As George W. Bush’s administration fades away into history more details about its character are starting to see the light of day, perhaps some of the most revealing so-far come from former Bush speech-writer Matt Latimer’s new book “Speech-less: Tales of a White House Survivor”. Filled with embarrassing quips from George W. Bush and other top administration officials, it also seems to confirm a sneaking suspicion among modern Pagans that Bush and his administration had a unique obsession with Witchcraft and the occult.

Latimer writes that administration officials objected to giving author J.K. Rowling the Presidential Medal of Freedom because her writing “encouraged witchcraft” (p. 201): “This was the same sort of narrow thinking that led people in the White House to actually object to giving the author J.K. Rowling a presidential medal because the Harry Potter books encouraged withcraft.”

This newly-revealed “Harry Potter encourages witchcraft” attitude, along with Jim Towey’s misguided comments, the VA interpreting old anti-Wicca Bush quotes in order to make policy, and the snubbing of a Wiccan military widow (that Bush later apologized for) seems to confirm at the very least that Bush’s people (like the VA) either broadly interpreted his past anti-Witchcraft comments, or that conservative Christian attitudes towards minority faiths were pervasive.

Considering the newly hyper-partisan anger among conservative “values voters”, it could certainly be read as a movement in turmoil over being removed from the access to the executive power they felt was their right. Looking at the preferred candidates of conservative Christians over the years, we see a certain evolution (if you’ll pardon the term) in preference. From Ronald Reagan (who now looks moderate by comparison) and George W. Bush to Sarah Palin and Mike Huckabee. Conservative Christian activists are increasingly demanding adherence to troubling strain of charismatic Christianity that isn’t afraid to engage in a little malefic prayer-warring to get the job done. If Bush’s mild (by comparison) anti-Wiccan comments and subsequent reliance on folks like James Dobson were enough to color the executive branch as it did, imagine if someone the “values voters” really love got into the president’s chair.

It seems I’m somewhat out of the loop concerning what’s hot in the post-Harry Potter world of young adult fantasy fiction, because producer/director Chris Columbus (who directed the first two Harry Potter movies) is bringing a new series to the big screen, and this one seems more explicitly mythical (and dare I say “pagan”) than the “Potterverse” ever was. “Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief” follows the adventures of Percy (Perseus) Jackson, a son of Poseidon, who, along with some fellow demigods, goes on a series of adventures.

“Directed by Harry Potter veteran Chris Columbus, the film is a fantasy based on the first book in Rick Riordan’s popular series. In the story, a young modern-day boy named Percy Jackson learns that he’s the half-human/half-god son of Poseidon and embarks on a journey of adventure and self-discovery that also involves warring gods.”

You can see the official film web site, here. It is scheduled for release February 12, 2010. Can a film tied so deeply to the pre-Christian Greek mythos find the kind of mega-success that Potter did? One thing’s for certain, if you thought certain Christians went nuts over a bunch of English boarding-school kids casting spells, wait till their kids want to see a film about the children of pagan gods.

MTV reports on the upcoming documentary about Harry Potter fan culture “We Are Wizards”. Among the threads in this interesting-looking film is the opposition to Harry Potter by Christian conservatives, and the film features far-right conspiracy theorist Carol Matriciana as their voice.

“The fans’ fight not just with Warner Bros. but also the religious right is also included, via occult researcher Carol Matriciana, who had made an anti-Potter film called “Witchcraft Repackaged.” “Her work has inspired a lot of Christian activists,” Koury said. “If doesn’t help anyone’s case if you’re going to show someone who rants and raves on either side, so I wanted her because she can make a sound argument.””

If Matriciana is the “reasonable” voice of Christian opposition to Harry Potter, then it just shows you how far out of the mainstream these people are*. You see, her documentary “Witchcraft Repackaged” is sold by hate-literature mavens Chick Publications!

