Ron Padron
Ron Padrón (he/him/his) is a gay Cuban-American hedge priest from the swamps of Florida now living in the mid-Atlantic with his husband and their small cryptid dog. He has been a member of the pagan community for nearly two decades with specific interests in divination, Queer Ancestor veneration and necromancy, hedge witchery, and spiritual activism. He is the creator of White Rose Witching through which he manages a blog sharing Queer Ancestor Spotlights and rituals. He has presented at gatherings such as the Salem Witchcraft and Folklore Festival, Hallowed Homecoming, Free Spirit Gathering, various Pagan Pride Days, historic sites, and small museums on topics such as colonial witchcraft politics, spiritual activism, and queer-affirming spirituality.
Ron has completed the Community Ministry Certificate Program through Cherry Hill Seminary. He is a member of the Ancient Order of Druids in America (AODA), and has completed the Bardic grade through the Order of Bards, Ovates, and Druids (OBOD). The nature-centered aspect of his witchcraft focuses on bioregional animism, permaculture, and (sub)urban homesteading. As part of his spiritual practice, he tends to his own productive garden and supports local farms when possible. Weather and ability permitting he can be found hiking in local parks as a means of grounding and connection with local spirits.
Ron has worked as an educator and administrator in higher education for nearly two decades. His work centers justice, equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility. He has presented locally and nationally on inclusive practices in education and the physical, embodied impact of diversity work. He is dedicated to the development, implementation, and assessment of equitable institutional practices that foster diversity and inclusion in both the for-profit and nonprofit sector.
He serves as Associate Editor for an academic journal, Including Disability, that centers the intersection of disability with other social identities through essays, academic research, poetry, and visual art. He is also a founder and co-editor of a punk spirituality zine, ALTAR PUNK, which is an interfaith project focused on reclaiming discourse around faith and spirituality from nationalist movements.