Culture

Column: 11 Influential Pagans of Color – a Discussion

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 Pagan Perspectives

There is something about a list in this culture: lists for best movies, most popular songs, best quotes of the year, best places to visit, most memorable books of the year. These are just a few of the many lists that are created in today’s culture every year. It is no wonder that the creation of lists are something that has also become a “thing” within the over-culture of Paganism as well. While we normally see the publication of these lists at the end of the calendar year, 2018 brought us a list early, starting conversations before the shifting of seasons begins. Everyone has been talking about the most recent list published on the Patheos Pagan blog Raise the Horns.

Culture

Editorial: Plagiarism, Fraud, and Illegal Sharing of Art

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Pagan Perspectives

In recent weeks, a round of discoveries were made concerning the uploading and sharing of digital versions of occult books. The collection, in this case, resided in a closed Facebook group named “Free Occult Books.” Since the group was discovered and reported by members of the watchdog collective Pagans Against Plagiarism (PAP), the group’s administrators appear to have made the group secret; it is no longer easily accessible, and the corresponding Dropbox account is either now private or removed. The reported 900+ books, however, which are listed in a PDF file posted in PAP, are still allegedly being shared in violation of copyright laws. The “Free Occult Books” Facebook group is not the first site to illegally offer digital books, nor will it be the last.

Culture

Column: the 15 Most Influential Pagans in Mexico

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Pagan Perspectives

A few days ago, on his Patheos Pagan blog Raise the Horns, Jason Mankey published a list of the 25 people he considers as the most influential living Pagans, inspired by a 2004 post from The Wild Hunt. Mankey has said these lists do not serve any real purpose and are just for fun, but while these lists could never be final or one hundred percent objective, as they depend on the curator’s bias and experiences, they help readers gain an idea of who’s who in contemporary Paganism and the work they do. Mankey mentioned the criteria he used and acknowledged his limitations as an author when putting up the list together, including that the list is mainly made of Pagans from the United States and the United Kingdom. He suggested his readers contribute to the list, whether by directly commenting on his post, or indirectly anywhere on the internet. This could be a great start to a global conversation Pagans could have as an international community, sharing our thoughts about who we think has influenced Pagan society.

Culture

Columna: los 15 paganos más influyentes en México

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Pagan Perspectives

Hace unos días Jason Mankey publicó en su canal Raise the Horns de Patheos Pagan una lista de 25 personas que considera como los paganos vivos más influyentes, inspirado por una publicación de The Wild Hunt del 2004. Mankey dijo que estas listas no sirven para un propósito real y que son por diversión. Sin embargo, no estoy de acuerdo. Para ser honesto, hay algunos nombres de su lista de los que no sabia antes de leerla. Aunque estas listas nunca podrían ser definitivas o cien por ciento objetivas, ya que dependen de la inclinación y experiencias del curador, creo que ayudan a los lectores a tener una idea de quién es quién y de su trabajo.

Living

Column: Great Pan is Alive

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Pagan Perspectives

“Somebody killed Pan,” she said. My best friend Sarah and her family had staked out a plot of land at the Gaea Retreat outside of Kansas City as their favorite campsite. It was a secluded spot, just big enough for three tents, tucked to the side of the gravel road and wire fence that marked one edge of Gaea. They called it Shamballa, which invariably made me think of the Three Dog Night song – I can tell my sister by the flowers in her eyes, on the road to Shamballa. Underneath an evergreen tree inside the entrance to Shamballa, Sarah had placed an old concrete idol of the god Pan.