“Fast forward to 1999, when an Austin, Texas newspaper published photos of a Wiccan ceremony at Fort Hood. Theologically conservative Christian clergy joined with indignant Congressmen to protest the Army’s acceptance of Wiccan practice. As reported in Hannah Rosin’s contemporaneous account for The Washington Post, these clergy threatened to disrupt the protests, going so far as to call on Christians not to enlist or reenlist in any branch of the military until Wicca was banned from military posts. But the Army brushed off the threatened protests. Again, according to the Washington Post article, Fort Hood spokesman Lt. Col. Ben Santos said at the time that as long as a religious minority does not interfere with discipline, the military will help it find an off-base leader and a place to practice its beliefs … in light of the fact that the Army and various government agencies appear to have disregarded warning signs about the shooter’s contact with religious radicals who have since praised his murders, a tragic irony bubbles to the surface: might the emphasis on religious inclusion and interfaith acceptance have allowed the sinister to walk, undaunted, disguised as the spiritual?”

It is hard to tell what, exactly, author Tom Levinson is suggesting. That the military should be less accommodating to religious minorities? That only certain faiths should be allowed or tolerated? That their fair treatment towards Pagan soldiers inevitably led to these shootings by a disturbed Major Nidal Malik Hasan? Frankly, using the story of the Fort Hood Pagans in conveying his “tragic irony” is insulting to the Pagan men and women who serve, and have served, in the military. Already several Pagans and Pagan vets have spoken out against Levinson’s badly-thought-out piece with more, no doubt, to come.

The James Arthur Ray sweat-lodge death saga continues to have repercussions. While the police investigation is still ongoing, the Lakota Nation has filed a lawsuit against Ray and the Angel Valley Retreat Center for fraud and the “desecration of our Sacred Oinikiga by causing the death of Liz Neuman, Kirby Brown and James Shore”.

“In the aftermath of the tragedy at Angel Valley Retreat Center, where an incompetently conducted “sweat lodge” held by Californian self-help guru James Arthur Ray killed three participants, political steps are being taken by several native people across the United States. While local Indians from Arizona are forming a Council for Indigenous Traditional Healing to reclaim native ceremonies, the Lakota tribe of North and South Dakota has filed a lawsuit against the United States, the state of Arizona, James Arthur Ray and the Angel Valley Retreat Center.”

This issue seems to have truly galvanized some tribal nations and activists, leading to actions that could have long-standing repercussions in the often tense relations between Native peoples and New Age communities. Meanwhile the daughter of one of the victims wants Ray behind bars and is filing a wrongful death lawsuit. So it looks like only a matter of time before Ray is brought before a judge. Hopefully before his next “spiritual warrior” retreat, scheduled for September 18-23rd.

In a final note, blogger Rob Taylor has alerted me to a group of anti-pedophile activists who have allegedly uncovered the identity of a Wiccan man who brags of his sexual involvement with children and until recently was advertising for a coven on Witchvox.

“He is Wiccan and participates in and goes to Wiccan festivals in which he likes to view children running around naked.”

It seems Witchvox (or the person in question) may have removed the listings since word went out at the beginning of November, as they are now gone. Sadly, there isn’t a picture, or further outside confirmation, so we have no way of telling who exactly this man is at public gatherings (as he could no doubt use a variety of aliases if he wanted). I was planning use this information within the context of a longer investigation of predators within the Pagan community, but I felt it was important to pass this information along now if it could potentially help parents and children be safer at gatherings. As always, be careful, do your own research, and leave law enforcement to law enforcement officials.

That’s all I have for now, have a good night, see you tomorrow.

Sgt. Joseph A. Ford

Dalarie Ford, since launching this investigation, has discovered that ASVs are vulnerable to rollovers, and that this isn’t the first time the gunner’s turret has broken away. She has been contacting her state officials in an effort to make sure what happened to her son doesn’t happen to other soldiers.

As for Sgt. Joseph A. Ford, the paper reveals that he was a member of Nova Roma, a group dedicated to reviving the “Cultus Deorum Romanorum” (the religion of Rome). The group’s banner hung at his funeral.

