THE PRACTICAL PAGAN Dana D. Eilers The Career Press (cid:72) THE (cid:73) PRACTICAL PAGAN (cid:72) THE (cid:73) PRACTICAL PAGAN B Y D D. E ANA ILERS NEW PAGE BOOKS A division of The Career Press, Inc. Franklin Lakes, NJ Copyright  2002 by Dana D. Eilers All rights reserved under the Pan-American and International Copyright Conventions. This book may not be reproduced, in whole or in part, in any form or by any means electronic or mechanical, including photocopy- ing, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system now known or hereafter invented, without written permission from the publisher, The Career Press. THE PRACTICAL PAGAN Edited by Jodi Brandon Typeset by Kristen Mohn Illustrations by Ned Sonntag Cover design by Cheryl Cohan Finbow Printed in the U.S.A. by Book-mart Press To order this title, please call toll-free 1-800-CAREER-1 (NJ and Canada: 201-848-0310) to order using VISA or MasterCard, or for further information on books from Career Press. The Career Press, Inc., 3 Tice Road, PO Box 687, Franklin Lakes, NJ 07417 www.careerpress.com www.newpagebooks.com Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Eilers, Dana D. The practical pagan : common sense guidelines for modern practitioners / by Dana D. Eilers. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 1-56414-601-4 1. Occultism. 2. Paganism. I. Title. BF1411 .E34 2002 299—dc21 2002019893 (cid:72) Dedication (cid:73) This book is dedicated to my Mother— Goddess, healer, and Witch—who taught me most of what I know long before it was fashionable. Back in those days, we just called it discipline and the right kind of upbringing. Thank you, Mother. (cid:72) Acknowledgments(cid:73) This is my first book and so, there are going to be a few acknowledgments. First, I would like to thank my mother and my father, without whose generosity, love, and support, this would never have happened. My heartfelt thanks go out to Chere Belknap for her assistance and rec- ommendations. I am a techno-nincompoop, and without Ray White, I would still be struggling with my errant computer. Pictures? Illustrations? Thank the Gods for my Mother, Ned Sonntag, Anne Rose, Ray White, and the Coven of the Cosmic Cartoons because without them, this book would be a bunch of bald script. Way back in ancient times when I was first considering writing this book and pounding out the first manuscript, I had the help of Dawn Marie Blades and her husband David Szucs, without whom I would not have had a single word on a floppy disc. I would like to thank my friends at Orleans Camera and Video in East Harwich for steering me through the photography process. I never knew what a TIFF file was, but they sure did. Finally, there are my most faithful late-night compan- ions and steadfast friends: Chad, Bitty, Imzadie, and Minuet. They were at my side through every sentence. Contents IIIII nnnnntttttrrrrroooooddddduuuuuccccctttttiiiiiooooonnnnn 1111111111 CCCCC 11111 hhhhhaaaaapppppttttteeeeerrrrr What the Heck Is a Pagan? 1111177777 CCCCC 22222 hhhhhaaaaapppppttttteeeeerrrrr Should I Panic? 3333355555 CCCCC 33333 hhhhhaaaaapppppttttteeeeerrrrr Are There Any Rules? 6666611111 CCCCC 44444 hhhhhaaaaapppppttttteeeeerrrrr Yeah, but What About My Sex Life? 9999955555 CCCCC 55555 hhhhhaaaaapppppttttteeeeerrrrr Where Is Everyone? 111112222233333 CCCCC 66666 hhhhhaaaaapppppttttteeeeerrrrr Help! There Is No Pagan K-Mart! 111114444477777