“A follower of paganism claims a health visitor told her she should put her religious items away because of the effect they could be having on her son.”

So we gear up for a tale of a health official overstepping his or her authority, ready to unleash our righteous ire. Only, the more you read it, the less it seems like a story about religion. I mean, it is according to family being visited.

“But on one of these visits, Mrs Hawkins says the health visitor told her she should remove pagan images and accessories from her living room because of her concerns for her 10-year-old son David … She said: ‘The lady was commenting on my bits and bobs and she said I ought to take them down because she thought it was detrimental to my son’s wellbeing … ‘I was really angry because Wicca is a recognised religion. You wouldn’t go into a Muslim’s home and ask them to take down their religious items would you?’”

But the NHS has a very different perspective.

“Hampshire Partnership NHS Trust Jamie Stevenson said the health visitor had been referring to some collectible dolls not connected to religious beliefs, known as Living Dead dolls, which Mrs Hawkins had on display.”

So unless Living Dead Dolls are now considered Wiccan religious items, this isn’t a religious persecution story. It might have been an anti-goth sort of story, but even that falls flat when you keep reading.

“We would never give advice on parenting unless they were doing something extremely wrong, which isn’t the case here. With a mental health patient like Mrs Hawkins we are trying to build a rapport and look after her needs, not to go in and throw our weight around.”

So, the British version of child services wasn’t being threatened on them, the NHS says they have no intention of “throwing its weight around”, and they actually seem quite apologetic about the whole thing. So what, really, is the story here? An NHS mental health worker suggests moving some morbid dolls to the bedroom, and the offended family calls the press?

I suppose one could make the argument that these dolls have been imbued with religious meaning by Mrs Hawkins, but even the most enlightened NHS official would have a hard time figuring that out. This seems very much like a reporter creating a controversy where there isn’t one, spinning the Pagan angle to gather attention. Oh, and Mr. Broom? Adherents of modern Paganism are Pagans, not “Paganists”.

“On 20 August 2007, a banner headline of the Rio tabloid Meia Hora said: “Thug beheads those who don’t follow his rules”, and underneath, “Fernandinho Guarabu, Dendê’s boss, uses an axe to execute his victims. The evangelical trafficker forbids even macumba in the favela.” (Macumba refers to one of the country’s African-derived religions, along with Umbanda and Candomblé, which strict evangelicals see as little more than witchcraft.) That same day, in the broadsheet O Dia, this report appeared: “In spite of his violence, the ‘word of God’ must always be propagated, sometimes in a radical way. Guarabu has supposedly banned Umbanda and Candomblé rituals, as well as spiritualist séances. At 6pm every day, a pastor’s prayer echoes on the narrow alleys.” What had happened was that Fernandinho had become friendly with Pastor Sidney, and had been born again. He took to his new faith with great enthusiasm. He had “Jesus Cristo” tattooed on one of his forearms in big letters, and Morro do Dendê was soon covered with new religious graffiti. The community swimming pool he had built now had a sign above it saying, “This Belongs to Jesus Christ”. Also, Fernandinho had supposedly ordered his men not to carry out “violent” crimes, such as carjacking, armed robbery and murder, although he was still selling drugs.”

Naturally, the story of Fernandinho’s conversion doesn’t have a happy ending for the Christians who sought to curb his violence. His gang is back to murdering informants, and Fernandinho is estranged from the pastor who converted him. That hasn’t stopped other, less scrupulous, pastors from ingratiating themselves, or even allowing their churches to be used by his operation. Proof, perhaps, that mere conversion can’t solve these problems, and may even redirect the violence into places they hadn’t anticipated (the violence against non-Christians in his favela for instance). With the international spotlight shining on Rio for the upcoming 2016 Summer Olympics, it should be interesting to see what the government does to curb gang violence and reform the police forces before massive floods of international tourists arrive.

