What, A Wannabe?**
By Amy
We've all seen the dreaded wannabe. He/She's the one with the plate-sized pentacle who
goes about "casting spells" (this generally consists of waving their arms around
impressively while chanting "Your dog is blue" or something like that in some language
they don't know) on innocent bystanders and trying to work glamours like the girls in the
movie The Craft did. The ones who call themselves pagan because its "cool." The ones
who believe special "powers" are bestowed on all pagans and witches. You know... the
wannabes.
Ok, sure. We've seen them. But what do we do about them? Approaching them is always a good first step, but that generally gets one little more than a "curse" (you know, the arm-waving deal) and maybe a dirty look.
Well, the bad news is, if a person doesn't want to learn something, they probably won't (this is one of the world's great truths by the way). What's the good news? Well, wannabes that don't learn the truth about what they're proclaiming to believe are usually in a phase that won't last that long because, especially when it comes to belief, that which doesn't evolve stagnates and dies.
Now, sometimes these wannabes are sincere seekers who just got off on the wrong foot. Don't immediately assume all wannabes will be a thorn in your side. I still approach those who I think are wannabes and try to educate them. It's best to do this at a time when he or she is alone (i.e., not with friends or in a place where he/she will not feel the need to save face). It's also best NOT to be antagonistic. No one wants to listen to someone they feel is making fun of them or being "holier than thou". I've found one of the best ways to do this is approach them, wanting to talk about magick. When you're talking, if the conversation calls for it, tell them what you believe about magick. Talking about religion here is a little iffy, because A) it could be seen as proselyting and B) witchcraft is not necessarily a religious practice. Offer to lend them any books you might have, or even to create a study group or include them in one you've already got going. A lot of the time, when they learn what paganism is really about, they will either decide its not for them, or they will change.
**This article is written from a predominately Wiccan perspective not only because that's my religion, but because the vast majority of wannabes I've seen call themselves either "witches" or "Wiccans."