3.14.2008
A Spate of Pagan Articles, Plus: Bunky's Big Party
Sometimes I go weeks without seeing any direct coverage of Pagans in the mainstream media. Then, as if they can hold back no longer, a sudden torrent of stories spring forth all at once. As a result, you get the Sacramento News and Review covering a Thelemic Gnostic Mass, The Post in Ohio reporting on the growing population of Wiccans in Athens, the Marshall Parthenon (a student paper) looking at a Pagan organization on campus, and a Killeen Daily Herald story concerning local Pagans getting ready to celebrate Ostara.
"When the leaves start turning green, weather warms up and spring finally rolls around, it feels like magic is in the air; this Saturday's Ostara Fest is ready to make things feel a whole lot more magical. A celebration of spring, the event at Club Rodeo in Harker Heights will be hosted by new-age gift shop Sisters of the Earth and Sea and will bring vendors and participants from all over the country. "You've heard of 'Keep Austin Weird,'" said Laurie Roach, co-owner of Sisters of the Earth and Sea. 'Well, we're trying to keep Central Texas eclectic.'"
But wait! There's still more! The University of Washington's student newspaper explores the "highly controversial religious pathway" of Wicca, Gay Wired interviews astrologer, musician, tarot creator, out lesbian, and Goddess-worshiper Flash Silvermoon, while the Amherst Bulletin interviews Ellen Evert Hopman about Druids and her new novel "Priestess of the Forest: A Druid Journey".
"My original intention was to write a training manual for people who wanted to follow the Druid path," Hopman said. But, as she began to explain the first ritual, "All of a sudden, there's this full- blown ritual," spooling out like a movie in her mind. "The characters just took over," she said. "I had very little control over what happened after that."
Plus, if you act now, you can read an interesting profile of Orisa priestess Chief Fama in the California Press-Enterprise.
You would think that heady rush of journalistic exercise would drain the well for a few months (or at least until the Spring Equinox hits), but it looks like Wiccan multi-millionaire Ellwood "Bunky" Bartlett just might grace the local headlines again. The newly expanded Mystickal Voyage shop celebrates its Bunky-funded grand re-opening in a impressively large 6500 square foot space this weekend.
"Our Grand Opening is set for the weekend of March 14th. The festivities will begin Friday at 1:00 with opening speeches and a ribbon cutting ceremony with special guests including Rev. Bunky Bartlett, Ginny Robertson from the On Purpose Women's Network, Steve Rouse [a local radio personality], and more! During the weekend, we will have guest workshops with Amber K, Azrael Arynn K, and Ann Moura."
In addition, the shop will be featuring a (sold out) acoustic performance from Rockstar: Supernova finalist Dilana Robichaux. I can't imagine an event like this not drawing reporters like moths to a flame.
All this media attention is just further proof that modern Paganism is becoming the "designated Other" in American (and British, and Australian) religious life. So we better get used to the increasing amount of press (and scholarly) attention.
Labels: Ellwood "Bunky" Bartlett, journalism, Paganism, Religion, Wicca
2.21.2008
Updates on Past Stories
Thelemites Fight Pedophillia Charges: An Australian couple who posted unsubstantiated accusations of pedophilia and ritual abuse within the Ordo Templi Orientis (O.T.O.) chapter in Melbourne, Australia have been sentenced to nine months in prison. The prison stay was ordered after Vivienne Legg and Dyson Devine defied a court order to take down the material, and declined to appear at hearings.
"Vivienne Legg and Dyson Devine posted on their website claims that an occult group, the Ordo Templi Orientis (OTO), was really a pedophile ring in Victoria, and that its activities included hosting parties at which naked children served as waiters and members had sex with and murdered children ... [Judge Marilyn Harbison] said the material was gross, insulting and bizarre in asserting that the OTO tortured and killed children and animals and consumed their organs in blood rituals. It also said OTO members were criminally corrupt, spoke of a culture of corruption at the highest levels of government, and identified politicians as taking part. Judge Harbison said she had to signal to the broader community that tribunal orders were not to be ignored and that breaching the Racial and Religious Tolerance Act was a serious issue."
The offending site in question was finally taken down in January by the hosting provider. Legg and Devine now have to decide if they will apologize to the judge and hope that their sentence is commuted, or if they will appeal their case to the Supreme Court.
