Pagan Top 20!!!

All of the votes are in and have been tallied...who is your number 1?
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20) Cybill Shepherd - Actor/Author

Actress and former model, Cybill is best known roles include starring as Jacy in 'The Last Picture Show', as Betsy in 'Taxi Driver' and as Maddie Hayes on the amazing 'Moonlighting'.  Cybill made history when she came out of the broom closet on the Golden Globes.  She describes herself as “...a Christian Pagan Buddhist Goddess worshiper, but I’m also a feminist. I think the ultimate glass ceiling is God, in another words, if we think God is a man, then we make man a God, and I studied and learned that there is a whole other history of the worshiping of the great mother,” she explained. “I really think that probably God is a woman, that helped me to break through that celestial glass ceiling.”

19) The Power of Three from 'Charmed' - Alyssa Milano, Holly Marie Combs and Rose McGowan - Actors
'Charmed' can not be underestimated as an important tool.  They had a Book of Secrets and used the Wiccan rede.  It is a great introduction for mundanes wanting the learn more about our culture.  It helped redefine Witchcraft from the image of the Witches from 'The Wizard of Oz' to ourselves, modern, ready to come out into the open and not a wart to be seen.  This series has opened many doors for us.

18) Stevie Nicks - Musician

One minute she is saying she is not a Witch, the other, she is writing songs like 'Rhiannon'.  Make up your mind woman!!!  LOL!  While she admits to having a high regard for the mythic and gothic, she denies any solitary dedication to any one religion, including Wicca. Nicks' music is copyrighted under the name Welsh Witch Music, a reference to her song 'Rhiannon'.

17) Wendy Rule - Musician

Rule is a practicing Witch and her lyrics typically address Pagan and mythological themes. She has publicly spoken about her belief in Polytheism, and her lyrics have been influential in Wiccan ritual. 
Wendy Rule's Official Site

16) Julie Andrews - Actor/Musician

Who here didn't try to jump off there front porch with an umbrella?  'Mary Poppins' for which she won the Academy Award for Best Actress, is the role for which she is still best-known.  Julie, you are "practically perfect in every way!"

15) Laurie Cabot - Salem's Official Witch

Laurie was one of the first people to popularize Witchcraft in the United States. She is the author of such books as 'The Power of the Witch'.  She also founding the Cabot Tradition of the Science of Witchcraft and the Witches' League for Public Awareness to defend the civil rights of Witches everywhere. In the 1970s, Cabot was declared the "official Witch of Salem, Massachusetts", by then-Governor Michael Dukakis, to honor her work with special needs children.  She is perhaps one the most high-profile Witches in the world.

14) Elvira, Mistress of the Dark: Cassandra Peterson - Actor

Cassandra Peterson and best friend Robert Redding came up with the sexy punk/vampire look after producers rejected her original idea to look like Sharon Tate in The Fearless Vampire Killers.  Unable to continue with the Vampira character, the name Elvira was chosen. What followed was Elvira's Movie Macabre featuring a quick-witted valley-girl type character named Elvira, Mistress of the Dark.  With heavily-applied pancake horror make-up and a towering black beehive wig concealing her flame-red hair, the transformation from Cassandra Peterson to the sexy "Elvira" was so drastic that no one ever recognized her out of costume.  The Elvira character rapidly evolved from obscure cult figure to lucrative brand-name and "Mistress of all Media", spawning countless products throughout the years.

Elvira Official Site

13) Angelina Jolie - Actor/Activist

Jolie has received an Academy Award, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, and three Golden Globe Awards. Jolie promotes humanitarian causes, and is noted for her work with refugees as a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). She has been cited as one of the world's most attractive people.  "We cannot close ourselves off to information and ignore the fact that millions of people are out there suffering. I honestly want to help. I don't believe I feel differently from other people. I think we all want justice and equality, a chance for a life with meaning. All of us would like to believe that if we were in a bad situation someone would help us." (Jolie on her motives for joining UNHCR in 2001).  Some have speculated that Angelina Jolie is now a Buddhist (rumour also has it that Angelina and Brad had a Buddhist marriage ceremony), but she has not indicated a commitment to Buddhism more than any other faith. In fact, she seems to take a United-Nations inspired approach to her family, and perhaps, to her religion.

