What, to you, is dark paganism?

I like the term ‘dark paganism’ because it implies that a practitioner identifies with darker and more obscured (or “occult”) forces. At the same time, it’s easy for people to misconstrue the term, even within modern paganism and Witchcraft. ‘Dark’ doesn’t have to imply that a person solely focuses on the darkness, because such a view lacks balance. For me, there is nothing more important than balance in all aspects of life. For me, darkness is a necessary element in Neopaganism, and implies a person’s willingness and ability to shamanically explore their own shadow to reveal inner light — think of The Hermit card of the Tarot here — and assist others in doing the same. In many ways, this sort of work with darkness is, in actuality, the work of harnessing the light of self-awareness and self-empowerment!

What initially drew you to dark paganism?

I suppose my natural attractions to all things dark and spooky (but not violent or destructive) inspired me to begin exploring darker aspects of magick. By this, I don’t refer to demonic or chaotically-destructive or manipulative energies; instead, I refer to the exploration of darkness that inspires a person to heal and become more conscious. Shadow and Light are in an eternal dance, and I feel it’s necessary to explore both in order for a more full perspective of life and spirituality to emerge.

What served as the inspiration for your first book, Goth Craft? It seems to be a combination of an introduction to the tools and principles of dark paganism, but also a tool for understanding a subculture.

My first book was inspired by a vision. The vision told me that it was time for me to begin writing, and that I should write about the two topics I was most interested in at the time: Magickal spirituality and the Gothic subculture. These two spheres are completely distinct and separate entities, but they do go hand-in-hand for some people. One is subculture (music-based) and one is magick (spirituality-based), but the two lifestyles do have the possibility complementing one another. So, that is what I explore. My second book, Shadow Magick Compendium, explores only “dark” magickal-spiritual aspects, however, doing away with any sort of subcultural focus.

What are you planning for your next book?

I’ve recently released Planetary Spells & Rituals, and am eventually planning a follow-up entitled Zodiacal Spells & Rituals. However, I am taking a wee break from writing at the moment, and am planning on releasing a book about Empathy and magick in 2012… I am very excited to work on that particular project; its contents are coming to me quickly!

If there was one thing about you or your work that you’d want people to understand better, what would it be?

I suppose I would wish for people to read the work before judging it. While I do have quite a fantastic, solid readership base (I love each and every one of my readers!), other people tend to think one of two things: either that my work is extremely fluffy and marketable-for-the-sake-of-marketing (otherwise, that my work is insubstantial or empty), while the other group of people (even within the magickal arts) see my writing and my path as a “rejection of the light,” which is both insulting and inaccurate! If those casting the judgments actually read the material, I think their views would be instantly challenged. I am by no means perfect, but I am devoted to helping people and conveying accurate information through writing. However, I absolutely love constructive criticism!

What would you recommend for people interested in paganism?

I always say “read, read, read.” To clarify: I feel that a person should read reputable introductory books on Witchcraft and Neopaganism, and should also read informative texts about other religions, such as Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism, Judaism, mystical Christianity, and so on — one can never read too much, and studying the world is the only way to truly actualize ourselves as modern spiritual beings. Limiting oneself to only one religion, one culture or one society is incredibly limiting, and the path of magickal-spirituality is not one focused on limitation! Additionally, one should practice meditation and simple rituals when getting their feet wet in metaphysics.

In your newest book, what did you write about that you haven’t written about before?

Because my first two books included only a handful of “practical” workings (meditations, mainly), a number of readers were anxious for me to explore spellcraft and how-to rituals. So, after much thought and a butt-load of research (or is it “boat-load?”), I decided to pen Planetary Spells & Rituals, which explores various types of spells, rituals, meditations and magickal workings, as aligned to the planets of modern astrology. The feedback so far has been great. Many peoples’ favorite thing about the book is that I encourage readers to not not not practice the rituals “by the book,” and should instead personalize their magick!

What do you hope to accomplish in works yet to come?

Awareness, empowerment, connection, healing, consciousness, realization, love.

Any parting words for studying pagans?

Sure: we modern pagans have a very important role to play in the world. We are the people who inspire a renewed connection to Nature, to God, and to our deeper Selves. Our paths influence many people. Strive for excellence, both in study, practice and daily ethics. There is little more important than being a truly good, humble person. Forgive yourself for regrets and build your future with joy. Life is short; make the most of it! Love is the Law.

Tell us about your book—what are the main ideas behind it?

My latest book, A Grimoire for Modern Cunningfolk is a practical manual of instruction for those who may have some experience with Wicca or general Paganism, but have developed an interest in Traditional Crafting. It acts as a bridge between the typical beginner’s books on Wicca and the more philosophical or academic books you tend to find about non-Wiccan Witchcraft.

It takes the perspective of what a student would learn in a coven prior to initiation – the basic building blocks of lore and praxis. Obviously, there is a lot that pertains to my own path, using the Welsh Celtic Mysteries as found in the Mabinogion, but I’ve tried to present it so that readers can see how they would apply it to their own tradition and pantheon.

I was curious about the title right away; could you explain the meaning behind it?

Cunningfolk is a gender-neutral plural of the term “cunningman”. Just as villages in Britain would have had their wise woman who knew herb lore and acted as midwife, they often also had a cunningman. The cunningman, from the Anglo-Saxon Kennen, “to know”, was an expert at healing, removing curses and protecting against malefic witchcraft. He was in many ways the British version of the Pennsylvania German Braucherei or Pow Wow practitioners.

As the modern meaning of the term “Witch” has evolved to cover the Neopagan movement, eclecticism, and the very American idea that anyone who wants to be a witch can call themselves one, there has been a tendency for non-Wiccan Witches to avoid using the term – historically, witch was a derogatory term, and Traditional Crafters would rarely if ever use it themselves. Consequently, there are a bunch of us who prefer to call ourselves cunningfolk, and we use the term “witch” only when
it is not practical to take the time to explain what we mean by “cunningman” or “cunningwoman”. After all, one of the traditional names for witchcraft is “the Cunning Art.”

What was the main reason you wrote this book?

This is basically the book I would have liked to have found on the bookshelves when I started getting serious about Traditional Witchcraft. I had a lot of experience in Wicca, but all the books on non-Wiccan Witchcraft were all heavy on the academic, waxed philosophical without explaining the practical, or tried to sound like they were written in the sixteenth century. A little praxis to bring the Lore to life makes all the difference, so that’s what I wrote, based on my own journey “to the dark side.”

I am trying, through my writing, podcasts, live classes and workshops, DVDs etc, to provide the sort of guidance that would be useful to the solitary practitioner. The Grimoire is my latest step in that direction.

You seem to have an unconventional way of approaching Witchcraft. What led you to this path? How long have you been following your path?

