My name is Panorpheus. I am the High Priest of Stone Circle Coven. As my name implies, I am a musician. Currently, I play the tinwhistle, or pennywhistle. Like Pan, I am VERY SERIOUS about it, and music has to be a part of my life. I have enjoyed Classical, Jazz, Opera, Folk Music, even Rock... and I have recently discovered the joys of Irish Music... I am also interested in gardening, stones, and rare books, postcards and ephemera. I have been a music teacher, and Jazz musician for the better part of my life, having played the trumpet professionally for many years.

Also, as my name implies, like Orpheus, I am a pagan priest, who among other things, is intensely interested in a balance between masculine and feminine energies. I believe that a man who loses his feminine side (like the mythical Orpheus) is NOT WHOLE.

I received my training in WICCA in the Sacred Crossroads Coven, and I will forever be indebted to my sisters and brothers in that Coven for the love, acceptance, and wisdom that they shared with me. My earliest religious training was in Judaism, the religion of both of my parents. I found it to be unsatisfactory and even harmful in some ways, and decided not to continue with it beyond my thirteenth birthday. When I was in my twenties, I was attracted to Eastern religions, particularly Zen Buddhism. I was also attracted to divination in the form of the I Ching. That was in the sixties (now you know how OLD I am). Unfortunately, the realities of having a family, a job, etc. put these interests on hold, for the most part.

You guessed it... now I'm in my sixties. When WICCA was presented to me several years ago, I felt that in this religion's implied philosophy and rituals I had found a home. I had discovered something in me that was dormant for many years. I have tried to share my thoughts and ideas by teaching seminars, writing papers, and participating in and writing rituals. And, of course most Wiccans love to READ.

Of the many things that appeal to me in Wicca, there is one that currently stands out... the need for men to have mentors that are not patriarchal, and who are respectful of the wisdom and guidance of women. Men are being raised with macho images. They are being raised to quickly accept violent solutions to problems, without having knowledge of other means of problem solving. I have looked to the past, and I have found that maleness was presented to adolescents in much more mature and healthy ways. I have found that the role of the Hunter-Protector was just that - he had many tools to solve problems, many spiritual means lost for the most part to today's men. For instance divination, ritual, meditation, and discussion with wise Mentors. In many ways it was a respect for the Spiritual in ones' self and others that led to solutions.

Finally, I feel that in the past, THE EARTH and respect for it was built into religious practices - in the form of various "Green Gods", protectors of the Sacred Woods. I believe that the Green Man is returning to our sensibilities at a crucial time. And also, there was room in the past for a different, more meaningful, realistic and dignified way to look at Death (Hades).

I hope to bring back some of the old ways, and perhaps establish some new ones through Wicca. I send out a wish for peace and understanding to all who read these words.