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Unleash the Hounds! (Link Roundup)

Jason Pitzl-Waters — August 21, 2012 — 9 Comments

There are lots of articles and essays of interest to modern Pagans out there, sometimes more than I can write about in-depth in any given week. So The Wild Hunt must unleash the hounds in order to round them all up.

Bull of Heaven publication party. (photo: Christopher Gregory/The New York Times)

Michael Lloyd’s (excellent) new book “Bull of Heaven: The Mythic Life of Eddie Buczynski and the Rise of the New York Pagan” recently celebrated its publication in Manhattan, and the New York Times covered it for their City Room blog. Quote: “So many friends and followers of Mr. Buczynski turned out, that the evening became one of the largest Wiccan summits in New York in years. “It’s a blessing of the gods,” said Michael Lloyd [...] His was just one of many invocations of the Wiccan gods, which quickly turned into a giant prayer circle, with chanting and singing of Wiccan prayer and song in veneration of Mr. Buczynski, an openly gay Wiccan priest who died in 1989 from AIDS.” Kudos to Lloyd for his book, and for enabling such positive coverage of Pagans in New York (despite the “Eyes Wide Shut” crack from reporter Corey Kilgannon). Be sure to read the whole thing.
David Byrne (of Talking Heads fame, for the uninitiated), writes on his journal about seeing the black metal documentary Until The Light Takes Us, and talks about how boundary-pushing art can be twisted in ways the artists never intended. His closing paragraph is one I think many of us would find thought-provoking: “Going at this alone is a solitary quest, in a dangerous landscape, taken, in this case, without a guide. One would be tempted to say that maybe Odin, Thor, Wotan and the rest of the Norse horde, might have been summoned—but maybe these Gods or archetypes are too powerful to be confronted by an amateur. As with Voudoun, chanting, LSD and many other arts and practices that reach parts of us that we often don’t touch, it might be wise to have a professional along who knows where the dangers and pitfalls lie.”
Religion News Service reports on a new University of Washington study concerning the effects of ritual on mega-church attendees. Quote: “Worship services at megachurches can trigger feelings of transcendence and changes in brain chemistry — a spiritual “high” that keeps congregants coming back for more.” While some Christians are skeptical of how the data was collected, and if the results are accurate, I find it interesting from a Pagan perspective. Many are drawn to our rituals because of the emotion, energy, and liminal experiences that often coincide with them, perhaps this why modern Paganism has experienced consistent growth for the past 40 years?
In the wake of the Pendle witch trials anniversary the BBC asks if modern Witches in the UK are still persecuted for their beliefs. Quote: “Kathy Rowan-Drewitt, 51, from Blackpool, runs her own witch school and has taught more than 60 witches. She said: ‘Many still keep being a witch secret from their family, friends and work for fear of being treated unfairly or thought of as weird. Times have changed but calling someone a witch is still used as a derogatory term. We are often misrepresented and treated as a joke by the media yet paganism is the sixth biggest religion in this country.’” Meanwhile, it’s Pendle-witch mania in the UK as a world record is set for most people dressed as witches (conical cap, broom) in one place.
The Air Force has released a new policy document that promotes free exercise and religious neutrality. Quote: “Leaders at all levels must balance constitutional protections for an individual’s free exercise of religion or other personal beliefs and the constitutional prohibition against governmental establishment of religion. For example, they must avoid the actual or apparent use of their position to promote their personal religious beliefs to their subordinates or to extend preferential treatment for any religion. Commanders or supervisors who engage in such behavior may cause members to doubt their impartiality and objectivity.” The Air Force had been dealing with conservative Christian blowback to accomodations made towards minority faiths, including Pagans, and this restatement of neutrality and balance is no doubt a partial response to those criticisms.
Is Etsy following in the footsteps of eBay? PNC-Minnesota reports that the online marketplace has placed new restrictions on products making medical claims, including folkloric medical claims for herbal products. This has disturbed herbalists who have used Etsy, and some are complaining that Etsy provides no guidance as to what is and isn’t appropriate language. Quote: “[Etsy's] answer to sellers has been not to offer clarification but to tell us that they will remove listings and possibly shut our shops down if we are not in compliance. The only way most of us will find out if we are in compliance is if are listings are removed and we are threatened to be closed by Etsy.” While there are alternative marketplaces for herbalists, Etsy’s reach is far larger, and this could impact the income of many people within our community. As with eBay’s move to stop selling magical speech and expression, it looks a case of avoiding litigation, liability, and customer complaints. One wonders where the next domino in this trend will fall?

