Selena Fox
Encyclopedia
Selena Fox is a Wicca
n priestess and activist, psychotherapist, self-published author and lecturer in the fields of Neopaganism
, Wicca, New Age
and comparative religion.
Selena, along with others, founded Circle Sanctuary
in 1974, which is one of America's oldest Pagan centers and Wiccan churches. Circle Sanctuary is headquartered on its 200 acre (0.809372 km²) Circle Sanctuary Nature Preserve, founded in 1983. Circle Sanctuary's quarterly journal CIRCLE Magazine (formerly, Circle Network News) was first published in 1978 as a newsletter, then as a newspaper in 1980, and in magazine format in 1997. Fox also is the founder of the Pagan Spirit Gathering
, one of the oldest Nature Spirituality festivals in the United States.
, where her thesis was entitled When Goddess is God: Pagans, Recovery, and Alcoholics Anonymous (1995). She is a member of the American Psychological Association
, American Counseling Association
, Association for Transpersonal Psychology, and American Academy of Religion
.
at the age of 21 and has represented Neopaganism in the public sphere since 1973, making appearances on television and radio. She has also been mentioned in print publications, such as brief mention in a Time Magazine
article on Goddess Spirituality. She has also been the subject of repeated negatively-characterized feature stories on Pat Robertson
's The 700 Club
.
Wicca
Wicca , is a modern Pagan religious movement. Developing in England in the first half of the 20th century, Wicca was popularised in the 1950s and early 1960s by a Wiccan High Priest named Gerald Gardner, who at the time called it the "witch cult" and "witchcraft," and its adherents "the Wica."...
n priestess and activist, psychotherapist, self-published author and lecturer in the fields of Neopaganism
Neopaganism
Neopaganism is an umbrella term used to identify a wide variety of modern religious movements, particularly those influenced by or claiming to be derived from the various pagan beliefs of pre-modern Europe...
, Wicca, New Age
New Age
The New Age movement is a Western spiritual movement that developed in the second half of the 20th century. Its central precepts have been described as "drawing on both Eastern and Western spiritual and metaphysical traditions and then infusing them with influences from self-help and motivational...
and comparative religion.
Circle
Rev. Fox is the founder of the "Circle Craft" tradition of the Wiccan religion.Selena, along with others, founded Circle Sanctuary
Circle Sanctuary
Circle Sanctuary is a non-profit organization and legally recognized Wiccan Church based in southwestern Wisconsin, USA. Circle is the publisher of Circle Magazine, which has approximately 15,000 subscribers...
in 1974, which is one of America's oldest Pagan centers and Wiccan churches. Circle Sanctuary is headquartered on its 200 acre (0.809372 km²) Circle Sanctuary Nature Preserve, founded in 1983. Circle Sanctuary's quarterly journal CIRCLE Magazine (formerly, Circle Network News) was first published in 1978 as a newsletter, then as a newspaper in 1980, and in magazine format in 1997. Fox also is the founder of the Pagan Spirit Gathering
Pagan Spirit Gathering
The Pagan Spirit Gathering is one of the United States's oldest and largest nature spirituality festivals, organized by Circle Sanctuary...
, one of the oldest Nature Spirituality festivals in the United States.
Psychotherapy
Fox is a trained counselor and psychotherapist, having received her Master's Degree in Psychology from the University of Wisconsin–MadisonUniversity of Wisconsin–Madison
The University of Wisconsin–Madison is a public research university located in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1848, UW–Madison is the flagship campus of the University of Wisconsin System. It became a land-grant institution in 1866...
, where her thesis was entitled When Goddess is God: Pagans, Recovery, and Alcoholics Anonymous (1995). She is a member of the American Psychological Association
American Psychological Association
The American Psychological Association is the largest scientific and professional organization of psychologists in the United States. It is the world's largest association of psychologists with around 154,000 members including scientists, educators, clinicians, consultants and students. The APA...
