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Unleash the Hounds! (Link Roundup)

Jason Pitzl-Waters — April 16, 2013 — 29 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.

Selena Fox’s healing altar for the victims of the Boston attack.

I’d like to begin by sending out my thoughts to all those who were affected by yesterday’s bombing at the Boston Marathon. There have been many Pagan responses to this still-unresolved tragedy, but I think Ár nDraíocht Féin Archdruid Rev. Kirk Thomas’ statement may be the best:

“We in ADF participate in a public religion. The gatherings of the folk are important for our communal worship of the Kindreds. Terrorists, such as those who bombed the Boston Marathon today, are counting on the fear of the people to disrupt our sense of community, that we may be isolated from each other, and thus lose our way. I believe that it is our duty as civilized people to resist this impulse, to find our courage, and so defy these enemies of Good, that our relationships with the Kindreds and with each other will continue to thrive.”

May the perpetrators be caught, may justice be done, may the wounded find care, and may the grieved find comfort.

In Columbia, Missouri, a Thelemite and ritual magician by the name of Brian Daniels was murdered recently in his home, two men have been arrested in connection with the murder. An editorial in the local paper tries to see beyond the occult trappings to find out what kind of man Daniels was, and concludes that “the man with the lonely eyes and shadowy friends who dealt in Egyptian antiquities and wrote about indecipherable rituals” was “an honest man.” I was pleasantly surprised how Mike Martin of the Columbia Heart Beat avoided the easy insults and actually strived to uncover the human being beneath his initial impressions. I’ll be keeping an eye on this story as it continues to develop.
Albion Calling’s ongoing series of interviews with Pagan scholars continues with Christine Hoff Kraemer, who works at Cherry Hill Seminary and Patheos as their Pagan Channel manager. Quote: “My research leanings are in theology right now, though, and theology is inherently an insider discourse, as opposed to religious studies, which has a range of participant-observer approaches. I’d like to think that Pagan theology will have a place in the Pagan studies in the future, just as Christian theology has a place within the academy now.”
The sale of sacred Hopi masks in France went ahead despite protests from the Hopi tribe of northeastern Arizona, Survival International, and the actor Robert Redford, who called the sale “a sacrilege, a criminal gesture that contains grave moral repercussions.” Stephen Corry, Director of Survival International, said that “potential buyers of these objects should be aware that the Hopi are profoundly distressed at their sale, and regard them as the rightful property of the Hopi people. French law appears to offer the Hopi little comfort, but we still hope that justice will prevail, and that these objects can still be returned to their proper owners.” One incredibly patronizing collecter said that “one day I might give some back,” and credited 19th century collectors with preserving Hopi culture.
The New York Times reports that Papua New Guinea’s prime minister has vowed to work on repealing the country’s controversial Sorcery Act in the wake of several brutal murders. Quote: “We have quite a lot of issues on the table, so please give us a chance to work on it [...] realistically, a few sessions away, we will be able to put an act to Parliament to stop this nonsense about witchcraft and all the other sorceries that are really barbaric in itself.” You can see all my previous coverage on this issue, here.
Is Peaches Geldof, the daughter of Bob “I Don’t Like Mondays” Geldof, into Aleister Crowley and Thelema? It’s a definite maybe. Quote: “The former wild child so beloved of the British tabloids—pregnant with her second child—has now taken to her Twitter account and urged her followers to read up on the “do what thou wilt” philosophy of occultist Aleister Crowley. Geldof also tweeted an Instagram pic of the yantra of Babalon (a symbol closely associated with Crowley).”

Babugeri, Bansko, Bulgaria, 2010–2011
Charles Fréger, courtesy of Yossi Milo Gallery, New York

The Yossi Milo Gallery in New York is currently exhibiting a collection of “Wild Man” costume photos by Charles Fréger, taken at various European pre-Christian festivals. Slate.com has a selection of the impressive costume photos up at their site. Quote: “The concept of a “Wild Man” is steeped in pagan celebrations connected to changing of seasons, rites of passage, and other life changing events. Fréger said many of the traditions are full of joy and, regardless of the country, had a lot in common.”
Who’s to blame for the invasion of giant African snails in Florida? The site PopSci gets confused and names Santeria followers in the headline, when they meant a follower of an African Traditional Religion. It may seem like a small mistake, but there is a difference, and there are actually some tensions between Santeria and Yoruba practitioners over a variety of issues (including this one). It pays to do a little digging before you write that headline.
Vodou is alive and well in Haiti. Quote: “There is much beauty in Haiti. There are mountains, the countryside, the sea and beaches, but what I find most beautiful is the culture of this country. There are many elements that contribute to Haiti’s rich culture and Voodoo (also spelled Vodou and Voudou) is definitely one of them.”
At the Oxford University Press blog Owen Davies looks at some of the other Salem witch trials. Quote: “The history of American witchcraft is indelibly associated with Salem, Massachusetts, where in 1692 nineteen people were executed as witches after the accusations of two young girls sparked a wave of fear. The village of Salem, the centre of the events of 1692, is now the town of Danvers, with the focus of today’s witchcraft industry centred on Salem city. But there are numerous other Salems in America, born of the country’s religious heritage – Salem in Hebraic means “peace”. But forget colonial Salem for a moment, as on two occasions in America’s more recent past Salem was the scene of trials related to witchcraft.” Davies’ latest book is “America Bewitched: Witchcraft After Salem.”
The new Catholic pope supports the crackdown on American nuns and the Russian Orthodox Church doesn’t like feminism. In other news, water is wet.

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.

Legend-Tripping?

