1.19.2008
(Pagan) News of Note
My semi-regular round-up of articles, essays, and opinions of note for discerning Pagans and Heathens.
A priest in the Church of England has voluntarily resigned his clergy status after it was discovered he was taking courses in Witchcraft from The College of the Sacred Mists.
"The Rev Chris Horseman agreed to resign his licence to officiate at church services as an Anglican priest following a meeting on Wednesday with the Bishop of Bath and Wells, the Rt Rev Peter Price. The decision will mean that Mr Horseman will no longer be able to conduct services in any C of E church"
Horseman, who is also involved in Druidry and Spiritual Humanism, plans to continue his "Rent a Rev" business within the context of his new spiritual home(s).
The Evansville Courier Press talks to local screenwriter Rod Spence about the superstition that served as an inspiration for The Hallmark Channel's production of "The Good Witch".
"The shadowy figure some believe haunts Willard Library suggested a legend featured in Evansville resident Rod Spence's screenplay for "The Good Witch," a two-hour movie set to screen at 8 p.m. tonight and again at the same time Jan. 25 and Jan. 31 on the Hallmark Channel. "I used the legend of the Grey Lady of Willard Library, only I made her the Grey Lady of Grey House," Spence said."
But while Evansville cheers on its native son, television reviewers haven't been too kind to the film.
"Nightingale's enemies are as benign and generic as her magical arts. It says something when a movie about witchcraft and its detractors can unfold without a mention of religion or the occult. But the real missing ingredient here is any chemistry between Nightingale and her love interest. Bell's witch may not ride a broomstick, but she straddles the line between cool understatement and complete disinterest."
I'd just like to say that I totally called that one. Only Hallmark could produce a movie about a persecuted "witch" without mentioning religion or the occult.
Santeria (and other Afro-Caribbean faiths) continues to interact with the mainstream. First up, a Santero has been dealt a legal setback in Texas as he fights to gain the right to sacrifice goats in his home.
"A Santeria priest who sued Euless for the right to sacrifice goats in his home lost a key round in court Thursday when a judge ruled that one of the laws he sued under doesn't apply ... Mr. Merced argued that the ritual was protected under the federal Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act, which says governments must show a compelling public interest before enforcing laws that could interfere with religious practices. But U.S. District Judge John McBryde ruled that the city's slaughtering ban regulated only conduct, not the use of land."
Without the RLUIPA claims, the case will be much harder to win. A trial is set in March for the remaining claims. Meanwhile, in Florida, the Florida International University is reaching out to Afro-Caribbean faiths at a conference on African culture and religion.
"Scholars, priests and spiritual leaders gathered in South Florida on Friday, seeking an understanding of African culture and religion in the mainstream. The aim is to achieve mainstream acceptance of practices that some might view as extreme ... "So many Cuban Santeria here, Haitian Voodoo specialists, we want to use their knowledge and mainstream them into our academic curriculum," said Dr. Akin Ogundiran, who specializes in African New World Studies for FIU."
Also at this conference, Ernesto Pichardo, founder of the Church of Lukumi Babalu Aye and a visiting fellow at FIU's African-New World Studies program, has donated a very rare book of the Yoruba-Lukumi religion to the school.
"The text, The Book of Diagnosis in Ifa Divination, was drawn from the religion's oral tradition and first published in the 1940s. The original text and its copies were kept from the public until the present day ... The text is a compilation of Yoruba and Afro-Cuban history, culture and philosophy. It was written in Yoruba and Spanish."
For more of my coverage on the very public and vocal Ernesto Pichardo, click here.
Alabama paper The Dothan Eagle reports on a visit by crusading Christian apologist Cky J. Carrigan. Carrigan will speak about the "dangers" of the growing New Age movement and modern Paganism.
"Witchcraft is becoming less and less hidden," he said "Most every larger and medium-size town in America has some pocket of people practicing witchcraft, even in the Bible Belt. The greatest expansion is coming from teens and 20-somethings, but there are significant pockets of 30 to 50-somethings."
In addition to warning people about Paganism, Carrigan is also vigilant concerning the spiritual dangers of Unitarian-Universalism, Harry Potter, and Pokemon. No doubt he'll be a big hit at the Southside Baptist Church in Dothan (where Pokemon abuse is reaching critical levels).
The Rabbi's Tarot? Now I've heard of everything.
"Forget the ouija board - the occult has much more to offer. One option might be The Rabbi's Tarot, an illumination from the kundalini to the pineal to the pituitary, by Daphna Moore. While there are more tarot sets than you can shake a wand at available in every bookstore, The Rabbi's Tarot is special. According to Ms. Moore, it "reveals how the practical occultist develops the pineal and pituitary glands by energized currents coming through the seven centers or Chakras ... When the pineal gland is energized by the transmuted sex force (THE MAGICIAN's wand), the sex force is then turned into the White Light." Who knew that the tarot could be so spicy? I can only assume that this book was written with Reform rabbis in mind - energized pineal and pituitary glands can't possibly be kosher enough for the Orthodox."
In a final note, a new web site is aiming to unite "geek culture" in Montreal. The site's co-founder explains who is into what when talking about geeks.
"Megelas hopes the website will unify seemingly disparate elements of Montreal geekdom. "If you've got a Buffy the Vampire Slayer fan, that's probably someone who's pretty keen on pagan culture," he explains. "And your average hacker is going to be a big Star Wars fan."
There it is folks. If you are into Buffy, you'll probably love Pagan "culture", if you aren't already into it.
That is all I have for now, have a great day!
Labels: Christianity, Ernesto Pichardo, Pagan News of Note, Santeria, Tarot, Television, The College of the Sacred Mists, Wicca, Witchcraft
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