I had a very good friend of mine tell me that I needed to share more about myself with people. I have pretty much abstained from providing a lot of personal information for a number of reasons. First, I tend to be a very private person. Second, I would rather things that I write about be judged on the quality and truthfulness of what is written, rather than a perception of who I may be. All that being said, I guess there is nothing wrong with providing some information and background so that people will be better able to relate to me.

I guess we should start at the beginning. I am a “love child.” Oops, too much information? When I was conceived, my father had been recently discharged from the Army. He served in both Germany and Vietnam, taking part in the 1969 Tet Offensive as a Tank Commander with the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment. My mother was a high school senior, from a close and very religious Catholic family. They married just before I was born. My father eventually became a police officer, my mother a nurse. I have two siblings. My sister is a successful Director for a publishing company that puts out medical journals, and my brother owns a tattoo shop. My parents divorced in 1985.

I was born on September 27, 1970. Nixon was President of the United States. The National Debt was $382 billion, while the average salary was $7,564. Milk was only $.33 a qt, and bread was $.24 a loaf. Love Story by Erich Segal was the number one bestseller. The first “Earth Day” was in April of that year, and four students were killed during anti-war demonstrations at Kent State University. The male life expectancy was a mere 67 years, while women could live to 74. In addition, the number one song playing on the radio when I was born was “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” by Diana Ross.

Wow! Does that seem like a lot of setup? I think it is important, though. It provides some perspective of the world I grew up in. Vietnam was still ongoing. The Soviets and Eastern Europe were, without a doubt, our enemies. Mutual Assured Destruction was a reality, even in the mind of a small child. The Peace movement, sexual revolution, and counter-culture were raging, while homegrown terrorist organizations like the Weathermen left destruction in their wake. Most of the technology we take for granted didn’t even exist, was only in its infancy, or only available to the ultra-rich. Cell phones, Microwaves, CDs, DVDs, personal home computers, and the internet were not a part of the real world. In fact, the average home computer today is more powerful then all the computers used to put the old Saturn rockets into space.

I grew up in a Pennsylvania steel city, about 45 minutes outside of Philadelphia. The area I was raised is rich with American history. Of course, we all know the importance of the City of Philadelphia, but we also have Valley Forge, Gettysburg, and a whole host of battle sites important to both the American Revolution and Civil War. The history is just overwhelming; everything from the first steel mill in America, to the first pretzel factory. Even the idea of protecting religious freedom was born of Pennsylvania thanks to the Quakers. Heck, even Hershey, Pennsylvania is just an hour’s drive. Every town has at least one footnote to add to this great nation’s history. Even the small rural town I live in now had portions of the 1985 film Witness, with Harrison Ford, filmed here.

Before we get too far into this, let me tell you about my personality. The last time I was tested, I scored a 130 IQ and exceptionally high on mathematical intelligence. In personality tests, I score as an ‘ESTJ’ personality, and am identified as a natural leader, an administrator, very responsible, very direct, with a very strong sense of justice and desire to protect the weak. I am very aggressive, very anti-authority, very religious, and (incidentally) have narcissistic tendencies. I am a Conservative Republican with many hard right views on subjects like social issues, personal responsibility, the economy, crime, defense, and ethics. I am also the quintessential Libran male, for good and for bad. I am diplomatic, urbane, romantic, charming, easygoing, sociable, idealistic, and peaceable, but also at times indecisive, changeable, trusting to a fault, very flirtatious, and can be self-indulgent at times. I enjoy being generous, and I absolutely despise injustice.

I was raised a devout Catholic, acquired a religious education by attending parochial school, and received all the sacraments. As a child being raised in a Catholic home, going to Catholic school, and going to Mass every Sunday, Catholicism was just a matter of fact. It was never questioned. Why would it? It was my world. Well, I did have one question. What happened to the old Gods?

I’m sure we all know the effort the Church put into demonizing the old Gods in their early days, but this was not part of my education. The myths were just stories. Yes, some people believed them, and God punished them for it, but they are nothing more than fairytales. The one thing they don’t count on is the fact that a Catholic School education is so good, that it forces a person to look at the obvious propagandized slant of the history they are presenting. By the time I was thirteen, I knew that Christianity was not a religion of truth that simply captured the hearts and minds of the world, pushing back the darkness of Satan. Christianity was an imperial force that stomped out every competing religious idea in Europe, and then set its sights on the world.

At fifteen, I decided that Wicca was for me. Now remember, this was 1985/86. There was no internet for the most part. NeoWicca and self-initiation was very new, and most every Coven was secretive and would only accept members who were eighteen or older. Even with the age requirement, most were leery about outsiders. Not that it was all that extremely difficult learning about Wicca. I had access to all the classic titles that any reputable Wiccan would have in their library today. I just want to provide a little perspective. I was Wiccan, Pagan, and alone. I was also ballsy.

