Just a few items to start off your week, beginning with a rather tragic update on the James A. Ray sweat-lodge death controversy. Chas Clifton alerts us that a third victim has succumbed to injuries sustained while in the sweat-lodge.

“An Arizona homicide investigation now includes three deaths after a woman died more than a week after participating in a sweat lodge ceremony that hospitalized nearly two dozen people. Liz Neuman of Minnesota died Saturday at a Flagstaff hospital, Yavapai County sheriff’s spokesman Dwight D’Evelyn said. The 49-year-old suffered multiple organ damage during the Oct. 8 ceremony at a resort near Sedona, a resort town 115 miles north of Phoenix that draws many in the New Age spiritual movement. Authorities were treating all three deaths as homicides, but no charges have been filed.”

According to the report, Neuman was a true-believer in Ray’s teachings, attending several of his workshops and leading a local Ray-centric discussion group. One wonders how long before Ray’s time gallivanting to speaking engagements and describing these deaths as a “test” for him will come to an end, and he’s brought in for questioning.

Turning to something a bit more pleasant the Pagans for Archeology blog interviews scholar Susan Greenwood concerning her upcoming book “The Anthropology of Magic”.

“When Berg first invited me to write a book on anthropology and magic I didn’t initially think much about it as a project, but after a while I realized that as an undergraduate, and as a postgraduate doctoral student, I’d really struggled to find anything that tackled the issue of the experience of magic. Since childhood, I had always felt a sense of magic – the thrill of a thunderstorm, the fascination with being in nature, and the ‘make-believe’ of creating stories in my head. When I was older I had explored witchcraft and went to university as a mature student to find out more about my magical experiences. During a final year anthropology and sociology project on women’s spirituality I realized that I wanted to explore magic through PhD research (this ended up as Magic, Witchcraft and the Otherworld). During my time of studying I found books that were helpful in some ways but nothing that really dealt with the issues of studying the experience of magic. I wrote The Anthropology of Magic in the hope that it might help students and others to think about magic as an aspect of consciousness – it was the book that I’d wanted when I first started studying anthropology.”

The whole interview is well worth a read, and you may also want to check out Greenwood’s previous works “The Nature of Magic: An Anthropology of Consciousness“, and “Magic, Witchcraft and the Otherworld: An Anthropology“.

In a final note, we have yet more crazy from our favorite Australian crazy, Danny Nalliah, head of Catch the Fire ministries. I’ve indirectly mentioned him a couple times recently, but this one deserves full credit.

“Media reports of this “prayer offensive” have become the darling of the off-beat section, ridiculing the event and its prayer vs. black spells premise. But this being the age where you can be believe in spells and be totally in touch with media and the interwebs, Catch the Fire has cottoned on to the rest of Australia’s mocking pretty quickly (see here).  In response, Pastor Danny went on radio to explain this act of “spiritual warfare”. He said witches have cast spells on our politicians to make more liberal laws about homosexuals and abortions and if we don’t do something soon (like a mass prayer to ask God to get back on our side) we’re going to have more natural disasters, including bush fires.”

As for his spiritual warfare? Don’t worry, his fifty-member team was vastly outnumbered by protesters sporting slogans like “I am what you are afraid of”, easily counter-acting his malfeasance (though they claim to have The Holy Spirit accomplished “great and mighty things”). So the liberal laws (and brush fires I suppose) will no doubt continue!

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

Just a few quick items of note for this Wednesday morning.

The Augusta, Georgia alternative weekly Metro Spirit starts off October with the almost obligatory spotlight on local Pagans. The result is a fairly solid run-down of the history of Wicca, with interviews from Michelle Boshears (aka Dawnwalker), who coordinates Circle-sponsored ritual groups on military bases, and the Thelemic Wicca-practicing couple of Jezibell Anat and Joseph Zuchowski.

“Paganism is not a religion,” said Joseph Zuchowski, a Wiccan high priest who resides in Augusta. “Paganism is a blanket term given to a whole series of religions that are mostly Reconstructionist, in the sense that we reconstruct as best we can within the contemporary framework of the world we’re living in the beliefs of our pre-Christian ancestors.”

