Column: 11 Influential Pagans of Color – a Discussion

 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.

Looking forward: 2018 predictions

TWH – The year 2017 is quickly coming to an end. Most of the December holidays are over, both the secular and religious; the leftovers have been consumed; friends and relatives are now returning to their homes. This week, we looked back at the year through the stories that made headlines here at The Wild Hunt and beyond. As the seasons shift, we pay tribute to the year’s successes, and remember the failings. Today, we look forward through divination.

Pagan Community Notes: Dr. Wendy Griffin, Feri Tradition, Temple of Witchcraft, and more

COLUMBIA, S.C. – It was announced Friday that Dr. Wendy Griffin would be stepping down as Academic Dean of Cherry Hill Seminary as of Feb. 1, 2018.  She wrote, “I have had the privilege and pleasure of serving as Academic Dean of Cherry Hill Seminary and working with a group of extraordinarily committed and caring individuals. During that time, we have shaped the program academically to be ready for accreditation, and I’m proud of the work we’ve accomplished together.” Dr. Griffin took the position in 2010 with the commitment of five years. That ran over to seven years. She wrote, “I am now 76 years old and there are a few things in my life I want to attend to while I still have time, a 3rd novel to finish, climate change workshops to present, and traveling to do.”

Pagan Community Notes: Iceland Ásatrú temple, Green Willow Grove, the Newberry Library and more!

Reykjavik — According to local sources, construction on the much-anticipated Ásatrú temple has been halted. “The unique design of the building, by architect Magnús Jensson, is not simple in execution.” Due to that fact, builders have run into “engineering challenges.” In 2015, columnist Eric Scott spoke with Jensson about his unique design and the reasons behind it. “The temple will bore into the hill itself, leaving an interior wall of bare rock; water will trickle down that wall and collect in streams and pools built into the floor.

Column: Conjured Bodies, Transgressive Witchcraft, and the Politics of Resistance

[This month’s featured guest columnist is Lou Florez-Tanti. Also known as Awo Ifadunsin Sangobiyi, Florez-Tanti is an internationally known Spirit worker, medicine maker, priest, activist, and artist who has studied with indigenous communities and elders throughout the globe. Florez-Tanti grounds his teachings and practice in the idea that connectedness to ourselves and our physical, emotional, spiritual, and environmental landscapes is a fundamental necessity for any long lasting change to occur. He holds that through creating these living, dynamic relationships we become conscious of the inherent power available to us in every second of our lives.]

Finding a movie for a group of leftist, working class, gender queer, Latin American witches is a challenging task on a good day, but with five bucks between us and no working transportation, it meant that we were sneaking into the UC Boulder student union while trying not to get caught. The choices were limited to either Mona Lisa Smile (2003) or The Examined Life (2008) [i], which is a documentary by Astra Taylor comprised of interviews of eight current philosophers and the central concepts that inspire and animate their work. Needless to say, The Examined Life was the best fit and gave us endless hours of discussions and debates over a plate of french fries at the twenty-four hour IHOP next door.