Pagan Perspectives
A few days ago, on his Patheos Pagan blog Raise the Horns, Jason Mankey published a list of the 25 people he considers as the most influential living Pagans, inspired by a 2004 post from The Wild Hunt. Mankey has said these lists do not serve any real purpose and are just for fun, but while these lists could never be final or one hundred percent objective, as they depend on the curator’s bias and experiences, they help readers gain an idea of who’s who in contemporary Paganism and the work they do.
Mankey mentioned the criteria he used and acknowledged his limitations as an author when putting up the list together, including that the list is mainly made of Pagans from the United States and the United Kingdom. He suggested his readers contribute to the list, whether by directly commenting on his post, or indirectly anywhere on the internet. This could be a great start to a global conversation Pagans could have as an international community, sharing our thoughts about who we think has influenced Pagan society. Maybe we could one day generate a list of influential Pagans from all around the world, including figures like Claudiney Prieto from Brazil, Ipsita Roy Chakraverti from India, or Sandra Roman from Argentina. It could be a great opportunity to learn more about what is happening or has happened in other regions.
Consider this list of influential Pagans in Mexico a response to Mankey’s open invitation. Although we in Mexico have been deeply influenced by international figures, there are plenty of Pagans who have made great local contributions and have helped to shape the present state of Paganism in Mexico.
It is important to mention that the criteria for this list differ from Mankey’s. First, the list includes a few people who may not be very active nowadays in the Pagan community, but they have been included because their work has somehow influenced what Paganism is today in Mexico. Second, the list is focused on the Witchcraft and Wiccan spheres of Paganism; otherwise, the basis of the list would be very different.
Some people included are well-known in the Mexican Pagan community, their names commonly mentioned in conversation: these are people who have created channels, spaces, or events for the Pagan community, and their contribution helps the Pagan community to gather and integrate, as well as people who frequently talk publicly about Paganism and Witchcraft, sharing their opinions and knowledge online, on radio, on TV, or in books. (Readers may notice that a few of these people have already been covered in The Wild Hunt, and more is intended to be written about them.)
The 15 Most Influential Pagans in Mexico (in alphabetical order)
Luis G. Abaddie
Luis G. Abbadie [Wikimedia Commons].
Luis G. Abaddie is a writer specialized in horror, fantasy, and Paganism, and has collaborated in writing projects from all around the globe. His spiritual path has been focused on Stregoneria and hedgewitchcraft. In 2004, he wrote the book El Sendero de Los Brujos (The Witches’ Path), addressing young Pagans and trying to explain common confusions.
Samak Artemisa
Samak Artemisa is the founder of the Centro de Estudios Alquimist and the Hékate Sisterhood. She has an extensive academic background and has written three books. The first one, Morgana, was inspired by her pregnancy and talks about the gestation and birth process as an initiatory journey. She is currently presenting her new book, El Diario de una Bruja (The Diary of a Witch), where she shares her experiences as a witch, her knowledge, and her point of view.
Alejandro Estanislao
Alejandro Estanislao is the founder of Cofradía Wicca Luna Azul, an eclectic Wiccan school and group. He has given many courses about feminine spirituality, natural magic, European witchcraft, and Mexican sorcery. As President of the Consejo Wicca Mexico, he coordinates the annual Pagan Pride March and curates the Pagan Art Exhibition in Mexico City.
Veronica Hernández
Veronica Hernandez, also known as Tessa, is the director and founder of the Círculo Wicca de México. She has written a few books about Wicca, faeries, Celtic magic, and runes. She created the healing system Vitkar and the Wiccan Celta Faery tradition. She is well known as one of the longest-practicing Wiccan teachers in Mexico.
Tarwe Hrossdottir
Tarwe Hrossdottir is the founder of the Hermandad de la Diosa Blanca, and she is the national coordinator for the Pagan Federation International – Mexico. She has given many courses on spirituality and Paganism since 2001. Every year around the autumn equinox, she organizes the Día del Orgullo Pagano – México (Mexican Pagan Pride Day).
