"Much is published, but little is printed."
    - Henry David Thoreau

"Wicca has accomplished part of its goal: It has gotten noticed. And there's good news . . . and bad news. The good news is that more and more people are geting the right idea about us. The bad news is that many people have joined "the Craft" (as opposed to "the religion") because, to them, it represents a slap in the face to society, a way to get noticed, or a substitute for therapy. Until we make it clear to our coveners, students, and potential seekers that we are about religion, not just magic, and until we stop allowing ourselves be used by the media as 'occult' and 'spooky,' until we stop traipsing around graveyards for the benefit of cameras, Wicca is in danger of losing its dignity and much of its spiritual effectiveness.
    To the true believers, for whom a belief in deity is bedrock of religion, the degeneration of Wicca into sitcom fodder is a tragedy. Yet these believers cannot abandon the faith, even as they deplore some of the fake-faithful who are now swelling the ranks, drawn to us because they've bought the false images, not the religious tenets. [. . .]
    We have our true believers, people who have been quietly practicing their religion in dignified, private, meaningful rituals that support them through their days, in good times and not so good. It gives them strength, comfort, and compassion. It doesn't get them on Jerry Springer or in those Halloween specials that crop up on TV every October, and they'd be appalled if it did. They're the backbone of the religion, but as far as the media is concerned, they're overshadowed by the black-robes-and-pounds-o'-jewlery crowd, the Role-Playing Gamers, the Witch Queens of the World, the Goth-wannabe kids and the black-lipstick and gaugy-tats junkies. Unfortunately, these are the people who end up on TV talk shows , selected precisely because they fit the producers' image of what a 'real' Witch should be: bizarre."
    - Lilith McLelland from Out of the Shadows: Myths and Truths of Modern Wicca

The market is growing for occult books aimed towards teenagers. This is a relatively new phenomenon. Once upon a time a book on Wicca was merely a book on Wicca, there were no distinctions based upon age. Knowing that I indeed am a teenager [I was at the time of this writing, but I am no longer a teenager], some might expect me to be thrilled that finally my needs are being fulfilled... now there are authors writing with my age group in mind! Yippee!!

This could not be farther from the truth.

Adult Pagans still have difficulty establishing the credibility of our religion in a social context even in this time, when so much literature is out there and so much anti-defamation work has been done. Yet, we are still subject to scrutiny as well as (let me put it bluntly) hate. For younger Pagans, this situation is magnified. Not only must we put up with the general disdain expressed by a large majority of our culture towards our creed, but we must also deal with the negative stereotypes of teenage mentality that is automatically projected upon us. The result is a nasty mixture. Firstly, there is the extreme likelihood that we will not be taken seriously. A sincere interest can be explained away by older individuals as some sort of phase the teenager is going through. Youth is often accompanied by a suseptibility to do foolish and sometimes dangerous things. Exploring alternative religions is thus grouped by many fearful adults into the same category as drug experimentation and violence. To have your spiritual decision respected was a rare thing before all of the teen Wicca merchandise came into being.

Up until this point, I have left out one important element in my equation. What I have failed to incorperate were the "Wiccans" and "Witches" between the ages of thirteen and nineteen who actually are going through a phase and/or who have come to Paganism under false pretenses and for foolish reasons. They too existed before the influx of teen Wicca resources. Some are on power trips, enamoured by all of the magickal grandeur calling oneself a "Witch" can produce. Others are exceedingly naive and feel Wicca is all light and sparkly, and that it consists only of frolicking in the forest with bunnies and fairies that look like they came from an Anne Geddes' print. Another lure for teens is that Wicca is trendy, and many seek to emanate the shallow images of witches that television and movies present. Still others choose to don the pentagram to be rebellious and to get a reaction from the general populus. The sincere Wiccan teenagers are by far in the minority. It is all too easy to be clumped into the same category as the teenagers who profess to be Wiccan because of unrealistic expectations. This perhaps is the worst obstacle for us.

Close-minded or misinformed elders tend to assume the worst when a teenager seeks answers in places they fear to tread. This fear is not necessarily well warranted, as most of it arises from the negative stigma attached to words such as "Paganism" and "Witchcraft" or from the adult's own fear of utterly different perceptions of the world with which they are not familiar. They would be suspicious of your motives and intent either way, but your honesty is harder to assert and the superficial reasons harder to refute when there are scores of teenagers parading about who embody their worst fears.

This profusion of wanna-be's also causes older Pagans to view the younger generation of Pagans with wary eyes. After all, the pretentious new-comers are reflecting poorly on the entire Pagan community, not merely those under twenty. This has made things somewhat tense for sincere young Wiccans seeking the guidance of older ones. A lot of covens and organizations will turn away those under legal age, unless their parents are Pagan or grant permission, and for many young Pagans, there is little chance of parental consent.

