Sit for a spell…. there’s a lot this week…
Let’s start with Leap Day!
2024 is a leap year, meaning Thursday, Feb. 29 (we think) is a once-in-every-four-year event. But it isn’t.
Briefly, leap days exist because of the fraction days of the Earth’s orbit around the sun.
Since leap years typically happen every four years (although there are some exceptions), our last leap days were in 2020 and 2016, and the next leap year will happen in 2028. The time required for the Earth to complete a full orbit around the Sun is not a whole number. The actual duration is approximately 365.242190 days. That quarter(ish) days gets corrected every four years by manifesting leap day.
But! There are more decimals! Those start adding up. So, we actually skip some leap days! (What!?)
If the year is divisible by 100 but not 400, we skip that year. No seriously, that is the rule.
We skipped the leap day in 1900, 1800, and 1700. We didn’t skip the leap day in 2000 but we will skip leap day in 2100 CE. Start the countdown.
Happy Leap Day!
Colibrí Cola de Oro (Golden-tailed Sapphire Hummingbird) Photo Credit: Marcial4 CCA-SA 3.0]
Two weeks ago, for reasons not entirely clear, news sources began reporting on the use of hummingbirds as a fetish in Brujeria and other witchcraft practices.
In some Latin American countries including Cuba and Mexico, for example, hummingbirds have traditionally been seen as harbingers of good luck when they cross your path and dance around you.
In Aztec stories, the hummingbird serves as the embodiment of the powerful sun god Huitzilopochtli. Legend has it that Huitzilopochtli was conceived when his mother embraced a bundle of hummingbird feathers—the essence of a warrior’s soul—that descended from the heavens. The hummingbird is revered as a symbol of strength in the ongoing struggle for personal growth and enlightenment, urging individuals to pursue their dreams.
In Cuba and Puerto Rico, the colibrí, or hummingbird, holds profound significance as a sacred symbol for the Taino nations. The hummingbird is revered for its role as the sacred pollinator, the hummingbird is integral in Taino tribal folklore as the disseminator of new life. Additionally, it symbolizes the rebirth of the Taino Indigenous people amidst the Caribbean diaspora.
But in some places, hummingbirds are reportedly caught and killed to prepare a spell where the hummingbird corpse serves as a fetish to pierce the heart of your love target. The story was originally reported in 2018 by National Geographic.
Last year, Audubon reported on the issue of hummingbirds in witchcraft practice. They also focused on previous articles noting “Let’s not sacrifice hummingbirds for witchcraft,” the eminent Mexican conservationist and hummingbird expert Maria del Coro Arizmendi Arriaga said in a 2019 interview. “These birds have always been good luck and carriers of good wishes, but alive, not dead. A dead hummingbird does not serve to attract good luck or love.” The underscored the vital role played by hummingbirds in pollination and the threat this practice places on them.
The story has resurfaced recently for unclear reasons. The publication, EL PAÍS, seems to be the most recent revival of the hummingbird story two weeks ago as a science feature.
The Wild Hunt has received several messages from concerned members of our community to investigate. As reported, hummingbirds are apparently used in Witchcraft in several practices and traditions. The problem is of sufficient concern that advocates like Audobon have raised the issue.
However, the practitioners we spoke with were horrified. Madrina Ana who is Cuban and practices folk magic in Miami gasped as we asked about the practice. “Intentionally killing a hummingbird is begging for retribution. It is not just dark magic. It is killing the sacred.”
Madrina Ana’s friend Martiza who is Puerto Rican and identifies as a Bruja, stared in disbelief. “Taking a life because of your lust is already a problem with your intentions. Killing a colibrí is worse.”
We should note that both practitioners were from the Caribbean and the news reports focused on regions in Mexico and the American Southwest.
The Wild Hunt will continue to track this story and report on our findings.
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Crossings of the Veil
Diane Lorraine Darling
05/19/1951 – 01/23/2024
On January 23, 2024, Diane Lorraine Darling transitioned to her role as a beloved ancestor. Born in Florida in 1951, Diane embarked on an extraordinary journey that defied convention and embraced countercultural values.
Leaving behind her conservative roots, Diane became a pioneering figure in the hippie movement. She resided at The Farm, a commune in Tennessee, where she helped introduced tofu and tempeh production to North America. Later, she delved into Buddhism under the guidance of Zenmaster Dainin Katagiri Roshi in Minnesota.
In 1975, Diane welcomed her son, Zachariah Dainin Darling, into the world. Together, they embarked on adventurous journeys, from living in a tipi on a Zen commune in Northern California to cycling across Europe.
