4.29.2008
Pagans and (Canadian) Prisons
The Edmonton Sun reports on the growing population of Pagans in Canadian prisons. Internal estimates show adherence numbers have tripled in the last five years, and those numbers may be "woefully understated" according to Richard James of the Wiccan Church of Canada.
"According to figures obtained by Sun Media under Access to Information, the number of practising Wiccans and Pagans behind bars has tripled in the last five years. In 2002 there were just 25, compared to 77 in 2007, data from the Correctional Service of Canada show ... Richard James, the Toronto-based founder and high priest of the Wiccan Church of Canada, has been involved in prison outreach programs and believes the official count is "woefully understated." More and more inmates are turning to Wicca because they've been let down by other faiths, he said."
Unlike the prisons of their American neighbors, which are rife with "endemic discrimination" against religious minorities, the Canadian prison system seems quite accommodating.
"According to an internal CSC manual on religious practices, inmate witches are required [I think they mean "allowed"] to have an altar with candles and incense for worship. They should also be permitted a wooden wand, robe, tarot cards, figurines, oils and natural objects such as shells, feathers, stones and crystals, the manual reads ... Rick Burk, CSC's associate to the director general of chaplaincy, restorative justice and victims‚ services, said inmates have a Charter right to practise their faith. In turn, institutions work to foster understanding and tolerance for all faiths inside the wire. 'There are cultural and spiritual differences in all kinds of traditions and we are constantly engaged in dialogue about respect and diversity and managing the community within a context of diversity,' he said. 'Whether there is the word 'witch' involved or not, we try to manage diversity.'"
Perhaps the open dialog-focused Canadian model would be preferred to the currently repressive American model where constant litigation for rights is a normal occurrence?
Speaking of American prisons and constant litigation, an interesting prisoner rights case was recently decided. In a ruling by the U.S. Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals on Koger v. Bryan, it was found that prisons can't demand proof of requirement, or verification from clergy, regarding a reasonable religious request.
"...the court held that a former prisoner's claim based on the denial of his request for a vegetarian diet substantially burdened the prisoner's religious exercise. In particular the court found inappropriate the prison's requirement that the religious practice be required by the inmate's religion and that this be verified by a member of the clergy."
This is one more legal step towards true religious self-determination for prisoners. A development that may make some people very uncomfortable, but one that will ultimately benefit modern Pagans and other religious minorities serving jail time. To make this case even more relevant, the former prisoner, Gregory Koger, is an adherent of Aleister Crowley's Thelema. A fact that has sparked snarky comments from the law-blogs and one of the presiding judges.
"Clearly, without RLUIPA, this case would have been dead in the water when it was filed because declining Koger's request for a nonmeat diet would not have violated the United States Constitution ... A waste of time? Some may disagree, but I lean towards saying 'yes.'"
Of course that "waste of time" has helped create a precedent that favors personal gnosis and followers of non-hierarchal faiths. A lawsuit that may not have happened if prisons in America worked more towards dialog and granting reasonable risk-free requests instead of dragging its heels in court every time a non-Christian wants something outside the norm.
Labels: Canada, law, litigation, Paganism, Prison, Religion, Religion Clause, Thelema
4.16.2008
(Pagan) News of Note
My semi-regular round-up of articles, essays, and opinions of note for discerning Pagans and Heathens.
Jane Baker, from the Australian paper The Yass Tribue, holds up Hypatia of Alexandria as a beacon of inspiration when confronting various fundamentalisms and maintaining independent thought.
"In a time darker than ours, a time when reason was held hostage to fundamentalism, when only one form of thought and belief was permitted, when scholars were denounced and their works destroyed, Hypatia kept teaching and standing up for reason. "Reserve your right to think, for even to think wrongly is better than not to think at all," she told her students. Those words should stay with us when we read the papers, listen to the news, hear the latest demagogue spruiking his zealotry. We have to think. We have to question. We cannot accept what we are told without thought and consideration. That is what stands between us and the darkness of ignorance and fanaticism."
Now that Hypatia's story is being adapted into a film, one wonders if the famous Neoplatonist will indeed become a sort of Pagan saint, invoked against intolerance and religious extremism by a variety of groups.
Students from Pagan/Wiccan club and Native American club at Joliet Junior College, inspired by one of their teachers, joined forces to create a Relay for Life team and raise money for Cancer research.
"Students from the Native American Club and the Pagan Wiccan Club joined together to create the JJC Thunderbirds team for the All-College Relay for Life being held this weekend at Lewis University in Romeoville. In a final push to raise funds for the walk, they created an event - 'Clips for a Cure' - on the JJC bridge Thursday afternoon. Anyone donating a foot of hair to Locks of Love was eligible for a free hair cut; others were given a hair cut with a donation as small as $5. Hairstylists from J&M Hair Salon in Joliet donated their time and talent to the cause, cutting both men's and women's hair."