“This video explains how Scholastic Inc., the largest publisher of children’s books in the world, is supplying Harry Potter materials to millions of schoolchildren. Scholastic Inc. is using its unrivaled position in the educational system to flood classrooms and libraries with wizardry, repackaged as ‘children’s fantasy literature.’”

In addition to falsely equating fantasy depictions of magic with the religious practice of modern Pagans, Matriciana also takes time out to spread slurs about Hinduism as well and is apparently a “ex-New-Ager” turned to Jesus.

“But years ago Chuck Smith and Carol Matriciana who had been in new age for years did a video on Hinduism, and in that exposure of an ashram up in Washington or Northwest somewhere, you saw people chanting demon names, then getting possessed, and writhing on the floor as demons entered them.”

Sadly, people like Matriciana aren’t some fringe element, but merely the “dark” side of anti-Harry Potter arguments by Christians. The flip side of a coin. Even “nice” Christians seem to lose their cool when discussing the boy wizard and his successful books.

“There were a few things in the book that I found problematic – the authors start on a tirade about the Harry Potter series… and while I do hold issue with the Harry Potter series, I do not think its the singular cause of the rise in Wicca in our country. First of all, it was on the rise well before the series came out and second of …well even the book goes into more details as to the rise of Wicca, but at first the book feels like its a condemnation of all things Potter… and they never quite make a conclusion, which is bothersome…”

The fact is that, despite attempts by some elements to ban Harry Potter, it has become a cultural phenomenon that will resonate for generations to come. Not a phenomenon of occult recruitment, but one of a shared story, a unifying world of fantasy and possibility that has united people across cultural, economic, and racial lines. I think the real problem for Christians is that Harry Potter, despite being written by a Christian, espouses a secular-based harmony at odds with the “safe” Biblical allegory (or “supposals”) of C.S. Lewis. It isn’t that Harry Potter makes Pagans, its that Harry Potter doesn’t exclude or demonize Pagans, allowing them to fully insert themselves into the story alongside the Christian readers.

“We Are Wizards,” opens in New York on November 14.

* Check out “Hogwarts Professor” for a pro-Harry Christian perspective.

Some of you may remember our old friends on the Brunswick County School Board of North Carolina. Back in 2006 they tried to allow Christian groups to hand out religious literature on school campuses, a plan that was scuttled when Pagan publisher Llewellyn Worldwide told the board they would provide free books for local Pagans to hand out in schools.

Brunswick County Board of Education considering Pagan books.

“Board member Shirley Babson says she’s not afraid of potential lawsuits. She’s afraid of giving the appearance that the board approves of the literature groups would show the kids. “If I put something like this on the table, kids are going to say ‘Mrs. Babson thinks that’s alright. Mrs. Babson thinks that’s fine,’ ” Babson said.”

Then, in 2007, the Brunswick Board petulantly threatened to ban Harry Potter books from their libraries in seeming retaliation against the Witches.

“Brunswick County school officials will consider a procedure for students’ parents to challenge books available at school libraries … Board member Shirley Babson said some parents have expressed that books such as the Harry Potter series represent witchcraft and promote the practice of Wicca. Board member Jimmy Hobbs said he sees the importance of reviewing the policy. ‘The issue is a valid issue,’ Hobbs said. ‘I’m not attacking Harry Potter. When the issue of Bibles in schools came up last year, the ones that raised the most opposition was the group known as Wicca. Does this policy give them a free pass to get their materials into the schools? When distributing materials, we should be careful by not being biased. Is Wicca being allowed, in other ways, to the exclusion of Christian literature?’”

Now our old pals are back again, and this time they want to “teach the controversy” by introducing creationism into their curriculum.

