A Brief (A Very Brief) History Of Wicca

[poliphilo]

Religious movements swiftly go out of date. They begin by challenging the status quo, then, once society has caught up with them, slip into conservatism as they defend their aging insights against the onrush of the new.

Wicca began as a challenge to the mores of the 1950s. It was always a little old-fashioned- with a whiff of geriatric naughtiness- and was soon overtaken by the sexual revolution of the 1960s. It was reinvented in the 70s, by Starhawk and others, as a vehicle for left-wing protest and feminist assertion. Now, unless I'm missing something, there's nothing much left in it except a nostalgia for ye olden dayes.

Charmed is the monument erected over its grave. If the US entertainment industry thinks something is safe for the mainstream, you can be pretty certain it's no longer prancing and kicking.

Comments

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Gosh, is it that tricky?

Our camera came with a roll of black and white film. I'm now wondering what on earth to go take pictures of. A run-down cemetery would be nice, but we don't have any of those within walking distance.

[jackiejj.livejournal.com]

I found rather quickly that a busy, dark background will turn into mud via Holga--for example, a yard covered with oak leaves.

Our best shots--admittedly, we've only used one our one free roll so far--were made with a simple subject (big enough--not an apple on the ground as a center of interest! Which failed me!) and a relatively uncluttered background.

Holga does wonders with clouds! Try getting a big sky with clouds!

And I'm going to try putting a bit of vaseline on a square of clear plastic, and taping the plastic over the lens for a couple of shots, to see if I can get a surreal bloom!

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the tips.

We're going up town tomorrow to do some shopping. Maybe I'll load up Holga and take her with me.