Thanks in part to the efforts of these clubs, Joliet Junior College has raised over $25,000 for cancer research in the past two years. This is a wonderful example of young Pagans involved in making the world a better place, and showing that the future of our religious movement is in good hands.
The Florida Sun-Sentinel re-tells the myth of Eos and Tithonus.
"Naturally Tithonus loved Eos. Who could resist the love of such a beautiful goddess? Just as she does today, in those years long ago, Eos woke the world each morning with curling rings of light, and every morning she mystically brought the world out of darkness. Whenever Tithonus looked at her, he felt a glow, the way so many people feel at dawn - as buoyant as an April morning on those days when the first buds begin to bloom."
Just the myth. No commentary, no moral lesson, just the story. If re-printing the great stories and myths in newspapers is a new trend, I approve! Perhaps they can run a serial of the Trojan War?
A Druid from Portsmouth has turned in his ritual sword to the police in order to make a statement on the recent growth of stabbing incidents in the UK.
"A Druid who had to fight a legal battle to get his sword back after police confiscated it has now handed the weapon in to promote world peace. Merlin Williams used his blunt sword, Taliesin, to create a circle of safety around members of the druid order at ceremonies ... He said: 'The thought to hand the sword in to police came to me when I was meditating and thinking about world peace and the stabbings you read about in the papers all the time. 'I wanted to show that druids are peace-loving and although the sword was never used for violence, I thought handing it in to the police station where it was confiscated would be a good way of doing this. I also want to discourage others from carrying knives as it can lead to violence and people being hurt.'"
Williams is a member and chief bard of the The Insular Order of Druids, an organization that has had more than one run-in with the law over confiscated ritual blades.
The Oshawa Public Library in Ontario has generated a bit of scandal over providing a tarot workshop to local teens.
"It's not often that a school librarian takes issue with a library program. But Oshawa's Susan Packer said she was driven to act last week, after learning Oshawa's public library will be offering tarot card workshops for teens later this month. "I believe that tarot reading is a dangerous practice. Teenagers who might attend the program offered at the library will be dabbling in the occult," said Ms. Packer, who is the parent of three teenagers and a teacher-librarian at an Oshawa elementary school ... Ms. Packer shared her concerns with the Durham District School Board and sent a letter to the library board and local politicians last week, asking that the program be dropped."
While such a controversy might have played out differently in America, it seems that Canada has little tolerance for religious hysteria. A librarian at OPL said that "we don't let small groups of people dictate what large groups of people can see or do or learn", and they plan to go ahead with the workshop. The workshops are being held on April 19th and 26th, and will feature Zsuzsana, author of "The Now Age".
In a final note, a couple people passed along a link to a story from late last year that I missed. It concerns an ongoing rivalry between two Baltimore candle stores on the same street "Grandma's Candle Shop" and "Lucky Star Candles: Home of Old Grandpa."
"Grandma's and Grandpa's have both been caring for the spiritual health of downtown Baltimore for three decades, squabbling like an old married couple the whole time. The feud isn't as hot as it was when Old Grandpa ran his store, but despite their similarities, there's no love lost between the candle merchants."
This story has it all: drama, allegations of intellectual property theft, bad blood, and different religious backgrounds (Grandma's is Pagan-friendly, Grandpa's is decidedly Christian in tone). Both uneasily co-exist while selling mojo and magical supplies to the locals. A must-read!
That is all I have for now, have a great day!
Labels: activism, Baltimore, Canada, candles, Druidry, Druids, Hoodoo, Hypatia, Myth, Pagan News of Note, Paganism, Tarot, UK, Wicca
4.09.2008
Updates on Past Stories
Darla Wynne's Political Aspirations: Wiccan priestess Darla Kaye Wynne was not successful in her run for a seat on the Great Falls Town Council. Wynne, who famously sued the town over sectarian prayers back in 2001, garnered only 32 votes.
"A dozen candidates ran for office in this year's town election, including a former mayor, a school resource officer and the Wiccan priestess who sued the town in 2001, claiming Great Falls violated church and state separation by using the name Jesus Christ in prayers."
Wynne was in a three-way race for a vacated seat. Todd Smith won the seat with over 130 votes, while fellow contender Donna Bryan came in second with 61 votes. Meanwhile, speaking of Pagans running for political office, Sacramento, CA mayoral candidate Muriel Strand has a blog up espousing her views on various issues.
The Theological Necessity of Goats: The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty has filed an appeal on behalf of Jose Merced, a practitioner of Santeria who sued the city of Euless, Texas over the issue of animal sacrifice.
