8.24.2008
Jazz Musicians of the Theological World
Ian Vince, writing for The Telegraph, attends a Druidic Lughnasadh ritual at the Long Man of Wilmington and seems to have a great time.
"Having attended similar events before, I'm looking forward to the singing, which is odd, as I have an awful voice that I don't usually like to bother others with. On a windy hillside, for some reason, I'm not so shy. Pagans are the jazz musicians of the theological world, however. They like to improvise, throw in some bardic ad-libs or riff a little on poetry, so there's no set pattern to rituals beyond opening and closing the circle, calling the elements and the hail and farewells. I admire this approach..."
Vince also seems quite impressed with the closing "sacrifice" of John Barleycorn.
"The centrepiece of Lughnasadh is the symbolic sacrifice of John Barleycorn, the corn god. With his arms outstretched and fists clenched, a golden sickle is drawn across his throat. He falls to his knees and releases the ripe grain he holds in his hands. It's hard-hitting stuff, artfully done on a hillside, but that's the essence of pagan life."
The pleasant thing about this short article is that it treats Pagans as normal religious adherents. He shows up, he admires and participates in the ritual, and he writes about it. No joking references to animal sacrifice, no attempt to paint the participants as weird, strange, or socially inept, and he doesn't make stuff up to suit his preconceived notions. As Pagan religions continue to enter the mainstream, perhaps more reporters on the religion beat will follow Vince's suit.
Labels: Druidry, Druids, journalism, Paganism, The Long Man of Wilmington
8.10.2008
(Pagan) News of Note
My semi-regular round-up of articles, essays, and opinions of note for discerning Pagans and Heathens.
The Richmond Times Dispatch in Virginia reports on CaribFest, and speaks with Haiti's ambassador to the U.S. about Vodou/Voodoo.
"Raymond A. Joseph, Haiti's ambassador to the U.S., was quite conversant on the subject of voodoo. 'When people think of voodoo, they think about the pins and the dolls. . . . That is sorcery and witchcraft,' Joseph said. In reality, he said, 'voodoo is a religion, like any other.'"
In a fortunate piece of kismet, the public radio program Speaking of Faith aired its "Living Vodou" episode this week, which features an interview with Vodou scholar and practitioner Patrick Bellegarde-Smith.
Tropaion reports that the National Archaeological Museum of Athens, in partnership with the Onassis Cultural Foundation in New York, will be presenting an exhibition in December that may be of great interest to modern Pagans.
"Worship, Women’s Ritual and Reality in Classical Athens, is the forthcoming exhibition by the National Museum and the Onassis Cultural Foundation in New York for the following year ... The exhibition will hold 158 artifacts from the National Museum, Acropolis, Kerameikou, Thebes and others including with 29 artifacts from the British, Metropolitan, Louvre, Vatican, Berlin and other foreign Museums. The exhibition is going to be divided in four main categories / themes: goddesses, priestesses, women and ritual, festivities and women on the circle of life. The visitor will be initially introduce with the Athena Parthenou, Artemis of Brauron, Demeter and Persephone who are presented with artifacts of their temples. Then, there are the mythical priestesses like Theano, who retain the key to further discover the practical aspect of worship (sacrifices, libations and choes). The exhibition ends with the section of the cycle of life (birth, adulthood, marriage and death), which run all stages of life in relation to religion and a woman."
You can read more from this Greek paper. A formal press release hasn't been issued, but once it is, I'll provide a link.
Speaking of exhibitions in New York, the Museum of Biblical Art in Manhattan is currently hosting a traveling exhibit of 106 Albrecht Dürer prints. The famous German painter and print-maker, while devoting much of his work to Christian themes, also explored Greco-Roman myth, and did several witch-themed works. Reflecting the the growing concern (and eventual panic) that would engulf his homeland.
Excerpt from "The Four Witches" 1497
You can read more about the exhibition (which runs through Sept. 21) in this Lower Hudson Journal news article.
The Washington Post does a profile on the Hex signs of the Pennsylvania Dutch, and interviews Don Yoder, co-author of "Hex Signs: Pennsylvania Dutch Barn Symbols & Their Meaning", artist Eric Claypoole, and Patrick J. Donmoyer, a student at Kutztown University who studies hex paintings.
"Some of the symbols, he said, date to Norse, and even pagan, art. And it is no coincidence that the hub of hex sign activity is in Pennsylvania rather than, say, New York or New Jersey. "There was freedom of religion in Pennsylvania," he said. "People were afraid of so many things. Even 'witches' were protected here." The argument that hex signs couldn't have mystical meanings because they're so public and out there for the world to see is misleading, Donmoyer said."
Pennsylvania Dutch "Pow-Wow" folk practice and magic has gained popularity among some modern Pagans (to varying degrees of authenticity and success). So a thoughtful exploration of one aspect of this culture is welcome.
Druid leader King Arthur Pendragon's protest at Stonehenge has entered its second month.
"Demonstrating on behalf of the Council of British Druid Orders, King Arthur Pendragon has vowed to remain at the site, living in his caravan, until the historic site is opened fully to the public ... Pendragon, 54, has been camping close to the World Heritage Site since the Summer Solstice on June 21 and is hoping his protests will encourage the Government to remove the fences around the monument, build a tunnel under the A303 and grass over the A344."
It is unclear if Pendragon's protest, or the ongoing public consultation, will produce much needed changes in time for the 2012 Olympics.
In a final note, it looks fairly certain that Natalie Portman will be starring in a remake of Dario Argento's occult-horror masterpiece "Suspiria" (featuring an evil coven of witches).
"Handsome Charlie Films, which is headed by Natalie Portman (pictured inside) and Annette Savitch, will be producing the remake of Dario Argento's Suspiria. In addition, word has it Portman will topline the film that David Gordon Green is attached to direct. Green's PINEAPPLE EXPRESS hits theaters tomorrow."
Another addition to the large pile of horrid horror remakes (think "The Wicker Man"), or new classic for a new generation? I suppose only time will tell.
That is all I have for now, have a great day!