“Articles in the Wilmington, North Carolina Star News on Tuesday and Wednesday report that the Brunswick County (NC) School Board is looking for a way to teach creationism in the schools. The issue was raised at Tuesday’s board meeting by parent Joel Fanti who told the board that it was unfair for evolution to be taught as a fact. Fanti said: ‘I wasn’t here 2 million years ago. If evolution is so slow, why don’t we see anything evolving now?’ School board member Jimmy Hobbs responded: ‘It’s really a disgrace for the state school board to impose evolution on our students without teaching creationism. The law says we can’t have Bibles in schools, but we can have evolution, of the atheists.’”

Sadly, while their hearts want to teach children that people were hanging out with dinosaurs, state law prevents them from teaching religious dogma in science classes.

“But neither creationism nor the related “intelligent design,” which says life forms are so complex only a higher power could have created them, may be taught as a required course of study, Edd Dunlap, science section chief for the N.C. Department of Public Instruction, said Wednesday. These are considered religious teachings and may not be taught in science class or as fact, although they may be included as part of an elective, such as a course on religion or philosophy, he said.”

Looks like the Brunswick Board has been foiled again! You know, maybe they should turn their attention to actually improving the schools they oversee instead of constantly hatching plots to insert Christian religion into the school district. If they truly feel that the only good education is a Christian education, maybe they should move into the private sector.

My semi-regular round-up of articles, essays, and opinions of note for discerning Pagans and Heathens.

The recent arrest of Bosnian Serb war criminal Radovan Karadzic, who was posing as a New Age guru named “Dragan David Dabic”, has sparked some eager pundits to form a link between the New Age movement and mass murder!

“The New Age Dr Karadzic was not a disguise; it was a peep at what could have been, an alternative history. If Pol Pot had come to Britain, he might have opened a respectable stall at the Stoke Newington farmers’ market. If Dr Karadzic had moved to Camden market he could have become a quiet and harmless guru. As it was, he butchered half a country. The lesson is: keep an eye on those health stores.”

Igor Toronyi-Lalic’s correlations become ever-more perilous, performing mental acrobatics to link organic farming to murder because Pol Pot liked it, and claiming that New Age stores readily carry copies of “The Protocols of the Elders of Zion”. If this extended Reductio ad Hitlerum points to any conspiracy theorist, it must be the author himself.

Speaking of conspiracy theorists, want to dig up the “Harry Potter leads children to the occult” argument again? No? Too bad! Joe Max e-mailed me a link to a dazzlingly tunnel-visioned editorial from 2003 entitled “Heresy in the Hood II: Witchcraft among Children and Teens in America”. Heresy in the hood! Gods that tickles me. That should be the title of a movie.

“Any Web–savvy child can be indoctrinated into a pagan worldview and start casting spells before a parent catches on to this new interest.”

And they are probably downloading their records for free! Truly Satan is powerful! But why am I mocking an article from five years ago? Because the Christian anti-abortion hub LifeSiteNews references it extensively in a recent editorial by Hilary White.

“As of June 2008, the seven book Potter series has sold more than 400 million copies and the books have been translated into 67 languages. The phenomenal success of the books has made their British author, J.K. Rowling, the highest-earning novelist in history. Three years after Harry Potter, Harvey writes, a review of television programs, major children’s book publishers, and popular youth websites, ’should more than confirm our initial warnings.’”

Blah, blah, blah, Harry Potter, blah, blah, Buffy, blah, blah, Satan, blah blah. Really I can’t even muster the energy to debate this stuff any more. Especially if they don’t even go to the trouble of writing a new piece, instead of simply paraphrasing one from five years ago. Perhaps both sides are stricken with Harry Potter outrage fatigue?

The Richmond Times Dispatch features a column from A. Barton Hinkle that looks at a recent decision by the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upholding non-sectarian prayer in the town of Fredericksburg (it was challenged by a Christian pastor who wanted to say the “J-word”). Hinkle explains how the ACLU could press for non-sectarian prayer in this instance, yet fight for the inclusion of Wiccan Cynthia Simpson in a different public prayer case.

