When Religion and Subculture Collide: Florida Today updates us on the case of a group of goth kids who were fighting a ban on “goth” clothing. It looks like the children argued their case effectively, because the Brevard County School Board has removed the term “gothic” from its dress-code policy, much to the approval of Florida Today’s editorial staff.

“The Brevard County School Board tweaked its dress code policy to remove the word “Gothic” this week. That was a judicious move. No other group of students is listed in the policy. Hip-hop and jock styles also break the dress code, but their groups aren’t singled out for censure by name. Branding Goths as somehow dangerous was unfair and unneeded … school administrators should be careful to apply dress code policies fairly for all groups, from the star athletes to Wiccan kids.”

Facial piercings and “extreme” facial makeup are still banned, but “goth” clothing itself is no longer banned. The compromise that may make life easier for Amaris Mulhauser, who claimed that her style of dress was an outgrowth of her Wiccan religious practice.

A Canadian Witch-Hunt: The Halifax Daily News follows up with some local Pagans in the wake of attacks and harassment towards local Witch Shauna Cook and her friends.

“Earlier this month, a Halifax hedge-witch and her two pagan friends were attacked leaving her home, leading her to decide she must leave the city for the safety of her children. The woman said she has been repeatedly targeted because of her religion. Imagine if the violence had been directed at Jews leaving a synagogue, or Muslims leaving a mosque. Would Haligonians tolerate such an attack? … Vanessa Smith of Little Mysteries on Barrington Street says the attack was doubly unfortunate – because of the pain caused to those attacked, and because it does not reflect the Halifax she knows. “Halifax is a very open city,” she says, and most Wiccans practice in peace.”

Another local Witch interviewed says that her children also face harassment for their religious views, but that she is happier being “out” about her beliefs, and that “Witches are the new gays – and we’re finally coming out.” As for Shauna Cook, you can get a fuller picture of the situation leading to her move by reading the two comments made on this blog by a local friend.

Raping With Impunity: Back in April I reported on a recently released Amnesty International report that revealed shocking levels of outsider rape being perpetrated on American Indian and Alaska Native women. This past Thursday, members of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee heard the testimony of Native women in hopes of creating legislation towards eliminating legal red tape that hinders many investigations of rape and similar crimes.

“Jami Rozell, a member of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, testified that she was brutally raped but decided not to press charges after a series of lawyers and officials told her she would be “raped again” by the justice system. She told senators that several months after the crime, when she summoned the courage to press charges, she was told all of the evidence had been destroyed. “I have not been able to stand up for myself until now,” she said.”

You can read the testimonies of the participants, here. Sadly, rape isn’t the only problem facing Native women in our country, beatings and harassment from non-Natives is still an all-too-common occurrence as evidenced by the recent case in which a teenage girl was beaten and then harassed by white supremacists in Idaho. Hopefully the Senate can indeed “streamline” the maze of injustice facing Natives in our country.

The Newspaper Tree in El Paso interviews artist, educator, and practicing Pagan Bonnie Lyons about growing up in New York in the sixties, and embracing punk-rock along with modern Paganism in the seventies.

Bonnie Lyons, photo by Richard Baron

“My college years ushered in the beginning of the Punk scene, and I was enthralled with the energy of the music and the lifestyle that went with the music. Having started out as a folk kid and then being a hippie kid who survived the disco era, I embraced the Punk scene. In 1977-78 I lived in the East Village in NYC, on 13th Street and 2nd Ave., with my boyfriend and my tribe mates, all of them still my friends today. This era in my life was also the start of my Magical training and started me on the Pagan path that I presently walk. Five of us paid $200 a month ($40 each!) for a five-room railroad flat apartment on the first floor, with steel gates across the front window and many locks on the front door. Most of the time we had enough food, hot water and heat to share with fellow musicians, magicians, artists and other folks in the scene. I didn’t hang as much as the “Bridge and Tunnel” crowd at CBGBs, as we always had punk bands and other musicians living and rehearsing in our midst and we didn’t have to pay for live music.”

The entire interview is a fascinating read, it is a shame they didn’t venture further into her religious history, a series of interviews like this with modern Pagans who have been involved with the community for thirty years or more could be a great boon to future generations.