I have the distinction of being the very first Wiccan at the Coatesville Area Sr. High School. At least, the only one I know of and the only one who was public. When it first came out, I received a lot of grief and got into many fights. On the plus side, I was no pansy and could hold my own, and in a very short time, people knew to leave me alone. My fortitude garnered me plenty of respect and added to my reputation. In fact, I have old classmates today who thank me for being the inspiration for them to follow a Pagan path.

After high school, I joined the Army as a 74F (Computer Programmer). It was a time of transformation for me. I grew up a lot. My oldest son was born. I went through a good many personal trials. During that time, I realized that Wicca was not what I was looking for. First off, I was drawn to the Greek Gods, and Wicca just was not Greek God friendly. I know people will argue that today, but the Greek Gods and Greek civilization was seen as just too patriarchal back then. There are also the theological concepts in Wicca. They just did not sit too well with me. Moreover, I knew the worship methods were not in line with traditional Paganism, and this bothered me. Therefore, at this point, I just considered myself a Pagan.

After the military, I worked for an environmental company, as a warehouse manager, that specialized in asbestos abatement. This was followed by a ten-year career in the Credit & Collection industry. This, by the way, is a great career, with a very high-income potential, if you are the right type of person. The pay is not that great when starting out, but after two years, your income goes up exponentially. The best part is that pay is tied to performance. If you are driven, you can make six figures easily. The down side, it eats away at your soul. Credit & Collection is an evil, vile business that cares about nothing but numbers. Creditors take no responsibility for contributing to the financial plight of their customers, and collectors could care less if you go without food, heat, or lose your house as long as you send them your money. Therefore, burned-out and disgusted, I left about three years ago, and started a few small home-based projects so I could stay home with my kids.

Talking about kids, I have five. They range in age from seventeen to one-and-a-half, and are from two relationships. There are three boys, and two girls: 17, 11, 10, 2, and 1. They are fantastic kids. Each one is unique, yet eerily very similar to me. The oldest is an exceptional artist, and has already talked with a University about getting a full scholarship for Art. I didn’t even know such things existed. My oldest daughter seems to hear the call of the Gods. She has a deep love for Greek myths, which was not intentionally encouraged. The ten year old is very intelligent and excels in science and math, but needs special “encouragement” to focus on doing his homework. That’s just being a boy though. The babies are absolutely incredible, and I literally thank the Gods every day that I am able to experience them at this age. Fortune has smiled on me, allowing me the ability to stay home with them at this young age, and it is so worth it.

Getting back to my spiritual journey, for most of the ’90s, I just felt my way along. I was disconnected from Wiccans because I rejected their practices and theology. I was doing a lot of independent research on a variety of practices and philosophy, culling what seemed most appropriate. Then, I started coming across information regarding Hellenismos. In many respects, it was a coming home. When I focused solely on the study of the ancient Greek religion, I found that what I created eclectically, by selecting from a variety of sources, was very much in line with ancient Greek customs and thought. I was worshiping the Greek Gods, in a traditional manner. Abandoning eclecticism and becoming a practitioner of Hellenismos was a no-brainer.

The one thing I did not like about modern Hellenismos back in ‘01-02, was the community surrounding it. My perception of the Hellenic Community was a perception shared by many in the greater Pagan Community even today. That perception is Hellenics are elitists and intellectual snobs, who are so consumed by egotism that they are willing to feed on their young. The only thing worse than those shredding newbies, where the flimflam artists who embraced the newbie to create a cult following. The community was cliquish, and consumed by hubris and vice. Therefore, I didn’t participate. I kept on the edge of the Hellenic Community, only popping my head in from time to time, and only really talking about Hellenismos on my general Pagan forum at Mind-N-Magick.

By 2007, this very behavior had visibly taken a toll on the growth of Hellenismos. Many of the old web resources had either shut down, or had been abandoned and not updated for years. Only two books on modern Hellenismos existed and one was out of print by an author who turned Christian. “The Lists” were dormant. Even the most popular Hellenic list on Yahoo, receives less posts in one month than Mind-N-Magick receives in one day. In fact, I can say with reasonable confidence that Mind-N-Magick has more posts and discussions regarding Hellenismos, every month, than any list out there. The one legal religious organization was stagnant, and is unable to attract members or create congregations in any real numbers. A quick Google of the phrases “Hellenismos,” “Hellenic Polytheism,” and “Hellenic Paganism” shows that more people are talking about Hellenismos outside the so-called Hellenic Community than within.

My religion was dying. What was worse, is that it was being left to be picked apart by vultures. Snake-oil salesmen, flimflam artists, and charlatans, shamefully preying on people’s good nature and desire to learn about Hellenismos, used this void to elevate themselves and satisfy their desire for power, position, and prestige. This could not stand unchallenged, and that is what has pushed me to write the books that I have, and create this website. No true Hellenist could stand idly by and watch in silence as the religion became distorted, the Gods become misrepresented, and innocent people seduced and manipulated. Not on my watch.

Winston Churchill said, “You have enemies? Good, that means somewhere, sometime in your life you stood up for something.” So here I stand, even if I stand alone with my Gods.

Tags: me, Timothy Jay Alexander