History of Neo-Pagan Druidism, Requirement 4g

Of the following names, identify and explain the importance each has had in Neopagan history and/or the magical revival (minimum 100 words for each): Two of my choosing: Margot Adler and Kerry Thornley

Margot Adler:

Margot Adler, an NPR correspondant and journalist, she is the author of Drawing Down the Moon: Witches, Druids, Goddess-Worshippers and Other Pagans in America Today. This particular book (which came out on the same day as Starhawk's Spiral Dance) is and has been the most authoritative source on what Pagans do, who we are, and why we do what we do for nearly twenty-five years. More than any other book, it has shown Neo-Pagans that there are many, many options within the community that any person can draw on in order to feel at home. She covers quite well all the strange and often amusing habits of Neo-Paganism and paints a wonderful picture of acceptance. To a great extent, this book has helped create an environment of common decency and mutual respect between the various Neo-Pagan religious traditions.

The old Pagan joke most brilliantly encapsulates the importance of DDM: "You might be a Fluffy Bunny if you quote a page from Drawing Down the Moon to prove your argument, knowing damn well that they haven't read it, either!"

Kerry Thornley:

Kerry Thornley, a.k.a. Omar Ravenhurst, was the first to use the word "Pagan" to describe . . . Pagans. (Adler, 294) He did this in an article written for Kerista in 1966, and it was picked up by Oberon Zell in the publication of Green Egg in 1968. As a founder, with Greg Hill, of the Discordian Movement, his theological descendents have brought an element of humour, joy, fun (and, occasionally, terror) to Neo-Paganism, and have played hard on the protestantism inherent in Neo-Paganism by declaring every man, woman, and child on the face of the planet to be a pope in the POEE. The sense of irreverence that they can bring is infectious (even if you manage to have anti-bacterial ritual scripts and try to keep their nasty fun-germs from being theologically sneezed upon you). The Discordian influence, even though it is probably a dirty Illuminati plot, permeates the Neo-Pagan community.

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