Heather Greene — April 14, 2013 — 26 Comments

Under the light of a full moon, four teens creep through the crooked iron gates of a long-forgotten cemetery hoping to witness a vampire emerging from his scared crypt. They carry candles, matches, and a package of dime-store incense…

By Kabir Bakie via Wikimedia Commons

Does this story sound like the beginning of a teenage thrasher film? A Scooby Doo episode? It’s neither. The narrative is actually an example of a very common-place phenomenon: “legend-tripping.” Gail de Vos, storyteller and adjunct professor, defines legend-tripping as:

…an organized journey to an isolated area to test the bravery of the group when faced with supernatural phenomena. The trip experience involves the telling of appropriate legends… Sites include cemeteries, tunnels, deserted and “haunted” houses, and remote lanes and bridges. (From Tales Rumors and Gossip, 1996)

Have you ever gone legend-tripping? Think back.

When I was seventeen, my friends and I heard a story about an old stone tower eight miles north of town. The structure was supposedly an inverted cross built by the Satanist who owned the surrounding land. The blood of his sacrificed victims stained the floors of the locked tower gates. If you drove around the tower backwards, you could hear Satan’s spirits speak.

Courtesy of Flickr’s Scaramouch

The call of this legend was absolutely irresistible. We stuffed our teenage-selves into an old VW Scirocco and headed north. After several visits to “Devil’s Tower,” we finally had the nerve to drive around the tower but certainly not backwards. We weren’t going to tempt Satan. What would he do to a bunch of Jewish kids who didn’t believe in him? Needless to say we were scared s**less grossly unprepared. On the very last excursion, one of my friends was drunk brave enough to creep up to the iron gates. After he got back in the car, that beat-up old Scirocco never accelerated so fast.

What does legend-tripping have to do with Paganism? A whole lot. Most trips involve the seeking out of the paranormal or the Occult (e.g. The Blair Witch Project.) In many cases, the teens use what they imagine to be magic in order to intensify the experience. In Aliens, Ghosts, and Cults: Legends We Live (2003), Bill Ellis explains that “teens often fabricate evidence of cult sacrifices, even to the extent of killing animals and leaving occult symbols behind at the site.” (Page 162) He includes legend-tripping examples such as this one from Ohio which “focuses [on five] small cemeteries [which] contain the graves of witches and therefore serve as a meeting place for black magic.” (p 223) These cemeteries reportedly form a geographical pentagram.

Athens Ohio Cemetery Pentagram

This teenage rite-of-passage grazes the “outer banks” of Paganism through its connection to the Occult. As such, we need to be aware of its practice. On the one hand, the legend-trip may be the first way a teen, as a genuine seeker, experiences the Craft. On the other hand, the Occult connection may perpetuate negative stereotypes about Witchcraft and associated Pagan religions.

Wild Hunt contributor, Stacey Lawless shared this memory:

I was hanging around with three friends one night and the talk turned to the Occult. We decided to go to “The Thread,” a waterfowl impoundment in Durham. It was a patch of woods and swamp off the highway with an eerie atmosphere. Jim went on ahead and vanished into the dark. He’d only been gone a few minutes when Steve started looking around wildly as though he heard something. Megan staggered and had to catch herself against me and I felt a strange pressure in my head. We bee-lined it back to the car. Jim caught up with us wondering what was wrong. “ Didn’t you feel anything?” Steve asked. “Nope,” said Jim. “There was a big spirit guarding the place, so I challenged it to a duel, but nothing happened. And then you guys freaked out.

Stacey and her friends may have had a genuine supernatural encounter. For most kids, the sensations would be written-off as a product of the “fear” (or “beer”) factor. However, for others, this first “contact” may ignite or be the result of an Occult sensitivity. Inexperienced teens with limited resources may use legend-tripping as a doorway to Witchcraft.

Unfortunately, authorities and media also confuse Satanic-themed teenage fun with honest Pagan religious worship which can result in a dangerous backlash against local Pagan practitioners. Criminologist J Hayward tried to disentagle “Satanic” vandalism from legend tripping in his 1998 article entitled, “Occult Crime: Satanic Evil or Legend Trip?” He wrote:

There is belief among some that the desecration of churches and cemeteries… animal sacrifice and mutilation, and various indignities done to the dead can be attributed to persons committed to and motivated by occult or satanic beliefs. The extent to which this belief is correct is not easy to gauge… only a few are suggestive of anything more sinister than library book dabbling, legend-tripping, intoxication, adolescent misbehavior, and varying degrees of psychological instability.

While reporters and the police attempt to separate Satanic practice from teen pranks, we are attempting to differentiate ourselves from the both. What’s left is a messy tangle of confusion with Occult at its center.

There is yet one last relationship between Paganism and legend-tripping. This teenage activity is part of a broader anthropological concept called “ostention.” Gail de Vos defines ostension as “the process by which people act out themes or events found within folk narratives… The legends are believed and acted upon and then the new stories are told and retold to validate the original legends.”

Pagans at Stonehenge.

By that definition, some academics consider all newly emerged Pagan religions to be products of ostension. In Legend-Tripping Online: Supernatural Folklore and the Search for Ong’s Hat, Michael Kinsella writes “Occult texts strive to develop authenticity and authority by claiming, if not outright boasting, direct lineages from ancient cultures…Wicca has quite successfully written its own history.”

Is he right? Are we just trying to relive a legend or myth? Does it honestly matter? Mythology and legends are social texts that have been used to teach cultural ethics and religious beliefs for centuries. What is the Bible but a series of stories from ancient cultures that contain truths for Christians?

Kinsella goes on to say, “By applying the frames of supernatural legends and occult texts, individuals and groups may discover and create… new ways of thinking of themselves and interacting with the world.” As such, ostension contributes to social evolution. It allows us to perpetuate and experience our world – even religiously. Through legend-tripping, teens use ostension, or legend-tripping, to test the boundaries of everyday life. We use ostension to go beyond the boundaries of everyday life.

