We start off with a request for healing for Pagan chaplain and activist Patrick McCollum. Patrick recently underwent spinal surgery, and due to recent complications has been moved to the ICU.

“The reason I’m writing all this about Patrick — and I am only scratching the surface — is to tell you that he is dealing with a medical condition for which I’m asking your help. On August 15, Patrick underwent surgery for a long-standing problem with his spine. The surgery itself went well, but two days later Patrick suffered a complication that necessitated further surgery on August 18. He has been in ICU at Eden Medical Center in Castro Valley, California since then, and remains there, although much improved. Patrick welcomes healing. Given what I’ve told you about him, and that you have a photo and know where is is, I ask that you remember him in your prayers and rituals, light candles, appeal to his Lady Brigit, and do whatever else you can to hasten Patrick’s relief from extreme pain and his ultimate recovery.”

McCollum, due to his extensive work with prison chaplaincy, recently appeared before the US Commission on Civil Rights in Washington. A first for any modern Pagan. We here at The Wild Hunt wish him a speedy recovery.

Christian blogger and academic John Morehead, editor of the recently released “Beyond the Burning Times”, reviews the new book “Generation Hex: Understanding the Subtle Dangers of Wicca” so I don’t have to.

“…in a chapter where the authors discuss the surprises they encountered in their research for the book, one of the authors (Burroughs) addresses one of the surprises he encountered in terms of alleged links between Wicca, Satanism, sexual promiscuity, and child abuse: “I’ve found these assertions to be unfounded (at least in mainstream Wicca).” I italicized the last portion of the quote to draw attention to the issue I’m raising here. While Burroughs was pleased to discover that Wicca does not engage in the worst of its stereotypical associations, nevertheless, for Burroughs this appears to be the case with “mainstream Wicca,” which appears to leave room for non-mainstream or underground Wicca, whatever those may be.”

If you want to hear many of the routine (and often sensationalist) Christian criticisms of Wicca from “Generation Hex” co-author Dillon Burroughs, you can listen to an interview with him on Debbie Chavez’s Christian radio program (warning, this is a Christian echo-chamber, listen at your own risk).

An Irish and Canadian paper each run their own version of the standard “meet the Witches” article. The Belfast Telegraph interviews Sarah Cavanagh of Co Armagh about her journey into Paganism.

“Years ago, I would have worried about what people thought and would not have told anyone I was a witch. Now there are so many people like me, that I simply think that the people who matter don’t mind and the people who mind, don’t matter.”

Meanwhile the Nanaimo Daily News interviews the organizers of an upcoming Pagan Pride Day event.

“Anyone hoping to see animal sacrifices or disemboweling during Pagan Pride Day Saturday, will be greatly disappointed say two spokespeople for the Pagan church which is hosting the Nanaimo event at Kin Hut Park in Departure Bay. “One of the main reasons we hold Pagan Pride Day each year is to debunk myths like that,” said Kam Abbott of Nanaimo’s Temple of the Green Leaf Cauldron Church.”

So sorry folks, no disemboweling here, move along!

A double “witchcraft” slaying I covered back in January is finally coming to trial, and the prosecutors want to enter a Satanic bible and an affidavit from a Satanic high priest as evidence against Lawrence Harris, who murdered his two step-daughters.

“Prosecutors say Harris was practicing satanism and that the killings were part of a ritual from a satanic bible. Harris’ attorney, assistant public defender Michael Williams, said during a court hearing on Wednesday that prosecutors are seeking to link what Harris says and does to satanism. Casting spells and practicing witchcraft is not proof of satanism, Williams said. “(They) want shock value, sensationalism and knit-pick analysis of religious text in order to satisfy an inference,” Williams said.”

Needless to say, I would LOVE to read this affidavit from the alleged Satanic high priest (and know his identity). Lawrence Harris is pursuing an insanity defense. Trial is set for Oct. 14.

In a final note, medievalist and blogger Bo was shocked to hear Old Irish in the recently released Hellboy II.

