News

“Devotions for the People” provide intersection points for Pagans, polytheists

By |

BAY AREA, Calif. –For nearly two years, members of Solar Cross Temple have offered monthly “Devotions for the People,” a form of online Pagan ministry. While these devotionals stem from a variety of traditions, they more often than not are centered around some form of justice. According to T. Thorn Coyle, “There is no real measure of success for these devotionals. Whether five people or 500 engage with the process doesn’t matter .

News

Pagan responses to zero-tolerance immigration policies

By |

TWH — The current White House policy of zero tolerance for immigrants and asylum seekers has resulted in forced separation of families, and now a modified policy is resulting in the indefinite incarceration of families. Many people, including Pagans, have publicly opposed these positions. The Wild Hunt has collected statements by Pagan groups and individuals, which show how Pagan values and virtues can inform current political discussion. Pagans, however, are not a monolithic group, and cannot even agree on a definition of Paganism. These statements are neither representative of all Pagans, nor are they meant to be.

News

Pagans join March for Our Lives

By |

[Help save Pagan news by contributing to the Spring Fund Drive. Whether you read once a day or once a week, TWH is the only organization providing independent news coverage from a Pagan and Heathen perspective. Consider joining the TWH sustainers circle by making a small monthly donation or make a one-time donation toward this vital community media venture. Either way, it is your help and your support that keeps daily and dependable news coming to your doorstep each day. Now we return to your regular news program.]

TWH –The student-led movement to change gun laws had another highly visible step on March 24, when the March for Our Lives took place in Washington with sister marches held in as many as 800 locations nationwide.

News

T. Thorn Coyle conjures the magic of fiction

By |

[We kicked off our Spring Fund Drive yesterday with no news for the first time in 14 years. Consider joining the TWH sustainers circle and making a small monthly donation to help keep Pagan news and commentary going for years to come, or make a one-time donation toward this vital community media venture. Either way, it is your help and your support that keeps daily and dependable news coming to your doorstep each day. Now we return to your regular news program.]

PORTLAND, Ore. — Four years ago, T. Thorn Coyle was sitting in her home in Berkeley, California, gazing outside at the sycamores swaying in the breeze when she thought, “I hate these trees.”

This is the writer who, in her 2004 book Evolutionary Witchcraft, had proclaimed in its opening paragraph: “In Witchcraft, I found my place in nature, and in nature, I found my connection to all things.”

This is the former Catholic girl who left the church at age 16 to study the Craft, made her way from the Quaker-founded Los Angeles suburb of Whittier to San Francisco, was initiated into Reclaiming, studied with Sufis, studied with Feri tradition founders Victor and Cora Anderson, and then was initiated as a priestess and witch in that tradition in 1996.

Pagan Community Notes

Pagan Community Notes: Damh the Bard, Nature’s Path, Mountain Magic and more

By |

GLASTONBURY, England — Popular musician Damh the Bard made mainstream headlines last week after delivering a talk at the Occult Conference in Glastonbury. During that talk, Damh discussed a ritual that he once co-led during a weekend camp back in 2005. The Daily Express published the story synopsis with the headline, “Top druid ‘slit people’s throats’ in bizarre Pagan sacrificial death ritual held in U.K.” Writer John Austin writes that Damh said in his talk that the attendees “were left convinced they had died after his mock execution,” which was done when Damh ran his fingernail across their throats. The Wild Hunt contacted with Damh to find out what exactly happened at the conference and what he said in his talk. In an email interview, he told us that the reporter sat quietly, observing the entire conference without asking questions.