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So what is a Kestra anyway? Does anyone really care? If no, skip down :-) All of this is totally pretentious, but I am often asked what my "qualifications" are. Of course, nobody NEEDS qualifications to pontificate, but I'll give you some anyway, just in case. I am a Priestess and Triad member of the Church of Universal Eclectic Wicca. a Master Herbalist, certified by the Global Institute For Alternative Medicine, board certified as a Holistic Health Practitioner through the American Association of Drugless Practitioners, a member of the American Herbalists Guild, a Reiki Master Practitioner, and a CATR level Certified Tarot Reader. I am a coven member of the Sisters of the Silver Moon, a Shrine Keeper of the Witan Shrine of the Sacred Chao, (a magnificent Discordian organization, Hail Eris), High Priestess for the Correllian Nativist Tradition, and a member of too many other Pagan/Wiccan organizations to remember :-) All of that means not very much without context, as like any other "credentials," so I'll leave that part there. I've been a student of alternative religion since my Sunday School teacher told me to stop asking so many questions she couldn't answer. I was 7 years old then. As time went on, and I learned more about the different philosophies of religions, I went from agnostic, to gnostic, back to agnostic, and finally to Paganism and Wicca when I turned 14 or so. I have no ego, but I do own www.ego.org :-)
BEGIN BORING PART: I began the practice of Wicca in England in 1978 in an eclectic coven of college students where I went to school. I studied the works of Crowley, Dion Fortune, Israel Regardie, and others not feeling any of them to be a real good fit. When I returned to the US I became a solitary practitioner, then lapsed into not doing much of anything besides the occasional reading until I decided to become more involved. A search revealed CUEW and CFFN, and since an online coven was perfect for my lifestyle, I applied and was accepted by Athames Edge Clan. The Clan branched off from CUEW after CFFN was reformulated, and I stayed with both groups until recently, when I left Athames Edge.
I continued my studies with CUEW and became a member of the managing Triad when Kaat MacMorgan was silly enough to make it so. 
Why Am I a Witch?
Why There Are No Christian Wiccans
The Art Magic Project
If You'd Only Give Up That Witchcraft
More as I get to them :-)
ANCIENT HISTORY PART:
In my work life, I am building a business called Enchanted Works where I am dedicated to offering the most unique and wonderful Pagan/Wiccan supplies, including all the best things I can find. I am an intellectual property and software licensing attorney, working for various clients when I can. I also do work as a civil libertarian, trying to balance intellectual property rights with speech and expression rights. In my opinion, the tables should be far more skewed in favor of speech and expression, but those with money and funding disagree with me. In my relatively spare, spare time, I teach Tae Kwon Do sometimes, make and sell jewelry made of charged stones, teach scuba diving when possible, act as a flight instructor when I can, am an author, mentor, wannabe geek, macintosh enthusiast, web designer, and practitioner of anything else that looks like fun. I'm a Black Belt in Tae Kwon Do, and love to compete. I am a Viginia State TKD Champion for 2003 in Forms and Creative Forms. Not bad for an old lady with arthritis in both knees :-)
In a former life, I co-founded and ran the first software company to offer commercial Internet applications for the Macintosh (founded in 1988), flew around the world to ridiculous meeting to attempt to shape what became the nightmare of ICANN, have been quoted in various and sundry publications like Scientific American, the Wall Street Journal and the Washington Post, various and sundry television shows like TechTv and MSNBC, and too many radio programs to mention concerning how the little guy is being trashed by big company and govermental power on the Internet (nobody cared), and semi-retired in 1995 after being told I was "unemployable." Perhaps they are right. All I know is that I'm having an enormous amount of fun with life and wish this trend to definitely continue.
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