Lessons from a British humorist?

I've recently been listening to the audio recording of "A Hat Full of Sky" by Terry Pratchett. I picked up a copy of it because it is the "sequel" to "The Wee Free Men," which I absolutely adored. Terry Pratchett is an absolutely fabulous author with a terrific wit (and the typical ability for the occasional bit of deadpan humor that is so prevelant in British comedy), and all of the books I've read by him are worth every minute.

Of course, I find this one particularly fascinating. I once remember my friend, Linda, commenting that the man must have actually attended coven meetings at one point, because some of his humor when it regards his witch characters is so dead on. I found this particularly true of "A Hat Full of Sky," because there was a good bit of commentary in it which is so accurate in the Pagan community, at least in my experience.

Consider his comparison between witches like Mistress (or "Granny") Weatherwax and those like Mistress Earwig. The former is an elderly, stern, and occasionally crass old woman who "does what needs to be done." The latter is someone who demands respect for witches (and while Mistress Weatherwax certainly thinks it's important to be respected, I have yet to see her demand it -- nor have I seen a need for her to do so) and tends to work on being "showy." At one point, she criticizes young Tiffany for "not looking like a witch." After all, the young girl didn't even have the decency to wear black! Such things do not matter to Mistress Weatherwax, who looks at sparkly wands and other "witchy things" and gruffly calls them "toys." With her, Tiffany's green dress is the last thing on her mind.

I've actually seen this sort of thing in the Pagan community. You have the people who try to show off how "spiritual" they are. You have the people that attempt to demand respect -- both of other Pagans and the world at large. And then you have the people who are...just Pagans. They do their thing, and anyone who spends any real time around them either come to respect them or find them annoying (usually due to the fact that such people cause them to feel insecure, in my experience). But in the end, they continue to be who they are.

You see more of this in the book when you start comparing Mistress Weatherwax to Mistress Earwig's own student, Anna Gramma. Mistress Weatherwax is not the head witch. (As Mistress Luvell put it, "Mistress Weatherwax would be quite upset if she heard I called her the head witch.") But she does command (though never actually demands) immense amounts of respect. When Mistress Weatherwax is around, other witches listen.

So what does Mistress Weatherwax do with this respect? She leads. She guides. And she helps. And most importantly, she encourages. She pushes the other witches -- from little Tiffany to old (though not quite as old as Mistress Weatherwax, if I'm not mistaken) Mistress Luvell -- to be their absolute best. She encourages and drives them (in a perfect balance) to push their boundaries and accomplish more. She in effect makes other witches become better witches.

Compare this to Anna Gramma. She and the other girls who are studying under various witches get together for their own little Sabbat. Anna Gramma is also "not" a head witch. But the way in which she's "not" a head witch is nothing like the way Mistress Weatherwax is. She mocks the other girls. She derides them. She "criticizes" them. She makes them feel inferior. As a result, they become more and more flustered. Tiffany herself watches this, quietly becoming annoyed with this. She realizes that a lot of these girls would be good if Anna Gramma would just give them a chance. If she'd just point out what they do right as well as where they need to improve. After all, that's what Mistress Weatherwax would do.

Anyone who has spent time in Pagan groups has probably seen this to some degree. Though I suspect it's much easier to find an "Anna Gramma" than a "Mistress Weatherwax." Too often, I've seen leaders (or people who fancy themselves a leader) who forget that leadership is about guiding and helping, and use their leadership as an opportunity to boost their own image, even if it means doing it at the expense of others.