Labels: art, Arthur Pendragon, Druidry, folklore, goddess, Greece, movies, New York, Pagan News of Note, Paganism, Stonehenge, Vodou, Witchcraft
7.01.2008
What to Do About Stonehenge?
Though the Summer Solstice revelers have moved on, that most famous of British neolithic monuments, Stonehenge, remains in the news. First off, somewhat controversial Druid leader King Arthur Pendragon (no, not that Arthur Pendragon) is camping out near Stonehenge, and vows to continue to do so until long-promised improvements to the site are made.
John Rothwell, aka Arthur Uther Pendragon.
"Demonstrating on behalf of the Council of British Druid Orders, King Arthur Pendragon, has been camping close to the World Heritage site since the Summer Solstice on June 21. Pendragon, 54, is hoping his protests will encourage the Government to remove the fences around the monument, build a tunnel over the A303 and grass over the A344. He said: "That's what they promised to do but the Government said they couldn't afford the tunnel. "It's too commercialised. We want something exactly like Avebury. Those fences have been here since 1978." ... He said: 'The visitor centre, set up 14 years ago, was supposed to be a temporary building. It's awful. It is a national disgrace so what I am hoping to do by my protest is embarrass the Government into raising the issue.'"
However, this outrage over the condition of Stonehenge isn't isolated to Druids and Pagans, and with the Olympics coming to London in 2012, there has been increased pressure to improve the state of England's heritage sites. One manifestation of this willingness to do something about the state of Stonehenge is an upcoming three month public consultation on the future of the site. Organizers are no doubt hoping that this period of public input will quell criticisms of governmental negligence, and spur renewed action.
Stonehenge
"English Heritage is to launch a public consultation to find a new site for its long-planned Stonehenge visitor centre. The news comes more than six months after it scrapped Denton Corker Marshall’s design for a centre. That scheme, which had been granted planning permission in December, was shelved after the government decided not to fund a £500 million A303 tunnel. Heritage Lottery Funding had been conditional upon the tunnel going ahead. Denton Corker Marshall won a competition to design the facility in 2001 after EH had ditched a previous scheme by Edward Cullinan Architects. From July 15, members of the public will be able to offer feedback on EH’s review of the World Heritage Site Management Plan, and proposed environmental improvements to the roads around the monument, as well as possible locations for the new visitor facilities."
Perhaps the fear of worldwide embarrassment over the care of Stonehenge will do more to motivate renewed care and attention to the monument than any protesting Druid could ever hope to achieve. In the meantime, King Arthur camps, and we wait to see if the government and English Heritage can finally find a long-term solution for the site's care and maintenance.
Labels: Druidism, Druidry, Druids, King Arthur, Paganism, standing stones, Stonehenge, UK
5.20.2008
Interview with Brendan Cathbad Myers
Author, scholar, and modern Druid, Brendan Cathbad Myers has become an important emerging voice within the wider modern Pagan movement. Myers was a founding member of the Order of the White Oak, and the Convocation of Irish Druids (since dissolved and reformed as the Circle of Druids), in addition to receiving OBOD's Mount Haemus Award for his research into Druidry. His most recent book, "The Other Side of Virtue: Where our virtues came from, what they really mean, and where they might be taking us", is an in-depth examination and call for renewal of classical Virtue.
Brendan Cathbad Myers
I was lucky enough to be able to conduct an interview with Brendan Cathbad Myers about his book, the nature of Virtue, Pagan morality, and tips for living a Virtuous life.
This is a very ambitious book, what inspired you to explore the nature of virtue?
The idea for this book was born while I was living in a small town in Hessen, in Germany, in the summer of 2004. I used to enjoy walking in the forests and fields outside the village every day, and I loved visiting the cathedrals and castles and mediaeval towns of the region. I had also been living in Ireland for several years at that time. I had visited many of the actual locations where the events of Celtic mythology took place. And I was also reading Aristotle, and a few contemporary philosophers of Virtue theory, such as Rosalind Hursthouse, Alasdair MacIntyre, Phillipa Foot, Susan Wolf, and Iris Murdoch. But I think the idea to write a book about virtue came the evening after my friend and I were caught in a summer storm. In part because of that experience, the philosophical work I had been reading, and the landscapes and architecture I had been enjoying, came together in my mind. I felt as if I had discovered not only the key to understanding ancient people's ethical world view, but that I had also discovered something primordial and universal about the human spirit. That day has become one of the most important spiritual occasions of my life.
At the very beginning of the book you define virture as: "the ancient idea that excellence in human affairs is the foundation of ethics, spirituality, self-knowledge, and especially the worthwhile life." Do you think we (Pagans) have lost touch with this idea of virtue?
It's not well known, but Virtue was originally a pagan idea. It was not only an ethical idea, but also a spiritual idea. It had to do with the way people make choices, but also with the way people 'held' themselves and possessed themselves. It configured how they understood their relationship to other people, the world, and the gods. To most people today it has to do with Christian qualities like humility and chastity. But its original side, which has now become its 'other side', has to do with the means by which a person empowers and edifies herself, and becomes a complete human being. Pagans have virtue-concepts in some of our most important and most widely shared statements of identity. The Charge of the Goddess mentions eight of them. But when most pagans think of ethics, they usually think of the the Wiccan Rede -- a highly utilitarian idea which has nothing to do with virtue. I'd like to change that.
Although I say that Virtue was originally a pagan idea, yet it is an idea that belongs not just to pagans. It belongs to the world. For the questions it poses and the solutions it offers are there to be discovered by anyone. I think it's not only Pagans who have lost touch with the original idea of Virtue. I think that the wider "Western" society in which we live has also lost touch with it. This is a shame, as mythological virtue is one of western society's most important and powerful sources of identity and meaning. For most modern people, religious or not, express their values in utilitarian terms. Although most pagans think of themselves as belonging to a minority, professing values that others might find strange or even repugnant, nonetheless the Wiccan Rede is perfectly consistent with the widely-held modern values of individualism, utiliarianism, and rational self-interest. I suspect that Gardner and Valiente and the other early founders of Wicca promoted the Rede in order to show the rest of society that Witches are non-threatening! But I think the time of the Rede has passed. I will not prophesize what new time is coming: but I hope it will be the time of the Virtues, and I've written The Other Side of Virtue to help make that happen.
