Phyllis Curott (born February 8, 1954) who goes under the

craft name A craft name, also referred to as a magical name, is a secondary religious name often adopted by practitioners of Wicca and other forms of Neopagan witchcraft or magic. Craft names may be adopted as a means of protecting one's privacy (especially ...

Aradia, is a

Wicca Wicca () is a modern Pagan religion. Scholars of religion categorise it as both a new religious movement and as part of the occultist stream of Western esotericism. It was developed in England during the first half of the 20th century and w ...

n priestess, attorney, and author.

Early life and education

Curott grew up in Lynbrook, Long Island. Her parents were agnostic- atheist, socially liberal intellectuals who encouraged her to make her own decisions regarding

theology Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

but taught her to adhere to the Golden Rule. Her father worked as a maritime

trade union A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment", ch. I such as attaining better wages and benefits ...

organizer, whilst her mother, who had come from a wealthy and well-educated background, was a diplomat involved in the

civil rights movement The civil rights movement was a nonviolent social and political movement and campaign from 1954 to 1968 in the United States to abolish legalized institutional racial segregation, discrimination, and disenfranchisement throughout the Unite ...

for racial equality in the United States. Curott went on to gain a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four year ...

in Philosophy from Brown University before going on to study for a Juris Doctor from

New York University School of Law New York University School of Law (NYU Law) is the law school of New York University, a private research university in New York City. Established in 1835, it is the oldest law school in New York City and the oldest surviving law school in N ...

Legal and film careers

After graduating from law school, Curott worked in Washington, D.C. as a lobbyist for Ralph Nader. Upon returning to New York City, Curott has practiced labor law, entertainment law and real estate law. Additionally, she has been an outspoken advocate for the religious liberties of Wiccans and other religious minorities. She won the right of Wiccan clergy to perform legally binding marriages and rituals in public parks. Curott produced several independent films, including “New Year’s Day” directed by Henry Jaglom. “New Year’s Day” was selected as the US entry at the 1989 Venice Film Festival. In addition, Curott played a journalist in “Venice Venice”

Religious and interfaith work

After law school, while managing a rock band called The Dates. Curott befriended another female manager who introduced her to Witchcraft. In 1981, Curott was initiated into Wicca and given the Craft name of Aradia. Curott is a High Priestess and the founder and President of the Temple of Ara (formerly known as the Circle of Ara), one of the oldest Wiccan congregations in America. She is a President Emerita of Covenant of the Goddess (COG”). She has also served as a frequent guest minister at the Unitarian Universalist Church and the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City. Curott has lectured and taught at the Learning Annex in New York and at Neo-Pagan and interfaith events. While she was First Officer (President) of COG, Curott was at the center of two controversies at the 1993 Parliament of the Worlds Religions in Chicago. The Greek and Russian Orthodox delegations boycotted the Parliament of the World's Religions due to the inclusion of Curott as a speaker. The Chicago Park Commission initially denied COG's request for a permit to hold a ritual in Grant Park. After Curott challenged Chicago Archbishop Joseph Cardinal Bernadin on live television to support the Wiccans’ right to circle in the park, the Park Commission reversed its decision and Curott led an interfaith rite honoring Mother Earth at Grant Park. A global interfaith activist, Curott has advocated for women's spirituality and eco-spiritual religions. She has addressed the Parliament of the World's Religions in 1993, 2004 and 2009 as a keynote speaker, along with the Dalai Lama. She is a trustee of the Council for the Parliament of the World's Religions and serves on its executive committee. In November 2012, Curott was unanimously elected to serve as vice chair of the Parliament of the World's Religions for the year 2013. has also served as a member of the Assembly of World Religious Leaders and Clergy Advisory Board of the Network of Spiritual Progressives. In 1999, Curott participated in the Harvard University Pluralism Project's Consultation on Religious Discrimination and Accommodation. As a member of the United Nations’ NGO Committee on the Status of Women, Curott participated in the planning of the United Nation's Beijing Forum on the Status of Women, addressing the Forum on the topic of religion and the status of women. She is also spearheaded and serves as co-chair of the Parliament of the World's Religions inaugural Women's Task Force. She was honored by '' Jane'' magazine as one of the "Ten Gutsiest Women of the Year".