I wouldn’t call it unconventional, in fact it is quite old-fashioned. Historically covens and degrees were much rarer in Crafting than modern myth suggests, and while there has always been religion for the community – a niche which Wicca fills very well for modern Pagans – there has always been the practitioners on the fringe of society, following a solitary path deep into the heart of the Mysteries.

This is the same for all spiritual paths; Christianity has the Rosicrucians, Islam has its Sufi Mystics, Buddhists have their Black Hat Masters and Hinduism has its Tantric Adepts. My own journey has been a natural progression, from magick in general, especially Golden Dawn and Rosicrucian, which I started learning about at the age of 12, through Alexandrian Wicca in the ’80s, to Traditional Craft in the ’90s and ’00s. So I’ve been studying for over 30 years, with my first formal initiation in 1983. I was running a Wiccan coven as HP from 1988 to 1996, but even throughout that time, I felt a calling to something deeper, darker, more in tune with me. But it wasn’t until I finally came to the US in 1997 that I discovered what I had been looking for – my own Welsh ancestors!

Where I might be considered unconventional in the light of modern practice, is my indifference to lineage. When it comes to what tradition you follow and who initiated you, I couldn’t care less. If you are able to “do the work” and you are indeed doing it, that is what matters to me.

On the other hand, though, I am a firm believer in the concept of Witch Blood. Robert Cochrane said that “a witch is born, not made. But if a witch is to be made, then tears must fall.” Aptitude has to be “awakened” by some kind of initiatory experience, either within a group, or within the individual as a result of the exercises and experiences they go through.

I guess I do tend to do things a little differently than the accepted norm – but I’ve encountered people and events that have convinced me there is no such thing as normal. I learned more from the worst teacher (by “cult leader” standards) I ever had, in the four years I sat at his feet, than from any other individual. Most importantly, I learned to value what came from within me.

Do you have any advice for those who are currently seeking out their path and have yet to find the right one for them?

Keep an open mind. I’ve found myself embracing things that I would have – and indeed have in actuality – overlooked earlier in my journey. Don’t reject something out of hand, but don’t take anything for granted either. Learn to explore with no expectations, evaluate experiences afterward, not during, and don’t be afraid to listen to the visceral reactions of your body, mind and soul.

Are you working on anything else at the moment?

I always seem to be working on several projects at once these days. For myself, I am writing a book called Visceral Magick, which explores the path of experiential and “gut-reaction” crafting, using a framework of the Three Cauldrons of Poesy. It is a way of drawing the Lore and Praxis out of myth and legend, by using a body of simple techniques to trigger deep experiences that in themselves trigger visceral encounters with the Gods and the Mysteries, opening up any tradition or mythos to be used as a powerful path of practical, manifest magick. Just a little project, really…

I’m also putting the finishing touches, as editor, to a wonderful book on the life and magick of Sybil Leek, by Christine Jones, who was her last student and initiate, who shared the last years of her life and was her nurse at the end.

At the end of this month I will be filming Orion Foxwood again, for a DVD on Conjure, the magick he grew up with. Lastly, I’m trying to pull together articles for the latest issue of the Crooked Path Journal, and overseeing the production of an anthology on Hedge-Witchery, edited by Veronica Cummer, called To Fly by Night. Other than that, there’s not much going on…

Ha-ha, “not much,” huh? How long have you been filming and how do you combine that with your teachings?

I actually started making DVDs about six years ago, starting with my Craftwise series on spellcrafting (five volumes to date). I followed that with “Making a Traditional Witches’ Besom”, which shows how to make the classic birch broom, as seen in the Harry Potter movies, and have added one on The Sight and another on making and using ritual masks, which shows the technique of shaping wet leather over a form or freehand to make a durable and striking mask , then goes on to detail ways of using them in ritual. In fact, it was the money I made from the DVDs that I used to start publishing books.

Last (but not least) I know we would all love to get a copy of your book. Where can we find it?

All the books published by Pendraig can be found on your local Amazon website, as well as many other online bookstores.

There are some metaphysical stores who carry our books as well, such as Eye of Horus in Minneapolis, and Treadwell’s of London.

The books are distributed by Ingrams, the world’s largest distributor, so they can be special ordered from just about any bookstore. The DVDs are available from Amazon in the US, and along with the books they can be ordered directly from Pendraig.

On the Pendraig website we also have a limited edition hardcover version of my Grimoire, which includes an extra chapter on working with body fluids, as well as a DVD showing demonstrations of many of the practical techniques found in the book. This is limited to 100 signed and numbered copies, but there are still some left.

Ellen Evert Hopman is the author of fiction and non-fiction books that center around Druidry.  This week, I talked to her about her experiences and her writing.

For many, their spirituality began in childhood. Did you always feel a great connection to your spirituality?

I was born in Austria in the Hallstatt area, the place where Celtic culture first emerged as a distinct cultural entity. In the early years of my life I heard my mother describe the Celts with much reverence. I never gave it a second thought because I just assumed this was normal, that everyone was brought up that way so I promptly forgot about it.

It wasn’t until I was in my thirties and living in the US that I heard traditional Irish music for the first time. I just turned the radio dial and by accident there it was. It just blew me away. I soon joined the Irish cultural center in Philadelphia, learned to be a Ceili dancer, and began hanging out with Irish musicians and other “Celtoids” as we used to call them.

How did you first come across Druidism?

At the time I had an herbal practice in Philadelphia. One of my clients told me that she had met “a Druid” and I was immediately sure that this was what I was, as soon as I heard the word. I spent about two years trying to find Druids. Eventually I discovered ADF and I became a member of one of the first groups in 1984. I think there were around thirty of us at the time. We decided to just hive off and form our own Celtic Druid Order and that eventually resulted in the birth of The Henge of Keltria.

Tell us about some of your experiences in the Druid community.

In 1996 things came to a head for me. There were several convicted pederasts in our community who were officers of large Druid orders or authors calling themselves Druids, and at least one who was caught embezzling funds. There was a woman in Massachusetts who was demanding that her students have sex with her or her husband in order to receive their Druidic “first degree.” I was very upset that these people were calling themselves Druids.

I called an online meeting with the head of every Druid Order and every Druid leader I could think of and we discussed the problem. We spent a year trying to define what a Druid was in ancient times and what a Druid is and is not in the present day.

By the end of the discussion we had a set of tools, basic readings and ethical beliefs that we felt were basic requirements to be a Druid. In 1997 we decided to form a Druid Order based on what we had cobbled together and thus The Order of the Whiteoak (Ord na Darach Gile) was born.

Did you dabble in any other paths, or have you always been drawn to the path of the Druid?

I started doing Zen Meditation at age 13 (I taught myself to meditate reading books like Zen Flesh Zen Bones and The Three Pillars of Zen).

