INDEX, Wash.- The work of Archpriestess Belladonna LaVeau and the Aquarian Tabernacle Church of Wicca (ATC) were featured in a story by The Herald titled “Pagan church finds ‘sacred space between the worlds’ on Index riverfront“.
The ATC is a legally recognized Wiccan religious organization founded by Pete Pathfinder Davis in 1979. It’s one of the largest Wiccan churches in the United States and is known for its inclusive and ecumenical approach to Wiccan spirituality. The ATC’s mother church is in Index, Washington near the banks of the Skykomish River.
The ATC is based in Index, Washington, where it has its central headquarters. The church promotes and protects Pagan rights.
Editorial note: a previous version of the above paragraph was corrected. Our apologies to the ATC.
The ATC is known for its focus on environmental activism, religious freedom advocacy, and community building. It has established numerous local congregations, study groups, and educational programs throughout the United States and beyond.
In addition to its religious activities, the ATC also operates a seminary called the Woolston-Steen Theological Seminary, offering training and education in Wiccan theology, ritual practice, and leadership.
The Herald feature describes the work of the ATC and LaVeau’s vision of the work. The Herald quotes her:
What we really want to do is live off the land, and camp and drum and have fires — the smell of smoke in our hair, you know?” Bella LaVeau said. “Wake up out in a tent where the dew has fallen on you. … We’re really children of the Earth. That’s what we want to do. And so we live differently, and we have different values.
As an addendum, ATC’s Spring Mysteries Festival will take place in one week:
The inaugural lunar eclipse of 2024 will take place this coming Monday, March 25th at 3:00 AM Eastern, under the astrological sign of Libra. This penumbral eclipse will extend for over four hours, offering a spectacle visible across the Americas, the eastern portion of Australia, Japan, the western part of Africa, and Western Europe, as well as various oceans and sections of Antarctica. The eclipse will at 1:00 AM Eastern on Monday, March 25th, the eclipse will conclude by 5:30 AM Eastern. Approximately 95.57% of the moon will be shrouded within Earth’s penumbral shadow during this celestial event.
Astrologer Susan Levitt wrote “This full Moon trines Pluto in Aquarius bringing an intensity of insights and feelings for rewarding experiences. Keep communication channels clear because this full Moon begins the one-week shadow period before Mercury retrograde April 1 – 25 which can lead to mixed messages. Focus on your communication, and keep loved ones on the same page with you.”
Levitt, by the way, also made news. She was featured two days ago on California Live offering advice on spring cleaning using Feng Shui to amplify positive energy in living spaces:
Congratulations to Twin Cities Pagan Pride and Paganicon!
Paganicon took place this past weekend in Minneapolis and the social media accounts are fabulous. 🎉
Crossings of the Veil
Anthony Robin Faulkes, Ph.D., a distinguished British Humanities educator renowned for his profound contributions to Old Icelandic studies, bid farewell to this world on March 18, 2024. He was 86. Faulkes embarked on an illustrious academic journey that would leave an indelible mark on the study of Norse literature and culture.
Educated at Balliol College, Oxford, Faulkes displayed an early passion for medieval languages and specialized in Old and Middle English and Old Norse. Faulkes earned his master’s degree at Oxford and continued his research at the Birkbeck College, University of London. In 1973, he embarked on a new chapter as a lecturer at the University of Birmingham’s School of English, where he would eventually rise to the esteemed position of professor of Old Icelandic. He later earned his doctorate at the University of Iceland in Reykjavik in 1981.
Faulkes was a revered member of the Viking Society for Northern Research, serving as its president from 1986 to 1988 as well as an editor. His seminal research on Icelandic texts reshaped our understanding of Norse mythology and literature, earning him accolades and admiration from peers worldwide as well as the Heathen and Norse communities where his work is considered a cornerstone. Faulkes’s Everyman edition of Snorri Sturluson’s Prose Edda is one of the most widely-referenced texts for English-speaking Heathens.
Prof Faulkes was awarded the Knight’s Cross of the Icelandic Order of the Falcon by the President of Iceland in 1992 for services to Icelandic scholarship.
“Prof. Faulkes’ translation of Snorri Sturluson’s Edda was probably the second book about Norse mythology I ever read,” says our TWH colleague, Karl E. H. Seigfried. “I’ve repeatedly required it as a core text in my courses on myth and religion, and I regularly refer to it for both scholarly and clerical work. It deserves a place of honor on the bookshelf of anyone interested in the tales of ancient paganism preserved in Iceland.”
What is remembered, Lives!
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Announcements
COLUMBIA, SC — Today Cherry Hill Seminary announced the launch of a spring annual appeal fundraising campaign, “A Universe of Possibilities.” With a goal of $20,000 in both gifts and pledges, more than $11,000 has already been committed.
