Unleash the Hounds (Link Roundup)

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

CHICAGO — Wiccan inmate Gilbert Knowles sued the warden of the Pontiac Correctional Center, located in Pontiac, Illinois, for refusing to allow him to wear his pentacle necklace. According to Appellate Briefs, the facility was concerned that the “star” was gang-related or would promote gang activity. Other sources say the same, reporting that the correction center had banned “all inmates from possessing five- and six-point star symbols” for that reason.

Knowles, who is serving a 52-year sentence in the death of a toddler, sued the warden under the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act, and the case was recently heard by the 7th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals in Chicago. The court ruled that Knowles’ religious rights had been violated, and the judge granted a temporary injunction, allowing the inmate to wear his pentacle. The opinion concludes, “His freedom of religion has been gratuitously infringed by the prison. The judgment of the district court is reversed with instructions to grant the preliminary injunction sought by the plaintiff.”

Related: Broadly published an article for its readers concerning Pagan practice in prison. Titled Witch Trials: There Is Nothing Magical About Being a Pagan in Prison, the article details a decade-long religious freedom case in California, and includes an interview with Starhawk.

Religion, Politics and Taking a Stand

• Americans United for the Separation of Church and State (AU) has published an article discussing a recent statement by Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump. At the Republican National Convention, Trump vowed to work hard to repeal the laws that limit religious organizations from endorsing, supporting and promoting political candidates. He said, “You have so much to contribute to our politics, yet our laws prevent you from speaking your minds from your own pulpits.”  In the AU article, writer Simon Brown explains the history of this federal tax code amendment, called the Johnson Amendment, and how Trump is not the only politician actively seeking its removal.. Brown writes, “The issue is currently under consideration in Congress. Republicans in the House of Representatives have added a rider to an appropriations bill (H.R. 5485) that would make it harder for the IRS to enforce the Johnson Amendment.”  AU has set up a petition to oppose any change to these tax laws.
• In a landmark move, the African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME) passed a measure that supports the 2015 Paris Climate agreement. According to The Huffington Post, 30,000 members met in Philadelphia at the organization’s annual conference, where the measure was adopted in coordination with the interfaith group Blessed Tomorrow. In a statement, Bishop John White, President, Council of Bishops of the AME Church, said, “Damage to our climate puts the health of children, elderly, and those with chronic illnesses at greater risk and disproportionately impacts African Americans. We believe it is our duty to commit to taking action and promoting solutions that will help make our families and communities healthier and stronger.”

Around the World

• In Guan Yu Park in Jingzhou, China, there now sits a 1,320-ton statue depicting the god of war. Designed by artist Han Meilin, the statue is reportedly 58 metres (190 ft) tall, contains over 4,000 strips of bronze, and has a museum in its base. General Guan Yu is one of the most popular figures in Chinese history. He lived from 162-219 C.E. and was a major character in the 13th-century Chinese novel The Romance of the Three Kingdoms. His popularity has grown over time and, in more recent years, Guan Yu has become a common figure in pop culture. At the same time, Guan Yu is revered as a god. According to one website, “It is said that a shrine for him is in every Hong Kong police station. He is also a patron god of Chinese criminal groups for his bravery and fighting prowess. Business people and shop owners put up shrines in order to gain wealth. He is worshipped as a Daoist god, a Buddhist deity, and by Confucianists.”  The new statue was just recently unveiled, and will tower over the city of Jingzhou for many years to come.

Arts and Culture

• The Huffington Post recently featured an interview with Reverend Yolanda, a “Genderqueer Singer-Songwriter/Interfaith Minister.” In 2003, Reverend Yolanda was awarded the title of “outmusician of the year” by New York City newspaper Gay City News. Huffington Post writer Jed Ryan speaks to her about that award, her work since that point, and how her spirituality informs her music. Reverend Yolanda told Ryan: “At the heart of all spiritual paths is the understanding that we are all one … and that there is a divine life source energy that animates all life on Earth. That energy needs to be respected […] I do not subscribe to any one religion, but I do connect with that universality which is in all paths. I love paganism and Wicca and goddess-based spirituality which really honors the Earth.”
• It was announced last week that the Jim Henson Company would be producing a film adaptation of Sir Terry Pratchett’s The Wee Free Men.  Award-winning writer and Pratchett’s daughter, Rhianna Pratchett will be creating the screen adaptation. For those who aren’t familiar with the work, “The Wee Free Men is the first in a series of Discworld novels starring the young witch Tiffany Aching. A nightmarish danger threatens from the other side of reality. Armed with only a frying pan and her common sense, the young witch-to-be must defend her home against the monsters of Fairyland.” The Jim Henson Company will serve as the production company, with Pratchett, backed by her company Narrativia, serving as one of the executive producers. Filming will begin in 2016. No release date has been announced.
• Did you know there is a secret world in Tumblr? And it’s filled with Witches. MIC has published an article exploring Tumblr’s teen Witch culture, including several interviews on coven activity and practice.
• Coming soon to a computer screen near you will be the new webseries Brujos. Written by New York University student Ricardo Gamboa, and directed by both Gamboa and Reshmi Hazra Rustebakke, Brujos will follow the story of “four gay Latino grad students who are witches” as they battle witch hunters. Gamboa writes, “Supernatural has double meaning as these characters access their magic to fight evil and are also depicted struggling to love themselves and combating oppressions like poverty, gentrification, police, sexual trauma…”  The show is in production now and will be available in winter 2017. Here is a preview.

Brujos (2017) — Teaser Scenes from Open TV (beta) on Vimeo.

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