TWH – “This night will be hard, very hard, but morning will come,” said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a late-night video statement following the invasion of his country by Russia on February 24th.
“This night the enemy will be using all available means to break our resistance,” added Zelenskyy. “This night they will launch an assault. This night we must persevere. The fate of Ukraine is being decided right now.”
As Ukraine battles for its sovereignty against an invasion by Russian troops ordered by President Vladimir Putin, the world has watched as a defiant Kyiv resists one of the most powerful armies on the planet.
The situation is fluid, complex, and generational. As of this writing, Kyiv continues to resist.
Pagans, Witches, Heathens, and polytheists have been responding in different ways to the crisis, offering emotional, spiritual, and even material support through being boots on the ground.
The religious organization TEMPLVM constructs temples for Roman deities and serves the Religio Romana community. It is based within Ukraine near the city of Poltova, about 200 miles East of Kyiv.
Canis Latrans is coordinating TEMPLVM’s emergency response and evacuation efforts in Ukraine. “I am working with volunteers and other organizations,” he wrote to TWH. “I would very much appreciate any assistance that you and your readers may be able to assist in helping to provide information and requests to your reader base from our efforts.”
Yesterday Canis said that volunteers trained in emergency response and volunteers of Nova Roma had been coordinating efforts to evacuate Religio Romana families across the Polish-Ukraine border.
“We have housing for up to 30 refugees at this point in Hungary & Germany,” said Canis, “but we are seeking to establish more housing. Our biggest issue at the moment is seeking EU passport holders who can drive our Ukrainian refugees from the Polish/Ukrainian border to our housing locations.”
This morning, TWH learned that Canis was injured and in surgery, but the other members of the Nova Roma community had been assisting the response. TWH will forward updates as we learn new information.
Yesterday evening, The Covenant of the Goddess released a statement in support of Ukraine through the organization’s Public Information Officer:
The Covenant of the Goddess stands with the brave citizens of Ukraine who are suffering an unwarranted and unprovoked attack. On Thursday, the invasion of Ukraine began with missiles fired by Russian troops and Russia’s movement across Ukraine’s borders.
The invasion of Ukraine by President Vladimir Putin is a blatant act of aggression and a shameful violation of international norms. This attack has already resulted in the killing of innocents and driving out thousands of families from their homes.
The Covenant condemns the actions of President Putin and his troops. Our support, prayers, and spiritual protections are offered unreservedly to the people of Ukraine.
This morning, the EarthSpirit Community’s Spiritual Director, Andras Corban-Arthen, released their statement on the Ukraine invasion:
The EarthSpirit Community join our voices to the millions of other voices around the world which strongly oppose and condemn Russia’s reprehensible invasion of Ukraine. The violent attack initiated by Vladimir Putin, with the support of the Russian government and armed forces, threatens not only the lives and the autonomy of the Ukrainian people, but of the rest of Europe as well. We hope that the powers of the world will stand by Ukraine at this dangerous time, so eerily reminiscent of the events which resulted in World War II some eighty years ago. We ignore the lessons of history at our own peril.
Dr. Patricia Robin Woodruff is an ordained minister, a Wiccan priestess of Stone Circle Wicca (USA), and a spirit-initiated Łemko bosorka, a type of shamanic Witch, who runs the “The Roots of Slavic Magic” Facebook group which has members from around the world including within Slavic countries. “So many of our members are frightened for folks they know or may even be in the thick of things,” she told TWH. “One fellow is in Ukraine and could hear the jets but said they weren’t in his town. Yet.
“Some folks in our group have ancestry from both Russian and Ukrainian heritage,” Woodruff continued. “Some hold a deep hatred against Russia for past wrongs against their ancestors and some have [generational] trauma that seems to be welling up. One person just said, ‘This night will be extremely hard. Please keep us in mind.'”
Berehynia from a beehive door in Slovenia [Photo Courtesy of Dr. Patricia R. Woodruff]
Many members in Woodruff’s group are working energetically for peace, invoking Береги́ня (Berehynia), the Slavic hearth mother goddess, or Vila, and protector of home. A statue of Berehynia tops the victory column called Independence Monument in Independence Square in Kyiv. The square and monument were built in 2001, to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the independence of Ukraine from the Soviet Union.
“The goddess Berehynia’s title may come from berech which means ‘to protect,'” said Woodruff. “Berehynia is one way to perceive the Mother Goddess Mokosh. Berehynia spreads her cloak of protection over people. Ironically both Ukraine and Russia have ‘claimed’ her as their protector. But she is a protector of life – all life.”
Morgan Sythove on behalf of the Pagan Federation International released a statement this morning in support of the people of Ukraine. Morgana said that the PFI has “been active in Ukraine for a number of years. This is their logo, epitomizing the rich fertile land, also known as ‘the Granary of Europe.’”
Logo of the Pagan Federation International – Ukraine [Used with permission]
The PFI said in their statement:
Pagan Federation International stands with our brave and courageous community in Ukraine. We share the pain of all those suffering and affected by the horrifying events of the last couple of days.
Let us hold close in our hearts all living beings impacted by the destruction of war. Let us reach out in unity and solidarity and call upon the help and blessings of Berehynia, she who stands as a symbol of independence, of a free Ukraine.
The PFI invoked Berehynia in support of Ukraine:
We call upon the spirits of the land
The Beloved Berehynias,
Sacred spirits of rivers and streams
Of healing and protection
Of this glorious land, of the golden fields under bright blue skies
To bless, heal, guard and keep safe from all harm
Women, children and men, our brothers and sisters
And our fellow beings, the animals, domestic and wild
And the lay of the land, the hills and valleys, rivers and fields
We call upon you and ask your blessings
To stop the pestilence and crimes of war
And to restore peace to the souls of all living beings.
Blessed be!
They asked the community to light candles in support of Ukraine while using the PFI Ukraine logo as a mandala to focus thoughts and prayers.
Link, a Wiccan priest in Miami, was saddened by the attack on Ukraine and its capital. He has visited Kyiv many times. He said Ukraine has had a tough history, especially during the 20th century, suffering at the hands of the Soviets and Nazis. His many Ukrainian friends explain that “the language is more than just spoken words, but cultural pride. One day I wanted to thank a work colleague for something very nice she did for me. I said in Russian spasibo (Спасибо), but to my surprise, her face soured and she said, wanting to teach me, ‘Don’t say that! Say Dyáhuyu (Дякую) instead.’” “Дякую” is Ukranian for “thanks.”
Link said the city is stunning. “They have buildings that are a thousand years old. I saw one smoothly paved street that was estimated at 200 years old. The ‘Baba Yaga’ statues are ancient figures of a series of Willendorfian-style women from Slavic mythology.”
“Kyiv also has a beautiful O.T.O. group there,” Link continued. “They were kind enough to invite me to one of their Gnostic Masses, which was done at that point in Russian. It was beautiful. When you hear a ritual in a language you do not speak, it teaches you to ‘feel’ the words, not hear them. When I returned on a subsequent visit, I was fortunate enough to witness their very first Gnostic Mass in English.”
Link also remembered the many states throughout the city as almost magickal protectors. “Statues are really, really big poppets!” he said. “A similar form of ‘statue magick’ exists within a Soviet-built monument called the Motherland statue. She holds a sword and shield above her head, invoking a powerful message which I interpret as “Don’t mess with my children.”
Editor’s note: TWH will be following events in Ukraine and updating our readers as the conflict progresses. If you are a reader in Ukraine or have connections to the country and would like to speak with TWH about your experiences, please send us a message to ukraine@wildhunt.org.
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