Exporting Anti-Witch Hysteria?

There has been a debate within modern Paganism, specifically within the various Witchcraft and Wiccan traditions, over whether the issue of persecutions and killings of "witches" in places like Africa, India, and the Middle East is a "Pagan" issue. While some correctly note that these alleged "witches" are often not associated with any Pagan or pre-Christian religion, others, like Phyllis Curott, argue that we are bound by a common label.

"I don't think that Fawza was practicing anything resembling what most of us now call Wicca and Witchcraft. If she was doing anything, which is not clear, it may have been some kind of old traditional folk magic. It doesn't matter - she is sentenced to die by beheading for Witchcraft. That is the word many of us use to identify ourselves. That word means that she is a member of our community. And we are not a community if we don't take care of each other. We may not be able to save Fawza, but we must try."

This view has been echoed by modern Pagans in India and South Africa, who have seen an all-to-real connection between the persecution of "witches" and the rights and freedoms of modern Pagans living near them. But can the problems of "over there" impact those of us living in the West? Mary Leland, writing for the Irish Independent News, argues that the anti-witch fanaticisms of "over there" may be finding a new home among us.

"In this case it was the revelation that the guest speaker was a man representing a church in Dublin which advertised among its services a protection against witchcraft. The chat diverted into such issues as whether alternative therapies such as Reiki or yoga or hypnosis could be considered contrary to biblical strictures ... before occasionally hitting on the immediacy of superstition among, in this case, largely African congregations. Whatever else many of our African immigrants may have brought with them to Ireland, they have included a belief in witches, seen as an active threat to the well-being of families and communities ... Christianity may have outgrown that horrible idea by now, but not before exporting it, with evangelistic missionaries, to Africa. It's not easy either for a woman to listen to any debate about witches and witchcraft without remembering that it was women who were accused, tortured and executed in their thousands over several centuries."

Leaving aside issues of tensions over immigration and possible xenophobia, can immigrants from countries known to persecute so-called practitioners of "witchcraft" bring with them the hysteria that has destroyed so many lives? Some are saying it is already here, with suspicious deaths and child abuse linked with a fear of malicious magic and witchcraft among immigrant communities in the UK. Leland worries that those offering immigrant communities in Ireland "protection from witchcraft" could eventually spark a larger witch hysteria.

"To hear that witchcraft is on the religious agenda of an African church in Dublin is to feel some alarm at the possibility that this tradition of evil-seeking has been re-introduced to Ireland. Of course we have to be racially and religiously sensitive to cultural differences, but the fanaticism of this particular cultural difference, and the brutality with which its victims are treated, must not be ignored, even on a radio chat show."

Is it possible that the witch persecutions we read about in the paper could come to us? Could cultural misunderstandings and tensions among various communities result in violence and harassment towards modern Pagans? While debates will continue regarding whether the persecution and killing of "witches" in distant lands is "our" issue, we may soon find ourselves having to contemplate the problem much closer to home.

Labels: India, Ireland, Paganism, persecutions, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, UK, Wicca, Witch, Witch Killings, Witchcraft

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Preserving Our Heritage and History

We often take libraries and museums for granted, thinking them permanent fixtures, places for tourists to visit, or grad students to research. But as recent economic concerns stretch across the world, collections vital to understanding our place in history become jeopardized as funding is cut. Such is the case with the Harry Price Library of Magical Literature, based at the University of London.

"A remarkable collection of rare and ancient volumes on the arts of magic and summoning ghosts could be broken up and sold off due to a funding crisis. The Harry Price Library of Magical Literature, based at the University of London, is the UK's largest of its kind ... The collection is under threat after the university's grant for its specialist library was slashed by more than 60 per cent by the Higher Education Funding Council. The £1m cut means the library could cease to exist."

If this collection were to be broken up and sold, it would be a huge blow to scholarship concerning the roots and history of modern Pagan religion. The Harry Price library contains such works as the "Malleus maleficarum" (five different editions), correspondences with Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Harry Houdini, Reginald Scot's "Discoverie of Witchcraft", and a work by the astrologer Arcandam.

