News

Tensions mount at Fort Hood Open Circle

By |

FORT HOOD, Texas — The Fort Hood Open Circle, a non-denominational Pagan group that has been meeting on the military base since 1997 and has had a challenging history has been wrestling with problems such as being locked out of their ritual space and having their concerns dismissed by chaplains for a number of years. This past week, its leader had had enough and vented her frustrations on Facebook. Hundreds of shares and a huge outpouring of support followed, along with extensive meetings to address the short-term problems faced by members of the congregation. Solutions to the longer-term, systemic issues will take far more effort. Michele Morris has served as Distinctive Religious Group Leader, or DRGL in military-speak, for the Fort Hood Open Circle for six years.

Pagan Community Notes

Pagan Community Notes: Circle Sanctuary, The Troth, Academy of Arcana, Isis and more

By |

Circle Sanctuary has announced the launch of its new membership program. Since its founding in 1974, Circle has been an open organization that has relied predominantly on donations, volunteerism and community support without any form of official membership needed. At Imbolc, organizers officially changed Circle’s traditional structure. In a press release, they wrote, “By creating a more formal membership program, we can open stronger channels of communication; learn from our members about how we can support their spiritual and personal development; and focus on members’ needs now and in the times to come.” Membership is open to a wide variety of people, limited only by a willingness to agree to “a set of three basic ethical tenets” involving nature, respect and inclusivity.

News

Amid Protests, Burial-Mound Excavation Bill Taken Off Table

By |

MADISON, Wis. — Hundreds of people flocked to the capital of Wisconsin yesterday, braving sub-zero windchill temperatures to express their displeasure with a bill that would put Native American burial mounds — and any natural burial, they say — at risk of desecration. The protesters, estimated to be in the hundreds, included members of the Ho-Chunk Nation and Circle Sanctuary. In the end, they received welcome news when Assembly Speaker Robin Vos told reporters that the bill won’t be coming to a vote this session. The protesters were flanked by an honor guard of Native American military veterans.

News

Circle Magazine prints final issue

By |

BARNEVELD, Wis. — Circle Sanctuary staff announced yesterday that Circle Magazine, its long-running print publication, will be ceasing production. Over its 37-year lifespan, Circle Magazine, originally called Circle Network News, evolved from a simple organizational newsletter into professional print magazine with subscribers from all over the world. The magazine could be found in both mainstream and metaphysical bookstores, and was one of the seminal media publications serving a growing collection of alternative religions. “It is with a heavy heart that we make this decision, however as Pagans we know that change is part of the cycle of life, and renewal follows endings.”

Pagan Community Notes

Pagan Community Notes: Kenny Klein, Cherry Hill Seminary, Climate Ribbon Project and more!

By |

The case against musician Kenny Klein, who is accused of having child pornography on his computer, has been dragging on in New Orleans since March, 2014. One snag, which may hold up the wheels of justice, is the fact that Klein is now suing his ex-wife Tzipora Katz, for defamation of character. The basis of Klein’s complaint is a 1997 consent order in the pair’s custody case, under which Katz “agrees she will not discuss any issues relating to any allegations of sexual abuse by Kenneth Klein with any parties other than her immediate family and mental health professionals who are treating members of her immediate family.” In return, Klein withdrew his “application for custody and visitation” of their child. That order had no listed expiration date.