Selena Fox (born 20 October 1949 in Arlington, Virginia
/ref>) is a

Wicca Wicca () is a modern Pagan religion. Scholars of religion categorise it as both a new religious movement and as part of the occultist stream of Western esotericism. It was developed in England during the first half of the 20th century and w ...

n priestess, interfaith minister,

environmentalist An environmentalist is a person who is concerned with and/or advocates for the protection of the environment. An environmentalist can be considered a supporter of the goals of the environmental movement, "a political and ethical movement that s ...

, pagan elder, author, and lecturer in the fields of pagan studies,

ecopsychology Ecopsychology is an interdisciplinary and transdisciplinarity field that focuses on the synthesis of ecology and psychology and the promotion of sustainability. It is distinguished from conventional psychology as it focuses on studying the emotio ...

, and comparative religion. Fox is a trained counselor and psychotherapist, with a B.S. ''cum laude'' in psychology from the

College of William & Mary The College of William & Mary (officially The College of William and Mary in Virginia, abbreviated as William & Mary, W&M) is a public research university in Williamsburg, Virginia. Founded in 1693 by letters patent issued by King William II ...

in 1971 and a M.S. in counseling from the

University of Wisconsin-Madison A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase ''universitas magistrorum et scholarium'', which ...

in 1995, where her thesis was entitled ''When Goddess is God: Pagans, Recovery, and Alcoholics Anonymous'' (1995). She has been a member of the

American Psychological Association The American Psychological Association (APA) is the largest scientific and professional organization of psychologists in the United States, with over 133,000 members, including scientists, educators, clinicians, consultants, and students. It has ...

, American Counseling Association, Association for Transpersonal Psychology, and

American Academy of Religion The American Academy of Religion (AAR) is the world's largest association of scholars in the field of religious studies and related topics. It is a nonprofit member association, serving as a professional and learned society for scholars involv ...

. Fox began leading public pagan rituals in 1971 and has done public education about

paganism Paganism (from classical Latin ''pāgānus'' "rural", "rustic", later "civilian") is a term first used in the fourth century by early Christians for people in the Roman Empire who practiced polytheism, or ethnic religions other than Judaism. ...

since 1973, in talks and public media interviews. She has also been mentioned in print publications, including a profile in ''

People Magazine ''People'' is an American weekly magazine that specializes in celebrity news and human-interest stories. It is published by Dotdash Meredith, a subsidiary of IAC. With a readership of 46.6 million adults in 2009, ''People'' had the l ...

'' in 1979. Fox has been active in environmental preservation endeavors since helping to organize the first Earth Day on April 22, 1970 and speaks about ecospirituality.

Circle Sanctuary

Fox is the founder of the "Circle Craft" tradition of the Wiccan religion. Along with others, she founded and is the Executive Director of Circle Sanctuary, which is one of America's oldest Pagan centers and Wiccan churches. Circle Sanctuary is headquartered on its 200-acre (0.81 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. Fox also founded Circle Cemetery"Circle Cemetery"
/ref> in 1995, which is a 20-acre green cemetery for cremains and full-body interment.

Religious freedom advocacy

Fox has advocated for Wiccan religious freedom for religious adherents in the military, including spearheading (along with

Americans United for Separation of Church and State Americans United for Separation of Church and State (Americans United or AU for short) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that advocates for the disassociation of religion and religious organizations from government. The separation of church ...

) the inclusion of the pentacle symbol on the US Department of Veterans Affairs list of emblems of belief that can be included on government-issued markers, headstones, and plaques honoring deceased veterans. She has also advocated for equal treatment of religion in the public square, including the inclusion of a pentacle in a holiday display at the Green Bay, Wisconsin City Hall and in displays at the Wisconsin state Capitol for the annual Interfaith Awareness Week, as well as addressing derogatory comments made by Delaware GOP Senate candidate

Christine O'Donnell Christine Therese O'Donnell (born August 27, 1969) is an American conservative activist in the Tea Party movement best known for her 2010 campaign for the United States Senate seat from Delaware vacated by Joe Biden. O'Donnell was born in ...

during her candidacy.

Bibliography

Contributor

* * *

Periodicals

* ''Circle Guide to Pagan Resources''. Editor, directory, 1979–present, Circle Publications. * ''Circle Magazine'' (formerly Circle Network News). Founding Editor, Advisor, 1978–present, Circle Publications.

Books and articles

* ''Celebrating the Seasons''. On-line guide with rituals, chants, articles - www.circlesanctuary.org/index.php/education/celebrating-the-seasons.html * ''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.

Recordings

* ''Circle Craft Podcasts'' - recordings of weekly classes, meditations, & rituals on internet radio at circlepodcasts.org * ''Sacred Cave Ritual'' - Selena Fox and Pagan Spirit Gathering Community, ritual with chanting & guided meditation, 1995 * ''Magical Journeys'' - Selena Fox, guided meditation, 1981 * ''Songs of Pagan Folk'' - Jim Alan, Selena Fox and Friends, songs and chants, 1980 * ''Circle Magick Music'' - Jim Alan and Selena Fox, songs and chants, 1976

Notes

General references

* * Vale, V. and John Sulak (2001). ''Modern Pagans''. San Francisco: Re/Search Publications. . p. 201 - One page interview with Fox about Circle Sanctuary

External links

Circle Sanctuary website

Selena Fox's website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fox, Selena 1949 births Living people People from Wisconsin Wiccan priestesses American occult writers American Wiccans