I’m out of town for a wedding this weekend, so blogging will be somewhat sporadic, but I’ll try to check in and post when I have a chance. There is a lot to comment on that I simply don’t have the time for, but I’ll try to catch up on Monday.

Here are a few quick things I wanted to mention:

The AJ Drew/Frosts effigy controversy – this may be the most commented entry in the history of this blog. I highly recommend making your way through both comment threads (and adding your voice if you wish). I believe there are some very productive things being said concerning the Frost’s book, the resulting controversy, and AJ Drew’s response.

The Rita Moran / Christian Civil League issue – again, I highly recommend looking through the comments here, it appears that the fear-mongering tactics of the Maine Christian Civil League have backfired. Many Pagans, local Maine residents, and people concerned with common decency have stepped forward to protest the treatment given to Moran, made donations to the Maine Democrats or bought a book from her local book store. In addition, their attempted intimidation of commenters by posting personal information has also hit the skids due to the questionable legality of their actions, and the comments page has been removed entirely.

In a final note, there are some interesting stories developing out there that I plan to touch on soon, including the fate of Independent Affiliates within the Unitarian-Universalist Association, which includes CUUPs (the Covenant of Unitarian Universalist Pagans). So look for that soon. Everyone should also check out a very interesting article on Paganism in Utah that I’ll most likely touch on in a separate post (possibly tomorrow if I have the time).

That is all I have time for at the moment, have a great day!

In December of last year, I reported that a UU Pagan group in Albemarle County, Virginia generated some controversy when they took advantage of new school board rules that allowed the distribution of religious-themed flyers to school children.

“Some local Pagans who attend Thomas Jefferson Memorial Church, a Unitarian-Universalist congregation in Charlottesville, decided to take advantage of the new forum as well. They created a one-page flier advertising a Dec. 9 event celebrating the December holidays with a Pagan twist and used the backpack system to invite the entire school community…The flier invites people to ‘an educational program for children of all ages (and their adults), where we’ll explore the traditions of December and their origins, followed by a Pagan ritual to celebrate Yule.’”

This was all a result of threatened litigation brought by the late Jerry Falwell’s Liberty Counsel, when the school refused to allow the distribution of Bible camp literature.

“A letter from the Jerry Falwell-linked Liberty Counsel has prompted the Albemarle County School Board to change its policy. The Board will now allow religious organizations to send home fliers with school children in backpack mail.”

But all this “religious freedom” at school isn’t going down too well. Pagans were bad enough, but then the atheists got involved!

“The county began allowing religious activity fliers but promised to revisit the issue in a year. And over the past school year, a Pagan flier in December and one for the atheist-oriented Camp Quest this spring sparked more controversy. Superintendent Pam Moran told the School Board her email inbox shut down when a national organization — Vision America headquartered in Lufkin, Texas — got wind of the “beyond belief” Camp Quest fliers and flooded her with messages protesting school-abetted “atheistic indoctrination.” Technicians had to work over the weekend to get her email back up and running.”

So now the Albemarle School Board, not wanting to find out who will try to distribute literature next, has banned all non-school related flyers from their “backpack mail” system. A situation that their teaching staff seems to have preferred all along.

“In the end, distributing religious and nonreligious materials through the schools was miring teachers, principals, administrators, and the Albemarle School Board in controversy. And a majority of School Board members wants to eliminate any fliers that aren’t school- or government-related at its June 28 meeting … ‘Last year, 16 out of 16 elementary principals recommended we not do this,’ admits Friedman. ‘We did not listen.’”

The irony here is that conservative Christians are the ones who pushed for the distribution of religious material at the school, and then complained so loudly about “atheist indoctrination” once other groups took advantage of the system that it had to be ended. So who wants “religious freedom”? It certainly isn’t the conservative Christians, who seem to only want freedom if it’s their religion.

Has Walden Media edited out all the paganism from the film adaptation (currently in post-production) of Susan Cooper’s classic young-adult novel “The Dark is Rising”? Fears about alterations have been brought up since the film was first announced, mostly due to the fact that Walden Media has a “family friendly” mandate from its conservative Christian billionaire owner Philip Anschutz, and that director David L. Cunningham is a conservative evangelical Christian.