In Paganism Devil's Tower NJ, Gail de Vos, legend-tripping, Michael Kinsella, occult, ostension, Paganism, Stacey Lawless, Wicca, Witchcraft

Unleash the Hounds! (Link Roundup)

Jason Pitzl-Waters — April 9, 2013 — 27 Comments

Journalist Barbara Dreaver

More women in Papua New Guinea have been murdered for the crime of “witchcraft” despite the international outcry that resulted from the death of Kepari Leniata earlier this year. Quote: “Two elderly women in Papua New Guinea were tortured for three days receiving deep knife and axe wounds before being beheaded in front of police after being accused of sorcery.” In addition, another six women were reportedly tortured, though authorities are uncertain if they were killed. Journalist Barbara Dreaver noted that “a lot of it is just finding someone to blame. And women seem to be the ones that they’re blaming for deaths. And it’s just sheer thuggery. I mean you don’t torture someone for three days and say it’s culture. It’s an excuse for terrible, terrible things that are happening.” It remains to be seen how the government will address this ongoing human rights crisis. Amnesty International says New Zealand could play a role, and that Papua New Guinea should repeal its anti-sorcery law.
In related news, Christian pastors and scholars are met last month to address the problem of witch-hunting and witch-killing in Africa. A conference, sponsored by Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, and held in Kenya, sought to find ways to counter accusations from within a Christian context. In 2011 Christianity Today noted that Christian missionaries could be encouraging witch persecutions.
A local paper looks at Wicca in Summit County, Colorado. Quote: “The Enlightened Circle group has grown from around nine members to close to 20. They meet about twice a month, whether it’s through The Biker and The Witch’s Wiccan workshops or seasonal get-togethers, like the spring ritual in March that involved a ceremony and egg hunt. During the Ostara coven ritual, a few of the witches donned capes and hats.”
Someone in North Miami is using Vodou to intimidate a Haitian-American mayoral candidate, but candidate Anna Pierre isn’t scared. Quote: “The voodoo stuff, I don’t know who’s doing it, but I’m not afraid,” she said. “It’s just intimidation to … slow me down. But you know what? I’m not going to slow down until the finish line.” Before coming to America, Pierre was a pop star in Haiti.
News outlets in the UK are reporting on the Equality and Human Rights Commission’s new document regarding the religious rights of employees, with some noting that “Pagans and druids could be allowed time off to celebrate the solstices and equinoxes at Stonehenge and Avebury.” Others are aghast that vegans and environmentalists could receive the same consideration as Christians.
Sometimes distributing anti-abortion fetus dolls to high school students backfires: “Many students pulled the dolls apart, tearing the heads off and using them as rubber balls or sticking them on pencil tops. Others threw dolls and doll parts at the “popcorn” ceilings so they became stuck. Dolls were used to plug toilets. Several students covered the dolls in hand sanitizer and lit them on fire. One or more male students removed the dolls’ heads, inverted the bodies to make them resemble penises, and hung them on the outside of their pants’ zippers.”

Police in Manchester are now recording crimes against members of various alternative subcultures, most notably Goths, as hate crimes. This comes after the high-profile 2007 murder of Sophie Lancaster, who was beaten to death by a number of teenagers based on her (and her boyfriend’s) mode of dress. While some are quibbling about what makes a Goth, and how that’s different from someone involved in, say, Emo, I believe this is a positive step forward.
High-profile progressive-ish Christian Jim Wallis “evolves” on the issue of same-sex marriage. Ah, my issues with Jim Wallis, let me count them. In other news, it don’t take a weatherman to know which way the wind blows.
A lot of people want America to be a “Christian Nation.” Quote: “The new survey finds that 34 percent of adults would favor establishing Christianity as the official state religion in their own state, while 47 percent would oppose doing so. Thirty-two percent said that they would favor a constitutional amendment making Christianity the official religion of the United States, with 52 percent saying they were opposed.”
How to curse like a pro: “The key to a psychologically devastating curse is helplessness. Helplessness cultivates a condition called diastolic flaccidity, which is an extreme drop in blood pressure. It’s been linked to the deaths of seemingly healthy people who believe they are cursed.” Please don’t try this at home, kids.

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.

In Paganism, Religion Christianity, Colorado, curses, Equality and Human Rights Commission, goth, Jim Wallis, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, politics, sorcery, UK, Unleash the Hounds!, Vodou, Wicca, Witch Killings, witch-hunts, Witchcraft

COG, ADF, and Prominent Pagans, on Marriage Equality

Jason Pitzl-Waters — March 28, 2013 — 10 Comments

With the landmark Supreme Court hearings this week on the issue of marriage equality, cases that could potentially make sweeping sweeping changes regarding the legal recognition of same-sex marriage, national Pagan organizations are stepping forward to reiterate their ongoing support. We’ve already seen the active involvement of Selena Fox, founder and co-executive director of Circle Sanctuary, and now two more organizations, Covenant of the Goddess and Ár nDraíocht Féin: A Druid Fellowship, have expressed their solidarity and wish for equal rights (and rites).

Covenant of the Goddess (COG), one of the oldest and largest Wiccan/Witchcraft advocacy organizations in the United States, posted a short media statement to their National Public Information Officer’s blog.

The newly elected COG national board for 2013.

“The Covenant of the Goddess, a 38-year old Witch and Wiccan advocacy organization, extends its support to the entire LGBT community in its struggle for marriage equality within our country. We respect the diversity of religious thought even when it’s divergent from our own. As such, we support the legalization of civil marriages with all the associated civil benefits. Religious ceremony and choice should remain a private matter. While this issue is debated in our country’s highest court, we will continue to hold space with our own LGBT members and their families.”