In a separate piece, Metro Spirit features a comparison of three religious magazines, and the author decides she likes “Witches & Pagans” the best, saying she “didn’t find much to guide me spiritually, but at least now I have more respect for that magazine”. The other two magazines? EnlightenNext (too much Ken Wilber) and Purpose Driven Connection (too Dr. Phil-ly).

Guardian music-blogger Nell Frizzell notices that there’s a whole lot of pagan imagery within pop music lately.

“Triangles? Check. Candles? Check. Stars? Check. Orbs? Check. Flowers? Check. Flowing locks? Check. Forests? Check. That’s more checks than a gingham tablecloth. The last time there were album covers like that, Steeleye Span were still in the top 40. What in the name of faery queen is going on? From Clinic to Little Boots, Florence and the Machine to Pendulum, Bat for Lashes to Wild Beasts, Paganism, it seems, is back.”

While Frizzell stretches her net rather wide in order to include a many “hot” acts as possible, I do agree with the central thesis, that pagan imagery, themes, and sympathies haven’t been this prevalent within music (both popular and underground) since the 1970s. Nor is the Guardian the only one to notice, NPR is discussing the occult significance of Jay-Z’s lyrics and clothing, The Quietus recently interviewed Gary “I was once in Blondie” Lachman about his occult history, the New Yorker profiles the massive (and metaphysical) sound of Sunn O))), and “Pagan rock” gets a brief mention in an article about the possible harmful side-effects of music. Of course if you want to keep track of some of the best Pagan and Pagan-themed music out there, you know where to turn.

It looks like some Christians liked (or hated) Isaac Bonewits’ “Spells for Democracy” so much they decided to steal appropriate the idea for themselves.

Liberty Counsel (a Christian advocacy group) has begun a “prayer in action” initiative it calls “Adopt a Liberal.” It is hoping to change the minds of political leaders it sees as “misguided”. The initiative calls on participants to pick one of the eleven liberals on Liberty Counsel’s list, or to choose some other liberal leader, and then: “Pray earnestly and intensely for them! Pray that the Lord would move upon them and cause them to be the kind of leaders who will encourage others to lead “a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence.” We encourage you to seek the Lord’s guidance on how to pray for your liberal(s), always allowing Him to temper your prayer with His love and mercy….”

You can see the chosen “liberals” (which includes two Republicans) they are urging Christians to pray for, here. Short of the theological loophole of asking “The Lord” to do the work for you, this pretty much the same sort of magic they damn the Pagans for. What a funny world. I suppose it’s better than the anti-Obama death prayers that some of ultra-right Christian groups have been engaging in.

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

Way back in March of 2008 the town of Greece, New York had a problem. Americans United had decided to bring litigation against the Town Board for a policy of starting their meetings almost exclusively with sectarian Christian prayers. Hoping to avoid losing a lawsuit, the Town Board threw open their doors to any religion that wanted to give an opening prayer, even if they were Pagans.

“[Greece deputy town supervisor Jeff] McCann said the town has long used a list of worship services published in a local newspaper to extend invitations to local clergy for the meetings. The list offers little diversity, he said, and the town has had difficulty locating people from nontraditional faiths who may not have a physical church building they attend. “Now that the issue has gotten some publicity, we’ve had people call up and say they have an interest in delivering a prayer,” he said, adding that nonclergy, the nonreligious and anyone else who wishes to speak the pre-meeting prayer is welcome. “If a private person wants to come and say a prayer, they can come and do it.” Indeed, he said, next month’s Wiccan prayer was initiated by local resident Jennifer Zarpentine, who called town offices to ask whether she would be welcome at a meeting.”

So local resident Jennifer Zarpentine did indeed give an opening invocation in Greece, making her re-think the issue of sectarian prayers now that she was included.

