Voices
on the Path-
A
Collection of Interviews
Irish
Hedge Witch/Professor
Hex
First
can you briefly tell us about yourself? What is your profession? Any
special hobbies?
I'm an English professor in a small town liberal arts college. I ride a motorcycle, and have a passion for road trips. American back roads are an awesome form of time travel.
When did you begin your path? What inspired you to walk this journey?
Probably around age 10 or so. It began, oddly, with an interest in hypnosis (altered states of consciousness, I suppose). But sometimes, even that young, certain people or ideas seemed just intensely familiar to me, as if I already knew them. It was the 70s, and there were a lot of books about goddess worship, witchcraft, and the occult easily available even in my small town. And it all just tugged on me with its familiarity.
Can you tell us a little about your path? How would you describe yourself?
Probably the best term is Irish hedge witch. I loved herblore as a teenager, and grew a witches herb garden in my small town back yard (or did until my brother decimated it with a lawn mower). I work from nature. Certain African paths also resonate with me, especially Vodou and Lucumi, because their flavor of Catholicism is comfortable for me. Lately I'm learning more about hoodoo and rootworking, because the cultural learning curve is a lot less steep and the practice is a lot closer to what I already know.
But I'm also a scholar. I went to Ireland to get a Master's Degree in Irish Studies (to find out if Robert Graves was right), and my PhD work included a study of Irish and classical mythology, in order to learn what was authentic and what was made up about the pagan tradition. (What I learned: it's really quite old, but also, it was all always already made up. Traditions have always been invented things.) I've always been solitary. I like other people, but group politics, especially the pagan politics of the 80s and early 90s, just got seriously tiresome--all the stupid purges and witch wars. .
Does the path you've chosen affect your profession? If so, how?
Yes, being a professor for me was the best possible way to express my paganism, because it's a direct way to connect me with all that free-floating knowledge and persistent deja vu I experienced as a kid. There is so much literature, poetry, history, stories, from so many different times and places, that describe what I feel.
Is community important to you, or do you prefer to express you beliefs as a solitary?
Solitary. I miss community, and like to be somewhere near other pagans. But see above re politics. Also, I get really impatient with pagans who don't know or don't want to know the truth about our own history--especially those who follow Celtic or druidic paths. What almost all of the books on those topics say Celtic pagan culture was like and what it was actually like are two different things. Most people don't want to know that, and I happen to think the real thing is far more complex and interesting. I said above that the tradition was all made up even in the beginning, but stuff that was made up in the 60s or 70s just seems thinner to me.
Are you associated with any organizations, volunteer work, or groups that support your spiritual beliefs?
Not at the moment.
Would you say your path has been an easy or difficult journey? Any advice for someone new to this path?
Easy for me personally, because it's who I've always been. My issues with community I think have always been a snagging point though. Hmmm. I'd say to someone new: find out what is really true. Make sure that your first priority is your own personal stability, and a community that's actually supportive. Don't get caught up in personalities--your own, or other peoples'.
Finally, what three books would you say most influenced your path.
The Truth about Unicorns, Bonnie Jones Reynolds
Sweeney Astray, Thomas Heaney
Principia Discordia, Malaclypse the Younger (or else the Tibetan Book of the Dead)
Thanks for the questions!
I'm an English professor in a small town liberal arts college. I ride a motorcycle, and have a passion for road trips. American back roads are an awesome form of time travel.
When did you begin your path? What inspired you to walk this journey?
Probably around age 10 or so. It began, oddly, with an interest in hypnosis (altered states of consciousness, I suppose). But sometimes, even that young, certain people or ideas seemed just intensely familiar to me, as if I already knew them. It was the 70s, and there were a lot of books about goddess worship, witchcraft, and the occult easily available even in my small town. And it all just tugged on me with its familiarity.
Can you tell us a little about your path? How would you describe yourself?
Probably the best term is Irish hedge witch. I loved herblore as a teenager, and grew a witches herb garden in my small town back yard (or did until my brother decimated it with a lawn mower). I work from nature. Certain African paths also resonate with me, especially Vodou and Lucumi, because their flavor of Catholicism is comfortable for me. Lately I'm learning more about hoodoo and rootworking, because the cultural learning curve is a lot less steep and the practice is a lot closer to what I already know.
But I'm also a scholar. I went to Ireland to get a Master's Degree in Irish Studies (to find out if Robert Graves was right), and my PhD work included a study of Irish and classical mythology, in order to learn what was authentic and what was made up about the pagan tradition. (What I learned: it's really quite old, but also, it was all always already made up. Traditions have always been invented things.) I've always been solitary. I like other people, but group politics, especially the pagan politics of the 80s and early 90s, just got seriously tiresome--all the stupid purges and witch wars. .
Does the path you've chosen affect your profession? If so, how?
Yes, being a professor for me was the best possible way to express my paganism, because it's a direct way to connect me with all that free-floating knowledge and persistent deja vu I experienced as a kid. There is so much literature, poetry, history, stories, from so many different times and places, that describe what I feel.
Is community important to you, or do you prefer to express you beliefs as a solitary?
Solitary. I miss community, and like to be somewhere near other pagans. But see above re politics. Also, I get really impatient with pagans who don't know or don't want to know the truth about our own history--especially those who follow Celtic or druidic paths. What almost all of the books on those topics say Celtic pagan culture was like and what it was actually like are two different things. Most people don't want to know that, and I happen to think the real thing is far more complex and interesting. I said above that the tradition was all made up even in the beginning, but stuff that was made up in the 60s or 70s just seems thinner to me.
Are you associated with any organizations, volunteer work, or groups that support your spiritual beliefs?
Not at the moment.
Would you say your path has been an easy or difficult journey? Any advice for someone new to this path?
Easy for me personally, because it's who I've always been. My issues with community I think have always been a snagging point though. Hmmm. I'd say to someone new: find out what is really true. Make sure that your first priority is your own personal stability, and a community that's actually supportive. Don't get caught up in personalities--your own, or other peoples'.
Finally, what three books would you say most influenced your path.
The Truth about Unicorns, Bonnie Jones Reynolds
Sweeney Astray, Thomas Heaney
Principia Discordia, Malaclypse the Younger (or else the Tibetan Book of the Dead)
Thanks for the questions!
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