Artwork by Laura Tempest Zakroff – used with permission of SageWoman Magazine
FOREST GROVE, Ore. – SageWoman Magazine announced it would publish its first issue #96 in over 18 months. The magazine had been on hiatus since December 30, 2019.
The September issue is subtitled, “The Passion of Fire” as a reflection on the turmoil of last year as they wrote:
Fire — the element of Chaos, the wildness of the universe that refuses to yield to anyone’s control — has been at the center of this Year of Covid. As the pandemic tore across the planet, the language of fire has been woven into its terrifying narrative. Simultaneously, 2020 was also a summer of unprecedented literal wildfires around the world So, both literally and figuratively, this was “The Year that Burned.”
The previous two editions focused on the elements of water and air, respectively, #94, “Wisdom of Water” published December of 2018, and #95, “Blessings of Air” published December 2019.
Anne Newkirk Niven was kind enough to take time to speak with TWH, and sent us the following excerpt from her editorial in edition #96:
“It has actually been over eighteen months since the last issue of SageWoman was published. I’d be straight-out lying if I didn’t admit that there were times that I was operating only on a hope and a prayer that there would ever be another issue. Although
I did my best to keep up a brave face, I came close to losing hope.
I recently realized that one cause of the deep malaise I have experienced during Covid-time was due to the fact that I wasn’t able to progress on what I believe to be my life mission, doing the work of the Goddess by publishing this magazine (and Witches&Pagans.) But good news: SageWoman 96 is on-press and
mailing on Sept 8.”
This new edition features the writing, poetry, and art of a variety of contributors that include authors Danielle Dulsky, Laura Lee Perkins, Hayley Arrington, Karla Huber, Clara Oropeza, Carolyn Boyd, Jane Meredith, and Tina Riddle Deason. As well as the artwork of Laura Tempest Zakroff, Kathy Crabbe, Melissa Pandina, Elena Bessanova, Sage Cotignola, and Kate Freuler.
Longtime readers will also be pleased to know that many of the recurring columnists have written articles for inclusion in the latest publication, in addition to the magazine picking up new writers.
The new edition printed edition is due to be sent out on September 8.
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FORT DIX, N.J. – The Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF) acting on the behalf of 17 soldiers, managed to achieve a victory in the removal of a display at the main entrance of the Mission Command Complex at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst home to the 84th Training Command.
The display in question was comprised of the type of inexpensive statuary typically used in home gardens and consisted of two soldiers, one holding his weapon and the other carrying a fallen comrade. However, the focal point of the display was a cross placed prominently in the center.
Display by the entrance of Mission Command Complex at Fort Dix, N.J. – Image courtesy of MRFF
MRFF founder and president, Michael L. “Mikey” Weinstein had a number of exchanges with deputy commander, Colonel Jon A. Brierton, who oversees the property and the Mission Command Complex over the display since the end of June.
Of the 17 soldiers who contacted Weinstein and MRFF, 11 identified as Christian but felt the display was an affront to their values as well as others and represented what they considered to be a display of Christian supremacy. Other soldiers who approached MRFF with concern over the display were aligned with the beliefs of atheism or agnosticism Buddhism, Judaism, and Islam.
Last week after nearly two months of patiently waiting for the U.S. Army and the base commander to respond, Weinstein threatened to “proceed expeditiously and forcefully via other avenues in order to seek timely remediation and redress for these repugnant 1st Amendment violations” when he did not receive a response that had been promised by 5:00 PM MDT on August 25, 2021.
Entrance to the Mission Command Center after removal of cross at Fort Dix – courtesy of MRFF
This morning, Weinstein received a call from Col. Brierton that the display had been ordered to be removed. Weinstein emailed the TWH a picture he received that confirms the cross had been removed from the display, which he considers a major victory for religious freedom for everyone.
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Vials of the COVID-19 vaccine are seen at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Bethesda, Md., Dec. 14, 2020.
TWH – Daniel Darling, Senior vice president of communications for National Religious Broadcasters, a major evangelical nonprofit, was fired from his position last Friday after he appeared on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” and spoke about getting the COVID-19 vaccination and urging others to do the same.
“I believe in this vaccine because I don’t want to see anyone else die of COVID. Our family has lost too many close friends and relatives to COVID, including an uncle, a beloved church member and our piano teacher,” Darling told Scarborough.
According to an article on Religion News Service (RNS), he was terminated when he refused to issue a statement that he had been insubordinate by not remaining neutral on COVID-19. Darling made remarks on
Joe Scarborough’s show on August 2 and in an opinion piece published by USAToday the day before about getting vaccinated and encouraging people to consider getting vaccinated to prevent COVID-19.
RNS reported that the National Religious Broadcasters (NRB) told Darling “his statements violated the organization’s policy of remaining neutral about COVID-19 vaccines. According to the source, Darling was given two options — sign a statement admitting he had been insubordinate or be fired.”
