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

The weekly Indian paper Mainstream takes a look at the recent protests and conflicts in Tibet, and discusses them as a conflict of rival faiths. Placing Communism in the same idealogical family as the Abrahamic faiths.

“Abrahamic religions, whenever they conquer a territory, convert the inhabitants and try to suppress their ancestral culture. Ancestral history becomes a prohibited subject. In Afghanistan and Pakistan pre-Islamic Hindu-Buddhist history is not permitted in schools. China is doing the same in Tibet…”

The author closes the piece by calling on the Indian government to abandon their “chicken-hearted” stance towards China and support autonomy for Tibet.

If you were looking forward to Robin Hardy’s “Cowboys For Christ”, a re-imagining of the cult classic film “The Wicker Man”, you may have a long wait. Work on the film has been halted due to a loss of financial backing.

“Cameras were due to start rolling in Dumfries and Galloway this month on the follow-up to the 1970s film starring Edward Woodward and Christopher Lee. However, a statement from the local council confirmed that producers had cancelled the shoot due to last minute difficulties with finance. Councillor Gill Dykes described the news as ‘bitterly disappointing’.”

Alternative financing is currently being sought, but there is a very good chance that the entire project will be scuttled and the film never made.

Followers of the Taoist sea goddess Matsu are planning to seek UN protections for their religious and cultural heritage.

“Followers of the folk deity Matsu from both sides of the Taiwan Strait are planning to seek United Nations approval to have the Matsu culture declared intangible world cultural heritage, a promoter said yesterday.”

UN heritage declarations are usually made for tangible places or monuments. The awarding of world heritage status to a belief system would raise a host of questions and issues, conceivably pitting UN calls for protections and preservation against conversion attempts by monotheistic faith groups.

Is George Clooney’s girlfriend Sarah Larson a Witch? Her ex-boyfriend seems to certainly hint at the prospect in a lurid accounting he gives to the tabloids.

“Rock musician Tommy McKaughan reveals how the former Las Vegas waitress used to spice up their moonlit romps in the woods with a spot of witchcraft … ‘Sarah’s a total hippy at heart, heavily into all the spiritual, mystic stuff – crystals, tarot cards, healing. And along with her witch-like charms she’s a brilliant fun girl with no inhibitions. She loves nothing more than getting naked in a forest.’”

Of course, with anything printed in the gossip rags, a huge grain of salt should be taken along with the sensationalist assertions.

In a final note, BostonNOW reviews an upcoming novel by A.W. Gryphon entitled “Blood Moon”, another entry into Wicca-inspired fiction.

“Blood Moon is Gryphon’s first book, and it is also the first novel in the planned Witches Moon Trilogy. As with several other books I’ve read recently, this one is hard to categorize. It deals with Wicca and Witchcraft, so it could be paranormal or urban fantasy, yet Blood Moon is also a mystery, and it could also fit as a women’s fiction novel as we uncover a woman’s childhood and the facts of her mother’s life. Regardless, this is a book that will capture your interest from the beginning, and it will be hard to put down before the story is complete.”

With this, and a recent fiction release by Druid priestess Ellen Every Hopman, the small but vital “Pagan fiction” genre continues to grow.

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

Yesterday, the New7Wonders Foundation named the new seven wonders of the world after a worldwide Internet/phone poll. The list, which updates the seven wonders of the ancient world, includes the Great Wall of China, the Roman Colloseum in Italy, and the Christ Redeemer statue in Brazil (full list). But this Internet-age poll has angered and disappointed many, with criticisms coming from all corners. UNESCO, which runs the World Heritage program, has taken pains to point out that it has no part in this contest, that the contest in biased, and that it in no way helps preserve ancient sites.

“UNESCO’s objective and mandate is to assist countries in identifying, protecting and preserving World Heritage. Acknowledging the sentimental or emblematic value of sites and inscribing them on a new list is not enough … There is no comparison between Mr Weber’s mediatised campaign and the scientific and educational work resulting from the inscription of sites on UNESCO’s World Heritage List. The list of the “7 New Wonders of the World” will be the result of a private undertaking, reflecting only the opinions of those with access to the internet and not the entire world. This initiative cannot, in any significant and sustainable manner, contribute to the preservation of sites elected by this public.”

Egypt, which houses the only surviving ancient wonder, the Great Pyramid of Giza, complained that the contest demeaned their culture and the pyramids. It got so heated that New7Wonders sidestepped the controversy by making the Great Pyramid(s) of Giza an “honorary” candidate.

“After careful consideration, the New7Wonders Foundation designates the Pyramids of Giza—the only remaining of the 7 Ancient Wonders of the World—as an Honorary New7Wonders Candidate. Therefore, you cannot vote for the Pyramids of Giza as part of the New7Wonders campaign. This decision has also taken into account the views of the Supreme Council of Antiquities of Egypt and the Egyptian Ministry of Culture. The Pyramids are a shared world culture and heritage site and deserve their special status as the only Honorary Candidate of the New7Wonders of the World campaign.”

Meanwhile, The Vatican has complained that the lack of Christian monuments included in the running points to an anti-Christian bias.

“Archbishop Mauro Piacenza, who heads the Vatican’s pontifical commission for culture and archeology, said that the exclusion of Christian works of art such as Michelangelo’s frescoes in the Sistine Chapel was ’surprising, inexplicable, even suspicious’ … Monsignor Piecenza said that many other Christian sites had been ignored, from the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem and Antonio Gaudi’s Sagrada Familia church in Barcelona to world famous cathedrals. ‘Vatican officials suspect an antiChristian bias’ said La Repubblica yesterday. Francesco Buranelli, the director of the Vatican Museums, said he was also aghast. ‘How they can they possibly exclude from the wonders of the world a masterpiece like the Sistine Chapel, which last year alone had over four million visitors?’”

Aside from those who felt snubbed or offended, were those who lost out. Druids in Britain mourned Stonehenge’s failure to place in the new list, and equated the entire contest to the Eurovision song competition.

“Druid Terry Dobney, who is keeper of the stones at Avebury, said he was disappointed there had not been more support for the Wiltshire monument. ‘It’s a bit like the Eurovision song contest, there’s been block voting around the world so I’m led to believe,’ he said. ‘In South America, they voted for the Christ statue in Rio and they’ve got a million block vote in South America and it’s the same with the Taj Mahal in India. They’re places of intrigue, but we know who built them and why they were built, there’s not a great wonderment attached to them as opposed to Stonehenge which has this great wonderment attached to it.’”

Despite Stonehenge’s loss, the new list does overwhelmingly favor pre-Christian constructions (giving some credence to the Vatican’s complaints). But rather than paint this as some sort of victory for polytheist achievements, I think I’m more in UNESCO’s camp in this instance. Our world is far larger now (culturally and geographically) than it was when the seven wonders of the ancient world world were picked. To arbitrarily pick the “top” wonders by an unequal voting process seems counterproductive to the mission of preserving and recognizing great works in human achievement.