Status of Poseidon in Progreso, Yucatán, Mexico. Image via Facebook
MEXICO CITY – Authorities in Mexico have issued a “closure” order for a 10-foot-tall (3-meter) aquatic statue of Poseidon which was installed in May in the Gulf of Mexico off the town of Progreso, Yucatán.
Mexico’s environmental protection agency announced late Thursday that the statue, depicting Poseidon rising from the sea near the beach, lacked the necessary permits.
However, the statue was symbolically “closed” Thursday and may be removed entirely after a member of the Indigenous Maya community, Carlos Orlando Pérez Zaldívar, and his legal team, Indigenous Strategic Litigation, filed a legal complaint. Perez argues that the statue is implicitly foreign and does not belong on Indigenous shores. The complaint notes that the statue offends the beliefs of local Indigenous groups, who revere Chaac, the Maya god of rain, thunder, and lightning.
“Poseidón is a Greek deity attached to our Mayan culture. In our culture, Chaac is the god of the rain and water, Chaac (of the Yucatecan Maya Cháak “water”) was an important Mayan god linked to the water and above all with the rain, similar to Tláloc (Náhuatl), the Pitao Cocijo (Zapotec) and al Dzahui (Mixtec)”, Pérez Zaldívar said. “I have the human right that my Mayan culture be preserved, if there was an interest in honoring the gods of the water, the rivers and the seas, our Mayan culture has its own deities with it.”
Critics in the community have said that Tropical Storm Alberto in June and Hurricane Beryl earlier this month are attesting to Chaac’s displeasure.
Under Mexican law, any building project that could alter the ecosystem must file impact statements and obtain approval. Typically, Mexico’s environmental protection agency imposes fines or mandates environmental studies before allowing a project to proceed. Removal or demolition orders are issued only in rare cases.
The statue was removed on July 15, 2024.
HOUSTON – The University of Houston has confirmed that an 18-foot golden statue of a woman with two thick braids resembling ram horns was deliberately decapitated on campus this week as Hurricane Beryl crashed into the city. The controversial statue is titled “Witness” and was created by Shahzia Sikander, embraced by many students as a symbol of strength and denounced by others as “satanic” for its promotion of reproductive rights and women’s bodily autonomy, and has been a point of contention.
The vandalism follows several months of protests by anti-abortion groups after the statue’s debut on campus in February. “We were disappointed to learn the statue was damaged early Monday morning as Hurricane Beryl was hitting Houston,” said Kevin Quinn, executive director of media relations for the university, in response to questions. “The damage is believed to be intentional.”
In February, the Public Art University of Houston System promoted Sikander’s multimedia piece as it was installed at the Cullen Family Plaza on the campus south of downtown. The university held an opening ceremony for the statue, which features a patterned collar in homage to the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a champion of women’s rights.
Later that month, the university abruptly canceled Sikander’s speaking event after anti-abortion groups in Texas and across the country released scathing letters opposing the statue. The university cited “the unavailability of the artist” as the reason for the cancellation. Coogs for Life, a student-run anti-abortion coalition, joined Texas Right to Life, the state’s largest “pro-life” organization, to protest what they deemed a “satanic” statue on campus.
“It was a very violent act of hate, and it should be investigated as a crime,” Sikander told The New York Times this week. Sikander reportedly said she did not want to repair the statue or conceal the damage. “I want to expose it, leave it damaged,” she told NYT.
Best-selling author and Voodoo Priestess Lilith Dorsey announced a major new project in West Africa
In just a few weeks, Lilith Dorsey is headed to Mother Africa! They will be speaking at the first-ever Colloque International Des Arts et Cultures Vodou in Porto-Novo, Benin. At this Vodou Colloquium, they will present their paper “Voodoo/Vodou/Vodun Performance and Possibility: Magickal Modalities and Ritual in CyberSpace.” This is a momentous occasion that Lilith will document and share with the community and the wider world. This unique opportunity presented itself through their work with the New Orleans National Vodou Day committee, which celebrated its inaugural event in January of 2024.
