Impact Of Modern Technology On The Craft
Webmaster's Note:
This article is OLD... like, decades old. But, like all well-written articles, it details a history of how we came to be where we are today. It also has a record of ideas we were arguing over at that point - of how much of the "old, traditional" ways of doing things to forgo in order to embrace the new into the Craft. These conversations, though maybe not about the exact same things, are still going on to this day. This is as it should be. The Craft, first and foremost, is a growing, ALIVE religion. It is a path that is walked by each within that person's timeline. Timelines and what is offered within them change constantly. So, too, do the outer trappings of the Craft. As long as the Core, the true essence of the Craft is the same, the outer manifestations are free to give form in whatever way speaks to those of that day. At least... that's MY opinion!
OK, I admit it. I've been consumed by electronic technology. It's part and parcel of my career. The majority of my hobbies are technology-based. Most of the friends I have, I've met through the medium. We have mobile phones, three TV's, two complete stereo systems and one not-so-complete sound system. We have three working computers, one that will work again once I get to it, another in the closet that I need to repair for a friend, a home network, various motherboards, video cards, and other related peripherals. We're even looking at buying a new /233 right now.
We have digital message minders (which demands that the human brain remember to pocket it). There are two VCR' s, and what parts of my car aren't electronic are computer-based.
Technology has so insidiously infiltrated my life, that I'm probably forgetting half a dozen more ways I use it everyday. We have more insurance on the computers than we have on all the other household goods put together.
But I'm Craft. Therefore, I'm suppose to have eschewed materialism.., including all these high tech gadgets, right?
Wrong! Technology doesn't negate our commitment to humanistic values. Instead, the two are inextricably bound together.
When telecommunications was in its infancy, people who walk our path were among the first voyagers into that brave new world.
They saw the new medium as a way to further open the channels of communication between each other.
They saw it as a path to new understanding of old concepts, driven by their messages with others of the world. Suddenly, they had not only the books to learn from, but they were learning from each other, too. They began seeing concepts in new cultural lights. Prior to the BBS explosion, I doubt anyone in the U.S. had even considered that the Aussies celebrated the Wheel of the Year backwards from us. Think of the ramifications of running up against this one contradictory concept! Suddenly, we were not only trading Beltaine rituals, but Samhain rituals at the same time! And then there's the problem of which direction do you travel in a circle... widdershins or deosil? And if the Wheel of the Year is reversed (as in Australia), is widdershin actually deosil, or is widdershins always widdershins, regardless of your country's physical orientation?
The new technology also helped to magnify our own human senses and experience. VCRs, TVs, wide-screen THX movies. Camcorders helped us to not only capture the reality of the moment, but review it to gain new perspectives and attitudes of awareness that may have been lost, as caught up in the moment as we were.
This new medium, therefore, amplified our personal power and helped to fill in the weak spots. The amount of power the ordinary individual now has at his/her fingertips, once only the giant corporations controlled.
But all this high-tech stuff is just so much anarchy and chaos... gigo... without a "center" or "focus." "Information overload" is beginning to be the new buzzword, as people are inundated with thousands of bits of unprocessed information.. news bytes.
That's where The Craft fits into this new technological age perfectly. It continues to imbue us with a sense of purpose because our personal capacity for experience and action are so greatly enhanced by the technology. But we should guide our power from this "electronic awakening" by the Ancient's wisdom, and use it to further our spiritual seeking in a global community fashion. The liberation and "salvation" of humanity is not a computerized scientific formula. It is a very human one that starts with that one lone, nimble-fingered seeker, multiplied by the number of people in our new "global village." Today's technology allows us the opportunity to come out of the broom closet in such a way as never dreamed of by our elders.
But doesn't this go against the very nature of the Craft as an agrarian religion? No. The Craft is a living religion. It grows and adapts to fit the needs of it's followers. The Craft, after all, is simply the form and ritual of the religion. The Goddess is eternal and ever constant, even as the earth she birthed changes constantly.
Once known as the "Lady of Wild Things," She is often now referred to as the "Mother Goddess," reflecting our ancestors' change from clans of hunter/gatherers to a more agrarian society. Wiccans and Pagans today are city-folk, for the most part. They're biggest agrarian feat is a small garden plot, maybe. For most, it's the trip to the local grocery. Yet still, Her teachings and The Craft speak to us.
So how do we blend high technology and the Craft? What are some of the methods? Beyond those mentioned above, the method most often seen today is the EBOS - the Electronic Book of Shadows. There are those that say this has no place in the Craft; that your BOS should be copied verbatim from the HPS's upon Initiation. While that sounds and feels "Craft".., it's also getting stuck in an old rut, and refusing to view the Craft through today's eyes. And what happens to the hand copying, when the Priestess' own BOS is an EBOS? The accumulation of data pertinent to our Craft far outstrips the ability of a mere human to keep up with it longhand.
In addition to the EBOS, you have various offshots that can be accessed quickly now, such as databases for various aspects of our Craft.. Herbal preps for both healing and magick; rituals, Sabbat foods, Sabbat customs from around the world. How rich our life and our religion has become by the sharing of these things amongst ourselves. And how limited our capacity for both long term memory, and writing them out longhand.
Another way is through various "gadgets" as meditation aids. Everything from lava lamps to metronomes, to the new "light and sound" glasses can help your internal focus in meditation and contemplation. Some may even show themselves as worthwhile predictive tools at some point.