Courtesy: Higher Purpose Emporium
FORT WORTH, Texas – Another spiritual/metaphysical store and school is being trolled in Texas. The Higher Purpose Emporium at 505 W Northside Dr, Fort Worth, Texas, which goes by the tagline “This place is Wyrd.” HPE is a spiritual supply and Pagan store, a polytheistic Temple (operated by The Hall of Hekate, a Pagan church), a learning library, and a massive apothecary.
After HPE posted an event (image to the left), Texas Coalition for Kids (TCK), began posting about the Higher Purpose Emporium.
TCK posted on September 30th, 2024, on Facebook that “Pride events are inherently sexual and should never be open for children to attend. Stay tuned for more information on this protest.” TCK claims that “There is no telling how disturbing this event will be.”
TCK regularly posts a “Groomer Roundup,” demanding the end of LGBTQ+ events as they are part of “the sexualization of children.” The organization writes, “Schools have become indoctrination camps where activist ‘teachers’ brainwash students with gender ideology, Critical Race Theory (CRT), and anti-American values. Libraries are stocked with pornographic books that woke school boards refuse to remove. Concerned parents are ignored, and students are put last,” and that TCK’s aim is to “expose the Left’s attempts to propel these ideologies along with the people, sources, and institutions behind them.”
A search of public records does not appear to show any tax-exempt status for Texas Coalition for Kids or a corporate record. The donation link for the organization does not appear to record donations as charitable contributions.
Carlos Turcios, a Latino Conservative Activist and LUCA TX Director, Tarrant GOP 1207 Precinct Chair, posted, “Higher Purpose Emporium in Fort Worth, TX, is doing a Pride Costume Party open to all ages. HPE promotes witchcraft, the Temple of Hekate, and paganism. The owner, Ivy, has they/them/she, nonbinary/gender-fluid pronouns. Ivy does The Witches Whisk and Flying Devil’s Oil. This does not look family-friendly.” Turcios’ connection to TCK is not immediately clear.
The owner of the Higher Purpose Emporium, Lady Ivy, a Völva, Seer, Seið Witch, told The Wild Hunt, “We are okay for now,” but expressed concerns that the TCK and its allies will continue to target the store.
Higher Purpose Emporium was recently honored by Fort Worth Weekly as the “Best Metaphysical Store” in the area. Ivy wrote on Instagram, “Thank you all so much for the honor of this award once again. It has been disheartening with all this hatred and turmoil, but this is a reminder that this community is amazing, and we are truly a found family. Thank you all.”
Courtesy: Higher Purpose Emporium
Congratulations, Higher Purpose Emporium!
More information on the LGBTQ+ and Witchy event in question is available here.
TWH will continue to follow the story.
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS — At Chicago’s Occult Bookstore this Fall and Winter, Deconstructing Jealous Monotheism is just the beginning of the conversation.
The Chicago shop called simply “The Occult Bookstore” is the oldest occult shop in the United States. Tracing its roots to founder D.G. Nelson in 1918, the shop is the permanent public face of The Occult Spiritual Society, one of America’s registered nonprofit occult churches.
Having recently moved to a new location that includes a private outdoor space for rituals, The Occult Bookstore continues to serve the Chicago community as a hub for spiritual education and exploration.
Its current caretakers, Rev. Bishop L. Delon, D. Div. and Rev Bishop Lisa Gruber, reject the labels “owner” or “proprietor,” seeing themselves instead as being in a relationship of responsibility with the shop and the community it serves. All are highly experienced spiritual practitioners, and they have prioritized community service.
The shop provides space for local traditional communities to practice, and has been hosting donation-based “coffee klatches” where locals from all manner of spiritual backgrounds come to discuss philosophy, spirituality, and magic regularly since the 1990s.
Now they are adding a new offering to their ongoing programming: a series of five once-a-month class and discussion sections with Catherine Carr, Chicago local and author of “World Soul: Healing Ourselves and the Earth Through Pagan Theology.”
Carr’s background is unusual in spiritual spaces. Once a student of neuroscience and political science and a would-be Catholic seminarian, she left the world of clinical research to pursue a career in writing and publishing in 2016. In 2023 she published her first Pagan book, “World Soul,” and spoke about climate change and the dangers of jealous gods at the Parliament of World Religions.
She describes her book “World Soul” as an attempt to synthesize her knowledge from the sciences with her knowledge of world theologies. The book is designed to be basic enough to answer the questions of newer Pagans and interfaith audiences, but reviewers including senior Pagan clergy have described it as thought-provoking and dense with information.
“The Occult Society was really the first to encourage me to start teaching,” Carr told the Wild Hunt in our interview. “They kept asking when I was going to start teaching classes on this material because it was so needed. I tried to provide a structure for systematically talking about the unhealthy ideas so many of us are taught by imperialist religions, and people really seem to be responding to that.”
After Carr’s first two classes in Chicago sold out and attendees began asking when there would be more, Carr and the Occult Society reached their arrangement: a five-class course covering the logical problems with jealous monotheism, the science that shows why animism is essential to human survival, the latest findings in pre-Abrahamic gender theology, the economic and political roots of destructive theological ideas, and how to use one’s daily actions to build a better world on Pagan theology.