The West Memphis Three have been out of prison for a year now, and the New York Times checks in with Damien Echols, Jessie Misskelley, Jr., and Jason Baldwin on life after the Alford plea that set them free. It’s a swirl of celebrity, movie deals, and a personal rift between Echols and Baldwin, all while the three try to resume lives interrupted for nearly 20 years. Sadly, the moral panic that helped imprison them still lurks in corners of our society, and it remains to be seen if the three will ever be truly exonerated. You can read my coverage of their release last year, here.
It’s Pagan Pride Day season! You know what that means, local news articles about Pagan Pride events will be popping up! Here’s a selection: North Dakota, Vancouver, Canada (and another, and another), and our own Kris Bradley writes about prepping for the Central NJ Pagan Pride. As for me, I’ll be speaking at the Columbia-Willamette Pagan Pride next month, it will be a special conversation with Witches & Pagans Magazine editor Anne Niven about Pagan media.
Conservative New York congressional candidate Dan Halloran recently traveled to Israel, and the Times of Israel talks to him about his Heathen religion. Quote: “In America, the great thing is that we don’t use religion as a divisive thing. We celebrate diversity. In my council district [around Flushing] there are over 130 ethnicities, over 87 religions, everything from Shinto to Buddhism, Orthodox Judaism to Reform, Catholics, Lutherans, Evangelicals. I find great comfort in the fact that – although it was used against me in my council race initially – [my religion] has proven to be unconnected to my life as an elected official. And it has enabled me to reach out to communities which have traditionally been underrepresented, like the Hindu community that has always felt marginalized by the mainstream.” The Jerusalem Post headline read “Israel’s ‘Heathen’ Friend,” though one wonders how effective his strategy of courting Israel will be. Oh, and yes, he prayed at the Wailing Wall like every other politicians who travels to Israel does.
Kevin Carlyon (“High Priest of British White Witches”), he of the red bathrobe, has finally found his perfect niche: soap operas. Quote: “Kevin Carlyon, of Dane Road, St Leonards, has been asked to star inBoom Town, a docu-soap set in a fictional town. [...] Karl Warner, executive producer, said: ‘Boom Town will be the first sketch show to make stars out of real people. Some of the characters we’ve already met are laugh-out-loud funny and would sit well in any scripted comedy.’” Couldn’t have said it better myself. Every pot truly has its lid.

That’s it for now! Feel free to discuss any of these links in the comments, some of these I may expand into longer posts as needed.

Unleash the Hounds! (Link Roundup)

Jason Pitzl-Waters — March 11, 2012 — 105 Comments

The New York Times profiles Baba Heru Semahj, a New York police officer turned Kemetic priest. Quote: “He performs weddings, funeral services and Kemetic cosmological holiday services. He has bestowed his blessings and jewelry on the likes of the jazz bandleader Sun Ra, the controversial Judge Bruce Wright and celebrity clients like Wesley Snipes, Erykah Badu and Ben Vereen, he said. Mr. Semahj had five children with his first wife. His second wife, Queen Afua, is a priestess, healer and midwife who runs a Kemetic-themed wellness consultancy and writes books.” You can find Baba Heru Semahj’s jewelry studio, here.
In Iraq, young men and women who are considered “emo” are being targeted and killed by conservative militias. The Western subcultural style is perceived as a marker for homosexuality and devil worship, and local authorities tasked with protecting social minorities are completely ill-equipped to handle the problem. The New York Times correctly points out that it was the Iraqi government that first labeled emo kids as a Satanic menace that should be eliminated. Activists claim that up to 90 people have been killed so far in this purge, usually beaten to death with cinder blocks.
The Houston Chronicle covers the controversy over Nigerian witch-hunter Helen Ukpabio’s impending visit to Texas. The local churches hosting Ukpabio deny any abusive behavior or child exorcisms within their congregations, and Ukpabio won’t respond to requests for comment. The Chronicle notes that Ukpabio’s website claims “there is hardly any family without witchcraft, “ and Harvard scholar of indigenous African religions Jacob Olupona calls Ukpabio’s teachings “completely unacceptable.” You can read more about Ukpabio and her visit to America, here.
Chas Clifton notes that the latest issue of The Pomegranate: The International Journal of Pagan Studies went to press last month, and its contents are now available online. PDFs of book reviews and of Caroline Tully’s article, “Researching the Past is a Foreign Country: Cognitive Dissonance as a Response by Practitioner Pagans to Academic Research on the History of Pagan Religions,” may be downloaded free. I’m particularly looking forward to reading “John Michell, Radical Traditionalism and the Emerging Politics of the Pagan New Right” by Amy Hale. I got previews of both aforementioned papers at the recent AAR Annual Meeting in San Francisco, and they each should do an excellent job in sparking needed discussions within modern Paganism.
OC Weekly profiles Lon Milo DuQuette on the release of his new solo CD “I’m Baba Lon.” DuQuette, has written several texts on magick and the occult, and recently released a novel entitled “Aleister Crowley – Revolt of the Magicians” (for which I interviewed him). You can hear a live preview of the album, here.
Kirk Cameron finds himself a defender against “totalitarian” gays in David Krayden of the Canadian Centre for Policy Studies. Krayden notes that “promotion of homosexual behaviour is in itself a throwback to the attitudes and opinions of ancient pagan civilizations.” It’s a lucky thing that Cameron is an expert in infiltrating open-to-the-public Pagan rituals!
In November, Minnesota votes on a state constitutional amendment that would ban same-sex marriage. Local religion professor Anant Rambachan, a Hindu, points out that Christianity isn’t the only religion that has opinions about divisive social issues. Quote: “Our state is home also to significant numbers of people of other world religions, including my own Hindu tradition. It is important that our voices also be offered in the public square. This amendment threatens to enshrine in law the perspective of particular religions and marginalize others.“ Once you start enshrining Christian morality into law, you inherently limit the religious freedoms of non-Christian faiths.
Local media here in Eugene, Oregon have been documenting the work of Alley Valkyrie, a Pagan and part of Occupy Eugene, who has been fighting Eugene’s “exclusion zone,” saying it unfairly targets the homeless population. Valkyrie herself was recently ticketed for violating the restrictive guidelines, which include sitting and leaning on planters and other structures. Police have backed off that ticket, no doubt trying to avoid further negative publicity. For more on Valkyrie’s work, check out this story on the Eugene Occupy movement.
PNC-Minnesota has an interview up with Paganicon guest-of-honor Christopher Penczak. Quote: “Our great challenge will be how to join the world as an adult religion. I believe in the new age, the new eon, a new era of consciousness. Paganism has so much to offer the world’s religions. To do that we need to speak a similar language and understand each other. We need some similar institutions, whatever they turn out to be. The challenge is how to do all that in a public venue and still maintain ourselves as having mystery teachings.”
Phil Hine weighs in on Queer Pagans, Queering Paganism, and how all that relates to the current dialog over gender in the Pagan community. Quote: “In America, there are signs that the constroversy sparked by the exclusion of transgendered Pagans at Pantheacon this year and in 2011 is also provoking a closer critique of Pagan discourses around sexuality, gender – and despite the surface rhetoric of being “inclusive” – how Pagan praxis actually works against this, producing seperations and boundaries. I see these projects as the beginnings of conversations that I hope will spiral outwards into wider areas…”
BBC radio program “Heart and Soul” looks at the aftermath of last year’s earthquake and tsunami in Japan, which in part explores how the disaster has affected practitioners of Shinto. Quote: “Mass graves have meant the impossibility of carrying out Buddhist or Shinto rituals and ‘a spirit of an ancestor who’s not properly memorialised can cause problems for the living because the spirit is unhappy and not looked after properly’.” You can read more about this at The Wild Hunt, here.

