Circle Sanctuary’s Rev. Selena Fox’s image was used in a deepfake video of Assistant Secretary of Health and Human Services Dr. Rachel Levine
Rev. Selena Fox
A video circulating widely on X claims to show Rachel Levine, the highest-ranking openly transgender official in the U.S. federal government, performing a Pagan ritual in a wooded area.
The footage is manipulated; the original video features Selena Fox, founder of a nature spirituality church in Wisconsin.
The misleading post, shared on November 19, 2024, states: “Assistant Secretary of Health and Human Services Dr. ‘Rachel’ Levine is also a High Pagan Priestess. Get behind me, Satan.” The 18-second clip shows an individual in a purple gown chanting and touching a rock while singing: “Equinox power of equinox right, equinox balance of day and night.”
The post has been deleted.
Adam Sarvana, spokesperson for Levine’s office, confirmed that the individual in the video is not Levine, describing it as a “likely face-swap deepfake.”
Rev. Selena Fox, the actual person in the footage, identified the video as an altered version of her September 15 Instagram post. Fox is the founder and senior minister of Circle Sanctuary, a nature spirituality church based in Wisconsin.
Fox expressed frustration over the unauthorized use of her video, noting the addition of glasses that she does not wear and the superimposed face of Levine. She has been working to report the fake video and get the misleading posts removed. “This was not done by me and was not done with my permission,” she said this afternoon. “No one contacted me to ask permission.”
The video gained traction amid a rise in anti-LGBTQ rhetoric following the nomination of anti-vaccine activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead the Department of Health and Human Services. Similar posts targeting Levine appeared on Facebook, using the doctored clip to contrast Kennedy with Levine, who serves as the assistant secretary for health.
Fox, who supports transgender rights, called the timing of the posts “horrible,” noting their proximity to Transgender Day of Remembrance on November 20. She condemned the deepfake as an attack on her religious freedom and creative expression.
Fox emphasized the importance of combating anti-trans hatred and bigotry while protecting the rights of individuals to practice their religion and express themselves freely. “May some good come out of all of this challenging situation,” she shared.
The Advent Sun Wheel Wreath Ceremony celebrates its 20th season!
(Congratulations!!)
Winter Solstice Sunrise (2010) – Image credit: By Winter Solstice Sunrise 2010 by Sian Lindsey, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=106942447
WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina – The Advent Sun Wheel Wreath Ceremony is facilitated by Beth Owl’s Daughter. It will begin this Sunday, November 24, 2024, and continue through the Winter Solstice on December 21.
The ceremony is a “a very gentle, inclusive, yet quite potent tradition.” The focus of the ritual is to promote connection and unity, gratitude, and sacred observance of the turning of the wheel to the Winter Solstice. The simple ritual and conducted at him. All you need is a wreath and five candles. Everyone is welcome as the ceremony is open to anyone of any path or belief.
and even if one of the Sundays has been missed, the candles can be lit in accordance with the week of the cycle.
Beth Owl’s Daughter writes “It’s very simple. You only need a wreath and five candles. Starting on SUNDAY, Nov. 24, around dusk wherever you live, you’ll light one candle, spend time in quiet or prayerful observance, then extinguish the flame. The next week you will light the first candle, and then a second one.”
“This ceremony is live, but private — in your own home or sacred space,” Beth Owl’s Daughter shares about the Advent Wreath ceremony. “Yet you are not alone. We are with you in spirit, simultaneously praying, singing, or in silence, while lighting our candles. Listen! With all your senses. The feeling is unmistakable and quite powerful.”
More details about the ceremony, its history, and its intention are available on Beth Owl’s Daughter website.
Protestors spraying powder on Stonehenge Photo via Just Stop Oil
LONDON – Two environmental activists have been charged for spraying orange paint powder on the Stonehenge monuments in southwest England in June, police announced Thursday.
Rajan Naidu, 73, and Niamh Lynch, 22, are facing charges of “destroying or damaging an ancient protected monument” and “intentionally or recklessly causing a public nuisance,” according to a statement from Wiltshire Police. Both are scheduled to appear at Salisbury Magistrates’ Court on December 13.
The protest, claimed by the group Just Stop Oil, involved Naidu using a fire extinguisher to spray orange powder on one of the vertical stones, while Lynch targeted three other stones before being stopped. The group released a video of the incident, stating that the paint was made of cornstarch and would dissolve in the rain.
English Heritage, the organization responsible for managing Stonehenge, confirmed that conservation experts had promptly removed the orange powder from the stones after the protest.
Last week, Tidal Films announced that the 2021 documentary, Under A Pagan Sky is now available on Vimeo.
From the excerpt:
In Under a Pagan Sky, we meet unique practitioners navigating the challenges of reinventing ancient Pagan religions to experience the sacredness of Mother Earth through community and ritual.
Filmed over three years, the film follows featured Pagans from the two largest traditions in Australia – Wicca and Druidry.
