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Pagan Community Notes: Week of September 26, 2022

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WASHINGTON – For the first time in the 233-year history of the U.S. Congress there are now six Indigenous American representatives, and two non-voting Indigenous American delegates in the House, bringing the total to eight. Mary Peltola (D) is the first Native Alaskan to ever be elected to represent Alaska and places her as the sixth Indigenous American to hold a position as representative in the U.S. House.

Peltola joins Rep. Kaiali’i Kahele (Hawaiian, D-HI), Rep. Yvette Herrell (Cherokee, R-NM), Rep. Sharice Davids (Ho-Chunk, D-KS), Markwayne Mullin (Cherokee, R-OK), and Tom Cole (Chickasaw, R-OK). Rep. Cole holds the distinction of being the longest-term Indigenous representative, serving since being elected in 2003.

Aumua Amata Coleman Radewagen (Samoan – R) represents American Samoa as a delegate and non-voting member, and also Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan (Chamorro-D) represents the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands as a  delegate and non-voting member of the U.S. House.

Until Davids and Deb Haaland were elected in 2019, there were only two Indigenous Americans serving as voting members in Congress–Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) elected in 2013, and Cole (R-OK) in 2003. Delegates Radewagan and Sablan joined Congress in 2015 and 2009, respectively. Rep. Haaland went on to be confirmed as Interior Secretary in the Biden administration in 2021.

Rep. Kaiali’i Kahele pointed out in a tweet the historic shift in Indigenous American representation last week:

Announcements:

  • Image courtesy of COMPASS

    • FAIRFAX, Calif. – On September 17, 2022, family and friends gathered to celebrate the croning of M. Macha Nightmare. She is a long-time member of the Pagan community, one of the founding members of Reclamation Collective, and a member of the American Academy of Religion. Known for her involvement with interfaith work and the Marin Interfaith council, she has authored several books and co-authored of the Pagan Book of Death and Dying with Starhawk. Nightmare’s croning celebration was attended by friends and family of all genders, with several guests attending virtually. During the celebration Nightmare’s considerable accomplishments were shared, and it was evident that she is still an active member of the Pagan community. September 17, 2022, was proclaimed as M. Macha NightMare Day. She is currently working in conjunction with the Commons of Modern Pagan Spiritual Seekers (COMPASS) on the development of a support network for individuals involved in providing services to incarcerated Pagans and a group that supports individuals that work with death and dying. COMPASS adds that “Our Pagan communities are woven together in ritual, work, and celebration. The recognition of our elders—those individuals who have paved the way for our freedom to walk our chosen spiritual path—is an integral part of that community.”

    • Earth-based Spirituality Action Team (EBSAT) meeting on October 10 from 5:00 pm to 5:30 pm (PDT) featuring Green Cemeteries with Selena Fox and will focus on “Learn about Greening the End of Life through supporting Green Cemeteries, which combines the return of human remains to Nature with ecological restoration and environmental preservation. EBSAT is for anyone who keeps the sacred Earth at the center of their practice. We see action on climate change as an urgent moral imperative. We aim to reach out into our global communities and recruit volunteers for the Citizens’ Climate Lobby. We recognize and honor the spiritual nature of climate work.” The meeting will take place via Zoom Meeting ID: 890 3027 2698 – Passcode: CCL.

    • The Autumnal Equinox marked the 45th anniversary of the founding of the EarthSpirit community. In 1977, founder Andras Corban-Arthen along with two friends ritually formed the EarthSpirit Community which now spans 135 acres and is a Pagan sanctuary and nature preserve in the Berkshire highlands of western Massachusetts. On the EarthSpirit Voices podcast from February 2021, Corban-Arthen speaks about how he explored and adopted Paganism and went on to found EarthSpirit.

    • Liz Watkin of Open Coven will be hosting an in-person embroidery workshop at Asheville Raven and Crone on October 2nd from 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm. The workshop will cover all aspects of completing an embroidery. The project is a winter pentacle ornament. All materials are provided. Open Coven hosts workshops online and in-person on esoteric-inspired fiber art projects. The workshop cost is $25. Advanced registration is recommended since space is limited and is available online via Open Coven.

    • Professor Ronald Hutton, author of “Blood and Mistletoe: the History of the Druids in Britain” (and several other titles on Pagan religions in Britain) has recently been appointed the Gresham College Professor of Divinity. As such, he will be giving a series of free lectures (that will also be available for video-streaming online) on the history of pagan religions in Britain. This is really exciting news, since Grasham is the oldest college in Britain (established in 1597), and this is the first time that a non-Christian has been appointed to that endowed chair of Divinity. For any interested, information about Prof. Hutton’s forthcoming lectures can be online.