Christopher Eccleston as “The Rider”

Two recent interviews with Cunningham and screenwriter John Hodge (who also adapted “Trainspotting”) seem to validate some of the fears of those worried that the film will be sanitized for Christian audiences. Hodge, when asked about the pagan and pre-Christian elements of the film, said this to JoBlo.com.

“I think some of that sort of, the pre-Christian element or the Arthurian stuff isn’t really in the script.”

Also worrying is Cunningham’s comments on Susan Cooper’s reaction to the film.

“I think that she’s – I don’t want to speak on her behalf, but I think it’s mixed feelings. She’s thrilled that it’s being introduced to a new audience, but of course she would love it to be truer to the book and in many ways we would, but at the same time we needed to translate it.”

Herne the Hunter and Will Stanton
Illustration by Alan E. Cober from the 1973 edition of the book.

One can only imagine what a Christianized version of “The Dark is Rising” would look like. Will the amazing sequence with Herne the Hunter be removed? Will all non-Christian passages from the book be sanitized or removed entirely? I would hardly think that Cunningham and Walden would allow dialog from the book like this:

“Very old, them crosses are, rector,” said Old George unexpectedly, firm and clear. “Made a long time before Christianity. Long before Christ.” The rector beamed at him. “But not before God,” he said simply … “There’s not really any before and after, is there?” he said. “Everything that matters is outside Time. And comes from there and can go there.” Mr Beaumont turned to him in surprise. “You mean infinity, of course, my boy.” “Not altogether,” said the Old One that was Will. “I mean the part of all of us, and of all the things we think and believe, that has nothing to do with yesterday or tomorrow because it belongs at a different kind of level. Yesterday is still there, on that level. Tomorrow is there too. You can visit either of them. And all Gods are there, and all the things they have ever stood for. And,” he added sadly, “the opposite, too.”

I only hope I’m wrong, and that the greater spirit of the book shines through despite the meddling of men who would “translate” a classic to make it appeal to their “family friendly” demographic. “The Dark is Rising” is set to open in October.

New York public radio station WNYC has a program called “Radio Rookies” that trains teens from a variety of backgrounds on how to use the radio to tell their stories, and the stories of others. Yesterday’s “Radio Rookie” broadcast was by Sonia Ponce, a child of Mexican immigrants who has bucked her family’s religious traditions and now considers herself a “witchcraft-practicing atheist”.

“We are from Mexico, and we were all raised as Catholics-mom, dad and all 13 kids. I’m the only witchcraft-practicing atheist … So I’m the weirdo’ in my family-all 14 of them are like geese together flying in a V. I’m the only one going my own way, and I’ve flown on a lot of different paths: vegetarian, agnostic, atheist, witch, wizard, anorexic, bisexual, lesbian, vegan, activist, honors student and head banger! But my parents refuse to hear about it. Maybe they would understand me better if we had the same education and culture.”

Ponce, in addition to telling her story and interviewing her family, also talks to NPR reporter and Pagan author Margot Adler about practicing Witchcraft.

“One problem as someone involved in Wicca or paganism is that there are a number of people who think you are involved in Satanism. You got a real problem when you meet people and you got to do the whole anti-satanic rap.”

Ponce talks about how she returned to her family after running away due to their disagreements about lifestyle and religion, and how they are all learning to respect each other.

“While my mom was cleaning up she said everything has been going well … But don’t get me wrong, I still believe there is no God, and that evolution made us who we are. But more and more, my parents and I are agreeing to disagree. My mom doesn’t call me a devil worshiper any more, instead she calls me Brujita, little witch. And I’m thinking about getting a tattoo of my mother’s name-Isidra — with a cross and rosary beads in the background. Just to show everybody that I love her, and respect her religion and beliefs.”

You can listen to the entire program at the page, or download an Mp3 of the segment. I think it is an interesting look into how different cultures mesh and combine. Specifically how two ideas of “witchcraft” morph into something new and different. Good on WNYC for allowing teens the opportunity to this training, and to let their voices be heard.

While the press wastes its time covering the latest foolish things people like Jonathan “The Impaler” Sharkey do, real Pagan politicians and their struggles are often ignored. A perfect example is Rita Moran, the Chair of the Kennebec County Democratic Committee in Maine, who is being singled out by the local Christian Civil League for what looks like a campaign of harassment and intimidation.

