The Wild Hunt » Paganistan

Quick Note: Examining Paganistan

Jason — Wed, 13 May 2009 14:59:56 +0000

Several folks have written in to alert me that Pagan scholar Murphy Pizza has become the official Minneapolis Paganism Examiner for Examiner.com (the ultra-conservative funded pay-for-pageviews blogging site). This is exciting news because Murphy Pizza’s dissertation is about the history and formation of the Pagan community in the Twin Cities (aka “Paganistan”), so you could not ask for a better local commentator. In her first entry Pizza explains the unique character and long history of the Pagan community in Minnesota’s Twin Cities.

“A number of years ago, one of the Pagan priests in the Twin Cities coined the name “Paganistan” for the long-lived and feisty Pagan community here. It was tongue-in-cheek, but the name has stuck; it’s a name that the Twin Cities Metro Area Pagans have proudly taken on as a moniker. Many people are surprised to hear that the Twin Cities boasts the second largest contemporary Pagan community in the US (only San Francisco’s Bay Area is larger). Often, they are equally surprised to discover that it has its formative roots as far back as 1972, when the Gnostica Bookstore was holding spiritual seeker classes on topics like magic, contemporary Witchcraft, and other occult traditions down on Hennepin Avenue … It isn’t only the size that makes Paganistan a unique and vibrant community. It also has been a religiously innovative community both in terms of the creation of traditions and practices, and in the way it expresses a diversity of paths and organizations.”

I wish Ms. Pizza a long and healthy blogging career. The Pagan blogosphere needs more local community-oriented coverage, so hopefully this will start something of a trend (I anxiously await Salem and Bay Area-centric blogs). So be sure to add her to your blogrolls and rss-readers ASAP!

A Few Quick Items

Jason — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 14:24:55 +0000

Thought I’d share a few quick items with you that I missed in yesterday’s “News of Note”. First off, Reclaiming co-founder Starhawk opines about the recent ARIS data suggesting that modern Paganism is growing while other faiths contract.

“Why are we growing? In a time when the very life support systems of the planet are threatened by environmental destruction and global warming, many people seek a faith rooted in love and respect for nature. Women have especially been drawn to the Goddess traditions because we offer positive images of women’s power, our tealogy and religious imagery reflect women’s lives, cycles, and name our bodies as sacred, and we offer women respect and leadership roles. But many men also are drawn to a community that does not make gender a condition of power. Gay, lesbian and transgender folks find a welcome in our circles. And many people are drawn to traditions that encourage imagination, honor intuition and respect each individual’s spiritual authority.”

Starhawk also praises the Internet as a boon to modern Paganism’s growth. For more ARIS reactions from the rest of the On Faith panelists, click here.

Will Witch School give up on building a “Salem of the Midwest” in Hoopeston, IL and instead just pick up and move to the already existing Witch-mecca of Salem, Massachusetts? That is apparantly one of the agenda items for its annual international conference in Salem from April 17th – 19th.

“The group also plans to vote on whether to relocate its headquarters to downtown Salem. The move would include the relocation of Magick TV, an Internet television station broadcast on YouTube. Hubbard said he envisions a downtown TV studio that could broadcast such programs as the Pagan Nightly News. He has already been in talks with Salem landlords, he said. “My goal is to be on Essex Street,” Hubbard said.”

Considering the reception they rcceived in Hoopeston, I can hardly blame them for wanting to move, and I suppose that since Salem is a land of big personalities and ambitious impressarios they’ll fit right in.

MN Artists (and MinnPost) run a profile of “freelance druid” Bill Watkins on the publication of his third memoir “The Once and Future Celt”.

“The Once and Future Celt documents the last leg of Bill Watkins’ winding path; this final volume of his memoir trilogy, preceded by A Celtic Childhood and Scotland Is Not for the Squeamish, traces Bill’s self-definition as a Celt and, more specifically, as a modern druid and a bearer of the old traditions. Bill was raised in England by an Irish mother and a Welsh father who were both fluent in their native Gaelic languages and passionate about their ancestral traditions. Each bestowed Bill with divergent but strongly felt religious beliefs — Irish Catholicism from his mother and, from his father, an abiding faith in the old druidic beliefs held by the Celts before their conquest by the Romans.”

