(Okay, not all of our questions will be embarrassing, but we can't be too soft on our publisher.)
Miriam: Tell me a little bit about your background. How did you first start in the Craft?
Sylvana: I began in the Craft as a young teen; I began studying astrology and palmistry to give my psychic abilities a context. I was spotted by a local woman who happened to be a witch, which is amazing if you think about life in Eastern Washington in the late '60s. She knew I was a "natural," or so she said. She began training me, and I stayed with her group through my second degree. It was much too confining a tradition, so I left and eventually found the tradition that I now practice, Sylvan.
R: What does "the Craft" mean to you? Pretend I'm from some other planet, have never heard of this term and have requested a definition.
S: First of all, if you're from another planet, you wouldn't know the English language, so anything I said would be gibberish anyway! (Grins.)
The Craft is my life, so it means almost everything to me. I could change my path, but I wouldn't want to, and I don't think I ever will. Let's see - describe it? My version of the Craft is a way of life that includes religious aspects. I do magick every day for one thing or another, or almost every day anyway. I also meditate every day, and I commune with the gods, the fey and the nature spirits on a regular basis. I meet with a group of people who all have similar goals, and we worship the gods, raise energy and celebrate together on the new and full moons and the Sabbats.
M: Describe the Sylvan tradition briefly. How did you encounter this tradition? What attracted you to it?
S: Sylvan tradition is a lovely, eclectic and magickal tradition. We are an offshoot of the Fairy trad, with a little similarity to Druidism. It mostly concerns us with nature: trees, elementals, the fey, the earth and magick as a way of life. The current grove (it has gone through several incarnations) is a very inclusive, open and bright group of people for whom the structure of the Al/Gard systems has no appeal.
I was originally attracted by the connection to trees and the fey. I have always made friends with trees and always talked to the fairies and elves, so finding a group of others who also believed and supported my belief was a very important step.
M: Our current issue centers around the theme of power. How would you define power?
S: I define personal power as the ability to do what you say you will do, or even to cause change in accordance with your will by means not currently understood by modern science (some of us call it magick). Didn't someone else say that somewhere? I think power is your ability to wield your energy and will and to cause conformity to same.
Having and using power is not the same as having power over, however. That is the place where a lot of people get stuck; they think that having and using power is unethical.
Power itself and the utilization of it is not an evil entity. We, as witches, use power every time we do a spell or ritual. When we raise energy, we are raising power - or what is more appropriately called a "cone of power." We call it "energy" because it sounds "nicer" somehow. Or when you ground, you are grounding or "earthing the power," so what would it be like to own, accept and use our power, consciously?
M: When did you first experience your personal power? How did you learn about it?
S: I guess the first time I remember having power was as a small child. I could summon the wild animals, and they would come up to me and sometimes even sit on me. That felt very powerful, and besides no one else around could do it. My relationship with horses was another area where I felt powerful. I was controlling this huge, strong 900-pound animal; I felt very powerful at that time. Then there were boys, when I got a bit older; I was cute, and boys liked me, made me feel very powerful in that I could wrap most of them around my little finger.
M: What do you use power for?
S: I use my power for things such as community service, supporting the pagan community, teaching and running my grove. I also use it for bringing me more of whatever I want or need, like prosperity - or a parking place.
M: What would you describe as a misuse of power? Have you ever misused power, and if so, how?
S: I have definitely misused my power in the past. I strive to be very responsible now, but this was not always so. I have been revengeful, mean and greedy in the past (the far past). I think it takes time to get to a place where you can mostly trust yourself. With power comes responsibility; we need to be responsible for ourselves and the consequences of our actions. When we wield our power, we must be very careful to consider all of the possible and far-reaching consequences. That's why there are oaths in the Craft, to make you responsible for your actions - responsible to others!
M: What would you describe as a positive use of power?
S: I think Widdershins is a positive use of power. I don't think it would be as successful if you and I didn't throw our weight around a bit now and then to get good interviews or articles.
M: The writers might not all agree, but I see your point.