Eventually I was invited to meet the Sufi Master Bawa Muhayadeen and I fell in with the Fellowship in Philadelphia, lived at the ashram for a while and then was married by Bawa. It was a very austere traditional type of Islamic mysticism, head scarves, long skirts, vegetarianism, etc. I was propelled out of there eight years later by a violent and unhappy marriage.

At that point I was starving for contact with the Earth and I began to do Earth based rituals with people who were studying with Native American elders. Eventually I started going to Medicine Wheel gatherings and for five years I was practicing only Native American spirituality. It was a huge relief to be with people who saw the Earth and animals as sacred, unlike Islam which regards the whole Earth as “forbidden,” something you are supposed to transcend.

I was still practicing Native American spirituality at that point. One day one of the Native Americans said to me; “It’s great that you are honoring our ancestors and ways, you need to honor your own”. At that point I heard about Druids for the first time and the rest is history.

I see from your bio that you helped lead tours to various sites in Europe. What was your favorite?

My two favorite places are Ireland and Orkney. When I go to Europe I immediately gravitate to the ancient sites, I am just not that interested in anything after the 5^th or 6^th century. I like to spend time in the old places and “feel into” the stones. I feel very at home in the Iron Age. I can “SEE” the people, feel them, hear their voices.

What could you tell our readers about these beautiful places?

Orkney is fabulous because a lot of the sites have not even been excavated yet. You can go into tombs there and the bones are still in them. You can hang out with the ancestors.

What is your biggest inspiration when it comes to your novels?

Ireland has been a huge source of inspiration for me. The people are lovely and the sites are powerful. I like to go into an obscure village that’s barely on the map and ask where the local holy well is. The first few people will say; “there is no holy well” but eventually someone will ‘fess up and I get to find a deserted sacred place that is practically undisturbed. I can meditate, make offerings, and feel the ancient people around me as I commune with the waters. I love that.

What was the main drive behind your books?

The main purpose for writing the novels in the first place was to create Druid primers that were disguised as stories. I call them “Bardic teaching tales”. They have been called the first Celtic Reconstructionist novels.

People have thanked me for writing them because not everyone wants to be a scholar. The two novels (the third is already written) called Priestess of the Forest: A Druid Journey and The Druid Isle contain within them all the basic tools and rites of passage, rituals and customs of the Druid path as I understand it. They take place in roughly third century Ireland and Scotland.

How about your non-fiction books? What drove you to write them?

My non-fiction books are also designed to bring forward the ancient teachings and beliefs about trees and herbs. My goal is always to keep the old ways alive for future generations.

Where can readers find your books?

You can see all my books on my website and purchase them from my store. If you do that you will get an autographed copy and a personal note. They are also available in book stores and on Amazon.

Many of us following Pagan paths live in towns or cities. Do you have any advice for those of us who sometimes have trouble connecting to the spiritual world around us because of the limits of our locations?

You must learn to overcome those perceived limits. Every city has a park somewhere. Find a special tree or a pond and bond with it (see suggestions for things to do with tree in my book A Druid’s Herbal of Sacred Tree Medicine). Even a small backyard or a porch can feature the three basic elements of Celtic ritual space, a fire (a candle or a fire in a cauldron), a well (a bowl of water or a cauldron of water), and a tree (in a pot or on the land).

Pay attention to the seasonal shifts in the city. Notice when the air changes, when different flowers or vegetables appear in the shops. Attune to the birds and animals. They make nests, come and go with the seasons. Learn to LISTEN to nature. She is everywhere, all around you.

When I lived in Philadelphia I was fascinated by the amazing number of medicinal plants that grew from cracks in the sidewalk, and in deserted lots. I paid attention to the trees in my neighborhood and they became more familiar to me than the houses….

Thank you, Ellen, for joining us as our Featured Author this week! Please visit Ellen at her website!

Being an avid attendee of Renaissance Faires both large and small, I was excited to hear of the Midsummer Renaissance Faire to be held in Lehighton, PA. Open only two weekends, June 5 & 6 and the following weekend of the 12 & 13, each day of the Faire had something new to offer.

I attended on the 13th, just in time to catch Daniel GreenWolf’s magic act and Sefira Phaedra the Iron Dancer, who combined belly dancing and sword-work. The Midsummer Renaissance Faire boasts vendors, a friendly and amusing staff, interesting performers and a level of interactivity that can be lost in the large scale Renaissance Faires.

After Daniel GreenWolf’s performance, I caught up with him for an interview.

How did you become a magician?

Being a part of my family, magic had always been woven into our lives in some way. My parents were friends with magicians and we all enjoyed magic on some level. But when I was ten, I was watching the World’s Greatest Magic II on NBC (they would have these specials on every Thanksgiving Eve) and amongst all of the regular tuxedo & top hat type magicians, there was this one act by a man named Jeff McBride. He came out and did an act that consisted of masks, fire, card manipulations, and dressed almost like a mythical character. I loved it as well as the reaction he got from the audience. That night I realized that I wanted to do magic like that for the rest of my life.

It was so different from everything else I had seen, it just shocked me that you could make a living doing something like that, because it looked like too much fun to be work.

Your act has a lot I’ve never seen before. Where did you learn of the acts you do?

Well, I started off like a lot of magicians: magic books, a deck of marked playing cards from the Toy Soldier in Mystic, CT, and a Marshall Brodien Magic Set for Yule. And then I went from many, many books to tapes and DVDs (eventually).

Then, through a friend of my parents, Joe Lantiere (who is also a professional magician and practicing Wiccan), I was introduced to the International Brotherhood of Magicians but more importantly, the Inner Circle of Bizarre Magick. The I.C.B.M. is a group devoted to magic that focuses on theatricality and Storytelling (and sometimes darker and weirder themes). And I went to my first gathering of theirs when I was 13 or so. That heavily influenced my creativity because this was a whole group of guys that didn’t like doing magic in the “traditional” way.

What was it like when you first put the show on? How did the audience react?

The reactions were mixed for the most part. I didn’t start off focusing on the Celtic mythos and the Bard character, I just knew at 13 I wanted to do storytelling magic. So even though everyone said they liked my personality… one of the biggest complaints was “You need more tricks in there”. And even at 13 I knew that I had to take that advice with a grain of salt. So I tried to find a happy medium: Create visually stunning magic but keep the stories and the emotion in every piece.

You mentioned you were pagan. What tradition of paganism do you belong to or most identify with?

My parents were both Wiccans who trained under the Frost tradition. Even though they gave me the choice of basically any religion I wanted and had me study many of them before I made a decision, I decided on Wicca because, for me personally, it made the most sense.

How do you feel ‘magic’ is portrayed in the media?

Well, it’s always changing just like the nature of magic, isn’t it? Stage magic has its ups and downs when it comes to popular culture. One year it’s Doug Henning, the next it’s “Crappy Birthday Party Magician”, then it’s David Copperfield, then it’s David Blaine, then it’s the Masked Magician, then it’s Criss Angel… it’s always in a state of flux and the rest of the world will usually see magic positively or negatively based on what they see generally.