“I went to see Hellboy II: The Golden Army last night, and to my slack-jawed disbelief, the elves were speaking Old Irish (or an awkward version thereof). It was like being a twitcher who draws the curtains one morning to see a pink flamingo standing on the windowsill. It was oddly accented (Balor was the best) and I’d need to see transcriptions to be sure that it was correct, but I don’t think there’s any doubt that they were trying to use the language … Nothing in all the film’s wonders moved me so much as hearing the meaningless preverbal particle no- with a 2nd singular Class A infixed pronoun (leniting).”

More proof of how awesome Guillermo del Toro is? Yes. Yes it is.

That is all I have for now, have a great day!
]]> http://wildhunt.org/blog/2008/08/pagan-news-of-note_22.html/feed 3 http://wildhunt.org/blog/2008/07/movie-review-hellboy-ii.html http://wildhunt.org/blog/2008/07/movie-review-hellboy-ii.html#comments Sun, 13 Jul 2008 15:09:00 +0000 Jason http://wildhunt.org/blog/2008/07/movie-review-hellboy-ii.html “Mexican director Guillermo del Toro has started to look like a legitimate successor to Ovid. Del Toro is not so much a creator of myths as a collector of them, a transhistorical myth nerd whose pantheon of influences ranges from Hesiod to Harryhausen (with liberal helpings of steam punk and Catholic iconography).” – Dana Stevens, Slate.com

The thing that startled me the most about “Hellboy II: The Golden Army” was that the emotional climax of the film, at least for me, didn’t involve any of the main characters. Instead, the longest and most lingering sadness comes after a confrontation with a forest elemental. I won’t give anything away, but this scene, and several smaller scenes like it throughout “Hellboy”, underscore a theme director Guillermo del Toro has been exploring through much of his work. Most notably in the Academy Award-winning “Pan’s Labyrinth”. The conflict between a world filled with enchantment, and one that denies the imagination, that eradicates the sacredness of our world.

Hellboy vs. the forest elemental.

“In the original Hellboy, the villains were adversaries like demons, Nazis, gods of chaos, assassins and necromancers—characters understood to be evil more or less by nature or by definition … Hellboy II shifts from this kind of mythic good-vs-evil storytelling to something more like classical mythology, with variously flawed characters on all sides.”

The character of Hellboy, wanting nothing more than to be “out” and loved by the people he secretly protects, is stunned when he isn’t greeted as a hero and is instead treated as a spectacle at best, and a danger at worst. The movie asks, in a variety of ways, should he really be on humanity’s side? Does humanity, with its various sins against a dying world of faerie, and an increasingly poisoned Earth, even deserve saving? The film never directly answers that question, though you can be fairly certain that Del Toro himself would prefer a humanity that didn’t seem so eager to do away with the strange and fantastical.

Guillermo del Toro supports HETFET!

“Hellboy II: The Golden Army” isn’t “Pan’s Labyrinth”, but it is an enjoyable Summer film that reaches further than any genre film is expected to. Do yourself a favor and experience the amazing visuals on a big screen, you’ll be glad you did. Wild Hunt approved and recommended!
]]> http://wildhunt.org/blog/2008/07/movie-review-hellboy-ii.html/feed 1 http://wildhunt.org/blog/2008/06/pagan-news-of-note_30.html http://wildhunt.org/blog/2008/06/pagan-news-of-note_30.html#comments Mon, 30 Jun 2008 13:05:00 +0000 Jason http://wildhunt.org/blog/2008/06/pagan-news-of-note-62.html My semi-regular round-up of articles, essays, and opinions of note for discerning Pagans and Heathens.

Getting excited about Hellboy II yet? I sure am! The film, directed and co-written by “Pan’s Labyrinth” director Guillermo del Toro, is chock-full of pagan-friendly elements. To whet your appetite for the July 11th release date, an animated comic prologue has been released.

While I’m on the subject of movie news, a recent Virgin Media survey places “The Wicker Man” in the top ten best British films of all time.

“Four Weddings And A Funeral has been named best British film of all time in a survey out yesterday. The 1994 romantic comedy just beat Monty Python’s Life Of Brian, and made a star of Hugh Grant, who comes fourth in the Best Actor poll. Trainspotting, Casino Royale, starring Daniel Craig as James Bond, Guy Ritchie’s Lock Stock And Two Smoking Barrels, Lawrence Of Arabia, Withnail And I, Atonement, The Wicker Man and Get Carter completed the top 10 in the Virgin Media survey.”