That’s it for now! Feel free to discuss any of these links in the comments, some of them I may expand into longer posts as needed.

Update: Yoga Scandals and Sex Cults

Jason Pitzl-Waters — February 29, 2012 — 31 Comments

Since I first took note of the “Wiccan coven” sex scandal that has engulfed John Friend, head of the popular Anusara hatha yoga school in America, the story has left the confines of the American Yoga community and been picked up by larger media outlets. William J. Broad, author of “The Science of Yoga: The Risks and the Rewards”, informs readers of the New York Times that no one should be surprised that this has happened.

Anusara Yoga founder John Friend.

“Yoga teachers and how-to books seldom mention that the discipline began as a sex cult — an omission that leaves many practitioners open to libidinal surprise. Hatha yoga — the parent of the styles now practiced around the globe — began as a branch of Tantra. In medieval India, Tantra devotees sought to fuse the male and female aspects of the cosmos into a blissful state of consciousness [...] if students and teachers knew more about what Hatha can do, and what it was designed to do — they would find themselves less prone to surprise and unyogalike distress.”

Broad’s somewhat controversial notion that the many recipients of Friend’s affections should have seen this coming, because yoga is a sex cult at its roots, isn’t sitting well with Indian-American commentator Sandip Roy, who blasts Broad’s correlation with yoga’s founding and the bad behavior of some teachers.

The bafflement with the Times article is the ridiculous equation that Mr. Broad has seen fit to draw between Friend’s personal fall from grace and the roots of yoga. His argument suggests philanderers and yoga are a natural fit. (I wonder if Bill Clinton knew about this.) Also a yoga class is just an affair waiting to happen given all that “arousal, sweating, heavy breathing and states of undress.” Houston, we have a sticky mat problem. As proof, alongside Friend and other fallen yoga gurus like Swami Muktananda and Swami Satchidananda, Broad cites the fact that the student-teacher sex problem was so prevalent the California Yoga Teachers Association had to deplore it as “immoral.”

Yes, yoga does draw a lot of starry-eyed groupies and yogis have become rock stars. Yes, after Mahesh Yogi’s Beatles adventure many so-called gurus set up ashrams in the West and dispensed the spiritual East in five easy poses and nirvana in five easy doses. But that’s really a gullibility problem, a megalomania problem, an abuse of power problem, not a yoga problem. A lot of cult leaders (even non yogic ones) have that very same problem. Remember David Koresh of the Branch Davidians in Waco, Texas? Or Jim Jones? Or even Thomas Peli in Papua New Guinea who told his followers that the banana harvest would increase every time they fornicated in public? The problem really is, as Lauren Jacobs points out in her Huffington Post blog the “guruization of religious leaders, spiritual teachers, politicians, and even therapists who seem to be permitted to act above the rules that govern the rest of us.”

SF Gate Columnist Mark Morford also skewers Broad’s piece, noting that it explains “how yoga can make you into an orgasmic pervert sex monkey love guru.”

“I’m happy to report the NYT and Broad are mostly full of crap on this. Yoga is a physical, spiritual, energetic, wildly interconnected practice that can transform every aspect of your world. It’s based on some powerfully sacred, ancient philosophy and scriptural teachings that only want you to become a fully realized, divinely illuminated being, right now, this very second, on your very next breath — no gods, guilt, cultish sex rites or blind faith required. What’s not to like?”