You have some critical things to say about relativism and the ethic of individualism in your book. Do you think our modern culture, and modern Paganism in particular, have taken these ideas to unhealthy extremes?
"Unhealthy extremism" is not what worries me about individualism and relativism. For these are both very interesting ideas in various ways. What worries me is that if all values and choices are "relative" to the "individual", or to the individual's culture or time and place, then it will follow that we will have little or no means to tell the difference between nobility and banality, or excellence and ordinariness. If "do what you will" is your ethic, then the choice to become a couch potato will be neither better no worse than the choice to become, say, a medical doctor, or a concert violinist. The logic of Individualism and Relativism cannot offer a substantial idea of why we live, what things are really worth having and doing, what a noble and excellent life really looks like.
I find myself strongly influenced by the philosoher Charles Taylor in this part of my thinking, especially in books of his like "The Malaise of Modernity" and "Sources of the Self". As he explains it, Individualism offers no means to recognise values that transcend the individual, and no means to recognise the independant significance of friendship and love, history, the environment, politics or the wider society in which we all live. Yet Taylor also affirms that there is something important and profound in the individualist idea that each person is responsible for finding the meaning of her own life. My own philosophical project is similar. Here is how I describe it in the book:
"The good life involves each person finding within herself the purpose and worth of life. But this activity of self-exploration must not cut people off from sources of meaning beyond themselves... Similarly, we should assert that some values really are 'out there', beyond the self, and are not a matter of personal opinions and preferences. But we must find a way to assert this without falling back on old models of conformity and obedience." (pg. 14)
I'm well aware that individualism is a value that most everyone presupposes as a normal and natural truth of human life. Many people feel personally threatened when it is called into question. And many people (not only pagans) think that the only alternative to individualism is some kind of oppressive authoritarian dogmatism. I believe that is a false dichotomy. My criticism of individualism is intended to show the way to higher, better, more spiritual ways of thinking and living.
Your exploration of virtue, is in some ways, a call for a new sense of morality in Western culture (and by extension, modern Paganism). What do you think a virtuous Pagan morality should look like? What would it include, what would it exclude?
I'd like to see a modern pagan morality in which the mythological virtues, both heroic and classical, are just as important as the Wiccan Rede - perhaps even more important than the Rede. For it is not enough to avoid what is harmful. It is also important to affirm what is joyful! We're here on this earth-walk not just to experience life from many different angles. We're here to lift ourselves up, to better ourselves, to find and to create a beautiful world. I think the Virtues can show us how to do that.
A new morality would have little to do with rules and laws. For the heart of the idea of virtue is the idea that ethics and spirituality is a matter of who you are, not just the rules you follow, even if you follow an unobjectionable rule like "harm none". Indeed a fully virtuous person isn't interested in rules at all. She's interested in becoming a beautiful and complete human being, able to lead a fulfilling and worthwhile life.
A new morality should include lots of room for diversity and variety, and a robust idea of the good life at its centre, just as the pagan movement already does. Yet it should also offer robust models of admirable human beings and socially just communities, and it should offer values worth defending - as the modern pagan movement could do if there were fewer "witch wars" and internal conflicts.
To the best of my knowledge, there are only two other book in the pagan market that discuss ethical issues from a point of view other than the Wiccan Rede. One is Emma Restall Orr's "Living with Honour"; the other is a single chapter in Philip Carr-Gomm's "What do Druids Believe?" (both of which I have read, and thoroughly enjoyed, and am happy to recommend). I look forward to more books in the future which explore our ethics in greater depth, as these books (and mine) do.
You talk about "heroic" and "civilized" virtue, what differentiates these two ideas of virtue, and what aspects did they share?
The main differences between heroic and civilised virtues have to do with the kinds of cultures that they came from. Heroic virtues come mainly from chieftain-level societies like the Celts, the Norse, and the Homeric Greeks. They are concerned with the ways a person achieves fame and renown in such a society. Civilised virtues come from city-state societies like the Athenian democracy, or the Roman empire. They have to do with the use of reason to perceive the spiritual unity of the world, and to re-make one's character in accord with that unity.
But in both cases virtue arises as a response to given problems, and enables people to handle their realities better, and transform their problems into sources of beauty. Those in Heroic societies saw fate, destiny, transience, and impermanence as the biggest problems. Those in Civilised societies thought the biggest problems in life were social and political in nature, such as warfare. But in both cases the way to handle the basic problems in life is not to draw up new laws to follow, but rather to become a certain kind of person.
When moving to the modern era, you praise J.R.R. Tolkein's "The Lord of the Rings" and J.K. Rowling's "Harry Potter" series (among others) for bringing forth a resurgence of virtue. In your opinion, what do these writers teach us about being virtuous?
I wrote a chapter on Tolkein and Rowling to show that the ancient idea of virtue makes re-appearances in the most surprising places. I even wrote a short chapter on the heroic virtues as they appear in Star Wars! But I decided not to include it, since I felt my point had already been made, and besides Tolkein and Rowling are better writers than George Lucas (as I'm sure even ardent Star Wars fans will agree).
I think Tolkein and Rowling teach that anyone, from any background, in any circumstance, can find it within herself to be heroic. Virtue does not belong only to those who are born to aristocratic or wealthy families, or destined for 'greatness', as might be implied if one took civilized and heroic virtue at face value. Tolkein shows how ordinary people, like the Hobbits, have it within them to be noble. Rowling shows how even children can be noble. I'm particularly impressed with Rowling's use of the language of the virtues. The various moral teachings which she puts in the mouths of Harry's mentors, like Dumbledore, Minerva McGonagall, Sirius Black, and Remus Lupin, would find a ready home in any pre-christian philosophical treatise.