“His friends and teachers describe him as intellectual, curious. He often had a book under his arm. He attended the University of Southern Indiana, where he majored in history. Ancient Rome fascinated him. He practiced the religion of Roman paganism. At his funeral, a banner hung on the lectern. “SPQR,” it said — shorthand for the Latin “Senatus Populusque Romanus,” or the Senate and the people of Rome.”

Ford had only been in Iraq for two months when the accident occurred. While some commentators are saying that such accidents are part of the package of military service, I can’t imagine a turret breaking off and killing its rider should be considered a normal or acceptable situation. If shoddy equipment is indeed responsible, the military should take responsibility for Ford’s death. It is the very least they can do to honor his sacrifice.

Finally, depending on burial plans, I do hope that Nova Roma enquirers with Dalarie Ford to see if her son would want an official emblem of his faith engraved on his military tombstone or marker. Perhaps this would be an excellent time for Nova Roma to join the growing coalition working for an expanded selection of Pagan and Heathen emblems of belief from the VA.

May Ford rest with his gods and ancestors, may his sacrifice be honored, and may his family find the closure and justice needed to move forward.
]]> http://wildhunt.org/blog/2008/07/pagan-soldier-killed-due-to-shoddy.html/feed 5 http://wildhunt.org/blog/2008/05/code-pink-makes-some-see-red.html http://wildhunt.org/blog/2008/05/code-pink-makes-some-see-red.html#comments Mon, 12 May 2008 11:39:00 +0000 Jason http://wildhunt.org/blog/2008/05/code-pink-makes-some-see-red.html There has been a conservative news field-day over a themed protest held by anti-war activist group Code Pink in Berkeley last Friday. The theme? Witchcraft against the war.

“In a call to activists on the Web, the antiwar group appealed to “witches, crones and sirens” to come to the center to “cast spells, weave magic, invoke the foremothers, share wisdom, lead rituals to banish war and violence and bring peace” … Fox News cameras, which were there to capture the showdown between the Code Pink’s theatrical coven and counterprotesters from the pro-military group Move America Forward, which had vowed to stage a “witch hunt” in response to Code Pink’s eye-of-newt action.”

“…they pick the stereotype green-faced Halloween witch instead. They parody our religion for their futile cause. Somehow I don’t feel the compliment. One ex-military Pagan wrote to conservative columnist Michelle Malkin to say he was embarrassed by Code Pink too. And that is the thing about today’s Pagans: for every lefty pacifist there is one (or probably more) military Pagan.”

Which comes to the point that modern Paganism is a religious movement, not a political one. There is no idealogical entrance exam to be a polytheist (or pantheist, or duotheist). Diversity of thought is a hallmark of Pagan existence, and attempts to politicize our movement, for whatever end, are ultimately doomed to failure and marginalization. Code Pink sought to make media waves by sensationalizing Pagan practice, but may have created a magic not of their choosing.

“Ironically, it’s actually helped us by putting our name out. We’re now well known. And people know who we are, and where we are, and they come in to talk to us about enlisting. They’ve gotten us the publicity that we could’ve never afforded to pay for ourselves,” Wheatcroft told FOXNews.com. “Just in the last three weeks, 10 people came in looking to apply, looking to become Marine officers, and that’s much higher than normal,” he said.”

Meanwhile, the Pagan community in Berkeley held their annual Pagan Festival and Parade. An event that didn’t ignite the newswires, but was possibly more accurate in portraying our shared goals and values.

“People from all walks of life joined in the fun Saturday at the 7th Annual Pagan Festival and Parade. It was a showing of acceptance and celebration across all ethnic backgrounds, sexual orientations and faith traditions at the Martin Luther King Jr. Civic Center Park. The event, organized by the Pagan Alliance, brought out a large crowd under this year’s theme, “We are Change.” The mission of the Pagan Alliance is to promote acceptance of faith and to work for justice. The aim of the event was to foster change, connect communities and promote spiritual diversity. Organizers said they also wanted to dispel common misconceptions that paganism is about devil worship.”