A somewhat slow news day today, but there are a few smaller items that may be of interest.

The always-excellent legal blog “Religion Clause” has pointed out two recent legal cases of interest to modern Pagans. The first is a prisoner case involving an Asatru inmate:

“In Keen v. Noble, 2007 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 69629 (ED CA, Sept. 20, 2007), a California federal district court refused to dismiss a federal prisoner’s complaint that his free exercise rights were violated when prison authorities refused to provide him with runestones for his Asatru religious practices. However the court agreed with a Magistrate’s recommendation to dismiss on qualified immunity grounds plaintiff’s complaint that he was denied a hof. The court also held that RFRA does not authorize the award of monetary damages.”

So it looks like Runes as a religious tool are allowed within prison (with qualifications for safety), opening a door for similar religious items for modern Pagans and Heathens. The second case, while not involving Paganism, does seem to settle a growing issue being pushed by some Christians.

“Rivera-Alicea v. Gonzalez-Galoffin, 2007 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 69905 (D PR, Sept. 20, 2007), involves claims by a secretary in Puerto Rico’s Department of Justice that she was retaliated against for complaining that “pagan” office Halloween decorations offended her Pentecostal Christian religious beliefs. In rejecting plaintiff’s Establishment Clause claim, the Puerto Rico federal district court held: Halloween decorations, like valentines, Easter bunnies, and egg hunts are all secular displays and activities that neither convey religious messages nor constitute religious symbols. Halloween lost its religious and superstitious overtones long ago. It has become instead a commercial holiday enjoyed by communities in its many forms of entertainment.”

Secular Halloween decorations, despite the protestations of some conservative Christians, aren’t an endorsement of Pagan religion. Rulings like this may also protect Halloween decorations from the complaints of Pagans who find traditional Halloween decorations offensive.

Finally, for my academic-oriented readers, there is an open call for papers for a conference on the subject of religion in comic books and graphic novels. The conference, sponsored by the Luce Program in scripture and literary arts at Boston University, specifically points out that they are looking for works that explore Pagan forms of religiosity within comic books.

“We are particularly interested in the following works and topics, though others will be considered: … Pagan Missionaries: the works of Moore, Gaiman, and Morrison as mouthpieces for New Religious Movements.

So if you are an academic, and have been looking for a place to present that paper on Alan Moore’s “Promethea”, now is your chance.

The New York Times reports that due to growing pressure and criticism, the federal Bureau of Prisons is restoring the chapel libraries that had been purged of all books not on their new “safe” lists.

“The bureau will begin immediately to return to chapel libraries materials that were removed in June 2007, with the exception of any publications that have been found to be inappropriate, such as material that could be radicalizing or incite violence. The review of all materials in chapel libraries will be completed by the end of January 2008.”

However, the secretly created lists won’t be going away, they have simply decided to leave the libraries intact until their lists are “complete”. While this is a step in the right direction, the essential problem with the lists is still there.

“This is a positive step: it means they are not throwing the baby out with the bath water,” Mr. Moore [director of prison policy oversight at Aleph] said of keeping books on the shelves for now. “But our position is there should not be a list of what should be on the shelves, but what shouldn’t be.”

There is also still no word on who was consulted to make these lists, a fact that should disturb anyone worried about bias and conflicts of interest in the list-making. Elysia Gallo, an acquisitions editor for Llewellyn Worldwide, claims that their company wasn’t consulted in the making of the list, and that they have no idea who was consulted.

“I think I can safely say that publishers were not consulted. Everyone here at Llewellyn was surprised and troubled when we first heard the news of this secret list. I think we can *all* agree that we would much rather have Pagans and seekers in prison be able to read anything and everything that is donated to chaplain libraries than simply what is on a list like this. It is a real shame for all religions involved. Chaplains were already selectively screening out books that include nudity, incite violence, etc. etc. from what I’ve heard anyway. Why try to be all pre-emptive by making a pre-approved list, rather than letting the chaplains handle these issues on a case-by-case basis as they always have? I have talked with others about this and so far no one knows who these mystery list-makers could be.”