"The collection has a very wide interest. Some of the material about witchcraft is now very relevant to areas such as gender studies and how women have been portrayed over time." - Christine Wise, head of special collections at Senate House Library

Students across England are now lobbying their colleges to donate funds towards keeping the collection together, but things aren't looking bright. A report is to be issued in November that will survey the extent of necessary cuts, and if the library will need to be sold off.

So what is the answer to this problem? It seems unlikely that the governments and universities funding these collections will suddenly rearrange their priorities concerning early esoteric texts and papers. Nor is England the only place where this problem is emerging. Is digitizing these artifacts the answer? That seems to be a growing consensus. Several works from the Victorian era in the Harry Price collection have been digitized, and the National Library of Ireland has recently digitized a rare book of occult correspondence between poet (and former Golden Dawn member) William Butler Yeats and Irish revolutionary Maud Gonne.

"Bound in white vellum, the notebook served as their metaphysical marital bed. Yeats used it to keep track of their shared fixation with the occult and each other ... Now, a century later, that book is on display at the National Library of Ireland, opened to a page that is just barely visible under the indirect lighting prescribed for aged ink treasures. Yet every syllable - every comma-deprived sentence, every curve in her script, every ampersand - is legible. Next to the display case the entire notebook has been digitally reincarnated..."

Of course digital media, if housed in a single place, can be destroyed too, which would make the next step of digitial preservation to disperse thousands of copies to servers at libraries and universities across the world. Something I don't see institutions like the National Library of Ireland doing any time soon. In the meantime, we shouldn't allow the existing hard copies of rare and unique works to disperse into the homes of rich collectors, denying scholars and students easy access, forcing them to accede to the wishes of private individuals (or private trusts). We need to preserve our heritage and history for future generations despite the fiscal inconveniences, lest those tests, letters, and objects become little more than matters of conjecture and we lose an important physical link to our past.

Labels: Ireland, Libraries, Magic, Magick, occult, Paganism, The Harry Price Library of Magical Literature, UK, W.B. Yeats

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Interview with Janet Farrar and Gavin Bone

Authors, teachers, and elders, Janet Farrar and Gavin Bone have had an indelible influence on the modern Paganism movement. With her late husband Stewart Farrar, Janet helped pen some of religious Witchcraft's most well-regarded tomes, including "Eight Sabbats for Witches" and "The Witches' Way" (subsequently re-released as one volume entitled "A Witches' Bible"). Towards the end of Stewart Farrar's life, the couple were joined by Gavin Bone, a Pagan and registered nurse who entered into a personal and professional relationship with the couple.


Janet Farrar and Gavin Bone

Today Janet and Gavin are championing a new "Progressive Witchcraft", teaching classes, and running workshops around the world. I recently had the opportunity to conduct an e-mail interview with Janet and Gavin about their current projects, the recently released biography of Stewart Farrar, and living the Pagan life in Ireland.

Both of you have been living and working in Ireland for some time now. What changes and progress have you noticed among Pagans in your adopted homeland? I suspect that when Janet and Stewart first moved to Ireland in 1976, there were few "out" Pagans of any sort, or any "Pagan community" to speak of.

Ever since Gavin moved to Ireland in 1993 we have seen a lot of changes in the Pagan community in Ireland. Before '93 there were probably only about two covens, including our own. The other one, believed to be Gardnerian, we had little contact with and it disappeared by the mid '90's. The big hub of activity up until then was the Fellowship of Isis, at Clonegal Castle, which of course, is still running. From that several groups began to spring up in the mid to late '90's including the Druid Clan of Danu, the first serious neo-Druid organisation in Ireland and the Grove of Sinann which became associated with it.

The real changes took place around about 1998. By this time the first pagan moots came into being and a conference of 'interested parties' took place in Dublin. The movement was beginning to blossom, but it was noticeable that the majority of the 'movers and shakers' were not Irish but 'blow ins' to use the Irish vernacular; they were English, Swiss, Scottish, and American. The real change has taken place in the last 5 years where we have really begun to see a real Irish pagan movement as such, with multiple paths appearing including a Druid and shamanic revival.