“Wild” Bill Watkins resides, naturally enough, in Paganistan (Minneapolis/St Paul) and performs regularly at Merlins Rest Pub.

That’s it for now!

Michele Bachmann: The Anti-Pagan Angle

Jason — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 13:42:00 +0000

I had never heard of Minnesota congresswoman Michele Bachmann until her recent brush with infamy, when she advocated that Barack Obama, and other liberals, be investigated for “anti-American” views by the press.

Michele Bachmann

“What I would say is that the news media should do a penetrating expose and take a look. I wish they would. I wish the American media would take a great look at the views of the people in Congress and find out, are they pro-America or anti-America? I think the American people would love to see an expose like that.” When asked about Sen. Barack Obama’s views she said, “Absolutely, I’m very concerned that he may have anti-American views.”

However, channeling Joseph McCarthy is hardly unique among the far-right, what has caught my eye about this witch-hunting poster child is the fact that she is funneling tainted contribution money into an anti-Pagan charity.

“Earlier this month we reported Bachmann’s connection to Frank Vennes Jr., convict-turned-good who was also a heavy Bachmann contributor. She wrote a letter on his behalf requesting a pardon, but pulled it after his homes were raided in connection with the Petters’ fraud investigation. Her campaign reported that she donated at least one of Vennes’ contributions to charity, but wouldn’t specify which one. Bachmann donated a $9,200 contribution on Oct. 3 to Minnesota Teen Challenge, according to Minnesota Independent.”

A quick look a the Minnesota Teen Challenge web site would lead you to believe they are a run-of-the-mill faith-based anti-drug and alcohol organization. But appearances can be deceiving. Local anti-Bachmann bloggers have dug through the organization’s newsletters and found some pretty familiar rhetoric.

“We would have people put curses over candy and place jewelry with demonic symbols in Trick or Treat bags. When the kids take it willingly, it opens the door for demonic attack. Kids would be sick for weeks after Halloween. Drug dealers were out in full force. We would all try to recruit at least one person to come back to the Satanic meeting. Usually, we would just try to impress them with different displays of demonic power, like levitation and casting spells.”

If that weren’t all, the scandal-tainted money was donated to a charity that used to be run and funded by the very person who tainted it in the first place!

“Frank Vennes is a former board member of Teen Challenge. He’s also involved in the nonprofit Fidelis Foundation, which has served as a fiscal agent for — and donated millions of dollars to — many evangelical ministries and other religious organizations, including Minnesota Teen Challenge.”

Now supporting a charity that peddles in lies and distortions of Pagan religions is most likely the least of her worries at this point, but it certainly gives some insight into what causes Bachmann is willing to support. Being socially conservative is one thing, but unthinkingly supporting a group that teaches mentally vulnerable children with addictions that we are evil is another matter entirely. Here’s hoping that Paganistan can elect someone a bit more friendly to our faiths come November.

Breaking: Pagan Cluster Protester Repeatedly Tasered

Jason — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 19:12:00 +0000

Word has reached us here that three members of the Pagan Cluster were arrested at the RNC protests yesterday, and one, Jason (aka Scarecrow), was repeatedly tasered and mobbed by police despite not resisting arrest.

Pagan Cluster member being tasered.

“Jason (Scarecrow) has been extensively tasered & is being denied medical attention. Jason & Ryanna were both snatched from the pagan cluster at the beginning of the Poor People’s March. PLEASE immediately try to connect with Jason — for tasers, we need to ground out that electricity and move it away — electricity is a form of energy, and we CAN ground this down into the core & move it out of him. Please, you witches know what to do; now let’s connect with Jason and help him move this energy. Riyanna needs your loving magic too, and we’re working on getting them both out NOW. Starhawk is in the streets with the Pagan Cluster, and we are safely back at the space.”

The entire incident has been caught on video and is posted on the KARE 11 web site (warning: this video may not be appropriate for my more sensitive readers). In it, you can count him being tasered at least four times, and that is only what we can see on the video. No doubt the Pagan Cluster is already working to get him out, but I’m sure that prayers and spells of healing and protection would be appreciated.

ADDENDUM: Jason Johnson (aka Scarecrow) is out of prison and has posted his side of the story:

“I was arrested in a peaceful and permitted assembly on Tuesday at the rnc. I was shocked, beaten and terribly hurt before being held for 40 hours in prison with only minutes outside of my cell. with the nature of the atrocity against me, I am writing to request help with building a case against the state.”