Speaking of “The Wicker Man”, star Christopher Lee has lashed out in the press about ageism in the film industry after his role in the Scottish movie “Stone of Destiny” was edited out.

Presidential candidate Barack Obama seems to embody the religious hopes and fears of America. He’s been called a secret Muslim, spurred claims that he might be the messiah, or a perhaps a “light worker”, pissed off James Dobson, gained the support of a Pagan delegate (and had supposed Pagan ties used against him), and was formally adopted into the Crow Indian Nation. Now Hindus think he might be one of them.

Spot the Monkey God!

What better way to debunk “secret Muslim” smears than to have the Hindus claim you! Of course Obama is actually a liberal Christian, but this swirl of activity proves just how far America has moved from its “Christian” identity.

The Miami Herald has put out a very nice story about the shrine of la Ermita de La Caridad, a place where Cuban refugees come for solace and to pray. Though technically a Catholic shrine, it also attracts followers of Santeria who see la Caridad as a manifestation of Ochun.

“At the northern end of the seawall, where historic Vizcaya serves as a foreground to the glossy towers of Brickell Avenue, a stone Eleggua (the Santeria god known as the opener of paths) with cowrie-shell eyes gazes up toward the water’s surface. At the southern end, near Mercy Hospital, someone’s Santeria necklaces cling to a rock, a school of little silver fish brushing by the yellow and amber beads for Ochun, the blue and white ones for Yemaya … As Catholic as the shrine is, many of the devoted who come here are also followers of Santeria. In the religious syncretism of Cuba, la Caridad, an apparition of the Virgin Mary, is also called Ochun, one of the orishas, the Santeria gods. “A sanctuary is precisely a place where the Catholic religion makes contact with el pueblo,” Roman says. “We know there are people who perform rituals out there by the seawall. But they do it very respectfully. They don’t let us see it.”

A touching and balanced story about how culture and shared experience can sometimes overcome the barriers erected by religion.

In a final note, Religion Clause links to a story about how legal peyote used for religious purposes by Native Americans is becoming increasingly scarce due to local land being leased to oil speculators.

“South Texas property owners have realized there is profit in leasing their land as oil or hunting preserves. Suddenly, the small pittances peyoteros could pay for access didn’t seem worth it. “Now, it’s getting to where the ranchers don’t want to give permission for us to look on their land,” he said. “You have to keep going back to the same patches and waiting for it to grow again.” This presents a conundrum. If Morales and his colleagues keep revisiting the same patches, the cactus doesn’t have enough time to re-grow. Repeated overharvesting also affects the potency of the plant, said Martin Terry, an assistant professor of biology at Sul Ross University in Alpine. “If the demand continues to increase – even slowly – and the supply continues to decrease, then the amount available to the church will just keep continuing to decrease,” he said.”

Religious prohibitions prevent greenhouse-grown peyote, and trips to Mexico, where the cactus is still plentiful, is wrought with legal entanglements. With only a few legal peyoteros left, and available land dwindling, it remains to be seen if the Native American Church can find a way to solve this problem.

That is all I have for now, have a great day!
]]> http://wildhunt.org/blog/2008/06/pagan-news-of-note_30.html/feed 6 http://wildhunt.org/blog/2008/05/guillermo-del-toros-fairy-war.html http://wildhunt.org/blog/2008/05/guillermo-del-toros-fairy-war.html#comments Sat, 10 May 2008 13:21:00 +0000 Jason http://wildhunt.org/blog/2008/05/guillermo-del-toros-fairy-war.html Life has been good for director Guillermo del Toro lately. His 2006 film “Pan’s Labyrinth” was widely acclaimed by critics (winning three Academy Awards), and he was recently tapped to direct the two Hobbit films (under the watchful eye of Peter Jackson). In between these two momentous events comes the July release of “Hellboy II: The Golden Army”, which continues to mine the rich themes of myth, faith, choice, and the imagination.