S: When we cast a circle, we use our power to create the boundaries of the circle; with visualization, raising energy and intention, we create our magick circle. That takes power! When we call the elementals, directions, gods, goddesses and the fey, all of that involves utilizing power. We don't usually think of these things as negative. Why is there such an aspersion on power?
M: Do you think that most witches have personal power? Why or why not?
S: Some do, some don't have any discernible power. Like how have they got through life? I think a lot of people, some witches included, are afraid of power, deathly afraid of wielding their own power. Some people will be afraid and cower in the face of power - me, I love standing out on the deck in the middle of the thunder and lightning with my hair blowing wildly about, feeling the power.
M: You've written about pain and ritual in these pages, and you're a tattoo artist and sometime S/M practitioner. How does your relationship to pain, both in work and pleasure, tie into your personal power? What are the links between your tattooing, S/M and witchcraft?
S: Well, I like intensity. I think that's the link between the three things. I like the intensity of being the high priestess of a remarkable group of powerful people, a sometimes controversial coven. I enjoy the intensity of the tattoo biz; it's very personal, poking permanent holes in people, marking them for life. I like the intensity of the exchange of power that happens in consensual S/M. I like the high also that I get from feeling the other person's endorphins in both tattooing and S/M.
I think the links are that I am a catalyst for energy movement that creates change, and this happens to people around me whether it's in the Craft, tattooing or S/M.
M: What do you think is the central theme to your own approach to witchcraft?
S: The underlying theme is learning to work within a group, after that learning to resolve conflicts, learning to listen to my students, learning what there is that I still don't know. There is a lot, believe it or not!
M: What do you want to accomplish with Widdershins? Do you think you're accomplishing it?
S: Yes, I think we are accomplishing what we set out to do. I wanted Widdershins to be a voice for witches, a voice that can address any issue. I wanted us to be able to be of service to the community with the calendar, resources and the information that we print. I think we are doing a really good job for the most part. With the new addition of subscriptions, we can reach many more people. With our Northwest readers and the World Wide Web and Internet, we have over 35,000 readers. I think that's a great accomplishment in less than two years. Especially since we all have very busy lives, jobs, the grove, teaching, playing, friends, and we still manage to get the paper out on time (mostly!), and we all do it for no compensation! Wow! We are the greatest, aren't we? (Laughs.)
M: What do you think of as Widdershins' failings? What would you like to see more of in the paper?
S: I think its biggest failing has been in being so unorganized on my end; also, it needs more advertising revenue.
M: Just in case no one thinks this is a hint - it is.
S: Editorially, I would love to see more writers and artists contribute. We have luckily had a great bunch of talented writers and artists to utilize, and we have been blessed with our wonderful editors and copy editors, so that it has been a relatively professional journal. I would love to see more community input, and I would love it if we were able to have more in the calendar. I would like to be able to do less work! Don't forget that!
M: What do you think have been your most significant personal accomplishments to date?
S: My finest accomplishment was having my child; she has been an amazing force in my life. After that, I would say that teaching and running my coven Sylvan Grove would be very high on the list. Learning to bounce back after conflict, that's another thing that has been important to me. Being in genuine relationships with extraordinary people, all of this is good.
M: What would you most like to be remembered for, in the greater Seattle pagan community?
S: I would like people to know me well, but since that's not really possible, I guess I would like to be remembered as an open, honest, generous woman, and a powerful witch of course. Sexy, oh, don't forget sexy! (Big grin.)
M: What would you say to your detractors, that's printable?
S: I would say that they obviously don't know or understand who I am or what I am about. It's too bad humans judge others so harshly. Mostly people make mistakes, me included, but sometimes others think it's attributable to malice. Usually not; usually it's just a mistake or an oversight or miscommunication. I am a big sap, and I am generous to a fault, and I mostly like everyone till they do something to make me not like them. I have been and am still being attacked by certain people in the community, but I am still here, better than ever.
R: Do you feel that the sexism of the Craft from the '40s and '50s is still prevalent or practiced today?