“Rita Moran is well-known in Central Maine as the longstanding Kennebec County Democrat Chair and the the owner of Apple Valley Books at 121 Main Street in Winthrop. Less well-known is Moran’s involvement in one of Maine’s thriving underground pagan worship circles … most disturbing of all is the involvement of Moran’s Apple Valley Books store in promoting her pagan-worshipping beliefs to Maine’s children … Rita Moran can be reached at…”

The author then proceeds to list every address, phone number, and e-mail address he can find for Rita Moran (no doubt so Christians can show their “concern” for the “children”). While its doubtful this will go beyond a few crank calls and letters in left-leaning Maine, it can be seen as a harbinger of what is to come as more and more modern Pagans get involved in local politics.

Once we start to be seen as any sort of real threat to the political status quo in which everyone, left and right, struggles to display their Christian allegiance, you can bet smear campaigns will emerge that will make the Maine Christian Civil League’s actions seem quaint by comparison. Just look at the reaction when a Muslim was elected to Congress (and refused to pretend he was Christian), modern Pagans should expect no less once they start to hold office. The best response now is to continually educate the public to reduce the effect of fear-mongering, and to show unified support (no matter what the party) for Pagans who are trying to get involved in our political system.

We can start by using all that contact information so kindly provided by the Christian Civil League, and send Rita Moran our thanks and support. If we are lucky, perhaps she’ll end up one of the first modern Pagans to hold a significant political office.

UPDATE: This just in from Rita Moran on the situation.

“I’ve been a bit shaken up by all this. While I’ve never denied being Pagan, I considered it a private matter. Lots of folks figured it out; lots of folks enjoyed the plausible deniability my privacy offered. Perhaps even more disturbing is how Michael Hein and Company have both edited the comments supporting me, and investigated folks posting those comments, posting additional information about them which they did not want posted. I have the full support of the Maine Democratic Party, and the Executive Committee of my own county Dems, and resignation is not in the picture.

My primary concerns are financial. When this happened, I “zeroed out” the donation total on our county Dems website (http://www.kennebecdems.org). There has not been a single donation since I’ve been “outed”. I’m even more concerned about the loss of business here at our bookshop as Michael Hein’s attack turns to even more vicious rumors. I guess what I’d ask from the community is whatever support they can offer. Tranquil energy, book orders, donations to our county committee if you wish to recognize that aspect of my community service. Thanks all…”

Show your support, and let these Christian cowards know that their fear-mongering tactics won’t work with us.

AJ Drew, a Wiccan author and founder of the online community Pagan Nation, is planning on holding a “human sacrifice” of Gavin and Yvonne Frost (founders of the Church and School of Wicca) in effigy at this year’s International Real Witches Ball.

The Frosts with hypothetical depiction of effigies.

“On October 27, 2007 at Midnight I will be conducting a ritual entitled A Sacrifice to Caring in which I will sacrifice Gavin and Yvonne Frost in effigy. In this rite, I will introduce the Familial Heathen path / Familial Heathenry to the public. The event will take place during The International Real Witches Ball. My wife and I believe that due to the tremendous number of pacifists in the modern pagan community, such an action will probably lower attendance tremendously. However, we feel the statement must be made and despite being advised to the contrary, we are moving ahead with our plans. We believe that being parents and sending an absolutely clear message Gavin and Yvonne Frost and their ilk will not be welcome in at least our small portion of the community is more important than numbers. However, if you agree we urge you to join us in this struggle to change the modern pagan community.”

This hostility towards the Frosts stems from a chapter of their book “Good Witch’s Bible” (which has been in and out of print since the 70s) in which the methods for ritually deflowering pubescent boys and girls is described.

“It is hoped by Wicca that the first full sexual experience will take place in the plesant[SIC] surroundings of the coven and that the spiritual as well as the physical aspects of the experience will lead the child to a complete life.”