"Why is it okay to butcher a deer in Euless, but not a goat?" said Lori Windham, legal counsel at the Becket Fund, a Washington-based civil rights law firm that defends all religious faiths against government interference. "The issue of Santeria and animal sacrifice has already been decided by the United States Supreme Court. I'm pretty sure the Constitution of the United States still applies in Euless, Texas."
The appeal will be heard by the federal Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans. Depending on the outcome there, it is very likely this could go to the Supreme Court. For more on this development, see the Houston Chronicle's article on the appeal.
Vancouver Sex Cult: I originally blogged about this story way back in 2006. It involves a Pagan man who was denied a chauffeur's permit by the Vancouver police due to unfounded accusations that he would use his position to "recruit" people into an imaginary S&M "sex cult". Since then, the Vancouver Police Department has been trying to block the case going to a B.C. Human Rights Tribunal, a course of action that has been stuck down by the courts.
"A B.C. Human Rights Tribunal can investigate sexual practices involving "bondage, discipline and submission, sadism and masochism" to determine whether the Vancouver Police Department discriminated against a self-described pagan, the B.C. Court of Appeal says. For the past two years, the department has wasted our tax money trying to prevent the human rights watchdog from investigating a complaint from Peter Hayes, a Vancouver man refused a chauffeur's permit. The province's highest court said it would be wrong to interfere with the tribunal's process at this point and that the objections of the police force were premature."
A preliminary ruling by the Human Rights Tribunal two years ago stated the case had merit and should go forward. The VPD had argued that BDSM-activities weren't an "orientation", and therefore not protected by Canada's human rights laws, a waters-muddying exercise the courts didn't accept as valid. Hearings will now resume unless a settlement is reached.
Will Amazon Hurt Small Pagan Publishers: In a final note, news about Amazon's move to monopolize the Print-On-Demand market (and why that is bad news for small Pagan publishers) has continued to spread. For further Pagan commentary relating to this issue, check out Lupa's journal (particularly this post), and The Spiritual Eclectic's Amazon-related posts.
"We have always lived by our convictions and if not submitting to the monopoly that Amazon.com is trying to create-not just over bookstores and publishers but over the entire publishing industry-means we never sell another book on Amazon.com, then so be it. We sell primarily through our websites as it is, and we will find other alternatives to Amazon.com."
For an extensive overview of this matter, check out the WritersWeekly Amazon BookSurge Information Clearinghouse, anything you could need to know about Amazon's coercive tactics to seize control of publishing's "Long Tail".
Labels: Amazon.com, animal sacrifice, books, California, Canada, Darla Wynne, human rights, Muriel Strand, Paganism, politics, Print on Demand, Sacramento, Santeria, South Carolina, Texas
2.03.2008
(Pagan) News of Note
My semi-regular round-up of articles, essays, and opinions of note for discerning Pagans and Heathens.
I know I just did a Pagan News of Note a few days ago, but quite a few interesting articles and stories have popped up, and I didn't want to ignore any of them. To start off, we have some coverage of last nights Pagan-led protest of the Miss Toronto Tourism Pageant. It seems the pageant's board is trying to now deny religion had any influence in their decision to reject Stephanie Conover as a judge, and in turn paint the protesting Pagans and bullying thugs.
"But Miss Toronto Tourism board member Ainslie Baillie denied Conover's rejection was tied to Wiccan beliefs. 'This pagan conference was calling up our sponsors and threatening them,' she said. 'I was just told that she wasn't qualified. A lot of it has to do with judging experience, not religion.'"
Religious bias will be a hard thing to deny since Conover has it in writing. It should be interesting to see how this shakes out once the snubbed Wiccan beauty queen files a complaint with the Ontario Human Rights Commission next week.
Meanwhile, Chas Clifton reports that Wiccan chaplain Patrick McCollum will be a participant in an upcoming panel briefing for the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights.
"He will talk about the differential treatment that Wiccans and Pagans receive in government institutions and programs, with the hope that our legislators will enact new policies to further pluralism and end religious discrimination. This briefing will be held in Washington, D.C .on February 8th, 2008 and will become an official part of the Congressional Record. This is obviously an incredible honor and it will be the first time in US history that a Wiccan has been selected to present a briefing to advise the United States Government. He reports he will also be sworn in to the Goddess, which is also an important first."
This is a big deal, a milestone. You'll hear more from me on this issue in the near future, be sure to check back to the USCCR site since they usually post reports on all briefings.
For a little theological exercise, check out the latest issue of Zeek, a Jewish journal of thought and culture, where author Jay Michaelson explores polytheism and nonduality.
"With this understanding, polytheism and polymorphism are more accurate, not less, than traditional monotheism, because they recognize that whatever the ultimate is, it cannot be expressed in a single manifestation. Again, this is not necessarily radical: the psalmist knew this, the ancient polytheistic Israelites knew this, and anyone who is willing to be curious about spirit can know it as well. The pious may label some of these instantiations of the divine as demons, or foreign gods, or worse, but to the nondualist, these are all, from the sublime to the sinister, pathways of knowledge of the one."