Ar nDraiocht Fein: A Druid Fellowship (ADF), the largest Pagan Druid organization in the United States, also released a statement yesterday noting their historical support for inclusiveness and equal rights.

Current and former ArchDruids of ADF at a Clergy Retreat.

“Since our founding, Ar nDraiocht Fein: A Druid Fellowship (ADF) has championed inclusiveness in our rituals and in our church. Our Constitution has long forbidden discrimination on the basis of race, ancestry, color, physical disability, age, gender, or affectional orientation. And we all stand together in affirming this basic principle.

As such we support not only our LGBTQ members, but all of our members, in knowing that they stand equally before the Gods and Spirits, in fellowship with each other and in equal reciprocity with us all.

We pray that the Justices of the US Supreme Court will be granted the wisdom and understanding that they will need to perform their duties. ADF also calls upon all its members to live by our virtues in opposing discrimination, and to do what is right to effect positive change in our lives.”

In addition to those organization’s official statements, prominent Pagans within our community have been stepping forward to make their own views heard. Church of All Worlds (CAW) co-founder Oberon Zell in a statement sent out to supporters via email said that, quote, “I am a member of a religion (Pagan) which strongly feels that people should be able to love and marry whomsoever they choose.” Zell went on to say that “it should be evident to all (as it is to opponents of marriage equality) that laws governing the structure of marriage are in fact, RELIGIOUS laws intended to establish the predominance of a particular faith, and “prohibit the free exercise” of other faiths. And therefore any such laws are ipso facto unconstitutional.”

T. Thorn Coyle, author, teacher, and co-founder of Solar Cross Temple, at her personal blog, advocates for societal changes far more sweeping than same-sex marriage.

T. Thorn Coyle

“I stand for love, yet haven’t joined in very active support of what some people call “gay marriage” or others call equal rights because the struggle feels much, much larger. Fighting for the rights of my gay and lesbian friends to marry is on one hand a wonderful thing. I am for people making commitments and sacred bonds to one another. I am for all citizens of a country actually having equal rights under the law. To give one set of citizens rights denied to another set is illegal and unjust. However, for me, allowing two men or two women to marry one another just isn’t enough. It isn’t the sort of equality I really want. I’m more queer than that, and more of an anarchist, of course. I desire equity far more pluralistic than the simple replication of a state sanctioned nuclear family.

What right does government have to tell us what sorts of relationships are important to us, or what sorts of families we can build and grow together? We cannot build the society I want for us all – a society of comrades and friends, who care for one another’s children, who wipe away the tears of a friend we’ve had for 30 years, who share food and housing when times are tough or when times are very good – we cannot build this when we are intent upon saying that love is only important, and only has rights, when shared between two people.

Love is greater than that. We are greater than that. I firmly trust that we can work out how to love and whom to commit to on our own. If we want to write up contracts saying that the children of our best friend of 40 years can inherit our home when we die, we should have the right to do so. If we want our girlfriend at our bedside in ICU, that should also be allowed.”

This is, I anticipate, just the beginning of Pagan expressions on this issue as we await the rulings on DOMA and Prop. 8 in June. For my own views, and a wrap-up of coverage to date, see yesterday’s post. We here at The Wild Hunt will be highlighting special coverage and voices on this issue as we head towards the Summer.

In Paganism, Religion ADF, Ar nDraiocht Fein, Circle Sanctuary, COG, Covenant of the Goddess, Druidry, LGBTQ, marriage, Oberon Zell-Ravenheart, Selena Fox, Solar Cross, Thorn Coyle, Wicca, Witchcraft

Unleash the Hounds! (Link Roundup)

Jason Pitzl-Waters — March 25, 2013 — 11 Comments

Indonesian politician Permadi, photo by Edi Wiyono.

An Indonesian politician is opposing a law that would effectively outlaw the practice of witchcraft in the name of preventing fraud. Quote: “Great Indonesia Movement (Gerindra) Party politician Permadi, who claims to have psychic powers, disagreed with Andi’s argument, saying the article fails to protect the rights of psychics and witches. He said that not all people who could perform magic and cast a spell on someone else use their power wrongly, as some witches use their power in a positive way.” Permadi went on to say that “if you want to make this law perfect, you should involve people who understand witchcraft.” Seems perfectly reasonable to me.
Religion Clause’s usual round-up of prisoner free exercise cases includes one that involves an Odinist, and one that includes a practitioner of Native American religious practices.
Lisa Miller at the Washington Post looks at efforts to keep polyamory advocates quiet within the Unitarian Universalist Association. Quote: “…as the issue of same-sex marriage heads to the Supreme Court, many committed Unitarians think the denomination should have a position, which is that polyamory activists should just sit down and be quiet.”I’ve touched on this issue before, and some think the UUA moved to change its policy regarding Independent Affiliates due to polyamory advocates within UU.
At the Washington Post’s Magazine, Kristin Henderson seeks out Witches in England’s New Forest. Quote: “Turns out Jenny, 57, New Forest commoner, herb gardener, wild pony breeder, fireman’s wife and onetime owner of this gift shop, is a white witch. ‘White witches were always custodians of the forest,’ she says. ‘The forest is precious to us.’”
PNC-Minnesota interviews Drew Jacob about his successful “Magic to the People” crowdfunding initiative. Quote: “Many Neopagans aren’t aware that in most cultures, magicians charge for their services. It could take hours, even weeks to perform a full ceremony for a client, which means they charge high rates (which is fair) and some people make their living at it. A big part of this is not just because magic is draining, but because it is so time intensive or uses expensive materials.”