Janet, you have recently co-authored a book on the life of Stewart Farrar with Elizabeth Guerra entitled: "Stewart Farrar: Writer On A Broomstick". Could you tell us a bit about the book, and the process behind getting it written?

Stewart had started to write his own autobiography with that title Writer on a Broomstick, back in the late '90's. This was only really a brief sketch of his fascinating life, he never, before his death got round to putting the 'bones' on it so to speak. So, a couple of years ago we approached Liz Guerra, a friend of ours for some years to write his biography. We decided to honour Stewart by using the original title he had decided upon and we went about, with Liz putting together all the research on his life.

Stewart being a professional journalist most of his life, kept a daily diary and habitually filed all the letters and replies he had ever written. The first year was taken up by Liz Guerra and ourselves going through all of this and recording the major events in his life from childhood, through his serving as an officer in the army during the second world war, through to his meeting with Alex and Maxine Sanders and joining the Craft, his writing career and finally up to his death.

We had to make some difficult decisions, one of these being whether we put everything in. We wanted to portray the real Stewart 'warts and all' so people could recognise him as a human being. In the end I believe we struck a good balance and people will be able to identify with him, not as a well known pagan author but as an individual like themselves who was lucky enough to have a fascinating life.

Speaking of Stewart Farrar, I understand that his novels ("Omega" being a personal favorite of mine) are in the process of being put back into print. Is there any definite word on when we might see them in our local bookstore or available for order?

Unfortunately, there have been some delays on publication of his novels. The publishing industry has suffered greatly from the current recession, so their publication has been on hold. We hope to have them republished in the next year though.

The two of you are now doing online seminars and classes with The College of The Sacred Mists. Can you describe what these classes entail? What are your opinions concerning the recent explosion of online schools? Do you feel this is a generally positve trend?

The decision to enter into online teaching wasn't taken lightly. We wrestled with the concept for a while going through the ethics of it, and whether you could actually teach magical subjects in this way. In the end we decided it was no different to writing a book, except there was more interaction. It was this that eventually made our minds up to do it, and the fact that we had some positive experiences teaching one off online seminars.

Our current course has several different facets to it: Including written Lessons, practical exercises, regular chat room sessions to answer questions and discuss topics and the use of MP3s for teaching, which we have just incorporated in to the course. There is also homework and students are expected to keep a Course Diary which everyone can read online. This has resulted in a community feel to the course, with ourselves and the students interacting and assisting each other on a daily basis, something we really enjoy! To be honest, once this started to happen all our doubts about its viability as a method of teaching went out of the window - it began to feel like we were teaching in a college. The technology may be different but the experience is the same.

To answer your question as to whether it is a 'positive trend'. Just as there are really good books out there, there are really good online courses, and likewise there are some really bad books written by authors with little experience. It isn't a positive or a negative trend, its just a trend and it isn't new. Correspondence courses on magic have been around since at least the early 1980's, the difference is the technology being used which opens up new possibilities. In the end the community will decide whether they will work or not. If a course is bad, the word will get around the community really quick and people will simply stop signing on to it.

On the College of the Sacred Mists web site, it says that your current practical work is in the area of Spiritism and Trance Prophesy. Could the two of you touch a bit on these explorations for my audience?

First, we should explain, so that there is no misunderstanding, that this is not what the course with College of Sacred Mists is about. With the College we're doing a seven month course called Progressive Magic. There are some things you can teach on line and other things you can't, and this is definetly a subject which requires a 'hands on' approach.

I (Janet) have always been a natural medium. When I came into the Craft and was taught Drawing Down the Moon I went to it like a 'duck to water'. I always assumed that everyone had the same experience as myself; going completely into deep trance. As Stewart and myself started to travel in the 1980's we found that this was not the case and that I was luckily naturally gifted.

