News

Ár nDraíocht Féin elects Rev. Jean Pagano (Drum) as new Archdruid

By |

TWH – This month, the Ár nDraíocht Féin: A Druid Fellowship membership voted on a new board of directors. Included in that process was the election of a new Archdruid. This position serves as the president of the ADF board and is considered to be both the organization’s administrative and spiritual leader. This year, members chose Rev. Jean Pagano, also known as Drum, to take the organizational reins from outgoing Archdruid Rev. Kirk Thomas. In a press release, Drum said, “I am touched and honored that people have chosen me to be their Archdruid – it is not a challenge that I take lightly and I promise to be Archdruid to all members.”

Pagan Community Notes

Pagan Community Notes: Florida Pagan Gathering, Ár nDraíocht Féin, Voodoo Spiritual Temple and more!

By |

FLORIDA – While putting the final touches on its upcoming festival, Temple of Earth Gatherings (TEG) has found itself, once again, at the center of community controversy. TEG’s Florida Pagan Gathering (FPG) is a popular festival and has been one of the most well-attended Pagan events in that state since its inception in 1995. But, in 2014, the TEG board hit a snag, when it invited Yvonne and Gavin Frost, two teachers considered controversial, to present at that year’s spring event. Since that point, FPG has be staged biannually without incident until recent months. In January, the Frosts announced that they would be returning to the festival circuit and attending FPG 2016, but the couple made no mention of offering any workshops.

Culture

“A Legacy of Druids” collects modern insights into ancient religion

By |

AMHERST, Mass. — Ellen Evert Hopman first collected the interviews in her new book, A Legacy of Druids, in 1996. She did so using methods that might seem antiquated in today’s fast-paced world: by having conversations in person, and by asking questions by mail. The fact that it took twenty years to publish the results of her work echoes the words of the late Isaac Bonewits, “as fast as a speeding oak.” Some things simply should not be rushed.

News

Proposed shrine to Cernunnos breaks ground in spring

By |

TROUT LAKE, Wash — This coming spring the Cascadia Grove of Ár nDraíocht Féin: A Druid Fellowship (ADF) is planning to break ground on a fourth shrine. This one will be dedicated to Cernunnos. Cascadia Grove is located in the Seattle, Washington area and plans to build the shrine next to the others that it has built at Trout Lake Abbey. According to ADF, an international modern Druid group, Cernunnos is a horned God of liminality, commerce, and the forest. The Grove hosted an online fundraiser in December for the proposed shrine and raised just under $3500 toward their projected costs of $25,000.

Pagan Community Notes

Pagan Community Notes: Mizzou, Priestess Maya White Sparks, PaganAid and more!

By |

Over the last week, University of Missouri-Columbia (Mizzou) graduate students and the school’s administration have clashed over a number of issues including student insurance benefits and overall treatment. The more than 1200 students, calling themselves the Forum for Graduate Rights, have threatened to walk-out of their jobs if the school does not meet their demands. These demands touch on everything from equitable pay, health benefits, tuition wavers, housing, childcare and fees. The protest was sparked when the University announced that it would be cutting subsides used to pay for health insurance. Our own Wild Hunt columnist Eric O. Scott is one of the seven organizers of the movement. He is currently a graduate student at Mizzou working toward a PhD in English.