The First Wiccan Multi-Millionaire: A local ABC News affiliate checks in with Ellwood "Bunky" Bartlett, a Wiccan who won an estimated 33 million dollars in the Mega Millions drawing back in September of 2007. According to the report, Bartlett is keeping the promises he made back when he first realized he won the lottery.
"After Dundalk's Bunky Bartlett hit the Mega Millions jackpot in 2007, he said he planned to help a new age gift shop expand. He also said he would continue teaching people about his Wiccan beliefs. Bartlett has been true to his word. The Mystical Voyage store in Nottingham used to occupy 2500 square feet of space. When the expanded store opens next month, it will occupy 6500 square feet -- enough space for several new holistic healing rooms, and a large yoga studio."
Bartlett continues to teach classes on Wicca at the store, as he did before the lottery win. No further word yet about the proposed Willow Springs Sanctuary and Community Center that was announced back in November.
Wicca in India: In the past I have reported on Ipsita Roy Chakraverti, a famous adherent of Wicca in India. Chakraverti, a social activist, started a "Wiccan Brigade" to stem witchcraft killings and female infanticide through a campaign of education and re-framing the practice of "witchcraft" in India. While we have heard no reports on how successful these initiatives have been, it does look like Wicca and other western Pagan imports are gaining popularity in certain Indian cities.
"New age therapies and healing through a host of skills, including hypnosis, tarot reading, astrology and witchcraft are being accepted by a majority of people in Chandigarh, the twin capital of Punjab and Haryana ... Claiming to be India's first Shaman Witch, Renu Mathur helps remove all negative energy surrounding a person through prayer and meditation. She claims that she receives the energy from Gods and Goddesses as also from the four elements of Earth, Air, Fire and Water. 'Although this may not seem like a straight fight against superstition because what I am doing is very logical like the use of colours, use of fire, use of crystals all of which has been validated by everybody in all fields. This is just a concentrated form of using them and invocations of a Wiccan or a person like me used has a very scientific oath -'Do what will not harm anyone'. We cannot harm anyone. If we even think of doing so we lose our energies,' said Renu."
It should be interesting to see what the continued co-mingling of Hinduism and Indian culture with modern Paganism will produce. These cross-cultural interactions seem to hint at the promise of a post-Christian future, where theological "sisters" like Hinduism and modern Paganism can enrich one another over the longer term.
Speaking of India, today is the beginning of the Pongala Mahotsavam, a ten-day festival in honor of Bhagavathi (the mother goddess of the Malayali Hindus). Held in Thiruvananthapuram, it is the largest religious gathering for women in the world.
"Women in thousands have started pouring in to participate in Friday's 'Pongala' festival at Attukal temple, famed as 'Women's Sabarimala' for attracting one of the world's biggest female congregations. The Attukal Bhagavati temple here had entered the Guinness Book two years back as a unique religious event that draws over a million women on a single day. The whole city would turn into a sea of women as sun rises on Friday with the road, pavements and by-lanes about an area of six km around being occupied by devotees with the earthen pots placed on brick hearths in front of them to prepare the 'prasadam' (sweetened pudding). The ritual consists of preparation of the prasadam of rice, jaggery, coconut and spices, to be offered to the Goddess to invoke her blessings for peace and prosperity."
An estimated 2.5 million women are expected to participate this year, breaking all previous attendance records for the festival (1.7 million in 2007, and 1.5 million in 2006).
Labels: Attukal Pongala, Australia, Ellwood "Bunky" Bartlett, goddess, Hinduism, India, Ipsita Roy Chakraverti, OTO, Thelema, Wicca, Witchcraft
12.30.2007
Top Ten Pagan Stories of 2007 (Part One)
As we reach the close of 2007, it is time to stop for a moment and take stock of the previous year. When you look at (and for) news stories regarding modern Paganism (and related topics) every day of the year, you can sometimes lose focus on the larger picture. So it can be a helpful thing to look at the broad strokes, the bigger themes, the events and developments that will have lasting impact on the modern Pagan movement. What follows are my picks for the top ten stories from this past year involving or affecting modern Pagans.
10. Important passages within the Pagan and occult communities: 2007 saw the passing of some highly influential and respected members of our extended community, the most notable being the visionary philosopher, author, and mystic, Robert Anton Wilson.