Prior to Lilith Dorsey’s life as a best-selling author, Voodoo Priestess, founder of the House of Maman Brigitte, and member of the Voodoo Spiritual Temple of New Orleans for over three decades, they studied experimental film and video at New York University as an undergraduate and eventually went on to get a degree in anthropology. They returned to graduate school to complete their master’s in Cinema with a focus on Voodoo on film and also received a Culture and Media Certificate focusing on visual anthropology. Being in the unique position of being not only a Voodoo Priestess but also a trained anthropologist and filmmaker makes Lilith Dorsey the perfect person to turn this spiritual journey into a short-format documentary to share with all who may enjoy it. The film will not only focus on their part in the conference but also on this amazing spiritual experience in the birthplace of the Vodun religion.
It is their intention to also travel to La Porte du Non-Retour (The Gate of No Return) in Ouidah, a powerful monument to the over 1 million slaves who were forcibly deported from their homeland never to return; The Temple of Pythons, a historical site in Ouidah dedicated to the sacred serpents of Vodun; Monument Amazone, a 30-meter statue dedicated to the female warriors of Dahomey whose motto was “Win or die;” and Fetish Market, the largest Vodun market in the country famous for selling all types of ritual items.
Wherever possible, they will leave offerings and honor those who have come before, in addition to the ancestral spirits of the place with songs and prayers. These locations hold a special significance not only for the Vodou religion but for the history and herstory of the slave trade.
For those who would like to donate to support Lilith in this major project, there is a GoFundMe site available.
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Research Request
PARTICIPANTS WANTED
Project Title – By Whose Authority: ‘Accuracy’ of Ancient Greek Religious Practices by Contemporary Practitioners – Questionnaire for Ethnography Chapter
This study is being conducted as part of my, Aneirin Pendragon’s, PhD Thesis in the Classics Department at the University of St Andrews.
We invite you to participate in an online questionnaire concerning aspects of religious worship and the role of authority for adults (18+) who identify as Hellenic Polytheists or closely related religions that concerns worship of the Greek gods in a contemporary context. This questionnaire will take approximately 20-30 minutes. Individuals will have the option to elect to do in-depth interviews on a voluntary basis to expand upon what they answered within the questionnaire, to be scheduled with those who volunteer to do so.
If you are interested, please get in contact using the details below. You will then be given a Participant Information Sheet that further details my research and have the opportunity to ask questions, before being asked whether you consent to participate.
Contact Details
Researcher: Aneirin Pendragon
Prof Jason König (Supervisor)
Dr Ralph Anderson (Supervisor)
Contact Details:
Aneirin Pendragon
ap362@st-andrews.ac.uk
+44 (0)1334 462600
Prof Jason König (Supervisor)
jpk3@st-andrews.ac.uk
+44 (0)1334 462600
Dr Ralph Anderson (Supervisor)
rta1@st-andrews.ac.uk
+44 (0)1334 462600
Τίτλος Εργασίας
Σύμφωνα με Ποια Αυθεντία: Η ‘Ακρίβεια’ των Αρχαιοελληνικών Πρακτικών Λατρείας των Σύγχρονων Λατρευτών – Ερωτηματολόγιο για το Κεφάλαιο Εθνογραφίας
Η έρευνα αυτή διεξάγεται ως μέρος της διδακτορικής διατριβής της Aneirin Pendragon στο τμήμα Κλασικών Σπουδών στο Πανεπιστήμιο του St Andrews.
Σας καλούμε να συμμετάσχετε σε ένα ηλεκτρονικό ερωτηματολόγιο που αφορά τη θρησκευτική λατρεία και το ρόλο της αυθεντίας σε αυτήν για ενήλικες (18+) που προσδιορίζονται ως Ελληνικοί Πολυθεϊστές ή ως μέλος άλλης, στενά σχετιζόμενης, θρησκείας που περιλαμβάνει τη λατρεία των Ελλήνων θεών στη σύγχρονη εποχή. Αυτό το ερωτηματολόγιο θα διαρκέσει περίπου 20-30 λεπτά. Οι συμμετέχοντες θα έχουν την επιλογή να λάβουν μέρος σε εις βάθους συνεντεύξεις εθελοντικά, ώστε να αναπτύξουν τις απαντήσεις που έδωσαν στο ερωτηματολόγιο. Οι συνεντεύξεις αυτές θα οριστικοποιηθούν κατόπιν επικοινωνίας με τους εθελοντές που θα προσφερθούν.
