This brings me to my next point. Modern Pagans need to understand that fear, ignorance, and sheer intolerance are powerful forces. Some people will never put up with Pagans in their neighborhood, and there comes a time when you have to recognize that and deal with it. Hopefully, you will never encounter a community that simply will have none of you, but some Pagans have. Darla Kaye Wynn is a Pagan woman who has dealt with persecution which has included threats to her person, property damage, and the murder of her pets. She won a major fight in court, but that has not stopped a heinous rampage against her in her town that would have driven most people out. So, if you are going to be “out,” take a look around and ask yourself if you are truly willing to pay the potential price. Have a back-up plan and a good lawyer.
Next: document, document, document. If you begin to suspect discrimination and prejudice, keep a journal that documents what is occurring. Leave a paper trail. If the police are not responding, write certified letters to the Chief of Police with copies to the mayor wherein you state the factual facts in chronological order as to what occurred. Make sure your letters go out “Return Receipt Requested,” and you keep the certificates of delivery which are admissible in court as evidence that your letters were received. That way, the authorities cannot claim with any credibility that they did not receive them. Keep copies of everything that you send out and everything which comes to you. If you are fired at work and if you suspect that your religion is the cause, do not wait too long to go to the EEOC or your state commission against discrimination. There are statutes of limitation for taking action. Knowledge and information are power. Never forget that.
Guide Patti: In the years you've been practicing, Paganism has become almost mainstream. You can buy books on "How to be Pagan" everywhere and there's Wiccan stuff all over E-bay. As a more public and more commercial perception of Paganism steps into the limelight, what sort of changes -- both positive and negative -- do you see affecting the Pagan community?
Rev. Dana Eilers: Yes, we are mainstream enough that even Bill Maher, that Guru of Liberalism, poked fun at the Wiccan lottery winner. The positive aspect of this commercialization of modern Paganism is that it gets Paganism out in the open and hopefully, people understand that it is nothing to be afraid of. This makes it less scary and dangerous to be Pagan. Thus, it becomes easier for us to live our lives openly and without fear. The negative aspect of this is that it IS gross commercialization, and people entering into Paganism will think that it is easy when, in actuality, being Pagan is tough. It is tough because it requires thinking and considering the consequences of your actions whereas modern Christianity encourages you to “give it all up to Jesus,” so that you don’t have to think about IT anymore, whatever IT is. Paganism is really a thinking person’s spirituality because one must always be mindful of one’s actions and their potential consequences.
Guide Patti: With the amount of information out there right now for people new to Wicca and other Pagan paths, I often get emails from people who ask, "What should I read?" If you were to recommend five books that any serious student of modern Paganism should have in their library, what would they be -- and why those particular titles?
Rev. Dana Eilers: The key to answering your questions is the phrase “modern Paganism.” Here they are.
- A History of Witchcraft: Sorcerers, Heretics and Pagans by Prof. Jeffrey B. Russell. I recommend this book because it is real history written by a real professor, scholar, and historian as opposed to faux history written by someone who could not document a source if it hit them in the head. A modern Pagan needs to know the historical roots from which they spring. They need to understand what has occurred before in order to understand what is happening now.
- Phoenix from the Flame: Living as a Pagan in the 21st Century by Vivianne Crowley I recommend this book because it is intelligent, well written, and it covers the map. It does not suffer from fluffy bunny-itis.
- Paganism: An Introduction to Earth-Based Spirituality by River and Joyce Higginbotham I recommend this book because it comes from two highly educated Pagan people living in the conservative Midwest who are visionaries, leaders, and who have studied/experienced nearly every form of magic, ritual, and spirituality that there is. They are truly open-minded and have written a manifesto that is reflective of that experience. If you have questions for the Universe, read this book.
- I cannot help it. I have to put these two books together: The Wheel of the Year and Ancient Ways: Reclaiming Pagan Traditions, both by Pauline and Dan Campanelli. I recommend these books because they present a Pagan version of the year, its seasons and the Pagan holidays associated with them. The books are lovingly written and illustrated by two gentle people who are much in tune with the rhythm of the year, and this is so, so apparent as one reads along. Just reading these books lays a magical mantle across the shoulders of the reader, and inspiration sets in.
- Pagans and the Law: Understand Your Rights, by Dana D. Eilers. Yes, I know that this smacks of shameless self promotion, but so be it. I recommend this book because it is the only book of its kind. It tackles tough issues that nearly every Pagan will one day have to confront, and it provides vital information that every Pagan will need one day. Of all the magical tools, information is the most powerful. This is modern information for modern legal magic. We live in a litigious age, and being prepared is still the best defense or offense.
