I
have had several questions about what I read and listen to while studying my Path. Who do I turn to with questions and concerns? My Path can be a bit of a mix, a focus of
Norse Wicca with Pagan, Agnostic and Universalist undertones. Not to forget the strict Roman Catholic
childhood raising and parents. So that
makes answering this question not so straight forward.
I do have a Spiritual Director and a
local CUUPS chapter to attend. Also within
a few hours' drive there are several covens and groves with some great
people. Many of which also have facebook
pages, blogs and podcasts. Since many
readers like a list, I started with reviewing past posts and some of the people
I have mentioned before. And then I
looked at my playlist and bookshelf. The
list quickly became very long and out of control.
The list was cut down to thirty-six:
a mix of authors, musicians, priests, elders, poets and priestess; with a
background in Norse Wicca, Asatru, Pagan, Native American, Agnostic, Unitarian
Universalist and Witchcraft.
Thirty-six people of a wide mix
should help anyone start their notes to do more research. Some people have been very influential
and others have been more challenging. But all will get you thinking about your Path,
values and actions.
Alaric
Albertsson
Alaric Albertsson (Author) is a founding member of
Earendel Hearth and was on the Board of Directors of the Heartland Spiritual
Alliance. He is currently a member of a
Druidic organization and serves as the Anglo-Saxon Vice Chieftain for a
Germanic kin. Albertsson's personal
spiritual practice has developed as a synthesis of Anglo-Saxon tradition,
country folklore, herbal studies and rune lore.
Aleister Crowley (1875 – 1947) was an
English occultist, ceremonial magician, poet, painter, novelist and
mountaineer. He was responsible for
founding the order Ordo Templi Orientis and philosophy of Thelema. Crowley's thought was not always cohesive, and
was influenced by a variety of sources, ranging from Eastern Religious
movements and practices like Hindu yoga and Buddhism, scientific naturalism,
and various currents within Western esotericism, among them ceremonial magic,
alchemy, astrology, Rosicrucianism, Kabbalah and the Tarot.
Alexander Rud Mills (1885 – 1964) was a
prominent Australian Odinist and one of the earliest proponents of the rebirth
of Germanic Neo-Paganism in the 20th century. He was a published author, lecturer and
Barrister. He founded the First
Anglecyn Church of Odin in Melbourne in 1936. He was also known by the pen-name Tasman Forth.
Audra Davis (High Priestess) is the proud mother of three
children and the grandmother of many (most not biologically hers). She has been a member of PCCO since 1991 and a practicing
Witch almost her entire life. She is the
founder and leader of the Norse Wiccan Community
Church, based in Columbus, Ohio.
 |
| Lady Audra, Selena Fox and Lillie |
Black Hawk (1767 – 1838) was a war
leader and warrior of the Sauk Native American tribe in what is now the Midwest
of the United States. Although he had
inherited an important historic medicine bundle from his father, he was not a
hereditary Chief. Black Hawk earned his
status as a war Chief by his actions: leading raiding and war parties as a
young man and a band of Sauk warriors during the Black Hawk War of 1832.
Carl
Weschcke
Carl Llewellyn Weschcke (Wiccan Priest) is the
owner of Llewellyn Worldwide (formerly Llewellyn Publications) since 1961. He received nationwide media attention when he
bought the supposedly haunted Summit Avenue Mansion and claimed to have 'numerous
odd experiences' there. Llewellyn has
been the largest and most influential New Age/Pagan publishing house for the
last couple of decades, and continues to release important and popular work.
Carol
Queen
Carol Queen (Author) is an American author, editor,
sociologist and sexologist active in the sex-positive feminism movement. Queen has written on human sexuality and a
sex tutorial, as well as erotica. She
has produced adult movies, events, workshops and lectures. Queen identifies as a bisexual and a Wiccan.
Deanna "DJ" Conway (Author) is a non-fiction
author of books in the field of magic, Wicca, Druidism, shamanism, metaphysics
and the occult and the author of three fantasy novels. Born in Oregon to a family of Irish, Germanic
and Native American descent, she has been studying the occult and Pagan
religion for over thirty years. In 1998
she was voted Best Wiccan and New Age author.
