M. Macha NightMare, Priestess & Witch, is an
author, teacher and ritualist, with a penchant for collaboration. She is an
initiate of two traditions of Witchcraft:
Reclaiming and
Faery/Feri,
Reclaiming’s root tradition.
Before she became known as Macha, Aline found
NROOGD
Witchcraft in 1971, then, in 1975 met a young woman named
Starhawk at a local metaphysical bookstore. From 1975 to 1979
she circled on sabbats with covens
Compost, Honeysuckle,
and Raving. (Thirty-five years later, Compost Coven still exists.)
Among the founders of Reclaiming, Macha was
the first person to identify Reclaiming, which until then had been a
collective of Witches teaching and offering public sabbat rituals, as a
tradition in itself.
In 1981 Macha joined the
Covenant of the
Goddess, the oldest and largest non-denominational
organization of Witches in the USA, with her then-coven, a group
priestesshood called Holy Terrors. Since joining CoG, she has worked with
all manner of Witches and Pagans throughout the United States, as well as in
Canada and Brazil.
Beginning in 1992, Macha has organized and
presented video and independent film screenings and panels to discuss such
matters as “Changes to Paganism in the 21st Century (CE),”
“Goddesses & Matriarchies,” “Pagan Clergy,” and several other subjects. In
addition, she has served as a panelist, most recently on “Teaching Methods
in Pagan Traditions” in New York, “Who and What Are the God/dess/es?” in
Delaware.
In 1997 Macha co-created, with Starhawk,
The Pagan Book of Living and
Dying: Practical Rituals, Prayers, Blessings, and Meditations on Crossing
Over, which formed the foundation of death and dying
workshops Macha has presented throughout the country. Macha has served on
the Advisory Board of the
Sacred Dying Foundation
since 1997. In 2004 reviewers for PanGaia Magazine voted The Pagan
Book of Living and Dying the Number One book for advanced Pagans.
Macha wrote
Witchcraft and the Web: Weaving Pagan Traditions
Online in 2001 and Pagan Pride:
Honoring the Craft and Culture of Earth and Goddess in 2004. The
former book was published in Brazil in 2006.
She is also a contributor to anthologies:
Irish Spirit: Pagan, Celtic, Christian, Global, Patricia Monaghan,
editor; Exploring the Pagan Path: Wisdom from the Elders, Kristin
Madden, editor; and Celebrating the Pagan Soul: Our Own Stories of
Inspiration and Community, Laura Wildman-Hanlon, editor. Her writing has
appeared in many periodicals, and she has frequently spoken on behalf of the
Craft in electronic and print media, and at colleges and universities.
Macha’s besom has taken her to present at
Pagan festivals, conferences and conventions (Starwood, Heartland, Magical
Mountain Mabon, Sacred Harvest Festival, Between the Worlds, PantheaCon,
Ancient Ways, CUUPS Annual Conference, and Pagan Pride Days from Vermont to
Utah, Florida to Washington State.)
In 1998 Macha participated in
The
Biodiversity Project Spirituality Working Group, a small
gathering of religious and environmental leaders, in Madison, WI; their work
informed the publication of
Building Partnerships with the Faith Community: A Resource Guide for
Environmental Groups.
As a member of the Nature Religions Scholars
Network (now called
Pagan Studies), Macha
has been quoted in scholarly works on Paganism, goddess studies, and New
Religious Movements. She participates in the annual meetings of the
American Academy
of Religion, of which she is a member, and attendant
Conference on Contemporary Pagan Studies.
In 2002 Macha was among those featured in a
year-long study in Marin County by Roberta Swan called "Women in Leadership
in Faith: Voices of Hope and Healing in a Troubled World."
In 2003, Macha participated in New Religious
Movements: A Symposium on Earth-Based Spiritualities sponsored by
Auburn Theological Seminary's Center for Multifaith Education
in New York City. She returned there in 2005 for a ritual, “Bridget: A
Celebration of the Triple Goddess of Forge, Flame, and Healing Springs.”
She has spoken about and on behalf of
Paganism at colleges and universities (Cornell, UC Berkeley, Sonoma State
University, St. Lawrence University, Stanford, St. Mary’s College, College
of Notre Dame, New College of California, California Institute of Integral
Studies), seminaries and professional schools (Auburn Theological Seminary,
Pacific School of Religion, Institute of Transpersonal Psychology), as well
as to religious journalists, reporters and interviewers in all types of news
media.
Macha
holds Elder credentials through CoG. She chairs the Public Ministry
Department at Cherry Hill Seminary. Prior
to taking over the department, she taught at 15-week survey course called “Call
of the Dark Mother: Working with the Dying, Death, and Grieving.” She is
committed to developing the first, and so far only, program in public
ministry for Pagans. She views this endeavor, shared with other dedicated
and accomplished colleagues, as an opportunity to set a high standard for
future generations of Pagans.
She currently serves on the Board of
Directors of the
Foundation for the Advancement of
Women in Religion. And she is also on the
Sacred Dying Foundation Advisory Board. She also represents CoG and CHS in the
Marin Interfaith
Council, one of the oldest and most diverse interfaith groups
in the country.
Her matron deity is Kali Ma. Her magical
practice is inspired by feminism and a concern for the health of our planet,
and is informed by Celtic, Hindu and Tibetan practices, and the magic of
enchantment. Macha is an all-round Pagan webweaver.