While this back-and-forth over the place of sex and sexuality within yoga is interesting, there’s still almost no talk about how Friend’s Wiccan coven enters into this scandal, including the fact that Friend said Anusara yoga is “a philosophy and practice that is totally aligned with Wicca on every level.” What does that mean to him in light of these scandals? In a leaked letter, Friend seemed to hint that sacred sex was a common denominator.

Tiffany joined us in this auspicious and sacred endeavor. As part of our rituals you and I both agreed that we would use sexual/sensual energy in a positive and sacred way to help build the efficacy of our practices, which is a common element of most Wiccan circles, as you know.”

Yet there’s been almost no talk about how Wiccans see this scandal, no interviews with Pagans or Wiccans who are also yoga practitioners, no mentions at all, except for fleeting ones. Only the Jezebel blog even attempts to grapple with how these two traditions intersected within the scandal.

“Both personally and as a means of seduction, Friend appears to have embraced Wicca, which he seems to feel aligns quite closely with the foundations of Anusara. He even causally mentions Wicca in his official bio, but it looks like he was pretty deep into it. In a letter that seems to be addressed to one of his lovers, he details how Wicca intersects with their sexytime … [excerpt of the letter I quote above ] Oh, the old Wiccan coven trick. But seriously, since this man is essentially a quasi-religious leader to his many devoted students and employees, his willingness to exploit his teachings and beliefs for sexual purposes seems particularly gross.”

Lauren Jacobs at HuffPo also briefly mentions the “old Wiccan coven trick.”

“Alleged special (supposedly ‘Wiccan’) sexual circles with teachers and students, including married individuals whose partners were not aware or had not approved?”

Beyond that? Nothing, and that’s a problem. No doubt that many will think this will all soon fade from memory now that Friend is stepping down from Anusara, taking a “leave of absence,” and reorganizing the tradition. That controversial Wiccan coven will get lost in a cloud of allegations that need “verification.” However, I think this scandal should be a wake-up call for national Wiccan organizations, and an opportunity to engage with myths versus the reality of how our traditions work. If we allow this aspect to simply get lost in the larger narrative about Friend’s downfall, it only allows misconceptions to grow. To cultivate the idea that maybe we are OK with non-transparent sex covens centered around a powerful leader.

Like yoga, Wicca’s roots, its core, is in sacred union. Many over the years, both detractors and adherents, have called it a “sex cult” or a “fertility religion.” This can lead to some taking liberties that ignore our ethical base, our commitment to sacred trust, our belief that “as above” is at one with what’s “below.” It can lead to people like Friend misusing the currents of both Wicca and yoga for his own gratification. Here we stand with Hindus who are fighting against yoga being turned into something it’s not, as we both see our traditions cynically used. This is not the time to hope it “blows over,” but a time for our leaders to engage in powerful outreach on what Wicca is, what its ethics are, and what our stance is on Friend’s behavior. If we don’t, we run the risk of others doing it for us, quietly, with whispers, insinuations, and misinterpretations.

In Paganism, Religion Anusara yoga, John Friend, New York Times, sacred sex, Sex, Wicca, William J. Broad, Yoga

Quick Note: The New York Times and Entheogens

Jason Pitzl-Waters — February 12, 2012 — 10 Comments

Entheogens, psychoactive substances used in “a religious, shamanic, or spiritual context,” once popularly known as “psychedelics,” are often sensationalized, misunderstood, and are usually banned from being used legally. Despite the United State’s policy of religious freedom, there are only two instances where entheogens have been able to win legal protection (peyote for Native American ceremonial purposes, and ayahuasca by the União do Vegetal). So any attempts to demystify and contextualize their use to a broad audience can only help change the tone of the conversation. Enter Hamilton Morris, and his Vice.com web series “Hamilton’s Pharmacopeia,” profiled on Friday by the New York Times.

Hamilton Morris

“Through documentary footage “Hamilton’s Pharmacopeia” tries to expand viewers’ knowledge of drugs and temper a subject that can be romanticized. Episodes run as shorts or sometimes as multipart serials, chronicling Mr. Morris’s travels, obsessions and encounters with figures on the fringe of culture. Unlike his father, who has an understated off-screen presence, Mr. Morris is in front of the camera as interviewer and host. His narration is filled with monologues on sub-subcultures and scientific evidence.

His work is driven by research, not by aesthetics or any filmic lineage. In most episodes the stories that emerge feel exploratory, with failures and complications incorporated, not hidden, in the final edit. Mr. Morris spent several miserable nights in a Brazilian village waiting for a frog that didn’t arrive and in Reykjavik discovering that the liberty cap mushrooms he planned to ingest were out of season. It’s a raw, earnest approach used across much of Vice’s programming, including the widely viewed series, “The Vice Guide to Travel.”

Famed entheogen guide Erowid gets a nod in the NYT article, and most interestingly, notes that Morris will “depart from drugs entirely” in future episodes, “widening the purview to include all the ways people alter consciousness.” This seems like an important step, because it puts entheogens in the context of just being one of many different tools used to change our consciousness and achieve altered states.

