Pagan Community Notes: Week of January 22, 2026

 

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UK: Tribunal Rejects Charity Status for Esotericism Research Network

LONDON — A recent decision by the UK First-tier Tribunal has rejected an appeal seeking charitable status for the proposed Research Network for the Study of Esoteric Practice (RENSEP), a body intended to support academic research into esotericism, including Paganism, Druidry, Hermeticism, and related traditions. In a judgment issued January 16, 2026, the tribunal dismissed the appeal, finding that at least one of the appellant’s stated purposes failed to meet the requirement of being “unambiguously, exclusively charitable.”

The case, brought by trustees Andrea Centore and Bernd-Christian Otto, challenged a refusal by the Charity Commission for England and Wales to register RENSEP as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO).

At issue was whether RENSEP’s stated purpose—advancing education on esotericism—met the legal requirements of being exclusively charitable and demonstrably for the public benefit, as required under UK charity law. While the tribunal acknowledged that “advancement of education” can be a valid charitable purpose, it ultimately found that RENSEP failed to meet the necessary legal threshold. “If, for example, the Tribunal in determining this appeal could be sufficiently satisfied that the particular purpose of RENSEP was confined, for example, to ‘advancement of education’, as settled in law, and referred to earlier in this Decision,” the Tribunal wrote.

Central to the ruling was the tribunal’s conclusion that “esotericism” was defined too broadly and ambiguously. The panel held that the lack of clear boundaries around what would—and would not—fall within RENSEP’s remit created an unacceptable risk that non-charitable activities could be pursued under charitable status. The tribunal also expressed concern that some activities might confer private benefit, including support for individuals engaged in ritual practice, rather than serving a sufficiently wide public.

Expert testimony was provided by Ronald Hutton, among others, but the tribunal found that this evidence did not adequately resolve concerns about neutrality, balance, or public benefit. Importantly, the ruling does not prohibit research into esotericism or Pagan traditions; RENSEP may continue to operate as an unincorporated association. What the decision does make clear, however, is that UK charity law applies strict scrutiny when religiously adjacent or spiritually focused subjects seek state-recognized charitable status.

Reports on the case noted that A Charity Commission spokesperson said: “We welcome the tribunal’s decision, which upholds our decision that the Research Network for the Study of Esoteric Practice does not have exclusively charitable purposes for the public benefit.

“As registrar and regulator of charities, our role is to apply the legal test for charitable status, and the tribunal has confirmed that we did so correctly, and lawfully, in this case.”

For Pagan scholars, educators, and institutions, the case highlights ongoing structural challenges in gaining institutional recognition for the academic study of lived spiritual traditions, particularly when those traditions are still widely misunderstood or framed through suspicion rather than scholarship.

The Tribunal’s full decision and commentary are available to the public.

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“Restore America” Plan Includes Deporting Pagans (but that’s not all)

Dale Partridge via X.com

PHOENIX – In this week’s episode of bizarre musing on X,  Dale Partridge is recommending the repeal of women’s suffrage as well as the “Mass Deportations of Pagans.”

Partridge is a U.S.-based Christian author, entrepreneur, and online influencer known for blending faith, business ethics, and cultural commentary. He first gained prominence in the 2010s as the founder of Sevenly, a Christian-themed apparel company. Partridge has authored several books, including People Over Profit, Saved From Success, and Dismantling the Idols of Career and Success. Across this work, he critiques hustle culture and modern careerism while promoting evangelical Christian values centered on moral order, personal responsibility, and faith-driven purpose. He also runs a website on how the “church has neglected masculine discipleship in business, finance, and legacy building,”  which combines prosperity gospel theology with men’s rights advocacy.

Restoring America requires us to:

1. Submit to Christ
2. Attend Church Weekly
3. Close Commerce on Sundays
4. Mass Deportations of Pagans
5. Outlaw Islam, Hinduism, and Judaism
6. Outlaw Abortion and Homosexuality
7. Repeal the 19th

We can do this in 10-15 years.

— Dale Partridge (@dalepartridge) January 16, 2026

The ease with which Partridge advances proposals that would dismantle constitutional protections and criminalize religious pluralism remains deeply troubling. While his rhetoric regularly meets pushback from progressive Christians, secular advocates, and defenders of church–state separation, this instance was no exception. Responses on X ranged from detailed constitutional rebuttals to blunt expressions of moral outrage, underscoring the degree to which such statements resonate not as fringe provocation, but as a reminder of how openly authoritarian religious nationalism is now being articulated in public discourse. One respondent accurately observed on X, ” With all due respect, fuck you Dale.”

