SAN DIEGO – A lawsuit was filed last Friday against the California Department of Education by the conservative group, Californians for Equal Rights Foundation. The lawsuit alleges that the inclusion of an Aztec prayer in the state’s Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum violates the Establishment Clause of the state’s constitution.
According to reporting by The Los Angeles Times: “The lawsuit takes issue with words of affirmation and a chant that the state’s ethnic studies curriculum encourages schools to use. The affirmation is based on In Lak Ech, a Mayan philosophy that means, ‘You are my other me.'”
A poem penned by playwright Luis Valdez about the Mayan philosophy is referenced in the curriculum, as it is in other similar courses, “You are my other me, if I do harm to you, I do harm to myself, if I love and respect you, I love and respect myself.”
The concept of Nahui Ollin, or the Four Movements which represent self-reflection, knowledge, action, and transformation, is also part of the curriculum. According to Roberto Cintli Rodríguez, an emeritus associate professor of Mexican American Studies at the University of Arizona, each concept is connected to an Aztec deity.
While the lawsuit argues that a chant recited in the course constitutes prayer since it involves calling on the deities by name and seeks intervention from them, Rodríguez disputes this idea.
He told The Los Angeles Times, that Nahui Ollin is a concept and not a prayer, saying, “Nobody’s being forced to kneel and pray.”
The course is not mandatory.
The lawsuit also cites the inclusion of Aṣẹ or Ashe which is a Yoruba philosophy concept of “the power to make things happen.”
Californians for Equal Rights has also been vocal in its opposition to Critical Race Theory being taught in K-12 schools in California. Despite the California School Board Association issuing a document that clearly delineates the difference between ethnic studies and CRT, some conservative groups have continued to oppose any curriculum they view as supporting CRT.
CRT as defined by the CSBA: “emphasizes race as a social construct with social significance, not a biological reality. It acknowledges that racism is embedded within systems and institutions that replicate racial inequality — codified in law, embedded in structures, and woven into public policy.”
The law firm, LiMandri & Jonna which is representing Californians for Equal Rights Foundation in its filing against the state of California, has been involved in a number of lawsuits that are centered on promoting Christian rights under the guise of religious freedom. They also have ties to the Thomas More Society, a conservative law firm based in Chicago that promotes anti-abortion and anti-same-sex marriage ideology through litigation.
LiMandri & Jonna have brought lawsuits that include one that opposes the name change of the high school to Canyon Hills from Junipero Serra High.
Junípero Serra y Ferrer was a Spanish Roman Catholic priest of the Franciscan order and instrumental in establishing missions in California while it was under Spanish control. He is considered controversial due to allegations of abuse directed at Native Americans in his attempts to convert them to Christianity.
Another suit filed in December sought to make churches exempt from the public health orders imposed by the state during the pandemic.
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SALEM, Mass. – The Satanic Temple (TST) announced last week that it has been closely following the passage of the Texas Senate Bill 8. Citing the Texas Religious Freedom Restoration Act (TRFRA), TST said that it would seek exemption for members under the act. If the state declines to allow such an exemption, TST intends to “seek judicial relief from the law.”
As part of the statement posted on their website, TST stated:
The Satanic Temple stands ready to assist any member that shares its deeply-held religious convictions regarding the right to reproductive freedom. Accordingly, we encourage any member who resides in Texas and wishes to undergo the Satanic Abortion Ritual within the first 24 weeks of pregnancy to contact The Satanic Temple so we may help them fight this law directly. S.B. 8 does not allow for lawsuits or enforcement of penalties against anyone seeking an abortion. Instead, S.B. 8 is cynically designed to avoid judicial review of the law and creates enforcement mechanisms against TST and its lawyers who dare challenge the law. We will not be cowed into silence by an unjust law or a tyrannical state government.
In a released statment, attorneys representing TST also sent a letter to the Food and Drug Administration last week requesting access to the medications used as abortifacients without being subjected to the agency’s regulations. Typically, medications like misoprostol and mifepristone require a prescription and are accompanied by specific guidelines for use.
Under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, religious organizations may use certain substances as part of their ceremonies. For example, Native Americans are allowed unregulated access to peyote which is classified as a Schedule I substance.
By comparison, as part of the TST religious doctrine of Seven Tenets, and the outline of its Satanic Abortion Ritual requires a medical examination to determine whether there are “contraindications” to obtaining an abortion as defined by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists or the American Academy of Family Physicians.
The letter sent by the legal counsel on behalf of TST to the FDA states, “TST has every desire to ensure the health and safety of its membership… the issue is with governmental control over whether TST’s membership can obtain access to these drugs.”