Robert Anton Wilson
Wilson is perhaps best-known for his work on "The Illuminatus! Trilogy" with co-author Robert Shea. The books incorporated elements of Discordianism, conspiracy theory, magick, and various 60s counterculture references to create a "fairytale for paranoids". Since then Wilson published several books exploring philosophy, science, and religion. Most notably his "Cosmic Trigger" series. But RAW was hardly the only notable passing in 2007, we also saw key Goddess spirituality movement figure Shekhinah Mountainwater (author of "Ariadne's Thread: A Workbook of Goddess Magic") cross the veil after a long struggle with cancer, and Tim Sebastion, chief of the Secular Order of Druids, who died after a long illness.
Other notable passages include artist Lady Jaye Breyer P-Orridge (partner to Genesis Breyer P-Orridge, and member of Psychic TV), influential Salem Witch and event organizer Shawn Poirier, and Starwood organizer, musician, and SubGenius, Chas Smith.
09. Witch School in the News: This past year saw quite a lot of coverage for the (in)famous Internet-based Witch School. The year began with news that the SCI FI Channel was planning a reality television series set in the school's campus (then located in Hoopeston, IL), but this development seemed to fall apart when Ed Hubbard announced he was selling the school through E-Bay.
"Imagine, if you could buy Harry Potter's Hogwarts? Well, the world's first and largest public school of Wiccan and Witches has become available for sale. Starting Tuesday, April 10th, WitchSchool.com will be auctioned off to the highest bidder during an eBay Auction. If you ever wanted to have your very own cyber school of magick and witchcraft, this is the auction for you. So you can own and run your very own Academy for Magick and Witchcraft. If you would love to become the next Dumbledore, this is your chance to do so."
After a flurry of controversy, mixed-signals, and announcements concerning them leaving their physical campus in Hoopeston (due to the alleged unfriendliness of the town) Witch School was sold to a coalition of buyers from the Correllian Nativist Tradition with Don Lewis at the head. I thought that would be the last we head from the school in 2007, but Witch School ended up gaining national press attention after the tiny troubled town of Rossville, IL went on the offensive following the school's relocation there. While tensions have since eased up, it was certainly a PR coup for the Internet business. It remains to be seen if Witch School will manage to gain the publics attention in 2008, or if they will return to relative obscurity sans tales of persecution. But they certainly made a mark on Pagan-related news in 2007.
08. "Bunky" the Multi-Millionaire: The media became positively entranced when Wiccan Ellwood "Bunky" Bartlett won over 30 million dollars in the Maryland State Lottery "Mega Millions" drawing. This encouraged witty bon mots like "Dude, talk about blessed be" and "Christians who pray for lucky lottery tickets but never win might consider switching over to Wicca." Of course the press soon wanted to know how he was going to spend his newly-won loot, and Bunky announced that he plans to build a Pagan-run seminary. While there have certainly been rich or well-off Pagans before (though they are most-often "in the broom closet"), Bartlett is the first to gain a high-profile, and will certainly continue to gain press attention if (or when) he starts spending that money to benefit his religion.
07. Pagans in Prison (and the books they can read): Incarcerated Pagans and Heathens made the news in increasingly large numbers this past year. I personally blogged eight such stories, and I know for a fact that more occurred that I never got a chance to report on. Virtually all the claims regarded the issue of religious free exercise and what materials a Pagan prisoner should/would be allowed. But while those legal struggles mainly happened on the journalistic sidelines, Pagans, prisons, and their religious rights hit center stage when the Federal Bureau of Prisons enacted a controversial new policy that purged every religious book in Federal Prison libraries that wasn't on a then-secret list (in order to inhibit "extremism").
"Government does have a legitimate interest to screen out things that tend to incite violence in prisons," Mr. [Douglas] Laycock [professor of law at the University of Michigan Law School] said. "But once they say, 'We're going to pick 150 good books for your religion, and that's all you get,' the criteria has become more than just inciting violence. They're picking out what is accessible religious teaching for prisoners, and the government can't do that without a compelling justification. Here the justification is, the government is too busy to look at all the books, so they're going to make their own preferred list to save a little time, a little money."
Massive controversy ensued amongst religious groups both liberal and conservative, which only intensified when the amazingly flawed lists leaked to the public. The BOP soon reversed their actions and restored the pulled books, but the policy has only been postponed, and come early 2008 we could be faced yet again with the majority of books for (Federal) Pagan prisoners being pulled, and an approved list made by unnamed "experts" put in its place. So expect the rights of Pagan prisoners to continue to make the news in 2008.