“I think it’s the primal motor of human endeavor,” said del Toro about his fascination with exploring mythology and fantasy in his films. “All human endeavor: spiritual, physical, social. I think myth makes humans what we are, it is the essence of being human, the capacity to invent. No raccoon worships the god of the trash can and we do. There are plenty of people that worship in search of a spiritual meaning. Anyone that says, ‘Okay, we are this or that many chromosomes away from being an ape,’ they should consider imagination as one thing that is a huge chasm between us.”

The old, horned, king of the otherworld.

“The focus is more on the folklore and fairy tale aspect of Hellboy. It’s not Nazis, machines and mad scientists but the old gods and characters who have been kind of shoved out of our world. I kind of equate it to the whole American Indian situation. The Indians were shoved onto reservations. You had your old, wise Indians who said, “You know, this is the way it is. We can’t fight anymore. We just have to accept our fate.” You then have your Geronimo character saying, “Or we could just kill the White Man.” That’s kind of the situation we have in the film. We have our elf characters resigning to the way things are and then there’s one saying, “Or we could take the world back.” The main difference is – what if the Indians had a nuclear warhead? The elves have their equivalent of the weapon that is too terrible to use. What if this guy decided to use it?”

Building on that theme, a viral marketing web site called HETFET, Humans for the Ethical Treatment of Fairies, Elves, and Trolls, has emerged.

HETFET logo.

Needless to say, the Pagan overtones of the site, complete with a real petition to save old-growth forests, are palpable. With the otherworldly action, a film preview sporting massive pre-historic Venus figurines, and a trip through a “Troll market” (not to mention a horned god/king!), this Hellboy film is shaping up to be a real treat for the Pagan film-goer. I’m very much looking forward to seeing it in July.
]]> http://wildhunt.org/blog/2008/05/guillermo-del-toros-fairy-war.html/feed 0 http://wildhunt.org/blog/2007/12/few-developing-stories.html http://wildhunt.org/blog/2007/12/few-developing-stories.html#comments Fri, 28 Dec 2007 13:57:00 +0000 Jason http://wildhunt.org/blog/2007/12/a-few-developing-stories.html Lakota Freedom: Starting off with an update on the Lakota Freedom story, the Standing Rock Sioux Tribal Council says that it will consider the recent declaration of withdrawal from treaties spearheaded by Indian activist Russell Means.

“Avis Little Eagle says she understands the frustration that led Lakota activists to announce a plan to withdraw from the tribe’s treaties with the U.S. government. However, the vice chairwoman of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribal Council advocates holding the federal government to the provisions in those treaties, rather than withdrawing from them. “I see where they’re coming from,” she said of American Indian Movement leader Russell Means and other members of the Lakota Freedom Delegation who declared the Lakota people’s independence to the State Department last week in Washington, D.C. “But we, as elected officials, on a daily basis we refer to those treaties because to us they are living documents,” Little Eagle said Wednesday from the tribe’s headquarters in Fort Yates, N.D. Little Eagle said council members will probably discuss the delegation’s letter, ‘and I can’t say what action they will take.’”

While the Lakota Freedom group claims years of consultation with elders and tribal leaders, at this point I still can’t find any reports of local tribal leaders stepping forward to support treaty withdrawal. Considering the comments of Avis Little Eagle, it seems unlikely the Standing Rock Sioux Tribal Council will take any action to support a withdrawal from treaties.

–

Sorry, We Thought You Were A Witch: A substitute teacher in Shreveport, Louisiana has been fired from her job for her alleged religious affiliation. Jennifer Harmon, who has blue hair, was asked if she was a Wiccan by a fellow substitute teacher (she isn’t), and shortly thereafter was called in by the Principal and dismissed.