William Blake, The Whore of Babylon, 1809, Pen and black ink and water colours, 266 x 223 mm, © The Trustees of the British Museum

This Summer the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art will highlight a major exhibition of art dealing with the topic of witches and witchcraft. Quote: “Witches and Wicked Bodies will highlight the inventive approaches to the depiction of witches and witchcraft employed by a broad range of artists over the past 500 years, with striking examples by famous names such as Albrecht Dürer, Lucas Cranach, Salvator Rosa, Francisco de Goya, Henry Fuseli, John William Waterhouse and William Blake. The selection will also include more recent interpretations of the subject, by twentieth-century and contemporary artists including Paula Rego, Kiki Smith and Edward Burra. The exhibition has been curated by the National Galleries of Scotland with artist and writer Deanna Petherbridge and will contain major works on loan from the British Museum; the National Gallery (London); the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford; Tate; and the Victoria & Albert Museum, to be shown alongside key images from the Royal Scottish Academy and the Galleries’ own collections.” If I were anywhere in the vicinity of Scotland this Summer, I’d go.
On Friday, Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear vetoed a flawed “religious freedom” bill, noting that “the measure is itself vague, and thereby creates impermissible uncertainty for businesses, individuals and governmental agencies as to the boundaries of existing laws.”Beshear took political heat in 2011 for attending a Hindu ceremony, and was indirectly accused of being a polytheist (he isn’t). I’ve written before about these “religious freedom” laws and they are generally bad news for religious minorities, so good on Gov. Beshear for the veto.
Will Pope Francis be the Catholic Pope to finally recant the Doctrine of Discovery? The American Indian Law Alliance and other Native activists hope so. Quote: “‘Now is the time for the new leader of the Roman Catholic Church to extend a hand and talk about these issues,’ said Tonya Frichner, the president of the American Indian Law Alliance. The Discovery Doctrine was a key element in the moral justification of the European conquest of indigenous people around the world and remains influential in legal circles.” I’ve written before about the Doctrine of Discovery, and the fight to have it repealed.
The South African Pagan Rights Alliance (SAPRA) is filing a hate-speech complaint against education official Barbara Creecy after religious organizations and government education officials announced that they were teaming up to combat “the growing problem of Satanism and occult practices.” Quote: “This encourages prejudice and intolerance towards these groups, and may even contribute to violence against those whose dignity and right to religious freedom is being made out to be a criminal offence.”
In a final note, do check out this recording of the “Pagans and Privilege” panel which took place at PantheaCon 2013. The talk was moderated by T. Thorn Coyle, and featured panelists Crystal Blanton, Elena Rose, Xochiquetzal Duti Odinsdottir, and River Higginbotham.

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.

Kinship and community

Stacey Lawless — March 22, 2013 — 31 Comments

Although I came back from Pantheacon with lots of anecdotes and experiences (most of which were extremely positive and fun), I find that the only story I have to tell you right now is one I didn’t want to tell. It won’t leave me alone, however. It’s just this: I had a dreadful time with the Morrígan devotional ritual, “The Heart is the Only Nation.” I know many people who attended absolutely loved it. Teo Bishop, in particular, seems to have been deeply affected by it, and I envy him. I went to the devotional hoping to be moved by it. I guess I was, although not in the way I wanted.

It’s a quirk of my personality that I react badly to being asked to identify with a group. Damned if I know why. If I voluntarily align myself with said group, that’s okay, but being confronted with any sort of team-building, identity-merging activity irrationally unnerves me. It feels like an attack. When I was a kid, I had recurring nightmares about being infected by zombies or assimilated up by Borg-like collectives. I don’t have that kind of a strong reaction anymore. But, unfortunately for me, the Morrígan ritual pushed my fear-of-loss-of-self button, hard. Maybe if I’d been expecting it, it wouldn’t have thrown me, but I wasn’t. So, suddenly, I went from opening up to the ritual to slamming closed, feeling threatened, depressed, angry, bitter, alienated. And I was much too far from the door to make a discrete exit.

So, I breathed and tried to work with the emotions, and went through with the ritual. It was a rite about deepening the bonds of kinship and community. I value these, so by gods I was going to grit my teeth and be in community. To try to be gracious and as open to the experience as I could be, even though what I really wanted to do was crawl away into a dark corner. It never occurred to me that I could have just stepped back from the circle into the darkness at the edge of the ballroom. I didn’t want to distract anyone around me from the work they were doing, so I worked too.

I spent the rest of Pantheacon, and a good part of the following month, mulling this experience over and thinking about religion and kinship, so I suppose the Morrígan devotional did its job even on my cranky self.

Anyway, this story really is not all that important. It wanted to be told, but I think the real reason to tell it is because it gives me space to say that sometimes, being in community is the worst. Doing anything with other humans is too often a real drag, and sometimes you can’t escape. You have to grit your teeth and go through with whatever it is you’re doing with all these people just because it has to be done. The reason I’m stating the beyond-obvious here is that I’ve been thinking about the post yesterday about Yana, and kinship, and solidarity with other Pagans. The costs of being in community, and the effort it can take to return to the work of building and maintaining those bonds again, and again, and again.

As Jason said, Paganism is international now. And I hope it’s not speaking too strongly to say that now modern, international, post-Drawing Down the Moon Paganism has a martyr.

After I post this, I’m going to light a candle on my boveda for Yana in her journey to her gods. Then I’m going to meditate on what I bring to this community, to “Pagandom,” as I like to call it in lighter moments. What I can do to contribute to the ties of kinship and affection and religious experience that strengthen this community. What work needs to be done for our safety and well-being. I haven’t done a lot of interfaith or intrafaith or outreach work before, so this is all going to be new. Will you walk with me?