It is rare that we get serious theological explorations of polytheism, so I urge my readers to head over there and take in the whole article.
The Times posts a book review of "AD 381: Heretics, Pagans and the Christian State", by Charles Freeman, the author of the controversial book "The Closing of the Western Mind: The Rise of Faith and the Fall of Reason". AD 381 refers to the year in which the Emperor Theodosius required all his Christian subjects to believe in Nicene orthodoxy as opposed to Arianism (ten years later he go on to stamp out the last vestiges of paganism in the Roman Empire). According to the book, it was around 381 that Christianity became a "servant of an authoritarian state" and began in earnest the persecution and destruction of those who had once persecuted them.
"The Jesus of the gospels, poor, outcast, uncontaminated by worldly power, had been an apt figurehead for a persecuted religion. But he now seemed a less appropriate role model, and the church's response was to upgrade his divinity, equating him with the angry, bellicose God of the old testament, who seemed likelier to prove an effective ally in the empire's military engagements. The persecution not only of heretics but of all non-Christians was a natural result of Theodosius's policy. The pagan gods were reclassified as evil spirits, and their shrines demolished. Synagogues, too, were destroyed, and it was decreed that no more should be built. Jews were debarred from all honours and dignities and from public office. The threat of eternal punishment in hell for heretics and unbelievers entered Christian doctrine, a refinement, Freeman notes, unknown to religious thought in the classical world. Cyprian, bishop of Carthage, declared, when plague broke out in the city, that it should be welcomed because Jews and pagans would now be thrown into hell more quickly, while Christians would speed to heaven."
The book is being released on Feb. 7th in the UK (I don't have a release day for the U.S.), I'm sure it will be a big hit with the Christian book-buying public.
In a final note I wanted to plug the new blog, Women and Spirituality, which gathers a number of prominent members of the women's spirituality and Goddess movements including Carol P. Christ, Charlene Spretnak, Donna Read, and Starhawk. The most recent entry is from Starhawk who discusses the festival of Brigid, and how it became a politically oriented ritual within Reclaiming.
"That tradition started back the year Ronald Reagan was elected, in 1980. By Winter Solstice a number of us were talking about our feeling of political despair. We decided to do a ritual about it, on Brigid's feast, as she seemed to preside over things that were relevant to our fears about nuclear weapons and the erosion of care. We had a beautiful ritual, in which we all spoke of our fears and sense of powerlessness over bowls of salt water, transformed the energy, and then one by one lit candles at a cauldron and danced with them. The ritual also transformed us: a few months later we were deeply involved in a nonviolent direct action at a nuclear power plant. By the next year, we were blockaded a nuclear weapons lab. Had we been able to foresee the events of the next few decades, our despair might have overwhelmed us. Instead, we became activists, around nuclear weapons, then nuclear war and militarism, around issues of human rights and women's rights and gay rights and anti-racism and AIDS and the environment and the list goes on and on..."
Certainly a blog worth checking out, and adding to your blogroll.
That is all I have for now, have a great day!
Labels: books, Canada, Charles Freeman, Pagan Blogs, Pagan News of Note, Paganism, Patrick McCollum, Polytheism, Starhawk, Stephanie Conover, theology, Wicca, Women and Spirituality, Zeek
2.02.2008
Update on Snubbed Canadian Queen
Since the story first emerged concerning the religiously-motived snub of a plus-sized Toronto beauty queen, it has gained national attention in Canada, sparked protests from the Canadian Pagan community, and generated loads of negative publicity for the Miss Toronto Tourism Pageant. Follow-up stories on the snub of Stephanie Conover, Miss Canada Plus 2007, for her interest in tarot cards and adherence to Wicca, have appeared in The Toronto Sun, The National Post, and The Globe and Mail.
"Stephanie Conover has been making headlines lately, but it's not in her capacity as Miss Plus Canada 2007. Rather, it's her connection to another beauty pageant - Miss Toronto Tourism, which takes place tonight at Harbourfront's Radisson Hotel Admiral - that has been in the news. At one time, Ms. Conover had been invited to be a judge for the pageant, but that was before organizers asked her to submit a biography. It was in that description of herself that she listed Reiki and tarot reading among her interests. "They said that I would be unacceptable as a judge because I don't possess an upstanding reputation because of these hobbies and that I should repent," Ms. Conover says. She has since been dismissed as a judge and is considering legal action for what she considers to be religious discrimination."
Stephanie Conover
While Conover considers if she should take legal action, protests from the Pagan community (and no doubt the scads of negative press) have been quite effective in hobbling the "multicultural" Miss Toronto Tourism Pageant.