This passage, and others like it (including directions on creating wooden phalli) has lead Drew on a quest to have the Frosts ostracized from the larger Pagan/Wiccan community. This lead him into conflict with Craft elder Raymond Buckland (since patched up) due to his past endorsement of the Frosts, and an open disdain for anyone in the Pagan community who has worked with them (and hasn’t recanted of doing so). Drew also believes that the chapter isn’t hypothetical/imagined and that the Frost’s organization is actively engaged in child molestation and abuse, but that abuse claims were ignored due to the “Satanic Panic” backlash.

“It is my opinion that there have been numerous victims of the Church and School of Wicca. That due to the enormous emotional strain such events have placed on these individuals, many of them have found themselves in the “Satanic Panic Industry” and have been overlooked due to their outrageous claims.”

One wonders where this will go next, Drew insists that a civil suit against the Frosts for the promotion of child molestation would hold up, so is legal action coming soon? Will the wider Pagan community take a stand against the Frosts as anger and outrage builds? The building and destroying of effigies (that symbolize real people) at a Pagan event is certainly a new twist, will others be inspired by this and allow for public “sacrifices” of those they believe to be anathema? It should be interesting to see where this course of action leads.

NOTE: This blog repudiates any endorsement of child abuse or molestation. I certainly don’t endorse the Frost’s “initiation” methods in any sense of the term. Having said that, I feel I should point out that there has been no physical proof that the Frosts have actually engaged in (or supervised) any of the practices they have written about (though it is the opinion of some that they have).

Last year a loon-bat by the name of Jonathon “The Impaler” Sharkey gained a modicum of national press coverage when he ran for Governor of Minnesota as a representative of the “Vampyres, Witches, and Pagans Party”. Several articles followed his quixotic attempts, and some intrepid filmmakers even created a documentary about his run. One might think that would just about extinguish his 15 minutes of fame, but it seems the mainstream media isn’t done with Sharkey yet. ABC News recently featured his Impale-ness in a story concerning the hundreds of small-timers who try to run for President.

“He calls himself a “vampyre” (the Romanian spelling, he says) and claims he’s been drinking blood since age five. He also wants to be your next president. Jonathon “The Impaler” Sharkey is running unchallenged for the Vampire, Witches and Pagan Party 2008 presidential nomination. Most Americans would have a hard time naming the 19 more-or-less official candidates, but, in fact, there are hundreds of Americans running on third-party and independent tickets. Sharkey is running on an “impale criminals” platform.”

I suppose this is a success story of sorts, it isn’t often that a former wrestler who (possibly) tried to fake his own death achieves this much notoriety (legally). But I must confess that having read through the first wave of “Impaler” news, I’m hoping this particular “human interest” well has run dry. For more Sharkey-related material you can look at his Presidential MySpace profile.

New York Times travel writer Rachel Levin talks about her experiences at the “Soup” gathering in northern California. This pagan-ish Deadhead retreat is apparently becoming the latest thing in exclusive (invite-only) intentional community experiments.

“What began in 1994 as a hippie-pagan outgrowth of the Grateful Dead tour has evolved into a family-friendly feel-good festival of eco-entrepreneurs and nonprofit executives, lawyers and doctors, Pilates teachers, politicos – and, at last count, 45 kids, happy to be dragged along to their parents’ party. Eighty-dollar passes are as hard to score as Willy Wonka’s golden tickets, and all proceeds are donated to a local charity. Last year, two recycled-paper tickets depicting smiley pink Buddhas arrived in the mail, inviting my boyfriend and me to “Lucky Soup 13.” As a buttoned-up Boston native, I’d always decided Soup was not my thing; but, for a second, I felt as if I’d won the lottery.”

Based off the story of “stone soup”, guests are required to bring organic vegetables for a communal soup-feast, and the multi-day event culminates with a ritual.

“THE true meat of every Soup is the Ritual. At Soup 13, it was a silent walk in the woods. After being blessed with burning sage, all 250 of us followed a belly-dancing Princeton grad, Pied Piper-style, along a winding path. A lovely stroll, but the point was lost on me.”

Outside the yearly event, participants and hangers-on communicate via a listserv and meet for a variety of social and activist-oriented events.

“Together, we’ve raised over $100,000 for non-profit beneficiaries and have held an annual event for 13 years, as well as trips to Peru to do volunteer community work, Democracy Soup trips to swing states and regular gatherings to keep people engaged. We’re currently planning an additional trip to El Salvador and an action/education group around climate change.”

