It was announced that Morgan McFarland, co-founder of the McFarland Dianic tradition, died Dec. 7, 2015. Together with Mark Roberts, Morgan established the tradition in 1971 in Dallas, Texas. Several covens were eventually born, and Morgan began to write down all of her teachings. In 1977, Mark, who had served as High Priest, left the tradition to follow his own path. Then, in 1979, Morgan retired as High Priestess. However, the tradition continued to thrive.
Although Morgan never returned to coven life, she has always been considered the matriarch of the McFarland Dianic Wiccan tradition, and did serve as an adviser to the tradition’s council.
Claudiney Pietro, a Wiccan Priest from Brazil, wrote, “Today is a day of sorrow for the Craft of the Wise,” calling Morgan McFarland one of the most important and inspirational figures. We will have more on Morgan’s life and work in the coming weeks.
What is remembered, lives.
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It has been just one month since the Paris terror attacks shocked the world, leaving 130 dead and hundreds wounded. Since that time, Pagans have been performing rituals in and around the city. As we reported in November, the Ligue Wiccane Eclectique, Paris-based Pagan group, organized a worldwide prayer candlelight vigil complete with a special chant. Coordinator Xavier Mondon noted that, despite the tragedy, “There is a willingness to unite and be present.”
Several weeks later, local Pagans organized a peace and protection ritual for the United Nations Climate Conference (COP21). They explained, “Although our community is diverse, as global citizens we were all touched by the devastating terrorist attacks in Paris. Now is an opportunity to lend your skills, energy, mojo, and Will to help PROTECT PARIS and TIP THE SCALES of the climate talks so we may have real, measurable, actionable results.” The two protection circles were kept active until this past weekend, during which they was taken down and opened.
Coming up this next weekend will be another public Pagan ritual. The Lique Wiccane Eclectique, which is also celebrating its 10 year anniversary, and Le Cercle de Sequana are staging a public Yule Ritual to be held Dec. 20 at 3 p.m. The event invitations ask guests to “come as they are,” bring food, decorations, tools and to dress for the weather. The ritual will take place outside at Château de Vincennes.
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Operation Circle Care (OCC) is in its 9th year of operation and is an annual project of Circle Sanctuary. Each year the organization collects Pagan ritual and religious items for service members stationed overseas and on deployment. OCC organizers said, “Last year, we were proud to send packages to service members stationed in countries such as Kuwait, Germany, South Korea, Japan, and to Sailors & Marines at sea around the world.”
The program is 100% supported by Pagans for Pagans, as they note. Therefore, Circle reaches out to the larger community each year to make this project a reality. First, they ask for the names and contact information for any military service members that might like a Pagan gift package. In addition, they are asking for item donations, such as: Pagan jewelry, divination items, mini altar cloths, small God/Goddess symbols, Pagan music, handmade small craft items and more. A full list is on the website.
Organizers said, “What has always made the OCC project so special is its personal touch. Operation Circle Care contents are always made up of personal gifts donated by Pagans of many traditions.”
In Other News:
- Last week, we noted the upcoming conference season, which is typically kicked off with the Conference on Current Pagan Studies. Its organizers have just newly updated the website with the complete event schedule. The conference theme is Social Justice, and the keynote speakers are Gus diZerega and Nikki Bado. As always, this conference takes place in Claremont, California over two days near the end of January. More information is on the website.
- Terra Mysterium, a Chicago based theatre company, will be premiering its new, Pagan-themed, adaptation of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. The play, titled A Midwinter’s Mummers Tale, “concerns the transformation of Esmerelda Pennywise […] through visitations from powerful Ancient beings. It will feature British folk customs, new arrangements of beloved British folk songs and original compositions, and bring a holiday magick of a different stripe to this beloved tale!” Terra Mysterium will be performing the play over Yule weekend, Dec. 18-20, at the Lincoln Loft in Chicago. We will have more on this project coming up later this week.
- The Green Album producers have announced a partnership with The Rainforest Trust. Partial proceeds from the album’s sale will be donated to the Trust and its work to “protect the world’s tropical forests.” The Green Album is a collaborative project that will feature fifteen different Pagan artists from around the world. It will be available for purchase in spring 2016.
- Author and Priestess Arianna Alexsandra Collins has released her first novel Hearken to Avalon. On the site, Collins describes the book as “Set against the backdrop of myth and legend, history is rewritten by those who did not get to tell their side of the story. Meet the descendants of Avalon and Guy of Gisbourne, the Stag King.” Hearken to Avalon is available through her website and through Create Space.
- The start of 2016 is only weeks away. Producers of the popular GBG Calendar say that it is not too late to order next year’s edition. With every calendar purchase, a donation is given to The Museum of Witchcraft and the Doreen Valiente Foundation. In addition, older calendars are also now available for purchase through the GBG Calendar website.
- For those awaiting the distribution of A Beautiful Resistance, your wait is over. The paper version was released on Nov 5, and it has been shipped to all those who pre-ordered, and it is now available in some retails stores and by mail order. A digital version will be released tomorrow, Dec 15. A Beautiful Resistance is the first issue of a journal produced by the editors of the Gods & Radicals website. It’s 120-pages contain the works of 30 different Pagan, Heathen and Polytheist writers on a range of related topics.
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