“In just a few seconds’ time during the April Town Board meeting, Jennifer Zarpentine made Greece history. Zarpentine, a Wiccan, delivered the first-ever pagan prayer to open a meeting of the Greece Town Board. Her hands raised to the sky, she called upon Greek deities Athena and Apollo to ‘help the board make the right informed decisions for the benefit and greater good of the community.’ A small cadre of her friends and coven members in the audience chimed in ’so mote it be … Zarpentine said she was pleased by the opportunity to pray at the meeting. ‘I thought the invocation went well,’ she said. ‘The board was respectful;, they all bowed their heads.’ As far as the lawsuit goes, Zarpentine said the town isn’t being discriminatory. ‘They are including everybody,’ she said. ‘They asked me.’”

Americans United were, naturally, unmoved by the town of Greece’s recent inclusiveness, so litigation moved forward. This past Thursday Americans United and the town of Greece (represented by the right-wing Alliance Defence Fund) gave their arguments to a judge and are now awaiting a summary judgement in about six weeks.

“In the hour-long hearing, Richard R. Katskee, assistant legal director for Americans United, argued that the plaintiff is concerned not with prayer before the meetings but with sectarian prayers that have dominated the practice since Auberger started it in 1999. According to court papers, of 104 prayers from 1999 through 2007, none were non-Christian. Since the lawsuit was filed, the majority of the prayers have been Christian, with one being delivered by a Wiccan priestess and two others by non-clergy. Katskee stressed that the plaintiff is not against Christian prayer, but that the prayers have been aimed at one sect … Joel Oster, a senior litigation counsel for Colorado-based Alliance Defense Fund that is representing Greece, said that it is not right to ask the town to police the clergy. “It is not the town’s place to tell the clergy what to say,” Oster said. “It would cause a nightmare for the town.” Auberger has said that the town’s practice is to have an open invitation to any Greece resident to contact the town about giving the prayer.”

So now we’ll find out if a legal fig-leaf in the form of a single sectarian Wiccan prayer (amidst a hundred Christian prayers to Jesus) can aid this New York town and their socially conservative legal team overcome the AU and some pretty strong legal precedents in their favor. Will Greece’s “include a Wiccan” gambit work? Or will they be forced to switch to non-sectarian prayers? In about six weeks we get to find out.

Religion journalist David Waters, at the Washington Post’s “Under God” blog, weighs in on the First Amendment and separation of Church and State in the wake of Pace High School in Florida being forced to keep their ceremony secular (and several students saying the Lord’s Prayer in protest).

“I don’t know why so many (particularly conservative evangelical) students, parents and school employees find these distinctions so difficult or distressing. How would they feel if their Christian child were at a school where administrators or teachers were leading prayers to Allah? Or organizing activities to honor all gods and goddesses on Earth Day? Or inviting a Voodoo priest or priestess to cast an opening spell at their son’s or daughter’s graduation ceremony? They’d be the first ones calling the ACLU for help.”

This is a point I’ve made before, many Christian activists are all about “religious freedom” (the fake kind) until they’re presented with the consequences of real inclusion and religious freedom. You want Christian prayer at your governmental/or governmentally-funded meeting? You better invite the Wiccans, Hindus, Buddhists, and atheists along too. Better still, just avoid the problem altogether, and keep these functions on the task(s) at hand.

Jacob Davis, a Wiccan student at Southeastern Local Schools in Ohio, challenged the traditional Christian clergy-led prayer at his school’s graduation ceremony, saying he’d prefer a moment of silence instead.

“Traditionally, the school has had a reverend deliver an invocation and benediction at the ceremony, but the practice recently was challenged by senior Jacob Davis. Davis, who raised his concerns in a Letter to the Editor at the Chillicothe Gazette, had conducted a petition of classmates for a moment of silence instead, gathering about 44 signatures. Principal Leonard Steyer was prepared to make a decision about the prayer Friday when he received a copy of a letter faxed to the district Thursday by a staff attorney for Americans United for the Separation of Church and State … Davis, a practicing Wiccan, said he is uncomfortable being asked to participate in a Christian prayer at his graduation, and contends the tradition violates separation of church and state provisions. “I think the best thing to do is have no other prayer,” Davis said … Davis indicated a student-led prayer wouldn’t bother him (even though he wouldn’t partake) because the student would be exercising his or her right to free speech.”