“Jennifer Harmon. The 39-year-old mother of one recently was told her blue hair was unacceptable after nearly a week of substitute teaching at Vivian Elementary/Middle School. But Harmon, whose appearance has remained the same since early 2006 and was evident during her substitute application process, doesn’t think it was her hair color or an accompanying nose piercing that got her in trouble. Rather, it was religion. The same early December day a fellow substitute teacher asked if she was Wiccan, Harmon found herself in Principal Jamie (Rene) Tolbert’s office answering questions about her appearance and whether she had discussed religion with students. ‘Not only was I extremely confused and upset because I was never made aware of any policy prohibiting teachers from having blue hair and nose piercings, but when (Tolbert) asked me about religion I started to panic,’ said Harmon, who said she is not Wiccan and does not subscribe to any particular religious faith. ‘Of course, I never spoke to the children about religion. I would never do such a thing.’”

The complaint (or possibly complaints) against the teacher seem like a bizarre game of telephone (a parent told a teacher who told the Principal), and could come down to the gossip of a single parent. Meanwhile Harmon, who outside of her blue hair dressed modestly while teaching, has gotten support from other parents and staff over the issue. Can the mere rumor of Pagan allegiance endanger your job as a teacher? Similar cases have occurred this year, and it leaves the victim in a legaly murky area where you can’t claim religious discrimination for a “perceived” faith. It remains to be seen if Harmon will be able to continue teaching in the area.

–

Guillermo del Toro Watch: It has been announced that the Pan’s Labyrinth director is co-producing a new movie with Clive Barker entitled “Born”.

“Clive Barker and Guillermo del Toro are getting ready to explore the dark side of Claymation” Twitch reports that the duo will be co-producing Born, a film adaptation of Barker’s story about a family who gets more than they bargained for when they move to the English countryside. Dan Simpson, who adapted the source material, is directing; Jennifer Connelly and Paul Bettany have signed on to star.”

The film is described as a mixture of The Sixth Sense, The Wicker Man, Rosemary’s Baby, and Straw Dogs, which seems like a good combination for those who love occult-laced thrillers. Guillermo del Toro is also slated to direct an upcoming adaptation of H.P. Lovecraft’s “At the Mountains of Madness”.
]]> http://wildhunt.org/blog/2007/12/few-developing-stories.html/feed 0 http://wildhunt.org/blog/2007/10/pagan-news-of-note_26.html http://wildhunt.org/blog/2007/10/pagan-news-of-note_26.html#comments Fri, 26 Oct 2007 12:11:00 +0000 Jason http://wildhunt.org/blog/2007/10/pagan-news-of-note-33.html My semi-regular round-up of articles, essays, and opinions of note for discerning Pagans and Heathens.

The Pagan law enforcement and emergency personnel organization Officers of Avalon is sending out a call for donations to their Avalon Cares Relief Project in order to assist those affected by the recent California wildfires that have destroyed over 1,400 homes, and evacuated nearly a million people.

“As our members are Pagan professionals in the emergency services, we’ve had a lot of people on the ground in the affected areas from the start. I’m starting to get reports on what has been affected and where help might be needed. I encourage you to do the same. If you know any one who has needs as a result of this disaster, please write to us and let us know … Once again, we’re showing the world what Pagans can do. Yet we must stick with it. We need you all to continue to donate what you can. If you can’t donate money, donate your time to volunteer efforts. Do your own fund raising events to help us in this disaster relief effort. Open your doors to the displaced. Give blood. If you’re a Pagan in the emergency services or related fields, join us at Officers of Avalon and help us help Pagans.”

Officers of Avalon has has 501 (c) status (so your donation is tax-deductible), and 100% of the money collected by the Avalon Cares project is going to the relief effort in California. Donation links can be found, here.

For those of you who have been following the story concerning the Federal Bureau of Prisons’ controversial plan to limit religious books for prison libraries to an approved list (currently on hold due to massive protests), some recent information has come to light thanks to a Freedom of Information request put in by one of my readers. According to the FOI document sent to me, there are no records of outside consultants, or fees paid to outside consultants.

“In reference to your request for the names of consultants, fees paid to those consultants, and the invoices related to those fees, there is no information responsive to this request.”

This seems to back up claims by the American Academy of Religion that no members of its organization were involved in making the lists. It also looks very likely that the BOP was “misstating” when it said they relied on experts to make the lists. Which raises the vision of BOP bureaucrats making the lists by doing Google searches. These facts should make for interesting background when the lists return in 2008.