So while it is good that the chapel libraries are being restored, the core issues haven’t changed, and we may see a similar purge take place again at the end of January. The federal Bureau of Prisons needs to be transparent as to who their religious “experts” are, and how these lists are being made. Better yet, they need to abandon this unconstitutional policy that serves only their convenience, not the safety of Americans or prisoners.

The Boston Globe looks at Salem’s preparations for the upcoming Halloween season, when Witches, Pagans, curious tourists, and people who just want to party, all gather in the small New England city. This year Salem is selling a new discount card (called a “Haunted Passport”) to help offset the city’s expenses.

“In an effort to manage the Witch City’s biggest moneymaker – the Halloween season – the city is offering a $13 discount card to the hordes who descend on Salem every October for Haunted Happenings, a local celebration of everything witchy, ghostly, and ghoulish. “It’s almost like a diner’s card where you buy it and you get a discount,” Mayor Kim Driscoll said of the card, which is called the Haunted Passport. She said proceeds from the card will help the city coordinate and pay for public safety efforts, such as sending out extra police patrols, positioning portable bathroom facilities near attractions, and getting street-closure notices to residents.”

Among those participating in the program is the Salem Witch Museum, and local Witch Christian Day, who is throwing his annual “Festival of the Dead”.

“Christian Day, a local witch who puts on several events collectively called the Festival of the Dead, said he already has seen customers making use of their cards when ordering tickets through his website. Day said he decided to support the program because it promotes the city while helping him to advertise his festival to a wider audience.”

As more Pagans get formally involved in Salem’s tourist preparations, it seems like only a matter of time before the large and growing number of Pagan residents in the city help elect one of the first openly Pagan politicians. In a city where Witchcraft is big business, anything can happen.

Yesterday, a group of Christian bloggers participated in a “synchroblog” (an agreed upon day in which all post on the same pre-chosen topic) on the subject of “Paganism and Christianity”. Many of the posts were quite thoughtful, and give an interesting perspective of our faiths from the outside looking in. One post of note includes Phil Wyman’s essay concerning the inherent problems facing communication between Pagans and Christians.

“As Evangelical Christians, we will regularly be faced with communicating our faith, and consequently challenging the faith of others whose faith defines who they are. Their beliefs are personal, because they are the culmination of life experiences. These differences in the source, and direction of faith create tension in communication of belief systems between the Evangelical Christian and the Neo-Pagan. Evangelical Christianity has the call to proclaim its faith. It is therefore necessary for the Christian to understand that others may receive challenges to their beliefs as attacks against their being. We may well find ourselves in debate contests between those whose faith defines their being, when we think that beliefs are less personal and rooted in a hopeful becoming. For another faith is a personal journey defined by who they have become, and now are. My Evangelical definition of faith tells me it is less personal.”

Also worth a read is Julie Clawson’s exploration of the different methods Christians can take when approaching modern Pagans, Tim Abbott’s meditation on if modern Paganism is slowly becoming the ‘default spirituality’ of teenagers, Paul Walker ‘walks on the wild side’ and visits a Pagan forum for the first time (spoiler: we’re nice!), and Steve Hayes talks literature, religion, and his different experiences with different generations of Pagans.

“But what I think may be even more significant is the time. I got the impression (which could be mistaken) that the neopagans of the 1960s and 1970s were engaged in a search for spiritual values in reaction against secular modernity. They failed to find those values in Christianity, because many Western Christians had sold out to secular modernity … In the 1990s, however, when I began communicating with neopagans and others electronically, I got a different impression (which could also be mistaken) – that many people who had turned to neopaganism in the 1990s had reacted not against secular values, but against religious ones, and those religious values were those of Christianity, or, perhaps more accurately, those which American sociologists have called “Judeo-Christian” when trying to describe the middle ground of US culture.”

I encourage those interested in Christian-Pagan dialog to visit the participating sites and share your own thoughts and opinions.

The fashion/celebrity blog Jezebel takes a look at the latest issue of French “Vogue”, and a fashion photo shoot “realized” by editor in chief Carine Roitfeld that focuses on the occult.

