What
      is
      a
      “Starhawk’’?
     
     
      by
      MISTER
      Joseph
      Murphy
     
    
   
   
    
     
      After
      reading
      the
      article
      in
      the
      ‘‘X-press’’
      regarding
     
     
      **A
      Place
      for
      Womyn’’
      submitted
      by
      Dawn
      Ambler,
      I
     
     
      was
      intrigued
      as
      to
      who
      this
      Starhawk
      is,
      whom
     
     
      Ambler
      quoted,
      and
      what
      exactly
      this
      ‘‘womyn’’
      is
      all
     
     
      about.
      I
      proceeded
      to
      the
      library
      to
      garner
      informa-
     
     
      tion
      onher.
      I
      found
      a
      book
      by
      her
      (‘‘Dreaming
      the
     
     
      Dark’’)
      on
      reserve
      for
      Vaughn
      Jeliffe’s
      Family
      Stud-
     
     
      ies
      452
      course.
      I
      found
      out
      that
      she
      is
      a
      feminist
     
     
      witch,
      literally.
      She
      celebrates
      witchcraft
      interlaced
     
     
      with
      feminist
      doctrine
      in
      a
      way
      that
      unites
      the
      indi-
     
     
      vidual
      with
      the
      earth.
      (7???)
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Starhawk
      says,
      “‘
      We
      are
      gathered
      undera
      high
      Victo-
     
     
      rian
      ceiling
      ina
      flat
      in
      the
      Mission
      district.
      The
     
     
      sashes
      are
      drawn
      as
      the
      time
      comes
      to
      work
      magic.
     
     
      We
      take
      off
      our
      clothes.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      “That
      is
      relevant,
      because
      our
      magic,
      our
      deliberate
     
     
      linking
      and
      focusing
      of
      minds,
      our
      raising
      and
     
     
      molding
      [sic]
      of
      subtle
      energies,
      our
      touching
      of
      each
     
     
      other,
      our
      intimacy
      ,
      is
      not
      separate
      from
      our
      sexual-
     
     
      ity.
      Norcan
      our
      sexuality
      be
      separated
      from
      our
     
     
      magic.
      Weare
      not
      lovers
      with
      each
      other,
      but
      we
      are
     
     
      five
      naked
      women
      in
      the
      small
      room,
      and
      as
      we
     
     
      breathe
      together,
      inhaling
      and
      exhaling
      in
      unison,
     
     
      becoming
      one--one
      breath,
      one
      organism--the
      air
      is
     
     
      heavy
      with
      odors
      [sic]
      that
      are
      earthy,
      spicy,
      fetid.
     
     
      We
      are
      exotic
      flowers;
      we
      are
      slowly-eroding-over-a-
     
     
      lifetime
      flesh.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ‘We
      are
      witches.
      We
      pursue
      together
      the
      Mysteries.
     
     
      And
      sexuality,
      not
      in
      its
      narrow
      but
      its
      broadest
     
     
      sense,
      is
      the
      essence
      of
      those
      Mysteries.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      “Lam
      writing
      now
      beside
      a
      lake
      that
      is
      7000
      feet
      up
     
     
      in
      the
      Sierras.
      The
      still
      water
      is
      a
      perfect
      mirror,
     
     
      reflecting
      the
      rounded
      outcroppings
      of
      pink
      and
      gray
     
     
      [sic]
      granite,
      which
      have
      been
      molded
      [sic]
      into
      forms
     
     
      that
      undulate
      and
      are
      sexual,
      Cracks
      suggest
      vaginas
     
     
      and
      their
      stony,
      clitoral
      protrusions.
      The
      line
      where
     
     
      fock
      meets
      water
      becomes
      the
      body’s
      line
      of
      symme-
     
     
      iry.
      The
      Goddess
      stretches
      out
      Her
      arms:
      a
      fallen
      log
     
     
      ind
      its
      mirror
      image,
      to
      protect
      Her
      hidden
      clefts,
     
    

    
     
      Her
      pendulous
      breasts,
      looked
      at
      from
      the
      opposite
     
    
   
