Pagan Community Notes is a series focused on news originating from within the Pagan community. Reinforcing the idea that what happens to and within our organizations, groups, and events is news, and news-worthy. Our hope is that more individuals, especially those working within Pagan organizations, get into the habit of sharing their news with the world. So let’s get started!
On Thursday, Nov. 20, the Doreen Valiente Foundation (DVF) made a statement regarding the local showing of a horror film called The Wicca Man. The Liverpool Echo described the film, directed by Jacqueline Kirkham, as being “inspired by notorious Blundellsands-born satanist Gerald Gardner” and, as reported, is about a filmmaker who “[infiltrates] a witches’ coven with disastrous consequences.”
After the article was published, the foundation became inundated with requests to respond to the film and subsequent media coverage. However, DVF opted to issue a statement to its community and supporters instead. The message read, in part, “We don’t encourage public displays of outrage on behalf of Witches or Pagans in relation to this movie specifically. We believe that a low-budget, local movie for which even the local paper story could only attract 3 comments, mostly criticising the film for being poorly made, doesn’t deserve such attention and is best left to be ignored … That’s NOT to say that we don’t believe in standing up for the rights of Witches and Pagans not to be defamed! We just think that it is a long war to fight and picking the battlefields is the strategic key to success.” To read the full statement and reasoning, go to the Foundation’s site.
* * *
The Michigan Council of Covens & Solitaires (MCCS) has launched its Yuletide/Christmas “Adopt A Family” program. Organizers explain, “Every year there are children in the U.S. that go without presents for Christmas. There are children right here in Michigan that wonder where their next meal is coming from. DHS doesn’t cover everything, that’s where other organizations like MCCS step in.”
MCCS is holding a food and toy drive through Dec. 13 at The Smokey Crystal in Woodhaven, Michigan. Monetary gifts are also being accepted and will be used to purchase needed items that were not donated directly. The website also contains a link to the form used to nominate a family that may be in need of help this holiday season.
* * *
Over the past weekend, the American Academy of Religions held its annual meeting in San Diego. There were many Pagans in attendance including Sabina Magliocco Ph.D., M. Macha Nightmare, Jeffrey Albaugh, Chas Clifton, Amy Hale, Wendy Griffin, Rev. Patrick McCollum and others. The organization itself, as well as attendees, live tweeted with the hashtag #sblaar14 and #aar.
This year’s AAR meeting included discussions on climate change. During the event, AAR, in conjunction with the Public Religion Research Institute, released a report titled: “Believers, Sympathizers, and Skeptics: Why Americans are Conflicted about Climate Change, Environmental Policy, and Science.” The report was compiled from the “findings from the PRRI/AAR Religion, Values, and Climate Change Survey.” We will be reporting more on the AAR Pagan experience in the near future.
In Other News:
- Yvonne Aburrow announced the release of her book All Acts of Love & Pleasure: Inclusive Wicca. Published by Avalonia Press, the book “is a companion guide to inclusive Wicca, which includes all participants regardless of sexual orientation, disability, age, or other differences, not by erasing or ignoring the distinctions, but by working with them creatively within initiatory Craft.” It is currently available for pre-order.
- Photographer Daragh McDonagh left his adopted city of New York to return to his Irish homeland and “reconnect with the natural world.” After some time, he turned parts of his experience into a series of photographs that explore Irish Shamanism. The resulting collection is called: Daragh McDonagh: The Modern Pagan. McConagh told The British Journal of Photography that, in the photographs, he attempted to capture “a compelling presence that in some way reflects the inner spirituality of each sitter.” Some of his striking photos can be seen on the magazine’s website.
- “Lithuania Romuva elected a new guide, Inija Trinkūnienė,” as announced by ECER. Trinkūnienė has the distinction of being the first woman ever elected to this position of Kriva (supreme priestess). According to ECER, her election was part of broader discussions on “looking forward” into the religion’s future.
- Chas Clifton announced the release of a new anthology called Sexuality and New Religious Movements published by Palgrave Macmillan. According to a blurb on Amazon, “Issues relating to sexuality, eroticism and gender are often connected to religious beliefs and practices, but also to prejudices against and fear of religious groups that adopt alternative approaches to sexuality.” The book explores the subject through a number of different religions. Clifton is one of the essayists, and the co-editor is Henry Bogdan of The Pomegranate: The International Journal of Pagan Studies and Aries: Journal for the Study of Western Esotericism.
- On Nov. 20, Mythicworlds announced that “Einar Selvik, founder of the acclaimed Nordic band, WARDRUNA and a composer for the hit series, VIKINGS, on the History Channel will make his premiere appearance at Mythicworlds in Seattle on February 20-22.” He will be doing three workshops and talking about his involvement on Vikings.
That is all for now. Enjoy your day.
The Wild Hunt is not responsible for links to external content.
To join a conversation on this post:
Visit our The Wild Hunt subreddit! Point your favorite browser to https://www.reddit.com/r/The_Wild_Hunt_News/, then click “JOIN”. Make sure to click the bell, too, to be notified of new articles posted to our subreddit.
Great to Hear that Einar’s getting a higher profile! His musical and Religious credentials are top-notch!
Shame we can’t say the same about the historical credentials of the show…
Thankfully I’m far from being a super History buff so I guess I should still be able to somehow enjoy it when i finally watch it. (And I mean, how bad can it be? Mismatched belt-buckles? wrong type of felt used?)
The Anglo Saxons shown in posters for series three are wearing completely ahistorical armour and 16th century burgonet helmets.
Like…no? You kidding? Isn’t it supposed to be made by, like, the History Channel?
I am not kidding at all. It did the rounds on Facebook.
Yes, the History Channel made the show, but their historical credentials aren’t great.
Yeah, the History channel is mostly a joke. Their show line up, last time I checked, included reality shows like Ice Road Truckers, Mountain Men, and that nonsense Ancient Aliens bullshit.
1) Denmark is not mountainous.
2) Ragnar Loðbrók did not “discover” England: the Scandinavians had known of the island for centuries (at least), and had trade and political relations with Anglo-Saxon kingdoms since before the Viking era.
3) Scandinavian ritual specialists did not – in all likelihood – resemble the “Mouth of Sauron” character from the movie “The Return of the King.
I could go on, but I stopped watching somewhere in the first season, when my annoyance at the list of inaccuracies outweighed my appreciation of the show’s aesthetic properties.
I had heard about the mountainous thing before… I guess I’ll have to see for myself if this series can ultimately entertain me or not.
What I would love to see is a series that explored one of my favorite pet theories about that era: that the attack on Lindisfarne Abbey was a calculated counterstrike on the part of the Danes after the defeat of their ally (and the Danish king’s son-in-law), Widukind of the Saxons by Charlemagne; and that the burgeoning of Scandinavia as a heathen cultural force from the end of the 8th century was an intentional counter to the Christian Carolingians.
Cybeline priestess Francesca Tronetti is there at the AAR as well. Francesca is about to start her actual dissertation for a PhD in Goddess theology
Thank you for writing about our Adopt a family program