Pagans, pipelines, protests, and the public trust

UNITED STATES –Despite oil prices hovering some $80 a barrel below all-time highs, the push to build new pipelines to bring petroleum to refineries, and then to market continues to make headlines. Most every major pipeline proposed in recent years has been met with some level of resistance by environmentalists, on the ground or in the courts. Two Pagans, each of whom has been engaged on one of those fronts, spoke about what they’re fighting for and the challenges faced in opposing oil pipelines. When attorney Robin Martinez was interviewed in 2015, the future of the Keystone XL Pipeline was uncertain; President Obama announced in November of that year that the pipeline was being rejected for a variety of reasons. Martinez was representing a coalition of groups in South Dakota opposing the pipeline locally.

Pagans support Black Flag Search and Rescue efforts in Puerto Rico

PUERTO RICO –In the wake of Hurricane Maria laying waste to this and other U.S.-controlled Atlantic islands, the response from both the Red Cross and the federal government have been sharply criticized. Media coverage has also been blasted. In the wake of what has happened, several Pagan activists have set their sights on helping the people most in need. Among that number, a few have opted to support Black Flag Search and Rescue, a team of rescue workers who are “doing the work because no one else will,” in the words of Druid Casey McCarthy, who has been providing logistical support for those efforts. Originally called Black Flag Camp, McCarthy says that this is a group of indigenous people and allies who are intent on providing aid to those who tend to get it last.

Pagan Community Notes: Ohio State University, Standing Rock, Wildwood Tradition and more!

COLUMBUS, Ohio — News broke this morning of “an active shooter” on the campus of Ohio State University. At 9:56 am, the OSU Emergency Management Team tweeted, “Buckeye Alert: Active Shooter on campus. Run Hide Fight. Watts Hall.19th and College.” The campus was quickly locked down, and some students tweeted images from inside their barricaded classrooms.*

At noon, the campus emergency team announced that everything was secure, but all classes would be cancelled and areas of the campus would be closed for further investigation.

Pagans assist at Standing Rock protest camps

[The Wild Hunt welcomes Nathan Hall back as today’s guest journalist. He makes his home in South Florida where he works for a local media company and lives with his wife and soon-to-be first child. He grew up without any real religious background but always felt connected with the spirits of the land. Because of this connection he has always felt a strong kinship with environmental causes and the primacy of nature over humanity’s exploitation of it. Nathan has followed many paths, including ceremonial magick, Norse and Druidic traditions.