In Paganism, Religion education, Neopaganism, outreach, Paganism, politics, Polytheism, Religion, Religious Freedom, solidarity, Stacey Lawless, Witchcraft

Witch-Hunts, Moral Panics, and Modern Pagans

Jason Pitzl-Waters — March 19, 2013 — 26 Comments

In North America and the UK the “Satanic” moral panics of the 1980s and 1990s are seen as an unfortunate rement of the recent past. A time when fear of secret “occult” and “Satanic” forces led innocent men and women to be accused of, and sometimes imprisoned for, imagined ghastly crimes against children. Sadly, these panics are not a remnant of the past, they continue to flare up across the world, and now that modern Pagan religions are truly global in scope, we are increasingly involved in, or endangered by, these panics.

Wiccan Ipsita Roy Chakraverti with her daughter Deepta, holding a crystal star in their hand.

In South Africa, a country with a small but thriving Pagan community, religious organizations and government education officials are teaming up to combat “the growing problem of Satanism and occult practices.” Quote: “The MEC also said that Satanism and occultism were being dealt with “when they arise and get reported.” The department said the MoU will also help in tackling issues such as school discipline, teenage pregnancy and spiritual disturbances including Satanism at schools.” This comes after the death of Keamogetswe Sefularo, who allegedly was killed in a “Satanist” attack.
Witch-hunts and witch-killings have been an ongoing issue in parts of India, and Ipsita Roy Chakraverti, India’s most famous Wiccan adherent, believes the religion can be a beneficial influence in these cases. Chakraverti also believes that Wicca can have an affect on the treatment of women in India, especially after a violent gang-rape that gained international attention. Quote: “The Delhi gang-rape was a turning point. Women need to speak out and after the incident, we have seen how they have spoken up. In a small way, Wicca can give women that confidence and ability to speak out. It is a strong woman’s craft. Every strong woman is a witch.”
In the African nation of Gabon, an adherent of the UFO religion Raelism has been arrested and accused of “witchcraft,” despite the fact that Raelian’s don’t believe in, or practice, magic. Quote: “Raelian Guide Jean Rene Ogoula Ale has been sitting in jail for over 2 weeks on the absurd charge of witchcraft,” said Brigitte Boisselier, Ph.D, spokesperson for the International Raelian Movement (IRM) in a statement released today. “It’s outrageous beyond belief that this could happen in 2013. Ale is an engineer and a spiritual guide, but he’s in jail because the judicial system of Gabon operates as though sorcery really exists.” Leaving aside one’s personal feelings about Raelians for a moment, the implications of this arrest should not be lost on other religious minorities that are starting to have a global presence.

I think it is imperative that we start thinking of ourselves as a global movement. We aren’t just in Europe and the West, modern Pagans are endangered in Syria and Egypt, and the surviving Pagan religions of Russia (and their modern cousins) are increasingly threatened by draconian laws against “extremism.” We are in Africa and India, we are global in scope, we are no longer a handful of visionaries in England, New York, and California. This does not mean we should improperly claim innocent victims of witch-hunts as “ours,” but we should recognize that we can’t ignore the ramifications of ongoing attacks on “witchcraft,” “sorcery,” and the “occult” in nations across this planet. The boundaries are now getting too blurry to pretend it won’t become a major issue for us in the decades to come.

A procession of Pagans at the last Parliament of the World’s Religions.

It is for this reason, among others, that I think Pagan involvement with the global-scale interfaith movement is vital. As these issues intensify, it is imperative that Pagan voices are in a place where we can be heard. Where we can connect with influential men and women in positions to help us. Individuals like Don Frew, Patrick McCollum, Andras Corban Arthen, Phyllis Curott, Gus diZerega, or Angie Buchanan are going to be increasingly vital to how we are perceived outside our most populous strongholds. We have to move beyond the romantic ideas about who we are, and were, and work harder on pragmatic advances that will help all Pagans (and our allies). In addition, here in North America, the UK, Australia, and other places where being an out Pagan is (relatively) safer, we need to continue our outreach and dialog with African Traditional Religions, African Diasporic faiths, and other traditions who are experiencing the brunt of ill-informed and discriminatory beliefs about their practices.

Modern Paganism has been more successful than I think many people could have anticipated, and with that success comes new and greater challenges as we move forward. I think we are able to overcome these obstacles, but only if we are ready to take a clear-eyed view of what is happening in the world.

In Paganism, Religion Africa, Gabon, India, interfaith, Ipsita Roy Chakraverti, moral panic, Raelian Movement, Satanic Panic, sorcery, South Africa, Witch Killings, witch-hunts, Witchcraft

Unleash the Hounds! (Link Roundup)

Jason Pitzl-Waters — March 9, 2013 — 7 Comments

Witchy fashion? Spring 2013 Saint Laurent collection. (Photo: NYT)