Diane’s life was marked by activism and advocacy. She protested nuclear war, defended the redwoods, and championed ocean conservation. Her compassion extended to her career in medicine, where she served as a paramedic and nurse, touching countless lives in her community.
In matters of love, Diane was a trailblazer. She embraced and literally defined polyamory. She challenged societal norms, through deep connections with Oberon and Morning Glory Zell, Gary Ferns, and the Church of All Worlds. Her innovative spirit extended to her spiritual journey, where she blended Buddhist and Pagan traditions.
As an esteemed writer and editor, Diane revitalized Green Egg Magazine and contributed to the psychedelic movement. She believed in the healing power of psychedelics and advocated for cannabis legalization.
Diane’s love for animals was boundless, and she treated them as family. She found solace in their companionship throughout her life, demonstrating her unwavering compassion.
In her final days, surrounded by loved ones, Diane faced her terminal illness with grace. She expressed her desire for reincarnation as a symbol of freedom and connection to nature.
Diane’s legacy lives on through her son, Zack Darling, who continues her spirit of compassion and activism. Her profound impact on countless lives echoes through the community she cherished.
Blessed be, Diane Darling. May her spirit guide us, and her light inspire us. Though she has departed, her legacy of love and resilience endures.
Written by Zack Darling with the loving help of Diane’s best friend, Annie Brigid Waters.
Hail the Traveler! What is Remembered, Lives!
Edward “Ed” Fitch (Ea)
04/29/1937 – 02/24/2024
Thomas Fitch announced via Facebook that his father, Pagan Elder and Gardnerian High Priest Ed Fitch, had suffered a stroke on Friday, February 23, 2024. He wrote “To all friends of Ed Fitch: my father had a severe stroke yesterday and has lost his ability to eat. He is not expected to recover; he will be with us in this world a little longer, but not much. Please send any and all healing and comfort magic his way. My father has led an amazing life, but he’s dearly missed his friends near and far over these last few years.”
The community learned that Ed Fitch crossed the Veil on Sunday night, February 24, 2024.
Fitch, who was also known as Ea, was initiated by Raymond Buckland in 1967 while stationed at Hanscom Air Force Base in Massachusetts.
Ea played a significant role in the Witchcraft revival during the 1960s and 1970s. He was a prolific author and educator who appeared in public as a practitioner of Witchcraft to inform the broader community about Pagan practices. He is credited with introducing the concept of an “outer court,” providing a space for non-initiates to learn, participate in circles with an initiatory coven, and practice a non-initiatory form of Wicca.
Together with Joseph Bearwalker Nilson and Thomas Giles, he co-founded “The Pagan Way,” an outer court Neopagan tradition. Ed Fitch played a pivotal role as an editor for The Waxing Moon, a magazine initially established by Joseph B. Nilson in 1964, which was the first publication dedicated to Witchcraft in America (later renamed The Crystal Well). In the mid-1970s, Fitch was instrumental in organizing and chairing two Pagan Ecumenical Councils, leading to the founding of the Covenant of the Goddess (CoG). He continued participating in festivals, conferences, and organizations well into the 2000s.
Among Ea’s books are “Magical Rites from the Crystal Well: The Classic Book for Witches and Pagans” and “A Grimoire of Shadows: Witchcraft, Paganism, & Magick,” and “The Rites of Odin.”
His outreach into the mainstream was also prominent. Ea was interviewed by Tom Snyder for The Tomorrow Show in 1974 alongside Fred Adams of Feraferia, Carroll Poke Runyon of the OTA, and Isaac Bonewits of Ár nDraíocht Féin. Footage of the show isstill available via YouTube:
Hail the Traveler! What is Remembered, Lives!
Announcements
COLUMBIA, SC — Today Cherry Hill Seminary announced the launch of a spring annual appeal fundraising campaign, “A Universe of Possibilities.” With a goal of $20,000 in both gifts and pledges, more than $11,000 has already been committed.
“Something that fascinates me about Cherry Hill Seminary is the multitude of people, groups and cities being changed for the better by our students,” said Executive Director Holli Emore. “Just a handful of examples are: serving a UU congregation as minister; running CUUPs groups; being hospital and hospice chaplains; offering spiritual direction services to clients; organizing a new tax-exempt Pagan congregation; leading a landed Heathen hof; teaching the arts for Pagans; active duty military service; running LGBTQ support groups; advising prison chaplains and management; and so many more things.
“How could we even begin to count how many lives Cherry Hill Seminary may be touching through our students?” Emore continued. “Then there is simply the enrichment experienced by so many who take a course out of curiosity and learn that there is a whole world of Pagan religious studies out there.”