"Ralph Hamelmann, who runs The Psychic Brunch, said 16 of 18 sponsors have withdrawn their sponsorship of the pageant."
Ouch! That includes the hair and makeup sponsors, which means the contestants will have to do their own hair and makeup. The only sponsors left at this point are a limo service and a local fitness center. In addition, The Wiccan Church of Canada, and The Toronto Pagan Conference are organizing a picket line for tonight's festivities.
"We're going to have people from different religious organizations - Christians, Muslims and Hindus - as well as Wiccan groups," said Tracey Hayes, a practising Wiccan and protest organizer. "We're also mobilizing the gay community because we believe two of the organizers are members of an anti-gay organization. We're getting support from right across the country. This is a human rights violation."
Some reports claim they might even give tarot readings. It looks like the Toronto Tourism Pageant (which isn't actually affiliated with Toronto in any form) should have thought twice before casually insulting an invited judge. For a pageant that claims to not be religious, it seems like a silly thing to dig your heels in on (even the pageant host, Elvis Priestly, is confused by it). After the dust has settled, do you think the winner tonight will want to put this win on her resume?
Labels: Canada, Miss Canada Plus, Paganism, Stephanie Conover, Wicca, Witchcraft
1.27.2008
Snubbed Canadian Queen Comes Out of The Broom Closet
The Toronto Sun reports on a controversy within the world of beauty pageants. Stephanie Conover, who was crowned Miss Canada Plus 2007, was invited to be a judge at the Miss Toronto Tourism pageant. Everything seemed to be going fine until Conover received a letter un-inviting her because of the interests listed on her bio.
Stephanie Conover
"Upon receiving her bio," it said, "we have decided against her being a judge. We need a judge who has an upright reputation, (who) we would be proud to introduce to the audience. She states that her hobbies are yoga, reiki and tarot card reading. Our board of directors has eliminated her as a judge as tarot card reading and reiki are the occult and ... not acceptable by God, Jews, Muslims or Christians."
The pageant, which isn't officially affiliated with Toronto in any way, claimed that some were afraid she would use tarot cards to choose a winner. Despite this religiously-motivated snub, Miss Toronto Tourism officials claim they are not a "religious pageant".
"We are not a religious pageant," director Karen Hunter assures me. She says folks of many backgrounds will be at the waterfront Radisson Admiral hotel on the big night. "We don't want to offend anybody."
It seems a little late for that. As for Stephanie Conover, she decided to use this opportunity to out her own religious preferences.
"Oh, and she's a Wiccan. Yep, she tells me, she's a witch. A good witch. 'I don't commune with dark forces.' So no need to hang garlic in the pageant ballroom. 'We don't even believe in the devil,' says Stephanie. 'We believe whatever you send out into the world, good or bad, comes back to you, times three.'"
So there you have it, the first openly (to my knowledge) Pagan beauty queen. One only hopes that organizers of the larger conventions and festivals in North America will take advantage of this potential public relations coup. Have Miss Canada Plus 2007 speak at your event!
Labels: Canada, Miss Canada Plus, Paganism, Stephanie Conover, Wicca, Witchcraft
11.01.2007
Mainstreamed, In Demand, Yet Shrinking?
Is modern Paganism becoming more mainstream, yet shrinking in size? That seems to be the gist of two recent articles that talked to practitioners and academics about the state of modern Paganism today. Reuters reporter Sarah Marsh interviews famed Alexandrian priestess Maxine Sanders, who explains that Witches and Pagans are more in demand than ever before.
"'Witches are getting more and more in demand. People want a pagan wedding,' said Maxine Sanders, high priestess of the sacred mysteries and a promoter of the modern nature-based witchcraft movement of Wicca ... People are more tolerant on the whole nowadays, she added, and more interested in witchcraft."
Elsewhere in the article, pop-culture boosts to Wicca and other modern Pagan religions through shows like "Buffy" and "Charmed" are mentioned, but a metaphysical store owner says these newcomers aren't necessarily in it for the religion.
"More and more people are practicing magic but they are not necessarily interested in the spiritual side of witchcraft, said John Cole, high priest of a Manchester coven and owner of an occult shop selling everything from cauldrons to Viking rune charms."
Some of these themes are taken up in a Samhain-themed article for The Record in Canada. Mirko Petricevic interviews academic Douglas Cowan, author of "Cyberhenge: Modern Pagans on the Internet", who also credits pop-culture for a sudden burst of growth, yet now thinks modern Paganism is entering a "shrinking" phase as that initial surge of interest wears off.
"Cowan says he hasn't had to go far to track the popularity of Paganism. But he has also observed that participation seems to be declining. Not long ago, he says, books about Wicca and witchcraft occupied huge amounts of shelf space at book stores. "Over the years I watched that shrink" ... Cowan suspects the next census or two will show a dramatic drop in the number of Pagans. He says he believes Paganism will grow, but that it will build slowly from the same core group of believers who were practising before interest in Paganism was driven by pop-culture."