In Other News: The Poughkeepsie Journal has a surprisingly solid article by Lauren Yanks exploring the Winter Solstice from a variety of view-points both secular and spiritual. This includes a local Wiccan shop-owner and a Norse Pagan employee.

“Patrick Twamley also works at the Awareness Shop. Twamley follows the Norse pagan tradition. “In the Norse pagan tradition, the night before the solstice is usually called Mother’s Night,” he said. “It’s a time to honor the female ancestors of your line. This probably goes back to the idea of the mother giving birth to the sun.” As part of the Norse tradition, on the winter solstice Twamley sprinkles everybody with ale as a way of bestowing a blessing, usually out of a blessing bowl. Then there is a feast and a toast to the female spirits. “It’s a way to show gratitude for all we’ve been given,” he said.”

Yanks also asks academics about Native American traditions relating to the Winter Solstice, and interviews the minister of the Uniterian Universalist Fellowship in Poughkeepsie. Maybe papers should encourage more academics (Yanks teaches English at SUNY New Paltz) to write features for them, they, at least, know to quote multiple sources.

It seems English Catholic Archbishop Vincent Nichols made a theological faux pas while at a visit to a Hindu temple in London and (allegedly) placed flowers on the altar of the Hindu deities. This most likely unwitting violation of the First Commandment has gotten Rod “Crunchy Con” Dreher’s dander up.

“I’ll say this for the Muslims: they know better than to get into this syncretism garbage. It is not only possible to honor other religions without paying homage to their gods, it is mandatory for Christians. I would not expect a Jew or a Muslim to cross himself at a Christian altar, or before a Christian crucifix or an icon. Nor would I be insulted in the least if he didn’t. It’s those who are indifferent to what a gesture like this means that worry me.”

Ah yes, “syncretism garbage”. Never mind that this wasn’t an act of “syncretism”, but most likely an unwitting mistake, it’s enough of an excuse to unleash the river of bile and snark Dreher holds for minority non-Christian faiths in general, and for Pagan and African diasporic faiths in particular. Did a polytheist kick his puppy as a child? Did Wiccans steal his lunch-money? It can’t simply be Christian piety that drives this particular immaturity.

So have you heard about the Goth Pagan Robin Hood yet? No? You are so missing out! It seems a man calling himself Frater Osiris Xnoubis robbed a bank wearing black leathers and then proceeded to hand the money out at a local sandwich shop.

“He handed a note to terrified cashier Laura Sulling telling her he was armed and demanded she hand over the cash in her till. Xnoubis, a Pagan worshipper, stuffed £6,570 into a bag and told her to “have a nice day” before calmly walking out of the HSBC branch in Terminus Road, Eastbourne. He walked a few yards to The Gildridge pub where he handed barmaid Gemma Clark a £20 note for a bottle of beer and told her to keep the change. After downing his drink he left and went to nearby Harrisons sandwich bar. He handed the bag of cash to astonished owner Clive Benneys, who was also his landlord, saying: “You are good people, help yourselves.” Xnoubis left the shop and promptly went to the police station in Grove Road where he confessed to the robbery.”

A psychiatric report stated he was depressed, but not mentally ill. A judge sentenced him to three-and-a-half years after a guilty plea. Perhaps years from now they’ll sing ballads for brave Frater Osiris Xnoubis, who stole from the rich and gave to the poor. Perhaps they’ll give him a merry band of goths and Pagans who help him in his quest! Hey, stranger things have happened.

In a final note, Erynn Rowan Laurie has a review up of “Ten Years of Triumph of the Moon”, a collection of essays inspired by, deriving from, or just celebrating the influential work of historian Ronald Hutton. She finds several things to like about the collection, but says its hindered by sloppy editing and some rather mediocre essays.

