Pagan Community Notes: John Slade, Rev. Dr. Principe Therion de Fira, Holiday Lights, and more

John Slade [Facebook].

ST. PAUL, Minn. — Another member of the Pagan community is running for office. John Slade announced last week that he will be running for the Minnesota state house of representatives in district 67B, the East Side. He is seeking the endorsement of the Democratic Farmer Labor Party. He grew up in Winona, and moved to St. Paul for college and has been in the area ever since.

In his video announcement, Slade says, “The greatness of our country is unequally distributed . . . . Justice needs to be fought for and America never was America for far too many.”

The party’s 2018 precinct caucuses will be held Feb. 6, which is when the endorsement process starts for Slade. After Feb. 6 date, his bid will proceed to an organizing unit convention, during which the candidates for state congress are selected. We will have more from Slade in the future.

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VENEZUELA — The Correllian tradition has lost one of its community members, high priest Rev. Dr. Principe Therion de Fira. Born in 1944 in Venezuela, de Fira spent many years teaching as a professor at the Universidad Central de Venezuela. He loved nature, music, movies, and cooking. As a young person, he spent many hours hiking in and around his beloved city of Caracas.

De Therion came to Wicca in 2006 after retiring from the university. Over the following nine years, he studied with Witch School and earned his third degree in 2015. According to Correllian founder Rev. Donald Lewis, “Principe Therion was the head of Tierra de Gracia Shrine, and was very active in both real time and online [Pagan] activites.” Lewis also notes that de Therion was responsible for translating the Correllian initiatory materials into Spanish. For that effort, he was “given the Chancellor’s Special Service Award in 2015.” That is only one of several awards that he received for his work in the community; work that also included the building and support of a dedicated Wiccan community in his home country.

De Therion once said, “I am a retired teacher who has been able to devote himself to these studies, to Wiccan thought and philosophy, as well as to magick. The magical world has been a permanent interest in me since I was a teenager, so I’ve been a magical practitioner and studious for a long time, but the Correllian approach has allowed me to see things with structure, something I had a peremptory need: structure of knowledge.”

Voces Pagans, a weekly podcast airing Sunday nights on Pagans Tonight Radio Network, hosted a tribute show dedicated to Principe Therion de Fira. The popular Pagan show aired Dec. 17, but is available for streaming. Rev. Lewis wrote, “May you be blessed as you continue your journey in spirit, and may your legacy be honored. Take your place among the Ancestors and know that you are loved, respected, and remembered always!”  What is remembered, lives.

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WISCONSIN — A Kemetic Pagan in Wisconsin is celebrating the holidays with a unique light display. Tim, as he goes by, has created a Kemetic-inspired light show in his front yard. It shows two people kneeling before a monument dedicated to the Egyptian goddess Hathor. They are surrounded by obelisks and floating stars.

Tim is no stranger to building moments to this ancient goddess. In 2015, we interviewed him about his epic project to build an entire temple to her. As we previously reported, his original idea was to create a space for private “worship and personal spiritual development.” The Temple of Hathor, which it is now called, took over a decade to complete, and now stands finished.

While the temple is private, the holiday display is in Tim’s front yard for all to see.

[Courtesy.]

In other news:

  • Another Pagan survey is making the rounds online. This one is being performed by Wendilyn Emrys, a third-year graduate student in mythological studies. She says that the paper using the data will be presented at the 2018 Conference on Current Pagan Studies held annually in Claremont, California. The paper will also be available at Academica.edu. The deadline for responding to the survey is Jan. 15.
  • While most of readers are preparing for the cold weather that comes after the winter solstice, there are also many readers that are readying for the hot summer months following the summer solstice. A newly-established Australian group is holding a solstice event Dec. 22 to usher in the season and celebrate the sun. The Sovereigns of the Golden Path (SGP), which is “an emerging queer Pagan tradition rooted in chaos magic and animism,” is welcoming everyone to the coming public celebration. It will take place at Mordialloc Beach in Victoria.
  • Everglades Moon Local Council of Covenant of the Goddess has published its Yuletide podcast. The organization, based in Florida, creates seasonal podcasts that incorporate music, crafting lessons, and interviews. This year’s Yule show includes music from Emerald Rose, Crow Woman, and Mama Gina; instructions on making a witch’s bottle; and a discussion on the beloved dead at Yule. The podcast can be streamed through the organization’s website.
  • Looking for something different to do New Year’s Eve? The Viking-themed Flamborough Fire Festival will be held Dec. 31. The family-friendly parade and event are held annually in the city of Flamborough, England and features drummers, a long ship, costumes, and fireworks. Organizers say, “This year’s festival will be held in memory of Pam, our wonderful Viking goddess called Atla – the goddess of water.”
  • Do you want to be a TWH journalist? The Wild Hunt is looking for dedicated journalists to join its weekly team. Potential candidates will have professional media experience and be able to work in a dynamic, virtual newsroom environment. If you are interested, send an email and CV to editor at wildhunt.org.

Tarot of the week with Star Bustamonte

Deck: Medieval Cat Tarot by Lawrence Teng, published by U.S. Games Systems, Inc.
Card: page of cups

As we roll into the week of Yuletide, the page of cups can signify a need to balance out our emotional stresses with personal growth. It can also indicate a new way forward that offers happiness and success. In order to tap into real joy and happiness, we must first look within and make sure that we are starting on our new path from an emotionally stable, solid, and healthy place.


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