Kenston Luna
Kenston Luna is a writer and therapist. He wrote 13 Lunas: el Regreso al Camino de la Diosa (13 Moons: the Return to the Path of the Goddess), which is divided into three parts and could be considered a classic for Spanish-speaking Pagans. He has given a workshop around this work for more than ten years and published for seven years a calendar with the same name. He has also written the novel trilogy Crónicas de Ildur under the pen-name of Kenston S. Fuentes.
Elsa Marya
Elsa Marya is the founder of Casa Salem Witch Store & Coffee, and is director of the magical center Ynys Avallach Mon, both significant locations where the Pagan and Witchcraft community gathers in Mexico City.
Driel Molmont
Driel Molmont is an adherent and the guardian of a family Mexican Witchcraft tradition fused with a Shamanic tradition from the Basque Country. He is an active member and elder of Societas Draconistratum and teaches Traditional Witchcraft. Although his tradition is Hermetic and most of his teachings are not open to the general public, he constantly gets involved in the Pagan community, sharing his respectful ways of interaction between Pagans and always inspiring them to work together for a greater good.
Isaac Mora
Isaac Mora is a video blogger, better known as Witchizac because of the name of his Youtube Channel. The channel has more than 62 thousand subscribers, more than 8 million views, and has published more than 125 videos about magic, Wicca, and the occult since 2009.
Martha Moran
[Witchmart.]
Witchmart is Martha Moran’s brand through which she sells magical products and teaches classes. Witchmart images can be seen constantly on Facebook, where the page has more than 31 thousand followers – unsurprising, thanks to its great magical memes.
Christian Ortiz
Christian Ortiz is the coordinator of the Fraternidad de la Diosa (Fellowship of the Goddess). He was ordained as second kourete in the Dianic tradition. He is also a member of the Fellowship of Isis. He founded the Spanish-speaking Pagan magazine El Caldero and has participated in many international events and projects, such as the Conference of Wicca and Goddess Spirituality in Brazil. He is also a writer and collaborated on the book Call of the God: An Exploration of the Divine Masculine within Modern Paganism.
Cesar Ramsay
Cesar Ramsay has taught about topics related to Paganism and Wicca for 14 years. He has participated in many Pagan events and has had a few radio shows. He founded Sociedad Wicca México A.C. (the Mexican Wiccan Society) in 2003, and has been greatly involved in the integration of the Mexican Pagan community. He also has promoted and worked for a constant joint collaboration between different schools and groups.
Mauricio Sanchez
The Mexican Pagan community would not be the same without Mauricio Sanchez’s online radio show Wicca Radio, where he interviews different Pagan figures.
Alejandro Reyes
Alejandro Reyes is a priest trained with the Glastonbury Goddess Temple. He is also a disciple of Kathy Jones. He founded in 2016 the Templo de la Diosa en México (Goddess Temple in Mexico), a sacred space in the center of Mexico City dedicated to the exploration and celebration of the Divine Feminine.
Adonis Warlock
Finally, Adonis Warlock is a psychotherapist, a teacher, and the founder of the magical school Decretum Magus Wicca. He is the face behind the website Hysteria Pagana, an online radio station and store, which is one of the main Spanish-speaking channels attracting new generations of Pagans. He is also the creator and organizer of the Encuentro con la Diosa en México (Congress with the Goddess in Mexico), an annual spiritual retreat dedicated to the Pagan community.
Final Thoughts
This could never be a final list and some names must be missing. For the purposes of length, it has been limited to 15 names. The list is created with all respect and admiration for everyone’s work and legacy. If there is a name someone thinks should have been mentioned, that would be a perfect excuse to join the conversation.
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The views and opinions expressed by our diverse panel of columnists and guest writers represent the many diverging perspectives held within the global Pagan, Heathen and polytheist communities, but do not necessarily reflect the views of The Wild Hunt Inc. or its management.
