3.26.2008
Raven Digitalis on MTV
Taking a break from filming reality-television programs, MTV (the network formerly know as "music television") profiles the Wiccan faith and interviews "Goth Craft" author Raven Digitalis.
"Raven has been a Pagan priest for four years, practicing witchcraft and hosting rituals for local Pagans at his house, which is just 10 minutes from the downtown strip. "The Craft is one of the most empowering religions or spiritual lifestyles that exists," he explained."
As for the article itself, it is your basic Wiccans/Pagans don't worship Satan, don't cast malicious spells, don't eat babies material. What makes the article interesting is its exclusive focus on teens and younger twenty-somethings (Digitalis is 24), instead of seeking the normal assortment of "elders" and "experts". A result of this focus is that we get a peek into what shaped their religious development.
"A surprising number of young witches MTV News spoke with also said that they became curious about their faith through misguiding pop-culture fare like the camp Neve Campbell vehicle "The Craft" and the "Harry Potter" series. (Guess a few conservative Christian groups were right about that one) ... many young people enter the Craft in reaction to a very conservative religious upbringing - Southern Baptist, perhaps, or Catholic."
The article also name-checks teen-friendly groups and organizations like the Tempest Smith Foundation, and Copper Moon E-Zine, in addition to a selection of teen-friendly books on magic.
At this point it would be fair to say that MTV are hardly cultural innovators, so teen interest in Wicca and Paganism must be growing to a point where it's practically a mainstream phenomenon. The sympathetic coverage given here may very well be the harbinger of a new surge of interest in teen Paganism that will rival the late-90s boom (remember, "The Craft" and Silver Ravenwolf's "Teen Witch" both came out in the late 90s). In the meantime, congrats to Raven Digitalis on the start of his fifteen minutes.
Labels: goth, Goth Craft, MTV, Paganism, Raven Digitalis, teens, Wicca, Witchcraft
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