Αν ενδιαφέρεστε, παρακαλείστε να επικοινωνήσετε χρησιμοποιώντας τα παρακάτω στοιχεία επικοινωνίας. Θα σας δοθεί ένα Έντυπο Πληροφόρησης Συμμετεχόντων, το οποίο αναλύει την έρευνά μου περαιτέρω και θα έχετε την ευκαιρία να κάνετε ερωτήσεις πριν απαντήσετε για το αν συναινείτε για τη συμμετοχή σας στην έρευνα.
Στοιχεία Επικοινωνίας
Ερευνήτρια: Aneirin Pendragon
Prof Jason König (Supervisor)
Dr Ralph Anderson (Supervisor)
Στοιχεία Επικοινωνίας: Aneirin Pendragon
ap362@st-andrews.ac.uk
+44 (0)1334 462600
Καθηγητής Jason König (Επιβλέπων)
jpk3@st-andrews.ac.uk
+44 (0)1334 462600
Dr Ralph Anderson (Επιβλέπων)
rta1@st-andrews.ac.uk
+44 (0)1334 462600
Announcements
The sixth annual Mystic South Conference 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!
Green Spirit Festival
Celebrate the first harvest of the year at Circle Sanctuary’s annual 3-day Green Spirit Festival from Friday, August 2nd to Sunday, August 4th at Circle Sanctuary Nature Preserve near Barneveld, Wisconsin.
The sacred wheel has turned and brought us to the season of the First Harvest. As summer begins to wane and fall begins, we’ll reflect on what we have sown and reaped. Join us as we gather to celebrate our harvests with a special concert on Friday night by Pagan folk musician and bard, Mama Gina.
Workshops, family programming, mindful nature walks, and a labyrinth will take place throughout the weekend. On Saturday, a hybrid workshop, Sacred Oak Magic will be offered both online and in-person. In this workshop, Rev. Selena Fox will explore Oak lore, ceremonies, symbology, and divinities associated with Oak trees along with ritual uses of Oak leaves, acorns, and wood.
Registration is required and the deadline to secure your spot is Wednesday, July 31st. You can register for one, two or all three days with options to attend the concert only for $25 and the online workshop on Sacred Oak magic for $20. Cost of in-person attendance for the full event is $135 for adults. To register, or to learn more, please the conference site.
Circle Sanctuary is a non-profit international Nature Spirituality resource center and legally recognized Nature Spirituality church. Founded in 1974, Circle helps people from many spiritual orientations connect with each other as well as with the spiritual dimensions of Nature.
Southern California Divination Conference
Anaheim, CA: Mark your calendars and secure your tickets, divination enthusiasts! The Commons of Modern Pagans and Spiritual Seekers (COMPASS) is thrilled to present the 2nd Annual Southern California Divination Conference, an exclusive event that will immerse Southern California in mystical insights and spiritual connections!
The portals will open on August 24, 2024, at our new location, the Crown Plaza Hotel, Costa Mesa, CA. This year, our theme is Dispelling Myths, Rumors, and Fantasies of Divination.
Join us for a transformative journey into the realm of the mystical, where seasoned practitioners and curious novices will explore ancient arts, modern techniques, and everything in between.
This year’s speakers include a diverse range of experts such as Thalassa, Jennifer Morris, Orion Foxwood, Juliet Kurth, and many more. Whether you’re drawn to Tarot, astrology, runes, or other forms of divination, this conference promises to ignite your intuition and deepen your connection to the unseen forces guiding our lives.
Don’t miss out on our early Bird Tickets, available online for just $75 and including a buffet lunch. On the day of the event, tickets will be $80 at the door. Secure your tickets through the COMPASS website before August 18 to enjoy this special offer.
Take advantage of this opportunity to immerse yourself in a weekend of magic, wisdom, and community. Save the date and get ready to unlock the mysteries of the universe at the 2nd Annual Southern California Divination Conference!
Tarot of the Week by Star Bustamonte
Deck: Tarot of a Moon Garden, by Karen Marie Sweikhardt, published by U.S. Games Systems, Inc.
Card: Major arcana XIV (14) – Temperance
The week ahead is liable to call for patience, moderation, and being mindful of where the balance point is especially as it applies self-care and self-restraint. There are apt opportunities for harmony and creating the perfect union for those who pay attention and know where the boundaries lie.
Conversely, situations that fall prey to impatience and lack of tolerance are more likely to result in conflict, general discord and even hostility. Taking a step back and a few deep breaths may be key to diffusing or even preventing an escalation in such cases.
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