Gavin and myself started to explore this more deeply in the mid 90's. Experimenting with different techniques including traditional Drawing Down where you use a silver bowl, and several trance induction techniques. Both of us had an interest in the Norse and Anglo-Saxon techniques used in what is called Seith or Seidr, and after seeing Diane Paxson; one of the foremost exponents of Seidr trance practise, at work with one of her trance groups, we became inspired to do more. We ended up studying other traditions including Shamanism, Santeria and Voudon ('riding the Loa'), to understand how these traditions used and induced trance and brought deity-spirits through.

It became very clear to us that there were some inherent problems with the current Drawing Down the Moon ritual used in modern Wicca, the main one being an actual lack of trance technique. So we went about creating a safe generic technique to teach trance-prophesy using what we have called The Underworld Descent Technique. Part of this process is using energy (Chakras) and visualization pathworking using a hypnotic induction technique.

We also teach that the Gods and Goddesses are REAL, not just Jungian archetypes. That they are spirits with their own personalities, capable of communicating with you through trance and in some cases positively possessing you when the circumstances are right. We have had quite a few seers and seeresses possessed by deities at different times. Originally we taught this as part of a weekend workshop (The Inner Mysteries) but it has become so successful that we now teach evening and one day sessions.

Aside from your publishing, teaching, and spiritual pursuits, are either of you involved in any activst or charity-related projects? If so, could you talk a bit about that? In a related note, what is your collective take on the M3 expansion through the Tara valley? I know that at least one member of Teampall Na Callaighe is actively involved in direct actions to help stop the current progress.

We're not involved as much as we'd like in activist activities. Unfortunately the current situation since 911 has made it difficult for us to be involved in direct action, particularly regarding the M3, as we cannot afford to be arrested or 'black marked' by the authorities, as this would affect our ability to gain entry into the US for tours. Most American citizens are unaware that if you are arrested as a political activist outside the US you will be denied a visa and entry.

The whole situation with Tara and the M3 is part of bigger problem currently occurring in Ireland with the conflict in the Irish psyche between spirituality and materialism. In the 1990's we had an upsurge of economic expansion, and at the same time the decline of the influence of the Catholic Church here. The Irish have always been a very spiritual people, but the scandals around the Church here, have resulted in a cynicism taking its place, and movement towards more materialistic values. Now every family wants two cars which they can replace every year and a new house. To quote Francesca Howell: 'they have a nasty dose of affluenza!'. This conflict between the material and the spiritual in the culture has over flowed into the Irish countryside and the M3/Tara Valley conflict is symbolic of this change in social perspective.

Many people outside of Ireland are unaware of the other problems we face here: Peoples rights are being eroded and we widespread corruption in the Government. It is common for Government bodies to go through 'processes of consultation' with local communities to give an impression of democracy and then totally ignore that communities wishes. At present we are involved (alongside the M3 campaign which is linked) with a campaign to stop Eirgrid, the electricity provider putting up monster pylons across the countryside. Nobody wants them, they are a risk to the environment, wildlife, people's individual health and the archeology. But, any complaint against this damage is ignored. We are pleased to say that this has resulted in a groundswell of public dissension - Irish people are beginning to realise that they have power at a grass roots level.

While I'm on the subject of Ireland's spiritual landscape, I notice that you do tours of ancient sites in Ireland, and Janet has produced a DVD of Celtic fairy stories. Is Ireland's pre-Christan past a big influence on your spirituality and practice?

Pagan tour groups started approaching us several years ago, in fact one of the first groups was one run by Starhawk as far back as the early 1980's. It seemed natural to advertise that we were 'open for business' in this area. So far we have toured groups from the United States, Mexico and Australia. We have an advantage in this area as we live central to most of the major ancient sites in Ireland, and we also know where all the lesser known, more intimate ones are which attract 'activity' of a spiritual nature.

When you live in Ireland you can't ignore the heritage around you. If you are a pagan or a witch you certainly can't ignore. Just about every coven we know links itself to the spirituality of its environment. Our coven is linked to Slieve na Callaighe (The Hill of the Witch), part of a series of hills in County Meath known as Lough Crew which has neolithic burial tombs stretched across them. Only just recently we went up at dawn to watch the sunrise on this hill as the tomb on top is aligned with the Spring Equinox.

