Covenant of the Goddess Releases a Statement on the Events in Minneapolis
Goddesses such as Brigid and Minerva call their communities toward justice, truth, and responsibility. These are values the Covenant holds as a community of faith and shares with many others.
Recent events in Minnesota, where Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations have been marked by fatal shootings and widespread protest, urge us to speak and remind us of the vital importance of truth-telling in governance and the protection of all members of our society.
The Covenant is deeply concerned for the safety and well-being of all members of our community, including Witches, Pagans, and people of other minority faiths who live, work, and practice in Minnesota and beyond. We are also concerned about the treatment and safety of undocumented members of our community and the risks faced by those who express support for immigrant communities.
As we approach Imbolc, the season of growing light and the Feast of Brigid, we are reminded how fragile that light can be and how readily it must be protected. Our traditions teach that harm done to any part of the community weakens the whole. We are troubled by the retreat from accountability in government actions and by the weakening of checks and balances essential to sustaining justice, particularly when enforcement actions result in cruelty, violence, and suffering.
The Covenant’s values call us to resist harm, to uphold responsibility rather than blind obedience, and to insist that authority be exercised with wisdom, truth, and care. We therefore call on those entrusted with power to act with restraint, to honor the dignity of all people, and to uphold the ethical responsibility they bear to the communities they serve.
The statement was released by National First Officer Manny Tejeda y Moreno1 , who added:
Speaking only for myself, I am compelled by conscience. As a U.S. citizen who entered this country as an immigrant and refugee, I am appalled by the lack of compassion being shown toward undocumented members of our society over what is, at its core, a civil infraction.
I am equally disturbed by efforts to obscure documented video evidence and to ask the public to deny what they are plainly witnessing. That is a pattern I have previously seen only in nations that do not share democratic values. As reported, the behavior of ICE runs contrary to the principles we are called to uphold as citizens of a democracy.
One of our shared beliefs is that all people, and indeed all living beings, deserve reverence. Our values emphasize responsibility rather than obedience. The actions attributed to ICE appear inconsistent with our ethical commitment to “Harm None,” and with accountability as a safeguard against abuse, harassment, and discrimination.
Some members of the Covenant have also expressed deep concern, which I share, for the loss of life, not only Renée Nicole Macklin Good and Alex Pretti, but also many others. The following names have been reported in public records and media investigations as individuals who died while in ICE custody or during ICE detention processes between January 23, 2025 and January 9, 2026:
Genry Ruiz Guillén, 29, of Honduras
Maksym Chernyak, 44, of Ukraine
Juan Alexis Tineo-Martinez, 44, of the Dominican Republic
Brayan Garzón-Rayo, 27, of Colombia
Nhon Ngoc Nguyen, 55, of Vietnam
Marie Ange Blaise, 44, of Haiti
Abelardo Avellaneda Delgado, 68, of Mexico
Jesus Molina-Veya, 45, of Mexico
Johnny Noviello, 49, of Canada
Isidro Pérez, 75, of Cuba
Tien Xuan Phan, 55, of Vietnam
Chaofeng Ge, 32, of China
Lorenzo Antonio Batrez Vargas, 32, of Mexico
Oscar Rascon Duarte, 56, of Mexico
Santos Banegas Reyes, 42, of Honduras
Ismael Ayala-Uribe, 39, of Mexico
Norlan Guzman-Fuentes, 37, of El Salvador
Miguel Ángel García Medina, 31, of Mexico
Huabing Xie, age unreported, of China
Leo Cruz-Silva, 34, of Mexico
Hasan Ali Moh’D Saleh, 67, of Jordan
Josué Castro Rivera, 25, of Honduras
Gabriel Garcia Aviles, 54, of Mexico
Kai Yin Wong, 63, of China
Francisco Gaspar-Andrés, 48, of Guatemala
Pete Sumalo Montejo, 72, of Philippines
Shiraz Fatehali Sachwani, 48, of Pakistan
Jean Wilson Brutus, 41, of Haiti
Fouad Saeed Abdulkadir, 46, of Eritrea
Delvin Francisco Rodriguez, 39, of Nicaragua
Nenko Stanev Gantchev, 56, of Bulgaria
Geraldo Lunas Campos, 55, of Cuba
Luis Gustavo Nunez Caceres, 42, of Honduras
Luis Beltran Yanez–Cruz, 68, of Honduras
Parady La, 46, of Cambodia
ADF Archdruid Released a Statement
Rev. Jan Avende, Archdruid of Ár nDraíocht Féin: A Druid Fellowship (ADF) released a statement describing “ICE Atrocities.” They described ICE activities as being blatant and clear violations of human rights. “It’s wrong,” they said. “Unequivocally.”
Avende called on individuals to let hospitality be honored and restore community.
