama -- well, do you really

want to
associate with that kind of personality? What are you
going to
do when you want someone strong around to help you or
teach you,
and next New Moon you look out upon a handful of
Henry
Milquetoasts and Frieda Handmaidens? If a person is
willing to
serve you, the they will also become dependent on you,
drain your
energy, and become disillusioned if you ever let
down the
Infallible Witch Queen mask for even a moment.
Some other not-so-great reasons for starting a coven: a)
because
it seems glamorous, exotic, and a little wicked; b)
because it
will shock your mother, or c) because you can endure your
boring,
flunky job more easily if you get to go home and play
Witch at
night.
Some better reasons for setting up a coven, and even
nomination
yourself as High Priest/ess, include: a) you feel that
you will
be performing a useful job for yourself and others; b)
you have
enjoyed leadership roles in the past, and proven
yourself

capable;
the
role.

in

or c) you look forward to learning and growing

Even with the best motives in the world, you will still
need to
have -- or quickly develop -- a whole range of skills in
order to
handle a leadership role. If you are to be a facillitator
of a
study group, group process insights and skills are
important.
These include:

543
1) Gatekeeping,

way that
ideas

and

everyone

or

has

guiding

an

discussion

opportunity

to

in such a

express

opinions;
2) Summarizing and clarifying;
3) Conflict resolution,

understand

or helping

participants

points of disagreement and find potential

solutions which
respect everyone's interests;
any

rate

4) Moving the discussion toward consensus,

refocussing

decision,

by

identifying

diversions

or at
and

attention on goals and priorities; and

work

is

reached.

5) Achieving closure smoothly when

the

essential

complected, or an appropriate stopping place is

In addition to group process skills, four other

competencies
necessary to the functioning of a coven are: ritual
leadership,
administration, teaching, and counseling. In a study
group the
last one may not be considered a necessary function,
and the
other three may be shared among all participants. But in
a coven
the leaders are expected to be fairly capable in all these
areas,
even if responsibilities are frequently shared or
delegated. Let
us look briefly at each.

Ritual leadership involves much more that reading

invocations by
candlelight. Leaders must understand the powers they
intend to
manipulate: how they are raised, channeled and
grounded. They
must be adept at designing rituals which involve all the
sensory
modes. They should have a repertoire of songs and chants,
dances
and gestures or mudras, incense and oils, invocations and
spells,
visual effects and symbols, meditations and postures;
and the
skill to combine these in a powerful, focused pattern.
They must
have clarity of purpose and firm ethics.
And they
must
understand timing: both where a given ritual fits in the
cycles
of the Moon, the Wheel of the Year, and the dance of the
spheres,
and how to pace the ritual once started, so that energy
peaks and
is channeled at the perfect moment. And they must
understand the
Laws of Magick, and the correspondences, and when
ritual is
appropriate and when it is not.
By administration,
we refer to basic management
practices
necessary to any organization. These include
apportioning work
fairly, and following up on its progress; locating
resources and
obtaining them
(information,
money,
supplies);
fostering
communications (by telephone, printed schedules,
newsletters
etc.);
and keeping records (minutes, accounts,
Witch Book
entries, or ritual logbook). Someone or several
someone's has to
collect the dues if any, buy the candles, chill the wine,
and so
forth.

544
Teaching is crucial to both covens and study groups. If
only one
person has any formal training or experience in
magick, s/he
should transmit that knowledge in a way which
respects the
intuitions, re-emerging past life skills, and creativity
of the

others. If several participants have some knowledge in

differing
areas, they can all share the teaching role. If no one
in the
group has training and you are uncertain where to begin,
they you
may need to call on outside resources: informed and
ethical
priest/esses who can act as visiting faculty, or who are
willing
to offer guidance by telephone or correspondence.
Much can be
gleaned from books, or course -- assuming you know which
books
are trustworthy and at the appropriate level -- but
there is no
substitute for personal instruction for some things.
Magick can
be harmful if misused, and an experienced practitioner
can help
you avoid pitfalls as well as offering hints and
techniques not
found in the literature.
Counseling

is

special

role

of

the High Priest/ess.

It is

assumed that all members of a coven share concern

each
other's physical, mental, emotional and spiritual
welfare, and
are willing to help each other out in practical ways.
However,
coven leaders are expected to have a special ability
to help
coveners explore the roots of their personal problems and
choose
strategies and tactics to overcome them. This is not to
suggest
that one must be a trained psychoanalyst; but at the
least, good
listening skills, clear thinking and some insight
into human
nature are helpful. Often, magickal skills such as
guided
visualization, Tarot counseling and radiasthesia
(pendulum work)
are valuable tools as well.
for

Think carefully about your skills in these areas, as

you have
demonstrated them in other organizations. Ask
acquaintances or
co-workers, who can be trusted to give you a candid
opinion, how
they see you in some of these roles. Meditate, and
decide what
you really want for yourself in organizing the new
group. Will
you be content with being a catalyst and contact person -simply

bringing people with a common interest together, then

letting the
group guide its destiny from that point on? Would you
rather be
a facillitator, either for the first months or
permanently: a lowkey discussion leader who enables the group to move
forward with
a minimum of misunderstanding and wasted energy? Or
do you
really want to be High Priestess -- whatever that means to
you -and serve as the guiding spirit and acknowledged
leader of a
coven? And if you do want that job, exactly how much
authority
and work do you envision as part of it? Some coven
leaders want
a great deal of power and control; others simply take an
extra
share of responsibility for setting up the rituals
(whether or
not they actually conduct the rites), and act as
"magickal
advisor" to less experienced members. Thus the High
Priest/ess
can be the center around which the life of the coven
revolves, or
primarily an honorary title, or anything in between.

545
That is one area which you will need to have crystalin
your own mind before the first meeting (of if you are
flexible,
at least be very clear that you are). You must also be
clear as
to your personal needs on other points: program emphasis,
size,
meeting schedule, finances, degree of secrecy, and
affiliation
with a tradition or network. You owe it to prospective
members
and to yourself to make your minimum requirements known
from the
outset: it can be disastrous to a group to discover that
members
have major disagreements on these points after you
have been
meeting for six months.
clear

546