It’s the same with “Magick”. One year it’s “Spooky devil worshiping stuff” to the movie “The Craft” to the show “Charmed”. Unfortunately, ceremonial Magick usually has a tougher time of it than stage magic… but there is a parallel between their paths and even sometimes, they can intersect without notice.

Do you feel that people assume there is no difference between ‘magic’ and ‘magick’?

There are a lot of people who still feel that way. They either think some stage magicians are channeling some mystical power or some magicians feel that Magick is a lot of bullcrap surrounding faith and cheap magic tricks. The unfortunate aspect is that, on either side of the thought process, it’s hard to convince them of anything else.

Do fellow pagans ever think it odd that you take part in both kinds of ‘magic(k)’?

I don’t know about odd, but a lot of times they do find it either really cool or really funny. And I’m fine with that reaction.

How do you separate the these two types of magic(k) in your life? Or do you feel that they’re one and the same?

I don’t think there’s a need to separate any type of magic from any other aspect of my life so I don’t try to separate the two, either. When I do a show, there is a palpable energy that is created and I try to use that to bring the crowd along with me and give them something positive. And when you do a ritual, there’s undoubtedly going to be some theatrics in what you do because theatrics is part of every religion.

I also wanted to add that a huge part of my magic training was from Tannen’s Magic Camp, which is like a real life Hogwarts where kids from all over the world came together for a week each year to learn, practice, and perform Magic. I went there from ages 14-20 and then went back each year as a guest performer. I just want to give them ‘props’ because that was another huge influence on my style and training.

Your website is beautiful. But why eBooks? Do you only publish eBooks, or do you release some print publications as well?

Thank you, I’m glad you like it.

At present, we only publish eBooks. When I decided to expand my publishing business from the free online newspaper, The Pagan Activist, into other projects, I considered using a print on demand company and publish print books. As I studied this area extensively, I found that the best POD company was also very non-environmentally friendly, using virgin fibres without recycling. They also use chemical inks. Both of these methods were unacceptable to my environmentally friendly beliefs as a Pagan/Heathen.

I continued to look around and although there were some other POD companies that use recycled paper and soy inks, their prices were too high to be viable. Then I hit on the idea of eBooks. No virgin fibres to worry about, no chemical inks and indeed, no transportation or storage cost, which uses a lot of energy and produces toxins. Also, there are very few eBook publishers who are independent AND specialize in Pagan and /or Heathen subject matter. Hence why, I decided to create Wyrdwood Publications as you see it now.

How did you get Wyrdwood started?

Wyrdwood Publications originally had another name and focus. After I created The Pagan Activist, which was a free online newspaper for Pagans that was read in 64 countries until it’s closure in 2009, I changed the name and focused the business into publishing only. Moving away from website building and image creation.

Through The Pagan Activist and it’s columns and articles, I made many author friends around the world and I wanted to give them, and myself, another outlet for their creative works and so the Wyrdwood Publications website was remade and an eBook publisher born.

What was your main inspiration behind building your own business?

The main inspiration was the Pagan/Heathen path I walk and, because of it, I’m environmentally conscious in my personal life and wanted to create something that was the same, in my professional life.

In my opinion, Pagans should be looking after the environment. Let’s face it, how many people claim that ‘Nature is their Church’? Or that they ‘worship nature’?

Specializing in Pagan/Heathen eBooks makes me feel that I’m ‘walking the talk’. I’m publishing information of interest to my fellow Pagans and Heathens and showing the world that we, as a community, can do some good for our environment. This, coupled with my love of trees, resulted in the creation of the ‘Green Leaves’ eBooks, where EVERY sale results in a tree being planted in a deforested area of the world. Over time, and as Wyrdwood Publications grows, I intend to extend the number of our ‘Green Leaves’ eBooks so that more trees can be planted.

Could you tell us about some of the titles that Wyrdwood has published?

At present, we have ten eBooks available to purchase, they consist of:

Two poetry books: ‘Pagan Poetry for the Seasons and Festivals’ and ‘Warrior Poet ~ Musings of an Asatru Warrior’. Two eBooks consisting of completely different of types of poems, one is composed of seasonal poetry from twelve poets around the world and the other is a Warriors interpretation of life, written in the style of the Poetic Eddas.

We have four eBooks specially written for Pagan children; ‘The Mouse in the Viking’s Beard’, ‘Oblivious: The Misadventures of Harry and Mummy’, ‘Holly the Hasty Witch’ and ‘Ash the Solitary Witch’. The latter two are the first two eBooks of an eight part series.

We also have three practical eBooks, two non-fiction and one fiction. The non-fiction ones are the ‘Magical Bride: Craft an Interfaith Wedding for a Goddess’ and ‘Pagans on the Wildside: Campfire Cooking’. The third and final eBook is ‘Goodbye Grandmother’, a tale designed to help children understand death and channel their feelings into positive memories and actions.

Do you have anything new coming out soon?

The next eBook to be released will be ‘Ivy the Stubborn Witch’. It’s the third eBook of eight in The Witchlets of Witches Brew series. The previous two are available to purchase on our website. We have several other eBooks in various stages of development but I am unable to release news about them yet.

At present, we are also in talks with five potential authors, reading their proposals and full manuscripts for possible publication in the near future.

Thank you for talking to us, Edain. We all have a responsibility to look after Mother Earth. When you purchase a book from Wyrdwood, you know you can trust the source, and you know they’re doing great things for the environment. Click here to visit Wyrdwood and check out all of the great books they offer.

If you’re interested in doing more for the environment, you might check out the following as well:

Plant a Tree USA

The Fruit Tree Planting Foundation

DtB – Thanks for asking me! I’m very honoured!

AM – Please tell us a little more about yourself.

DtB – I am Damh the Bard, a modern-day Bard who writes songs mainly about Pagan and Spiritual themes. I began learning the guitar aged 8 and was taught by an Irish folk musician who couldn’t read music, so he taught me how to play by ear. He also had long hair, and later built his own harp, so was quite an influence on me! I’m Cornish by birth and love the wildness and drama of the moors and rugged West Country coastline. I’ve released 5 albums to date, the latest one being Tales from the Crow Man, a selection of traditional folk songs each with a spiritual edge, all arranged Damh stylee. I now live in Sussex with my partner, the Pagan artist Cerri Lee, and our Border Collie, Wizbang.

AM – When did you know that you wanted to be a musician?

DtB – If I could have been singing when I popped into this world I would have done. Music has always been my main love, and even at 3 years old I was on my rocking horse, singing at the top of my voice to Sweet, Slade, and John Denver. Like many people I went through many rock bands and during my teens and early twenties I was a drummer in a metal band. But when I discovered Druidry, and the path of the Bard, I hung up my sticks, bought a harp, picked up the old acoustic, and that was that.