S: I do feel it sometimes, especially in some of the older members of the Craft. Then there are some really progressive thinkers in the Craft, not to mention brilliant people, full of wonderful ideas and energy. We have a preponderance in our grove - right, Miriam?
M: Well, I think we're cool, but maybe I'm biased.
R: What are your feelings about being skyclad in ritual, and do you feel it's necessary, or only a preference?
S: Skyclad trads don't bother me. Our tradition used to be skyclad in California, but in the Northwest it's not very practical. We hold one skyclad ritual per quarter. People are not required to attend the skyclads. We also usually participate in whatever skyclad rituals are happening, like at a festival. I think skyclad is fun; it seems to help generate more energy, and it makes everyone equal. It is great, and we usually work robed. And, no, it's not necessary.
R: From the perspective of power and effectiveness, how do you feel that solitary witches differ from witches that belong to a coven?
S: I think some people who practice solitary are very powerful in their own right, but nothing can compare with 15 to 20 very powerful witches who work together regularly and are very good at raising energy. I think learning to work within a group, with others that have different energy and different opinions, is a good thing for most people. Some people are just not suited to groups.
R: Do you feel that being initiated into a tradition is important? If so, why?
S: I think it is important to have the discipline of the formal training; also, I think there are things that you just can't learn by yourself. The energy of a group is much different from the energy of a single person. I also think it gives people a perspective that they don't get as solitaries, and it teaches different lessons. I have known people who have gone solitary after training, and that's another story altogether.
M: Speak a little about the transference of power between the teaching priest or priestess and a person being ordained into Craft priesthood or priestesshood. Do you believe in this transference? How do you think it works?
S: I believe that power is a tangible, even though we can't see it; it's not visible to the naked eye. It's similar to electricity: We can't see it with the naked eye, but we can see the effects of it.
Transference of power is something that happens in my tradition when one is initiated into a higher degree in the tradition. We believe that the power and knowledge of the high priest and priestess is transferred to the new initiate by a laying on of hands. I can certainly feel the power pass from my body to the new initiate when the exchange takes place.
It kinda feels like your life flashes in front of your eyes while the energy exchange is happening; then the transferrer is weak, tired and vulnerable for a while, drained, and the new initiate is filled with energy. I think it works just as I said; it's a transfer of energy. Like turning on a light: The energy goes from the wall into the light bulb, and the bulb lights up. It feels as though I am a conductor of energy, and the initiate "lights up!"
M: What is it with all the birds and snakes all over your house?
S: I am an animal lover but allergic to cats and dogs. I am especially fond of reptiles and have quite a collection. I have several pet birds, including Pi, my Stellar's jay. She is fey and is my familiar. She was a gift from the Goddess; she actually fell out of the tree at my feet.
M: How do people react to you out in mundanity? What's the weirdest reaction you've ever gotten? The most scary reaction? How do you deal with negative reactions?
S: Mostly people seem to like me. I push buttons for some. I usually get along well with people and have had more problems with the pagan community than anywhere else! Weird reactions? Hmm, let's see! I have had people stare at me, but that's not so bad. I haven't really had many bad reactions, except as I said from other pagans and witches.
M: What do you think about witchcraft and paganism becoming "hip" in some quarters?
S: I think it's good and bad both. I think it's good that more people come to the Goddess. It doesn't seem to matter why they come. It is also bad, because it means that lots of flaky people come in and because it makes some people want to be more "mainstream." I think becoming more mainstream is good to an extent. Then we have to preserve our Craft, which means not bowing to the expectations of mainstream religion. We are not Christians, and I won't pretend to be the same as one, just to get recognition or status. So, hip? I guess Andy Warhol may have been right about the 15 minutes of fame.
M: What would you say to the young witches and pagans coming up (and out)?
S: I would say watch, listen and wait. Don't be in a big hurry. Try to make yourself a good student so a good teacher will value you. Don't assume you know something; always be open to learning. My favorite saying is "It's what you learn after you know it all that counts." I don't know who said that originally, but I have been repeating it for a long time, and I strive to remember it! You will find your niche, in time, as you should.
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