Davis was supported by the Lady Libery League and Americans United in his request, and it looks like his efforts were successful because Superintendent Brian Justice announced yesterday that no clergyperson will give an invocation or benediction.

“Southeastern High School graduates will not have a clergyperson delivering an invocation and benediction at their ceremony. Superintendent Brian Justice explained Wednesday he and the board are not anti-prayer, but are obliged to follow the law. “We will not violate the laws … (I and) my board of education believe in prayer, but we’re not for violating the law. Are we happy about it? No,” Justice said. Issues over the school’s tradition were raised by senior Jacob Davis, a practicing Wiccan, who felt the prayer violated the law and provisions for the separation of church and state. Davis issued his concerns through a letter to the editor to the Chillicothe Gazetteabout two weeks ago before speaking with administrators, Justice said.”

This most likely won’t eliminate prayer at the ceremony, no doubt one of the student speakers will decide to invoke Jesus or God during their time on-stage, but Davis has managed to remove school-sponsored public (Christian) prayer. Further, Davis has proven that only by speaking out and risking criticism and mockery (and I can only imagine some of the hate-mail Davis will be receiving in the weeks to come) can you effect the change you want to see in the world. Before now no one bothered to do anything about the school-sponsored clergy-led invocations and benedictions, it was considered a “tradition” and one that even non-Christian students probably didn’t give much thought to. But thanks to Davis the lulling refrain of “this is how we’ve always done it” has been challenged and the assumption of Christian adherence removed from the school’s functions. Speaking out may not always get you what you want right away, but sometimes merely speaking out (and a faxed letter from Americans United) does work.

It looks like the Obama administration really will be taking a different direction than the Bush administration in handling this year’s National Day of Prayer (held on the first Thursday of May every year). Officials have stated that Obama will release a proclamation this Thursday, but won’t be hosting a ceremony.

“The Obama administration says it will issue a proclamation marking the National Day of Prayer on Thursday (May 7), but appears to be moving away from the White House ceremonies hosted by former President George W. Bush. “President Obama is a committed Christian and believes that we should be engaging Americans of faith in efforts to renew our country,” a White House official said.”

Prominent conservative Christians (most notably National Day of Prayer Task Force head Shirley Dobson) who have greatly benefited from White House photo-ops in years past have already arranged independent events while insinuating that Obama isn’t properly committed to Sparkle Motion prayer.

“We are disappointed in the lack of participation by the Obama administration,” Shirley Dobson said in a statement issued by the task force on Monday. “At this time in our country’s history, we would hope our president would recognize more fully the importance of prayer.”

This shift will certainly make it harder for the Dobson-backed National Day of Prayer Task Force to present itself as the official White House-backed organizer of this annual event and attack politicians who don’t fall into line with their goals and values. One hopes this will lead to a nationwide call to prayer that is inclusive of all faiths, instead of empowering and enriching an organization that purposely excludes other religions. Will Obama’s proclamation include overtures to non-Christian faiths? Considering Obama’s nods to Hindus and Buddhists in past speeches, and the inclusion of yoga at the White House Easter event, I’m hopeful. But we’ll have to wait for Thursday and see.

For the last eight years, evangelical and conservative Christians have had unprecedented access to the president and the prestige of the White House. This included front-row seats at White House observances for the “National Day of Prayer” (held on the first Thursday of May every year). For years non-Christian groups, religious minorities, and liberal/moderate Christians have denounced the hijacking of this national call to prayer by the National Day of Prayer Task Force led by  Shirley Dobson (wife of Focus on the Family founder, James Dobson), a non-governmental group that enjoyed all-but-official backing from the Bush administration. But now there is a new president in office, and the Task Force is already planning for a big snub.