AM – What drew you to the Druid path?

DtB – Many things. I’ve always loved mythology and magic, the stone circles, ancient mounds, Faerie Lore, music, storytelling, sacred poetry, and I found all of those things existed within one spiritual philosophy – Druidry. Like many people I sent off a sae to the Order of Bards Ovates and Druids and got their intro pack, and later their courses. It’s amazing how a stamp can change your life!!

AM – Tell us more about “Tales from the Crow Man”?

DtB – There are a couple of traditional folk songs on each of my previous studio albums, and when I finished The Cauldron Born I really wanted to give something back to those unknown songwriters that have given us these wonderful songs. So I made the decision that my next album was going to be made up of traditional tunes. I thought it would be quite easy to do, but it wasn’t. Crow Man was the hardest album I’ve ever made. When I write a song I build a relationship with it, and as I write it I can hear the recorded arrangement, but with these songs someone else had written them, and for many we don’t know who that was. I felt a great responsibility to honour the many versions of these songs that had been done before, but I also felt that I mustn’t just copy those versions – these had to be my own, and to do that I had to dig very deep, connect with the Spirit of the Song, and then find my own voice within it. It was hard, but incredibly rewarding to do.

AM – What inspired this album?

DtB – Traditional folk songs are one of the only remaining aural traditions we have left in this country. These songs can be up to 400 years old, and if a song doesn’t speak to the human condition then it stops being sung. These haven’t, they have lived on, past by musician to musician, for centuries. Our ancient Druid ancestors would have recognized the spiritual value of that, I’m sure.

AM – What is your favorite song on the album?

DtB – That is so hard! I never record, or write, a song that I wouldn’t buy myself. There are no fillers so I love them all. I really want to say one song, but I can’t!

AM – What can we expect to see next from you?

DtB – My next album will be a live album. When I record my songs in the studio I use layers of instruments, but live it’s just me and my guitar, and I know a lot of fans like that. So later on in the year the live album will be released.

AM – What do you think is the most important piece of advice that you would give an unpublished writer or musician?

DtB – The music industry will have you believe that it’s dying. Don’t believe a word. It’s easier for an independent musician to make a living from music now than at any time before. The point is that we don’t need a label, and that’s what’s worrying them – they’re losing control. So my advice would be concentrate on your song writing, hone your skill, write from the heart, make sure you have something to say, be honest, keep practicing, stay focused and be utterly unshakeable and single minded. It’s taken me 37 years from first picking up the guitar to finally earning my living through music. Never give up. I guess what I mean by that is focus on the creative process, and make sure you enjoy the ride, and eventually, if the songs are good, you’ll get there.

AM – Where can we go to learn more about you and purchase “Tales from the Crow Man” or previous albums?

DtB – You can find my website at www.paganmusic.co.uk, and from there you’ll get to all of the places you can find me on the web.

AM – Thank you for sharing your time with us today Damh.  We wish you the best of luck with “Tales from the Crow Man” and your future song writing endeavors.

PW – Thank you Angelique!  I am honored to be your Featured Author this week.

AM – Please tell us a little more about yourself.

PW – I will be 55 on September 14, 2010. I spend a lot of time at my computer or on the road discovering and researching sacred sites.  I am also spending more time taking care of my very dear 81 year old mother who lives alone northwest of Pittsburgh, PA. I usually spend at least one week a month with Mom. The rest of the time, I reside in Lynchburg, VA with my husband, Jamey, our son, Greg, and my fuzzy, four-legged companions, Keri, the Labra-beagle and Bijoux, the fluffy black cat.  I am a legally ordained reverend in the state of Virginia and a Third Degree Wiccan Priestess who still teaches the occasional class or workshop, although I am mostly on sabbatical from being a HPS at this time.

I have more hobbies than hours in the day and I am never bored.  My family and I have a huge garden full of vegetables, herbs and flowers that we lovingly grow with the help of our friend Steve on our city lot.  We live in an old behemoth of a Neo-Federal house that was built in 1920 and has four mostly finished floors.  We are restoring Brugh na Bhride, which is the name of our home, and it may take the rest of our lifetime getting her exactly the way she wants to be.

I have a series of sacred travel books in the working stages.  I am currently working primarily on the first three sections: The Sacred Sites of Northeast USA, The Sacred Sites of Southeast USA and The Sacred Sites of Mid-Atlantic USA.  This series will eventually cover all of North, Central and South America and then cross over to the British Isles and the pan-Celtic countries, perhaps not in that order.  Please write to me at Branwenn@aol.com.  I am delighted to hear from like-minded folks and read about what you think of my works.  Some of my best sacred sites were suggested to me by my readers.

AM – How did you become interested in writing?

PW – I have been writing ever since I could read.  I wrote poetry in grade school and even won an award for a poem I wrote in first grade. That got me started on the writing track.  After high school, where English was always my favorite subject, I was convinced that I wanted to be the next Woodward or Bernstein.  I first majored in English, then switched to Journalism and graduated cum laude in 1981 from Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, PA with two bachelor degrees, one in Journalism and one in English, concentrating on writing skills in each discipline.  I was nominated to the honorary journalism fraternity Sigma Delta Chi and joined the Pittsburgh Press Club. I worked at the Duquesne Duke, our daily college newspaper, as a copywriter and at WQED, our Pittsburgh PBS TV station, preparing the news copy to be read while in college.  Once I graduated, I kept a journal, but never published until 2002 when I returned from Ireland and wrote a long, descriptive narrative about my trip to Brighid’s Holy Well in Kildare, Ireland. Selena Fox at CIRCLE Magazine published the article, as well as Aranea at PagaNet News and I became hooked on writing about sacred travel.

AM – Tell us a little bit about Examiner.com and how you ended up writing for them.

PW –I applied and they accepted me. I saw the ad while I was visiting my Mom at Easter in 2009 and by May of 2009, I was publishing my first column. If you are a good writer but have only been published a few times, I heartily recommend you to Examiner.com.  I would be happy to refer you to work with them. (Please feel free to email me at Branwenn@aol.com if you are interested in becoming an Examiner.) They don’t pay a lot, but you have the excitement of seeing your by-line in print, increasing your readership and name recognition and publishing your works.  You also retain ownership of your works published on Examiner.com since you are an independent contractor. .

AM – To this point in your travels, what has been your favorite sacred site to visit?

PW – Nothing has ever equaled the amazing trip to Brighid’s Holy Well in Ireland.  The closest runner up to that site would be the Standing Stones of Callanish on the Isle of Lewis in the northern islands of Scotland known as the Outer Hebrides.  I prefer to travel in the pan-Celtic countries.  Of course, lately, money has been an issue, as well as volcanic dust, threatened flu epidemics and travel safety issues.  I am concentrating on the many USA sacred sites that many of us have never even heard of until now.