Not to sermonize, but modern Pagan faiths embrace both the pacifist and the soldier (not to mention all the people between those two poles). Our diversity and commitment to a personal connection to the gods makes any attempt to codify a single and universal “Pagan politics” frustrating at best, and dangerously fractious at worst. Media feeding-frenzies like this may help Code Pink in the short-term, but can possibly damage outreach and dialog efforts by modern Pagans in the longer term. As Pagan faiths head into the future, we will have to find a way to avoid polarizing our movement into “right” and “left” camps, and maintain the common ground needed to advance rights and privileges for us all.
]]> http://wildhunt.org/blog/2008/05/code-pink-makes-some-see-red.html/feed 7 http://wildhunt.org/blog/2007/12/top-ten-pagan-stories-of-2007-part-two.html http://wildhunt.org/blog/2007/12/top-ten-pagan-stories-of-2007-part-two.html#comments Mon, 31 Dec 2007 14:29:00 +0000 Jason http://wildhunt.org/blog/2007/12/top-ten-pagan-stories-of-2007-part-two.html [You can read part one of this entry, here.]

05. Discrimination, Harassment, Hate Crimes, and Firings: Last year one of my picks for a top story was “Growing animosity and tensions between Christians and Pagans”, and while this year didn’t appear to be quite as bad, there seemed to be plenty of animosity to go around. Christians extremists fought for the right to intimidate us, Witches were beaten and stabbed in Canada, a Pagan store-owner had a noose left on her doorstep, and the FBI reported that hate crimes towards religious minorities is on the rise.

“A couple things become immediately clear, one, that Christians (both Protestant and Catholic) experienced the fewest religiously-motivated hate crimes of any faith grouping (despite claims of widespread anti-Christian activity by some conservative Christians), and two, that a large number of religious hate crimes (coming in third behind Muslims and Jews) are towards faiths that check the “other” box in surveys. In fact, the number of incidents against “other religions” have risen since 2005, with 41 more victims of a religious-motivated hate crime in 2006.”

But it wasn’t just threats and physical attacks, this year saw quite a few firings that seemed to be motivated by an anti-Pagan bias. In some cases rumor-mongering seems to have replaced due process, and people who were a bit too odd being labeled as “Witches”.

“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.”

I wish I could say this particular story will diminish in 2008, but I think that as we continue to enter the mainstream, a certain minority of religious believers will do all in their power to shove us back into our “broom closets”.

04. Pagans in Politics: This year, more than any other I have witnessed, saw modern Pagans involved with, and affected by, our political process. This year saw the Chair of the Kennebec County Democratic Committee in Maine outed as a Pagan by a conservative Christian group, who then stalked her and attempted to incite vandalism against her. When that didn’t work they went after the vice-chair (who is also a Pagan). But you don’t have to be a Pagan to get smeared politically, you only have to associate with them. An Asheville City Council found herself the victim of an attack ad based around her participation in a “save the trees” event, and subsequently lost her bid.

However, one of the biggest political events directly involving a modern Pagan has to be the scandal involving a deputy of Stuart Bowen, the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction.

“[Ginger] Cruz, a former spokeswoman for the governor of Guam, originally joined SIGIR as a contractor working for the accounting firm Deloitte & Touche. Current and former SIGIR employees have told investigators that Cruz threatened to put hexes on employees and made inappropriate sexual remarks in the presence of staff members. Cruz is a self-described wiccan, a member of a polytheistic religion of modern witchcraft. “We warned Ginger not to talk about witchcraft, that it would scare people,” a former SIGIR employee said.”

In addition to these events, 2007 saw politics become ever-more Christian focused and identified. With non-Christian expressions of faith being shoved to the margins by Presidential candidates, and non-Christian prayer getting shouted down in our halls of government. With monotheist modes of belief becoming more blatant and forceful across the political spectrum, will there be a place for Pagans (or any religious outsiders) in the near future?

03. Salem’s Psychic Wars (plus other psychic legal developments): Divination and psychic services were all over the news in 2007. With many modern Pagans making a portion of their living from providing tarot readings or other divination methods, laws regulating, taxing, or outlawing these services can become a big issue (fiscally and religiously). Michigan recently started taxing psychic readers claiming it was a “high-income” service, a local Wiccan was successful in getting Caspar, Wyoming to remove its ordinance against fortune telling, Philadelphia used a previously unenforced state law to close down psychics, tarot readers, and other diviners in the city, and Livingston Parish in Louisiana passed a religiously-motivated ordinance against all forms of fortune-telling despite objections from local Pagans.