“Every year between 2001 and 2008, former President Bush’s calendar was cleared on the first Thursday in May to mark the National Day of Prayer in the White House East Room with prominent evangelicals. Now the Obama White House is facing questions of inside-the-Beltway etiquette: Should Obama maintain the open door to conservative critics like James and Shirley Dobson, and if so, should they accept? Or, will the White House have an official observance at all? With those questions unanswered less than three weeks before the annual observance, the National Day of Prayer Task Force headed by Shirley Dobson is moving ahead with other plans … In years past, Toon said, a White House liaison has contacted the ministry at least a month in advance to ask about their participation in the White House events that featured music, Scripture readings and remarks by the president and Shirley Dobson. She and her husband, Focus on the Family founder James Dobson, were seated prominently in the front row next to the president and first lady … This year, Dobson’s task force has opted to hold its annual event on Capitol Hill in the morning — at the same time when its representatives are usually at the White House.”

Could this pre-planning for a snub be more pessimism from the Dobson camp? James Dobson did recently made the news for a downright gloomy exit speech concerning culture war failures. Or perhaps this is just canny positioning? After all, if they are throwing their own party, they can hardly said to be snubbed by Obama can they? But if the Dobsons are losing their front-row photo-op with the new president, what will the official White House day of prayer event be like? Will there even be an event or proclamation? NDP Task Force vice chairman Brian Toon points out that the big White House prayer photo-op was only instituted during the reign of George W. Bush, and that previous presidents were more subtle in their participation.

“Prior to the Bush years, task force leaders held more low-key events, including at Lafayette Park across the street during the Clinton administration. “There was no East Room event until George W.,” Toon said. While he recalled being at White House receptions with rabbis and imams, Toon said the Capitol Hill event has tended to be “very Christian.” If there is no White House event this year, it would be a disappointment, Toon said.”

Can we have a national call to prayer that doesn’t insinuate you need to be an evangelical Christian to be fully included? While I haven’t been fully happy with all of Obama’s religiously-oriented choices, he has made overtures to humanists, Buddhists, Hindus, and “nonbelievers” in past speeches. Maybe we’ll finally see a proclamation and observance from our new administration that doesn’t alienate and exclude non-Christians when a call to pray for the USA goes out. Perhaps this example will “trickle-down” to the state governers, who will no longer be cowed into issuing Dobson-approved NDPTF proclamations for a day and message supposedly meant for all Americans.

Just a couple quick news items for this morning. First, news has come that the 94-yr-old artist Suzanne Wenger (aka Adunni Olorisa), a convert to Yoruba and tireless defender of traditional religion in Nigeria, has passed away.

The Osun Grove in Osogbo had become a world-class tourism site under her supervision, and had been listed in the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation’s World Heritage List in 2005. The Ataoja of Osogbo, His Royal Majesty, Oba Jimoh Oyewale Matanmi, said Suzanne Wenger lived a fulfilled life and arrangements have been made for her burial, saying the burial rites had begun.  The Jaguna of Osogbo, second in command to the Ataoja, said Adunni Olorisa, had said that no tomb should be built for her saying “She said she wouldn’t want any white people to turn her tomb into a tourist attraction. She has laid a solid foundation for the arts and culture in Osun State. Her works will never perish,”

I linked to a BBC profile of Ms. Wenger from September of last year (which I highly endorse reading). It is of no doubt that she’ll be feted in Nigeria for her work in establishing the Osun-Osogbo Sacred Grove as a World Heritage site, and for her ardent and deep connection to Yoruba and the goddess Osun. May she rest in the otherworld, and return to us again.

In sad news of an entirely different variety, a local Texas paper reports on a fringe “spiritual warfare” Christian group that’s making a map of prayer “targets” in their area. Needless to say, anything even vaguely Pagan-sounding or sheltering is making the hit-list prayer map.

