We have just recently seen a letter written by Mercedes Lackey, author of fantasy novels involving characters called "The Guardians". The original letter can be read at Mercedes Lackey: The Last Straw.
I would like to take this opportunity to say that we are not the group of Guardians that she has made these complaints about. We do not wish to and are not trying to take over the world, start conspiracies or threaten people nor do we encourage it in others. We sympathize with her horrible situation and share the feeling that if we could in fact help we would. I hope it works out quickly and peacefully. My positive thoughts go out to her.
Below is a copy of a letter from one of our group(our editrix in fact) that was sent to Misty to explain our side of things better. We would like to share it with you so that you can better understand who we are and help dispel any misunderstandings that this situation may cause.
Thank you very much.
Blessed Be!
SharTasha...the webmistress
Note on 30 May 1998: The link is now corrected to the letter at Firebirds Arts' new home and there is a further update written by Mercedes Lackey entitled The Camel's Back. I am saddened to hear that there was further violence towards her and those close to her but I am also glad that it looks that there is an end to the lunacy of those who felt to attack her. Please look around her page after you have read the letters we mention here.
Bright Blessings!
SharTasha
I'm sorry to hear about the awful time you're having. We're all concerned about possible cults since Heaven's Gate, and it would be awful to think that one had built itself around something *I* had created as an entertainment. And even worse to be receiving threats from people with dangerous delusions.
To be perfectly honest, I've never read any of your books. I've been working protective magic since before any of them were published, and even longer before the (perhaps unfortunate) choice of the word "Guardian" was made. Although the choice, which seemed to happen by consensus, did seem to be inspired by some of your work, it also applied to what many of us actually do and had been doing. The word "Guardian" did already exist, after all, and has been used for other things in pagan religions. Guardians of the Watchtowers. Guardian of the circle. Guardian of the Gate. It's simply a word that describes a function, that of guarding.
The concept of witch or shaman as protector certainly wasn't invented in this century. In much European folklore and in many shamanic cultures, it has been one of the roles of certain people with spiritual gifts to protect their people and their lands from the hostility of the shaman of other tribes, the unrestful dead, and unfriendly local spirits. Certainly it sounds fanciful from the perspective of modern secular society, but this kind of function has always been important to cultures that believe in magic and spirits. For examples you may turn to the books by Carlos Ginsburg (for European examples) or Michael Harner (for the modern shamanic practice of "sucking" out the negative energy that contributes to sickness).
There is certainly *not* a great monolithic organization of Guardians plotting to take over the world. We are actually notoriously difficult to organize, as are pagans generally; and most of us wouldn't want to be in charge of the world for all the tea in China. Although there is, admittedly, a struggling fledgling attempt to create a group for "Guardians," it is with the perfectly benign purpose of teaching pagan practices and distributing resources. There is no abdication of responsibility--quite the opposite!--no monetary charge, and no overlord or cult head to whom anyone is expected to bow. Which makes it about as far from being a cult as you can get, actually. Nor do we typically engage in any long musings about your place in the universe, conspiracies to block the publication of Diana Tregarde books, or anything else of that sort. At least not here--I can't speak for what everyone here does in their spare time. ;)
You also seem to express a lot of hostility toward the very idea of occultism, which is a shame, though I understand that you're in a hard spot. Of course it would be wonderful if we had the power to stop the Oklahoma bombing, the Northridge quake, and other things we wish didn't happen. No such luck. This isn't because magic doesn't exist: it's because, like any tool wielded by puny humans, it's finite. You are not required to believe in any of what we do, naturally. But it seems like risky business to vent your frustrations by ridiculing the entire belief system of a large fraction of your fan base.
I, and most of the people I've talked to about this problem, do genuinely feel for your predicament. The possibility of changing the title of "Guardian" to something else, in order to make it clear to everyone concerned that we and your fictional characters are two different things, is already being discussed. (However, I can't promise that it will take. Not being the head of a monolithic organization does have its drawbacks.) I hope that your situation improves substantially, and wish you well.
Love, Estara Korai