The full statement is available on YouTube:
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Community Statement on Privacy, Safety, and Accountability
Terry Riley, high priest of the Southern Delta Church of Wicca-ATC, uses the music of AC/DC, T. Rex, Pat Benatar and other rock artists in rituals. [courtesy
Adding to his extraordinary work, Riley announced this week that he had received wonderful news from the Food Bank that they support in Jonesboro, Arkansas.
According to the food bank’s records, the SDCW-ATC Food Pantry in Lake City, Arkansas, distributed an astounding 184,346 pounds of food in 2025, including USDA provisions, serving more than 1,000 people each month.
Riley said that his deep thanks go to Glenn Garrison, Sarah Garrison, and the many dedicated church volunteers whose countless hours made this vital service to the community possible.
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Tarot of the Week by Star Bustamonte
Deck: Dancing in the Dark Tarot, by Gianfranco Pereno and Lunaea Weatherstone, published by Lo Scarabeo.
Card: 12, Knight of Swords
The incoming week is liable to trigger a strong desire to take action despite the number of obstacles or difficulties in order to achieve an important goal. The ability to think clearly and decisively is also a likely requirement. There may also be an emphasis on the ability to communicate exceptionally well in order to better understand the circumstances of an issue and the work necessary to resolve it.
Conversely, feeling frustrated or restless could result in taking a misguided or even rash approach to problem-solving. Additionally, overworking and operating at a breakneck speed are unlikely to yield the desired results. Having a steady focus and goal and not becoming mired down in irrelevant minutiae is perhaps the best advice for staying on track.
TWH – This weekend, many modern Pagans and polytheists will mark Imbolc, the fire festival sacred to Brigid, goddess of poetry, healing, and smithcraft. While traditionally observed on February 1 or 2, contemporary celebrations often extend across the surrounding week and weekend to accommodate work and family schedules.
February 1 also coincides with the feast day of Saint Brigid of Ireland, whose patronage spans poets, healers, blacksmiths, dairy workers, midwives, and newborns. In Kildare, a perpetual flame burns in her honor, housed in a statue that reflects her enduring spiritual legacy. This year, Ireland again observes St. Brigid’s Day/Imbolc as an official public holiday, celebrated on the first Monday of February and symbolizing the beginning of spring. The holiday was formally established in 2023, making it Ireland’s first public holiday named for a woman.
Historian Ralph Whitlock noted in 1982 that Candlemas (February 2), now largely overlooked outside Roman Catholicism, supplanted the far older pagan festival of Imbolc. A pre-Christian Celtic quarter day rooted in pastoral life, Imbolc marked the start of the lambing season—an agriculturally strategic time that shaped rural calendars long after the festival’s name faded. February-born lambs, Whitlock explained, were ideally timed for spring grazing and early summer markets, making the season economically vital despite harsh weather.
Across the Celtic world, Imbolc was also associated with Brigantia, a goddess venerated in Late Antiquity whose name survives in place names from Britain and Gaul to Iberia and Central Europe. The late scholar Alexei Kondratiev described Brigantia’s fire as both solar and fertile, strengthened as daylight returned. Candle-lighting rituals, he wrote, symbolized encouragement of the sun and relief that longer days no longer required carrying a flame into the morning fields.
The February 1–2 vigil also holds meaning beyond Celtic traditions. In African diasporic religions such as Lucumí and Ifá, it marks the Feast of Oyá, orisha of winds, storms, death, rebirth, and ancestral gateways. February 2 is likewise sacred to Maman Brigitte, a powerful lwa of the dead. Author Lilith Dorsey has described this period as one of her most cherished devotional times, honoring the “fiery one” associated with justice and wisdom.
Other traditions observe this liminal season as well. Some Celtic reconstructionist paths honor the three-day combat between Cú Chulainn and Fer Diad, believed to have occurred during these midwinter days. In the Urglaawe Heathen tradition, February 2 begins Entschtanning, a twelve-day observance focused on hearth purification and honoring female ancestors. In Japan, Setsubun on February 3 marks the seasonal division between winter and spring, with rituals to drive away winter’s spirits, alongside evolving observances such as Hadaka Matsuri.
The theme of returning light also appears in secular and contemporary religious observances, from EarthSpirit Community’s Feast of Lights to Groundhog Day, when Punxsutawney Phil offers his annual forecast. Meanwhile, in the Southern Hemisphere, modern Pagans are entering their harvest season, celebrating Lammas, Lughnasadh, and related festivals as autumn approaches.
Reflecting on this season, psychologist and Wiccan high priestess Vivianne Crowley has written that Brigid and Brigantia remind us to hold fast to wisdom, integrity, and community in times of upheaval. Honoring science, history, and mutual support, she suggests, allows new light to emerge even amid profound change.
The Wild Hunt wishes our readers many blessings this season. Even amid the challenges of our world, may you still find time to honor the returning or resting light, wherever the sun shines upon you.
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1. Disclosure: Tejeda y Moreno is also the editor-in-chief of The Wild Hunt. His comments on behalf of CoG do not necessarily reflect the editorial position of TWH and are reviewed by an independent editor.↩
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