Doreen Edith Dominy Valiente (1922 – 1999), who also
went under the craft name Ameth,
was an influential English Wiccan who was involved in a number of different
early traditions. Responsible for
writing much of the early Gardnerian religious liturgy, in later years she also
helped to play a big part in bringing the Neo-Pagan religion of Wicca to wider
public attention through the publication of a string of books on the subject. Having had a significant influence in the history
of Wicca, she has been referred to as 'the mother of modern Witchcraft' and
today is widely revered in the Wiccan and wider Neo-Pagan community.
 |
| Doreen Valiente |
Eoghan Odinsson (Author) is an award winning
journalist and author. Graduating from
the University of Aberdeen in Scotland with his Masters of Science degree, he
subsequently taught for the University and was a dissertation advisor for
graduate students. In addition to his
academic background, Eoghan also holds a Black Belt in Shito-Ryu Karate and has
taught Martial Arts in Canada and the USA.
Eric
of Good Harvests
Eric Arsall (10th century, Old Norse: Eiríkr
hinn ársæli), was a semi-historical King of Sweden. His byname
indicates that the harvests during his reign were good. The 13th-century historian Snorri
Sturluson wrote in the Heimskringla that Blot-Sweyn and Eric had
renounced Christianity and still ruled a largely Pagan Sweden. But by the end, he became the last Pagan King
in Scandinavia.
Erik
the Red
Erik Thorvaldsson (950 – 1003, Old Norse: Eiríkr
Þorvaldsson), known as Erik the Red,
is remembered in medieval and Icelandic saga sources as having founded the
first Norse settlement in Greenland. Erik the Red's Saga reveals a casual
reading along with the conversions of Nordic to Christianity. Personally, I love the line in it about a
pregnant woman who snatched up a sword and smacked it, freighting
the natives into running away; Viking woman are not to be messed with.
Fred
Durst
William Frederick
"Fred" Durst (Musician) is an American musician and film director from Florida. He spent his formative years playing in a
number of local bands and working as a tattoo artist for financial support. Durst is best known as the vocalist of the
multi-platinum nu metal band Limp Bizkit, formed in 1994, with which he has
released six studio albums. He was
raised Wiccan.
Galina Krasskova (Author)
is a Heathen and has been a priestess of Odin and Loki since the early
nineties. An experienced diviner, ordeal
master, and conjure woman, her primary interests are in restoring Heathenry as
an indigenous religion, developing a thriving ancestor culture,
devotional work, and the reconstruction of Northern Tradition shamanism. Her book The
Whisperings of Woden was the landmark first devotional text to be written
in modern Heathenry.
 |
| Galina Krasskova |
Gerald
Gardner
Gerald Brosseau Gardner (1884 – 1964), also known
by the craft name Scire, was an
English Wiccan, as well as an author and an amateur anthropologist and
archaeologist. He was instrumental in
bringing the Contemporary Pagan religion of Wicca to public attention. He decided to revive Wicca, supplementing the
coven's rituals with ideas borrowed from Freemasonry, ceremonial magic and the
writings of Aleister Crowley to form the Gardnerian tradition of Wicca. Gardner is internationally recognized as the 'Father
of Wicca' among the Pagan and occult communities.
Henry David Thoreau (1817 – 1862) was an
American author, poet, philosopher, abolitionist, naturalist, surveyor,
historian, and leading transcendentalist. He is best known for his book Walden, a
reflection upon simple living in natural surroundings. Echoing this belief, he went on to write:
“There will never be a really free and enlightened State until the State comes
to recognize the individual as a higher and independent power, from which all
its power and authority are derived and treats him accordingly.”
Isaac
Bonewits
Phillip Emmons Isaac
Bonewits (1949
– 2010) was an influential American Druid who published a number of books on
the subject of Neo-Paganism and magic. He
was also a public speaker, liturgist, singer and songwriter, and founded a
Druidic organization, as well as a Neo-Pagan civil rights group. He lived in New York and was a member of the
Covenant of Unitarian Universalist Pagans (CUUPS).
