by Wes Isley
True spiritual leaders never wish to be known as such, often preferring to downplay their contributions or laugh them off. This certainly seems to be the case with Isaac Bonewits, Neopagan priest and author who passed away last week of colon cancer at age 60. One memorial says Isaac, displaying what appears to have been a characteristic sense of humor, wished only to be known as one of the Neopagan movement’s “better-known, unindicted co-conspirators.”
Who was Bonewits and why should you care? If you’re not a practitioner of modern Druidry, Wicca or various other spiritual paths that take their inspiration from pre-Christian times, it’s unlikely you’ve heard of him. But it’s even possible, I believe, to be a practicing Witch, Druid or some other adventurous spirit and never have heard the name Isaac Bonewits. I don’t know if he would’ve taken delight in that notion or if his ego would’ve taken a hit, but what I do know is that for those of us who fall into the Neopagan camp, we all owe Bonewits a great deal of gratitude whether we’ve heard of him or not.