The Wildcat Bluff Nature Center is on the prayer map. Repent Amarillo Director David Grisham says since they have a “Earth Circle” they are connected to a pagan group with the same name.  “These things are linked pagans are earth-based religions along with Wicca and other forms of witchcraft are earth-based religions and earth circles are part of that,” Grisham said.  But Wildcat Bluff Nature Center Supervisor Rhoda Breeden says they are completely wrong. “There aren’t any pagan rituals or ceremonies that happen out here so I was really surprised that they were falsely identifying us,” Breeden said. The 806 coffee shop and bar is also on the list. Repent Amarillo says they’re praying for the pagan groups that meet there but employees like Matthew Domzalski, a barista at The 806, says its not his place to discriminate.

This Christian malicious magic-cult is recruiting “soldiers” and intercessory prayer “warriors” to undertake “missions” (that are sometimes “undercover”) to (spiritually) tear down the “demonic strongholds” of Pagan worship. Let’s hope this all stays in the purview of prayer, and doesn’t inspire some of these soldiers to go further. The language of militancy can sometimes blur the distinctions between spiritual action and physical action.

Quite a bit of attention has been paid to the closing Democratic National Convention benediction made by evangelical pastor Dr. Joel C. Hunter of Northland Church in Florida. Specifically the closing instruction made by Hunter.

“Now I interrupt this prayer for a closing instruction. I want to personalize this. I want this to be a participatory prayer. And so therefore, because we are in a country that is still welcoming all faiths, I would like all of us to close this prayer in the way your faith tradition would close your prayer.”

This openness to all faith traditions greatly moved many people, including Pagan delegate Rita Moran, who had this to say about the benediction.

“At the end of a wonderful, joyful night, complete with fireworks and confetti (including a cascade of white stars), came an invocation. Until the last, there was no hint of how it would close, but then it came: the minister said he would pause before the end of the prayer and encouraged everyone in Invesco Field to finish it as they would in their own faith tradition. And so the Gods came to that venue, as I completed the invocation with ‘by the Gods of my people, so mote it be!’”

But apparently not everyone was ecstatic about Republican Hunter’s careful prayer for the Democrats. Religion reporter and columnist Terry Mattingly points out that Hunter has posted an “open letter” explaining his prayer to those confused or upset at his unique closing instruction.

“I did not ask people to pray to another god; I asked them to finish a prayer according to their faith tradition. This may be a small point linguistically, but it is a huge point theologically.”

In other words, he meant you should pray to the Abrahamic God in any manner you please, but that shouldn’t be misconstrued as encouraging polytheism (or prayers to any other non-Abrahamic power). So it looks like a truly interfaith prayer has been “clarified” to exclude anyone Hunter’s congregation and co-religionists might find too far outside the “norm” to be acceptable. After all, we wouldn’t want to be caught praying with Pagans would we?

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

We’ll start off with the shameless plug department of The Wild Hunt, head over to John Morehead’s blog to read an interview with me concerning issues in Pagan-Christian dialog.

“I’m a big believer that Pagans shouldn’t isolate themselves. While we are growing quickly, we are still a tiny, and often misunderstood, minority. What Christians do and think can have serious ramifications on us, and we would be foolish to ignore that. Not to mention the fact that the million-plus Pagans in America alone have millions of Christian relatives, friends, and co-workers. A rational and peaceful dialog is the only way forward from the tensions that produce “Satanic Panics”, bitter custody fights, lost jobs, broken friendships, and isolated families. We don’t have to agree, but we do need to find away to get along.”

This discussion is just one of many to be spurred by the new book “Beyond the Burning Times: A Pagan and Christian in Dialogue”. Expect interviews with the two main participants of “Beyond the Burning Times”, Philip Johnson and Gus diZerega, on this blog in the near future.

Christian prayer or Pagan spells, which will prevail!? We may soon find out. Focus on the Family’s Stuart Shepard is imploring Christians to pray for “umbrellas-aint-gonna-help-you” amounts of rain to fall on Barack Obama’s outdoor acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention in Denver.