AM – What sites are you planning to visit next?

PW – I just returned from a wonderful trip to New England where I wrote several articles about a Beltaine Festival up there called: A Pagan Odyssey.  It is run by Rev. Alicia Folberth and the Panthean Temple, POB 111, Derby CT 06418
Phone: 203-660-1369 (voicemail) Email: PaganOdyssey@aol.com. The festival is held every year on a lovely farm in Oxford, CT.  That was an amazing week and I published several articles about the incredible workshops I attended with Atka the Wolf, Donna Henes and Kirk White, among others.  I also wrote about several sacred sites in New England, Mt, Katahdin in Maine, America’s Stonehenge in Salem, NH, Gungywamp neat Groton, CT and Balanced Rock in North Salem, NY.  I will be returning to New England in July to stay with a dear friend near Marblehead, MA and we are doing further research into the Sacred Sites of Northeast USA with visits to several other sacred attractions including Salem, MA and Newport Tower in Newport, RI to name just a few.

AM – Can you share anything with us about the travel books you are in the process of writing?

PW – My work seems to have a consciousness of its own with its own wishes to fulfill.  The writing directs me; I do not direct my writing.  It flows through me like the Goddess when you call Her and takes you not always where you want to be, but where you need to be. I was so wishing to go back to Ireland and all the pan-Celtic countries to visit more of those sacred sites, but money and crazy weather patterns have kept me here in North America.  Since I have been writing about the sacred places in North America, most of which I knew nothing about before now, I have become passionate about these more local sites and disgusted that they don’t receive the attention and the funding they deserve. I also feel very passionate about preservation of our sacred sites. I recently published a list of do’s and don’ts for visitors when they visit an archeological or natural sacred site.  So much damage gets done to these sites every year and soon we will not have them if we don’t learn how to treat them with respect.

AM – What do you think is the most important piece of advice that you would give an unpublished writer?

PW – Write every day!  Submit your articles everywhere you can!  Keep at it!  Don’t give up!

AM – Where can the readers go to read more of your writing and sign up to subscribe to your articles?

PW – They can read and subscribe to my Pagan Travel Examiner site at http://www.examiner.com/x-11273-Pagan-Travel-Examiner?selstate=mostrecent&page=4.  They can read and subscribe to my Travels with Branwenn blog at http://www.examiner.com/x-11273-Pagan-Travel-Examiner?selstate=mostrecent&page=4 .  Also look for my work in CIRCLE Magazine and upcoming in many other magazines and newsletters.

AM – Thank you for sharing some time with us today Paula.  We wish you many safe journeys and luck with your future writing endeavors.

TB – Thank you, Angelique, for being interested in my book, and thank you so much to the PWC for featuring me like this. It’s an honor.

AM – Please tell us a little more about yourself.

TB – I grew up in a family of Polish/Irish Catholics mixed with some true iconoclasts. I wanted to be a priest when I was a kid, but well… you know that whole girls can’t be priests thing got in the way and led to me feeling very disillusioned with the Church. At the same time I grew up absolutely wanting to be an astronaut, my first real memories are of Apollo 11 landing on the Moon, and like most kids at the time, I was all into that. So I grew up simultaneously pursuing a path of philosophy and deep spiritual meaning as well a path of astronomy and the hard sciences. Then I found D&D when I was in elementary school, and I played being a druid or a cleric to my heart’s content. So the groundwork for looking beyond Christianity for spiritual meaning was there from an early age, and feminism came in from an internal rebellion against the idea that I couldn’t do something or be something because I was a girl. It never sat right with me.

AM – What drew you to Goddess-centered spirituality?

TB – I found “The Holy Book of Women’s Mysteries” by Z Budapest when I was in seventh grade. I actually found it while looking up stuff about witchcraft as part of a school project focusing on colonial American history. I got a copy of both volumes and I was hooked. It spoke to me on every level. The fact that you could be female and be spiritually empowered, to be a priestess in your own right, was my dream come true. I devoured that book, and looked for more like it every chance I could find. I also found, quite by accident, the first coven that trained me, right under my nose. They also loved Z’s book. So her words and the teachings of my spiritual mommas put me on a Goddess-centered path that I still follow in my own way.

AM – How did The Mystai of the Moon tradition come about?  Where can we find more information about it?

TB – The Mystai of the Moon tradition came out of the coven I have been circling with since 2007-2008. The Dream a New Dream coven started out with eight women sharing sacred space and creating together from our diverse experiences. Since our connections are mostly online – only two of the original eight live near one another – we soon realized that the geographical disparity we experienced made it silly, not to mention difficult to celebrate seasonal observances. So it was an early conscious decision to focus purely on Lunar Mysteries since the Moon is the same no matter where on Earth you are. That decision was the foundation for everything that followed. We started blending our shared path as Dianic women with our desire to create a rich spiritual life centered on the Lunar Mysteries and our diverse experiences and talents to create a path that we soon discovered was taking us in a new direction altogether. In October of 2008 we gave this the name The Mystai of the Moon and opened the doors of our small coven to the idea of being a teaching circle for other women we knew who were interested in what we were doing. Since then the group of eight has grown to nearly 60.

To learn more about the Mystai of the Moon, women can check out our website, http://mystaiofthemoon.com or they can read the book, which is rich in our lore.

AM – Can you tell us more about the book “The Dance of the Mystai”?

TB – “The Dance of the Mystai” is a collection of essays, poetry, and other writings that come from my personal vision of Goddess-centered spirituality. It includes such things as the Manifesta of the original coven, which is still the foundation of our spiritual vision, and very personal writings about my own growth as a woman and a priestess. There is also a section on developing the inner oracular voice for women who are interested in learning more about it. It also has contributions from other women as well. Two of my dearest friends, Ghislaine and Aura, both contributed to it significantly through their writings and through their help in getting it put together. Also, Aura’s gifted daughter Amaris did the gorgeous cover art. Most of it is my work, and my words, but I can’t claim sole credit.

AM – What inspired you to write this book?

TB – It actually grew out of several things that were going on at the same time. I was already writing various essays on feminism and spirituality on my Livejournal, some of which got printed in some magazines and newsletters. I was also writing poetry, it’s something I have done for years as a means of personal expression, and a lot of it comes from Goddess inspirations. Then on top of all that, I had started writing a book on the path of the oracular priestess as something which modern women could follow. One day this light bulb just went on in my head that all these projects were just different ways of exploring the same thing, namely my vision as a priestess, and then it seemed that the best way to deal with them all was to combine them in one volume instead of spreading it out all over.

AM –Where you nervous when the book came out?  What kind of response are you receiving?

TB – Frankly, I was terrified. I have never felt so naked in my life. There it was, all my dreams, hopes, and feelings as a priestess out there for whoever got curious enough to read the book to share. But done is done, and there was no going back from it. Fortunately I have had a great response to the book so far. The compliments I get are very kind and quite encouraging.