I personally know many modern Pagans who use, or have used, entheogens within a ritual context. It’s a small but expanding population within our communities, though most still prefer to avoid potential entanglements with the law, and use legal methods of attaining an altered state. That said, the responsible use of these substances within a religious context should be allowed, and the ongoing harassment of practitioners who have fought hard for legal recognition needs to end. In my mind, legal entheogens are an inevitable eventuality, the question is not “if” but “when.” This article, and Hamilton’s work, helps to change perceptions and misconceptions for when that day arrives.

In Paganism, Religion entheogens, Hamilton Morris, Hamilton’s Pharmacopeia, law, New York Times

Unleash the Hounds! (Link Roundup)

Jason Pitzl-Waters — August 28, 2011 — 198 Comments

First off, I hope all my readers, friends, and supporters out on the East Coast, and in the path of Hurricane Irene, are safe and have taken proper precautions. Though the storm is less intense than first expected, there’s still plenty of damage a storm of that size can do. COG First Officer Peter Dybing offers a prayer for safety, as does ADF Archdruid Kirk Thomas. Some Wild Hunt readers are checking in at this site’s Facebook page.
New York City Councilman Dan Halloran, one of two openly Pagan/Heathen elected officials in the United States, appears in the new documentary “9/11: Reflections Then and Now.” Halloran lost his cousin, Lt. Vincent Halloran, that day, and nearly lost his brother, Patrick. At a special screening of the film, Halloran said that “one of the most important things to remember is almost every New Yorker was touched by this tragedy, a 9/11 family in New York is not a unique thing.”
At his blog Morehead’s Musings, John Morehead does a follow-up interview with attorney Dan Stidham (original interview, here), who represented Jessie Misskelley of the West Memphis 3 until 2008 (at which point he became a judge). Stidham says that “Satanic Panic convicted the WM3 and the hard work of many people from all around the world refused to let this injustice stand.” I would suggest reading the whole thing, as there’s a lot of great information to be found there. You may also want to read Peg Aloi’s further commentary on the WM3′s release.
Remember the mini Internet tempest that was the Circle of Moms contest? In short, a group of Pagan mom-bloggers did better than expected in the “faith” category ranking contest, sparking some unfortunate behavior by some Christian participants (though several Christian mom-bloggers did apologize for the behavior of their coreligionists). In any case, the fruits of that victory, in which the top 25 get special featured site interviews, is now up. Congrats once again to Mrs B., Angela, Lily, Joni, and all the other Pagan mom-bloggers who made it.
Bill Keller at the New York Times Magazine argues that we should be asking presidential candidates tougher questions about their faith, and shares the general questionnaire that he sent out to all the candidates. While Get Religion slammed Keller’s editorial as “bizarre” and called the questions “loaded,” I would love to hear honest answers from the candidates to the question: “(a) Do you agree with those religious leaders who say that America is a “Christian nation” or “Judeo-Christian nation?” (b) What does that mean in practice?” Meanwhile, Dave Niose, president of the American Humanist Association argues at Psychology Today that concerns over the religious right aren’t overblown.
The sensationalism-drenched case of Angela Sanford, a Wiccan who killed Joel Levya in what some media described as a ritualistic sacrifice, has seemingly come to an end. Sanford has plead no contest to second-degree murder, and will face sentencing in October. Sanford originally said the killing was in self-defense against an attempted rape, but that story soon unraveled as the details didn’t fit, and her cell phone listed Levya’s number under “sacrifice.” What really sparked Sanford to violently murder this man remains unknown.
Here at Patheos, P. Sufenas Virius Lupus discusses the roots of homophobia, and bluntly states that it has no place within modern Paganism, and that Pagans supporting political candidates who engage in homophobia is an affront to our religious values. Quote: “If modern Pagan religions and forms of animism and polytheism, which are supposed to revere nature to some extent or another, maintain homophobia of any sort (even if it is out of adherence to some ancient texts or traditions, which themselves often have resulted from Christian influence or inadequate modern interpretations of difficult terminologies), then they are aligning themselves with fundamentalist religious viewpoints that would happily seek to outlaw, and even execute, those who are “guilty” of homoeroticism or gender variance. Voting for conservative candidates who have espoused a religious position like this because one agrees with them on fiscal issues is a direct affront to every religious value one upholds as a modern Pagan or polytheist.”
It looks like all the recent direct-action activism to protect the San Francisco Peaks in Arizona is having some effect, the business magazine Fast Company has run a spotlight on the Hopi Tribe’s new litigation against the wastewater pipeline currently underway. Fast Company’s article is too glib by half, but it is at least getting the story back on the radar of mainstream media. You can read all of my coverage on this story, here. For ongoing coverage of direct-action activism, check out Censored News and Indigenous Action Media.
In a move that should surprise no one, Texas governor Rick Perry continues to woo influential and high-rolling conservative Christians, including David “paganism and witchcraft were never intended to receive the protections of the Religion Clauses” Barton. Perry has a long history with Barton, a fact that should make any Pagan nervous, if the giant prayer rally featuring several NAR participants didn’t already.
Reviews of “The Wicker Tree,” the forthcoming companion film to the classic 1973 Pagan-themed horror film “The Wicker Man,” are pouring in from FrightFest 2011, and they aren’t pretty. Total Film complains of a “near-absence of momentum or intrigue,” while WhatCulture! says this film is far sillier than “The Wicker Man,” and that the “film suffers through not making us care” and calls the Christopher Lee cameo a “pointless waste.” Ouch! You can read all of my “Wicker Tree” coverage, here.
Zeus and Hera have been removed from the Acropolis for safe-keeping, their Parthenon metope will be replaced with a copy, while the originals will be on display a the Acropolis Museum in Athens.
Has King Arthur’s famous round table been found? The answer is a firm maybe.
An important lesson in framing Pagan pride from Hecate.