It might be added that none of the heroes in these books are motivated by a desire to "harm none", or reduce the harm that is caused in the world. As a thought experiment: think of any person, living or dead, or think of any literary character, who you admire. Next, ask yourself if he or she made a personal goal of minimizing harm. The answer will almost always be "no". What makes people praiseworthy and memorable are their virtues: the qualities of character which make them stand out, and make them capable of great things -- even if such things are, in the words of Mr. Ollivander, "terrible things, but great"!
How does the ancient Greek aphorism "know thyself" provide us with the key to developing excellence and virtue?
This aphorism is an interesting one. It's phrased in the form of a moral imperative: it tells us what to do. Yet what it demands is not obedience to a dogmatic authority. It calls for a process of mature and honest soul-searching which, if done right, produces a heroic and civilised human being. "Knowing Yourself" is not the same as accepting yourself as you are, accepting your flaws, accepting your habits and desires. "Knowing Yourself" requires "the deepest committment, the most serious mind." As I describe it in the book, to know yourself means to know the reaches and the limits of your powers and potentials. it is to know what you are capable of. Yet the only certain way to learn this is to put your powers and potentials to the test. On such occasions, we often find that those powers and potentials are greater, or lesser, than we originally believed them to be. This is not a process of accepting yourself 'as is'. Rather, it is a process of changing, discovering, improving, and transforming yourself into a better person. For self-discovery is also three out of five parts self-creation.
Through the Delphic motto, "Know Yourself", individualism makes an important appearance in my text. Yet that individualism is connected to sources of value from beyond the self. For it usually takes an event or experience from outside the self to initiate the quest for self knowledge.
My book addresses existential and universal themes such as these. It is written not only for pagans, but for everyone. In that sense, it can be thought of as a book with pagan ideas in it, not a pagan book. I recently noted that it was put on the "recommended reading" list of a humanist society in Italy. Yet I hope that it will be of interest to pagans. Modern Asatruars and Heathens, Hellenic Revivalists, Druids, and Pagan Celts have been working with lists of virtues for many years now. Indeed I think that the pagan community is well positioned to show the world what a heroic, and civilised, and mythological, yet completely modern ethical idea, looks like in practice -- and why it can help us respond effectively to the largest problems of our time, such as global warming, religious fundamentalism, economic corruption, racism, sexism, poverty, apathy, and nihilism.
What is "The Immensity", and how does it connect to the idea of virtue?
While studying the myths and legends in which the ancient idea of Virtue appears, it quickly became clear to me that no one can revive that ancient notion of Virtue "as is". The Celts, for instance, were headhunters. The civilised societies I studied, such as Rome, were imperialist societies that kept slaves. And some of the wisdom-texts I studied are profoundly mysogynist. I had to create a philosophical account that that sheds light on the logical foundation of virtue, and explains its universal power, without endorsing old pagan customs that have no place in today's world. The Immensity is that philosophical account.
In its essence, the Immensity is an event or experience which every thinking and feeling human being must inevitably face, every once in a while, in the course of her life. In the book I describe three of them: the Earth, and other people, and death. No one can live without meeting these three things once in a while. And there might be more Immensities than just these three. I explain how the Immensity has many of the features regularly attributed to God, such as timelessness and authority. Yet its power is not that of a paternal or heirarchical kind of lawgiver. Its power is more like that of a friend who tugs your sleeve and says, "Here, look at this rainbow, look at this flower, look at this curiously shaped stone"--and then doesn't stop tugging until you look. Then when you finally look, you feel as if an itch you didn't know was scratched, but now that you think about it, well yes, it did itch, didn't it?
In the last three or four years, the study of the Immensity has become my life's work. I'm presently preparing another book which will explore this idea on the social, political, and environmental planes.
Finally, what advice would you give to someone who wants to start living a virtuous life?
Well as you might expect, I would recommend that such a person should read my book. But more seriously: ask yourself what are the Immensities in your life, and examine how you have responded to them. In the final chapter I describe a thought experiment which is designed to help get the process started. I don't want to give it away here, but I'll say this much. To live a virtuous life, in the original, heroic and civilised sense of the word, teach yourself to recognise the Immensities when they appear, acknowledge them as you would acknowledge a messenger from the gods, and offer in response the choice which will help transform you into the person which you wish to be.
Previous Wild Hunt interviews: Rita Moran, Janet Farrar and Gavin Bone, Phyllis Curott, Tim Ward, Lupa, J.C. Hallman, Margot Adler.
Labels: books, Brendan Cathbad Myers, Druidism, Druidry, interview, morals, Paganism, Virtue
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
2.22.2008
(Pagan) News of Note
My semi-regular round-up of articles, essays, and opinions of note for discerning Pagans and Heathens.
A paper in Livingston County, Michigan reports on the closing of a Pagan/Metaphysical shop in downtown Howell. The paper cites a depressed local economy and competition from larger retail and outlet stores as the primary reasons for the shop's failure, achieving what Christian protesters failed to do eight years ago.
"Wisdom of the Ages has withstood a religious protest against the store's Wiccan tradition and set up shop in mostly Christian Livingston County, but has fallen victim to Michigan's struggling economy ... The year Wisdom of the Ages opened, two Howell-area churches protested outside the building, praying for the souls of Lindsay and store staff. The Daily Press & Argus and television stations in Detroit, Lansing and Jackson picked up the story. Business spiked as a result, Lindsay recalled. "They wanted us shut down. It was the best thing that could have happened to us," she recalled."
The owner, Mona Lindsay, will be opening a smaller shop (called "Moon Magick") in nearby Hamburg Township, where no doubt rents are cheaper and the chances for success in a struggling economy a bit better.
Student Newspaper The Appalachian explores divination, magick, and Paganism, through the lens of a new class taught by anthropology professor Dr. Gregory G. Reck.
"As an outgrowth of Reck's anthropological interests, this spring semester he instructs a 'Magic, Witchcraft, and Religion' course that strives to understand different theoretical approaches to religious behaviors and beliefs. 'We use religion and magic as a kind of prism through which we can explore questions of the nature of the human experience,' Reck said. It is through that prism that such individuals as psychics, tarot card readers, or Pagans regard their world."
