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by Michael Lee-Price |
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by Michael Lee-Price |
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Dr David Waldron, lecturer at the University of Ballarat. He is the author of a fascinating new book called THE SIGN OF THE WITCH : Modernity and the Pagan Revival. I had the chance to discuss his book in an on-line forum. The Wayfinder: Who is David Waldon anyway? David: I am sort of an anthopology/history combo with a big interest in how people construct folklore and culture over time. Religious history I find particularly fascinating that way as well as the way contemporary myths and legends are retrospectively placed upon the past. The Wayfinder: Thanks for allowing me to promote your book in The Cosmic Cauldron Newsletter David: Love to have a little extra promotion. Reminds me of a line by a mentor of mine who launched the book. He said the difference between authors and publishers is that publishers want to sell books while authors want to be read. I'd certainly love more readers and I love to chat to people about my work and their own take, praise and criticisms. New readers are just fantastic and always of interest to me. The Wayfinder: What kind of book is it? David: Just a thought mate, after looking at your website ... I should make a slight warning that it is an academic study of the history and it is very Ronald Hutton influenced. The Wayfinder: How is it being received? David: Some Pagans have had troubles with the book ideologically for the reason I mentioned. Many have agreed with bits and disagreed with others (which I really like as it leads to really interesting discussions) and some people have loved it. The Wayfinder: Academic or not ... the one thing that most pagans will agree on is that we are all seekers and perpetual students (of course the more fundamentalist and traditionalist will never agree on anything). What is the old saying getting pagans to agree on anything is like herding cats. David: I am a heathen too BTW with a strong Celto-Germanic bent. I think a large issue with my work is that I strongly lean towards reconstructionism and this bleeds into my analysis of the more pop culture side of modern paganism. The Wayfinder: My point of view (an I am an Alternative spiritualist who has been forced under the umbrella of pagan as I consider myself more heathen than anything) is that unless we are open to all knowledge and view points and opinions, paganism will stagnate. We all need to grow and learn otherwise, as Frances Billinghurst said in a recent post in the Adelaide Pagans: "... being able to understand and learn about another spiritual practice/tradition can only assist with the inter-faith understanding and tolerance that is lacking these days." If we can't learn to tolerate ourselves how do we expect the other spiritual faiths to accept and tolerate us. People should be given the option of choice ... people will either read your book or they won't ...but they need to know it is out there. David: Yeah I agree with you. I am just feeling exhausted as I've spent the day being barraged with emails and facebook odds and sods about people alternately loving and hating my work. Thing is I have no issues with disagreement in terms of discussion etc but being people's projected frustration with modernity or the challenges to Wiccan history or what have you got rather tiring and stressful. The Wayfinder: I think I know where you are coming from. David: I guess I wanted to make sure people are aware I am trying to write a history with it being as objective as I can to my reading of the evidence (about which I am more than happy to have intelligent debate) not a prosletyzation of Wicca per se. The Wayfinder: Thanks for your time David. David: No worries Michael. Have a read and let me know what you think.
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