Troy Miller, CEO of NRB tweet in response to the RNS story, refuting Darling’s claims that he had been fired, and instead citing that he left NRB’s employ after he was cited for insubordination and after he turned down an offer of “a path to another position that would have provided a significant salary and full benefits.”
My response to the RNS article. pic.twitter.com/BoJD40kaJf
— Troy A. Miller (@troymiller95) August 29, 2021
Despite Miller’s claims that Darling was not fired, according to RNS reporting the letter Darling received stated, “The employee is being terminated for willful insubordination.”
Darling wrote in his August 1 opinion piece, “There are not many things in the world today that are worthy of our trust, but I sincerely believe the COVID-19 vaccine is one of them. As a Christian and an American, I was proud to get it.”
With cases of COVID-19 continuing to surge within the U.S. and especially among those who remain unvaccinated–only 1-in-4 evangelicals are vaccinated–Darling’s support of immunization and encouragement of others to get the shot could make a difference.
In other news:
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- Earlier this month it was reported that a statue of the Goddess Hygieia was discovered in ancient city of Aizanoi, located in the current the region of central Turkey. Hygieia is considered a deity of health and cleanliness, and strongly aligned with women’s reproductive health in the modern sense. In Greek and Roman mythology she was also the daughter of Asclepius, the god of health and healing. Sadly, the life-sized statue is missing its head, but bears a serpent, something always found on statues of the Hygieia. Gokhan Coskun, the coordinator of the dig in the ancient city of Aizanoi said, “During past digs in Aizanoi, finds related to Hygieia were also found. This situation makes us think that there may have been some construction and buildings related to the health cult in Aizanoi during the Roman era.” The city of Aizanoi is 5,000 years old and close to the town of Cavdarhisar in the Kutahya province. It is also where one of the best-preserved temples to Zeus can be found.
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- Last a month, a couple of kilometers north of the village of Somek in Silifke (Greek Seleukeia) in Turkey, a Greco-Roman rock relief of the goddess Athena was reported as having been severely damaged and vandalized by what has been described as “treasure hunters.” The upper torso of the carving was previously damaged when dynamite was used on it and the eyes were removed. This time the carving was defaced with five more holes drilled into the carving, most likely to insert sticks of dynamite. No comment from Turkish authorities on the matter.
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- Meanwhile, the wild cows on the island of Corsica in France have decided they prefer their beaches without pesky humans cluttering them up. Last week The Times in the UK reported that a French man had been gored by a cow that took exception to his presence on the beach. He suffered an injury to his neck but is believed to be able to make a full recovery. This was the second cow-related incidence this year, as a 70-year-old woman was gored in the leg and had to be flown off the island to receive treatment for damage to her leg. The cows on the island are reported to have become more aggressive since having the beach largely to themselves due to the pandemic lockdowns. The population of cows number 15,000 with about half of those to be considered wild and not the property of farmers on the island. Residents have been advised to stay indoors and access to some of the public beaches has been restricted.
Last week a new study announced the discovery of a new species, Phiomicetus anubis, an amphibious whale that had four legs and the ability to walk on land. It was named for the region where the fossil was found, the Fayum Depression, and the Egyptian God, Anubis for its potentially “deadly bite and strong jaw” structure.
From the partial skeleton researchers excavated, they believe the whale to have measured over three meters (10 ft) in length, weighed roughly 600 kg (1300 lbs).
The study was published by the biological journal, Proceedings of the Royal Society B and authored by Abdullah S. Gohar, Mohammed S. Antar, Robert W. Boessenecker, Dalia A. Sabry, Sanaa El-Sayed, Erik R. Seiffert, Iyad S. Zalmout and Hesham M. Sallam.
Researchers uncovered the fossil of Phiomicetus anubis in 2008, but it was not until 2017 when the remains began to be closely examined and studied that it became apparent that it was a new and previously unidentified species of whale.
The fossils were unearthed from middle Eocene rocks in the Fayum Depression in Egypt’s Western Desert in rock structures that date to being roughly 43-million-years-old. Phiomicetus anubis belongs to the Protocetidae family, which is a group of extinct whales that researchers believe evolved from a deer-like mammal that lived on land but eventually evolved to live in the sea and is also the ancestor of modern whales.
In 2011 another type of four-footed whale, Peregocetus pacificus, was found in Playa Media Luna in Peru. Researchers compared it to having characteristics similar to a beaver or otter with a powerful jaw and tail, and limbs that could support its weight on land.
Finding other fossils of Phiomicetus anubis could help to provide researchers with a clearer picture of how modern whales evolved.
Tarot of the week by Star Bustamonte
Deck: Guardian of the Night Tarot, by MJ Cullinane, independently published.Card: Four (4) of Cups
The week ahead may hold a sense of vulnerabilities being exposed and contain the desire to withdraw or self-isolate as a form of protection. Using time away from others to process experiences and gain a new perspective can be helpful.
Conversely, withdrawing as a form of escapism or avoidance can lead to stagnation, or result in emotions obscuring the ability to recognize a clear solution or answer to problems.
Decks generously provided by Asheville Pagan Supply.
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