Practical Magic and the craft/ witches/ movies
Created | Updated Jan 28, 2002
As I live in the UK (and couldn't be bothered to move my butt out the door and go to a cinema) I only saw Practical magic a few weeks ago for the first time.
Before I saw it all of my 'witchy' friends told me it was rubbish.
The same happened with 'The Craft'.
Well, as I have now seen both films I feel I ought to say something. Both of these films, while not in anyway a true representation of most witches beliefs, have there good points and were in most ways much closer to my own beliefs and practices than traditional wicca.
Practical magic I thought was a nice story, not based on hardcore truth, but at least it portrayed witches as nice people instead of old hags on broom sticks flying around killing people. In the craft there was more of an evil side to it, but again this simply showed what power in the wrong hands can do. Sarah who was the good guy stayed the good guy all the way through the film.
But despite these two general good points, I completely agree that they have not much basis on the truth at all.
One objection I have to films like this is not so much them but the influence they have on the influential, ie the 7-15 year olds of my country (UK) (in a overgeneralisation being 15 myself). Since practical magic was released the craft has become with it. Spells are handed out in magazines like 'Sugar' and 'Mizz'. I don't object to the education of youngsters about different ideas people hold, but this is leading them into something which they wouldnot know how to control if it worked. That I believe is just irresponsible.
But it is not just magazines, it is also books. As I regurlarly spend about an hour every two weeks in the mind body and spirit section of waterstones I have noticed that the number of books such as 'love magick' and 'teen witch' have been on the increase. Again these started appearing a year ago, before then it was just traditional authors such as scott cunningham.
When @Love Magick' first came out I read it out of curiosity. I was quite dissapointed. Nearly all of the spells involved making a specific person fall madly in love with you. If you are not a witch you probably will be thinking 'and??'. I shall explain. Making a specific person fal in love with you is not just sparking a flame, it is taking away that persons free will and if it works to such an extent that it becomes serious, is almost as bad as rape. It's the same with anything that changes a person. That is why this loose use of magic- a potentially very dangerous tool- is quite frankly irresponsible and frivolous. It is also likely to give witch craft a bad name in this country, something which I dearly hope will not happen.
Well if you've read this entire article then thanks <|;)
I shall finish by saying don't believe everything you watch.
Love and light,
Charon the witch.
Before I saw it all of my 'witchy' friends told me it was rubbish.
The same happened with 'The Craft'.
Well, as I have now seen both films I feel I ought to say something. Both of these films, while not in anyway a true representation of most witches beliefs, have there good points and were in most ways much closer to my own beliefs and practices than traditional wicca.
Practical magic I thought was a nice story, not based on hardcore truth, but at least it portrayed witches as nice people instead of old hags on broom sticks flying around killing people. In the craft there was more of an evil side to it, but again this simply showed what power in the wrong hands can do. Sarah who was the good guy stayed the good guy all the way through the film.
But despite these two general good points, I completely agree that they have not much basis on the truth at all.
One objection I have to films like this is not so much them but the influence they have on the influential, ie the 7-15 year olds of my country (UK) (in a overgeneralisation being 15 myself). Since practical magic was released the craft has become with it. Spells are handed out in magazines like 'Sugar' and 'Mizz'. I don't object to the education of youngsters about different ideas people hold, but this is leading them into something which they wouldnot know how to control if it worked. That I believe is just irresponsible.
But it is not just magazines, it is also books. As I regurlarly spend about an hour every two weeks in the mind body and spirit section of waterstones I have noticed that the number of books such as 'love magick' and 'teen witch' have been on the increase. Again these started appearing a year ago, before then it was just traditional authors such as scott cunningham.
When @Love Magick' first came out I read it out of curiosity. I was quite dissapointed. Nearly all of the spells involved making a specific person fall madly in love with you. If you are not a witch you probably will be thinking 'and??'. I shall explain. Making a specific person fal in love with you is not just sparking a flame, it is taking away that persons free will and if it works to such an extent that it becomes serious, is almost as bad as rape. It's the same with anything that changes a person. That is why this loose use of magic- a potentially very dangerous tool- is quite frankly irresponsible and frivolous. It is also likely to give witch craft a bad name in this country, something which I dearly hope will not happen.
Well if you've read this entire article then thanks <|;)
I shall finish by saying don't believe everything you watch.
Love and light,
Charon the witch.