“There are a number of other articles in the book, some of which are passable, but unfortunately one of the editors had the least readable and least useful article in the whole compilation. It’s unfortunate he didn’t himself have an editor to look over his own work. I think that if you’re a Hutton fan, you’ll find a lot to like in this book, as well as a few things that might challenge your opinions. If you’re not specifically a Hutton fan but are interested in the state of scholarship regarding Paganism and the occult today, this will also be quite worth reading. Just be prepared for a lot of bad editing.”

Shame about the editing really, you’d expect better from an academic-oriented collection. Still, I’m looking forward to getting my hands on a copy for review (and my own edification).

That’s all I have for now, have a great day!

I’m still holding out hope that NCIS will buck the trend, after all, the show includes a positive goth character, so maybe the Satanic thing is a red herring, a misdirection from the true nature of the killer. One can only hope.

That turned out to be exactly the case. While I won’t give away the ending, I can say that all the ritualistic elements were explained away, and the Satanic/cult angle was indeed a red herring. They even had the goth-styled Forensic Specialist Abby Sciuto (played by Pauley Perrette) specifically debunk the “Satanic” pentagram on the victim’s back.

Not the same pentagram.

This points towards the power of representation in popular media. Because NCIS has a “goth” character whose mandate is to “defy the negative stereotype”, the writers are forced to (at least partially) consider her perspective. It stands to reason that someone who goes to goth clubs, drives a hearse, and listens to Industrial music would have met a few Satanists in her time, and know they aren’t ritualistic killers (and that many of them don’t even literally believe in the entity of Satan). So writers are then, if they have any talent, forced into either explaining why these ritualistic killers are an abberation from the norm, or debunk the supposed “Satanism” invoked in the episode (which is what happened here).

Compare this to The Mentalist, where there are no characters who act as subcultural signifiers. Indeed, the main character is a “reformed” outsider (sham TV psychic) who now uses his powers of observation to debunk and mock the world he once inhabited. It’s little wonder their “Wiccan” character was a string of negative stereotypes, what was holding the writers back? Certainly not anticipated outrage from the Pagan community, we’re far too small to scare away advertisers (half of America hasn’t even heard of Wiccans if some surveys are to be believed) or garner national press for every insult. Fair treatment towards outsider views in popular media can only be expected when the outsiders are involved (whether in front of, or behind, the cameras).

Obviously, this isn’t a perfect solution, Criminal Minds was recently criticized for some ugly stereotypes about Gypsies, and they have two “outsider/geek” characters, but they do have a far better track record than most of debunking stereotypes concerning outsider and subcultural groups (I know they specifically addressed “Satanic Panic” in an older episode). This doesn’t mean I think shows should start shoehorning Pagan and Wiccan characters into their ensembles, only that visibility and involvement can make the difference between being the Furries on CSI or the goth girl on NCIS. So hats off to that show’s writers for avoiding some bad stereotypes, and including a positive “outsider”.

ADDENDUM: You can watch the entirety of this episode of NCIS online.

“We didn’t have to close WWW, it was paying it’s way and no money was lost. It was just a decision about the future taken calmly at a point where we had time to think… It was meant to be fun and would have turned into slog at some point in the near future … We could have continued and would have done alright, but with Myspace starting to sell downloads, Amazon coming in and iTunes level of market dominance, there was little point. Even CDBaby now sell downloads alongside the CD. Exiting in a positive way seemed the best thing to do at the right time. WWW didn’t collapse, we have all the money needed. It was a decision taken about how far to push what was a small home operation delivered in my spare time.”

I mentioned Woven Wheat Whispers on this blog last year when they released (with Cold Spring Records) the amazing “John Barleycorn Reborn” compilation. Woven Wheat Whispers introduced me to some great artists, including The Owl Service, Cunnan, Arrowwood, Novemthree, Sharron Kraus, and The Horses of The Gods. It at times felt like the label/service was especially created for fans of The Wicker Man soundtrack (a high compliment in my book). Needless to say, WWW artists got, and continue to get, at lot of airplay on my podcast/streaming radio show.