Mary Lefkowitz, professor emerita at Wellesley College, has an editorial up in the L.A. Times endorsing a return to polytheism, specifically, a return to the Greek pantheon.

“The world, as the Greek philosopher Thales wrote, is full of gods, and all deserve respect and honor. Such a generous understanding of the nature of divinity allowed the ancient Greeks and Romans to accept and respect other people’s gods and to admire (rather than despise) other nations for their own notions of piety … Ancient Greek religion gives an account of the world that in many respects is more plausible than that offered by the monotheistic traditions. Greek theology openly discourages blind confidence based on unrealistic hopes that everything will work out in the end. Such healthy skepticism about human intelligence and achievements has never been needed more than it is today.”

I dare say this is a call for a return to traditional values that most Christian conservatives aren’t really expecting!

For those who loved “Pan’s Labyrinth” by Guillermo Del Toro, but thought it was too “cheery”, the acclaimed director is planning to tackle H.P. Lovecraft’s “At the Mountains of Madness”, an essential tale in the ever-popular Cthulhu Mythos.

“…it will NOT be next on his list. It is still possible that a studio has finally agreed to a deal … it looks very good that GDT will soon be in monster heaven soon, thanks to Don Murphy’s Angry Films, and Susan Montford, who will be on board as producers, and an as yet unnamed studio. At one point the film was being looked at by Dreamworks/Paramount and Warner Bros., but looks like Universal may be the frontrunner now.”

The film adaptation was co-written by Guillermo del Toro, and a review of it is posted, here.

Finally, in Witch School news, the small town of Rossville, Illinois (the new home-base of Witch School) held a town meeting for those worried by the recent influx of Pagans. But rather than controversy, Robert Kurka, professor of theology and church in culture at Lincoln Christian College in Lincoln called for tolerance and co-existence.

“About 150 people from Rossville, Hoopeston and other parts of the county attended the event that was open to the public. Kurka talked for more than an hour about the history of Wicca religion and the ideas behind it and compared the beliefs to Christian beliefs, showing how the two differ. Kurka encouraged the mostly Christian audience to treat the Wiccans in a Christian way, by welcoming them to the community as they would anyone else.”

This seems to have somewhat surprised the Witch School members in attendance, who no doubt feared an anti-Pagan fire-breather had been sent to rally the faithful.

“It wasn’t what I thought it was going to be. I thought it would be more ‘We have to get rid of these people’ attitude. I was pleased to know it was more friendly,”

So it look like Rossville is coming to terms with its new Pagan neighbors, though it remains to be seen if Rossville will ever become the “Salem of the Midwest” as some hope.

That is all I have for now, have a good day!

Guillermo del Toro (center) with fellow Mexican film directors.

Helen Mirren as Queen Elizabeth and Morgana.

In related news, Nicolas Cage and his horrid remake of “The Wicker Man” got shut out at this years Razzies (“Basic Instinct 2″ dominated most categories). I personally think Cage was robbed, when you see a highlight reel like this, how could you not think it the worst movie you saw this year?
]]> http://wildhunt.org/blog/2007/02/academy-awards.html/feed 1 http://wildhunt.org/blog/2007/01/movie-review-pans-labyrinth.html http://wildhunt.org/blog/2007/01/movie-review-pans-labyrinth.html#comments Sun, 28 Jan 2007 20:24:00 +0000 Jason http://wildhunt.org/blog/2007/01/movie-review-pans-labyrinth.html When a film gains as much critical acclaim as Guillermo del Toro’s Pan’s Labyrinth has you go in with high hopes. Was the film worth the hype, or will I leave disappointed? I felt a little nervous, since I have been such a strong supporter of the film on my blog, what if I convinced people to go to a film that was flat and lacking in the magic promised? It turns out I shouldn’t have worried. Pan’s Labyrinth is a masterful film, filled with magic, wonder, and quite a bit of darkness and horror as well.