But the biggest story involving psychics, the law, and modern Pagans had to be the “psychic wars” in the “Witch City” of Salem, Massachusetts. With 10% of Salem’s population practicing Witches, and a large amount of Salem’s tourist income based on Halloween traffic, proposed licensing regulations on psychic readers became a heated debate between rival factions. A debate that took a criminal turn, when one couple decided to use intimidation tactics. A situation that gained national attention, and was even reported on in Time Magazine. The Salem story points to the growing cultural relevance of Pagan faiths (especially when big money is involved) in America. As regional Pagan populations grow, expect to see more conflicts (and cooperation) with local governments over divination services, religious freedom, and local laws.

02. Pagans in the Public Square: A late development this year, but an important one nonetheless, is the recent eruption in the “Christmas Wars” involving modern Pagans. Three separate cases involving public property, religious Nativity displays, and Wiccan participation, have placed modern Pagans on the forefront of the debate over the separation of Church of State, religious freedom, and pluralism. One case is heading for litigation, while another appears to be drawing out into the Spring. Expect these cases to loom large in 2008, and set the stage for next Winter’s battles.

01. The Veteran Pentacle Win, and Pagans in the Military: My top story for 2006 was the Veteran Pentacle Quest, and the biggest for 2007 is the successful win in getting the Pentacle symbol approved for Veteran headstones and markers. In addition, we saw Pagan groups forming coalitions in order to expand that recognition to other Pagan symbols, and an ongoing struggle to get a Pagan military chaplain approved. Aside from activism, we also saw stories about Pagans in the military, and how safe they are in an increasingly Christian military.

The legal and social struggles concerning Nativity displays and Pagan soldiers have some of the farthest-reaching implications for modern Pagans in America. Situations that have gained international attention, and in the case of the Veteran Pentacle Quest, President Bush. 2008 will very likely see even more important developments involving these stories.

That wraps up my top ten news stories about or affecting modern Paganism in 2007. Thanks for reading, and I hope you’ll join me for another year of sifting through the news and views of interest to our communities. See you in 2008!
]]> http://wildhunt.org/blog/2007/12/top-ten-pagan-stories-of-2007-part-two.html/feed 0 http://wildhunt.org/blog/2007/06/checking-in-with-pagan-military.html http://wildhunt.org/blog/2007/06/checking-in-with-pagan-military.html#comments Sat, 09 Jun 2007 13:07:00 +0000 Jason http://wildhunt.org/blog/2007/06/checking-in-with-the-pagan-military.html Stars and Stripes profiles a military Pagan study group on a base in Japan. The article shows that (some) Pagans in the military are becoming less shy about asking for the same privileges granted to other faith groups.

“At a base that’s 75 percent Christian – a proportion generally found across the military – Misawa’s Pagan community is striving to be treated like any other religious group on base. “I want to get to the point where you can say Pagan or Wicca and not get a bad reaction,” said Staff Sgt. Katie McDaniel, 31, a Wiccan … In a meeting last week they requested with Chaplain Lt. Col. Steven Nicolai, six group members asked for the same base exposure afforded other religious groups to publicize their weekly meetings.”

The chaplaincy seems somewhat hesitant about this call for equal treatment, but at least recognizes that the Pagans have a legal right to assemble and speak (even if they have yet to be listed on the base’s chaplaincy page).

“It all goes back to the First Amendment,” he [Chaplain Lt. Col. Steven Nicolai] said. “On the one hand, the government cannot establish a religion. But on the other hand, the government can also not prohibit people from assembling, and they can worship as they please. Just the fact that they walk into my office, say we have a need, we look at it.”

But while advances are being made, the military is still not giving ground on some issues, like appointing a Pagan military chaplain. Aside from the disgraceful “catch-22″ denial of Don Larsen’s application, it seems everyone has a different answer on why a Pagan (who meets the education and training requirements) can’t become a chaplain.

“There are no Pagan chaplains in the U.S. military. McDaniel said she inquired about becoming one but was told there was no precedent. 35th Fighter Wing chaplain Lt. Col. Steven Nicolai said the earth religions don’t have a standardized theological training process.”

