Witchcraft and the Web: Weaving Pagan Traditions Online (Paperback)

~ M. Macha Nightmare (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

A growing movement with several followers in the U.S. alone, Witchcraft is the most popular of the paths. With the advent of Internet technology, a once isolated community is finding new ways to make connections. Covens and information on Witchen rituals, beliefs, and spellwork are just a mouse-click away. In her new book, M. Macha NightMare, a practicing witch for 30 years, takes an unconventional look at the cultural effects of the Internet on the ancient-future spirituality that is contemporary Witchcraft. Witchcraft and the Web: Weaving Pagan Traditions Online discusses: how a new web is being woven for the ancient/future religion of Witchcraft; manipulating energy in magic and via electronic communications; sacred technologies and accessing the "between the worlds" place in cyberspace and in terraspace. Taking up the thread of tradition and technology, M. Macha NightMare weaves a new version of the multi-hued tapestry that is Witchcraft in the 21st Century.

From the Publisher

Macha holds elder and ministerial credentials through the Covenant of Goddesses, the oldest and largest interdenominational organization of witches in the U.S. since 1981. She is the co-author, with Starhawk, of The Pagan Book of Living and Dying, and her writing has appeared in a number of Pagan publications.

Product Details

• Paperback: 250 pages
• Publisher: ECW Press (December 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1550224662
• ISBN-13: 978-1550224665
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,226,354 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Spellbinding look at Modern Witchcraft, December 28, 2001

By	Janet K. Schmidt "book maven" (Belleville, IL USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Witches and other Pagans were some of the earliest users of the Web. In Witchcraft and the Web, Ms. Nightmare not only explains the history of the Craft Online, she also leaves the reader much to think about.

Far from being a cold, sterile form of communication, the Internet has become a lifeline and connection for many primarily Solitary Practitioners of Witchcraft and other Pagan Religions. This book explains how that connection ties in to the overall Web of Witchcraft; that the World Wide Web is simply a modern tool for us to use. Assuming the reader has basic computer literacy, a variety of issues are explained in an entertaining manner. This book holds the reader's interest from beginning to end.

Guiding the reader from the early days of BBS to today's Web, the book also contains an interesting look at rituals, mailing lists, covens and classes Online. At the same time, the author weaves this information in to the practice of Witchcraft offline. Everything is connected. Facts and experiences in terraspace provide a wonderful look at real versus virtual. The impact of technology on Pagan practices is explored. The author shows quite convincingly that the magick that makes up cyberspace is related to the magick that exists offline.

Very informative with an impressive collection of links, this book does explain the basics of Wicca in a way that will inform those to whom the information is new, while not boring old hands. Comments by friends of the authors with vast Online experience add a lively dimension to the book.

The need for balance is presented and the reader is given many options and ideas for finding that. This book is a very vital, well-researched look at current and recent changes in our world and belongs on the bookshelf of every Pagan with a computer. It also belongs on the shelves of those without who want to see the effect of modern technology on practitioners of the Old Ways

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Best on the Subject, May 6, 2002

By	Boudica (Ohio USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

This book is probably the best on "Who's Who" on the Web in the Pagan Community. And it is probably the best when it comes to explaining what pagan networking on the web is all about. Ms. Nightmare takes the time to explore not only the terms and websites, but also some discussions with the webmasters and webmistresses who have made the networking possible.
Discussions in this book range from teaching on-line to different traditions and how they translate on the web. Margin notes discuss word meanings, from buzz words to techno-witch phrases. The history of the Craft in Cyberspace is looked at and how the Internet has impacted our community becomes very evident in this book.
Interviews with people from on-line E-zines to on-line radio broadcasters to Fritz Jung of the Witches voice, and other various people who comprise the total community, Ms. Nightmare covers all aspects of Paganism on the web.
This is a good book on the topic, well put together, well researched and does not contain the usual fluff that can be found in other books on the topic. A good choice for a book on the subject.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars essential reading, March 5, 2002

By	audrey (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

This book is an insightful and informative exploration of the ways the Internet has affected the Pagan community. Here, the Web is seen as way more than just a cold technological advance -- it's a way to build community, a way to connect, a way to work magic. Macha NightMare's compelling arguments open up new possibilities where technology and tradition intersect, possibilities that should interest both those who don't know how to turn on a computer, and those whose lives revolve around them. Far more than a listing of online shops and chat-rooms (most likely outdated within a year), this is a serious, thoughtful book with a delightful personal touch. It should remain relevant for years to come.