06. Paganism (Ancient and Modern) Continues to Influence Pop-Culture: Pagan and occult themes continued to make headway into popular culture in 2008. The television series "Rome" (which had one of the most accurate portrayals of Roman polytheism to date) aired its second (and final) season, the masterful adult fairytale "Pan's Labyrinth" took home three Academy Awards, while films like "300", and "Beowulf" looked to a pre-Christian era to find its heroes (while a certain Pirate franchise invoked a goddess to help wrap up their story). 2007 also saw the release of documentaries concerning notorious occultist Aleister Crowley, and cultural appropriation within New Age communities, and a new-found emphasis on occult and supernatural themes in television.
"The prevalence of supernatural plots 'is reflective of increasing anxiety - personal, economic and national' that pervades the American mood, said Mr. Rash, who was in New York last week to attend the networks' presentations ... Most of the coming new shows 'are playing to viewers' desire to be in fantasyland,' said Shari Anne Brill, senior vice president and director of programming at Carat USA in New York, part of the Carat division of the Aegis Group, adding, 'The real world has become such a horrendous place that people are looking for magic to avoid the tragic.'"
Pagans continued to make appearances on reality television, and exploitive daytime talk-shows, while a film full of Scottish myths and folktales (shot entirely in Gaelic) gained rave critical reviews. In addition, production news surfaced about a feature film concerning Aleister Crowley, a re-envisioning of the classic cult-film "The Wicker Man", and a possible television show starring Greek gods. Meanwhile, Walden Media learned that if you cut the pagan elements out of a classic story, the movie will flop.
This has been a great year for Pagan-themed music, from Wyrd-folk compilations to Bjork and Tori Amos. Loads of great Pagan and occult books came out this year as well. Oh, and the last Harry Potter book came out, but didn't you hear it was all a Christian allegory? But in any case, popular culture continues to become increasingly Pagan-friendly, and I don't see the trend slowing down any time soon.
--
Tomorrow I will post the top five Pagan stories for 2007. In the meantime, I invite you to check out the top religion stories from some different perspectives. Time magazine's top ten religion stories, the 2007 Top Religion Stories as selected by Religion Newswriters, the Barna group's four "mega-themes" from their 2007 research, Christianity Today's top stories of 2007, and Terry Mattingly gives us his vote for 2007's top religious story.
Labels: Ellwood "Bunky" Bartlett, Paganism, Passings, pop-culture, Prison, Religion, Top 10 religion stories of the year, Witch School
11.05.2007
Bunky Not Going the Witch School Route
The media has remained fascinated with Ellwood "Bunky" Bartlett, a Wiccan who won a 33 million dollar jackpot in September. Last week a story hit the wires that Bartlett was going to open a "real-life Hogwarts" school for Witches, leading some to think the newly-rich-Witch was going to follow in the footsteps of online establishments like Don Lewis's Witch School or Oberon Zell-Ravenheart's Grey School of Wizardry. Today, Bartlett appears in the papers again, to clarify what his post-lottery Pagan plans are.
"Ellwood "Bunky" Bartlett ... would like to clear up a few misconceptions about his plans for a "witch school." Yes, he'd like to start a pagan seminary. But no, it's not going to be some sort of Hogwarts-on-the-Patapsco, with precocious adolescents running around in wizard hats and casting spells. Bartlett instead envisions the place as sort of a yeshiva for all faiths, a "church" that's less about God - or gods, if you prefer - and more about spirituality, nature and healing. The future Willow Springs Sanctuary and Community Center ... will teach classes about all religions, offer technology courses for those seeking better jobs and counseling for those seeking to make sense of their lives."
The article also talks briefly about the dearth of Pagan-oriented options for a formal religious education. A situation that often results in a sort of hodge-podge attempt at a well-rounded and relevant curriculum.
"Folks who have wanted to serve in a leadership capacity have managed to cobble together an education through Christian divinity schools, counseling programs, and the Unitarian Church," said [Sherry] Marts, a practicing witch and spokeswoman for the Open Hearth Foundation, a pagan community center in the Washington area. "It's been kind of a piecemeal. It would be great to have a pagan seminary."
Strangely, the reporter tracks down Witch School founder Ed Hubbard to talk about the development of a Pagan seminary, but not a single direct mention or interview with anyone from Cherry Hill Seminary, one of the few serious attempts at building a comprehensive and professional Pagan-focused ministry education. One wonders if Hubbard is consulting Bartlett on his sanctuary/community center, or if that was the only relevant source the journalist could find on short notice?