12) Fairuza Balk - Actor

Fairuza made her theatrical film debut as Dorothy Gale in Disney's 'Return to Oz'. Her most famous Pagan roles are Mildred Hubble in 'The Worst Witch' and Nancy in 'The Craft'.  From 1995 to 2001, Balk owned Panpipes Magickal Marketplace, an occult store, in Hollywood, California.  Now, she is focusing on her music.  Her first release is sometime this year.  Watch her Official site for updates...fairuza.com.

11) The West Memphis Three - Religious Prisoners

From wm3.org - "Teenagers at the time of their arrest in 1993, these young men were considered suspects in the gruesome triple child homicide and arrested without any evidence tying them to the crime. The police and the state managed to convince the media and the juries that "devil worshippers" were responsible, and that Damien, Jason and Jessie somehow fit that description. It was publicly stated by law enforcement officials and the media that the murders had been a part of a satanic ritual; a human sacrifice in the wooded areas of West Memphis, Arkansas. It seems unlikely that this would be accepted as motive by a contemporary jury, but once the police had a young, mentally challenged boy in their custody, they managed to coerce him into providing what was seen as a "confession" despite huge logic holes, discrepancies and the fact that he later recanted and refused to testify against the other two men.

Now, 15 years later, these men are still fighting for their freedom, but there are a few major differences now. The "satanic cult sacrifice" motive is now seen as an embarrassment that the police and prosecution no longer embrace, and much more importantly, DNA and other forensic technologies have progressed to the point where items that were previously inadequate for testing are now providing the positive proof that Damien, Jason and Jessie have been waiting over a decade for."

They have found many public supporters over the years, from Winona Ryder to Johnny Depp.  With the new DNA evidence uncovered and FINALLY new trials scheduled, there is now hope of seeing their release.
WM3 - Official Site - PLEASE DONATE!!!

10) Selena Fox - Author/Leader

Selena is a Wiccan priestess, an activist and lecturer in the fields of Neopaganism, Wicca, New Age and comparative religion.  She is the founder of the "Circle Craft" tradition of the Wiccan religion.  Selena, along with others, founded Circle Sanctuary in 1974, which is one of America's oldest Pagan centers and Wiccan churches.

Selena Fox - Official Site

9) Daniel Radcliffe - Actor

I know, I know...a hokey pop culture choice.  However, when explaining Witchcraft to young children, just say Harry Potter and they get it.  J.K. Rowling could have been the choice, but the boy who lived is now seen to be Daniel.  Is it time for the last movie yet?

8) Sully Erna - Musician

The singer of Godsmack and a solo artist ('The Expendables' soundtrack:-) is the most publicly out Wiccan celebrity. 

"I'm not trying to convert them; I just want them to understand that Wicca has nothing to do with black magic. It's not about turning people into frogs or practicing black magic...Wicca is a very peaceful, harmonious and balanced way of thinking, an earth religion if you want. I believe it is the oldest religion, definitely pre-Christian, and we don't worship Satan or the devil because we don't believe in it. We believe that the earth is a mother to us all and we should honor and respect her and live a harmonious life. We don't own the earth but we are part of it and to destroy it means to destroy ourselves. We respect life above all. Respect for life and free thought I'd say are the basics for Wicca. We respect every other religion because we think all gods and goddesses are the same. People just worship them in a different way. Wicca is often mistakenly associated with evil, but we believe in Karma and if we do something bad it comes back to haunt us, as a godsmack! That's the basic creed, harm none. We don't sacrifice people and we don't sacrifice animals because we believe in harming no one. We also don't worship Satan; he is a Christian creation and they can keep him. Wicca doesn't work with fear. It's about your own consciousness and doing what's right. We believe in the Law of Three: whatever you do comes back three fold, good or bad." 

Sully's Official Site - SULLYERNA.COM

7) Tim Burton - Director/ Artist

Burton is famous for dark, quirky-themed movies such as 'The Nightmare Before Christmas' and 'Sleepy Hollow' and for blockbusters such as 'Batman' and 'Alice in Wonderland', his most recent film, that is currently the second highest-grossing film of 2010 as well as the sixth highest-grossing film of all time.  Burton has said concerning religion, "My parents tried to send me to church, but suburban religion is a bureaucratic setup where you're told things but you don't feel anything. I consider myself a spiritual person, but I don't place spirituality in any form or place."  He is our Pagan pied piper even if he is not Pagan himself.  With every new masterpiece, there is a new beautiful depiction of our culture.

