By Katrina Rasbold
Hello Green Egg Family! I started reading Green Egg in the 1980s when the Pagan climate and experience was somewhat different than it is now. We were not then as connected with other Pagans without the internet to draw us together. We had a limited number of resources available to us and only a handful of voices in the wilderness guiding us through the experiences. Not all of us were fortunate enough to be born into hereditary Pagan families and our only recourse was to follow the breadcrumb trails left by the people we now consider to be pioneers of Neopaganism.
There are amazing teachers out there now and we have greater access to them than we ever could have imagined four decades ago. People like Christopher Penczak, Thorn Mooney, John Beckett, Jon Drum, Judika Illes, and so many more continue the process of developing the various Pagan religions and providing guidance to the twenty-first century Pagan community. These contemporary leaders follow a trail blazed by the ground-breaking teachers of our past.
In this article, I share some of my favorite quotes from those who pioneered the NeoPagan movement, as well as some that informed foundational thoughts that guided the trajectory of that movement.
“No matter how important everything else is to magical success, belief is the most crucial.” – Dorothy Morrison (Georgian Wiccan and Folk Magic author)
“If we pursue a spiritual path in depth, then it changes who and what we are. There is no turning back. We can only move forward.” – Vivianne Crowley (Author and High Priestess)
“Magickal experiences are intuitive experiences felt at the spiritual level.” – Ellen Dugan (Cottage Witch)
“There are some situations even a half-Sidhe grand wizard can’t fix.” – Ellen Cannon Reed (Isian Tradition, Kabbalistic Witch)
“Magic is the practice of causing change through the use of powers as yet not defined or accepted by science.” – Scott Cunningham (Author)
“The essence of independence has been to think and act according to standards from within, not without.” – Aleister Crowley (Occultist, Philosopher)
“We are not on this planet to ask forgiveness of our deities.” – Scott Cunningham
“Mythology is what we call someone else’s religion.” – Joseph Campbell (Philosopher & Professor of Literature – Created the Monomyth & the Hero’s Journey)
“There is something pagan in me that I cannot shake off. In short, I deny nothing, but doubt everything.” – Lord Byron (Poet)
“Man suffers only because he takes seriously what the gods made for fun.” – Alan Watts (Philosopher)
“The authentic pagan has no need of religion because, whatever religion can provide, he already has it.” – Osho (Rajneesh – Indian Guru)
“This planet is our home. Our life and hers are interdependent.” – Doreen Valiente (Wiccan, Author)
“We are the possibilities and the unshattered dream, we are what gives life magick.” – Raven Grimassi (Stregherian Wiccan, Author)
“A religion without a goddess is halfway to atheism.” – Dion Fortune (Violet Mary Firth – Occultist & novelist)
“The first time I called myself a ‘Witch’ was the most magical moment of my life.” – Margot Adler (Wiccan, Journalist)
“Through the Goddess, we can discover our strength, enlighten our minds, own our bodies, and celebrate our emotions.” – Starhawk (Wiccan, Activist)
“The Goddess is Alive. Magic is afoot.” – Z Budapest (Dianic Wiccan, Author)
“Magic is not always serious or solemn. It is a joyous celebration and merging with the life-force.” – Scott Cunningham
“The desire for a female Divinity is not just Wiccan. It speaks of a global need.” – Silver Ravenwolf (Wiccan, Author)
“The power is neutral. It cannot be divided into positive and negative energies. Power is power.” – Scott Cunningham
“If someone gives you a spell you can make successful magick once. If someone shows you how to analyze spell structure and to construct your own spells, you not only can make magick forever, but you will become magick as well.” – Edain McCoy (Witch, Author)
“Don’t see a thing working – see it finished!” – Raymond Buckland (Father of American Wicca, Author)
What quotes from your formative years in the magical world stick out in your mind? We would love to hear from you in the comments section.