Ivana Baquero as Ofelia in Pan’s Labyrinth

Set in the countryside of fascist Spain shortly before the end of WWII, it concerns a young girl, Ofelia, who is drawn into a magical world where she is given three tasks to perform by a mysterious faun. Ignored by her aloof step-father (a Captain in Franco’s army) and ailing pregnant mother, Ofelia yearns to leave the ever-growing pains and horrors of our world and join the magical world promised by the faun. As Ofelia completes her tasks, her mundane life grows ever more grim and horrific, and we are left to wonder how much of her interactions with the faun and his pet “faeries” are real, or simply a fantasy used by a young girl to deal with the pain and alienation she experiences.

Del Toro, to his credit, never makes explicit if the fantastical elements are “real” or not. Often filmmakers feel the need to reinforce the “reality” of magic in such films by exposing a non-believer (usually the villain) to some sort of supernatural comeuppance. Instead, the director shows that to Ofelia, the faun and her tasks are every bit as real as the tasks taken on by Captain Vidal in his obsessive hunt for anti-fascist rebels or by the servant Mercedes in her quest to aid them. While some may say that the film gives us the option of choosing to believe Ofelia’s version of the story or the “real” world’s, I think Guillermo del Toro is instead saying that both are equally “true” and valid.

To give away more would (in my opinion) give away the film, but I do want to address a criticism I have heard concerning this film. Some have complained of the one-dimensional nature of Captain Vidal, that he is “too evil” to be believable. That the film takes no time to humanize him. But I think his part is important for showing that humans can twist themselves’ beyond redemption, that to deny your humanity (and the humanity of others) for too long twists you into something monstrous. A lesson that the Captain learns far too late to earn him any pity. To treat the character in any other manner would have diluted that lesson and destroyed the fairytale essence of the picture.

Pan’s Labyrinth may be the best “fantasy” film I have ever seen. A movie that reminds us that some of the best fairy-stories are the ones that have scared and shocked us (and that some of the best horror stories take time to delight us along the way). You should go out and see this film while you still have the chance to see it on the big screen. Oh, and one final note, this isn’t for the kids. There are plenty of gruesome scenes here not appropriate for younger viewers. So make this one a date for just you and your significant other.
]]> http://wildhunt.org/blog/2007/01/movie-review-pans-labyrinth.html/feed 4 http://wildhunt.org/blog/2007/01/pagan-news-of-note.html http://wildhunt.org/blog/2007/01/pagan-news-of-note.html#comments Mon, 08 Jan 2007 13:09:00 +0000 Jason http://wildhunt.org/blog/2007/01/pagan-news-of-note-16.html My semi-regular round-up of articles, essays, and opinions of note for discerning Pagans and Heathens.

A group of Pagans and other well-wishers gather in the UC Berkeley campus to celebrate the one month anniversary of three tree-sitters living in an oak tree.

“About 50 well-wishers turned out Saturday afternoon to commemorate three tree sitters’ monthlong perch in an oak tree just outside Memorial Stadium on the UC Berkeley campus. Part of a group called Save the Oaks, they say they will stay in the tree until the university agrees to abandon its plan to cut down 38 oaks to make way for a new athletic training facility…They chanted “Om,” someone began drumming and then it began: an ancient pagan ritual known as the spiral dance.”

Their legal request for an injunction is scheduled to be heard on Thursday.

Anna Kaplan of Recordnet profiles Rick Nafzinger, a convert to Hinduism, and leader of a local interfaith Goddess-worshipping group.

“Nafzinger leads the Circle of the Feminine Divine, a Stockton group that takes an interfaith approach to revering the feminine side of deities ranging from the Virgin Mary to the Hindu Goddess Radharani to the Wiccan Earth Goddess…Nafzinger is currently the chairman of the Interfaith Council of San Joaquin County, where he uses his experience with these different faiths to bring people in the community together.”

The article also states that he has “ordinations” in Wicca, Christianity, and Hinduism, but doesn’t mention exactly what traditions or groups he received these ordinations from. A little more checking on his credentials would have been nice.

The Italian police and the Vatican have created a new special forces unit to deal with the problem of Satanism in Italy!