In many ways it seems like a less extreme and more touchy-feely version of Burning Man and connected Burner events. But unlike Burning Man (and other Pagan-leaning and spiritually minded festivals), only the “right” people are invited to Soup. Is this the beginning of a new sort of spiritual movement, closed-off spiritual communities that try to foster a more “guided” attempt at building community? Only time will tell if “Soup” is good spiritual food.

The Glastonbury Festival in England, operating since 1970, is one of the largest outdoor festivals in the world. The last festival in 2005 (they took a year off in 2006) drew around 150,000 people (though gate-crashers have inflated these numbers to nearly double that at previous festivals), and it is considered by many to be the yearly high-point for alternative culture in the UK. Since the festival was founded during the hippie era, counter-cultural views and a generally open view of spirituality has been encouraged. One of the staples of the festival is the “healing area” where tarot readings, shamanic journeys, meditation areas, and chanting exercises are provided.

“Within the peaceful atmosphere of the Healing Area, there is an exciting blend of healing arts and spiritual/therapeutic orientations as well as fiery celebrations and play. The area is designed as an elemental mandala of Fire, Air, Earth and Water. Each of these circles express a distinct quality of healing which you can experience as you move through the field. Within each circle there is a beautiful garden and sacred space, and all workshops and events are free.”

The Healing Area is just one small part of the larger “Green Fields” where environmental attractions, crafts, and political concerns comprise the “soul” of the rock festival. As you can imagine, this has drawn the attention of Christians concerned about the spiritual effects of such “New Age” dabbling. While some have tried to engender a friendly co-existence with the festival, including “Celtic” eucharists and a Christian-themed “art group”, other Christians aren’t so sanguine about these “creative” outreach efforts.

“Celtic Spirituality is a cousin to the German Faith Movement ginned up by the Nazi “theorist” Alfred Rosenberg. The Deutsche Glaubensbewegung folks went in for horns and pelts instead of hazel-framed coracles and ivy in the hair, but whether it’s neo-druidism or neo-goddess worship or the Revd Adrian Prior-Sankey waving a wet reed, the point is the same: the feel of the wind in your face is the true voice of god and Catholic moral doctrine ain’t. All attempts to recover a pre-Christian mythology are based on resentments targeted at universal ecclesial authority, and all of them, without exception, promise emancipation from irksome moral strictures. Today’s Gaelic beech-huggers may protest that they have nothing in common with the Nazi neo-Norsemen, but their differences are superficial and unimportant. At bottom, each “recovered religion” wants to throw off the yoke of universally binding norms in order to indulge sinful liberties. Ever known a wiccan or a four-winds cultist who gave it up because the ascetical demands were too stiff? Nope. Neo-pagans fast about as often as Elks.”

The Catholic World News may have just set a new land-speed record for invoking Godwin’s Law of Nazi Analogies. So I guess if anyone thought the “Nazis are Pagans (not Christians)” meme wasn’t going to spread to modern Pagans can stand corrected. This seems to denote a growing split among Christians on how to deal with Pagans and other new religious movements. One camp wants to understand and build trust in hope for better relations (and eventually conversions), the other seems to be taking an increasingly adversarial stance that can erupt into abuse, threats, and intimidation (and outright violence eventually, one might assume).

But Christians aren’t the only ones with mixed emotions about the Glastonbury Festival. Some Pagans are growing ever-more alarmed at how the festival is ruining their sacred solstice rites at Stonehenge.

“I have written to the English Heritage for the second year running to complain about the disgraceful behavior of the open access for the celebration of Litha. It is a travesty that a sacred monument can be treated in this way … Not only where people yet again standing on the stones and trying to take a little home with them…But the binge drinking of party goers and the foul language ruined it to a degree, people would not even go in the stone circle … The stewards where trying their best to keep people from the stones, but there was not enough stewards around the stones to be able to protect them … Even after speaking to many druids and Wiccan’s there, many of them had been insulted and ask why they where there dressed in costume as its a party for glastonbury NOT what in fact the English heritage had allowed access for all those years ago.”