“There is a defensible rationale for the stance the ACLU has taken, and it goes like this: Governmental bodies should not allow invocations, period. But given the fact that Chesterfield had done so, then it was obliged to treat all religions equally by allowing prayers from other faiths: Buddhist, Shinto, Wiccan, or Spaghetti Monster. Having opened the door to Abrahamic faiths, it couldn’t slam the door on non-Abrahamic ones. In the Fredericksburg case, the ACLU doesn’t want the door opened at all.”

In other words, if you want sectarian prayer, you have to invite the Pagans.

Paging Llewellyn! Remember your hilarious moral victory in North Carolina? Well, you just might get your chance to repeat it in Arizona.

“Alliance Defense Fund yesterday announced that it had filed a lawsuit in federal district court in Arizona on behalf of the First Baptist Church of Maricopa and its pastor, Jim Johnson, challenging Maricopa County school district’s policy on distribution of literature by nonprofit groups … School policy permits nonprofit groups to have their literature promoting various events and activities made available to students in schools. However the policy excludes literature from any sectarian organization or literature that promotes a particular religious belief or participation in religion.”

Network with some Arizona groups now, contact the local media and tell them that if First Baptist Church of Maricopa wins, you’ll be happy to distribute Pagan books and flyers to the kids. As I mentioned earlier, if you include sectarian religious content, you have to let everyone in!

In a final note, Technoccult points to an amazing in-depth look at the relationship of Throbbing Gristle/Psychic-TV founder Genesis P-Orridge, and Lady Jaye Breyer P-Orridge, who tragically passed away last year due to an undiagnosed heart condition.

“If we can be with this woman as lovers, as partners, for the rest of our lives, thought the front man of the legendary bands Throbbing Gristle and Psychic TV, who’d easily piled up enough experiences and enough identities to justify that royal “we”—it’s all we’ll ever want in the universe.”

A true tale of magick, love, gender, music, and the art of becoming one being.

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

Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling, on a book tour, expands on her previous claims that the hugely popular series contained Christian themes.

“Author J.K. Rowling’s “Harry Potter” books have always, in fact, dealt explicitly with religious themes and questions, but until “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows,” they had never quoted any specific religion. That was the plan from the start, Rowling told reporters during a press conference at the beginning of her Open Book Tour on Monday. It wasn’t because she was afraid of inserting religion into a children’s story. Rather, she was afraid that introducing religion (specifically Christianity) would give too much away to fans who might then see the parallels. ‘To me [the religious parallels have] always been obvious,’ she said. ‘But I never wanted to talk too openly about it because I thought it might show people who just wanted the story where we were going.’”

But for those Pagans who still want to imagine themselves at Hogwarts, not to worry, Rowling insists that the fictional school is “multifaith”. But if Potter kneels to pray, it will most likely be at Rowling’s Church of Scotland. Further commentary on Rowling’s latest statements can be found at “Get Religion”, and “Hogwarts Professor”. Perhaps we can finally convince certain over-zealous Christians that they aren’t banning a “pagan” book when they attack “Harry Potter”.

Last year the Brunswick County Board of Education (in North Carolina) decided to vote on a new policy that would allow groups to hand out religious tracts in Brunswick County schools. This policy was meant to smooth the legal road for local Christian groups wanting to distribute Bibles and tracts on school property. But things went a bit awry when Pagan/New Age publisher Llewellyn said they would use the new policy to distribute free copies of their books through local Pagan and Wiccan organizations.

“As a publisher we are committed to the dissemination of information and recognize that indeed there is much misunderstanding in the mainstream community about so-called alternative religions and we think that our books can help clarify some of these misconceptions. We regularly donate a handful of titles here and there to various pagan organizations and festivals as part of our regular publicity and outreach programs. While we are usually approached by pagan organizations looking for donations, this time we were proactive in our approach.”

Brunswick County Board of Education considering Pagan books.