He is looking for additional footage of his arrest in order to build a legal case. If you have access to such footage, you can find his contact information at the link above. According to a separate update, he was tasered with four handheld & three protrusion guns, and suffered multiple lacerations to his head, face, and torso.

Updates on Recent Stories

Jason — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 12:54:00 +0000

Heath Status of Oberon Zell-Ravenheart and Patrick McCollum: We start off with the news that two prominent Pagans who have had recent health problems, Oberon Zell-Ravenheart and Patrick McCollum, are both doing much better. Zell-Ravenheart, who was diagnosed with colon cancer, has successfully made it through surgery, and doctors seem confident that the cancer hasn’t spread.

“His surgery was on Friday and it went well; they removed a large section of his descending colon and adjacent mesentery, his doctor is confident that he took out all the cancer and any pre cancerous lymph nodes. He said that he did not see any swollen or discolored nodes. The tissue was all sent to Pathology and we should have the results later this week since the Lab is shut down for the holiday. We will know that the surgeon successfully removed all the cancer when we receive that report. Until then folks the coin is, magickally speaking, still in the air.”

Meanwhile McCollum, who suffered from complications after back surgery, is now out of the hospital and beginning the slow recovery process.

“Patrick was released from hospital this evening, with brace and cane and orders not to leave the house for two days minimum. He will have a long recovery. He remains heavily medicated to relieve intense pain. In spite of these difficulties, Patrick’s recovery has been amazing, no doubt helped in great part by the workings and prayers of many Pagans.”

The friends and family of both McCollum and Zell-Ravenheart request continued prayers and healing work as they recover.

Starhawk and the RNC Police Raids: Since I first reported, more information on warrantless police raids and arrests has emerged in the Twin Cities (including the arrest of journalists). While the RNC has been muted due to Hurricane Gustav, around 20,000 people are protesting outside (and yes, occasionally damaging property). Starhawk continues to post updates on her web site about the protests.

“All day we’ve been getting news that the police have been raiding houses, breaking down doors, arresting people, with or without warrants or warnings. We hold the morning meeting in a public park, because our Convergence Space has been raided and closed the night before. Someone says, “We’re a community that includes children—we can’t clear them out of their own living spaces. Remember if the police raid your space it’s important to have someone negotiate with them to get the children out.” I am a tough person. I’ve been through a lot of these things and in spite of all my efforts to stay open I’ve grown something of my own protective scales. But those words pierce through them, and I find tears welling up in my eyes. It just hits me, that we’re standing here in the United States of America, in the liberal city of my birth, talking about how to protect children from armed police.”

For continuing updates about this issue, check out the Coldsnap Legal Collective web site, their Twitter feed, the Twin Cities IndyMedia site, and Pacifica Radio.

Ellinais Acropolis Protest: Since I first mentioned it a few days ago, Ellinais’s planned (illegal) ritual to Athena at the Acropolis has made international news. Being covered by CNN, ARTINFO, The New York Times, The Guardian, and several others.

“Dressed in crisp white apparel, the pagans gathered before the east wing of the temple’s imposing Corinthian columns and prayed to Athena, the ancient Greek goddess of wisdom and patron of Athens, asking her to protect the Parthenon from further destruction. “Oh, goddess,” roared high priestess Doretta Peppa, her hands extending over an offering of water and olive oil. “We are ready to defend your grounds. “[But] we ask of you to protect this site, this city and its civilization, and to rid it of all evils such as the deconstruction of the Acropolis.” The Greek Culture Ministry forbids ceremonies of any sort at archeological sites. But in January, the pagan revivalists used a second century temple of Zeus in Athens to stage the first known ceremony of its kind in 1,600 years.”

In perhaps a sign that the gods approved, Athena’s father Zeus provided a thunderstorm for the 13-minute ritual. The protest-prayer comes in the wake of plans for a massive new Acropolis Museum which the remaining Acropolis statues will be moved into. Ellinais priestess Doretta Peppa calls the new structure an “architectural monstrosity” that will erode Greek culture.

“The new museum,” Peppa said, “is a monumental eyesore, an architectural monstrosity within the most traditional and archeologically-rich part of Athens. It is an insult to our heritage, and if we start deconstructing our monuments for the sake of filling up a museum, then what will we be left with?”