While I agree that we may be tapering off of the explosive growth modern Paganism saw in the 1990s, there seems to be no clear picture on if we are shrinking (call it the hypothetical "pop-culture corrective"). Book-buying as proof of growth rates is a pretty shaky indicator, especially if the market was over-saturated for many years (as I believe it was). There will always be transient dabblers and seekers who don't stay long, but the demographics of possible new Pagans keep improving, perhaps mitigating any dramatic "shrink" in population. No doubt harder data will emerge when both Britain and Australia hold their next censuses in 2011. Until then, while I agree we are becoming ever more "mainstream", I'm not sure we are experiencing any dramatic downturn.
Labels: Canada, census, Douglas Cowan, Maxine Sanders, Paganism, pop-culture, population, UK
9.30.2007
Updates on Past Stories
When Religion and Subculture Collide: Florida Today updates us on the case of a group of goth kids who were fighting a ban on "goth" clothing. It looks like the children argued their case effectively, because the Brevard County School Board has removed the term "gothic" from its dress-code policy, much to the approval of Florida Today's editorial staff.
"The Brevard County School Board tweaked its dress code policy to remove the word "Gothic" this week. That was a judicious move. No other group of students is listed in the policy. Hip-hop and jock styles also break the dress code, but their groups aren't singled out for censure by name. Branding Goths as somehow dangerous was unfair and unneeded ... school administrators should be careful to apply dress code policies fairly for all groups, from the star athletes to Wiccan kids."
Facial piercings and "extreme" facial makeup are still banned, but "goth" clothing itself is no longer banned. The compromise that may make life easier for Amaris Mulhauser, who claimed that her style of dress was an outgrowth of her Wiccan religious practice.
A Canadian Witch-Hunt: The Halifax Daily News follows up with some local Pagans in the wake of attacks and harassment towards local Witch Shauna Cook and her friends.
"Earlier this month, a Halifax hedge-witch and her two pagan friends were attacked leaving her home, leading her to decide she must leave the city for the safety of her children. The woman said she has been repeatedly targeted because of her religion. Imagine if the violence had been directed at Jews leaving a synagogue, or Muslims leaving a mosque. Would Haligonians tolerate such an attack? ... Vanessa Smith of Little Mysteries on Barrington Street says the attack was doubly unfortunate - because of the pain caused to those attacked, and because it does not reflect the Halifax she knows. "Halifax is a very open city," she says, and most Wiccans practice in peace."
Another local Witch interviewed says that her children also face harassment for their religious views, but that she is happier being "out" about her beliefs, and that "Witches are the new gays - and we're finally coming out." As for Shauna Cook, you can get a fuller picture of the situation leading to her move by reading the two comments made on this blog by a local friend.
Raping With Impunity: Back in April I reported on a recently released Amnesty International report that revealed shocking levels of outsider rape being perpetrated on American Indian and Alaska Native women. This past Thursday, members of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee heard the testimony of Native women in hopes of creating legislation towards eliminating legal red tape that hinders many investigations of rape and similar crimes.
"Jami Rozell, a member of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, testified that she was brutally raped but decided not to press charges after a series of lawyers and officials told her she would be "raped again" by the justice system. She told senators that several months after the crime, when she summoned the courage to press charges, she was told all of the evidence had been destroyed. "I have not been able to stand up for myself until now," she said."
You can read the testimonies of the participants, here. Sadly, rape isn't the only problem facing Native women in our country, beatings and harassment from non-Natives is still an all-too-common occurrence as evidenced by the recent case in which a teenage girl was beaten and then harassed by white supremacists in Idaho. Hopefully the Senate can indeed "streamline" the maze of injustice facing Natives in our country.
Labels: Amaris Mulhauser, American Indian, Amnesty International, Canada, goth, Halifax, law, Native American, Paganism, rape, Shauna Cook, Witchcraft
9.22.2007
(Pagan) News of Note
My semi-regular round-up of articles, essays, and opinions of note for discerning Pagans and Heathens.
A hospital chaplain in Maryland was fired for preventing the Gideons from handing out copies of the New Testament in every hospital room. Jews on First reports that Peninsula Regional Medical Center, a publicly funded non-religious hospital, eventually demanded the resignation of the Rev. Kay Myers when she continued to bring up the health and privacy concerns presented by handing out non-sterile Bibles to every room.
"As director of pastoral care for a community hospital in Maryland, the Rev. Kay Myers halted the placement of sectarian Christian books in patients' rooms. Myers said her decision was one of the carefully measured steps she had taken during her seven-year tenure to move her department to a professional level of pastoral care. The hospital's response was not so measured. The CEO immediately countermanded Myers. Within months she was forced to resign."