In any event, it is good to know that Bartlett is trying to build something of lasting value to the wider community, and is attempting to engage in interfaith activities. I wish him every success, though after winning the lottery I'm sure his gods are looking out for him already. Plus, as Bunky asserts in the article, he has no worries about deflecting any misfortunes relating to how he manages his new-found wealth: "I have the ability to deflect the curses that come my way."
Labels: Ed Hubbard, Ellwood "Bunky" Bartlett, lottery, Paganism, Wicca, Witch, Witch School
9.07.2007
Tucker the Theologian
That lighthouse of religious tolerance Tucker Carlson, conservative pundit and host of "Tucker" on MSNBC, has shared his theological views on modern Pagans once again. This time he has described the religion of Wiccan lottery winner Ellwood "Bunky" Bartlett as "Satanic".
"You're saying basically the U.S. government is subsidizing some kind of devil worshiper, Satanism ... That's perfect."
For those with long memories, you may recall that Tucker's disdain for Wicca is nothing new. Back in 2005 he had Christian author Catherine Sanders on to discuss her book "Wicca's Charm".
"According to a 1986 ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals, they are in the eyes of the First Amendment anyway practicing a real religion ... it [Wicca] sounds kind of - sounds kind of flaky to me ... Doesn't sound like there's a lot of charm there..."
So we can say with some certainty that Tucker doesn't like Wicca much. But should we care what a second-string political commentator thinks about our faith? Angry letters will only fuel him to find more ways to mock modern Pagans, and are unlikely to change his mind on the subject. The only way we can really fight two-bit theologians of Tucker's stripe is to make his ramblings as culturally irrelevant as a crazy corner brimstone preacher.
A first step is to continue supporting and building our own media and journalistic outlets. Pagan magazines, blogs, radio, and podcasts are a big part of that. By maturing and nurturing our own voice, we can help shape the discussion of our faiths, instead of leaving the commentary to guys who were upstaged by John Stewart.
Labels: Ellwood "Bunky" Bartlett, MSNBC, Paganism, Tucker Carlson, Wicca
9.04.2007
Beliefnet's Balance
So lets say you run the biggest religion and spirituality web site on the Internet, and you decide to run a cover-story on a Wiccan who just won the lottery. What supplementary articles do you pick to run with the Associate Press story?
B-Net's balancing act.
What Neo-Pagans believe, and a collection of Pagan prayers? Sounds good, but how about we balance that out with an anti-polytheism article by conservative Jewish "intelligent design" proponent David Kinghoffer?
"...idolatry, polytheism, and witchcraft are really just three manifestations of the same error - to which, interestingly, Hebrew gives no name. They share the mistaken assumption that divinity can be broken down into discrete entities (gods) and manipulated for our benefit. By contrast, the God of the Bible, a purely spiritual being, must be the ultimate unity and perfectly free to act as He sees fit, unaffected by our attempted manipulations or any other circumstances."
Before you think I'm about to lay into Beliefnet again, let me just say that I applaud B-Net's move to balance things out like this. I look forward to articles on why monotheism runs counter to our natural religious impulses by Jordan Paper, or perhaps an essay on the superiority of polytheism by John Michael Greer to "balance" out the next front-page story about something good happening to a Christian or Jew. I mean, fair is fair right? I'm sure B-Net won't let us down. But you might want to remind them to stay consistent, just in case they forget.
Labels: balance, Beliefnet, David Kinghoffer, Ellwood "Bunky" Bartlett, monotheism, Paganism, Polytheism, Wicca
9.03.2007
(Pagan) News of Note
My semi-regular round-up of articles, essays, and opinions of note for discerning Pagans and Heathens.
The Record takes a look at the spread of Santeria in the ranks of Major League Baseball, and interviews Chicago White Sox Manager Ozzie Guillen about his public devotion to the Orisha.
"If you see my saints, you'll be like 'Golly, they're ugly ... They've got blood. They've got feathers. You go to the Catholic church, the (saints) have got real nice clothes. My religion, you see a lot of different things you never see."
The article lists MLB players Los Angeles Angels pitcher Francisco Rodriguez, Florida Marlins third baseman Miguel Cabrera, and the White Sox's pitcher Jose Contreras as active adherents to Santeria, while Cincinnati Reds shortstop Alex Gonzalez and Chicago Cubs infielder Ronny Cedeno have reportedly "experimented" with the faith. Sort of puts a whole new spin on post-game prayer doesn't it?