Meanwhile, just yesterday, Dancing Ferret/Noir Records founder Patrick Rodgers announced that his popular goth/darkwave label would be closing down in November.

“After November, Dancing Ferret Discs (and Noir Records) will stop releasing new material. Of course this does NOT mean that our wonderful artists are hanging up their hats, nor that their albums will disappear. It also does NOT mean that anything will happen to Nocturne, Dracula’s Ball, Digital Ferret or IsoTank. It simply means that in the future, new albums by the DFD bands that you love will be released by other labels (or in some cases, by the artists themselves).”

DFD/Noir, aside from representing popular darkwave acts like The Cruxshadows, also introduced America to great European neo-medieval, ethereal, Pagan-folk, and darkwave bands like Corvus Corax, Irfan, The Dreamside, Faun, and Omnia.

Both of these labels/services have been instrumental in helping to expand the idea of a “Pagan music” beyond the New Age mediocrities and sub-par folk that many assumed was the norm. It showed that there were new generations of musicians across America, the UK, and Europe, that were making challenging and exciting music that dealt with themes near and dear to the Pagan soul. To say that the exit of Woven Wheat Whispers and Dancing Ferret/Noir leaves a hole is an understatement. So I raise my glass in toast to both of them, they have enriched us more than most will ever know.

You can expect tributes to both Woven Wheat Whispers and Dancing Ferret/Noir in upcoming episodes of my A Darker Shade of Pagan podcast.
]]> http://wildhunt.org/blog/2008/07/two-pagan-friendly-music-sources-close.html/feed 2 http://wildhunt.org/blog/2008/05/old-traditions-new-directions.html http://wildhunt.org/blog/2008/05/old-traditions-new-directions.html#comments Sun, 11 May 2008 13:52:00 +0000 Jason http://wildhunt.org/blog/2008/05/old-traditions-new-directions.html The Independent has a feature up on the tradition of Morris Dancing, specifically how two troupes are bringing a decidedly modern aesthetic to these venerable folk traditions.

The Hunters Moon Morris

The Wolf’s Head and Vixen Morris.

“One reason for the recent growth of Border morris is that it is easier to learn (while more spectacular) than other forms. Another is an increase in the number of British neo-pagans, many of whom are drawn to it. “We quite consciously work with ideas of shamanism,” says [Wolfshead founder Philip] Kane. “It’s a form of ritual theatre, a magical space embracing both dancers and audience.” There are radical politics at work too: he sees the dance, and “neo-pagan carnivals” such as the Rochester Sweeps, as a way of resisting the “complacent nostalgia” of Englishness “founded on the detritus of imperialism, Christianity, racism and xenophobia”. His England has more primitive, inclusive roots, and for him the morris is a way of expressing that.”

Of course there are still several traditional Morris “sides” (albeit aging rapidly) performing in England. Unlike the Pagan and goth troupes, they see what they are doing as safely within the bounds of their Christian faith, and downplay any esoteric aspects connected to Morris dancing by folklorists in the past.

“So, what do they think they’re up to? Norman Hopson, the 56-year-old squire, is a technical manager for BT but has the no-nonsense manner of a bluff countryman. “Some say the handkerchiefs are there to frighten away spirits, and the same for the bells,” he says. “We say they are there to accentuate the movements.” Nor is there anything mystical about his experience of dancing: “I see myself as a street entertainer.” … Hopson doesn’t see it as a symbol of fertility, or anything else, thank you. “The Long Man is a local landmark,” he says. “It’s just a carving on a hill. I don’t think it has any further significance.” The side’s bagman, Alan Vaughan, puts it more strongly: “We would go against that pagan idea,” he says. ‘Traditionally, morris dancing has been connected with the church. I personally have danced in Durham Cathedral.’”

Of course the pagan and esoteric undertones to modern Morris dancing (true or not) are irrevocably wrapped into it thanks to folklorists like Cecil Sharp, who felt that folk-traditions were cultural fossils of England’s primitive past (what Ronald Hutton calls the “geological model” of human culture). This notion of pagan survivals helped pave the way for the emergence of modern Pagan religion, and still casts a long shadow in the public mind when considering Morris dances and other folk traditions.