Witches: Always fashionable. Quote: “Witchcraft and its moody expressions — long weedy hair, peaked hats and pointy boots — have attained a strange cachet of late. No longer the hideous wart-covered crone of folklore and fairy tale, the witch of current films, like “Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters” and “Oz: The Great and Powerful,” and recent youth-oriented novels like “Released Souls” and “A Discovery of Witches,” has swept aside the vampire as a symbol of power, glamour and style.”
Glub, glub! We’re submerged in the occult says “ex-Satanists” Jeff Harshbarger! Quote: “Our society is submerged in the occult; Harry Potter has filled the minds of our children for a decade and vampirism meets our teens with the illusions of grandeur. Witchcraft went mainstream decades ago, and Wicca is its offspring.” Sinister! Maybe all these “former occultists” should spend more time being better Christians instead of trying to sell books.
Zimbabwe seems intent on starting up a moral panic around Satanism with, quote, “some people going as far as blaming the Witchcraft Suppression Act for “protecting” suspects and witchcraft practitioners.” It has all the hallmarks of America’s Satanic Panic, but with the added danger of people (suspected Satanists) being killed by angry/fearful mobs. This can’t be going anywhere good.
In an addendum to the Salem (Missouri) Public Library occult filtering case I reported on earlier this week, the Riverfront Times publishes the official, quite defensive, statement from the library on the case’s resolution. Quote: “Under the judgment, the library will continue to use the same internet screening provider it has used for many years. This is the same internet screening service provider as ninety percent of public libraries in Missouri. Months prior to the time the lawsuit was filed, the provider used by the library made changes in its minimal screening categories which the Salem Public Library and many other libraries in the state adopted. By agreeing to the consent judgment, the Salem Public Library does nothing more than agree to continue to use the new updated categories recommended by its service provider and adopted by the library before the suit was filed.” Shorter version: we will never admit we did anything wrong.

T. Thorn Coyle

T. Thorn Coyle writes for The Huffington Post about John Brennan, Sekhmet and the Fires of War. Quote: “We are damaging ourselves, our souls, and the earth. We are dealing out death at a distance, and slowly dying inside. Freedom is hard to bear. But so is war. So is our enslavement and inner blindness. How shall we waken to the light that dawns over the desert so beautifully? If life and death are sacred, what is our role in these wars being fought via real-time video? We try to distance ourselves from the cycles of the earth, but in the long run, this simply is not possible.”
The Havasupai Tribe and environmental groups are suing the U.S. Forest Service for failing to adequately protect land sacred to the tribe and moving forward on a controversial uranium mine. Quote: “The complaint (full text) in Grand Canyon Trust v. Williams, (D AZ, filed 3/7/2013) claims that the Forest Service failed to comply with environmental, mining, public land, and historic preservation laws. It alleges, among other things, that while the Forest Service has designated the area as Traditional Cultural Property and has recognized that it is a sacred site to the Havasupai Tribe and has begun consultations with the Tribe, it refuses to carry out a complete “Section 106 process” under the National Historic Preservation Act, which would include developing a memorandum of agreement with the tribe and state historic preservation office before restarting mining operations.”
Got caught being a scam artist? Convert to Christianity! It’s a fabulous PR move. Quote: “Chan converted to Christianity and renounced his former practice ofgeomancy just weeks before appearing in court for forging the will of one of Hong Kong’s richest women, billionaire Nina Wang, whom Chan also claimed to be his girlfriend.”
The site Pagan Dharma has returned from Internet limbo, Some of the rationale for why it’s back can be found, here.
Heiner Bielefeld, in a report to the U.N. Human Rights Council, says that blasphemy laws should be ended, and that they endanger religious minorities. Quote: “Speaking on the fringes of the rights council on Wednesday, Bielefeld said criminalizing concepts like blasphemy was dangerous for free speech because there could be no common definition of what it was.”
Slate.com says the goddess Columbia is cool. Quote: “As a personification of the United States, Columbia is far less sinister and far more charismatic than her coattailed counterpart: She’s the goddess-like figure who inspired all the women in breastplates from the women’s suffrage marches of 1913.”
A reality television Witch. Move along, nothing to see here.

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 4, 2013 — 18 Comments

Captions from Young Avengers #2.

Last week, the comic book Young Avengers #2 had the conversation that many Pagan comic-book fans were awaiting: What’s up with Wiccan calling himself “Wiccan”? Here’s hoping it leads to a new code-name that isn’t also the name for a, well, Wiccan. The issue was written by Kieron Gillen with art by Jamie Mckelvie, the same team who did the criminally under-appreciated Phonogram miniseries (which should be required reading for anyone who loves the intersection of music and magic).
Some Charismatic Christians are worried that the practice of prophetic ministry might be crossing the line into “witchcraft” for some. Quote: “When he released the words over me, it came with a spiritual force that made me feel as if I had been covered with goo. My eyes began burning. I felt like I was in a daze. It was spiritual witchcraft.” What’s interesting is that this piece gets close to admitting that a lot of charismatic practice is like magical energy work, and that it’s too easy to blur the boundaries. Now, if they’ll address spiritual warfare…
Are rooster heads found at a North Carolina cemetery ”Voodoo”? No one knows for certain, but let’s wildly speculate anyway. Quote: “Brandy Nunn told Fox Charlotte, ‘God only knows what they’re really doing with cutting heads off. What are they really messing with over there?’” I’m sure that no one will jump to conclusions over this.
Bleeding Cool covers a new witchcraft-themed comic book, “The Westwood Witches,” complete with human sacrifice and appearance by Baphomet. It’s a “horror” book, so take that as you will. Quote: “It’s not just about witchcraft but about beliefs, too. What seems real to us sounds like nonsense to others, and that’s the power of literature… and quackery. But overall, The Westwood Witches is a tale about neighborhood and neighbors. In this book, they’re beautiful, they’re kind, and they’re demon worshippers. You could say it’s like Desperate Housewives with macabre murderings”.
Indie art-rockers Yeah Yeah Yeahs have a new album coming out in April, and their lead single “Sacrilege” is influenced by “the New Orleans vibe. Just the juju in the air.”
It’s the collapse of mainline Protestent political power, and I feel fine.
Religion in American Historyponders the reactions to Hinduism by U.S. President John Adams. Quote: “Adams consistently compares Hindu religion to Roman Catholicism in the margins, writing ‘Oh Priestcraft!’ and labeling Hindu practices as ‘ridiculous observances.’ When Priestley writes, “But the Hindoos go far beyond the rest of mankind in voluntary restrictions and mortifications,” Adams asks ‘Far beyond the Romish Christians?’ in the margin.”

