Sandra Miesel's
interesting overview of paganism from 2002 is still well worth a read. An excerpt:
...Today, witches can be as near as next door -- and in the public square as well. Wicca is a conspicuous part of a burgeoning pagan revival in the Western world. Although hard numbers are impossible to find, there are about 200,000 pagans in the United States, 120,000 in Great Britain, and many fewer in other developed countries.
More and more, witches are coming out of the broom closet and gaining acceptance as just another religion in a multicultural mosaic. Pagan groups are incorporating as churches, led by divinity-schooled clergy legally empowered to perform marriages. The U.S. military allows pagan services on base, and pagans have their own antidefamation organizations to protect their civil rights.
Authentic pagan themes -- as opposed to conventional fantasy motifs -- continue to infiltrate the media. Bookstores devote yards of shelf space to pagan titles, including Wiccan cookbooks and needlework patterns. Tourism targets pagans looking for ancient spiritual sites. Some cars even sport "Born Again Pagan" bumper stickers...
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