“The folk singers of today … are the last of a long line that stretches back into the mists of far-off days.” – Cecil Sharp, English Folk Song: Some Conclusions, 1907

Nor is England the only place where Pagans and other subcultural groups are staking their own claims to the Morris legacy. Pagans in America, most notably in California, have started up their own Morris traditions. Before long, the Victorian folklorists may turn out to be prophets, as more and more Morris troupes embrace a Pagan aesthetic.

PS – Speaking of traditions, today is Mother’s Day. Check out my post concerning the holiday from last year, I think it says all I want to say about the subject.
]]> http://wildhunt.org/blog/2008/05/old-traditions-new-directions.html/feed 4 http://wildhunt.org/blog/2008/03/raven-digitalis-on-mtv.html http://wildhunt.org/blog/2008/03/raven-digitalis-on-mtv.html#comments Wed, 26 Mar 2008 13:27:00 +0000 Jason http://wildhunt.org/blog/2008/03/raven-digitalis-on-mtv.html Taking a break from filming reality-television programs, MTV (the network formerly know as “music television”) profiles the Wiccan faith and interviews “Goth Craft” author Raven Digitalis.

“Raven has been a Pagan priest for four years, practicing witchcraft and hosting rituals for local Pagans at his house, which is just 10 minutes from the downtown strip. “The Craft is one of the most empowering religions or spiritual lifestyles that exists,” he explained.”

“A surprising number of young witches MTV News spoke with also said that they became curious about their faith through misguiding pop-culture fare like the camp Neve Campbell vehicle “The Craft” and the “Harry Potter” series. (Guess a few conservative Christian groups were right about that one) … many young people enter the Craft in reaction to a very conservative religious upbringing – Southern Baptist, perhaps, or Catholic.”

The article also name-checks teen-friendly groups and organizations like the Tempest Smith Foundation, and Copper Moon E-Zine, in addition to a selection of teen-friendly books on magic.

At this point it would be fair to say that MTV are hardly cultural innovators, so teen interest in Wicca and Paganism must be growing to a point where it’s practically a mainstream phenomenon. The sympathetic coverage given here may very well be the harbinger of a new surge of interest in teen Paganism that will rival the late-90s boom (remember, “The Craft” and Silver Ravenwolf’s “Teen Witch” both came out in the late 90s). In the meantime, congrats to Raven Digitalis on the start of his fifteen minutes.
]]> http://wildhunt.org/blog/2008/03/raven-digitalis-on-mtv.html/feed 0 http://wildhunt.org/blog/2007/09/updates-on-past-stories.html http://wildhunt.org/blog/2007/09/updates-on-past-stories.html#comments Sun, 30 Sep 2007 14:34:00 +0000 Jason http://wildhunt.org/blog/2007/09/updates-on-past-stories-4.html 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.
]]> http://wildhunt.org/blog/2007/09/updates-on-past-stories.html/feed 0 http://wildhunt.org/blog/2007/09/when-religion-and-subculture-collide.html http://wildhunt.org/blog/2007/09/when-religion-and-subculture-collide.html#comments Sun, 16 Sep 2007 13:56:00 +0000 Jason http://wildhunt.org/blog/2007/09/when-religion-and-subculture-collide.html Florida Today profiles some local goth teens who are fighting an anti-goth clothing ban enforced by Brevard Public Schools.

“Amaris is one of about 30 students trying to change the district’s dress code policy, which they believe is outdated and curtails their freedom of expression. The students went before the school board this week to argue their case … Brevard Public Schools’ dress code policy specifically prohibits Gothic-style clothing or accessories, citing that such gear is tied to ‘violent or death oriented themes.’”

