News

Changing Times—Changing Worlds: the metaphysical conference no one knows about

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KERHONKSON, N.Y. — For a conference started by “two little old ladies who didn’t know what they were doing,” Changing Times—Changing Worlds (CTCW) has all the hallmarks of an event that is poised to grow. Despite that description written by co-founder Tchipakkan, CTCW has many of the elements of much larger events, and this year its presenters offered a variety of in-depth topics such that can’t be easily found in books or blogs. Those two “little old ladies” were Tchipakkan herself, an “electic Pagan-Heathen-rustic,” and Jane Sibley, a Norse practitioner sometimes known as “Auntie Arwen.” However, the professional details and little extras present in this conference belie those self-deprecating words. Tchipakkan claims they didn’t know what they were doing because it has taken awhile to find a venue which feels like it would  be a good fit for the long haul.

News

Druid studying Pagan views on death

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DURHAM, England — A graduate student at Durham University has launched a survey aimed at better understanding Pagan attitudes to death, funerals, and ancestors. Thus far, Jenny Uzzell reports, the participation has been much more widespread than she might have hoped, meaning it could lay a foundation for more scholarship around these areas in the future. Uzzell is herself a Druid, and the bulk of her scholarship has been focused on British Druidry specifically. However, she’s looking for broader participation in this survey. “I am interested in building up as complete a body of research as possible, into the attitudes of Pagans to a range of subjects related to death and memorialisation, as well as beliefs about what happens to a person when they die,” Uzzell explained.

Editorial

Editorial: Journalism as Ministry

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“Ministry is fundamentally about serving the congregation, in contrast to being primarily about serving the gods,” wrote Sam Webster. That is essentially the role a journalist fills, and its particularly true for journalists who write for and about minority religious communities, such as we do here at The Wild Hunt. Just as a minister must sometimes stand apart from individual relationships to understand the spiritual needs of the entire community, Wild Hunt journalists commit to the credo that “we don’t stir the cauldron; we cover it.” Determining the difference between interpersonal conflict and newsworthy events requires what is perhaps the most slippery of spiritual tools: discernment. While in many polytheist and Pagan traditions, ministers by any name do not hold explicit authority over others, the respect and deference given them may cause them to be apart from the community that they serve.

Living

Church of All Worlds reaches half-century mark

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SANTA CRUZ, Calif. — America of the 1960s was in the throes of a renaissance, believes Oberon Zell, and he expects another one will shake up humanity in the coming decade. Zell’s public work as a Pagan began in that decade of cultural upheaval; he conducted his first water-sharing ceremony in 1962. Only a few short years later the Church of All Worlds (CAW) was incorporated. Through its newsletter, Green Egg, the Church of All Worlds became a focal point for contemporary American Paganism.

Paganism

Pagan chaplain joins Red Cross team offering spiritual care

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TWH –Whether it’s a shifting climate, rising intra-cultural tensions, or terrible luck, many natural and man-made disasters have been covered in the news of late. Hurricanes, earthquakes, wildfires, and even mass shootings can have similar impacts on survivors, despite the differences in cause and physical damage resulting from each. Those impacts can include psychological and spiritual harm. Although better known in Pagan circles as the executive director at Cherry Hill Seminary, Holli Emore is also trained in providing disaster spiritual care through the Red Cross. She recently returned from a trip doing just that in Las Vegas, in the wake of the concert mass shooting which recently took place.