Unsurprisingly, the Board indefinitely tabled the vote, fearing the consequences of real religious liberty. Now that merry band of concerned conservative Christian officials, proving that revenge is a dish best served cold, are looking to pass a new religiously-motivated procedure.

“Brunswick County school officials will consider a procedure for students’ parents to challenge books available at school libraries … Board member Shirley Babson said some parents have expressed that books such as the Harry Potter series represent witchcraft and promote the practice of Wicca. Board member Jimmy Hobbs said he sees the importance of reviewing the policy. ‘The issue is a valid issue,’ Hobbs said. ‘I’m not attacking Harry Potter. When the issue of Bibles in schools came up last year, the ones that raised the most opposition was the group known as Wicca. Does this policy give them a free pass to get their materials into the schools? When distributing materials, we should be careful by not being biased. Is Wicca being allowed, in other ways, to the exclusion of Christian literature?’”

Take that Wicca! We are totally going to let Christian parents challenge all those Harry Potter books you sneakily placed in our libraries! They must not have heard that Harry Potter is written by a Christian and contains Christian themes. I’m sure no bad publicity will come from this move, it isn’t like anyone reads Harry Potter anyway. I await further updates with bated breath.

Just before the final Harry Potter novel arrived in stores, I made my one and only prediction concerning the novel.

“My own (spoiler-free) prediction? I think there is a very good chance Rowling will reveal the series to be a Christian parable of sorts after the climatic ending of last book.”

While Rowling has been mostly quiet about religion and her books, it is no secret that she attends church regularly and considers herself a practicing Christian. Before the release of the last book she made it plain that there was a Christian message to be found within the series.

“…there clearly is a religious – undertone. And – it’s always been difficult to talk about that because until we reached Book Seven, views of what happens after death and so on, it would give away a lot of what was coming. So – yes, my belief and my struggling with religious belief and so on I think is quite apparent in this book … my struggle really is to keep believing.”

Now it seems that acknowledgment of the underlying Christian themes within the Harry Potter books is starting to expand from a small minority of Christian fans, and into the mainstream.

“Here’s my mea culpa: After finishing Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, I realized the entire seven-volume story is at least as essentially Christian as C.S. Lewis’s Narnia stories. That was a bit of a shock for me, because I’ve spent a couple of years writing about how the books are devoid of anything resembling explicit religion. And I had suggested that the moral themes that some Christian authors found in the books are also found in many other religions.”

Scripps Howard religion columnist Terry Mattingly goes right to the source to point out the completely obvious nod to Christian ideas of resurrection and sacrifice.

“Harry Potter and his best friend Hermione Granger arrived in the magical town of Godric’s Hollow on a snowy Christmas Eve. Carols drifted out of the village church as they searched its graveyard for the resting place of Lily and James Potter, who were murdered by the dark Lord Voldemort. First, they found the headstone honoring the family of Albus Dumbledore, the late headmaster of the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The inscription said: “Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” Then the Potter headstone proclaimed: “The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.” Harry was mystified. Was this about defeating the evil Death Eaters? “It doesn’t mean defeating death in the way the Death Eaters mean it, Harry,” said Hermione, gently. “It means … you know … living beyond death. Living after death.” For millions of religious believers who embrace Harry Potter, this pivotal scene in “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” — book seven in J.K. Rowling’s giant puzzle — offers new evidence that the author is, in fact, a Church of Scotland communicant whose faith has helped shape her work. The first inscription is from St. Matthew’s Gospel and the second — stating the book’s theme — is a passage in St. Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians about the meaning of Christ’s resurrection. Is this part of what Dumbledore had called an all-powerful “deep magic” built on sacrificial love?”

Perhaps the confusion for so long is that people focused so hard on the witches and wizards in the book that everyone assumed it was downright Pagan in orientation. Some have even themed Pagan money-making enterprises around that conceit. Or it could be that the confusion was caused by Rowling’s attempts to (perhaps clumsily) insert Christian themes in a way that wouldn’t “give away” the climax of the story.

