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>> xi Acknowledgments An ethnographic project is entirely dependent on the goodwill and assistance of many people. I am profoundly grateful to the many Pagan families who provided me with access, information, and excellent conversation during my fieldwork. It seems an obvious point, but without the generous assistance of the Pagan communities in New Hampshire, Texas, Massachusetts, and Ohio and other Pagan families around the United States, this book would not exist. My deepest thanks go to the many families who warmly opened their homes and their lives to me during this project. Jess Gerrior of Silverling Circle has been an amazing resource and friend since my first awkward attempts at fieldwork. She welcomed me into her home, vouched for me when I seemed particularly suspicious, and has continued to provide photos, conversation, and support. I am grateful to her and to her wonderful children, Ryan, Maggie, and Willow. Erin and her daughter (who is called Aisling in this book) humored my many questions and invited me into their home to watch and participate in rituals, and I thank them for their kindness and hospitality. I am immensely grateful as well to the families of Silverling Circle, Spiral Bear Hearth, the Sea Dragons, the Sea Witches, and the First Church of Wicca for their unflagging kindness as I scribbled notes and asked too many (or xii > xiii Linford Fisher, Rachel Gordan, David Hall, David Hempton, Hillary Kaell, Jim Reed, John Seitz, Stephen Shoemaker, Josef Sorrett, Adrian Weimer, and Eliza Young Barstow. At Youngstown State University , Bruce Waller generously and graciously adjusted my teaching responsibilities to facilitate the completion of this manuscript. L. J. “Tess” Tessier got me started in the study of religion, and I continue to value her personal and professional friendship more than two decades later. I am very grateful for the guidance from my editor at NYU Press, Jennifer Hammer, and to the two anonymous readers whose helpful suggestions improved the manuscript. Any remaining errors, of course, are mine. Generous financial assistance for the research and writing of this project was provided by Harvard University’s William R. Hutchison American Religions Fellowship, the Center for the Study of World Religions Summer Research Grant, the Graduate Student Council Research Grant, and the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Dissertation Completion Fellowship. I am blessed with a rich network of family and friends whose support was instrumental in completing this book. My parents, Dr. Taghi T. Kermani and Shirl Kermani, have provided immeasurable support and unwavering love, faith, and encouragement. I thank my sisters, Venus Pallo and Joy Harkins, for their friendship and their sympathetic ears. Pati Carlson and Michael Sauvante have offered boundless love and support, and I am proud to be part of their family. I wish that I could have handed a copy of this book to Bob and Gery Carlson. I have also been fortunate to have an extended family that has offered emotional and practical support during every step of this project. I especially thank Tanya Alsberg, Jen Armstrong, Carolyn Berlin, Gretchen Brown, Christopher Byrne, Jasmyn Byrne, Rachael Byrne Riddick, Kathleen Dearing, Spencer Farkas, Maureen Frost, Elaine Habeger, Tina Mays Hyde, Scott Merisalo, Heather Moser, and Crissy Thompkins for their help and their friendship. Finally, I am immensely grateful to my family, Devlyn Carlson and Hank Kermani-Carlson. My husband Dev’s constant support and conversation have kept me (and the household) going for a long time now. He has eased my anxieties, provided keen intellectual insights, and done far more than his share of laundry. This book would not have been xiv > xv All children, except one, grow up. —J. M. Barrie, Peter Pan, 1911 This page intentionally left blank ...

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