Shades of Faith

by Crystal Blanton (Editor)

Shades of Faith: Minority Voices in Paganism is an anthology that encompasses the voices and experiences of minorities within the Pagan community and addresses some of the challenges, stereotyping, frustrations, talents, history and beauties of being different within the racial constructs of typical Pagan or Wiccan groups. Often the associations of the roots of Paganism have pushed assumptions that worshippers of Paganism are strictly Caucasian. The mainstreaming of Wicca has elevated images of worship and deity that connect with Celtic, Greek or Roman cultures. There are a lot of minority races that are practicing Pagans and are often having a myriad of experiences that are fashioned by the reality of walking between the worlds of their birth ancestry or culture and that of their spiritual culture. This anthology is an opportunity to share their stories and experiences with others around being the minorities within a minority spiritual community. Some of the practitioners in this anthology practice paths that include (but are not limited to) Wicca, Voodoo, Umbanda, Shaman, Native and other Pagan paths. Join us in celebrating the incredible diversity and beauty that encompass the harmony that has created the song of the Pagan community. The previously unheard voices of our community are now sharing the power of experience through the written word and through their voices.

Genres: Spirituality, Nonfiction, Paganism, Religion

144 pages, Paperback

First published August 8, 2011

About the author

Crystal Blanton is an activist, writer, priestess, mother, wife and social worker in the Bay Area. She works with disenfranchised youth in Oakland, and is in graduate school at a California State University for Social Work.

Crystal has published two books (Bridging the Gap and Pain and Faith in a Wiccan World) and she is the editor of the anthology Shades of Faith; Minority Voices in Paganism. Her work is also published at Sage Woman, and on the Daughters of Eve blog at Patheos.

Crystal is passionate about the integration of community, spirituality and healing from our ancestral past, and is an advocate for true diversity and multiculturalism within the Pagan community. She continues to work in her local community and within the Pagan community by facilitating and participating in discussions on topics of social justice, diversity, leadership, and the use of restorative justice practices to empower the community voice.

Reviews

[Flame · Rating 5 out of 5]

Of course I think it's great. I contributed an article to this book :)

[Melinda · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the book that I have been looking for throughout the years of my adult life. The writers are honest about their experiences within majority white pagan communities. A couple of the overlapping themes that touched me are the experience of microaggressions at community/group pagan events/ritual, the desire to see themselves reflected in pagan communities, and the effect of the writer's racial/ethnic/cultural communities rejection of their authentic selves. The essays are distinctly different while expressing similar frustrations with pagan communities. I really found the discussions of possible cultural appropriation interesting because it's a true concern but can you help what faith you are drawn to just because it's not your perceived cultural heritage? This is a slim volume that packs so much experience and truth into it. My only criticism (and the reason why the book doesn't have 4 or 5 stars) is that the book needed more proofreading and editing. Some of the punctuation, grammar, and typo errors were distracting from reading the essays. The knowledge contained in this book is well worth dealing with the distractions. I highly recommend this book!

[Cal · Rating 5 out of 5]

a super interesting read on the backgrounds of many bipoc and latinx individuals who have been drawn to nature-based spiritualities (paganism, I learned, can be a bit of a catch all term to encompass multiple spiritual paths).

what deity they believe in differed often but the similarity was that many of the authors felt as though they didn't belonged in a more mainstream religion (Christianity, Islam, etc), due to their racial/ethnic statuses, their gender, their sexuality, their traumas, etc.

[Rowan White · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sorely needed collection featuring the voices, thought, and experiences of Neo-Pagans of color.

[Courtney Weber · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful and necessary. It's going on the must-read list for my students.