6) Alyson Hannigan - Actor

Do you have to ask?  Willow, from 'Buffy, the Vampire Slayer' is the perfect Witch...cute on the outside with that dark side itching to have fun.  I have seen it listed that Alyson herself is a Pagan, but I cannot confirm.  Isn't it just great to wonder?

5) Barbara Eden - Actor

Barbara is best known for her starring role in the sitcom 'I Dream of Jeannie'.  Duh!  It's like the twitching of the nose for 'Bewitched', you try to cross your arms and nod to create magical wishes.  Or you dress up in a kinky Genie outfit...LOL! 

4) George Lucas - Director

Only so often can you say that you have created a religion...by accident no less!  In Australia, more than 70,000 people (0.37%) declared themselves members of the Jedi order in the 2001 census.  In England and Wales, 390,127 people (almost 0.8%) stated their religion as Jedi on their 2001 Census forms, surpassing Sikhism, Judaism, and Buddhism, and making it the fourth largest reported religion in the countries.  This gave rise to a movement to establish "genuine" Jediism, a genuine religious movement.

3) Johnny Depp - Actor

Johnny is known for his portrayals of offbeat, eccentric characters in a wide variety of dramas and fantasy films. He has won the Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild award.  He is also Captain Jack!  Depp has collaborated with director and close friend Tim Burton in seven films, beginning with Edward Scissorhands (1990), opposite Winona Ryder and Vincent Price.  Most recently, he was seen in Tim's 'Alice in Wonderland', the 3rd highest grossing 3D film of all time.  When asked about religion, he has said, "...I believe in destiny. There has to be to a reason for all this, a driving force, even if we can't fully understand it. That I'm here, that I've been blessed with the work I've done, with the girl I have, the children I have. I don't know if I would call it God. My image of God has evolved, by the way: from the wise old man with a white beard on a fluffy cloud from my childhood years he has changed into a cosmic omnipresence, from the air to the trees, and all possible human and animal creatures. I surely don't go to church. Organized religion doesn't appeal to me. Probably because of my childhood: my uncle was a preacher and he was constantly talking about hell and damnation. Not my scene."

2) Silver Ravenwolf - Author

Ok, I have always had mixed feelings about Silver Ravenwolf.  First, let me say that her early work is a great introduction to the Craft.  She is straightforward and easy to understand.  She explains the basics well and is a good starting point for any beginner.  That being said, 'Teen Witch' is rather slanted and judgemental.  Example, Real Witches do not "...work black magick - that's those other guys. Real Witches know that whatever you do, whether in this world or the magickal world, comes back to you three times. If you do good stuff, then you get rewarded. If you do bad stuff, you pay the price - and, let me add, you will pay dearly. Wiccans have a poem that goes: Ever mind the rule of three, what you give out comes back to thee."  Magic is neither Black or White, Good or Evil.  That is like saying good Catholic or Bad Catholic...it's a tool, not a person.  Another is "Whether you practice folk magick or ceremonial magick, both systems used in a positive way have the following in common: All magick contains prayer. All magick incorporates divinity. All magick concentrates on positive change."  Huh?  Pandering the the big three masses a bit for me. 

Don't get me wrong, she was overwhelmingly mentioned by the voters, but the context she was mentioned in was usually "but, she is wishy, washy."  If you are a fan, I'm sorry.  This is just one Witch's opinion...

1) Neil Gaiman - Author

YAY!!!  Over half of the voters said Neil Gaiman.  Is it because he is the award winning author of the comic book series 'The Sandman' and novels 'Stardust', 'American Gods', 'Coraline', and 'The Graveyard Book'?  Is it because this work is steeped in all areas of Magical lore?  No, it think in the grand scheme of the world, he is one of the few people on it that makes it a  better place.  His writing is a modern Pagan's template for existence, full of humour and adventure.  He is our imp; he is our jester...
"May your coming year be filled with magic and dreams and good madness. I hope you read some fine books and kiss someone who thinks you're wonderful, and don't forget to make some art -- write or draw or build or sing or live as only you can. And I hope, somewhere in the next year, you surprise yourself." - Neil Gaiman



***Special thanks to Wikipedia for some stats and quotes!