What makes your work Pagan as opposed to general?

My art is inspired by my connection to the Divine, both within and without, and by the wonder of the world around us. I see the interplay of elements, colours, and energy, and I try to portray that within each brushstroke. I see my art as Pagan because I am, and my art is an extension of myself. However my art can be quite abstract and open to interpretation, so it gives others the chance to connect in their own way. 

Why do you feel there is a need for Pagan-centric art?

I feel there is a need for all art, not specifically Pagan-centric art. Socially, Pagan-centric art is becoming more acceptable which opens up opportunities artists may not have had previously. I feel that by portraying our inspirations in an honest manner, regardless of which spiritual path you walk, you are honouring yourself, honouring the divine, and honouring those who connect with your creativity. In my opinion, it is all about living our truth.

What has been the response to your work?

I don’t push my art out into the community in a big way, but people still seem to find it when they need it. So far, people have always been very receptive and communicative about my art – which is wonderful. I love that people can make their own connections with each piece, and that they feel comfortable telling me about it. Canvases, jewellery and masks seem to have a way of finding themselves new owners with little input from me, which tells me that the response to my art genuinely comes from the heart.

Poison Pen Letters to Myself by Romany Rivers

 

From a dark mind to a light heart, a poetical journey of emotional and spiritual self-discovery throughout the years.

This book chronicles a very personal journey through the years overcoming severe bouts of depression and consequently creating a more holistic and spiritual lifestyle. The chapters Red Letters, Return to Sender and Addressee Unknown reveal periods of depression and anxiety; anger and healing; and acceptance and spiritual growth. The words in these pages were not written for mass consumption. They were not artfully crafted for reading aloud in dim rooms to a soundtrack of clicking fingers and Parisian style applause. They were not intended as political statements or a way of reaching other wayward wandering souls. Over the last two decades they were poured, purged, scribbled and spat onto scraps of paper, napkins, backs of hands, into empty pages and blank spaces of other books. At times of sorrow, frustration, confusion, acceptance and joy these words made sense of the minds muddled meanderings. Within these pages you will find heart breaking, heart healing honesty that crosses the divide and touches the souls of others.

Published by Moon Books, 2014. E-book and hardcopies will be available online and in stores in early 2014. Please contact Romany through www.RomanyRivers.com if you would like to purchase an author signed copy upon release.  

Excerpt:

Rose Petals

I fell to the earth

Upon roses made of thorns

Through the cloying fragrance and clawing dance

I learned to stand barefoot

And count every star in the sky

I stood under infinity

For but a second it seemed

And then I heard a song

It sang of love, loss, bittersweet razorblades of wisdom

It tasted salty to my tongue

Cold to my skin

Dry to my throat

But I breathed in every note

Until the razorblades heated molten through my bones

I jumped, skipped, stamped, clapped

And became the heart beat, drum beat

Violent and unafraid

Blazing, brazen, bold and brave

Frenzied I called out to the icy stars, the hare in the Moon

And stared down the Sun

Until my throat was sore

My eyes red raw

And my skin cracked under the intense heat

Then the tears of freedom became more than a release

Water to cleanse

Purify

Protect within the womb

Wash out the infected wound

Clear the air and nurture the growing life around us

I was dirty, sunburnt, sore, wrung out, wretched, wet and unable to speak

I was no longer afraid

I wrung out my hair and it smelt of rose petals

Romany Rivers ©2013

Author Bio:

Romany Rivers is a poet, an author, an artist, Pagan Priestess and co-founder of Moon River Wicca in England. As a resident poet on Moon Books Blog, you can read monthly poetry contributions and keep informed of Romany's upcoming books, Poison Pen Letters to Myself and The Woven Word. Romany also contributes regularly to a variety of magazines, ezines and blogs, and has contributed to several Pagan books due for release in 2014. Romany is also well known for her previous award winning holistic centre and her work in the holistic health community as a Reiki Master and Tarot Reader. Romany moved from the south of England and now resides in Nova Scotia, Canada, with her husband and two children pursuing dreams of a sustainable, family focused and rural lifestyle whilst providing holistic and family support services to the community. 


FIND OUT MORE HERE
www.RomanyRivers.com

https://www.facebook.com/RomanysArt?ref=hl

http://moon-books.net/blogs/moonbooks/category/poetry/romany-rivers/

Pagan Literature isn’t thick on the shelves, but I guess it all depends on how you define it. Sure, you have plenty of paranormal tales with movie vampires and evil witches, a few books on alternative spirituality, and mythology.  For the longest time, I never saw any positive portrayal of Pagans in literature until now.

The very popular Maggie Shayne who is best known for her thrillers, paranormals and romances is now writing straight craft books.  Paul DeBlassie III, a brilliant author of The Unholy, took a brutal pounding on his recent review tour. He contracted with a group that used mainly Christian reviewers who were offended by his use of natural magick and healing. I wonder sometimes if this is why we don’t have more Pagan literature. Trying to get past the self-appointed gatekeepers and critics is difficult. Why not become our own gatekeepers, or do we even need any?

