Paganistan: Notes from the Secret Commonwealth
In Which One Midwest Man-in-Black Confers, Converses & Otherwise Hob-Nobs with his Fellow Hob-Men (& -Women) Concerning the Sundry Ways of the Famed but Ill-Starred Tribe of Witches.
Stations of the Descent: A Call to Wiccan Artists
The truly puzzling thing is, there's no dearth of Wiccan artists out there.
That's what makes the absence all the more striking.
The story of the Lady's Descent into the Underworld is, arguably, Wicca's foundational myth.
Where, then, is the art depicting it?
It's a profoundly visual story. One could readily envision sequences of the Descent à la (if you'll pardon the comparison) Catholicism's Stations of the Cross.
Where are they?
Surely this absence is not due to a failure of imagination. If anything, Wicca has, as a movement, been over-blessed with imagination.
Is it because many regard the material as oath-bound? What about a series that alludes to the Stations of the Descent, but does not literally depict them?
Maybe they're out there after all, the Stations of the Goddess' Descent, embellishing the walls of Wiccan temples everywhere in unannounced splendor.
If so, I've never seen or heard of any.
It seems a shame for Wiccan artists to be depicting gods from everyone else's pantheons, but not from their own. To my mind, there's an important opportunity being missed here.
And while I'm at it, let me also ask: where are all the musical settings for the Charge of the Goddess?
Wicca is a young religion, and still growing.
So kindly permit me to make a couple of suggestions.
Above: Jet Necklace (circa 2000 BCE)
Kili Kiaran, Argyll (Scotland)
Comments
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Tuesday, 27 March 2018
Here's a link with the text and analysis by Cei Serith:
http://ceisiwrserith.com/wicca/legendofthedescent.htm
I'll look forward to seeing it, Dominique: gods speed the work! -
Tuesday, 12 February 2019Though this post is a year old, I am curious about this as well. Though, I have been out of touch with the readings and whatnot since I haven't been able to focus on my studying of wicca like I would like; I do enjoy to draw so I may attempt something from reading the link you posted though I can't promise it will turn out too good, my art abilities gravitates to between manga and semi-realism. ^^;; anyway thanks for posting this.
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I have a little etsy shop and I create pagan themed nichos/box shrines. This would be an interesting concept for a shrine/assemblage. Although I'm not BTW, so I'm not super familiar with the Descent of the Wiccan Goddess. I'm probably more familiar with the Ishtar/Inanna version.
Anywho. Thank you for the idea.