Druid symbol approved for veteran headstones

WASHINGTON –The work to provide an even playing field for members of Pagan and polytheist religions continues, and ten years after the pentacle was approved for use on VA headstones, the awen has now also been added to the official list. Together with the Thor’s hammer, these emblems have transformed how Pagan and polytheist military members are remembered in death. According to Rev. Selena Fox, executive director of Circle Sanctuary, this particular symbol has been one she’s wanted approval for since the pentacle was approved in 2007. She recalled that during the press conference celebrating that milestone, she brought up the awen in particular. The room was packed with reporters and other media.

Rallying for Deer Life

CHITTENANGO, NEW YORK –Cindy McGinley understands the circle of life and death quite well. A former president and current trustee of the Henge of Keltria, her belief that all life is sacred includes a recognition that all life also must eventually end. It’s her love of animal life that led her to obtain a license to rehabilitate wildlife from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, a role which has sometimes required her to end the life of a creature which could not be restored to health. Nevertheless, she now finds herself in a battle to save the lives of two does that she has been caring for at Rivendell Farm & Sanctuary, a 12-acre property she maintains mostly as a base of operations for her horse-centered life coaching practice. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has effectively condemned the deer, named Deirdre and Lily, to death.