This paints a very different picture from the mainstream news reports that claimed the solstice event (which took place the day before the Glastonbury Festival) was peaceful. Could a Pagan-led campaign to have more restrictive rules concerning Stonehenge (after years of campaigning for open access) come to be? It would certainly be interesting if modern Pagans develop the same sort of ambivalence towards this “Pagan-friendly” festival that Christian groups already harbor.

Today is the celebration of the Summer Solstice, also known as Midsummer, or Litha. It is at this time that the Northern Hemisphere is tilted closest to the sun (the opposite being true for our friends in the Southern Hemisphere). It is a time of fertility and celebration: bonfires, maypoles, dancing, and outdoor festivals have been traditional during this time for most of human history. In some modern Pagan faiths it is believed that this holiday represents the highest ascendency of masculine divinity.

Druids at Stonehenge on the Summer Solstice

Here are some recent quotes on this day from the press, along with some words from those who celebrate the Summer Solstice as a holiday.

“Most people know that June 21, the summer solstice, is the longest day of the year. Few people realize why marking that day was important to people in the past and why it continues to be important to those whose beliefs are tied to the Earth’s cycles … By celebrating the summer solstice (and other seasonal markers), pagans acknowledge that all people are part of the ecosystem, dependent on the Earth and the seasons.” – Christine Hennebury, The Telegram

“An exuberant gathering in Britain of 20,000 people has welcomed the first rays of dawn on the year’s longest day. It’s the summer solstice, the first day of summer. And in a modern version of an ancient sun-worshiping tradition, partygoers, pagans and druids gathered at Stonehenge. The still-mysterious collection of 3,000-year-old giant pillars rests on a plain southwest of London. New Yorker Jeanette Montesano, 23, is a self-described pagan and compares the Stonehenge trek to the Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca, though not nearly as big and a lot more fun. Couples snuggled on the lawn, dancers gyrated to drums and whistles and floodlights bathed the stones in pink and purple.” – The Associated Press

“For the summer solstice ritual, Henderson will wear long, deep-hued robes, lead ceremonial chants and offer praise to the sun god, Bel, and the river goddess, Danu, in a pretty corner of the Botsford Recreational Preserve in Scio Township … Ann Arbor’s 20-member druid grove, started in 1994, is part of a small, international movement to revive pagan and druid practice. The Ann Arbor congregation, called the Shining Lakes Grove, is part of a larger international druid movement spread across 58 groves in the United States, Canada and Britain. The archdruid, who heads the organization, is a guy named Skip.” – Tamara Audi, Detroit Free Press

“It’s a day celebrated in as many different ways as there are different cultures. Whether it’s marked with drumming, dancing, fires, food, festivals or just people coming together to note the occasion, it’s a chance for humans to deepen their spiritual understanding and reaffirm their connection to the natural world, said Sara Heartsong, a native Las Crucen.” – Jason Gibbs, Las Cruces Sun-News

“For many Latvians, the midsummer festival is the most important feast of the year. Based on pre-Christian traditions of sun worship, it is currently dedicated to John the Baptist (whence its alternative name of “Jani”), but its rituals are purely pagan. In the afternoon of June 23, Latvians crowned with wreaths of oak leaves flock to the countryside. In pre-Christian times the oak was regarded as a holy tree, and it still features widely in Latvian folk songs and on the five-lat (9.52 dollars) bank note. As the evening draws in, Ligo celebrants light bonfires and sing folk songs or jump through the flames. They also grill shashliks and consume copious quantities of alcohol, although these are not generally interpreted as being specifically pagan traditions.” – Earth Times

“Although our Pagan ancestors probably preferred June 24 (and indeed most European folk festivals today use this date), the sensibility of modern Witches seems to prefer the actual solstice point, beginning the celebration on its eve, or the sunset immediately preceding the solstice point. Again, it gives modern Pagans a range of dates to choose from with, hopefully, a weekend embedded in it … Altogether, Midsummer is a favorite holiday for many Witches in that it is so hospitable to outdoor celebrations. The warm summer night seems to invite it. And if the celebrants are not, in fact, skyclad, then you may be fairly certain that the long ritual robes of winter have yielded place to short, tunic-style apparel.” – Mike Nichols, A Midsummer’s Celebration

A blessed Midsummer to you all!