, American Counseling Association
American Counseling Association
The American Counseling Association is a professional organization of counselors in the United States. It is the world's largest association exclusively representing professional counselors....
, Association for Transpersonal Psychology, and American Academy of Religion
American Academy of Religion
The American Academy of Religion is the world's largest association of scholars in the field of religious studies and related topics. It is a nonprofit member association,...
.
Media appearances
Fox attended her first Neopagan ritualRitual
A ritual is a set of actions, performed mainly for their symbolic value. It may be prescribed by a religion or by the traditions of a community. The term usually excludes actions which are arbitrarily chosen by the performers....
at the age of 21 and has represented Neopaganism in the public sphere since 1973, making appearances on television and radio. She has also been mentioned in print publications, such as brief mention in a Time Magazine
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
article on Goddess Spirituality. She has also been the subject of repeated negatively-characterized feature stories on Pat Robertson
Pat Robertson
Marion Gordon "Pat" Robertson is a media mogul, television evangelist, ex-Baptist minister and businessman who is politically aligned with the Christian Right in the United States....
's The 700 Club
The 700 Club
The 700 Club is the flagship news talk show of the Christian Broadcasting Network, airing in syndication throughout the United States and Canada. In production since 1966, it is currently hosted by Pat Robertson, Terry Meeuwsen, Kristi Watts, and Gordon P. Robertson, two of whom will host on any...
.
Wiccan Activism
Fox is the founder and executive director of the Lady Liberty League, a networking organization dedicated to religious freedom for Wiccans, Neopagans, and other nature religion practitioners worldwide. In 1992, she founded the Pagan Academic Network, an association for professors, students, and researchers with an academic interest in Neopaganism.Periodicals
- Circle Network News. Editor, publisher and primary contributor of Circle Sanctuary's newsletter/newspaper from 1978 to 1997.
- Circle Magazine. Editor and publisher of the quarterly magazine replacing Circle Sanctuary's newspaper in 1997.
Books
- Circle Magick Songs (1979) with Jim Alan. Circle Publications.
- Goddess Communion: Rituals and Meditations (1988). Circle Publications.
- Planetary Healing Rituals: Meditations, Rituals & Prayers for a healthier world (1991). Circle Sanctuary.
Discography
- Circle Songs and Chants - Jim Alan & Selena Fox (self-produced cassette)
- The Magickal Movement: Present and Future - panel discussion with Isaac BonewitsIsaac BonewitsPhillip Emmons Isaac Bonewits was an influential American Druid who published a number of books on the subject of Neopaganism and magic. He was also a liturgist, singer and songwriter, and founded the Druidic organisation Ár nDraíocht Féin, as well as the Neopagan civil rights group, the Aquarian...
, Margot AdlerMargot AdlerMargot Adler is an author, journalist, lecturer, Wiccan priestess and radio journalist and correspondent for National Public Radio .- Early life :Born in Little Rock, Arkansas, Adler grew up mostly in New York City...
and Robert Anton WilsonRobert Anton WilsonRobert Anton Wilson , known to friends as "Bob", was an American author and polymath who became at various times a novelist, philosopher, psychologist, essayist, editor, playwright, poet, futurist, civil libertarian and self-described agnostic mystic...
(ACEAssociation for Consciousness ExplorationThe Association for Consciousness Exploration LLC is an American organization based in Northeastern Ohio which produces events, books, and recorded media in the fields of "magic, mind-sciences, alternative lifestyles, comparative religion/spirituality, entertainment, holistic healing, and related...
cassette) - Magick Changing the World, the World Changing Magick - panel discussion with Bonewits, AmyLee, Jeff Rosenbaum and Robert Anton Wilson (ACE cassette)
General references
- Vale, V. and John Sulak (2001). Modern Pagans. San Francisco: Re/Search Publications. ISBN 1-889307-10-6. p. 201 - One page interview with Fox about Circle Sanctuary.