    Upcoming Pagan Pride Day Events:

      • Pagan Pride Day Los Angeles/Orange County 2022, sponsored by Pagan Pride Los Angeles, Inc. will hold its annual event on Sunday, October 2 in Rainbow Lagoon Park located at 400 E. Shoreline Drive in Long Beach from 10:00 am to 5:30 pm. The event is family-friendly and will include children’s activities, food trucks, information booths, rituals, workshops, and vendors. Picnicking is allowed. The park is accessible via bus lines 111, 121, 22, 232, and 3, and Metrolink Blue Line. A variety of parking options are available at varying costs. The event also advises that media will be present and conducting interviews and filming, but attendees can decline to be photographed or interviewed. Admission is free, but donations are accepted and will benefit a local charity. The event is open to the general public, and has a “no smoking or vaping policy.” Additional information is available on their Facebook event page.

      • South Jersey Pagan Pride will host its 18th annual Pagan Pride Day in Cooper River Park at the Subaru Pavilion on Saturday, October 1 and runs from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm at 936 Park Blvd near the intersection with S. Cornell Avenue in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. This year’s event will feature a variety of presenters that include James Jacob Pierri, aka Auset Gypsy, Tara-Love Maguire, and the Urglaawe Distelfink Sippschaft kindred, as well as entertainment, music, workshops, rituals, and vendors. Organizers request attendees bring non-perishable donations for the Food Bank of South Jersey. The event is family-friendly and leashed pet-friendly. Attendees can bring their own picnic lunches or purchase food from a vendor. Blades and alcohol of any type are prohibited.

      In other news:

        • A new discovery in a tomb in the central Chinese ancient city of Zhengzhou is thought to be 3,000 years old. A funeral mask made of gold is believed to be the oldest gold artifact to be found in the region. Similar masks that have been found were comprised of bronze and jade. The mask weighs about 1.4 ounces and measures 7.2 inches in length and 5.7 inches wide. The tomb where the mask was discovered dates to the Shang Dynasty (1600 – 1046 B.C.E.), the earliest dynasty recorded in China. The tomb itself covers approximately 10,000 square meters and contains over 200 other artifacts that range from axes and daggers to chalices and smoking pipes, as well as coins made from shells. By far the gold mask is to date the most significant find since it raises important questions as to how the gold was sourced and whether other sites in the region that have yet to be excavated will reveal similar finds.

        • Last Thursday, the Wisconsin Historical Society (WHS) released a statement announcing that a second dugout canoe had been excavated from Lake Mendota in Madison. WHS maritime archaeologist Tamara Thomsen initially discovered the canoe during a recreational dive in May. WHS maritime archaeologists and Wisconsin’s Native Nations immediately made plans to recover the canoe which was discovered in close proximity, within 100 yards, to the one located in November of 2021. While that dugout canoe was dated to be roughly 1,200 years old, this new find has been radiocarbon dating to be far older, dating to 1000 BCE and making it some 3,000 years old. The canoe was carved from white oak and measures about 14.5 feet long. Ho-Chunk Nation President Marlon WhiteEagle said, “The recovery of this canoe built by our ancestors gives further physical proof that Native people have occupied Teejop (Four Lakes) for millennia, that our ancestral lands are here and we had a developed society of transportation, trade, and commerce. Every person that harvested and constructed this caašgegu (white oak) into a canoe put a piece of themselves into it. By preserving this canoe, we are honoring those that came before us. We appreciate our partnership with the Wisconsin Historical Society, working together to preserve part of not only our ancestors’ history but our state’s history.”

        • Earlier this month, a statue of Hercules was excavated in northern Greece at the ancient city of Philippi by researchers from Aristotle University. The larger-than-life-sized statue depicts Hercules adorned with a wreath of vines, bearing the skin of a lion in his left hand, and carrying a club in his right which was uncovered in pieces. Researchers believe the statue dates to the second century C.E. but it was possibly repurposed as decoration for a building façade or as part of a courtyard with a large fountain during the Byzantine era 8th- or 9th-century C.E.


        Positively Noteworthy

        Last week, more stunning photos from the James Webb Space Telescope were made public. In particular, images of Neptune show its rings, some that had never been seen before. In this video from Anton Petrov, he outlines an issue the JWST is experiencing, as well as explores and explains new images from the telescope


        Tarot of the week by Star Bustamonte

        Deck: Mystical Cats Tarot by Lunea Weatherstone, and art by Mickie Mueller, published by Llewellyn Publications.

        Card: Major arcana, XIV Grace (Temperance)

        This week is likely to place an emphasis on balance that is achieved through adapting to changes and challenges with grace. The process for doing so is equally likely to require first locating an inner space of harmony within the self.

        Conversely, situations that are extreme or entirely overwhelming are a call to take a step back, set limits, and focus on self-care.

        Decks generously provided by Asheville Pagan Supply.

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