The first of the five classes is Deconstructing Jealous Monotheism. It will take place on Saturday, 10/12, with subsequent sessions scheduled for 11/9, 12/14, 1/11/2025, and 2/8/2025. Registration for one or all of these classes is available here. New classes will be added as their date approaches, and those who purchase the 5-class package by 10/12 will receive a 25% discount on the ticket prices.
“I really hope we can do some good here,” Carr told the Wild Hunt. “I try to teach the things I wish someone had taught me fifteen or twenty years ago. I hope my experiences and the information I can share reach those who need to hear them.”
We still need your support!
The Wild Hunt exists because of the generosity and commitment of our community. Your financial contributions and encouraging words make it possible for us to continue our work.
We are proud to be one of the most widely-read news sources in modern Paganism, with reporters and columnists dedicated to telling the stories that matter to our family of faiths. These are the stories you won’t find anywhere else.
If you value what we do and are able to help, here’s how you can make a difference:
Tax Deductible Donation | PayPal Donations | Join our Patreon
As always, thank you for your support of The Wild Hunt!
Do you have news to share with our community?
Announcements? Elevations? Events?
Let us know at pcn@wildhunt.org.
Happening This Weekend…
Twilight Covening (October 11-14, 2024)
The Earthspirit Community announced the Twilight Covening event last month and that they “have already filled more than half of the available spaces! Thank you. It feels good to know that so many want to attend again this year.”
They said “Again, we are prioritizing Clan assignments by week so that everyone has a reasonable chance of getting into one of their top choices. The first week filled up one Clan already, but there is space in many others – and frankly, all of the Clans that are on offer will provide something special to those who attend.”
The Earth Spirit Community wrote,
Twilight Covening is a continuous 3-day ritual that holds and shapes an intensive learning experience of Earth spirituality and a time to develop our collective wisdom in a shared sacred space as we move into the dark time of the year.
Each year since 1986, members of the EarthSpirit Community gather deep into ourselves and into communion with this time of year and with all of Nature. We explore the depths of a range of spiritual practices, learn new skills together and experience the joy and power of a living community ritual. We invite you to join us.
Twilight Covening is held in the autumn during the strong natural transition taking place all around us from light into dark, summer into winter, and outward focus to inward contemplation. During the gathering, we use this current of change, along with our focused practices, to find inspiration and insight that can feed us in the dark months to come and motivate us to make changes that we can use to deepen our own spiritual practice.
The intensive work of Twilight Covening takes place in practice-specific Clans of 10-15 people and in full-community rituals that flow together through the weekend.
More information is available on the EarthSpirit website.
Pagan Pride Los Angeles (October 13, 2024)
Here is a sample of offerings….
EBSAT Meeting 5:00 pm PDT to 5:30 pm PDT – Ame Vanorio “Climate Anxiety”
What will be shared?
Learn strategies for dealing with your climate anxiety from the author of “Climate and Eco-Anxiety: A Guided Journal and Workbook.”
The meeting will be hosted on Zoom and facilitated by a member of our Action Team.
Join Zoom Meeting or
Meeting ID: 890 3027 2698
Passcode: CCL
One more time: The Wild Hunt exists solely because of your financial support and the incredible encouragement from our community. We bring you stories you won’t find anywhere else—stories that matter deeply to our shared family of faiths and spiritual paths. Here’s how you can help keep the hunt going:
Tax Deductible Donation | PayPal Donations | Join our Patreon
Happening Soon….
November 1-3
Hekate is the Queen of Witches, do you know the specific rituals to worship Her and when to do them? This year Hekate’s Sickle Festival is happening on the Dark and New Moon, Nov. 1-3, allowing for the Goddess of Time and Space to be honored on the same days the ancients did.
On the Dark Moon (Friday), we honor Hekate with the Deipnon, a ritual of gratitude and cleansing. The Noumenia will be held on the New Moon (Saturday) to receive her blessings and honor new beginnings. Come and be gifted with a special altar piece for working magic with Hekate at this sacred time every month.
Enjoy Celia Farran in Concert, Drunken Divination, Workshops on Magic and Spell Casting, a Witches Ball, and Casino and MORE.
This year we are bringing back the Community Awards, so those in the Pagan Community can be thanked and recognized for the hard work they do. The Wild Hunt is being recognized for their impact to the community. We would love to have you join us and share in the magic!
For 2025…
Turning the Tide 18: “Lunar Mysteries” Festival is happening the weekend of February 7-9th, 2025. Reservations are now open and we are excited for you to reserve your spot! Come join Everglades Moon Local Council as we celebrate our 18th year of hosting our wonderful Turning the Tide Festival in Northern Miami-Dade County. This small but fantastic festival is full of rituals and great workshops. This year we are delving into the Lunar Mysteries Want to join us? Go to Turning The Tide 18 Reservation Link and Reserve your spot today.
Tarot of the Week by Star Bustamonte (Welcome back!)
Deck: Golden Black Cat Tarot by Helena de Almeida
Card: Nine (9) of Swords
This week is liable to offer up opportunities for renewal after possibly experiencing a dark night of the soul and indulging in one’s deepest, darkest fears and emotions. Focusing on the issues that may be blocking or obstructing moving forward could be key for moving forward.
Conversely, fearfulness and a refusal to forgive oneself for missteps and mistakes of the past can result in becoming so mired down that paralysis sets in and prevents all forward momentum.
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.