Of special note, one of the teens leading the effort, Amaris Mulhauser, claims that removing her goth clothing infringes on her religious rights.

“Amaris — a soft-spoken sophomore who said she’d never been suspended and had never received a grade lower than a C — argues she has a right to her style of dress. She said her clothing is part of her Wiccan religion, a neo-pagan, Earth-centered faith. ‘I get pulled out of classes, stopped in the hallways, all because they say our makeup is a distraction,’ Amaris, who signs the ‘A’ in her name with the anarchy symbol, told the Brevard County School Board. ‘I think basically it is a ploy against people who are different. I am very tired of the unfair treatment that we’ve been given.’”

While some might be quick to disregard her claims, the intermingling of the goth subculture with Pagan belief has been steadily on the rise, and if her beliefs are sincere, the law is on her side. I think Brock on the Non-Fluffy Pagans community best encapsulates why religious claims like this are important.

“…there is a REALLY strong current here of “The way you are practicing Wicca in public is different from the way I choose to practice it, and I find the way you do it to be personally embarrassing, so it’s okay for the civil authorities to make you stop.” I don’t like it much. What it boils down to is ceding to the civil authorities the right to define what is and is not proper Wiccan practice. That’s an awfully dangerous road to go down, if you think about it. Frankly, I think equating extreme Goth dress with lots of bad makeup to an essential part of Wiccan practice is stupid. But if the young lady in question sincerely believes that it is necessary to the proper practice of her religion we ought to be supporting her, not condemning her. From a political point oif view, to do otherwise is stupid. Any act which diminishes individual religious liberty will ultimately have an adverse effect of the practice of all minority religions, including all of the Pagan ones.”

So if we are serious about our religious freedoms, we need to defend them completely. Even the kids who dress like goths for religious reasons, or paint pentacles on their cheeks for Beltane. If we can’t protect the religious freedoms of those we might label as foolish or alienated, there is no guarantee we will be able to protect any of our number.
]]> http://wildhunt.org/blog/2007/09/when-religion-and-subculture-collide.html/feed 3 http://wildhunt.org/blog/2007/05/just-beneath-surface.html http://wildhunt.org/blog/2007/05/just-beneath-surface.html#comments Fri, 25 May 2007 14:37:00 +0000 Jason http://wildhunt.org/blog/2007/05/just-beneath-the-surface.html The Boston Globe reviews the work of conceptual artist Cameron Jamie, during a retrospective show at the MIT List Visual Arts Center. Arts critic Ken Johnson, who was once greatly skeptical of Jamie’s vision, now feels he understands the underlying message of his work.

“What you have to realize about all this is that none of it is to be taken at face value as traditional art. It only starts to make sense if you think of Jamie as a sort of amateur anthropologist-philosopher who studies the persistence of myth and ritual in modern society … From Jamie’s perspective, paganism in many different forms continually percolates just below the supposedly rational surface of modern society … If there is a lesson to be drawn from Jamie’s art, it would be that however rational and commonsensical we think we are, we are all subject to the power of archetypal images, irrational fantasies, and mythic narratives, often when we are least aware of it.”

One of Cameron’s works singled out in the article is his collaboration with Mike Kelley for a series of photos called “Gothic”. The photos document young people in the goth subculture, and according to Johnson, they show how ’shared fantasies create alternative worlds’. But then the links between “paganism” and the goth subculture (among others) no longer “percolate” beneath the surface, so much as they harmoniously co-exist alongside it. Our society’s “paganism” has been leaving the realms of the subconscious and entering the literal for decades now. Which if anything makes Jamie perceptive of a growing trend (one that several artists are picking up on) instead of a pioneer of our subconscious desires.

Johnson does bring up an interesting larger theory, that our shared pagan past has never left us, and was always waiting to come back to the surface. I agree with scholars who believe that polytheism is the natural state of human society, no matter how far we run from such a reality. It only stands to reason that artists would be sensitive to this impulse and desire to portray it in their works.
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