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THE CRAFT IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
A REPORT FROM THE FIELD
The Wiccan religion has many adherents in our country, but generally speaking the majority of us tend to be found in the larger cities of both the Northeast and Western coasts. Why is this? Probably because major cosmopolitan centers such as San Francisco, Los Angeles and New York are generally more accepting and tolerant of our religion than the more conservative cities of the South and mid-West.
Los Angeles, probably more so than any other city in the country, has always had an air of genial laid-back acceptance that tolerates and even encourages virtually any mode or concept of living. Religiously speaking, that tolerance and acceptance is extended to the Craft of the Wise
in equal measure, as it is extended to any of the more mainstream religions. While we do not actually have a Pagan Temple on one street corner and a Catholic Church or Moslem Mosque on the other - at least not yet - we have probably the next best thing. We have a totally free and open religious and living environment that accepts the presence of Wicca just as easily as that of any other religion, mainstream or not.
Today there are a plethora of Pagan shops in and around the greater Los Angeles area with over forty presently listed in the shop directories of www.witchvox.com and www.monmouth.com. Many of these shops, in addition to the standard fare of books, ritual clothing and supplies, also offer classes in various Traditions or Paths of the Craft and some even
conduct public rituals at our major Sabbats. Additionally, many of the shops also support civic events such as fairs, blood drives, and public fund-raisers for both Pagan and non-Pagan causes. One example: a Wiccan shop in North Hollywood hosts an annual bazaar or street fair, with the proceeds donated to a local non-profit wildlife animal recovery and rehabilitation center.
One of the largest Ren Fairs in the Western states, The Renaissance Pleasure Fair held each year between May 1st and June 30th just South of Los Angeles, boasts a large contingent of Pagan booths and events, in addition to its general medieval atmosphere. Even educational facilities - such as The Learning Annex, the country's largest provider of alternative adult education - offers classes and lectures on witchcraft. One of the Learning Center's current courses is taught by an acknowledged practitioner of the Craft: Course # 0319LA, Witchcraft and Practical Magic with Raven Monauni, a practicing witch for 10 years and an initiate of a local coven.
Los Angeles-area witches also openly gather for other events such as the annual Mountain Magick camping weekend held each summer in the public campgrounds of our national forests, and a recent Pagan Pride Day celebration held near the UCLA campus. Pagan bumper stickers on local motor vehicles are quite common and, in walking the streets in many parts of Los Angeles, you would be just as apt to find someone wearing a pentacle or goddess-symbol as wearing a Christian cross. Additionally, many covens and solitaries in and around Los Angeles are interconnected through e-mail bulletin boards and various Internet web sites with dialog on rituals, festivals and events being freely interchanged. From time to time, minor conflicts do arise between differing Traditions or Paths regarding ritual content or philosophical opinions. These conflicts are seldom a cause of major friction within our Pagan community, however, since they tend to involve a limited number of individuals, as opposed to entire covens or groups of covens. The community is not a cohesive entity by any means, but neither are we significantly divided because of our differing Paths or Traditions.
The Pagan community in Los Angeles is to a large extent an open community, both within and without the Pagan world. Many of us freely and publicly admit to our practice of the Craft with little or no fear of reprisal from employers, governments, or followers of other religious paths. And as far as I can tell from my various contacts with other witches there is virtually no organized or quasi-official opposition to practitioners of witchcraft in Los Angeles, and our religion is as acceptable as any other. Of course, like any other large segment of the population, we also have our share of those individuals or small groups who will not and do not accept us. We understand this and realize that, even in our open-minded, tolerant and liberal city, we may occasionally run across people who still have their thought processes firmly mired in the anti-witch rhetoric of the Dark Ages. Fortunately, those encounters seem to be few and rather far between and we can usually go about our professional, personal and ritual activities as we please. In this City of the Angels, we are truly free to practice the Craft of the Wise openly, if we so desire, without fear of intimidation or reprisal.
- Gary Cantrell