“Something that fascinates me about Cherry Hill Seminary is the multitude of people, groups and cities being changed for the better by our students,” said Executive Director Holli Emore. “Just a handful of examples are: serving a UU congregation as minister; running CUUPs groups; being hospital and hospice chaplains; offering spiritual direction services to clients; organizing a new tax-exempt Pagan congregation; leading a landed Heathen hof; teaching the arts for Pagans; active duty military service; running LGBTQ support groups; advising prison chaplains and management; and so many more things.
“How could we even begin to count how many lives Cherry Hill Seminary may be touching through our students?” Emore continued. “Then there is simply the enrichment experienced by so many who take a course out of curiosity and learn that there is a whole world of Pagan religious studies out there.”
A Universe of Possibilities appeal will run through April, or until goal is reached. Those wishing to contribute may visit this link
Cherry Hill Seminary serves Pagan and Nature-based communities by providing transformative education and empowering students to advance academically and lead spiritually, envisioning a world where people of Pagan and Nature-based spiritualities can receive competent and compassionate spiritual support.
Upcoming Events
Ivo Dominguez Jr. announced a 3-day summit called Shield and Spell: A Gathering for Witches, Healers, and Empaths. The summit will cover spiritual protection and defensive magic from April 2nd to 4th, 2024. They write “Shield & Spell Summit is here to guide you through these challenges and answer your questions with wisdom from seasoned practitioners. Join us to deepen your knowledge in auric protection and defensive magic.”
The event includes Chaos Magic by Azariel Flame, Crystal Magic with Nicholas Pearson, Anti-Vampire Wards with Alexa Branco, Auric Clearing workshop series with Wendy Mata, and a Zoom Q&A panel with Sen Elias from New Orleans City Crescent Conjure, Ivo Domingues the author of The Four Elements Of The Wise, Nicholas Pearson the Author of The Seven Archeotype Stones, and Aunt Carla the founder of The Red Soul Flower.
Details are available on the Shield and Spell Summit website.
IshtarFest is back!
TWH received word that “We are continuing Ishtarfest as an international virtual conference.” This year’s theme is “Passion & Strength: Sheroes & Heroes.” The content of this festival is Sumerian/Mesopotamian-based so that we can immerse ourselves and learn about our pagan roots in the fertile crescent. You do not have to be a practitioner of Mesopotamian/Sumerian Reconstructionism, though you will meet some at this festival for sure. The festival is open to all who wish to learn more about religious practices, myths, and beliefs 5000 years ago.
The organizers wrote: ” We have so many new presentations for you. There are opportunities for additional presentations.
Interested? Please submit a proposal.
This is Inanna and the gods of Mesopotamia; their passions run deep. In addition to traditional spirituality, feel free to explore deeper aspects of sexuality and body-positive empowerment. No nudity, but otherwise, let your imagination wander.
We encourage you and/or your group to write a class, a ritual, a cooking demonstration, perform music, or present any themed spiritual offering surrounding Sumerian mythology and culture.”
This is a virtual festival visit their website for additional information.
Circle Sanctuary’s Pagan Spirit Gathering (PSG) is one of America’s oldest and largest Nature Spirituality festivals. Since 1980, PSG has been bringing together Pagans of many paths and places to create community, celebrate the summer solstice, and commune with nature in a sacred environment.
Registration is now open for the 2024 Pagan Spirit Gathering, a national weeklong celebration of Summer Solstice, being held June 16-23 in south central Missouri, USA. This year’s theme is Resonating Radiance.
Pagan Spirit Gathering, also known as PSG, brings together Pagans of many paths and places to create and live in a magickal village community. The Gathering includes rituals, workshops, concerts, merchanting, bonfires, drumming, candlelight labyrinth, Pagan Leadership Institute, life passages programs, and other activities. Learn more & register
The Mystic South Conference announced that the sixth annual event will take place July 26-28, 2024! Mystic South is filled with workshops, educational abstract presentations, rituals, community building, and much more. With the backdrop of the grand city of Atlanta, be a part of our celebration of the diversity of the peoples and religious practices, both past and present, that make up the Southern US region.
The conference also announced that their tickets are on sale. Get your tickets now and, get some for your friends, your neighbors, or just some random person you met on the street!
Tarot of the Week by Star Bustamonte
Deck: Tarot of the Sacred Feminine, by Floreana Nativo, published by Lo Scarabeo.
Card: Seven (6) of Pentacles
The next seven days are liable to result in a renewed focus on long-term goals and who the energy and time being invested actually serves. There may be a need to take a step back to consider the larger picture in order to assess whether one is on the right track.
Conversely, it may be time to consider cutting bait and walking away from projects or work that have become unsatisfying or have not delivered the expected rewards. Additionally, there may be a variety of other opportunities that have been left unexplored as a result of too being focused on the task at hand.
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