Unleash the Hounds! (Link Roundup)

There are lots of articles and essays of interest to modern Pagans out there, sometimes more than I can write about in-depth in any given week. So The Wild Hunt must unleash the hounds in order to round them all up.

Pagan Federation banner.

The Pagan Federation in the UK is challenging the Charity Commission in a tribunal hearing after the organization was denied charitable status. Quote: “A Charity Commission spokeswoman said it was denied charitable status as the basis of its beliefs are too loosely defined to constitute a religion, as understood in charity law […] A Pagan Federation spokesman told civilsociety.co.uk that it was appealing to the Charity Tribunal as it believes it missed the Commission’s criteria by “only a hair’s breath” and wants the opportunity to explain its organisation better.” In 2010 The Druid Network had its charitable status approved, the first Druid organization to be so recognized. We’ll keep you updated as this story progresses.
Memorial service details have been announced for author Patricia Monaghan, who passed away recently. Quote: “On Saturday, December 1, 2012 memorial services will be held in Wisconsin to celebrate the life, works, and legacy of scholar, poet, spiritual practitioner and leader, and social activist Patricia Monaghan (1946-2012) who died from cancer on Sunday, November 11. Michael McDermott, her husband, invites you to remember, honor and continue the work of Patricia.” You can read the entire announcement from Selena Fox of Circle Sanctuary at Medusa Coils.
Over the past Thanksgiving week a warning went out over social media that two malicious Wikipedia editors were targeting various Pagan entries for deletion. Christine Kraemer at Patheos.com has what I feel is the most sensible reaction: “A number of people have wondered what they can do to defend the Pagan movement’s presence on Wikipedia. The answer is simple: become a Wikipedia editor and learn Wikipedia’s guidelines.” The simple fact is that the reason a couple of Pagan-hating trolls were able to cause so much havoc is because the people creating these Wikipedia pages for various authors and personalities didn’t build them in accordance with Wikipedia guidelines. Hopefully this tempest will be a wake-up call and we can fix or restore pages in need of upkeep (let the Trance Mission page discussion be your guide).

Correspondences journal.

A new academic journal of Western Esotericism, Correspondences, has been announced. Quote: “By providing a wider forum of debate regarding issues and currents in Western esotericism than has previously been possible, Correspondences is committed to publishing work of a high academic standard as determined by a peer-review process, but does not require academic credentials as prerequisite for publication. Students and non-affiliated academics are encouraged to join established scholars in submitting insightful, well-researched articles that offer new ideas, positions, or information to the field.” First issues is due in June, call for papers, here.
Mars Hill pastor Mark Driscoll is a thuggish Christian power-tripper who thinks he’s edgy because he writes about having sex with his wife. He’d be a huge joke were it not for his rampant (almost cultish) popularity in the Pacific Northwest. Now, the Seattle mega-pastor is attacking Twilight (because he’s oh-so-relevant) for sinking teen girls into Paganism and the occult. Quote: “…girls the same age of my 15-year-old daughter are talking about “awakening,” which is their word for converting to paganism (like the Christian word “born again”). In a perverted twist on Communion, their sacraments include the giving of your own blood by becoming a “donor.” This is entirely pagan.” No, this is entirely inane. Despite his Seattle-denizen ambient hipster facade, Driscoll is your typical evangelical social conservative who pearl-clutches over the thought of Paganism.
The creepy UK Pagan who was caught with a semi-undressed underage girl in the woods has narrowly avoided being put on sex offenders registry after the judge decided that the “sexual element” wasn’t sexual enough to justify his inclusion. Quote: “Sheriff Noel McPartlin said it was ‘hard to escape the view that him being naked in the room with the girl might suggest a sexual element […] I am a bit hesitant but I do not think the sexual element is significant enough to justify placing him on the register.'”
As a counter-point to the hysteria of Mark Driscoll, Richard Stearns, president of World Vision (the largest evangelical Christian relief organization in the world), suggests a culture-war cease fire between Christians and non-Christians. Quote: “We need to find a way to live in a pluralistic society without engaging in an arms race with those who are not Christians.”
Indian Country Today Media Network reports that a coalition of Native American spiritual leaders have signed a declaration opposing Canada’s oil sands and the new Tar Sands pipeline being proposed. Quote: “The statement, signed by more than 20 spiritual chiefs at a Sundance this summer in South Dakota, includes members of the Lakota, Navajo, Apache, Mohawk, Dine, Aztec and Ojibwe nations, spanning much of Turtle Island.”
Riordons Witchcraft Emporium in Australia wants you to know that they have a screening process: “Are they a borderline schizophrenic … or somehow mad? There are many vulnerable people in the world and you don’t want to make their situation worse.” Also profiled in the article is the shop Spellbox. Both establishments take pains to stress that they aren’t like Harry Potter, and they aren’t “New Age.”
Counter-cultural magazine Arthur has announced its return, featuring many of the magickal luminaries that made it such a hit in the first place. Quote: “Arthur’s gang of idiots, know-it-alls and village explainers are back, from Bull Tonguers Byron Coley & Thurston Moore to radical ecologist Nance Klehm to trickster activists Center for Tactical Magic to Defend Brooklyn’s socio-political commentator Dave Reeves to a host of new, fresh-faced troublemakers, edited by ol’ fool Jay Babcock and art directed by Yasmin Khan.” I suspect that this news will excite a certain portion of my readership.