On the other hand, do you want your book known as a great Pagan book or just a great book?  If you have to qualify it, does it belittle it? Similar to saying someone is smart for a woman. In the world of men, would she be smart? The argument would depend on who’s talking, of course.


I am beginning to discover books written by like-minded people. There is a community of almost 40,000 writers in Pagan Writers Community, a great FB find. While many people write memoirs about discovering their path, the majority writes craft books, but there is an emerging group writing fiction, mysteries and romances featuring Pagan characters.

I was inspired to write my Pagan Eyes series because I was tired of witches as villains. Stereotypes exist because we allow them to exist and present nothing better. If you know of anyone teen or older who would like a free copy of my first book, Initiation. It’s free on November 26-28th on Amazon.

I would be extremely happy to see my book in the fiction section of Costco aisles, and not under spirituality. It is a fiction book with some characters, who happen to be Pagan.

I recently picked up an excellent book called Haunted Salem: Strange Phenomena in the Witch City by Rosemary Ellen Guiley. I expected maybe a dozen ghost stories. Instead, it was a well-researched book why people turned on their neighbors. It was less like The Crucible movie and more like the real life Holocaust where horrible acts appear normal and beneficiary.

The trials take place in Salem Village, which is mainly a farming community. Times are hard and everything is forbidden. A sea captain after returning from a long voyage kissed his wife waiting on the docks for him. He was immediately chaperoned to the town square to be punished for kissing his wife on a Sunday. Ironically, this law is still on the books in Massachusetts.

The people in this town were particularly contentious suing one another often turning each other in for breaking the law. Even celebrating Christmas was against the law. Spies tried to catch people in the act of celebration, which might be anything as small as baking a holiday cake or singing. Their punishment was cutting off their ears to show they had sinned, and then they were ostracized from the community. This was a hard punishment because surrounding colonies based on similar religious charters would not welcome them.

Even though they came to America to have freedom of religion, they discovered their religion compromised their personal freedom. The religious laws they saddled upon the colony forbade anytime of merriment, play, festivals color, or even individuality.

       How bad were the residents of Salem Village? Two different ministers came to shepherd the flock and left almost immediately realizing there was little hope working with the quarrelsome group. Reverend Burroughs made the mistake of telling the congregation what he thought of them before heading to Maine.

 Eckhart Tolle commented in his groundbreaking book, A New Earth that whatever reason we give for a fight is not the reason at all. Often the reason is so deep, or base, that the person refuses to acknowledge it. 

It begs the question what was going on with the Salem residents. Why did they turn into a town of mean girls gone psycho? Life was hard at that time, especially for the farmers. They were resentful of the merchants who were doing much better.  They may have been desperate to blame someone for their troubles.

In the movie, the girls engaged in fortune telling to determine their husband. This wasn’t entirely true because many women engaged in this forbidden practice and some of them were married.  It was a guilty pleasure that most knew was against their beliefs. When word reached the men of the town, they were horrified. The finger pointing started. If the woman had shown some backbone and fessed up, it might have ended there.

The Puritans demonstrated they had no issues with flogging a woman, cutting off her hair and ears and throwing her into the wilderness to survive. Good chance that image was prominent in the girls’ minds as they accused the less popular citizens. With an animalistic cunning, they went for the ones who didn’t have community support. It was bullying on steroids.

People’s lives hung on the word of teenage girls who swore that a person’s spirit afflicted them. Of course, they were the only one who saw such a thing. It was a perfect storm of illogical thinking, perverted religion, and fear.  The judges believed the teens were telling the truth. Later, when one of the girls felt the need to confess she suffered no punishment for her part of the killing frenzy. This is amazing considering you lost your ears for baking a cake on Christmas.

Psychologists, sociologists, even historians, blame it on a combination of mimicry, misapplied religious doctrine and lack of power among the female population. Over in Europe, witch-hunts were still in play. The Puritans mimicked the very people they’d condemned and left to break association with proving that they were no different. Women at that time had very little power or say in their own life. The small bit of autonomy they might have had in the old world religious law stripped from them.

The girls wanted to rebel, demonstrated by the fortunetelling. They probably initially acted out of fear, but soon discovered they had power over the fates of the townspeople. It was a lie that took on a savage life of its own.  Perhaps, they became drunk with power.

 Why do people feel the need to hate and condemn others? This scenario repeats endlessly with different religions, religions, even countries.  I remember as a child we used to fear Russians until we were told not to fear them anymore. Racism became a prominent issue after shelving Russians as the enemy. We now have several possible enemies to choose from to become the new big evil. Change also makes people fearful.  Fear often makes us into bullies.

It is something to consider whenever you fear someone or feel hatred towards someone. Discover if you can figure out the reason. If you face your fear, you can find logical ways to deal with what scares you. Too bad, no one ever explained that to the Puritans.

What is your opinion on what motivated the Puritan girls? I've include two full lengths videos from d