Publications

Curott is the author of three books on modern Witchcraft and Goddess spirituality and has contributed to several others. Curott wrote her memoir, ''Book of Shadows'', which chronicled her introduction to modern Witchcraft through initiation as a Wiccan priestess, in an effort to dispel misconceptions about Witches.Linda Drogin, “The Witches of New York”, Spotlight Magazine, vol. 23, No. 10, October 1999 p. 32. Her works have been translated into Spanish, Italian, Dutch, German and Turkish.

Bibliography

Wrote

* 1998 - '' Book of Shadows: A Modern Woman's Journey into the Wisdom of Witchcraft and the Magic of the Goddess'' (Broadway Books) * 2001 - ''WitchCrafting: A Spiritual Guide to Making Magic'' (Broadway Books) * 2004 - ''The Love Spell: An Erotic Memoir of Spiritual Awakening'' (Gotham Books/Penguin) * 2018 - ''Wicca Made Easy: Awaken The Divine Magic Within You'' (Hay House) * 2022 - ''Spells for Living Well: A Witch's Guide for Manifesting Change, Well-being, and Wonder'' (Hay House)

Contributed

* 1995 - ''Sourcebook of the World's Religions: an Interfaith Guide to Religion and Spirituality'' edited by Joel Diederik Beversluis (Sourcebook Project) , * 1995 - ''People of the Earth: The New Pagans Speak Out'' (reissued as: ''Being a Pagan: Druids, Wiccans, and Witches Today'') by

Ellen Evert Hopman Ellen Evert Hopman (born July 31, 1952, in Salzburg, Austria) is an author of both fiction and non-fiction, an herbalist, a lay homeopath, a lecturer, and a Mental Health Counselor who lives and works in Western Massachusetts. She is the author of s ...

& Lawrence Bond (Inner Traditions) , * 2002 - ''Wiccan Wisdom Keepers: Modern Day Witches Speak on Environmentalism, Feminism, Motherhood, Wiccan Lore, and More'' by Sally Griffyn (Samuel Weiser) , * 2004 - ''Pop! Goes the Witch: The Disinformation Guide to 21st Century Witchcraft'' by

Fiona Horne Fiona Horne (born 1966 in Sydney) is the former lead singer of 1990s Australian electro-rock band, Def FX, before continuing on to author several best-selling books on Modern Witchcraft. She is a popular radio and television personality, appe ...

(contributor) (The Disinformation Company) , * 2005 - ''Cakes and Ale for the Pagan Soul: Spells, Recipes, and Reflections from Neopagan Elders and Teachers'' by

Patricia Telesco Patricia "Trish" Telesco (born 1960) is an American author, herbalist, poet, lecturer, Wiccan priestess, and folk magician who has written more than 60 books on a variety of subjects ranging from self-help and cookbooks to magic, folklore and globa ...

(Crossing Press) , *2012- ''Women, Spirituality, and Transformative Leadership: Where Grace Meets Power'' edited by Kathe Shaaf et al. (SkyLight Paths Publishing)

References

Sources

* Bond, Lawrence &

(1996) ''People of the Earth: The New Pagans Speak Out'' (reissued as ''Being a Pagan: Druids, Wiccans & Witches Today'' in 2002 Destiny Books ) Interview. * Horne, Fiona (2004) ''Pop! Goes the Witch: The Disinformation Guide to 21st Century Witchcraft'' (The Disinformation Company) , * Krassner, Paul
The Blame Game
' in ''The Huffington Post'', August 26, 2005. * Krassner, Paulbr>''Life Among the Neo-Pagans''

The Nation ''The Nation'' is an American liberal biweekly magazine that covers political and cultural news, opinion, and analysis. It was founded on July 6, 1865, as a successor to William Lloyd Garrison's '' The Liberator'', an abolitionist newspaper t ...

August 24, 2005 * Lewis, James R. (1999) ''Witchcraft Today: an Encyclopedia of Wiccan and Neopagan Traditions'' (ABC-CLIO) ,

External links

* http://www.phylliscurott.com/ * http://www.templeofara.net {{DEFAULTSORT:Curott, Phyllis 1954 births Living people Wiccan priestesses American Wiccans People from Lynbrook, New York Brown University alumni New York University School of Law alumni Wiccan writers