“…inside, we found the “Sacrement Inspiree” fashion shoot photographed by Terry Richardson and “realized” by editor in chief Carine Roitfeld. The theme? Voodoo/wicca/satanism!”

Fashion design by Alexander McQueen, photo by Terry Richardson.

Among the designers highlighted in the shoot is Alexander McQueen, who recently unveiled a witch-themed fashion line.

“McQueen, the greatest theatric in fashion, didn’t just focus on witches, but ruminated visually on the occult, paganism and Egyptian devils. The only surprise is that the Vatican daily L’Osservatore Romano has not since penned an editorial condemning the show.”

As for the shoot itself, Roitfeld seems to be a fan of left-hand fashions and has inserted serveral “Satanic” symbols to spice up the mix, prompting Jezebel to exclaim that “Devil worship is the new black!”

Satanic fashion?

Will occult and Pagan themes continue to influence high fashion? Will any of the more sensible designs be co-opted by the masses? Will Satanism find new life in Haute couture? Does this predict a future in which Pagan festivals set the tone for fashionistas everywhere? These questions, and many more, remain to be answered.

Some great Pagan and Pagan-friendly content has been popping up lately in the blogosphere, so I thought I would take some time to highlight some posts that I found particularly interesting.

Feorag, of the venerable Pagan Prattle, dissects a recent article on a English Vicar who wants to debate the Church of England’s use of Harry Potter to attract younger members. It turns out that the press-hungry Vicar has a notorious “Satanic Panic” past.

“Anyone old enough to have been involved in neopaganism in the UK in the 1980s will remember the Rev. Kevin Logan (a.k.a.Kev. the Rev.). The Anglican vicar spent a lot of time and effort promoting the Satanic Abuse Myth, and propagating outrageous lies about neopaganism. He fell from grace after a seriously disturbed woman, Caroline Marchant, committed suicide while in his care. Well, he obviously thinks no-one can remember him after 17 years, and is back having a go at Harry Potter. Nor does he seem to have spent the time learning anything about neopaganism, as he strangely seems to think that Rowling’s books have something to do with it.”

Logan is looking to forge a comeback in the anti-occult market (reinvigorated by all the fuss over Harry Potter) by releasing a new edition of his Satanic Panic-supporting book “Paganism and the Occult: A manifesto for Christian Action”, a work that Feorag describes as “a load of complete bollocks.”

Perhaps gearing up for Halloween festivities, the mega-popular Boing Boing has featured quite a few Witchy and occult-oriented posts recently. There was the post on making “witches’ jars”, a look at a flying witch arcade game, and most recently a post on the organization “English Heretics”, who are commemorating the “psychohistorical environment of England”.

“England’s buildings are littered with blue plaques placed by English Heritage, commemorating the birthplaces of important people, famous architecture and so on. English Heretics put Black Plaques up to commemorate an entirely different kind of heritage: ‘The Black Plaque scheme was instigated in October 2003. Its purpose is to commemorate and draw public attention to historical figures in such diverse fields as sorcery, the Royal Art, left hand path occultism and witchcraft, as well as the mentally infirm: tortured poets, psychopaths and village idiots.’”

With a little funding “English Heretics” could really become something interesting (not to mention, fun).

Over at the TheoFantastique blog, John Morehead interviews Bill Ellis (author of “Lucifer Ascending: The Occult in Folklore and Popular Culture”) about religious and occult themes in Japanese animation.

“Much of anime can be appreciated purely as story-telling, and as the studios know that their productions will be viewed all over the world, they do make an effort to stress universally engaging plots and characters and minimize the purely esoteric details. Still, myth and religion always lie very close to the surface, and many plot twists that seem odd to the Western eye are ‘just right’ for an Eastern audience. Likewise, many of the plot details are the sorts of folk beliefs that the Japanese accept as part of everyday life, such as the belief that the number four is unlucky (it’s pronounced ’shi,’ which can also mean ‘death.’) So if something happens three times, then the audience is set up to expect that the fourth time will involve some kind of danger or misfortune. Also, butterflies are cute in Western decorations but signal some uncanny and possibly scary twist when they appear in anime, because this creature is associated with magic and a pathway into another world.”

Also discussed are the works of Hayao Miyazaki, and how Buddhist and Shinto themes manifest within anime features.

