Can you imagine Cybill Shepherd, Roseanne Barr, Olympia Dukakis, Tori Amos, Stevie Nicks, Chrissie Hynde, Sarah McLachlan, Marianne Williamson, Deepak Chopra, Erica Jong, and Camille Paglia standing in a circle together beneath a gorgeous full moon? I can.
Why? Because they are among some of America's most prominent celebrities, authors, and performers who have discovered the Goddess. Goddess spirituality is now the fastest growing spiritual practice in America and popular artists are openly and enthusiastically bringing this ancient wisdom to the attention of the media and the American public. And where they go, their audiences are sure to follow.
While Goddess spirituality takes many forms, the most popular is the contemporary revival of witchcraft. America is discovering that behind the mask of the wicked Witch is the beautiful face of the Goddess. Witchcraft, also called Wicca, is actually the ancient, pre-Christian spirituality of the Goddess. The word "witch" comes from the Anglo Saxon word wicce, meaning a wise one.
Unfortunately, the word also evokes the image of a green-faced hag riding a broomstick and brewing evil potions, a stereotype vividly brought to life by actress Margaret Hamilton in "The Wizard of Oz," Bette Midler in "Hocus Pocus" and the recent "Blair Witch Project." This gender-based stereotype points us in the direction of the hideous hag's origins and her persistent presence in popular culture. We've all grown up with countless fairy tales about the wicked witch with deadly powers. The hags of Shakespeare's "Macbeth" have convinced generations that witches conjure our darkest natures with noxious eye of newt. Durer's woodcuts show her to be ugly and mis-shapened. But where did this vision come from?