The Daily Grail points to a video by Adam Gorightly showcasing a first edition printing of the Principia Discordia. Hail Eris!
Is Burning Man at odds with the academy?
Northern News Services spotlights the Wiccan community in the Northwest Territories of Canada. Quote: “Hilary Jones may not fly around on a broom but that doesn’t mean there isn’t one around when the high priestess isn’t leading rituals among the Wiccan faithful. By day Jones is general manager of the NWT Mine Training Society. She is also president of the Rotary Club of Yellowknife True North. None of that has stopped her from pursuing a calling she has been practicing since age 16. ”It’s a family thing,” said Jones of her Wiccan faith, a religion based on ancient Druidic rituals from northern Europe.”
Legally obtained human bones are confiscated by police and held, despite there being no suspicion of a crime being perpetrated. Pasadena Police Lt. Ed Calatayud says that “the religious aspect of the case is not our focus–it’s the bones,” which I’m sure is a great comfort to the family whose altar has been destroyed. I’m hoping civil liberties lawyers are breaking down the doors to take this case. I’m hoping to have more on this issue soon.

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 — February 26, 2013 — 27 Comments

For those who haven’t been following the Fox News/Tucker Carlson Pagan holidays at the University of Missouri saga, the Religion News Service (conveniently headquartered at Mizzou) gives a quick run-down. Of course that isn’t the end of it as Fox News host Bill O’Reilly decided he needed to have a go at the issue last week, and despite the requisite mockery admitted that “I don’t see anything wrong with this as long as the university is upfront about it … it is a movement, there are Wiccans and Witches and they do what they do … this is America.” Tonight on BlogTalkRadio Circle Sanctuary’s Selena Fox will be hosting a Pagan town hall on what our community can learn from this experience.
PNC-Minnesota has a piece up about the much-talked-about PantheaCon 2013 panel on privilege held in the COG/NWC/NROOGD suite, and moderated by T. Thorn Coyle. Quote: “The panel opened with Coyle talking about what is meant by privilege. ”If you have clean drinking water coming out of your faucet, that is privilege.” She emphasized the discussion about privilege would not be about placing blame, guilt, or victimization but about gaining a deeper understanding of one another and exploring differences and common ground. Privilege is often defined as the advantages a person or group has that are so normal to them they are usually unaware of them.” I had tried to attend this panel, but it was completely full by the time I arrived. I hear an audio recording was made, and hopefully this will be made available soon. I also hope this discussion can be continued more formally at PantheaCon next year.
NPR explores religious exemptions, who gets them, and why. Quote: “Religious exemptions are nearly as old as the nation. Early debate centered on oath-taking and bearing arms in militias. Today, they’re over where to educate children, whether to vaccinate them, who your church can hire or whether your synagogue pays taxes on its land, even what you can wear in a photo ID or if you can skip the photograph altogether.”
A trove of unpublished poems by Rudyard Kipling are finally seeing the light of day. Kipling was much admired by many Pagans for works like “Puck of Pook’s Hill” which included the now-famous lyrics for “Oak & Ash & Thorn.” Quote: “The 50 unpublished poems are being included alongside more than 1,300 of Kipling’s poems in the three-volume Cambridge Edition of The Poems of Rudyard Kipling, the first ever complete edition of his verse, out on 7 March.”

In March, a new book about Christian history will be released that will no doubt draw the attention of many Pagans. “The Myth of Persecution: How Early Christians Invented a Story of Martyrdom” by Candida Moss, a New Testament scholar at the University of Notre Dame, posits that the persecution narrative that many Christians cling to was largely fabricated. Quote: “[Moss] challenges some of the most hallowed legends of the religion when she questions what she calls “the Sunday school narrative of a church of martyrs, of Christians huddled in catacombs out of fear, meeting in secret to avoid arrest and mercilessly thrown to lions merely for their religious beliefs.” None of that, she maintains, is true.” For some, these revelations are nothing new, but that they are being presented in a high-profile fashion is, I think, important. Will Christians confront their own persecution narratives?
Gary Lachman, author of “Madame Blavatsky: The Mother of Modern Spirituality,” explains why Carl Jung is so important. Quote: “We may not agree with everything he says, but that isn’t important, and Jung himself always encouraged people to think for themselves. But by showing us how to look within, Jung introduced us to the most mysterious thing in the universe: ourselves.”
Why should same-sex marriage be legal? Because not every religion agrees with Christian thought on the issue. Quote: “Now anyone can come along to the centre to have their wedding. Perhaps people might assume that the centre is just for Hindus and we want people to know it is open to everyone, regardless of race, religion or sexuality. This is one way of us integrating with the community.”
The Patheos Pagan Portal has posted audio from their Pagan Intrafaith panel at PantheaCon 2013. Quote: “I’m in favor of a “big tent” definition of Paganism that is inclusive and welcoming – but if Paganism is going to survive as a diverse movement, we need to improve communication between different traditions and paths. I know that meeting Pagans with radically different beliefs and practices has helped me a great deal in developing my own, and I want my community to continue to be a place where that kind of inter-tradition communication can happen.”
I’m voting for the former instead of the latter, Chas.
Did we stop eating horses because it was a “pagan” custom?
Meeting a Vodou priest in Haiti. Quote: “Vodou is still alive in Haiti — whether we can see it or not. It is a religion with deep roots from West Africa. The great influence of his ancestors is still strong with Lisma. I was only there to observe and learn more about him. An encounter with someone like Lisma and immersing myself in other cultures is why I continue to travel to unknown places. Although, I will never fully understand the complexities of vodou, I now have a better understanding of the people and history of Haiti.”

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.

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