Patti Wigington

Patti Wigington has over twenty years of experience in studying Paganism and Wicca, and is a member of a Wiccan coven.

Patti first discovered Wicca and Paganism in 1987, and has studied a number of different magical and occult systems. She got her first Tarot deck as a gift in 1988, and has been reading cards ever since. She is an initiated third-degree High Priestess in the Isiac tradition of Wicca, an advanced-level Reiki practitioner, and is licensed Pagan clergy in the state of Ohio. Patti is also active in the planning of her local Pagan Pride Day.

Her freelance work has appeared in a number of Pagan publications, including Gaea's Cauldron, Llewellyn's 2007 and 2008 Herbal Almanacs, and Pagan Parenting. Patti is also the author of a middle-grade novel about teenage witches, Summer's Ashes (2007 Keene Publishing).

When I first discovered Wicca and Paganism, I was about nineteen years old and unsure of what direction my life was headed. One day my friend Jim introduced me to a woman he knew, who said to me, "My name is Belinda, and I'm a good witch." After talking with her and her husband -- both Wiccans -- I realized that there was an entire community of people out there who believed the same things I'd been believing for so many years. Fortunately, I was raised by parents who encouraged me to question and learn. As a child I spent a lot of time reading, playing in the woods, and making up imaginary and elaborate ceremonies, so for me, it wasn't that much of a leap to become involved in Wicca! As I got older and expanded my network of friends, I learned more and more. For me, becoming Pagan seemed like a natural progression of things. I've become more and more involved in my local Pagan community, and I'm pleased that more and more people are becoming open to earth-based faiths.