Pagan Community Notes: The Seeker’s Temple, The Patrick McCollum Foundation, CUUPS and more!

The Seeker’s Temple, based in Beebe Arkansas, has announced that it is closing its doors. In a Facebook statement, High Priest Bertram Dahl said, “The city of Beebe has not only managed to make things too difficult to stay open here, but are also attacking us personally and threatening the life of our family.” Tonight will be its final public meeting.

As we reported in June 2014, Dahl, with his wife Felicia, had moved to Beebe, where they re-established the Seeker’s Temple. After some time, the Dahls found themselves at the center of a local controversy due to ongoing conflicts with both the town and a neighboring church. As noted by the Temple’s announcement, those problems never ended. In a recent post, Dahl reports that many of his outdoor statuary were vandalized.

Despite the closure of the Beebe temple, Dahl did suggest that his days as a High Priest are not over. After the Dahl family relocates to South Carolina, he will reopen the Seeker’s Temple. In addition, he and his wife will be “appearing” at Tennessee’s Pagan Unity Festival and, as he noted, the “online pages will remain the same (Beebe can’t stop that).”

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The Patrick McCollum Foundation has provided further detail on its work to help victims of the Nepal Earthquake. Rev. McCollum said that the group has “forwarded all donations made so far to our team members in the area” where relief is in progress. “All monies are being used to purchase tents, blankets, medical supplies and food. The process of delivering these to the remote mountain villages is difficult, but we have people in place that are able to do so.”

More specifically, the Foundation has partnered with the Helambu region and is one of the only NGOs providing relief to this particular area. Rev McCollum explained that most organizations are focused on Kathmandu where there are “armies of aid workers and supplies.” The remote villages are less likely to be served or served quickly. Rev. McCollum goes on to say, “Helambu is a difficult to reach region of numerous remote villages and they have been hit exceptionally hard.” The most recent death toll for the entire country is now over 7,000, of which 500 are estimated to be from the Helambu region alone.

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The Covenant of Unitarian Universalist Pagans (CUUPS) has announced that it is reviving its annual “Continental Gathering.” This summer the organization is sponsoring its first convocation since 2004 and the theme will be “Awakening Our Tribe.” As noted in The Nature’s Path, a blog devoted to UU-Paganism, “It is time to awaken the spirit of Unitarian Universalist Pagans.”

Convocation will be held in Salem, Massachusetts and hosted by the First Church Unitarian, a 377-year old congregation with a wealth of history. Organizers announced, “Our guest speakers include people who have been long-time and new UU voices in Paganism and local voices in the New England region who bring new energy to the mix.” Those speakers include Rev. Shirley Ranck, John Beckett, Gypsy Ravish, Jerrie Hildebrand, as well as musical guest Silver Branch. Convocation will be held on July 24-26.

In Other News

• Polytheist Priest and spirit worker Anomalous Thracian has announced the purchase of over 3 acres of land, situated in a private wooded area not far from the New Hampshire border, on a small river, within Essex County, Massachusetts. The goal is to rebuild “a permanent polytheist Temple and oracular serpent sanctuary.” Thracian said that, in time, the space will host community rituals and be available for educational events and retreats. He also emphasized that the land “will see full-time religious use, with future opportunities for students-in-residence, guest priests, and visitors.” For anyone interested in volunteering or donating to the temple project, contact him at nomadicwisdom at gmail (dot) com.
• Wyldwood Radio has announced a fundraising campaign to purchase new equipment to cover more festivals and events. With new equipment, the station can grow and expand its media presence within the country. They said, “Our dream goal is to be able to raise enough to also cover the costs of buying suitable transport” to get their teams to and from the various locations. Wyldwood Radio is an “independent Pagan radio station based in the UK.”
• Beltane’s ACTION is out. In this issue, Blackwell interviews Pippah Hall, Lilith Dorsey, Sylveey Dawn, Crystal Blanton, Jay Bearden, Lou Florez, and Lady Sky Dancer.
• Everglades Moon Local Council, Covenant of the Goddess has published its Beltane Podcast. The Florida-based local council has been using podcasts for several years to share the experiences and talents of its members. The latest podcast includes several songs, tips for reading tarot, information on medicinal spices and more. Additionally, podcast creators included a recording of a workshop given at the brand-new Florida spring gathering, Equinox in the Oaks. The EMLC podcasts are typically published at every sabbat.
• Heathens United Against Racism (HUAR) will be hosting its first ever midsummer camp-out event. The goal, as stated on the event page, is to gather “as a community not only comprised of Heathens that are united against racism, but as a wider Pagan community coming together to discuss what goals we’d like to achieve, and how we will continue to make our visions of safe space within our communities a more common practice.” Sponsored by Solar Cross Temple, the HUAR event will be held at Shasta-Trinity National Forest in Northern California on June 19-21.

That is it for now. Have a great day.

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