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MannaManna (Leo, born in the Summer of Love) was born in a suburb of Pittsburgh, PA. She was a service brat (Coast Guard) and soon her family left the Great White North for greener pastures: St. Petersburg, FL; San Juan, Puerto Rico; Ramy Air Force Base, Puerto Rico; followed by a brief stint back in the cold of Massapequa Park, NY; then finally landing for about 12 years in Miami, FL. Manna was raised very devoutly Catholic, and herself wanted to become a nun, until her dissatisfaction with the soullessness of the Mass, which became apparent by early high school. From that point, Manna charted a course of resolute agnosticism, bordering upon atheism. But being a spiritual person at the core, Manna couldn't remain parted from seeking the divine long, and soon found sympathies with Zen Buddhism and Taoist philosophies. In 1986, Manna began a folkloric study of the origins of traditions surrounding Christmas. She found a book called Christmas Customs and Traditions by Clement A. Miles. In such book, she first encountered the word �pagan� in a non-derogatory setting. Instead, the book was filled with phrases such as �the pagan joy of life�, �life-affirming heathen folk-festivals� and that paganism �expressed the mind of men who said �yes� to life, who valued earthly good things.� And not only of Christmas traditions, this little book explained the origins of holidays throughout most of the year. With this knowledge, that there was so much more to the popular celebrations of holidays than most people ever suspected; together with the knowledge that to be �pagan� was to be life-affirming and joyous, Manna began to privately identify herself as a pagan, not knowing anyone else in the modern era ever did. It was not until 1990 that she met Cypress Knee while on a dig in Italy, and with many long talks over good Chianti that Manna learned that there were others in the modern world who practiced the old ways, called themselves pagans, and heard the term Wicca.The rest, one might say, is herstory. As a young Catholic, Manna had practiced her own form of �magick,� and thought herself �a witch�, even knowing such was contrary to the teachings of the Church. But now armed with knowledge and joy, she felt she was given carte blanche to explore her spirituality, within a framework built by others who had gone before her. Her growing interests in environmentalism and feminism went hand-in-hand with her newfound spiritual identity. Manna remained a solitary Witch, only practicing in groups occasionally, when traveling to visit friends (Cypress Knee and others) in Tallahassee. After finally relocating permanently to Tallahassee herself in 1995, she became immersed in the local pagan community, circling with and helping to found several groups (sometimes simultaneously!) But life having many allures, Manna finally settled into circling with just one coven, Spiraling Heart, somewhere around 1998. Today, Manna identifies herself as an Eclectic Witch and In-Between, one of the Fae Folk, living �East o� the Sun and West o� the Moon.� Manna's politics get more and more radical, and she gets more and more active, the older she gets. She has found a home, combining her love of performing with her need to be active for social change in a local theatre troupe, the Mickee Faust Club. She is a polyamorist, with a darling husband, and a wonderful girlfriend. She and her husband live in Havana, FL with their dog Brigit and three cats, Caesar, Kirby and Penny. By day, Manna is a legal editor. Her other interests include the Steelers, the Pirates and obsessing over compost. Manna may be reached by writing to [email protected]. |
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 Webmasters: Earthdancer and Coral Nightwing Spiraling Heart Coven This page was last updated March 6, 2003 Copyright Spiraling Heart Coven 2003 | |||||