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“Sinners” Sinks Its Teeth into the Oscars with Historic Showing

Sinners has rewritten Oscar history. When nominations for the 98th Academy Awards were announced this afternoon, Ryan Coogler’s genre-defying gangster musical vampire film emerged as the clear standout, earning 16 nominations—more than any film has ever received in a single year.

The film, directed by Ryan Coogler, surpassed the long-standing record of 14 nominations previously shared by Titanic, All About Eve, and La La Land. Even accounting for the Academy’s newly added Best Casting category—also one of Sinners’ nominations—the film’s total represents a decisive record-breaking moment rather than a technicality.

Set in the 1930s and rooted deeply in Black cultural history, Sinners blends horror, fantasy, music, and social commentary in a way rarely attempted at a major studio scale. The Academy responded in kind, recognizing the film across nearly every major category, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor for Michael B. Jordan, Best Supporting Actress for Wunmi Mosaku, and Best Supporting Actor for Delroy Lindo, along with nominations for cinematography and screenplay.

Commercial success matched critical acclaim. Sinners sold approximately $368 million in tickets worldwide, reinforcing a broader narrative emerging from this year’s nominations: highly original, studio-backed films—once considered Hollywood’s most endangered species—are not only surviving, but dominating. While nomination totals do not guarantee wins, let alone a Best Picture victory, Sinners has already secured its place in Oscar history, reshaping expectations of what ambitious, culturally grounded genre films can achieve on cinema’s biggest stage.

Here is The Wild Hunt’s earlier review of Sinners

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Community Statement on Privacy, Safety, and Accountability

It pains us to make a statement like this, given the shared history, culture, and care that define our community. However, recent calls to identify volunteers at large, along with reported efforts to uncover, disseminate, and share personal information, have compelled the Board to act clearly and decisively.

The Board of Directors has voted to enact a Zero Tolerance Policy regarding doxxing and the sharing of personal or privileged information. Any individual shown to have engaged in these behaviors will incur an immediate year and a day ban from all Camp activities and platforms.

For much of our modern history, the subcultures, identities, and beliefs held by many whom we serve carried profound risk. Families were torn apart. Children lost parents. People were harmed, imprisoned, and killed. While many of us now experience a broader sense of safety in living openly, that reality is neither universal nor guaranteed.

Some members of our community must still keep parts of their lives separate in order to remain safe—personally, professionally, or legally.

While some choose leadership and the visibility that comes with it, continued persecution must never preclude someone’s ability to give back. Gaea Retreat Center exists precisely because sanctuary matters.

Our Board members and committee leads accept a level of public accountability inherent to leadership. That expectation does not apply to the many volunteers, team members, and community participants for whom Gaea is meant to be a place of refuge, learning, and belonging.

We ask our community to pause, reflect on our shared history, and consider the real-world impact of actions taken in moments of conflict or frustration. This community has been built on sacrifice, care, and resilience born of suffering. We will not allow that suffering to be repeated if it is within our power to prevent it.

Privacy is not secrecy.
Accountability is not exposure.
Safety is not negotiable.

We remain committed to protecting our people and the values that brought us together in the first place.
— Gaea Retreat Center Board of Directors

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Events and Announcements

More Events at our new Events Calendar

Tarot of the Week by Star Bustamonte

Deck: Zodiac Tarot, by Cecilia Lattari, artwork by Ana Chàvez, published by U.S. Games Systems, Inc.

Card: Major Arcana, XVII (17), The Star – Aquarius

This week may offer up some much-needed signs of hope, and perhaps even a light at the end of the tunnel for those who have been working through difficult situations and times. There is also the potential for shared emotions that support universal ideals, community, love, and compassion. Look for a renewal of spirit and the realization that anything is possible when the flow of magic is as strong as it is likely to be this week.

Contrarily, there is the possibility of feeling so overwhelmed as to question whether it is even worth it to continue on. It could even prove to be a test of faith and conviction. Best advice for the week is to apply some radical self-care and take the time to seriously look at where things stand. Re-evaluating and then reconnecting to what truly matters is apt to be key, as well as bolstering some trust in the self.

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