M. Macha NightMare, at her blog Broomstick Chronicles, discusses a recent interfaith meeting on the topic of serving the senior community. In the post she discusses who is considered “clergy”, and what the responsibilities of Pagan clergy are when tending to the elderly.

“If there is one thing I want Pagans to take away from this is the knowledge that if we encounter anything resembling elder abuse, we are mandated reporters. Most of you probably know we are mandated reporters for suspected child abuse, but the law requiring ‘clergy’ to report suspected elder abuse is recent. So now you know. May you never have to do it.”

If you need to report a case of elder abuse, the Elder Abuse Center gives you quick links to the State Adult Protective Services.

Finally, there are two new blogs of note I wanted to pass along. Witchvox staff member, movie reviewer, and author, Peg Aloi formally enters the Pagan blogosphere with the well-written “Orchards Forever”. Meanwhile, Lupa, author of “Fang and Fur, Blood and Bone: A Primal Guide to Animal Magic”, has started a new blog entitled “Therioshamanism” which aims to document her journey towards creating her own Neo-Shamanic path.

The Berkshire Eagle has an excellent story concerning a long legal battle that pitted some urban transplants (collectively nicknamed the “dirty dozen”) in the small town of Middlefield, Massachusetts against local Wiccan-owned mail order business AzureGreen, the largest metaphysical supplier in the United States. Benning W. De La Mater reports on how what started out as questions over proper legal procedure concerning a community-approved business expansion for AzureGreen, became a years-long mudslinging battle to “preserve” Middlefield.

“How did it get this far? How is it that friends in this Hampshire County town of 500 no longer speak? Or that they worry about being run off the road? Or finding a shaving-cream Christian cross sprayed on their driveway? Cries of devil worshipping? An Egyptian pyramid in a cow pasture? A lawsuit? It’s the worst that happens when friendships, religion, business interests and perceived favoritism simmer in a cauldron of small-town politics.”

The trouble started when some former friends of AzureGreen owners Tamarin Laurel-Paine and Adair Laurel-Cafarella felt that Paine misused his influence as a member of the town’s Planning Board to obtain approval for a rezoning decision that would benefit their plans to expand onto a 50-acre plot. Though these issues were settled, and the town eventually voted overwhelmingly in favor of AzureGreen’s expansion, a small group of people unhappy with AzureGreen’s plans started litigation that would tie up the expansion for nearly four years and eventually reach the state Supreme Court.

“On June 28, 2005, Land Court judge Charles W. Trombly Jr. ruled in favor of Cafarella and Paine, stating in his decision, “There are no genuine issues of material facts,” and “the plaintiffs’ objection to the special-permit decision are vague and speculative.” The ruling went on to read that “neither the Carpenters nor O’Brien have shown that they … will suffer a private and specific harm.” … On June 27 of this year, the Appeals Court of Massachusetts upheld the Land Court decision, referring to O’Brien’s claims of property devaluation and sewage run-off as “mere conjecture.” And just 11 days ago, 65 months after the lawsuit was filed, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court threw out the last appeal, ending the hold on construction.”

While this all went on, the town became split over the issue, often with anti-Wiccan signs and statements being thrown around. In addition, many local residents felt that the lawsuit against AzureGreen was an anti-democratic act that pitted natives against urban transplants.

“Long-time residents say the conflict split the town in two. Walter Smith, 71, a former building inspector in Middlefield, said the group’s lawsuit was “an act against democracy. They walked in with a pocket full of money and we swallowed our pride. The arrogance of those 12 people! It still bothers me.” Former Selectman Gary Wheeler said The Dirty Dozen looked at town board members as a bunch of country bumpkins, unfit to handle serious business matters.”

Now that the legal problems are finally solved, AzureGreen is going ahead with its expansion, which includes a new warehouse (with a pyramid in front and solar power), a public kitchen for seniors, a day-care, and a 20-acre parcel that was donated to the Society of Elder Faiths (a Massachusetts Pagan organization) for religious use. But relations in the town are still tense, and it remains to be seen if the “dirty dozen” will try to seek new ways to punish the metaphysical mail-order company. Kudos to Benning W. De La Mater for a well-balanced account of this story.