“Wizards have godfathers, celebrate Christmas, name hospitals after saints and put quotes from the Bible on their grave stones, but they don’t have churches, vicars or Christenings and their weddings and funerals are secular affairs.”

Of course conservative Christian adversity to the books only clouded those waters, making everyone forget that one of the most famous Christian allegorical tales also involved witches, centaurs, magic, transformations, and enchanted items. Perhaps in ten years time, people will look back in wonder at all the fuss people made over the books, and everyone will just “know” that the books were written by a Christian who set out to tell a tale that included Christian themes and ideas. Harry Potter won’t be seen as a recruitment tool for Paganism (by Christians or Pagans) any more than any other imaginative work that includes fantastic elements.

My semi-regular round-up of articles, essays, and opinions of note for discerning Pagans and Heathens.

For those keeping track of the July 4th Pagan Religious Rights Rally that took place in Washington DC, one of the participants: Caroline Kenner, has posted a write-up of the event at the Witches Voice web site.

“Finally after all these months, we were listening to brave speeches about freedom of religion, and the need for a Pagan chaplain in the military, the need for Thor’s Hammer and the Druid Awen symbol to be recognized by the VA as the Pentacle has been. We had a diverse roster of speakers representing many national Pagan organizations: The Troth, Asatru Folk Assembly, Military Pagan Network, Sacred Well Congregation, Ar nDraoicht Fein and Circle Sanctuary. It was inspiring to see so many diverse Pagans working together, people with very different beliefs, practices and deities sharing a common purpose.”

You can read all my coverage of the rally and related news articles, here.

Having exhausted all other angles, Christianity Today asks the question: what would Jonathan Edwards (the prominent colonial-era fire-and-brimstone preacher) do about Harry Potter?

“So there we have it. The most engrossing imaginative world created at the start of the 21st century is essentially pagan. Don’t get me wrong – I like the Harry Potter series. I’ve read all of the books. And I’m sure Jonathan Edwards would have done so, too … That doesn’t mean I shouldn’t read it. Nor does it mean that Edwards would disapprove of us learning from it (light from wherever it comes), but (borrowing from more recent intellectual heroes like Lewis or Tolkien) it does mean that if the world’s imagination is captured by Potter-esque versions of the afterlife and the transcendent – a less-than-Christian way of looking at the world – we have work to do. The imagination is a hairbreadth away from the soul.”

The article seems to call for a “Christian” Harry Potter to “rescue” the souls imperiled by their runaway imaginations, but the next C.S. Lewis seems less likely than ever in our ever more polarized society. In other Harry Potter news, James Dobson does not approve!

A new shopping center in Britain has seemingly changed its proposed name after a coven of Witches, unhappy with the proposed Witchy-sounding name of Highcross Quarter, registered the domain names first and refused to sell.

“A coven of elderly witches has claimed victory in a battle to change the name of a £350-million (about R4,9-billion) shopping centre. They objected after developer Hammerson announced a huge addition to Leicester’s Shires mall would be called Highcross Quarter. That’s the name given by witches to the four most important periods in the “wicca” calendar … Once the name was announced, the witches immediately registered several Internet domain names using the term. Morrigan Wisecraft, a witch from Loughborough, said she was contacted by Hammerson within days of registering the domain names last year. She claimed the group was offered large amounts of money to part with the titles, before Hammerson took the matter to the United Nations’ World Intellectual Property Organisation. Now the company has appeared to have given up on the fight but would not comment on whether pressure from the local “alternative faith group” was behind a decision to change the name.”

I’m not sure if I would claim this as a “victory” for Pagans, it isn’t as if “highcross quarter” is a term used solely by Pagan groups. The case seems to come very close to “cybersquatting” under the protection of religion. It brings up a larger question, do modern Pagans “own” or have rights to things we label as sacred, even if those things have other uses or contexts?