Jorge Francisco Isidoro Luis
Borges (1899 – 1986)
was an Argentine short-story writer, essayist, poet and translator. His work embraces compilations of short
stories interconnected by common themes, including dreams, labyrinths,
libraries, mirrors, fictional writers, philosophy and religion. On his religious views, Borges declared
himself as an agnostic.
 |
| Jorge Luis Borges |
John Ronald Reuel Tolkien (1892 – 1973) was
an English writer, poet, philologist, and university professor, best known as
the author of the classic high fantasy works The Hobbit, The Lord of
the Rings, and The Silmarillion. Tolkien was inspired by early Germanic,
especially Old English, literature, poetry, and mythology, which were his
chosen and much-loved areas of expertise.
Leif Erikson (970 – 1020, Old Norse: Leifr
Eiríksson) was a Norse explorer regarded as the first European to land in
North America, nearly 500 years before Christopher Columbus. According to the Sagas of Icelanders, he
established a Norse settlement at Vinland, tentatively identified with the
Norse L'Anse aux Meadows on the northern tip of Newfoundland in modern day
Canada.
Margot
Adler
Margot Adler (Wiccan Priestess) is an
American author, journalist, lecturer, Wiccan priestess and radio journalist
and correspondent for National Public Radio.
Adler is a Wiccan priestess in the Gardnerian tradition, an elder in the
Covenant of the Goddess and she also participates in the Unitarian Universalist
faith community.
Michelle
Skye (Author) is a Pagan Priestess with over ten years' experience following
the Path of the Wise. An active member
of the Wiccan and Pagan communities, she teaches classes, leads workshops, and
has founded Massachusetts Pagan Teens and Sisterhood of the Crescent Moon. Her articles have appeared in Circle
Magazine and SageWoman, and she's a regular contributor to Llewellyn
annuals and Renaissance Magazine.
 |
| Michelle Skye |
Neil Richard MacKinnon
Gaiman (Author)
is an English author of short fiction, novels, comic books, graphic novels,
audio theatre and films. He is the first
author to win both the Newbery and the Carnegie medals for the same work, The
Graveyard Book. American Gods
also became one of Gaiman's best-selling and multi-award winning novels.
Patrick
Stewart
Patrick Dana Stewart (1970 – 2005) was a soldier
in the United States Army. He died in
combat in Afghanistan when his helicopter was shot down by a grenade while
returning to base. Patrick Stewart was a
resident of Nevada and a practicing Wiccan. After his death, controversy ensued when the
Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) initially
refused to imprint a Wiccan pentacle on his grave, to the dismay of his widow. As part of a settlement in 2007, the VA added
the pentacle to the list of emblems allowed in national cemeteries and on VA issued
headstones, markers and plaques.
Raven
Kaldera
Raven Kaldera (Author) is a shaman, educator, activist,
priest and many other things. He counts
himself a part of many different demographics and much of his work is building
bridges between them. He has quite a few
websites.
Raymond
Buckland
Raymond Buckland (High Priest) whose craft
name is Robat, is an English
American writer on the subject of Wicca and the occult, and a significant
figure in the history of Wicca, of which he is a High Priest in
both the Gardnerian and Seax traditions. He later formed his own tradition dubbed Seax-Wicca,
which focuses on the symbolism of Anglo-Saxon Paganism.
Red Cloud (1822 – 1909) was a very
strong war leader and a Chief of the Oglala Lakota. One of the most capable Native American
opponents the United States Army faced, he led a successful campaign known as
Red Cloud's War over control of the Powder River in Wyoming and Montana.
 |
| Red Cloud |
Scott Douglas Cunningham (1956 – 1993) was a writer.
Cunningham is the author of several
books on Wicca and various other alternative religious subjects. Cunningham practiced a fairly basic
interpretation of Wicca, often worshipping alone, though his book series for
solitaries describes several instances in which he worshipped with friends and
teachers. Cunningham was also drawn to
Huna and a range of new age movements and concepts that influenced and colored
his spirituality.