The article also talks to James Crew, an interdisciplinary studies major with a concentration in contemporary Pagan studies, and local tarot card readers Cheryl and Sage.
The American Muslim has posted a petition to appeal the execution in Saudi Arabia of Fawza Falih Mumammad Ali, a woman who has been accused of "witchcraft, recourse to jinn, and slaughter of animals". Among the signatories are Pagan leaders like Phyllis Curott, Ellen Evert Hopman, and Selena Fox.
"Surely it is the wisdom of God who is, as so many of the verses of the Qur'an teach, much-forgiving, a dispenser of grace, which must inspire mercy for Fawza Falih, and it is you who embodies that compassion in this realm where the least of humanity most needs your protection. In the name of God, please, halt the execution of Fawza Falih immediately and release her from the Quraiyat Prison."
You can add your signature, here. The New York-based Human Rights Watch has also written to King Abdullah asking for clemency. I'm still wondering why Abdullah's good pal George W. Bush hasn't responded to this controversy.
Executive Pagan points out that two major Druid organizations now have regular podcasts. OBOD's Druidcast, hosted by Damh the Bard, and Tribeways, the official podcast of the ADF.
"ADF's very first podcast, Tribeways, was released into the wild on February 19, 2008! You can download the podcast directly from our host, or through iTunes ... The February Feast features the following contributions: "Make Offerings, Dammit!" by Rev. Kirk Thomas ... "Comparative Mythology - Why Bother?" by Rev. Jenni Hunt ... "Trance Meditation" by Archdruid Emeritus Ian Corrigan"
The Tribeways podcast also comes with "liner notes", featuring notes and transcripts from the show.
In a final note, last week was Pantheacon, one of the largest indoor Pagan-themed conventions in America, and reports, pictures, and videos have been trickling in from the event. Cherry Hill Seminary has photos and commentary, Deborah Oak discusses embracing paradox at Pantheacon, Chas Clifton shares the news of who won the Llewellyn and BBI Media co-sponsored Pagan fiction contest, T. Thorn Coyle discusses the magic of possibility, and M. Macha NightMare leads us to some videos of the WOW Besom Brigade.
That is all I have for now, have a great day!
Labels: academia, discrimination, Druidism, Druidry, Druids, law, Metaphysical Shops, Pagan News of Note, Pagan Studies, Paganism, Pantheacon, podcast, Witch Killings, Witchcraft
12.18.2007
(Pagan) News of Note
My semi-regular round-up of articles, essays, and opinions of note for discerning Pagans and Heathens.
Remember the Episcopagan scandals? Well, the main player in that drama, former Episcopalian priest turned Druid Walter William Melnyk, is releasing a new novel co-written with with Druid priestess Emma Restall Orr entitled "The Apple and The Thorn".
"The Apple and The Thorn is a love story set on the mythical Isle of Avalon at the time of the Roman invasion of Britain. The novel draws on the persistent myths of the Lady of the Lake; legends of Jesus' visit to Glastonbury with Joseph of Arimathea; the Holy Grail and the Chalice Well. Although set in ancient times, it is a heart-rending tale of power and belief, a contemporary reminder of the emotional and physical conflicts that surface when the missionary zeal of one faith threatens to destroy the beauty and spirituality of indigenous culture and suppress freedom of belief and worship."
If the Lady of the Lake and Joseph of Arimathea debating over the true nature of Jesus (and the resulting Christian religion) is your kind of thing, no doubt you'll be well-pleased with what Melnyk and Orr have produced. The book is out now in the UK, and is scheduled for a May release in the US.
The Lansing State Journal reports that Baby-Boom religious seekers will most likely remain seekers once they hit retirement.
"He said that, as boomers age, as they become grandparents, they seem to be 'moving into that phase that humanistic psychologists have talked about of thinking about what they give back, not just what they get,' he said, 'what they give back to family, community and country.' The question for religious institutions is whether they can provide the settings for that search for meaning. 'Organized religion has been reaching out to try to create venues for this kind of thing,' Roof said. 'But I think the baby-boom generation still feels free to find truth wherever they can.'"
So don't worry, it doesn't appear that Starhawk will be converting to Orthodox Judaism (or Isaac Bonewits to Catholicism) any time soon. I, for one, welcome our less-self-centered Boomer overlords. I'd like to remind them that as a trusted blogging personality, I can be helpful in rounding up others
Speaking of Starhawk, she weighs in on the subject of diversity, pluralism, and the "Christmas Wars" at the Washington Post "On Faith" blog.
"I don't think we're being too 'politically correct' to hold to the guiding principles that our Constitution is founded upon. As someone who was raised Jewish and who is a practicing Pagan, I support Christmas. I think it's a beautiful holiday, a wonderful celebration of birth and hope in the midst of the dark of winter. I support Christ being the 'star of the show' in every Christian Church and Christian home. I sympathize deeply with my Christian and secular friends who are struggling to keep the holiday from devolving into CommercialMass or Giftmas and to focus on its deeper meaning. I do not support Christ being the star of the show in public celebrations - not unless he's willing to share the stage with Lugh the Sun God and Saule the Sun Goddess, Mohammed, Buddha, Krishna, Judah Macabee and a host of others. Even then, either someone gets left out or every celebration becomes an interminable endurance test. And how do atheists get equal time?"
While Americans battle over how much Baby Jesus gets to happen in public, Iceland has no problems connecting the Yule-tide dots between Christian and pagan practice.
"Head Folklorist at the University of Iceland Terry Gunnell will give a presentation in English today and again on December 22 at the National Museum of Iceland, located in Reykjavik, about the traditional Icelandic Yule. The presentation is entitled 'The Icelandic Yule. An illustrated presentation in English reviewing the beliefs and traditions of Icelandic Christmas past and present, from pagan gods to practical joking Christmas Lads.'"
Between this and the joint Pagan-Christian celebrations in Lithuania, you gotta wonder if Europe isn't on to something here. But if tolerance and peaceful co-celebration isn't an option, you can always file a restraining order on the cause(s) of this whole mess.
