User talk:Adrianius

I'm sorry if my comments offended you; perhaps I should have only mentioned the commercial aspect, and the fact that the page probably doesn't count as a reliable source, since it doesn't represent a well-known person or group. I assure you, though, that I'm not motivated by a desire to promote Wiccan orthodoxy, or any such thing. The main disagreement I had with your article was that it did not present a balanced viewpoint on the current academic scholarship regarding either Wicca or Traditional Witchcraft. If you read Wicca, for instance, you will find a much more balanced presentation of the debate about Wicca's origins. We should have similar information regarding some of the other varieties of Traditional Witchcraft, but unfortunately the Witchcraft article is still rather lacking in that respect. However if we did have that information, it would hopefully be more balanced in its presentation. The existence of any form of British witchcraft dating back before the 1930s or 1940s is in fact quite controversial, and should not be presented as fact, no matter that you and I both know European witchcraft to be of ancient provenance. A few authors like Ronald Hutton feel they have demonstrated otherwise, and they are considered highly reputable, so we must pay them lip-service.

I think what you've said on your page is fine, and it stands as perfectly valid opinion. However it doesn't stand as a balanced, dispassionate article.

I have great respect for some other traditions of witchcraft, because my studies in Wicca and other esoteric orders have brought me to walk some of the same ground. I know these traditions to be valid, and contain great treasures, and I would like to see them better represented in Wikipedia, even if only to give the poor seekers some more alternatives to all that faux-Wicca soda-pop which floods the internet and the bookshops. I really encourage you to explain a bit more of the Craft on your website; people can find countless pretty invocations on the websites of rank beginners, but real Craft is very hard to find. I also encourage you to contribute to Wikipedia, especially the Witchcraft article; as I say, other varieties of Trad Witchcraft are sorely under-represented here, and we need people with the time and inclination to do some solid research and wordsmithing. Kind regards, Fuzzypeg ☻ 04:09, 29 March 2007 (UTC)