Sounds like grounds for litigation to me, in the meantime residents of Maryland might want to avoid a hospital whose administration doesn't respect your health, privacy, or religion.
Monika Ann Dilmaghanian, an adherent of Asatru, has been sentenced for 15 years to life for stabbing her partner. The argument that lead to the stabbing was reportedly over the proper cleansing of a ritual blade.
"Monika Ann Dilmaghanian, 34, had pleaded guilty as charged last month to first-degree felony murder for the April 6 death of 24-year-old Nathan D. Harris at a campground near Causey Reservoir. Defense attorney Bernie Allen - who believes Dilmaghanian is guilty of the lesser crime of manslaughter - said she refused to go to trial and seek a lesser conviction because she did not want her children to have to testify against her ... family members agreed that Dilmaghanian acted out of anger and under the influence of alcohol, rather than intentionally."
A friend and co-religionist of Nathan Harris claims that hundreds showed to his funeral, and that he is sure Dilmaghanian meant to murder her husband and will speak against her at any parole hearing.
UU World profiles alternative scouting organizations, including the Pagan-friendly (and founded) Spiral Scouts.
"The Unitarian Universalist Association parted ways with the BSA over those two issues after the BSA withdrew approval in May 1999 for a religious emblem the UUA awarded to Scouts who had earned it through a program of study in their congregations. Since that time some UUs have wanted a more inclusive youth program. SpiralScouts and Navigators are two such groups. Neither group is officially affiliated with the UUA, although UUs may lead them and participate in them. Some groups meet in UU buildings or are sponsored by individual UU congregations. Other UUs continue to participate in Boy Scout programs ... SpiralScouts is directed primarily at children and youth whose families identify as Wiccan or Pagan and with Earth-centered spirituality, but it is open to anyone, says Janet Callahan, SpiralScouts International program director."
It should be interesting to see if Spiral Scouts will continue to make inroads into communities that for one reason or another are dissatisfied with the Boy Scouts.
In an interesting article for those who prefer to practice skyclad or are committed to naturism, Slate.com explores the question of if children are harmed by seeing their parents naked.
"If the kid is younger than 3 years old, it's probably harmless. At least, this is what many adolescent psychiatrists believe; there have been few rigorous studies of the subject. Very young children won't notice anything odd about a parent who prances around the house in the buff. Likewise, babies who breastfeed at 12 months are physically intimate with their mothers and don't think twice about it. Chances are good that a 2- or 3-year-old won't form any lasting memories of seeing his parents in their birthday suits."
The article claims that the issue becomes more complex between 4 and 8 when a child starts to learn the societal norms of dress and privacy. Of course there are still few academic studies on the subject, and naturist groups claim that there isn't any problem with growing up in a clothing-optional house. Many parents seem quite sanguine about the issue as well.
Comic company BOOM! Studios reassures its Pagan readers that their new comic "Salem: Queen of Thorns" won't vilify Pagans and Witches.
"We agree that a comic book that asserts Pagans are evil and destructive might well be considered insensitive, offensive and even slanderous. However, SALEM: QUEEN OF THORNS is not that book. We appreciate your criticisms, but feel they are based on a mistaken understanding of the true content of our story. In SALEM, the religious authorities are an evil force that persecutes innocents in the witch trials. They aren't celebrated in any way and are, in fact, major villains ... More importantly, one of our chief characters, Hannah Foster, is a healer accused of witchcraft. She is in no way the "demonized" villain of the piece. Rather, she is one of the key heroes on a noble journey to combat evil and save the world."
Proof that you shouldn't judge a book by blurb alone.
The Toronto Sun enlists local Witch Tamarra James to help the local soccer team score a goal.
"This ought to do the trick, soccer fans. "Zeus, Lord of Olympus," Tamarra James cries out. "Receive this offering of precious incense and turn your eyes to this place." A cloud crosses the midday sun over BMO Field. A gull keens. A security guard shifts nervously. Ms. James, 56, is high priestess of the Wiccan Church of Canada. She is this country's top witch. We are here, with her deputy witch, Nicole Cooper, 31, to put a spell on Toronto FC. A good spell. A spell to bring a harvest of goals. Or at least one. Starting today, with Columbus in town."
Makes you want to watch the game to see if her prayers were effective.
Finally, Boing Boing links to a post by Aranamuerta on how to make your own Witch Kitchen Jars.
"Making witch kitchen jars and ingredients is easy and inexpensive. Any jar or bottle of any size will do. I collect jars from my own kitchen, from friend's houses, from garage sales, and from one of the thrift shops in town that always carries a vast and bizarre selection for very cheap."
Only 39 days till Samhain! That is all I have for now, have a good day.
