the Iconocast: Starhawk (episode 39)

December 8, 2011the Iconocast Collective

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In this episode, Joanna and Sarah interview Starhawk–one of the most respected voices in modern earth-based spirituality.

Starhawk is also well-known as a global justice activist and organizer, whose work and writings have inspired many to action. She is the author or coauthor of twelve books, including The Spiral Dance: A Rebirth of the Ancient Religion of the Great Goddess, long considered the essential text for the Neo-Pagan movement, and the now-classic ecotopian novel The Fifth Sacred Thing. Starhawk’s newest book is The Empowerment Manual: A Guide for Collaborative Groups, forthcoming in November 2011, from New Society Publishers.

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Intro and bumper music for this episode is De Usuahia a la Quiaca by Gustavo Santaolalla.

Tagged as: diversity of tactics, feminism, Iconocast, interview, occupy, ows, paganism, Spirituality, starhawk

  • http://young.anabaptistradicals.org/author/timn/ TimN

    Great interview. I was especially intrigued by the discussion of the parallels between the persecution of Anabaptists and witches. There’s a book on this that might be interesting for those interested in more on this. It’s called: “Eradicating the Devil’s Minions: Anabaptists and Witches in Reformation Europe” (on Google Books here: http://books.google.com/books/about/Eradicating_the_Devil_s_minions.html?id=Y0XbgWXKYAEC). there’s a review of the book here: http://www.goshen.edu/mqr/pastissues/Oct08bookreviews.pdf I haven’t read this book, but I’ve read Waite’s book on David Joris, which was quite readable.

    The one thing that I might have asked was specific stories from Starhawk about her experience during the global justice/anti-globalization protests from 1999-2003. I was consistently impressed with the way Starhawk was visible not only in training’s leading up to those many of those protests, but also on the street. Her Cancun journals (http://www.starhawk.org/activism/activism-writings/cancun_journals.html) in September 2003 inspired me to go down to Miami after a period of feeling disconnected from that movement. I’ll never forget the spiral dance she and others led there as the police started firing tear gas at the FTAA protests in Miami in November 2003. Not only was it a great way to keep people disciplined and calm, but as they were spiraling together, a big wind came up and blew the clouds of tear gas back towards the police lines.

  • Joanna Shenk

    Hey Tim, thanks for these thoughts. I actually have read parts of the book you mention (Eradicating the Devil’s Minions). It shows the parallel persecution but does not correlate it… that’s what I’d be interested in researching further. I think there may be more connections than we think. I haven’t read the book review though. Thanks for that link!

    And what a powerful story about the spiral dance and the “winds of justice.” I would have loved to talk with her for hours. She is a wise and compassionate person.

  • Sascha Grosser

    Thank’s for this very great interview! It was very interesting for our german group! Be blessed!

  • befuddled

    It strikes me that Starhawk’s anti-priest stance that is focused on individual experience, ends up being rather anti-community in practice, as “spirituality” in Starhawk’s description is ultimately individualist and oddly utilitarian

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