That’s it for now! Feel free to discuss any of these links in the comments, some of these I may expand into longer posts as needed.

The Question No One Asks David Barton

Jason Pitzl-Waters — May 9, 2011 — 33 Comments

This past week saw a flood of new coverage and commentary concerning Christian pseudo-historian David Barton thanks to a New York Times profile and a much-discussed appearance on The Daily Show. The wave of media attention is due to his standing with three possible Republican presidential candidates, Mike Huckabee, Newt Gingrich and Representative Michele Bachmann. While I appreciate the various examinations and criticisms about Barton that have popped up as a result, none have broached one of the most troubling views Barton peddles to his admirers and followers.

“The true historic meaning of “religion” excludes paganism and witchcraft, and thus, does not compel a conclusion that McCollum has state taxpayer standing … paganism and witchcraft were never intended to receive the protections of the Religion Clauses. Thus, in the present case there can be no violation of those clauses … Should this Court conclude that McCollum has taxpayer standing … this Court should at least acknowledge that its conclusion is compelled by Supreme Court precedent, not by history or the intent of the Framers.”

That quote is from an amicus brief written by Barton in the case of Patrick M. McCollum; et al., v. California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, currently before the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. McCollum v. CDCR centers on the state of California’s discriminatory “five faiths” policy, which limits the hiring of paid chaplains to Protestant, Catholic, Jewish, Muslim, and Native American adherents. Right there, on the record, Barton straight-up denies Pagans equal religious protections under the law. This is why I become concerned when politicians say his views should be taught in public schools. Not because he’s Christian, or a bad historian, but because he flatly denies minority faiths equal treatment under the constitution. If the mainstream media had any teeth, they would be pressing Barton, and any politician who seeks his approval, on this issue.

The fact is that early Americans did indeed consider the issue of non-Christians gaining equal rights under the constitution, and spoke (and debated) at great length on the subject. The idea that the Free Exercise Clause doesn’t apply to non-Christians is dangerous, ahistorical, and stupid. That Barton is preaching this lie weakens the very foundations he claims to revere. The fact is that the Founders were educated and far-sighted men who understood quite well what they were constructing and its implications. Barton would have them be short-sighted dolts. So long as the depth of Barton’s extremism is glossed over, we’ll never get a chance to pin him down on this very, very important issue.

In Paganism, Religion Christianity, David Barton, Establishment Clause, First Amendment, New York Times, politics, The Daily Show

Resurrection Sunday and Links

Jason Pitzl-Waters — April 24, 2011 — 28 Comments

Today is Easter/Pasha/Resurrection Sunday, when it is said that Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion. Rather than give a barrage of “how pagan is Easter” type stories, I thought I’d leave you with a few non-Easter related links to look over today when you’re not busy finding eggs, eating candy, or dressing up like a witch.

Easter Witches in Sweden.

The Ganges in New York: The New York Times reports on how Hindus near Jamaica Bay in Queens, New York have turned the body of water into a local Ganges, a place to leave offerings for a variety of rituals. The problem is that the large number of offerings are disturbing the local habitat and creating an eyesore for park officials.

“We call it the Ganges,” one pilgrim, Madan Padarat, said as he finished his prayers. “She takes away your sickness, your pain, your suffering.” But to the park rangers who patrol the beach, the holy waters are a fragile habitat, the offerings are trash and the littered shores are a federal preserve that must be kept clean for picnickers, fishermen and kayakers. Unlike the Ganges, they say, the enclosed bay does not sweep the refuse away. The result is a standoff between two camps that regard the site as sacrosanct for very different reasons, and have spent years in a quiet tug of war between ancient traditions and modern regulations. Strenuous diplomacy on both sides has helped, but only to a point. “I can’t stop the people and say, ‘You can’t come to the water and make offerings,’ ” said Pandit Chunelall Narine, the priest at a thriving Ozone Park temple, Shri Trimurti Bhavan, who sometimes performs services by the bay. “We are at a dead end right now.”

The article does a good job of capturing the tensions as both sides try to find a workable compromise. I feel that as religions that engage directly with nature grow these tensions will continue. I anticipate that this will not be the last story I read about religious groups and law enforcement confronting how offerings impact a particular area.

A Queer Theology: In his latest Patheos.com column, P. Sufenas Virius Lupus confronts the “queerness” of theology within modern Paganism.

“I mentioned in an earlier article in this column that some modern Pagans have suggested that theology doesn’t really have a place in modern Paganism, and that Paganism as a religion isn’t really appropriate to the concerns of theology. It was mentioned on that earlier occasion, though, that ancient Pagans in Greece and Rome invented most of the vocabulary of theology—including the term itself. The reservations of some modern Pagans on theology are understandable, and the ways in which Christianity has dominated the discourse on theology for the past several millennia are certainly a concern and something of which any Pagans actively engaged in theological work should be aware. Nonetheless, it is an area that is not only historically relevant to Paganism and polytheism, but one that is quite necessary to confront for modern Pagans.”

