Editorial

Letter from the Editor

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Letter from the editor
There are times when journalists and editors have to tackle subjects that are difficult, complicated, and even deeply contrary to their own personal world view. We go in anyway, because that is our mission and our purpose. We go in anyway, because that is our personal and professional directive, similar to a doctor or nurse that cures the sick no matter who they might be. It is what we do. While The Wild Hunt was once a successful news blog, it has developed into a recognized news agency with a small team of dedicated and professional news writers who work by the ethical standards expected of objective journalism and who have a passion for their work as members of our collective communities.

News

Outback Steakhouse at center of latest occult conspiracy theory

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TAMPA, Fla. — Outback Steakhouse became the focus of the latest social media meme craze when a Twitter user suggested that the Tampa-based restaurant chain was connected to the Illuminati and had occult leanings. The claim was backed up by a series of map images demonstrating how the chain’s locations around the country always form pentagrams.

The initial tweet, dated July 27, resulted in a firestorm of speculation as can only manifest in a social media environment. Users began creating their own pentagram maps with responses such as ,”Hold the damn phone,” “I’m scared,” “What is going on here?,” and “Illuminati Confirmed.” Most of those memes do appear to have been created tongue-in-cheek, some more obviously than others.

Living

International Pagan, Heathen and polytheist communities: an overview

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TWH — Both the United Kingdom and United States are well known to have thriving Pagan, Heathen, and polytheists communities in one form or another. A few of the most commonly found Pagan religious practices, such as Druidry and Wicca, can locate their origins in one or both of those two cultures. Furthermore, for those people living within those two countries, it is often fellow community members and co-religionists who are most commonly given voice in the mainstream press, at local events, and even within the Pagan media sphere. This reality can make it difficult to see beyond one’s own national borders into other cultures where Pagans, Heathens, and polytheists may thrive. Over the years, The Wild Hunt has gone in search of such practices beyond the U.K. and the U.S., asking how ritual, belief, and community differ within those other societies.

David Lynch

The esoteric journey of Twin Peaks with ZB

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TWH – Twin Peaks was originally a surreal crime drama airing for two seasons in the early 1990s. Created by Mark Frost and David Lynch, the show first received rave reviews for its unique blend of storytelling and visuals. In 1991, New York Times reviewer William Grimes wrote, “For an intoxicating few months, ‘Twin Peaks’ seemed to be crackling away on every synapse in the collective American brain. The massively promoted two-hour pilot that kicked off the series just over a year ago lured nearly 35 million viewers, a third of the nation’s television audience.” Those numbers fell sharply over the season and into the second season, forcing the seemingly cultural tour de force to close up shop in June 1991 after only 30 episodes.

News

Paranormal research group seeks to include occult practices in studies

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JEFFERSONVILLE, Ind. — The Institute for the Study of Religious and Anomalous Experience (ISRAE) is looking for a home base from which to conduct its studies. The organization, founded by psychology professor Brian Laythe in 2009, is primarily a paranormal and parapsychology research group. However, as Laythe describes, they are also interested in occult practice and want to include the Pagan community in their work. “Much of parapsychology studies ESP or the movement or influence of objects as well as hauntings and paranormal phenomena,” said Laythe in an interview with The Wild Hunt.