BIRMINGHAM, England — It was announced that Wiccan high priestess Ophidia Kalendae died June 25. Ophidia had previously been diagnosed with cancer and was being treated. In late June, her condition worsened and she was taken to the hospital June 16 after a painful biopsy revealed the cancer had spread to her bones.
Kalendae, who was also known as Wendy the Witch, had been a practicing for more than 30 years. In 1989 founded the Templi Kalendæ in 1989 and another before even that. In 1990, she began her studies in the Ophidian tradition and was initiated in 1992, expanding her practice further.
Friends and family have reported that, despite her illness and recent hospitalization, Kalendae remained in good spirits and filled with laughter. On Facebook, one friend said, “A truly unique [sic] woman has passed but our lives shall ever be enriched by knowing [her].” In a moving tribute, another friend wrote: “You [will] be alive in every single cleansing raindrop from mother’s great sky.” What is remembered, lives!
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YORK, Penn. — Beloved astrologer and tarot reader Rev. Bill Trivett (1959-2017) passed away June 26. He and his partner of 37 years, Bob, co-owned the popular store New Visions Books and Gifts, and were well-known in the local community. Born in 1959, Trivett grew up in central Pennsylvania, and had studied communication at York College.
Many of those that Trivett has touched over the years through his teachings and readers have been posting memories on Facebook. His partner Bob said, “My sadness is also tempered by great joy, knowing that he will guide, teach, and help from the other side, unencumbered by the physical.”
The store will be hosting a celebration of life ceremony July 16 at 10:00 a.m. The public is welcome to attend. What is remembered, lives.
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MILTON, Del. — The doors of Brimming Horn Meadery have been opened after two years of planning and work. Owned by Heathen Jon Talkington, the new brewery will open with seven different meads, including traditional ones and three which are lightly carbonated. Talkington has been brewing beer and mead for years privately, and has also worked as a professional brewer for 10 years. In a 2015 Wild Hunt interview, he said:
“I made my first batch of mead in high school, a Finnish style lemon mead made with honey, sugar, raisins and baker’s yeast. During this same same I was looking into Asatru and reading many books on the Norse, Germanic and Slavic myths. Many of those myths had mead mentioned in them which sparked my interest [in] the ancient beverage.”
Brimming Horn Meadery will be open Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, beginning July 4. Talkington invited locals to come on down Tuesday and “party like it’s 793!”
In other news
- The Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids has been asking its members to support a 38 Degrees petition to protect a 200-year-old oak tree in danger of being cut down as a result of development by the Bristol city council. Since its launch, the petition has garnered enough signatures to cause the city to reevaluate its plan and put the tree under a protection order. However, no decisions are final.This is not the first time that British Druids have campaigned to save trees, successfully doing so via ritual methods in the 1990s to preserve an ancient oak on the site of the Newbury bypass, and frequently drawing attention to campaigns run by British organization.
- Horns magazine has released its second issue. Editor Aden Ardennes writes, “In the summer solstice edition, we pay homage to one of the fallen great gay activists, Lige Clarke, and feature an interview with St. Jinx, who is creating a homoerotic rendition of the tarot deck.”
- The U.S. will be celebrating Independence Day Tuesday. In that spirit, Rev. Selena Fox will be rebroadcasting her show discussing the Pagan Roots of America. Fox has also published her articles regarding the Liberty, the goddess of freedom on Circle Sanctuary’s website.
- The first festival dedicated to AtheoPagans will be held in August. The event is called Moon Meet and will be a three-day camping event on private land in Sonoma County, Calif. According to the AtheoPagan blog, attendees will “share meals and workshops, hold a community discussion about how [the] Atheopagan community is developing and how best to move forward, and design and celebrate rituals together.” There will be time for hiking, singing, and “excursions to nearby wineries and historic sites.” The event will take place Aug 2-4.
- Wonder what it is like to make the spiritual journey from Evangelical Christianity to Paganism? A new book has just been released detailing just that experience. The Witch’s Journey, Cutting the Cords of Christian Dogma was written by Elaanie S, a minister, healer and teacher in the Temple of Witchcraft tradition. Elaanie said that the “book addresses the problems and obstacles faced by one reared in Evangelical Christianity – […] when they awaken to the path of the Witch.”
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