Despite these setbacks, equal treatment within the military is one cause that a large coalition of Pagan groups (military or otherwise) can get behind, and we may soon see more legal pressure for the appointment of a Pagan chaplain. This, along with a growing sense of pride among Pagan soldiers seem to point to future advances in equal treatment.

“We put ourselves out there … We represent ourselves in a certain way. We wear certain jewelry. We have certain things in our home, and it’s not to be in your face. That’s just the way we choose to live our faith and our path. It is obviously going to draw questions. It’s a good thing. If someone wants to know, they’ll ask … and if not, merry part, be on your way.”

With the momentum that is building, perhaps we’ll see a Pagan chaplain, and greater recognition of Pagan soldiers, sooner than we expect.
]]> http://wildhunt.org/blog/2007/06/checking-in-with-pagan-military.html/feed 1 http://wildhunt.org/blog/2007/05/pagan-memorial-day.html http://wildhunt.org/blog/2007/05/pagan-memorial-day.html#comments Mon, 28 May 2007 15:31:00 +0000 Jason http://wildhunt.org/blog/2007/05/a-pagan-memorial-day.html Today is Memorial Day, when the United States honors its war dead. But this year, in addition to the parades, patriotic speeches, and backyard barbecues, modern Pagans are celebrating a victory for the veterans, widows, and family members who fought for equal recognition.

“Since Korean War veteran Jerome Birnbaum died in 2005, his grave in a pagan cemetery had been marked with only a pile of stones and U.S. flags. On Memorial Day, Birnbaum’s grave and those of other military veterans will be dedicated with government-issued markers etched with a symbol of their religion – the Wiccan pentacle. Wiccans sued the government last year, arguing that it was unduly stalling a decision on whether to add the pentacle to the list of acceptable symbols for veterans’ graves. A settlement between the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and Wiccans added the five-pointed star to the list of “emblems of belief.” “I like to see our success literally etched in stone, because it will be,” said Birnbaum’s wife, Karen DePolito. She said winning the fight is vindication for all Wiccans.”

Today at Circle Sanctuary near Madison, Wisconsin a ceremony honoring America’s first Memorial Day dedication of Wiccan veteran gravestones with pentacles will take place.

“The Dedication will honor the lives and service of three Wiccan veterans, consecrate their markers, support religious freedom for all, and celebrate the successful conclusion of the ten year quest to have the Wiccan emblem of belief, the Pentacle, added to the US Department of Veterans Affairs’ list of emblems of belief that be included on the veteran grave markers it issues.”

The Rev. Barry W. Lynn, executive director, Americans United for Separation of Church and State, who helped successfully litigate this case, has issued some remarks on this momentous occasion.

“This is, of course, a solemn occasion. You have gathered to dedicate these markers to fallen loved ones – heroes who died in the service of their nation. But while we must acknowledge our grief, we must also understand that we have reasons today to feel empowered about what has been accomplished. Today’s event is a momentous occasion – and it’s one that could not have taken place even two months ago. As you stand and look at the markers that commemorate the lives and sacrifices of your loved ones, bearing the symbol of their faith that you worked so hard to get placed there, you have many reasons to feel proud.”

So here is to the Pagan men and women who have served our country in peacetime and war, and especially to those who have paid the highest price for their service by giving their lives. While no victory such as this can restore a life, or fill the deep well of sorrow that such a loss brings about, it is always a noble thing to properly honor and respect those who have gone beyond this world. Have a good Memorial Day.
]]> http://wildhunt.org/blog/2007/05/pagan-memorial-day.html/feed 0 http://wildhunt.org/blog/2007/04/bush-administration-approves-pentacle.html http://wildhunt.org/blog/2007/04/bush-administration-approves-pentacle.html#comments Mon, 23 Apr 2007 18:35:00 +0000 Jason http://wildhunt.org/blog/2007/04/bush-administration-approves-pentacle.html Earlier this morning Circle Sanctuary sent out an e-mail saying that there was going to be a big announcement regarding the Veteran Pentacle Quest.

“On Monday morning, April 23,2007 Americans United for Separation of Church and State (AU) will hold a national press conference in Washington, DC announcing a major development in its lawsuit against the US Department of Veterans Affairs for barring the inscription of the Wiccan religious symbol on government-issued memorial markers for deceased veterans.”