Many of our coven, including ourselves link to deities outside of Ireland, including Freya, and Diana, but we do not ignore the heritage of this land or the ancestral spirits of it. At Imbolg we make offerings to Brid and at Lughnasa to Lugh and also throw offerings into our local river to our local river goddess Boann. Witchcraft here is linked very much to the land here, and the mythology of the Irish can be found in every hill and at every ancient site.

What new books and other projects can we expect on the horizon from the two of you?

You may not see any new books from us for a while. We do have one book being written at the moment on our experiences with trance and psychism but its publication is a long way off. At present we are concentrating on the practical workshops and the online courses. We are touring again this year, and will be in New York State, Connecticut and Washington DC towards the end of August and September.

As both of you continue in your roles as elders and teachers within the wider Pagan community, what do you think will be your greatest legacy to the modern Paganism movement?

That's a good question, and we're not really sure that it is our place to say! In the end I think we will be judged on what effect we have had, what we have done, rather than any claims we have made about ourselves. If we have changed one person, and allowed them to find their spirituality and connection to divinity then we are happy that we have achieved something. It only takes one person to change the world.

Previous Wild Hunt interviews: Phyllis Curott, Tim Ward, Lupa, J.C. Hallman, Margot Adler.

Labels: Gavin Bone, interview, Ireland, Janet Farrar, Paganism, Stewart Farrar, Wicca, Witchcraft

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Pre-Patrick's Day Irish Post

Tomorrow is St. Patrick's Day (though, due to holy week conflicts, many Irish Catholics celebrated it on Saturday), a huge (and increasingly secular) celebration for one of the patron saints of Ireland. As a result, I thought a collection of Irish-themed links of interest to modern Pagans would be entirely appropriate. Let's start with a fine essay written by Caroline Kenner on the ongoing struggles to halt the construction of a toll-road through the Tara-Skryne Valley.

"Royal Tara, seat of the High King of Ireland in Pagan times, premiere portal to the Celtic Otherworlds, realm of the Ancestors and the Faeries, has a history dating back 6,000 years. But even in a span as long at Tara's, the last few years have been unusually filled with incident. This week, while many of us are thinking of Ireland and her heritage ... it is a good time to turn our thoughts to the situation at Tara. For more than three years now, Royal Tara has been threatened with a superhighway, a toll road called the M3, being built within 1000 yards of the Hill of Tara. Despite heartfelt protests from international Celtic scholars, locals from County Meath, Irish citizens and members of the Irish diaspora, a couple of sympathetic politicians, many passionate activists, commissioners of the European Union, and, yes, Pagans from Ireland and around the world, the road building continues at Tara."

Kenner speaks to several Irish Pagans about the situation including Janet Farrar and Gavin Bone, whose group, Teampall Na Callaighe, has members directly involved in activist work trying to halt construction.

"The issue is not the building of the M3. We're the first too say that we need the road, and the bypass around Kells, where we live. The problem is the route and the impact it will have on the archaeology in the area. The National Roads Authority has been desperate to paint anyone against the route as being against the M3, so they can keep the local people, and more importantly the local business community on board. But now, more and more people are realising - including local business people - that they have been duped. This was particularly true when they found out that they had been mislead regarding the M3 being a public road, and discovered it was in fact going to be a toll road."

Meanwhile, the Irish Voice has run a spotlight on Celtic Reconstructionism in its Wed., March 12 - Tues., March 18, 2008 issue.

"The article is very pro-Tara and a positive portrayal of CR. Andrew Nusca interviewed a handful of us involved in the preservation efforts, and quotes two of us who are CR, along with quotes from a Wiccan of Irish heritage and a more secular activist from Ireland."

The article isn't online yet, but the author of the piece has said that it should appear online eventually. The hardcopy edition is on newsstands now.

The Irish Independent runs a story by Antonia Leslie about her brother Mark winning a Thea award for his firm's work on the Blackrock Castle Obervatory in Cork. In the process, the entire Leslie clan reunites to celebrate the win, including Antonia's eclectic Pagan sister Wendy.