Meanwhile, Isaac Bonewits unveils the latest edition of “Spells for Democracy” where he asks for coordinated (ethical) spell-work to, among other things, unearth scandals or personality flaws of your “least favorite candidate”.

“Cast a revelation spell around your least-favorite candidate, to expose any aspects of their history or personality that would make them unfit for office.”

Wouldn’t it be interesting if Obama gets rained on, while McCain get embroiled in a major ethical scandal? Would we be left with a celestial stalemate? The theological implications are boggling.

Racist idiots are garnering more bad press for Asatru. A skinhead in Arizona was arrested after threatening a group of Hispanic people (who were quietly mourning the death of a loved one) with a shovel and a knife.

“Peters then yelled that he wanted his step-daughter and raised a shovel saying he was a skinhead and would kill someone, court records say. Peters realized he was outnumbered and backed down from the confrontation. He was arrested nearby, court records say. Court records said Peters told police he was looking for his step-daughter and said he was a skinhead and wanted to intimidate the group of Hispanic people. He also told Mesa police he pulled out a knife, court records say.”

Once in custody, Kelley Peters thought it was a good idea to tell the court that he had Hitler tattoos and that he was an adherent of Asatru (which the article claims is “a common practice in the Skinhead culture”). Another moron without honor sullying a religion he probably has no deep understanding of.

The Ashland Daily Tidings reports on the formation of a new Pagan preschool by Rowan Tree Pagan Ministries.

“Rowan Tree Director of Children’s Programs Selyna Faola’n plans to offer Rowan Academy, a preschool and kindergarten program for children ages 3 to 5, starting Sept. 22. The program can proceed if it meets an enrollment minimum of 10 students, but Faola’n said she could go ahead with as few as seven. Rowan Tree Pagan Ministries is an organization that offers programs and resources for the Southern Oregon pagan community. The group received its nonprofit certificate this week. The Rowan Tree Pagan Art and Ritual Supply Shop, which serves as a community hub, is located in the Underground Marketplace downtown.”

The article, unfortunately, has attracted some anonymous trolls who begin to find any weak points (real or imagined) in which to mock the subjects of the piece. A sadly common event now proving John Gabriel’s Greater Internet F*****d Theory, and calling into question the utility of appending the ability to comment to everything on the web. Luckily, I’m blessed with a thoughtful and intelligent bunch of commenters here, and have never had to entertain abandoning the ongoing dialog with my readers.

In the wake of tragedy, Unitarian-Universalists keep the faith.

“Across the country, as well as in the Washington area, hundreds of Unitarian Universalist congregations held services and candlelight vigils this week after a deadly rampage at a Knoxville, Tenn., church to show support for their denomination’s long-standing progressive tradition … At the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Fairfax in Oakton, about 60 people from five UU congregations in Northern Virginia came together for a service Monday evening. Bill Welch, the congregation’s minister for programs, talked about how isolating it can be to be a liberal in today’s world of right-wing talk radio and conservative Christians “that talk about liberals as if we are bad people.” “In our prayers, we should remember that we’re not alone, that there are people who share our beliefs, that we are part of a larger body,” Welch said.”

The article notes the Unitarian-Universalism’s post-Christian identity, and that modern Pagans are included and welcomed within the denomination.

In a final note, Canada’s National Press pays tribute to the “riches of ancient Greece”, and raises some interesting questions about the goddess Nike.

“Nike, goddess of victory, has emerged in our time as the greatest celebrity among all the Greek divinities. On the streets of every city, sweaty worshippers proclaim their love on T-shirts and shoes. Nike was always impressive: Look at her as the Winged Victory of Samothrace, a don’t-miss-this stop for every tourist in Paris who gets to the Louvre. Still, she was hardly in the top rank. She was an attendant of Zeus, the chief god, and now she’s eclipsed him in every gym in the world. Zeus doesn’t even have a line of underwear named after him. She’s made him an also ran.”

Is Zeus still the king? Perhaps we should consult Tom Stone, who recently published a biography of the great thunderer.

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