A Universe of Possibilities appeal will run through April, or until goal is reached. Those wishing to contribute may visit this link
Cherry Hill Seminary serves Pagan and Nature-based communities by providing transformative education and empowering students to advance academically and lead spiritually, envisioning a world where people of Pagan and Nature-based spiritualities can receive competent and compassionate spiritual support.
Pagans in the News
Rev. Alicia Lyon Folberth (via Keepers of the Flame)
Rev. Alicia Lyon Folberth was interviewed along with others by the CT Mirror about Pagans Stepping out of the (broom) Closet. “The Rev. Alicia Lyon Folberth created the Pagan Community Church, now known as the Panthean Temple of Connecticut, on Halloween of 1995 when she held a Samhain ceremony in her former home on North Avenue in Bridgeport. Griego attended some of the temple’s meetings as he began to immerse himself in pagan spaces.”
Rev. Selena Fox
Rev Selena Fox was interviewed by Defense News about Paganism and the military. Selena discussed the importance of spiritual guidance and the lack of Pagan chaplaincy in the military. She discussed the bridge-building work she and others have been working to expand resources and training for the military. She noted how important it is for those serving in the military to have their faith validated and accommodated with the inclusion of chaplains who have resources to support and serve Pagans in military service.
Upcoming Events
Ár nDraíocht Féin’s Chokecherry Grove (Denver, CO) will be holding a one-day virtual event on Methods of Divination on Saturday, March 16th, 2024.
Our planned speakers are as follows:
- ADF’S ARCHDRUID REV. JEAN “DRUM” PAGANO will talk about his new MOON ORACLE.
- G. R. GROVE will speak on the OGAM.
- JAMES “PIGEON” FIELDER will discuss GAMING DIVINATION.
- LISA LANYON will speak on the TAROT.
- The day will conclude with a PANEL DISCUSSION on IMPROMPTU DIVINATION: WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN YOU FORGOT YOUR TOOLS?
Each speaker will speak for an hour, followed by half an hour for questions. There will be two sessions in the morning, starting at 9:00 am MDT and 3:00 pm MDT. The sessions will be recorded, and copies shared with everyone who signs up. Note that this is a series of technical workshops and there will be no opportunity for personal readings.
The panel discussion will be followed by an ADF Core Order Ritual celebrating the first quarter moon and the Spring Equinox. To get an idea of what this will involve, see our ebook “Prayers and Invocations for Chokecherry Grove, ADF”. Everyone who signs up for the workshop will get a coupon code for a free copy.
Information is available on Chokecherry Grove’s site. They noted that the price for the whole day’s series of Zoom links is $10, and the payment link is on the sidebar to your right. (They also added that if the link is viewed on a phone, they advised to scroll down to the bottom to choose “view web version” to see the links.)
Circle Sanctuary’s Pagan Spirit Gathering (PSG) is one of America’s oldest and largest Nature Spirituality festivals. Since 1980, PSG has been bringing together Pagans of many paths and places to create community, celebrate the summer solstice, and commune with nature in a sacred environment.
Registration is now open for the 2024 Pagan Spirit Gathering, a national weeklong celebration of Summer Solstice, being held June 16-23 in south central Missouri, USA. This year’s theme is Resonating Radiance.
Pagan Spirit Gathering, also known as PSG, brings together Pagans of many paths and places to create and live in a magickal village community. The Gathering includes rituals, workshops, concerts, merchanting, bonfires, drumming, candlelight labyrinth, Pagan Leadership Institute, life passages programs, and other activities. Learn more & register
The Mystic South Conference announced that the sixth annual event will take place July 26-28, 2024! Mystic South is filled with workshops, educational abstract presentations, rituals, community building, and much more. With the backdrop of the grand city of Atlanta, be a part of our celebration of the diversity of the peoples and religious practices, both past and present, that make up the Southern US region.
The conference also announced that their Early Bird tickets are on sale. Tickets are $135 until February 29, 2024 (Yup, it’s a leap year!) get them now and, get some for your friends, your neighbors, or just some random person you met on the street! The clock is ticking, lock in savings today!
Tarot of the Week by Star Bustamonte
Deck: Afro Brazilian Tarot,by Alice Santana, artwork by Giuseppe Palumbo, published by Lo Scarabeo
Card: Three (3) of Pentacles
The next seven days are likely to have a focus on the confidence and success that are the result of collaboration. The ability to overcome obstacles with perfection is liable to attract notice, and possibly even a bit of fame. Recognizing the level of participation by teammates in securing successes will be key this week.
Conversely, failure to listen to and consider the ideas of collaborators is likely to lead to disharmony, and undermine and even completely derail group projects.
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