Image credit: Bruno /Germany from Pixabay
PHILADELPHIA – A new quarterly newsletter, The Philly Pentacle, just published its first edition. According to the director, James Stefanowicz, The Philly Pentacle will be, “A compendium of articles, recipes, sacred poetry, art, and details for upcoming magickal events…”
Stefanowicz noted that the newsletter will be free and “distributed within various locations throughout the city (quarterly).” For those outside of the Philadelphia area, he also stated, “Digital copies are now available on the Philadelphia Pagan Pride website.”
In addition to being the director of The Philly Pentacle, Stefanowicz is also the founder and High Priest of the South Street Circle, Professor at the Grey School of Wizardry, and Ritual Coordinator for Philly Pagan Pride.
Courtesy of James Stefanowicz via Facebook.
In the first edition of the newsletter, Stefanowicz’s opening Letter from the Director recounts a recent experience at an often visited and much-loved park that outraged him and helped fuel the idea for The Philly Pentacle after a conversation with a sister-Witch in his tradition:
During our chat, I was made aware of a Pagan newsletter that existed in the late 1980’s and early 90’s called “Leaves from the Tree” (formerly known as PhilaNor News). Based in Philadelphia, the newsletter was jam-packed with the art, essays, rituals, and recipes of local community members and provided information regarding public workshops and rituals. It was a written bridge.
Not long after our discussion, my idea to resurrect a newsletter was born. The determination necessary to see it through was begotten by the spirit of preservation, and a heartfelt desire to honor the foundations on which the Philly magickal community was originally built.
When the internet was still in its infancy and social media was yet an unshaped dream in the mind of developers, much of the Pagan and Pagan-adjacent community relied on newsletters and magazines to share ideas, stories, art, and events. It was a way to stay connected and as Stefanowicz points out, “… was a written bridge.”
This was also during a time when most magical shops produced a multi-page monthly newsletter that was available to customers and was also mailed, often to hundreds of customers. As blogs and social media became the predominant way to connect and stay informed, the majority of these publications seemed to become extraneous, and most either ceased to exist or moved to digital formats.
TWH itself was born out of a blog seeking to fill the gap left by the diminishing number of newsletters and credible news sources serving the Pagan and Pagan-aligned communities.
Stefanowicz closed his letter by outlining the future he envisions for the newsletter, “It is my sincerest hope that in time, The Philly Pentacle becomes a tool with which our community can be strengthened, lasting friendships can be forged, wisdom can be shared, and magick wrought.”
♠ ♠ ♠
Warning: The section below contains details of suicide.
PEEBLES, Ohio – In the early morning hours of March 16, a death that occurred at Serpent Mound State Memorial in Adams county has been reported as an apparent suicide. Few details have been released, and the decedent, whose name has not yet been released, is reported to have been from Indiana.
Reports state that the body of the deceased was discovered in the “mouth of the serpent,” with probable cause as being from a gunshot wound. The park closes to visitors at 4:00 pm on the days it is open, and speculation suggests the person entered the park during the late or early morning hours.
Serpent Mound is considered to be a sacred site by many Indigenous groups. Philip Yenyo, Executive Director of the American Indian Movement of Ohio, made a brief statement on March 17 via the group’s Facebook page stating:
It has been confirmed, that this afternoon, someone from out of town came to the Serpent Mound. This person sat in the mouth of the Serpent and committed suicide. This sacred site has now been desecrated. The site is now closed.
This is all we know right now. Updates will follow.
Serpent Mound was initially closed but appeared to have been reopened for the weekend according to the Peebles Messenger.
Via the Peebles Messenger Facebook page
So far there have been no other updates on the investigation or the person’s identity.
After the vandalism of the conical mound that is part of the site in 2015, more cameras for surveillance were supposed to have been installed. It is unclear if the extra cameras were ever installed, and if they were whether or not they are still in operation.
A digital GIS map of Ohio’s Great Serpent Mound – Image credit: Timothy A. Price and Nichole I. Stump in March of 2002 – CC BY 2.5
Serpent Mound is the largest serpent effigy mound in the world. It spans 1,348 feet in length and ranges from three to nine feet in height, with a width of anywhere from 20-25 feet depending on the section. The earthworks site has been radiocarbon dated to be 2300 years old (300 BCE), and its construction is attributed as most likely being that of the Early Woodland Adena culture (ca. 500 BCE–CE 200) due to evidence of their presence was located just south of the structure.
Serpent Mound was last in the news in December of 2020 after fundamentalist Christians from Pass the Salt Ministries in Hebron, Ohio traveled to the site to allegedly “pray to cleanse the space of its ‘pagan’ energies.” They were met at the site by Philip Yenyo and other Native American elders who attempted to prevent the ministries’ members from entering the site for it to “be taken in the name of Jesus.”
Editorial Note: Mental health is a serious challenge experienced by millions of people. If you feel you need to speak with someone, there are many options. If you feel you or someone is in crisis, call 911 or 988 in the United States, in Canada 833-456-4566, in UK contact NHS or Samaritans at 116 123, Wherever you are, there is a crisis hotline. If you need assistance to find treatment services in the USA, call Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357). SAMHSA also has a Behavioral Health Treatment Services Locator on its website that can be searched by location.
Announcements:
- The Fredrick Pagan Pride Day announced that it is seeking applications for entertainers, event sponsors, local groups and charities, vendors, volunteers, and workshop and Ritual Leaders for their 7th annual Pagan Pride event, scheduled for September 9, 2023. Organizers request all inquiries be made via their website.