AM – What can we expect to see next from you?

TB – Actually the next thing I am involved with is coming out later this month. “Hekate: Her Sacred Fires”, edited by Sorita D’Este and published by Avalonia, is coming out in time for the May full moon. A piece from “The Dance of the Mystai” titled “The Call” is one of the many contributions to this volume from lovers of Hekate from all over the world. I also have a monthly newsletter, The Goddess of the Month, which I do through the local branch of the Mystai called The Lake Area Goddesses Society. In fact, I just restarted the newsletter this March after a long hiatus (the last one was October 2009). This is available via email and started out as a gift from me to one of the women in the local group to help her learn more about different Goddesses.  Anyone who would be interested in it can subscribe through a link on the Lake Area Goddesses Society website (http://lakeareagoddessessociety.mystaiofthemoon.com).

AM – What do you think is the most important piece of advice that you would give an unpublished writer?

TB – Don’t rule out self-publishing as an option. I self-published and it has been a good thing in many ways because I have total control over the content of my book and the artwork in and on it. I will say that it takes a great deal of work to self-publish because no one will know your book is there unless you go out and tell people. I am not inclined to put myself out in public and toot my own horn very much, but I have had to learn to in order to get the word out about “The Dance of the Mystai”. It has been quite an experience.

AM – Where can we go to purchase “The Dance of the Mystai”?

TB – Right now, since I self-publish, it is only available in a couple places. First, those who would like to purchase it through print on demand can go to The Mystai of the Moon’s little gift shop on Cafepress (http://www.cafepress.com/mystaiofthemoon). Anyone who would like to purchase it as a download can do so through Lulu (http://www.lulu.com/product/file-download/the-dance-of-the-mystai/6010914).  I am also working on creating a version for ebooks readers.

AM – We appreciate you sharing your time with us today Tinnekke.  Thank you for joining us!  We wish you the best of luck with “The Dance of the Mystai,” The Mystai of the Moon tradition and your other future endeavors.

MaA – And thank you!

AM – Please tell us a little more about yourself.

MaA – Ah well, I’m a father and husband and son and brother, and an earth scientist and Wiccan. I work in environmental science and have founded several websites for writers. I was born in Chile and raised in Panama and now live in Texas.

AM – How did “Earth & Magick” come about?

MaA – I just found out about Wicca several years ago and was delighted to find that there was so much more to it than prancing naked beneath the stars, although that is fun too.  I have always strongly felt the pull of earth and want to explore the relationship between earth science and earth spirituality. This blog/podcast is my way to do that.

AM – What is it that keeps you and your blog going?

MaA – Sheer cussedness.

AM – What do you do when you get low on inspiration for new posts?

MaA – No such thing as being low on inspiration. The study of our earth is a vast field and I have lived an ‘interesting’ life. There’s always an idea for another ‘cast.

AM – I see from your blog that you have been taken on as a student by a local coven.  Tell us about it.

MaA – I am and will always be grateful to Blackberry Circle for being a public teaching coven, and for taking on this hard-headed scientist as a student.  I really needed some way to express my spirituality and they have provided it.

Blackberry Circle is a teaching Circle that holds open rituals.  They are few, but have touched Many.  And there is a need; people routinely travel for an hour or more to attend an open ritual.  I wish more Circles were open and out there for seekers to find.

AM – I also noticed on your site that you are a poet.  Would you care to share a few lines of poetry with us?

MaA – Oooh! Really?!  Okay. No need to twist any harder…

No Slave Girl

i would not make
a good slave-girl
chained naked
at the foot of your bed

i am too large
and too hairy
for your pleasure

i will not watch wide-eyed
while you prance and posture
to impress me…
your muscles squirming
like ferrets mating
beneath your skin

i will not wake you
with hot kisses
to your privates

i am too toothy for that

AM – What do you think is the most important piece of advice that you would give a beginning Pagan blogger?

MaA – Never give up and whatever you do, stay away from dark side (ie that ridiculous Redmond operating system). And, there’s no need to buy pricey software or hardware to get started. Take a look at my blog; I recently posted a list of what you need to get started.

One thing more; we are blessed with an abundance of great Pagan bloggers and podcasters to learn from. DO that; learn from them, and let them know how much you appreciate them.

Them, not me. I’m not there yet.

AM – Thank you for joining us today Meical! Good luck with your blog, “Earth & Magick,” and best of luck with your training and other endeavors.

TD – PWC is a marvelous meeting point for authors, readers, and ideas; I’d like to thank you Angelique for your passion and hard work. I’d like to extend a big thanks to the readers: you make my work enjoyable. It’s an honor and a delight to be with you this week, and to have this opportunity to share together.

AM – Please tell us a little more about yourself.

TD – I have embraced the Canaanite religion for over eleven years now and I’ve considered myself Pagan for about seventeen years total. In 1998 I earned my Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology. I have been a leader in the Canaanite Pagan community for seven years and during these years, I’ve lived and participated in Pagan communities throughout the US from the East Coast to the Inland Northwest. In December 2008, I became an ordained minister through the Universal Life Church. In the past year I became a member of the Unitarian Universalist Church and Covenant of Unitarian Universalist Pagans. I’ve written articles for Pan Gaia, Pentacle, Witches and Pagans, SageWoman, Circle, Green Egg, Balanced Life, and Watkins Review, and I have an essay slated for publication in Lupa’s new anthology Digging Up the Ostrich’s Head: Animal Sacrifice in Modern Pagan Practices. When at home, I enjoy spinning, weaving, and making sock creatures—my latest creature, as yet uncompleted, is Cth-Lulu, a female Cthulhu with toe-sock tentacles.

AM – What is Canaanite Paganism?

TD – Canaanite Paganism, sometimes called Natib Qadish, is a religion honoring a 3500-year old pantheon from the Near East. Ancient Canaan encompassed parts of modern Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Israel, and Palestine. Natib Qadish, Modern Canaanite Religion, seeks to bring the ways of the Canaanites into modern times. Practices are based on ancient cuneiform texts, but allow for modern inspiration. Although the deities come from the same area of the world that birthed the Bible, the Pagan religion significantly predates the Bible and elements of Pagan themes echo in the Christianity and Judaism today. In effect, anyone living in Western culture surrounded by mainstream Christianity and Judaism can think of themselves as spiritual inheritors of ancient Canaanite Paganism.

Canaanites had their own holy texts: The Epic of Ba’al, the storm god; The Wedding of Yarikh, the moon god, and Nikkal, the orchard goddess; The Birth of the Gracious Gods, Shalim, dusk, and Shachar, dawn; and many more. These texts were written circa 1500 BCE on clay tablets. The ancient Canaanites believed each deity was a separate being and most adherents of Canaanite religion likewise believe in the individuality of the deities. Modern Canaanite Pagans do not celebrate the Wiccan Wheel of the Year because the seasons in ancient Canaan are different from a temperate European climate. We honor a different holiday calendar which comes from sacred times and themes noted in Canaanite texts and culture.