Over at Get Religion, Terry Mattingly looks at the latest round of news stories in the Veteran Pentacle Quest (involving the President's snub and subsequent apology to Roberta Stewart) and wonders where the conservative Christian religious groups and activists were during this fight over religious liberties?
"Did conservative religious groups take a stand on one side or the other in this case, or where they divided? I think many journalists would assume that conservative believers oppose the Wiccan case. I do not think that can be assumed, because many conservatives now realize that equal access means equal access and freedom of association means freedom of association."
But as commenters on the post (including me) pointed out, many conservative Christians have an irrational reaction to religious liberty and freedom cases involving Pagans. One conservative Republican Pagan was given the cold shoulder every time he approached a popular conservative pundit, while a Wiccan Army veteran was told outright by the American Center for Law and Justice they they "don't support Satanists". Kind of hard to build coalitions for a common goal with people who want nothing to do with you.
For those keeping track of China's recent move to ban unauthorized reincarnations (in order to lessen the influence of the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan government in exile), the leaders of Tibetan Buddhism have issued a joint statement repudiating China's attempt to control the "living buddhas".
"The heads of all the religious schools of Tibetan Buddhism; the monks, nuns, mantra holders and other lay followers of the respective schools and the Department of Religion and Culture of the Central Tibetan Administration collectively issue this statement repudiating the so-called order no. 5 of China's State Administration of Religious Affairs that it is against the United Nation's Declaration of Human Rights and the PRC's constitution; that it is against history and the aspiration of the broad masses of people who believe in Tibetan Buddhism. Furthermore, it is a new weapon employed by the Chinese government to undermine Tibetan Buddhism, and to insult and oppress the Tibetan people."
Calls continue to either boycott, or use the Olympics to place pressure on China to respect the religious freedoms of the Tibetan people. Meanwhile tensions rise over what will happen once the current Dalai Lama passes on. Since the true Panchen Lama (the second-highest ranking lama) is being held by China, many believe that Ugyen Thinley Dorje, the 17th Karmapa will rise to leadership during the Dalai Lama's absence.
In a final note, the lottery win of Ellwood "Bunky" Bartlett continues to gain attention. Boing Boing opines: "Dude, talk about blessed be." The SoMA Review wonders if some lottery hopefuls might consider a conversion: "Christians who pray for lucky lottery tickets but never win might consider switching over to Wicca." But perhaps a truly fitting statement comes from a friend of Bunky's, who opens a post on her friend's win with: "And people say that Magick doesn't work."
That is all I have for now, have a good (Labor) day!
Labels: Baseball, Dalai Lama, Ellwood "Bunky" Bartlett, Get Religion, Paganism, reincarnation, Roberta Stewart, Santeria, Terry Mattingly, Tibet, Veteran Pentacle Quest, Wicca
9.02.2007
The First Wiccan Multi-Millionaire?
The Baltimore Sun reports that Ellwood "Bunky" Bartlett, a Wiccan, has won 49 million dollars in the Maryland State Lottery "Mega Millions" drawing.
Ellwood "Bunky" Bartlett
"A Wicca devotee and small businessman from Dundalk came forward yesterday with a photocopy of a lottery ticket showing the winning numbers to Friday's Mega Millions drawing and claimed a share of the estimated $330 million jackpot, though lottery officials have yet to verify his assertion. "I kind of screamed, and then I kind of cried," said Elwood "Bunky" Bartlett, 40, retelling the story of how he and his wife, Denise, greeted the news yesterday morning ... 'I thank the gods for this gift. ... I don't know which one granted me this wish, but whichever one did, thanks!'"
Once the winning ticket is verified, Bartlett says he plans to pay off his family's debts and create a franchise of metaphysical stores.
"Bartlett said he plans to pay off all the debts of his parents and in-laws, and hopes to invest in Mystickal Voyage, building up a holistic health and yoga center and eventually turning it into a franchise."
While there have certainly been some well-off modern Pagans, Bartlett may be the first acknowledged multi-millionaire to claim adherence to the Wiccan faith. One has to wonder if he'll soon be inundated with calls from Pagan organizations and individuals hoping that he'll be willing to "share the wealth" with his co-religionists.
Labels: Ellwood "Bunky" Bartlett, lottery, Paganism, Wicca