"My sister Wendy, who lives in Fort Myers, is a different kettle of fish and deserves an article all on her own, but I'll condense it here. She was the result of an affair which my dad had but she was adopted and grew up in the States. I met her when I was 12 years old and she and the rest of my five 'known' siblings have been thick as thieves ever since. Wendy is a white witch and she lives with her Warlock hubby in a rambling spread by the Caloosahatchee River with snakes and cats and crystals and cauldrons. She is high priestess of a big Florida Wicca coven (they call it a clan). They drum and perform rituals and cast spells and observe Wicca/Druidic tradition. You would know that she was one of us -- madness, eccentricity or whatever, it's in the genes."

In a final note, it wouldn't be a St. Patrick's day news cycle without several articles repeating the usual "driving the Pagans snakes out of Ireland" story. Though a valiant few try to debunk "Patrick drove out the Pagans" myths (Pagans and Druids were around for another century or so after Patrick's death), it makes for interesting copy. So the myth propagates and takes on a life of its own.

"The text carries an account of a sect called the Crom Cruich, who used the symbolism of the snake ... 'The Crom Cruich cult were very bloodthirsty with the faithful expected to sacrifice their first born in his honour to assure a successful harvest. The annual slaughter took place on the pagan feast of Samhain, on November 1, each year,' explains historian, Thomais Moriarty, who specialises in pre-Christian Ireland. It's recounted in the text that Saint Patrick marched on the place with a band of well-armed missionaries, mocked its demons, blessed the place afterwards and then destroyed the site. 'By all accounts, a major battle took place, but Patrick and his well-armed followers won the day. The people feared terrible retribution from the pagan god afterwards, but it never came to pass, and from that point onwards, the cult's grip was effectively broken in Ireland for all time. The event is recorded in the 6th century Dinnshenchas text, otherwise known as the Book of Leinster,' adds Thomais Moriarty."

I have never heard that Crom Cruach was associated with snake symbolism (or that regular baby-killin' was a proven part of his cult). That's a new one on me. I'll let the resident Celtic scholars and CR folks dissect this variation on the Patrick/snakes/pagans story in the comments.

That is all I have for now, my best wishes to all those celebrating Irish culture and heritage.

Labels: Celtic Reconstructionism, Celts, Hill of Tara, Ireland, Paganism, St. Patrick's Day, Witchcraft

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(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 to toil in their underground sugar caves to engage in compassionate missions of goodness.

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

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Update: Tara Battle Wages On

Back in May, I reported on how construction of the M3 motorway expansion in Ireland had been halted due to a major archaeological find. The M3 expansion is controversial due to the fact that it runs through the Tara-Skryne Valley, home of the legendary Hill of Tara (the political and spiritual capital of Ireland through most of its history). Currently An Bord Pleanala (the planning board) is deciding if the M3 expansion needs fresh approval in light of the new find, while Environment Minister John Gormley is coming under fire for allowing the site to be "recorded" and removed while these decisions are being made.

"Yesterday TaraWatch called on Environment Minister John Gormley to halt excavation works on the prehistoric ritual site while the board reviews the planning permission. "The minister appears to be acting in bad faith here, by allowing demolition of the national monument to proceed while the board is making its legal determination," spokesman Vincent Salafia said. "Minister Gormley must stop the demolition by the NRA and Meath County Council now and permit only the excavation of the delicate features now exposed on the surface. "This magnificant prehistoric amphitheatre, which sits in plain view of the hilltop, deserves the highest level of protection possible." The Department of the Environment has said it does not have the power to alter the route of the road unless a "material change" or new information emerges."

But activists concerned about the future of Tara haven't been idle while this bureaucratic wrangling takes place. Protesters have attempted to stall work at the excavation site, have urged the Rolling Stones to back their cause when they stopped to play in Ireland, and Hothouse Flowers frontman Liam O Maonlai has released a song to rally the cause.