"Paranormal Restraining Orders Keep them away! Since the dawn of time, mankind has sought the means of keeping away supernatural and paranormal entities. Now, for only $5 each, receive a printed document that bars them from approaching or contacting you."
They really need to broaden their options, there are all sorts of celestial powers I want to keep a safe distance from me.
The Smart Set's Emily Maloney visits a Body, Mind, and Spirit Expo so you don't have to.
"The whole expo felt like a bad shopping trip where shoppers and sellers were all piecing together a mix and match vision of reality. I also found listening to people who were capable of distorting their cognition in such whimsical ways nearly impossible to understand. I mean, if I could get in touch with the Devic Kingdom, wherever that is, I could definitely use a fat, chipper gnome to remind me of my grocery list, or help me find overdue library books, or drive when I got too drunk (if that's not asking too much to ask of a gnome), but I just don't know how to go playfully crazy in the direction of woodland fairies and jolly gnomes."
I completely empathize with the mental block (which I playfully call "sanity") that doesn't allow me the full range of spiritual experiences some of my more "out there" co-religionists seem to regularly engage in. Then again, if it got me a gnome-housekeeper, perhaps I should try harder.
In a final (fae) note, Bookslut lets us know that there is a new English translation out of the classic Irish epic "The Tain".
"It's all quite fantastic, but in Carson's version never preposterous. In part, that's because he's such a skilled translator. Carson has done deft poetic justice to book-length works by Dante and the 18th century Irish poet Brian Merriman. This "Tain" also benefits from the fact that, among the formidable group of poets to emerge from Ulster over the last few decades, Carson has remained closest to the roots of that troubled province's traditions. He is the author of two fine books on traditional music, and this translation is dedicated to a traditional Gaelic storyteller. Because he is a fine poet and -- in that Yeatsian sense -- "a rooted man," Carson's translation teases from "The Tain" several of the things that make it so remarkable: First and foremost among them is the fact that -- unlike, say, the Iliad -- the characters in "The Tain" don't stand as archetypes. They're real people -- conflicted, complex, alternately admirable and reprehensible, capable of courtesy and deceit, generosity and cunning. Cu Chulainn is a superhero and a vain adolescent, a warrior sometimes thrust into mourning by his own skill. He, like other characters in this "Tain," is also very funny."
You can find the new translation, here.
That is all I have for now, have a good day!
Labels: Baby Boomers, Christmas, Druidry, Episcopagan, Iceland, Ireland, New Age, Pagan News of Note, Paganism, Starhawk, War on Christmas, Yule
7.04.2007
The Pagans Are Rallying!
This Independence Day, a Pagan rally is being held in Washington D.C. celebrating the recent victory to have the Pentacle symbol approved by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, and to push forward an agenda of true Pagan equality in the eyes of the U.S. government.
"Join us to celebrate a major victory for Pagan Religious Rights, now that we have secured the Veterans' Pentacle! Help us voice a further agenda for Pagan Religious Rights: We want a Pagan chaplain in the U.S. Armed Forces. And we need to keep the focus on the Department of Veterans Affairs to accept Thor's Hammer, religious emblem of the Asatruar, and the Druids' Awen symbol ... While we have won the quest for the Veterans' Pentacle, the Pentacle is a single victory in the longer campaign for universal religious freedom. We need to hold a clear intent: we want to further the free expression of all religions, Pagan and otherwise. And we need to send that message now, while America still remembers that a department of the federal government systematically denied Wiccan soldiers their full rights."
Speaking at the rally with be representatives from Circle Sanctuary, The Troth, The Military Pagan Network, The ADF, Sacred Well Congregation, Asatru Folk Assembly, and the Rev. Barry Lynn of Americans United for Separation of Church and State. This well-orchestrated gathering begins at noon and culminates with a ritual lead by author and Steerswoman of the Troth Diana Paxson that will invoke the Founding Fathers to guard our religious freedoms.
"The people who created this country were pioneers and rebels, risking their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honor, to establish a nation in which everyone was free to find his or her own path. The least we can do, especially when it is so much to our own advantage, is to carry on the work that they began."
News of the rally is already starting to spread, and The Washington Posts' On Faith blog has devoted their July 4th panelist questions to the issues brought up by this Pagan rally. Most interestingly, is the question of if they would vote for a Pagan politician, the answers may surprise you.
"I am less interested in whether a candidate agrees with me on theology than whether he or she agrees with me on public policy. Our founding fathers had a great respect for the Roman republic. I like them would be very tempted to vote for a pagan like Cicero if he were running for office today." - Thomas J. Reese, Jesuit Priest and editor of the Catholic weekly magazine "America".
"When it comes to choosing candidates, my approach is on the basis of issues, not identities. If a pagan candidate takes stances that I agree with, I would have no hesitation voting for him or her. The same goes for a candidate from any other religion or for an atheist candidate." - Pamela K. Taylor, co-founder of Muslims for Progressive Values
Also adding to the discussion is rally participant Diana Paxson, who is a "guest voice" to the On Faith blog.
"America has always been noted for creativity, in religion as in all else. Each new faith, whether immigrant or homegrown, enriches our culture. Today, when Buddhist temples and Islamic mosques may be found in many parts of the U.S., one might wonder why the VA denied a Wiccan veteran the right to have a pentacle on his headstone for ten years, and the Army has still not hired a Pagan chaplain. Paganism does not seek to replace other religions, but Pagan perspectives can revitalize the ways in which we relate to our history, our ancestors, and especially, in this time of climate crisis, to the environment. Rather than resisting, America should welcome the Pagan contribution to our cultural diversity."
I would love to hear reports from the rally, numbers? Pictures? Personal accounts? Send them to my e-mail address or post about it here in the comments. I would love to do a follow-up of what is sure to be a successful event. Have a happy and safe 4th of July, and let everyone's freedom ring!