As always, Lupus is thoughtful an well-worth reading. Be sure to also check out his wonderful personal blog.

Who Gets Their Religious Freedom Protected: There’s a general election being held in Canada on May 2nd after the conservative government collapsed in a no confidence vote. It is in this context that Canadian Pagan and philosopher Brendan Myers looks at Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s plan to create an Office of Religious Freedom, and wonders whose freedoms it will work to protect.

“…given the Christian fundamentalism that dwells in the Reform Party’s agenda (pardon me, the Conservative Party’s agenda), therefore you can bet that this office will almost certainly not be used to help voudouisants in Africa, Tibetan Buddhists in China, Jews in Palestine or Muslims in Israel, or for that matter any religion at all which is not Christian. The only exceptions, the only non-Christian religions which this office might support in other countries, would be religious communities that are wealthy and well-organized enough in Canada to pressure the government to help their co-religionists in other countries.”

It seems that conservative Christian outlook in Canada isn’t too dissimilar from their brethren in the United States.

That’s all I have for now, have a happy Sunday, no matter what your activities or beliefs.

In Paganism, Religion Brendan Cathbad Myers, Brendan Myers, Canada, Easter, Hinduism, New York, New York Times, P. Sufenas Virius Lupus, Patheos, politics, Religious Freedom, theology

Unleash the Hounds! (Link Roundup)

Jason Pitzl-Waters — April 9, 2011 — 11 Comments

The New York Times looks at Vodou, noting how recent negative news portrayals have “shaken the tight-knit and largely secretive” community. The piece also interviews academic and progressive activist Dowoti Desir, founder of Ogun’s Task Force for Haiti, a member of the Haitian Diaspora Coalition. There’s also a photo slideshow and video to check out.
Speaking of Vodou, Foreign Policy Magazine looks at the recent election of Michel “Sweet Micky” Martelly as Haiti’s next president. They note that Martelly’s extensive involvement in rara music and culture, “often affiliated with Vodou congregations and believed to be under the patronage of a spirit in the unseen realm,” was a key element in his campaigning. More on Martelly, here.
Stephen Hodgson, a Wiccan in Minnesota’s prison system, has “filed a federal lawsuit against the state alleging his religious rights have been violated.” Nor is this some unfounded jailhouse complaint, the Minnesota Department of Human Rights says that “probable cause exists to believe that an unfair discriminatory practice was committed.” According to Hodgson, prison officials have “decided Christianity is the way to go and everybody else should fall in line.” Which reiterates the opinion and experience of activists like Rev. Patrick McCollum in his testimony to the US Commission on Civil Rights. I’m in contact with the PNC-Minnesota bureau now about following up on this story in the near future.
Has the Supreme Court undermined the Establishment Clause? That’s the opinion of the Interfaith Alliance and Justice Elena Kagan, who says that the 5-4 ruling on Arizona Christian School Tuition Organization v. Winn “threatens to eliminate all occasions for a taxpayer to contest the government’s monetary support of religion.” SCOTUSblog notes that the decision “came very close on Monday to taking away altogether the right of taxpayers to go to court to challenge government programs that provide financial aid to religion.” Potentially scary stuff for minority faiths in the United States.
Erynn Rowan Laurie notes that launch of three new reconstructionist Pagan blogs, The Presence of the Past by Disirdottir, A Wolf-Man, Not a Wolf in Man’s Clothing by Faoladh, and Finnchuill’s Mast by Finnchuill. Be sure to also check out the essay concerning “Aisling, Ársaíocht, agus Agallamh” that follows the news of that link.
A Murray State University college paper profiles Wiccan Kyra Ledbetter, a senior who notes that the religion helped her transform “from that terrifying girl in middle school to a member of volunteer programs.”
Have you been missing 70s-era occult-influenced metal? Meet Blood Ceremony, whose latest album ‘Living With The Ancients’ was released by Rise Above on March 7th 2011. Check out their track “The Great God Pan.”
Over at Patheos.com columnist P. Sufenas Virius Lupus examines “coming out theology” and whether it’s necessary for modern Pagans. This is an excellent examination, and I urge everyone to head over and read this.
Speaking of Patheos.com, Brendan Myers responds to criticisms of his recent piece “Thinking Shall Replace Killing.”
What happens when you expose monotheists to polytheistic festival culture? They love it.
Immortals director Tarsem Singh wants to fight the “idea that all gods that were wise had to be old.”

That’s it for now! Feel free to discuss any of these links in the comments, some of these I may expand into longer posts as needed.

Quick Note: Maetreum of Cybele Makes the New York Times

Jason Pitzl-Waters — February 10, 2011 — 13 Comments

The Maetreum of Cybele, Magna Mater’s ongoing tax battle with the Town of Catskill, covered several times here at The Wild Hunt, has made the New York Times. The usual arguments are repeated, centering on if their house/Maetreum was directly tied to a religious purpose, or if it’s simply a living dwelling with incidental religious trappings. A battle that’s been played out in Catskill for decades, as they try to increase their tax revenue by targeting minority religions, since they’ve openly admitted they lack the resources to go after bigger targets. In this latest article, reporter Peter Applebome notes that the Maetreum “might not be Sunday church religion,” but is clearly religious all the same, and that the law seems to favor them if they can hold out.