In a statement, Lucien Greaves said, “In the spirit of existing law, this is a monumental step for religious freedom in the United States as a whole. Our members will be able to receive access to abortion care with no unnecessary and unscientific governmental interference and be able to rightfully place a deeply personal ritual in a context that comports with their religious beliefs.”
Rebecca “Becky” Krueger – December 20, 1955 – August 30, 2021
Becky Krueger [Courtesy]
Krueger was a talented seamstress who donated her time and talent to the Cosplay Repair Team at Tekko. She enjoyed heavy metal music.
While she was still in the early stages of her journey in Paganism, she worshipped Gaia and Danu. She is remembered by family and friends as being kind, generous, always thinking of others. Her daughter remembers Krueger for having “a large heart, accepting others for who they were, and being quick to adopt friends into the family.
Krueger is survived by her husband David Krueger, daughter Carrie Krueger, son Stuart Krueger, granddaughter Elsa, and her beloved cat Angel.
The family suggests that those who wish to honor her passing consider a donation to the Appalachian Bear Rescue.
What is remembered, lives!
In other news:
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- Last week the Scottish Parliament’s Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee formally took under consideration the petition brought by the Queen’s Counsel Claire Mitchell and writer Zoe Venditozzi as part of their Witches of Scotland campaign which seeks to gain pardons, a formal apology, and to memorialize those victims who were killed as “witches” under the Witchcraft Act of 1563. The committee has agreed to bring the petition before the Scottish Parliament but also requested more information. In a comment published by The Scotsman, Mitchell expressed her appreciation with the decision and said, “Each of the Committee members expressed a view that they wished to take the matter forward and are now seeking more information from us and from the Scottish Government about the mechanics of pardoning those convicted. We have a real opportunity to address a terrible historic miscarriage of justice which allows us to address our past and to remind us never to repeat it.” Mitchell and Venditozzi first launched their campaign for the actions outlined in the petition on International Women’s Day in 2020.
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- In related news, a plaque was erected in St Margaret’s Park in Edinburgh next to the Corstorphine Trust’s Dower House to commemorate the unjust accusations of witchcraft against six women, Beatrix Watson, Margaret Bell, Marion Inglis, Katharin Gib, Elizabeth Scott, and Margaret Baillie and one man, William Scott. The seven were accused and executed between May and September of 1649 under the Witchcraft Act of 1563. Emma Cowan a local resident brought the deaths of seven accused to the attention of the Corstorphine Trust after reading about witch hunts in local historian Norah Carlin’s works. Cowan has also assembled a group of friends who are creating a tapestry that will honor each of the seven victims and be displayed within the Dower House once it is completed.
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- A new temporary exhibit titled, “Drinking with the Gods” opened at La Cité du Vin in Bordeaux, France “seeks to reveal the links established between wine, the gods and men in Greco-Roman civilisation.” Works of art that include some on loan from the Louvre Museum, the National Archaeological Museum of Athens, and the Gandur Foundation for Art in Geneva illustrate the connection between the Greek god, Dionysus, and the ritual consumption of wine at ancient festivals and other celebratory events. The collection in the exhibit will also feature the works of three contemporary street artists, MonkeyBird, Delphine Delas, and Rouge. The exhibit runs through November 7, 2021.
The fantasy novel series, The Wheel of Time, written by Robert Jordan with the last three books co-authored by Brandon Sanderson, is set to premiere as a series on Prime Video on November 19. The books feature a storyline that includes a variety of magical practices and ideologies that are reflective of the mythology of both Asian and European cultures.
The story was originally designed to be a six-book series but ended up spanning 14 volumes, in addition to two companion books and a prequel. The first book in the series was published in 1990, though Jordan began writing it in 1984.
Jordan died in 2007 before he could complete what would be the 12th and final book in the series. Sanderson was tasked with completing the final volume, working from extensive notes left by Jordan on how he envisioned the series ending.
Ultimately, it was decided that the final book was overly long and resulted in it being split into three additional volumes. The series has sold over 90 million copies worldwide and ranks in popularity in the fantasy genre next to Tolkien’s The Lord of the Ring series.
Tarot of the week by Star Bustamonte
Deck: The Uncommon Tarot, artwork by Shaheen Miro, text by Theresa Reed, published by Weiser Books.Card: Major arcana (XV), Devil
This week offers opportunities to recognize that which binds and the unhealthy situations that one can be trapped in. Overindulgence and obsession can figure heavily.
Conversely, the potential to transcend harmful behavior is within grasp. Freedom from ensnarement and recovery from addictive practices are possible.
Decks generously provided by Asheville Pagan Supply.
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