Labels: Asatru, AU, Circle Sanctuary, Diana Paxson, Druidry, On Faith, The Troth, Veteran Pentacle Quest, Wicca
5.23.2007
Veteran Pentacle: The Next Step
Now that the VA has settled its suit, and the Pentacle symbol for veteran's grave stones and markers has been approved, Pagan leaders and activists are focusing on the next steps.
"We have seen how long it took to get the Pentacle. Surely we can manifest continued focus on Pagan religious rights issues, so that we don't wait another ten years for our next victory. We need to voice a further agenda for Pagan religious rights now, while America still remembers that a department of the federal government stonewalled the Pentacle for political reasons. And we need to voice our demand for religious freedom publicly, and invite the media to attend as well ... Now that we have won the Pentacle, there are many other issues to put forward. Advocating a military chaplain in the U.S. Armed Forces is one of the most pressing issues. Adding the symbols of more Pagan denominations to those religious emblems approved by the Department of Veterans Affairs is another vital issue."
A mass-rally and ritual is being planned for July 4th in Lafayette Square Park, in front of the White House and catty-corner to the Department of Veterans Affairs. Speaking about the need for a Pagan military chaplain will be Rev. J. Michael Akins, executive director of the Military Pagan Network and Marci Drewry from the Sacred Well Congregation. The Sacred Well Congregations (based in Texas) was recently dealt a setback in the quest for a Pagan military chaplain when a perfect candidate was sabotaged through military "catch-22s".
"On July 6, [Don Larsen] applied to become the first Wiccan chaplain in the U.S. armed forces, setting off an extraordinary chain of events. By year's end, his superiors not only denied his request but also withdrew him from Iraq and removed him from the chaplain corps, despite an unblemished service record...Larsen, 44, blames only himself. He said he was naive to think he could switch from Pentecostalism to Wicca in the same way that chaplains routinely change from one Christian denomination to another."
In addition to rallying for a Pagan chaplain, representatives from A Druid Fellowship (ADF), The Troth, and the Asatru Folk Assembly will be present to ramp up efforts to have two more modern Pagan symbols approved for military headstones and markers. The Thor's Hammer, and the Awen.
"Steve McNallen of the Asatru Folk Assembly will speak about Thor's Hammer: 'Modern-day Asatru has a very high percentage of veterans. We've worn the hammer amulet into combat. It's only right that the same symbol be on our headstones.' Rev. Skip Ellison, Archdruid of Ar nDraoicht Fein, will speak about the Druids' Awen symbol. Skip points out 'It is important to remember that freedom of religion means freedom for all religions to worship as they choose.' Diana L. Paxson [from The Troth], acclaimed author and Pagan Elder, will lead us in circle as we invoke the Founders of Our Nation. This will be the first public Pagan ritual in Lafayette Square Park, in the President's front yard."
Also, the Rev. Barry W. Lynn, executive director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State and Selena Fox from Circle Sanctuary will be there to talk about the Veteran Pentacle victory.
"Selena proposes continued unity of action among diverse Pagan groups for religious liberty: "United We Stand. United We Win!" Selena and her Pagan rights group the Lady Liberty League will continue the struggle on behalf of all Pagans nationally."
It is heartening to see such unity of purpose among these groups. The victory over the government on the Pentacle issue seems to have galvanized the larger modern Pagan community into action, especially now that winning doesn't seem so far-fetched. One wonders how much larger this coalition will get, will we see more reconstructionist groups join in, or larger eclectic Pagan associations like the Fellowship of Isis? In any event, it looks like these Pagan groups are smartly building on the momentum and press already generated by the Veteran Pentacle Quest, and may give rise to greater cooperation among our diverse faiths in future religious rights cases.
Labels: Asatru, Druidry, Paganism, Veteran Pentacle Quest, Wicca
5.14.2007
Hutton and The Druids
The Independent does a profile of author and academic Ronald Hutton on the release of his latest book "Druids: A History". The article points out that this book isn't so much about "real" Druids (ie the historical priestly caste of the pre-Christian Celts), as it is about the modern invention of Druids (and Druidry) from Iolo Morganwg in the 18th century to the present day.
"Hutton gives us chapters on "The Patriotic Druids", "The Wise Druids", "The Green Druids", "The Demonic Druids", "The Fraternal Druids", "The Rebel Druids" and, perhaps most important to his popular readers, "The Future Druids". Like the Knights Templar, at least in the British Isles, the Druids have been a handy peg on which to hang a backpack of imaginative, insightful, and sometimes half-baked ideas, dealing with national identity, religious revelation, ancient societies, nature and ourselves. When I mentioned that it seemed like a history of what people have thought about the Druids, Hutton eagerly agreed. 'My colleagues would kill me for saying this, but historians are increasingly conscious of the fact that we can't write history. What we can write about is the way in which people see history and think history happens.' And turning my remark back at me he continued, 'So, is this a book about Druids with no Druids in it, or are the real Druids these amazing characters like William Price, William Stukeley, Iolo Morganwg and the rest?'"
The interviewer also touches on the fact that Hutton has courted controversy with his books on modern Paganism. From some modern Pagans who have disagreed with his findings, and from academic colleagues who feel he is a bit too chummy with the Pagans.
"Predictably, Hutton finds himself defending his position on two fronts. Neo-pagans, clinging to the notion that their beliefs are part of an ancient nature religion, and radical feminists upholding the idea of a primeval matriarchal society (which Hutton finds "rather delightful"), scorn Hutton's refreshingly cheerful acceptance that there seems little evidence for either of these. And his less unbuttoned colleagues shake their heads at his optimism about Druidry and other "alternative spiritualities" as valid contemporary religions. He has a very pragmatic, creative attitude, recognising that factual error can still produce beneficial results. We may not be able to "get it right", about the Druids and other people of the past, but 'we can look upon the past and how it works for us, and call upon it in order to make the future'."
But despite the criticisms Hutton has received from some Pagans, his obvious love and respect for modern Paganism is apparent.