AM – What drew you to that path?

TD – The deities brought me to these ways, and I stay because I love them and because I’m fascinated by the culture and practices that honored them. I envision stone temples with travertine floors; dark chambers illuminated by olive oil lamps; myrrh smoke curling in the shadows and light.

I had been an eclectic Pagan for about five years or so before dedicating myself to Canaanite ways. I had tried to piece together a patchwork-spirituality, incorporating elements from various cultures and traditions, but I felt that this didn’t go deep enough for me. I had tried to venerate what many call The Goddess and The God, and archetypal ideas, but I didn’t connect and I felt the relationship lacking in depth and familiarity. In the winter of 1998 I was going through a transition in my life: I really wanted and yearned for a spiritual family. At that point in my life I had almost resigned myself to not having a personal relationship with the divine, but the thought left me saddened and empty. I called out in prayer as I had often done—not to any particular entity—waiting, needing a response, and for once I heard an answer in my mind. I figured I simply heard no more than my own mental chatter, but I decided that it was worth looking into. Upon doing a little homework, I found that the goddess who called me did indeed exist. From that point on I have honored the Canaanite pantheon and have researched the ways of the ancients to provide a framework for their veneration.

AM – Tell us more about “Whisper of Stone: Modern Canaanite Religion”?

TD – This book is the culmination of eleven years of learning and at least seven years’ research and writing. In some respects, we modern Canaanites are lucky because the literate Canaanites kept records and wrote down their mythology. We have much more information, especially first-hand accounts written by the Canaanites themselves, than the Celts do since the Celts did not write. However Canaanite historians have fewer written accounts than the Greeks, Romans, and Egyptians. I use a lot of tentative language in the book because many scholars have different theories and I didn’t want to misrepresent history as absolute fact when very little of any history anytime, anywhere, is in absolutes. This problem raises its head in all historic studies, especially ancient studies, and I wanted the reader to be aware that our understanding of history constantly changes as we learn more, uncover more archaeological remains and texts, and invent new technology which helps us gain more information.

I have heavily footnoted the book so that readers are free to do their own homework and come to their own conclusions should they wish to. The book outlines history, beliefs, gods and goddesses, ethics, misconceptions, stories and legends, ritual forms and tools, holidays, magic, divination, symbols, incense, and herbs and animals in Near Eastern ideology. Any Pagan living alongside Christianity and Judaism inherits the Canaanite Pagan past of these two religions embedded and hidden in mainstream culture. Even the slang term for a cure for drunkenness—Hair of the Dog—originates in an ancient Canaanite tablet detailing a cure for a hangover.

AM – What inspired you to write this book?

TD – I had to write this book because I could find no complete information collected together about how to honor these deities and bring the ancient ways into modern times. I mostly found scholarly texts published through university and scholarly specialty presses. Indeed, I could find nothing that suited my needs for a modern Canaanite Paganism primer, and I sorely needed such a book. The Canaanite community needed such a book because people new to the Canaanite deities had nowhere to begin. I also felt the need to add diversity to modern Pagan culture which often focuses heavily on Wicca and on the Pagan and Heathen religions of Northern Europe. The Pagan religions of the ancient Near East, Middle East, and Mediterranean regions have cultures, practices, and symbolism, and even a different flavor from Northern Europe.

AM – This was your first book release.  Where you nervous about how it would be received by readers and the Pagan community?

TD – Here I have this four hundred and thirteen-page culmination of at least seven years’ work, so sure I worry about how the book is received. I think it’s rather like new-mother syndrome: the first one is a challenge, but with each subsequent one you have a better idea what to expect. I also worry because there’s such a heavy European focus that newer and more diverse works and ideas are sometimes overlooked in favor of the same rehashed old ideas that seem more marketable: such is the reason for the overabundance of “Wicca 101” books that the Pagan community is unhappy about. What response I have had has been largely positive, and especially appreciative that this book is written to take even a beginner beyond introductory-level material, and because of the foundation that comes from over seventy-five sources, most of which are research-intensive scholarly sources not yet mined by the modern Pagan community.

AM – What can we expect to see next from you?

TD – I have a manuscript tentatively titled Spring and Stone: Canaanite Magic that I’m working on. I am tinkering with a Near and Middle East grimoire which incorporates plants found in the region and their symbolism as known by the ancient cultures there. I am also working on some children’s fiction which is like The Dresden Files meets the Roswell television series.

AM – What do you think is the most important piece of advice that you would give an unpublished writer?

TD – Inspiration and Drive: you must have both. You must have drive to complete the work, submit it to publishers, and get through both rejection letters and the acceptance letter. However, the drive depends on the spark of inspiration to give it meaning and focus, and to keep it alive and vibrant through adversity. On a practical note, I would suggest first-timers try submitting work to smaller publishing houses because it provides a better chance of publication.

AM – Where can we go to learn more about you, purchase “Whisper of Stone: Modern Canaanite Religion” and get information on Canaanite Paganism?

TD – Great question, Angelique.

To learn more about Canaanite Paganism:

• Natib Qadish, Modern Canaanite Religion (my site): http://canaanitepath.com/
• Biti Anat, Lilinah. Qadash Kinahnu. http://webspace.webring.com/people/nl/lilinah_haanat/

For Canaanite Pagan, Middle Eastern, and Mediterranean Pagan Communities:

• CanaanitePaganism Discussion Group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/canaanitepaganism/
• Date Palm Forum Yahoo! : http://groups.yahoo.com/group/DatePalmForum/
• Date Palm Forum on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=130862314180

For Whisper of Stone discussion and Fan Page:

• http://www.facebook.com/pages/Whisper-of-Stone-Natib-Qadish-Modern-Canaanite-Religion/108339231027

To buy Whisper of Stone:

• Amazon.com (US) http://tinyurl.com/WhisperOfStone
• Amazon.com (UK) http://tinyurl.com/WhisperOfStoneUK
• Barnes and Noble http://productsearch.barnesandnoble.com/search/results.aspx?store=BOOK&WRD=Whisper+of+Stone
• Request it on order from your favorite book store
• Or contact me through Facebook or by email (contact@canaanitepath.com)

To learn more about me or Natib Qadish, Canaanite religion:

• Email me: contact@canaanitepath.com
• Or add me as a friend on Facebook

AM – Thank you for sharing your time with us today Tess.  We wish you the best of luck with “Whisper of Stone: Modern Canaanite Religion” and your future writing endeavors.

TD – Thank you, Angelique, and thank you, readers! Yishalam le-kumu, peace and wellbeing to you all.