Greek officials are hoping the new space will boost tourist income and pressure the British government to release the Elgin Marbles, which they claim were obtained illegally, back to Greece.

Starhawk and the RNC Police Raids

Jason — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 15:16:00 +0000

As St. Paul, Minnesota, gears up to host the Republican National Convention, local law enforcement agencies are engaging in a series of draconian crack-downs on local activist centers and homes (including the local homeless-feeding Food Not Bombs chapter) in hopes of intimidating groups planning to protest the convention. Pagan author and activist Starhawk, who is there with the Pagan Cluster to protest, files this report on the raids.

“One by one, protesters trickle out. Now we get more pieces of the story. The cops burst in, with no warning. They pulled drew their guns on everyone—including a five year old child who was there with his mother, forced everyone down on the floor. It was terrifying. They had a warrant, apparently, from the county, not the city, to search for ‘bomb making materials.’ They were searching everyone in the building, then one by one releasing them as they found nothing. They continue to find nothing, as we wait through long hours … And now it’s morning. I wake up to the news that cops have been raiding houses where activists are staying, bursting in with the same bogus warrant and arresting people, including a four year old child. They’ve arrested people at the Food Not Bombs house—a group dedicated to feeding protesters and the homeless. They’ve arrested others, presumably just for being in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

Looking at the latest from progressive news-wires, it is clear that a campaign of harassment and intimidation is being employed to stifle protest, and find members of the anarchist “RNC Welcoming Committee” that are planning to “crash” the convention on the first day. Bruce Nestor of the National Lawyer’s Guild says the raids are politically motivated sweeps that are unique in Minnesota’s history.

“We’re not in this country yet where we’re having mass detentions of people like this, so it really is about sending a message. I think what it really is designed to do is to send a message to people who agree with some of the viewpoints of people organizing activity and to say – you know what? You can write an email, it’s okay to write a letter, to vote, but don’t go out in the street, don’t organize public activity, because do you want us bursting into your house? Do you want to be associated with people who are getting arrested? It’s designed to somehow say these aren’t citizens engaged in the exercise of political freedom, but that they’re kooks, they’re freaks, they’re dangerous, stay away from them, don’t get involved.”

Starhawk is asking people to call the mayors of Minneapolis and St. Paul to protest the treatment of non-violent protesters by law enforcement officials. If things keep going in this direction, it may make the actions against protesters in Denver look quaint by comparison. Are these harbingers of the McCain/Palin ticket? After all what does a president who cozies up to Christian conspiracy theorists, equates his opponent with the Antichrist, and appoints a VP with dominionist ties care if some Pagans, anarchists, hippies, and progressives get locked up, harassed, and have their civil rights suspended?

Ready To Spread Those "Secret Pagan" Rumors?

Jason — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 15:26:00 +0000

Tired of the “Obama is a secret Muslim” rumors? Starhawk has (jokingly) proposed that we fight fire with fire and start claiming that McCain is a secret Pagan.

Senator McCain? Is that you under there?

“You don’t have to be a Pagan to win my vote–in fact, I’d advise you not to be a Pagan if you want to win an election. Hmmn, perhaps we don’t make enough use of unpopular religions. Since there’s a widespread internet lie that Obama is really a Muslim, perhaps we should counter with the rumor that McCain was seen dancing naked in the moonlight, wearing goats’ horns. Really–it’s true. I’ve seen it myself. Okay, it was a vision–and what a vision! I had to dose myself with ibuprofen and valerian tea afterwards to recover. But my visions are rarely false.”

Who are we to say that Starhawk’s visions aren’t true? She also seem eager to offer her services as an advisor to the politically powerful. A Pagan version of Rick Warren if you will.

“How I would love to advise the candidates on religion! I believe I’m eminently qualified as a political strategist, on three key points: I’ve been in trouble more times than I can count for protesting one thing or another, generally some form of war; I’ve watched five seasons of West Wing on DVD; and I’m psychic.”

So keep your eyes open for stag-horned crowns, or secret Pagan hand signals, at the Republican National Convention*. And if you happen to see any suspicious looking groups in robes heading out into the moonlight, check to see if any of them are secret service.

* If McCain were a “secret Pagan”, if would explain why the RNC is being held in Paganistan.