Labels: Asatru, Canada, Chaplaincy, Comics, law, naturism, Pagan News of Note, Paganism, Salem: Queen of Thorns, skyclad, Spiral Scouts, Unitarian-Universalism, Wicca, Witchcraft
9.09.2007
A Canadian Witch-Hunt?
A family in Halifax have been threatened, and their friends beaten and stabbed, reportedly because they are Witches. According to Shauna Cook, locals in her neighborhood have targeted her for harassment because of her appearance and beliefs, this came to a head on Saturday when two acquaintances leaving her house were attacked by six youths. One was stabbed in the back, the other hit with a thrown rock.
Shauna Cook with one of her children.
"Shortly after midnight on Saturday, an 18-year-old woman and a 17-year-old boy were leaving Cook's house to catch the bus when they were approached by four male teenagers, who asked the pair where they were going. After saying they were going home, the boy was attacked. Two more people jumped into the fight, making it six attackers in all. The young woman ran back to Cook's house and tried to phone police. While on the phone, one of the attackers threw a rock through a window and hit her in the forehead. Meanwhile, the 17-year old boy was being beaten and stabbed in the back before he made it back to the house himself. The attackers then fled. The attack came weeks after Cook's family was swarmed by bat-wielding assailants."
Adding more complexity to this case is the fact that the alleged harassers and attackers are all black, and accused Cook of being a white supremacist, a claim that Cook denies.
"Cook says she has no doubt her friends were attacked partly because she is a hedge-witch. She explains her religion as a more traditional form of wicca. She says her neighbors don't understand her religion and call her a white supremacist, which she says is simply not true. "I stand out like a sore thumb," Cook said, adding her black clothes and the cloaks she occasionally wears, not to mention her grammatically correct English, makes her different. The latest bout of anti-witch violence has her moving her kids to the Annapolis Valley to be with her mother."
Sadly the article doesn't go into any more depth and try to interview her neighbors or former business associates in the community to see if religious prejudices were indeed the motivating factor. But religiously motivated or not, it is clear that this sort of violence is indefensible and should be prosecuted to the fullest measure. Until we get more answers, we will have to wonder if Halifax truly isn't safe for Witches.
ADDENDUM: A friend and associate of Shauna Cook reveals more details of the attack:
"For the record, of the six individuals, at least 2 were white. They have not been named yet due to fear of retaliation. Therefore, this is not a case of blacks against whites ... Ms. Cook does not have any dealings with her neighbors. She doesn't throw slurs or insults. Her children don't associate with the attackers. And yet, the year this family spent in this particular neighborhood has been tense- for lack of a better word."
So perhaps this really is about her being a Witch.
Labels: Canada, Halifax, Paganism, persecutions, Shauna Cook, Wicca, Witchcraft
3.31.2007
Canadian Military Chaplains Leading the Way
In the ongoing struggle by Pagans in the American military to gain the same level of respect and treatment as other faiths, it seems the Canadian military is showing the way forward.
"Canadian Forces chaplains are in Afghanistan for everyone. Maj. Malcolm Berry smiles as he recalls being approached on the NATO base in Kandahar a few weeks ago by a group of soldiers of the Wiccan faith - a neo-pagan religion strongly tied to nature. "They wanted to welcome the spring in a ceremony where they are very thankful to Mother Earth and the new moon with pagan prayers," said Berry, the senior chaplain for Task Force Afghanistan. "We had no difficulty with that. We just didn't want them to do it 'sky-clad' (naked) in this environment because it would be too dangerous." The six Wiccans - a Canadian and five Americans - were invited to hold their service outside the Christian fellowship centre. They were given water, candles and food that they were welcomed to eat inside the centre after the ceremony. The Wiccans were treated with the same respect as any Roman Catholic, Protestant, Jew, Muslim, Hindu or Buddhist."
How refreshing! Pagan soldiers given the same treatment and options that any other faith group would receive. Now if our own government would follow suit and quit stonewalling the pentacle for veteran grave markers, blackballing would-be Pagan chaplains, and trying to pass legislation that would privilege Christians in the military we might be able to see that being supportive of each soldiers own faith expression isn't damaging to discipline or morale. In fact its just the opposite.
"Maj. Lisa Elliot, a Wiccan, said being allowed to openly celebrate her beliefs makes her a better soldier and makes it easier to serve her tour in Afghanistan. 'You are challenged when you come over here just to deal with the situation, and by somebody supporting your faith it makes it less challenging,' said Elliot. 'It gave me the extra energy to go on with my job. I felt re-grounded. I felt at home.'"
Lets hope our own military starts to see that accommodating our Pagan soldiers isn't just the right thing to do, but the best thing to do.
Labels: Canada, Chaplaincy, Military, Pagan Soldiers, Paganism, Veteran Pentacle Quest, Wicca