Xtra profiles the spiritual and emotional reasons behind GLBT folks’ tattoos, revealing some very “pagan” ideas in the ink. [Warning: a couple of the photos may be NSFW]

“My tattoos are dedicated to my spiritual development … [The goddess] is a higher power, the beginning of life and death, and of knowledge. I got that the same year I had my first relationship with a girl. Coming here from the Ukraine I was pretty repressed. There was no such thing as gay or lesbian, or drug use, none that was open. I wasn’t exposed to any of that growing up. [The goddess] represents woman, with mothering and birth. She has two horns and goat feet so she can be perceived as Pan, a male god. That is my take on two sides.”

In a final note, part two of a the three-part podcast interview with author/Witch/activist Thorn Coyle has been posted. You can find part one, here.

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

Psychic Wars in Salem: The Boston Globe does a follow-up on the uproar over the licensing of psychics in the “Witch City” of Salem, Massachusetts. It looks like the compromise measure put forward by the city council has defused (for the most part) an escalating “psychic war” that pitted established store owners and local celebrities like Laurie Cabot against the organizers of psychic fairs that take advantage of the tourist boom around Halloween.

“While the question of who is a true psychic may never be answered, a new bylaw regulating fortune tellers in Salem is winning praise from some people on both sides of the licensing issue … Although the ordinance puts a cap on the number of readers who participate in the psychic fairs held at Halloween, it lifts the ceiling on how many shop licenses the city issues, which has angered a group of longtime shop owners. Still, others in the psychic community embrace the ordinance, saying it legitimizes the practice.”

But tempers could flare again since Cabot and other long-time shop owners are unhappy that the compromise measure allows for the continued existence of psychic fairs that they say steal business from their shops. We’ll most likely have to wait until the Samhain/Halloween season to see if a lasting truce has been established or if these “psychic wars” will heat up once more.

Meeting the Living Goddess: It looks like Nepali Kumari (living goddess) Sajani Shakya will be reinstated to her position as a living goddess after voluntarily going through a series of cleaning rituals to remove the “sin” of leaving her native land.

“A 10-year-old girl who is worshipped as a living goddess in Nepal has had her title reinstated after defying tradition and visiting the US. Temple authorities at her home town in Bhaktapur said the visit had tainted her purity, and that they were beginning the search for a successor. But yesterday they said she would not be stripped of her title because she was willing to undergo a “cleansing” ceremony to remove any sins.”

Shakya was in the US to help promote a documentary about the Kumari entitled “Living Goddesses”. The filmmakers and Shakya’s parents were shocked to hear she was being stripped of her title while in America, and some suspected that it was a political ploy. But whatever the reason, it looks like the status quo is being restored (no doubt a flurry of critical press helped in that matter), and Sajani Shakya will return to her role as the physical manifestation of the goddess Taleju Bhawani (until she reaches puberty, that is).

Muggle Mallory vs Harry Potter: There seems to be the possibility that Harry Potter fans won’t have their favorite opponent to kick around anymore. Laura Mallory, that famous anti-Harry Potter crusader, is retiring from her particular brand of Christian “activism” to follow a new calling.

“The mother who fought to ban Harry Potter books from her children’s suburban Atlanta school district said her work on the case has allowed her to find her calling – ministering to children and young adults. “I never understood why I was involved with Harry Potter in the first place,” said Laura Mallory. “I never expected all of that to happen, but I’m called, and my husband is called to this generation. We want to see them delivered from drugs, alcohol, the occult and sexual perversion.” J.K. Rowling’s wildly popular Harry Potter books tell stories of children with magic powers. The first six books have sold more than 325 million copies and they are the most challenged texts of the 21st century, according to the American Library Association.”

But lest we think all those defeats in court have worn her down, Mallory claims she is still deciding whether to take her attempt to ban Harry Potter from her children’s school district to federal court. So keep your popcorn handy, and stay tuned.