While editing some fantastic essays for a certain anti-capitalist Pagan Journal being published by a certain non-profit publisher I run, I had the rather delightful experience of listening to one of the owners of everyone’s favorite ‘Mail-Order Sabbat’ start-up discuss the ethics of capitalism.

I’d actually felt a bit bad singling out one opportunistic entrepreneur (there’s a very long list I could have chosen from) ’till hearing that interview.  I picked a good example, I guess.

Particularly informative bits include

• Magic doesn’t come from your surroundings but from within
• Pagans by nature like shiny things.
• we live in a consumable society and that’s a good thing
• He’s not bringing Witchcraft to the Mainstream, but something from the Mainstream to Witchcraft (yay!! about time!)
• Paganism isn’t ‘just’ buying and selling (!!!)
• Commercialism is how community is built. (They hadn’t read this article, I guess).

And this choice quote:

You go to a store, you buy something, and you pay for it. This is the society we live in. And if you want to exclude yourself from that society, that’s fine, but don’t make other people suffice your terms.

Besides hearing echoes of ‘this is America’ on repeat (I know, I know, we’re supposed to remember September 11th….), I suspect that, when you have to say multiple times that ‘this isn’t an advertisement for our businesses’ on a two-hour interview, I think, maybe, your subconscious might be leaking.

But that was cute, anyway. And my laptop was made in Taiwan, not Bangladesh. And yes, I’ve written repeatedly about the use of coal  and oil for electricity (glad you noticed it too!  Let’s stop eating the hearts of mountain giants together!)

And those poor people who have to make all their own stuff who aren’t worried about ‘alienating the spirituality’ of objects? They’re called Animists.

And they’re awesome.

And our magic comes from the land itself and the gods, and will never come from a box. (fun starts ’round 1h10m)