“A specialist Italian police squad has been set up to combat a growing tide of Satanism sweeping the country. Vatican officials have become worried at the number of churches being desecrated by Satanists and there have been several grim murders linked to devil worship. As a result, church officials have given Italian police help to set up a special unit to deal with the phenomenon, named the Squadra Anti Sette (SAS) Anti Sect Squad…. officers… will go undercover to infiltrate the sects, the SAS units will work with psychologists. They will have help from Vatican experts on Satanism and a special freephone hotline has been set up to report occult activities.”

A Vatican official claims there are “8,000 Satanic sects across the country with more than 600,000 members”. I would love to see the hard data for that figure. It looks like Satanic panic is alive and well in Italy. Though, I can’t help but think this would make a great television show. Imagine a “Law and Order” but with priests instead of lawyers.

Guillermo del Toro, writer and director of “Pan’s Labyrnith” is still awesome.

“I love writers and artists who are concerned with the pagan as a form of knowing the subconscious…I’ve circled this theme all my life, with ‘Cronos’ with ‘Devil’s Backbone.’ And I felt that it was finally a time to be brave and try it, you know?”

Conservative Catholic Susan Beckworth continues her hunt for heretics within the Church and names the “Enneagram” and “Centering Prayer” as pagan/Satanic things of Witchcraft!

“Centering Prayer is neither Catholic nor prayer, yet it is offered at most retreat centers. Nowadays, most retreat centers can scarcely be called Catholic and are notorious for adopting New Age and other non-Catholic techniques and philosophies. The New Age practices offered at retreat centers are insidious, but remember, Satan thrives in subtlety…Tarot card reading and use of the Enneagram are witchcraft and purely demonic; yet most people do not even know that all of these “New Age” practices are entirely forbidden by God in the First Commandment.”

Clearly Catholics must burn the witches remain ever vigilant against these Satanic temptations.

Finally, speaking of Catholics and Satanic temptations, an Italian scholar is fed-up with the re-purposing of Mary Magdalene for “new age” groups and has written a stern book decrying the heretical notions.

“Mario Arturo Iannaccone, an Italian scholar whose previous works have touched on themes of Gnosticism and alleged Biblical conspiracies, reports that in modern times Mary Magdalene – depicted in the Gospel as a repentant sinner and follower of Christ – has emerged in a new light as the representative of ‘the sacred feminine and a spirituality of the goddess.’ This radically altered view of the Christian saint…has been promoted by pagan influences including Wicca and New Age spirituality, the book says.”

No doubt Iannaccone hopes that his book will inspire Catholics to burn the witches remain ever vigilant against such heretical notions of Mary Magdalene.

That is all I have for now, have a good day!
]]> http://wildhunt.org/blog/2007/01/pagan-news-of-note.html/feed 0 http://wildhunt.org/blog/2007/01/completely-pagan-view.html http://wildhunt.org/blog/2007/01/completely-pagan-view.html#comments Mon, 01 Jan 2007 17:00:00 +0000 Jason http://wildhunt.org/blog/2007/01/a-completely-pagan-view.html I’m sure you will all get sick of me rattling on about “Pan’s Labyrinth” soon (if not already), but this recent interview with writer/director Guillermo Del Toro bears mentioning. In it Del Toro talks about main character Ofelia’s view of the world.

“[Ofelia's view of the world is] completely pagan. She reflects nothing more and nothing less than the way I viewed the world as a kid. I was brought up Catholic but my personal cosmology was completely pagan…I think it has a lot to do with the fact that Mexico and Spain have a certain view of life that is similar in the sense that they have death, brutality, the nature – you know, you live with them and you embrace them in a different way than First World countries would. With syncretism in Latin America, you can embrace a religion by mixing it with your own gods. And then, there’s a lot of Celtic culture in the north of Spain, and there are a lot of beautiful pagan legends in Galicia, and in Asturias and in all those places. They combine them with the Catholic religion very cleanly.”

I dare say that this may be the best movie to incorporate a Pagan world view since the original Wicker Man. Don’t miss this one!

Previous posts on the subject:
12.27.2006 – Pan’s Labyrinth Topping Year-End Lists
11.02.2006 – Pan’s Labyrinth Trailer
10.16.2006 – Entering Pan’s Labyrinth
5.28.2006 – Entering The Labyrinth
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