“There are, of course, all kinds of questions that can be asked about religious tax exemptions over all, but the Maetreum’s $5,400 tax bill is unlikely to rival the multimillion-dollar exemptions of conventional religions. Still, with unconventional religions on the rise, it poses issues that go beyond the old inn here. The Cybelines are facing possible foreclosure proceedings for the $13,800 they owe and appealing for money. But in the smorgasbord of religious law, they may also have weapons of their own if they want to pursue a discrimination claim. They say they just want to get back to where they were.”

It truly seems that this battle will hinge over who runs out of resources for this fight first. The Maetreum of Cybele, Magna Mater are clearly the underdogs, holding continual fundraisers to offset their mounting legal bills, but the Town of Catskill has also stripped its budget for these kinds of cases bare. The question now is who will blink first? With the New York Times writing a sympathetic article about the tax-fighting Goddess worshipers, it may not be in the town’s best interests to continue.

In Paganism, Religion Catskill, law, litigation, Maetreum of Cybele, New York, New York Times

Quick Notes: Rachelle Waterman Case, Dan Halloran’s Slowdown Battle, and Romania’s Witch Queen

Jason Pitzl-Waters — January 26, 2011 — 10 Comments

A few quick news notes for you today.

Did Religious Conflict Play A Role? The News Tribune in Alaska reports on the retrial of Rachelle Waterman, accused of plotting the 2004 death of her mother with two older men when she was 16. The first trial resulted in a hung jury, and now the Ketchikan District Attorney is trying again with a second indictment. At issue in Waterman’s defense is whether she truly meant for the two men to kill her mother, and what her mental state was at the time she allegedly discussed having her mother killed. In recent testimony from the woman’s father, Carl “Doc” Waterman, he claims that there was religious conflict in the home.

“He said Lauri was stricter on Rachelle than he was on some things but he never saw any evidence she hit their daughter and Rachelle never told him about anything like that. Neither of them used physical punishment, Waterman said under questioning by prosecutor Jean Seaton of Sitka. Other witnesses have testified that Rachelle told them her mother tried to push her down the stairs, became angry if her grades slipped, and withheld food, telling her she was fat. Prosecutors say she told even more to Jason Arrant and Brian Radel, the men who carried out the killing. Lauri Waterman was a strict Catholic and was upset when Waterman began experimenting with Wicca, a pagan religion and form of witchcraft, Doc Waterman said.”

This case got a lot of Internet buzz when it first made the news in 2004, due to the fact that Waterman had (and still has) a LiveJournal account. Many noted that Waterman claimed to have been grounded over her interest in Wicca (among other things). Now it’s for the jury to decide if grown two men in their 20s (one of whom was dating Waterman) took the irrational rantings of a disgruntled teenager as mandate for murder, or if Waterman, as the prosecution attests, was the mastermind for the killing. I’ll keep you posted as this case develops.

Dan Halloran and the New York Snow Removal Controversy: The New York Times looks at the ongoing story regarding allegations that New York City sanitation workers staged a slowdown after the Dec. 26 blizzard. At the center of this story is New York City councilman (and out Heathen) Dan Halloran, who claims that sanitation workers came to his office and informed him of the planned slowdown (allegedly to embarrass Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg). But evidence has been hard to pin down, and Halloran currently risks professional embarrassment. Recently, Halloran has been softening his story as he nears giving testimony to a federal grand jury.

In an article that appeared in The New York Post on Dec. 30, he said the workers had been told “to take off routes” and “not do the plowing of some of the major arteries in a timely manner.” “They were told to make the mayor pay,” Mr. Halloran said in the article, “for the layoffs, the reductions in rank of the supervisors, shrinking the rolls of the rank and file.” More recently, the councilman has said the workers were not explicitly told to take part in a slowdown, but were subtly informed there was no need to rush while clearing the snow.

The NYT piece runs down Halloran’s career so far, including his election as an out Theodsman, run-ins with parking enforcement, and recent bankruptcy and divorce proceedings. Halloran now says that his goal “was never to make headlines or anger people,” but that damage may already be done, and he could be forced to give up the names of those who came to him when he testifies. For more on Dan Halloran, check out this recent Pagan+Politics interview.

BBC and a Witch Queen: The Romanian witch tax story keeps on chugging along, this time the BBC interviews “Queen Witch” Mama Bratara, who has threatened to curse the lawmakers.

“Life for witches, astrologers and spiritual mediums in Romania has always been tough. Under the Communist regime of Nicolae Ceausescu, the supernatural industry was banned, and now witches say they are being hit again – this time by new tax laws. Once Ceausescu was ousted from power the witches re-emerged to carry on their craft. Their work has a considerable following, particularly in rural areas. Now the government has angered the witches again by making them register as self-employed and requiring them to pay tax, social security, and pension contributions.”

I recommend checking out the video embedded in the story, which gives an interesting look at the formidable Mama Bratara.

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

In Paganism, Religion Dan Halloran, law, litigation, Mama Bratara, murder, New York, New York Times, politics, Rachelle Waterman, Romania, taxes, Wicca, Witchcraft

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