Now the news has come forward that a settlement has been reached over addition of the Pentacle to the VA list of Emblems of Belief.

“The Bush administration has conceded that Wiccans are entitled to have the pentacle, the symbol of their faith, inscribed on government-issued memorial markers for deceased veterans, Americans United for Separation of Church and State announced today. The settlement agreement, filed today with the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin, brings to a successful conclusion a lawsuit Americans United brought against the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) in November.”

It seems the settlement had been reached after lawyers for Americans United uncovered clear and unambiguous evidence of bias towards the Wiccan faith on the part of the VA and the government.

“Americans United’s attorneys uncovered evidence that the VA’s refusal to recognize the Pentacle was motivated by bias toward the Wiccan faith. President George W. Bush, when he was governor of Texas, had opposed the right of Wiccans to meet at a military base in that state. Bush’s opinion of Wiccans was taken into consideration when making decisions on whether to approve the Pentacle. ‘Many people have asked me why the federal government was so stubborn about recognizing the Wiccan symbol,’ said AU’s Lynn. ‘I did not want to believe that bias toward Wiccans was the reason, but that appears to have been the case. That’s discouraging, but I’m pleased we were able to put a stop to it.’”

In other words, VA officials were taking statements against Wiccans made by Bush as a policy guideline when considering approving the Wiccan pentacle. One wonders what other military organizations are using such a “guideline” in their decisions regarding the rights of Wiccans and Pagans. It would certainly explain the discrimination that military chaplain Don Larsen faced in his attempt to become the first Pagan chaplain. But despite this very troubling revelation, one hopes this is just the start of a new day concerning the rights of Pagans in the military. Congratulations to Circle Sanctuary, Roberta Stewart, and Americans United. This is a great day!

Addendum: Coverage of the victory by CNN and MSNBC. Updated listing of approved symbols by the VA.
]]> http://wildhunt.org/blog/2007/04/bush-administration-approves-pentacle.html/feed 3 http://wildhunt.org/blog/2007/03/canadian-military-chaplains-leading-way.html http://wildhunt.org/blog/2007/03/canadian-military-chaplains-leading-way.html#comments Sat, 31 Mar 2007 16:11:00 +0000 Jason http://wildhunt.org/blog/2007/03/canadian-military-chaplains-leading-the-way.html In the ongoing struggle by Pagans in the American military to gain the same level of respect and treatment as other faiths, it seems the Canadian military is showing the way forward.

“Canadian Forces chaplains are in Afghanistan for everyone. Maj. Malcolm Berry smiles as he recalls being approached on the NATO base in Kandahar a few weeks ago by a group of soldiers of the Wiccan faith – a neo-pagan religion strongly tied to nature. “They wanted to welcome the spring in a ceremony where they are very thankful to Mother Earth and the new moon with pagan prayers,” said Berry, the senior chaplain for Task Force Afghanistan. “We had no difficulty with that. We just didn’t want them to do it ’sky-clad’ (naked) in this environment because it would be too dangerous.” The six Wiccans – a Canadian and five Americans – were invited to hold their service outside the Christian fellowship centre. They were given water, candles and food that they were welcomed to eat inside the centre after the ceremony. The Wiccans were treated with the same respect as any Roman Catholic, Protestant, Jew, Muslim, Hindu or Buddhist.”

How refreshing! Pagan soldiers given the same treatment and options that any other faith group would receive. Now if our own government would follow suit and quit stonewalling the pentacle for veteran grave markers, blackballing would-be Pagan chaplains, and trying to pass legislation that would privilege Christians in the military we might be able to see that being supportive of each soldiers own faith expression isn’t damaging to discipline or morale. In fact its just the opposite.

“Maj. Lisa Elliot, a Wiccan, said being allowed to openly celebrate her beliefs makes her a better soldier and makes it easier to serve her tour in Afghanistan. ‘You are challenged when you come over here just to deal with the situation, and by somebody supporting your faith it makes it less challenging,’ said Elliot. ‘It gave me the extra energy to go on with my job. I felt re-grounded. I felt at home.’”

Lets hope our own military starts to see that accommodating our Pagan soldiers isn’t just the right thing to do, but the best thing to do.
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