   
    
     
      spewing
      forth
      in
      fiery
      eruptions,
      the
      slow
      caress
      of
     
     
      glaciers,
      like
      white
      hands
      gently
      smoothing
      all
      that
     
     
      had
      been
      leftjagged.’”
      This
      excerpt
      and
      many
     
     
      others
      from
      Starhawk’s
      book
      leaves
      me
      with
      the
     
     
      impression
      that
      Starhawk
      suffers
      from
      chemical
     
     
      imbalances
      within
      the
      cerebral
      cortex.
      I
      have
      great
     
     
      difficulty
      in
      taking
      seriously
      one
      who
      would
      use
      as
     
     
      reference
      a
      womyn
      who
      appears
      mentally
      unbalanced,
     
     
      feminist
      or
      not,
      to
      say
      the
      least.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      This
      aroused
      my
      curiosity
      all
      the
      more
      and
      lead
      me
      to
     
     
      the
      discovery
      of
      Margot
      Adler’s
      ‘‘Drawing
      Down
      the
     
     
      Moon’’.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      She
      has
      noted
      how
      a
      number
      of
      feminists
      are
      becom-
     
     
      ing
      interested
      in
      witchcraft:
      ‘‘...a
      number
      of
      femi-
     
     
      nists
      have
      stated
      that
      women
      are
      Witches
      by
      right
      of
     
     
      the
      fact
      that
      they
      are
      women,
      that
      nothing
      else
      is
     
     
      needed,
      and
      feminist
      Witch
      Z
      Budapest
      has
      at
      times
     
     
      declared
      the
      Craft
      to
      be
      °*‘Wimmins
      Religion,’
      a
      reli-
     
     
      gion
      not
      open
      to
      men.
      In
      addition,
      feminist
      Witches
     
     
      have
      stated
      that
      Witchcraft
      is
      not
      incompatible
      with
     
     
      politics,
      and
      further
      that
      the
      Craft
      is
      a
      religion
      his-
     
     
      torically
      conceived
      in
      rebellion
      and
      can
      therefore
      be
     
     
      true
      to
      its
      nature
      only
      when
      it
      continues
      its
      ancient
     
     
      fight
      against
      oppression.”’
     
    
   
   
    
     
      This
      oppression
      grew
      from
      the
      male
      overthrow
      of
      an
     
     
      ancient
      patriarchal
      society:
      ‘‘They
      bowed
      to
      no
      man,
     
     
      being
      the
      living
      remnants
      of
      the
      oldest
      culture
      of
      all-
     
     
      one
      in
      which
      men
      and
      women
      were
      equal
      sharers
      ina.
     
     
      truly
      cooperative
      society,
      before
      the
      death-dealing
     
     
      sexual,
      economic,
      and
      spiritual
      repression
      of
      the
     
     
      Imperialist
      Phallic
      Society
      took
      over
      and
      began
      to
     
     
      destroy
      nature
      and
      human
      society.”
      (This
      is
      ludi-
     
     
      crous.
      )
     
    
   
   
    
     
      As
      Adler
      notes,
      ‘‘Feminism
      implies
      equality,
      self-
     
     
      identification,
      and
      individual
      strength
      for
      women.
     
     
      Paganism
      has
      been,
      for
      all
      practical
      purposes,
     
     
      antiestablishment
      spirituality.
      Feminists
      and
      Pagans
     
     
      are
      both
      coming
      from
      the
      same
      source
      without
      realiz-
     
     
      ing
      it,
      and
      heading
      toward
      the
      same
      goal
      without
     
     
      realizing
      it,
      and
      the
      two
      are
      now
      beginning
      to
      inter-
     
     
      lace.’
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Of
      course,
      the
      goal
      is
      equality
      between
      the
      sexes:
      ‘‘I
     
     
      don’t
      believe
      that
      there
      are
      any
      psychological
      differ-
     
     
      ences
      between
      men
      and
      women.
      In
      fact,
      I
      think
      the
     
     
      big
      mystery
      of
      our
      society
      is
      that
      men
      and
      women
      are
     
     
      exactly
      alike
      and
      that
      this
      truth
      is
      being
      hidden
      under
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      November
      28,
      199]
     
    
   
   
    
     
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      5