"Paganism today, he says, is "a way of trying to get the best out of modernity, while discarding the bits that most of us hate". And while he wouldn't call himself "a spokesperson for paganism" ... he acknowledges his debt to it. "I could never have managed to write the books that I have without the welcome and the support I've received from pagans and Druids." Given that the West has been reinventing its identity since the Renaissance, that we should continue to do so today shouldn't come as a surprise. "It's part of our reclaiming ourselves as modern," Hutton says. 'Of getting a sense of who we are and what we're doing here, where we've come from , and why we are who we are. It's simply thrilling.'"
If "Druids" is anywhere near the quality of works like "Triumph of the Moon" or "Stations of the Sun", then it will become essential reading for anyone interested in modern Druidry/ism (whether curious outsider or veteran practitioner). Works like this help add another piece to the puzzle of modern Paganism's sometimes complex and confusing history.
Labels: Druid, Druidism, Druidry, Druids, Paganism, Polytheism, Ronald Hutton
3.31.2007
A Week of Polytheism
Pagan bloggers Chas Clifton and Nikolaos Markoulakis have pointed out that the New Statesman has posted a weeks worth of articles on modern Paganism. Contributors include Markoulakis, his colleague James Head, and Damh (aka Damh the Bard). In addition to their recent contributions, animist and author Graham Harvey has also contributed several articles recently.
Labels: Animism, Chas Clifton, Damh the Bard, Druidry, Graham Harvey, Hellenism, New Statesman, Nikolaos Markoulakis, Paganism
2.10.2007
Remembering A Chief Druid
On February 1st, during Imbolc, Tim Sebastion, chief of the Secular Order of Druids in the UK, passed away after a long illness. No papers that I can find have printed an obituary, but several friends and acquaintances have posted remembrances on the web, giving tribute to a singular force within Druidry in the UK.
Tim Sebastian, photo by Andy Letcher
"Tim Sebastion, Blakean Romantic, Priest of Albion and Chosen Chief of the Secular Order of Druids, died last thursday. Whether organising inter-faith cricket matches at Stonehenge, performing lewd cucumber dances at Beltaine, or reestablishing competitions for Bardic Chairs he brought a delightful element of chaos to an otherwise stuffy British Druidry. He once told me that during his formative hippy years in London he saw a line from Blake graffitied on a wall: 'The road of excess leads to the palace of wisdom'. It seems a fitting epitaph." - Andy Letcher, author of "Shroom: A Cultural History of the Magic Mushroom"
"Tim was Chosen Chief of the Secular Order of Druids - and still is for a while longer. Unlike the heads of some Orders and religions, Tim's title says what it means. Tim was chosen to be the chief of the Secular Order. He was chosen by the Secular Order. He never claimed, as far as I know, to've been chosen by a deity, not even by an ancestor like Wally. He rarely asserted authority over others. Most often he provoked, suggested, seduced. There are people around who think they started something, and there are events which they claim to've founded. But some of us know better. Tim's vision thrives in the lives and projects of many people (whether they know it or not). While others identify Druidry with a noble priesthood disseminating wisdom to worthy followers, the truest expressions of the Secular Order are cucumber dancers, fools, jesters, picnics, punk protests, rave tree blessings and ceremonies on the road outside Stonehenge ... Tim got us all to do things. Some of them have improved the world in small or great ways. If anyone else had achieved some of what Tim achieved their name would be emblazoned across some sign of ownership. Tim just smiled. Told us things that we only ever half believed but often wondered ... what if?" - Graham Harvey, author of "Listening People, Speaking Earth: Contemporary Paganism."
"What I remember about him most was his grumbling voice, his booming laugh, his ribald and unrestrained sense of humour, and his ability, almost stretching to genius, to knock over any ashtray, any pint, any table or any tent that he was even vaguely associated with...He was a tireless fighter for justice, an inspiration to us all, a model of courage and conviction, funny, generous, honest and a truly decent person to boot. Having Tim chant the Awen over you was to be transported to another, better world." - CJ Stone, author of "The Last of The Hippies"
"Tim Sebastion, chief of the Secular Order of Druids in the UK, died on February 1. He was always in the swirl of controversy around Stonehenge...His order was formed in 1975 and the acronym was chosen deliberately, or so I have been told. Based on my couple of meetings with Tim (the last in a Bath pub in 2004), it seemed that by appearing to not be totally serious, he was able to be very serious. He also held the Bardic Chair of Caer Badon (Bath) after founding a gorsedd (poetic competition) in 1995." - Chas Clifton, author of "Her Hidden Children"
"He was a bridge-builder, a peace-maker - adept at walking between the secular and sacred. With his gentle hand at the helm of many a circle, he made all feel welcome – making the Mysteries accessible and relevant to the present. A lover of 'sacred cricket' and 'West-Country produce', he was a Bonzo soul and a Druid through and through. With impeccable Druidic timing, he passed on from this world on Imbolc, 1 February, 2007, Southmead Hospital, Bristol, surrounded by close friends. His legacy lives on." - Kevan Manwaring, 3rd Bard of Bath & Scribe of the Gorsedd of the Bards of Caer Badon.
"Tim was a wonderful fellow. I first met him at a meeting he had convened in Mells in Somerset together with Ted Williams, a member of the Ancient Order of Druids. John Michell was there and I remember us all sitting in a lovely English country cottage garden in the summer holding the first meeting of COBDO. I particularly remember his deep rich voice with its West Country accent and his sense of humour. He was unique and I shall miss him greatly. May his journey to the Summerlands be swift and sure!" - Philip Carr-Gomm, Chosen Chief, The Order of Bards Ovates & Druids
"I have rejected Christianity on all levels other than I think it's a system that has as much a right to exist as we do. I believe in the Goddess; I'd rather live under a matriarchal system than a patriarchal system. I also think the time is long past where we need to have these stupid arguments about Christianity versus Paganism. It's irrelevant in the modern world. The world is collapsing unless we all come together and love one another." - Tim Sebastion, from an interview in Keltria magazine
May he rest in the arms of his Goddess. My respect and sympathies go out to all who knew him.
Labels: Druid, Druidry, Paganism, Tim Sebastion