Selena Fox (Wiccan Priestess) is an
interfaith minister, environmentalist, Pagan elder, author, and lecturer in the
fields of Pagan studies, ecopsychology and comparative religion. Fox is the founder of the "Circle
Craft" tradition of the Wiccan religion. She began leading public Pagan rituals in 1971
and has done public education about Paganism since 1973, in talks and public
media interviews. Fox is also
the founder of the Pagan Spirit Gathering, one of the oldest Nature
Spirituality festivals in the United States.
Silver
Ravenwolf
Silver Ravenwolf (Author), born Jenine E Trayer, is an American New
Age, magic and Witchcraft author and lecturer who focuses on Neo-Wicca. Ravenwolf was a member of the Serpent Stone
Family and received her Third Degree Initiation as a member of that coven. She is the leader of the Black Forest Circle
and Seminary, an organization containing several covens spanning the United
States and Canada.
Snorri Sturluson
Snorri Sturluson (1179 – 1241) was an
Icelandic historian, poet and politician. He was the author of the Prose Edda or Younger
Edda, which consists of Gylfaginning, a narrative of Norse
mythology, the Skáldskaparmál, a book of poetic language, and the Háttatal,
a list of verse forms.
 |
| Snorri's Edda of 1666 |
Stephen A McNallen (Author) is an influential
Germanic Neo-Pagan leader and writer. He
has been heavily involved in Asatru since the 1970s. McNallen was one of the earliest advocates of
reconstructing Germanic Paganism in modern times.
Salvatore Paul
"Sully" Erna (Musician) is an American vocalist and primary songwriter for the
American rock band Godsmack. He is also
a guitarist, drummer and pianist, performing these both on albums and during
live shows. Sully Erna has been ranked
in the Top 100 Heavy Metal Vocalists. He
has been open about practicing Wicca: "I just want them to
understand that Wicca has nothing to do with black magic. It's not about turning people into frogs or
practicing black magic."
Vilhelm
Ekelund
Vilhelm Ekelund (1880 – 1949) was a Swedish
poet. His grasp of rhythmic and musical
qualities in verse and his concentrated imagery propelled his poetry into
increasingly ambitious forms, soon moving from bound to free verse and making
it a vital model for later writers. He,
along with other authors, have acknowledged their debt to the Poetic Edda.
Wendy
Rule
Wendy Rule (Musician) is an Australian
musical artist. She performs regularly,
including several recent tours of the USA and Europe. Although her early roots were in Jazz, she has
come to be identified as part of the Goth genre. She is a practicing Witch and her lyrics
typically address Pagan and mythological themes. Rule has publicly spoken about her belief in
Polytheism and her lyrics have been influential in Wiccan ritual.
Zsuzsanna Emese Mokcsay (Author) is an American
author, activist, journalist, playwright and song-writer of Hungarian origin
who writes about feminist spirituality and Dianic Wicca under the pen name Zsuzsanna Budapest or Z. Budapest. She is the founder of the Susan B Anthony
Coven, the first feminist, women-only, Witches' coven. In 1975, she was arrested for fortune telling
at her candle and book store. Budapest
and her defense team described the event as 'the first Witch prosecuted since
Salem'. Budapest was found guilty. Duly, Budapest and her legal counsel set
out to establish Wicca, and more specifically Dianic Wicca, as a religion. The state's Supreme Court repealed the guilty
verdict as unconstitutional and in violation of the Freedom of Religion Act.
 |
| Zsuzsanna Budapest |
There are many more
Pagans out of the broom closet. This was
just a starter list to help you find a role model or explain how the Paths have
developed over time. You can find
values, actions and more in the list.
And even more can be found online, in the store, at a Temple or just at
a casual coffee shop meet and greet.
"I just want them to understand that Wicca
has nothing to do with black magic. It's
not about turning people into frogs or practicing black magic." ~ Sully
Erna
Llewellyn Worldwide
Wikipedia
Patheos