Please do not miscontrue: I have nothing against those who endeavor to explore Wicca, regardless of age. I don't claim to posses true Wicca, and so cannot have a monopoly on it. The annoyance that self-professed "Wiccans" cause me arises not from their interest in Wicca, but from their lack of sincerity.

My qualm with these new books aimed at my own age group is that they create and encourage only pseudo-Wiccans and virtually neglect the causes of the heartfelt and dedicated. I do not know whether this travesty has developed because the authors realize the profit that could be made by directing their books at this specific audience or for other reasons. There is the possibility that the authors gave no thought to the implications of their books, in which case the products of them were not spawned consciously. The publishers may also bear the reponsibility (for more on this, please refer to Green Witchcraft) .

There is always an exception to the rule in which a spiritual teen may discover Wicca by the route of these books, but all in all they really do not present Wicca, as a religion, with any appreciable benefits. It is not so much the idea of relating particularly to younger Pagans that is so frustrating, but the means by which it is pursued.

It is true that most not particularly devoted teen Wiccans soon pass on to the next trend. I have seen this happen many a time. They do their damage until their interest fades, and then they move on. Resources can be used and abused for their advantage. Before the teen Wicca craze, they were forced to utilize generic Wiccan and occult books to find information. For those seeking only glamour and spells, paging through these books would be boring (which probably contributed to the teenager's waning attraction to Witchcraft). These new chronologically customised tomes, on the other hand, cater directly to the transient Wiccan's desires. As many Pagans realise: like attracts like, and the flashy books will draw those looking for appearance but little content. They lure them in with cover images of attractive and arrogant-looking teens decked in arrays of esoteric symbols. The message they send is clear: Wicca can make you powerful (as communicated by their prideful stances), and it can make you popular (the teens on the cover are represented in something of a clique). The covers are also bold and high-contrast for maximum attention - suited more to a movie poster, CD jacket, or perhaps to a book entitled "Lose Weight in Less Than a Week!" than as an introduction to a religion.

The inner contents are truly no better. Most of these texts are devoted exclusively to spells. The text located between the lines however, scream, "Quick fix solutions to all of your problems!" Books on magic can and do exist independent of Wiccan concepts, but as these spells are contained in a book on Wicca they, therefore, take on the backround ideas of that religion. However, with the ratio of writing about theology versus writing about or containing spells being 10:100 (this is perhaps exagerrated, but not much), one should expect there would be more information on spirituality to properly support the section on spellwork. There isn't; these books are horribly out of proportion! If anything, the ratio in a more ideal state should be reversed! There are spells to placate disgruntled teachers, which in my mind would consist of changing their mood against their will, which happens to be blatant manipulation and thus in violation of the Rede.

In general, the focus of these books is outward. They convey that you can change everything around you to suit your wants, and provide you with lists of Gods who could grant your petitions. Not much emphasis is placed on becoming a better being, connecting with Deity and Nature, or on gaining understanding.

The fact that books directed at young people exist does not speak well of Wicca as a whole. It could be interpreted that our religion has had to resort to seducing the vulnerable minds of the youth in order to gain adherents. This false assumption can lead outsiders even more convinced that Wicca is a cult intent upon brainwashing children. It could be concluded that Wicca is having a hard time gaining adults, who are supposedly more rational, as members and so now we resort to corrupting minors.

I personally found adult Pagan books perfectly adequate. I did not feel that since the author was not narrating from a middle schooler's point of view that I was being alienated. Do not get me wrong, it is nice to talk with other Wiccan teens, or to read their essays on how they survive in non-Pagan households. It is good to feel that you are not utterly alone in your situation, and yet the subject of Teen Wicca has exploded beyond what is necessary.

It is a great idea to address the plight of Wiccans who just happen to be teenagers, but it is a poor one to put so much energy into trying to create more teenagers who are Wiccan. There is a difference. Wicca is something that is practiced, lived, and felt in one's deepest senses. It transcends age, as all religions do (or aim to). Being a teenager is only temporary, and while most psychologists will say it is a very important period in a person's life, that does not make it any less evanescent.

Note: Much of this essay is my potent response to books such as Silver RavenWolf's Teen Witch and its companion The Teen Witch Kit , but it is hardly limited to those two items of merchandise. Check out your local bookstore to see what I mean, there are books a-plenty in the Occult and New Age sections aimed at teenagers. The large majority of these fall into the same vein as Teen Witch and with similar weaknesses.

All contents (unless otherwise noted) are copyright Desirée Isphording 2004, 2005 and may not be copied, modified, or distributed without prior express permission.