Today is the Autumnal Equinox (09:51 UT) and signals the beginning of Fall in the northern hemisphere. On this day there will be an equal amount of light and darkness, and after this day the nights grow longer and we head towards Winter. In many modern Pagan traditions this is the second of three harvest festivals (the first being Lughnasadh, the third being Samhain).

“Mabon” photo by Nyx(CC)

The holiday is also known as “Harvest Home” or “Mabon” by Wiccans and Witches, “Mid-Harvest” and “Alban Elfed” by some Druidic and Celtic-oriented groups, and “Winter Finding” by modern-day Asatru. Most modern Pagans simply call it the Autumn Equinox. Here are some media quotes and excerpts from modern Pagans on the holiday.

“An equinox in astronomy is the event when the Sun can be observed to be directly above the Earth’s equator, occurring around March 20 and September 22 each year. As a general rule, it is thought to be on the 21st of every quarter that the equinox changes. On these dates, night and day are nearly of the same length and the Sun crosses the celestial equator. In a wider sense, the equinoxes are the two days each year when the centre of the Sun spends an equal amount of time above and below the horizon at every location on Earth.” – Pretoria News

“Cultures throughout time have used the cycles of the sun to mark important events. The equinox itself holds less meaning in our modern society, and truly the change that comes to the season happens by degrees over time. But the notion of a balance between light and dark falling on a moment in time is a powerful, and useful, idea to dwell on long after the equinox has given way to the slow march of winter.” – The Daily Green

“Although the specific date of the Autumn Equinox was not marked by any ritual in Celtic tradition, there is evidence that, at some point roughly halfway between Lughnasadh and Samhain, communities would involve themselves with a ceremony that reflected the processes then at work in the Year. This was usually a conclusion to ritual themes invoked at Lughnasadh, and focused on the end of the main harvest activities (i.e., the grain harvest), although it did not imply the end of the entire Harvest season, which continued until Samhain” – Alexei Kondratiev, The Apple Branch

“In the rhythm of the year, Harvest Home marks a time of rest after hard work. The crops are gathered in, and winter is still a month and a half away! Although the nights are getting cooler, the days are still warm, and there is something magical in the sunlight, for it seems silvery and indirect. As we pursue our gentle hobbies of making corn dollies (those tiny vegetation spirits) and wheat weaving, our attention is suddenly arrested by the sound of baying from the skies (the ‘Hounds of Annwn’ passing?), as lines of geese cut silhouettes across a harvest moon. And we move closer to the hearth, the longer evening hours giving us time to catch up on our reading, munching on popcorn balls and caramel apples and sipping home-brewed mead or ale. What a wonderful time Harvest Home is! And how lucky we are to live in a part of the country where the season’s changes are so dramatic and majestic!” – Mike Nichols, “Harvest Home”

“Autumn Equinox (also known as Mabon or Harvest Home) is celebrated when day and night are of equal duration before the descent into increasing darkness and is the final festival of the season of harvest. In nature, the activity of the summer months slows down to the hibernation for the winter. For many Pagans, now is time to reflect on the past season. It is also a time to recoginse that the balance of the year has changed, the wheel has turned and summer is now over.” – BBC, Religion and Ethics

“However you celebrate this festival, I urge you all to get outside and enjoy the sensual delights of late summer as it gives way to early autumn. Visit a local farm. It is important to support small farms as often as possible; farming is a dying way of life in this country and your health (not to mention your local economy) will benefit when you buy local and eat fresh. Farmer’s markets are abundant this time of year; find one near you. Go apple picking. Support your local orchards! There is no substitute for fruit freshly picked from the tree; bring your children or make a day of it with friends. Have a harvest dinner made with fresh local vegetables or locally-raised poultry or meat. Make a pie or tart from apples or peaches. Buy wine or beer from a local winery or brewery. Remember your ancestors, who lived close by one another, who worked the fields together, who shared food and drink and fellowship together. Celebrate your own harvests: acknowledge your work, goals or other accomplishments.” – Peg Aloi, The Witches’ Voice

May you all enjoy the fruits of your harvest this season.