Upcoming Events:
- Circle Sanctuary will be hosting its Welcome Spring Festival on Saturday, March 25 from 9:00 am to 4:30 pm (CDT) at Circle Sanctuary Nature Preserve near Barneveld, Wisconsin. The event will feature workshops and crafting, rituals, a nature walk, and an Ostara egg hunt. Selena Fox will offer a Spring Divination workshop that will also be accessible online. More details on the event and Fox’s divination workshop can be found on
- Circle Sanctuary announced last week that registration for Pagan Spirit Gathering is now open. The annual event includes a variety of vendors, workshops, music, and rituals.
- The Scottish Goddess Conference 2023 will be held online from September 13 – 17 as well as in person in Paisley, Scotland on September 16, 2023. This theme for 2023 is “Oracles of the Divine, and will be dedicated to all things related to communicating with the other realms and spirits. From oracle work to séance, spiritism, necromancy, omens, trance work, psychedelic plants, medium, divination methods, ancient oracles, and much more!” Speakers include Professor Daniel Ogden, Dr. Jeffrey S. Kupperman, Kristoffer Hughes, Caitlin Matthews, Ivo Dominguez, Jeff Cullen, Chris Allaun, Lucya Starza, Starr Ravenhawk, Susana Aguilar, Michael Mayo, and Cara Hamilton. Super Early Bird Tickets are currently available on the Scottish Goddess Conference Website. The Conference will also hold a Virtual Goddess Market till September and a live Goddess Market at the event venue at the Wynd Centre in Paisley, Scotland, to support the Goddess Temple Alba.
- The Goddess Temple Alba, with its aim to open a Community Space for Pagans in Scotland, will be hosting several Charitable Goddess Markets this year. The first one was held on February 4, and the next is scheduled for April 29 and will celebrate Beltane, and the third market will be held during the Scottish Goddess Conference on September 16. According to the organizers, “All donations towards spaces for traders will go directly to the Goddess Temple Alba Fund towards a space. Ness Bosch, the Head of the Goddess Temple Alba, and some of the members of the Temple are working very hard to open this Temple space! Go and support the Goddess Community in Scotland by paying a visit to the forthcoming Goddess Markets!” Those interested can now also join the Goddess Community In Scotland Facebook Group to keep up with goddess happenings in Scotland. Anyone interested in securing a space as a trader/vendor with the Goddess Markets can email the organizers. All markets will take place at the Wynd Centre in Paisley, Scotland.
In other news:
- As construction crews began to clear the way for a new Aldi Supermarket in Olney, Buckinghamshire, the discovery of a Roman brickwork mosaic was made. Archaeologists from Oxford Archaeology declared the site as holding “archaeological remains of high significance.” According to the archaeologists working the site, the mosaic is comprised of red, white and blue tiles and features “vibrant colours and intricate decorative patterns.” Since the site likely extends beneath Warrington Road, it could not be fully explored or examined. A decision was reached to leave the mosaic in place after Oxford Archaeology consulted with Historic England and the Milton Keynes Council. It will be covered to protect it during construction of the supermarket. John Boothroyd, senior project manager at Oxford Archaeology, as reported by the BBC said, “Due to the site location we anticipated some notable Roman remains, but the discovery of this fantastic mosaic far exceeded those expectations. To be able to preserve remains of this quality and importance is a brilliant outcome, and one that could only have been achieved with the support of Angle Property.”
- Last Thursday the Houston Zoo announced that the radiated tortoises, Mr. and Mrs. Pickles had welcomed three new offspring into the world–Dill, Gherkin, and Jalapeño. As the Zoo put it, it is a “big dill.” The radiated tortoise, native to Madagascar, is critically endangered and produces few offspring. And while captive breeding programs have seen some success, tortoises in the wild could eventually become extinct. Mr. Pickles is a mere 90 years young while his partner, Mrs. Pickles is nearly half his age at 53. The Association of Zoos and Aquariums considers Mr. Pickles to be the most genetically valuable radiated tortoise in its Species Survival Plan. According to the Zoo, newly hatched trio of offspring are being kept in the Reptile & Amphibian House until they are older and large enough to join their parents. The eggs were moved to Reptile & Amphibian House once they were discovered since it was unlikely they would have hatched due to the composition of the soil they were laid in. As for the new offspring, the Zoo said their shells are distinct in their patterns and colors which allows for identification: Jalapeño has the darkest shell, Dill’s shell is lighter and Gherkin’s lighter shell has a white dot in the center.
On the Spring and Fall equinoxes, the body of the serpent is created by sunlight and shadow on the balustrade on the northeastern side of the pyramid El Castillo, also called the Temple of K’uk’ulkan in Chichén Itzá.
Thousands of people visit the site to see the genius of the Mayan architects on display during the equinoxes.
The archaeological site of Chichén Itzá on the Yucatan peninsula of Mexico is one of the most important city-states in pre-Hispanic American history in Mexico and receives over 2,500,000 visitors each year.
A new museum is planned for the site, which will replace a smaller building that was closed about ten years ago. While the building is still in the planning stages, the groundwork will be done manually to cause the least amount of disruption to the existing structures and is likely to proceed very slowly.
A time-lapse of the serpent of light from 2012 shows how the body of the serpent descends to its carved head at the bottom of the northeastern stairs.
Tarot of the week by Star Bustamonte
Deck: Robin Wood Tarot, by Robin Wood, published by Llewellyn Publications.
Card: Six (6) of Pentacles – Gratification
This week holds the potential of “paying it forward,” possibly in the form of charitable giving or the sharing of wealth to help or repay past aid. The remembrance of past favors received may spur new actions to help others.
Conversely, giving aid–financially or otherwise–that is not feasible can create personal instability and debt. Be mindful of the harm that jealousy and greed can cause to the bearer of such intentions and actions.
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