We join Tim OzPagan and Nuit’s Veil Coven to share in their moonlit rituals, designed to create other worldly states. The witches explore less chartered aspects of their psyche and commune with different Gods and Goddesses. Tarot is enlivened in theatrical ritual with Babalon’s Rising Coven. Druid, Julie Brett, shares her experience of popular traditions like Christmas through a Pagan lens. We’re introduced to the ritual experience of Awen where Druids attune to the flowing spirit, the essence of divine inspiration. And we see Awen in action as featured Druids participate in an emotive, climate change rally in Canberra. Old customs are given a modern twist as Druids come together for the evocative burning of the Wicker Man at the English Ale in Adelaide.
Academics Dr Caroline Tully and Professor Douglas Ezzy provide further creative and critical insights into contemporary Paganism. Bilawara Lee, Larrakia Elder, gives cultural protocols for Pagans practising their religion in Australia.
The documentary was filmed over different seasons in a variety of landscapes to capture the beauty and diversity at the heart of these nature-based religious practices.
Helen Browning, the director of “Under a Pagan Sky” spoke with The Wild Hunt in 2021. “I hope that it will create greater awareness and understanding of nature-based spirituality, particularly at this critical time for our planet.” The full interview is available on The Wild Hunt
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On to some other news!
Tomorrow is the long-anticipated US release of the film Wicked based on the eponymous musical, Or rather the release of Part I.
Wicked premiered at the State Theatre in Sydney, Australia, on November 3, 2024, and is set for theatrical release in the United States on November 22, 2024. The film has received overwhelmingly positive reviews, with critics praising Jon M. Chu’s direction, standout performances by Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, and Halle Bailey, the emotional depth, high production values, and its faithfulness to the original source material.
The musical premiered in 2003 at the Curran Theatre, San Francisco. It was based on the 1995 novel, Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire which itself was based on L. Frank Baum’s 1900 novel, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, and the famous 1939 adaptation of the original work by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM).
Wicked is a prequel to The Wizard of Oz, offering a reimagined backstory for the witches of Oz.
Wicked: Part One is directed by Jon M. Chu, known for his work on Crazy Rich Asians and In the Heights. The film stars Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba, Ariana Grande as Glinda and Jonathan Bailey as Fiyero. Other key cast members include Jeff Goldblum as the Wizard, Michelle Yeoh as Madame Morrible, and Ethan Slater as Boq.
The sequel, Wicked: Part Two, is slated for release on November 21, 2025.
The Magazine, Horns, released its Anniversary edition.
Courtesy HORNS Magazine
HORNS Magazine was founded in 2016 by Aden Ardennes, with new issues released on the Solstices and Equinoxes. Ardennes envisioned a publication that celebrated Gay witches without promoting a single spiritual path or shying away from the lusty desires and needs of its readers. Recognizing a shared yearning within the Queer community, Ardennes collaborated with fellow witches to create a magazine that filled this unique niche.
Each issue features a vibrant blend of homoerotic imagery, cartoons, and insightful content. Readers can explore articles and interviews with prominent and emerging Queer witches, pagans, and occultists from diverse traditions, all sharing their wisdom and experiences. The current issue will have its share of sexy Incubi lusting with past lovers and the spirits of gay sex, alongside our team of incredible Queer Witches sharing their expertise on ritual work and tips for the horned witch.
Inside their latest edition:
- Meet Allan Spiers, creator of the Sabbath Tarot & Sabbath Project
- Explore sex tarot spreads with Mat Auryn
- Realign your Vampyre soul with Buck Agrios
- Storm Faerywolf shares with us how to make a pact with The Devil
- Discover the Lady of Holy Death, Santa Muerte, with Markos▲ Gage
- Matthew Venus teaches how to properly enter the Necropolis and work the dead
Download your HORNS is available here: Halloween 2024 Digital Edition
Congratulations on 8 years!
Happening Soon…
Fundraiser to benefit the Hurricane Helene Relief efforts of Western NC
Ravens Keep Forge & The Tuatha De Morrigan proudly present Fulacht na Mór Ríoghna: Forging the Bonds of Community!
Join us for this Online ALL-DAY Workshop and sharing event to benefit the relief efforts in Western North Carolina. Not only is there a full day of live classes, many have donated recorded classes to also share with those who donate.
Presenters include: Morgan Daimler, Stephanie Woodfield, Christopher Penczak, Amy
Blackthorn and many more.
For a complete list of presenters visit the Event Page on Facebook
To register and donate go to: Raven’s Keep Forge Events
Tarot of the Week by Star Bustamonte
Deck: The Colorful Tears Tarot by Rebecca Schoenecker, published by Laughing Eye Weeping Eye.
Card: Major Arcana 0, The Dreamer (The Fool)
This week there is the potential for believing in and exploring infinite possibilities, unexpected new beginnings, and even maybe dreaming the impossible. A marked sense of freedom and being so unfettered that new realities seem more possible than in the past may also be a factor. Additionally, an emphasis on creative endeavors and thinking outside of the box is likely.
Conversely, sometimes impossible dreams in their raw form are just that—impossible. A reality check that results in reworking ideas and visions into a more practical approach or plan may be imminent. Dreams can still become a solid reality with a more critical eye for details and planning.
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