Living

Column: Ancestral Practice, Altars, and the Mighty Dead

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Across many different cultures, lands and religions, honoring the ancestors of blood, bone, and of spirit is a common practice. Ancestral practices are very common in many Pagan practices during the month of October, honoring the thinning of the veil and the various traditions of the final harvest of the year. The Witch’s New Year, Samhain, the death and dying of the harvest season are all celebrations that of the turning of the wheel, and celebrate the Mighty Dead. While celebrations and ceremonies vary by culture and tradition, the power of this time is electric and brings about much excitement and worship. Lilith Doresy, author of the Voodoo Universe blog on Patheos Pagan Channel, recently wrote about some ancestral recipes, where she wrote, “Among the Yoruba peoples of West Africa the ancestors are honored as Egungun, while in Haiti the dead are often revered as Les Barons and Les Gedes, in Mexico they are honored as the Muertos, but no matter where one is located , prayers are offered up daily to give thanks to those who have come before.

Paganism

Column: Diversity and Underrepresentation at Pagan Pride Events

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September is often referred to as Pagan Pride month. Official Pagan Pride Day (PPD) events are a part of the Pagan Pride Project’s mission to “foster pride in Pagan identity through education, activism, charity and community.” According to the Pagan Pride Project website, “PPD Inc had 95 events happen across the USA; Canada; Mexico; Brazil; Columbia; Bolivia; Argentina; Chile; Costa Rica; Panama; the Dominican Republic; Rome, Italy; Vienna, Austria; and Plymouth, United Kingdom. Our 2012 attendance was 44,825.”
And while the Pagan Pride Project stakes claim to the PPD brand, many organizations are holding community events in September and marketing them as pride events for the Pagan community. September has become the official and unofficial month of “Pagan Pride” and events are held all over the United States to celebrate Pagan spirituality, educate the community at large, and to be a resource for networking, shopping, and entertainment. Every year these events happen and some may walk away feeling the enjoyment of a day in the sun with community, while others feel excluded or disenchanted with the outcome of the event.

Paganism

Column: Social Justice as Spiritual work in Paganism

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Interfaith has been a path that Pagans have become accustomed to hearing in our community, and very comfortable with the role that Interfaith plays in connecting our community of practitioners to the greater religious society. Covenant of the Goddess and Circle Sanctuary are examples of some of the prominent Pagan organizations that have invested time, money, and effort into developing trained Interfaith representatives. While Pagans in the Interfaith community continue to work toward religious tolerance, integration, and networking, we are hearing more about the work of social justice in the community. Is social justice becoming the new interfaith? University of Berkeley’s Social Justice Symposium defined social justice as “a process, not an outcome, which (1) seeks fair (re)distribution of resources, opportunities, and responsibilities; (2) challenges the roots of oppression and injustice; (3) empowers all people to exercise self-determination and realize their full potential; (4) and builds social solidarity and community capacity for collaborative action.”
Increased attention, advocacy and education have been seen within the themes of festivals, workshop offerings, Pagan blogs, and first-hand involvement in social justice activities.

Paganism

Column: Social Unrest and the Reflections of Pagans of Color

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The current climate of society has always directly influenced the cultural tone of the time. With increased racial tension in the United States, between Obama’s re-election, the dismantling of the Voting Rights Act, and the verdict in the Trayvon Martin case, these larger society issues also have a profound impact on Pagans and how we interact in community. Facebook, Google Plus, Twitter, and other social networking mediums have been flooded with reactions and responses to the most recent media bomb, the Trayvon Martin court case verdict, and everyone seems to be talking. What has become quite apparent in these discussions everywhere is the disconnect between different concepts of oppression, culture, cultural response, and empathetic exchange or cultural sensitivity. The widening diversity gap within the faces seen in Pagan groups and circles bring about a growing need to understand the complexities of cultural integration into the Pagan community.

Paganism

Column: Voting Rights Act, Independence Day, and the Pagan Response

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Today, July 4th, is Independence Day in the United States, the nationally celebrated mark of freedom in this country from the Kingdom of Great Britain. On this day in 1776, the Declaration of Independence was adopted and we begun a history of celebration of freedom, an ideal of freedom. Recent Supreme Court rulings bring many questions to the forefront about that ideal of freedom, and the idea that the United States has a history of writing social policy that does not actually equate to freedom for the ethnic minorities within this country. Slavery was still a legal institution here while we simultaneously adopted the declaration and celebrated freedom for Americans. Since the Declaration of Independence, and other such policies, did not give freedoms and rights to African Americans, what social and government policies did? And how important are those today?