"The accomplished musician best known for chart hits 'Don't Go' and 'Give It Up' has turned to the genre of the protest song to attack Celtic Tiger Ireland's relationship with its heritage. In 'Tara's Eye (Money Mad Mile)' the Dubliner who has steeped himself in the Gaelic tradition attacks construction companies and politicians linked to the contentious Co Meath motorway.

Meanwhile government supporters of the M3 expansion are claiming that activist's fears are over-exaggerated and that the new road won't impact the ancient monument.

"The National Roads Authority's (NRA's) Mary Deevy said she believed the proposed road would not impact on the Tara landscape in Co Meath and was further from the ancient site than the existing carriageway ... She added some fears about the future development of the Tara area were legitimate, but said a landscape conservation scheme was being considered by Meath County Council which had been included in the current county development plan. This would restrict the construction of large-scale housing developments and retail outlets."

But despite reassurances that development would be kept in check, property in Tara near the new motorway is already being auctioned off at hugely inflated rates for residential and commercial development.

"Three parcels of land on Tara Hill are expected to fetch in excess of E1 million when they go under the hammer in Gorey next month. The land, totalling 36.2 acres, will go under the hammer at the auction rooms of Sherry Fitzgerald O'Leary Kinsella in Gorey on September 5."

While the campaign to stop the motorway is a broad coalition, it has also attracted many Irish Pagans* (as well as Pagans from around the world) who see the construction as a sacrilege.

"...despite claims that the M3 is what the community wants or needs, many folk have been duped and coerced into believing this is necessary. In Egypt, would the remains of an ancient woman of highstatus be left in a plastic bag in a warehouse? Is our ancient culture to be discarded? Much has been written and said about Tara-Skryne Valley being seat of the High Kings of Ireland and the ancient Royal City of Tara. However, one monumental fact remains disregarded. This is the realm of the Gaelic White Mare Goddess, Edain Echraidhe, known also as Rhiannon in Wales and Eponain France. Ireland may now be mainly a country of an Abrahamic tradition but our ancient indigenous spiritual traditions still survive today. Tara-Skryne Valley, realm of Edain Echraidhe, is where the ancient Celtic Festivals are celebrated ritually throughout the year still to this day."

It remains to be seen if protest efforts, or these archaeological finds will succeed in doing anything more than delaying construction, but it remains certain that modern Pagans with a spiritual, geographical, and emotional connection to the Hill of Tara will be on the front lines of this battle till the end.

* For an interesting examination of Pagan attitudes towards megaliths and archeology, check out this recent essay by Jessica Beck.

Labels: Celts, Hill of Tara, Ireland, M3 motorway, Paganism

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Ancient Pagans Stop Motorway (For Now)

For some time the Irish government has been planning a controversial motorway expansion that would run through the Tara-Skryne Valley, home of the legendary Hill of Tara. The site is home to several ancient monuments, and for most of Ireland's history was its political and spiritual capital. Critics of this plan, which include academics, environmentalists, and 3500 MySpace users, have so far been unable to stop building through protests or legal challenges.

But now it looks like ancient pagans (or at least their henges) have been able to halt construction just one day after the ground-breaking ceremony.

"Dick Roche, T.D., Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government has received a report that archaeologists working on the route of the M3 motorway have found archaeological evidence of a national monument at Lismullin, Co. Meath ... no works which would interfere with the Monument may be carried out, except works urgently required to secure its preservation, carried out in accordance with measures specified by the Minister ... The National Monuments Acts provide that where the discovery of a National Monument has been reported to the Minister he must consult with the Director of the National Museum before issuing directions in the matter to the road authority."

Despite this set-back, critics of the motorway expansion fear that the government will pressure to have it quickly documented (a few days) and destroyed to make way for the construction.

"The site of a massive ancient pagan temple unearthed at one of Europe's most archaeologically significant sites will be buried under a controversial motorway, campaigners warned last week. Fears were growing that the government is to plough ahead with the contentious M3 route despite the discovery that has excited heritage campaigners. The government insists it has not decided the future of the major find near the historic Hill of Tara in Co. Meath - uncovered just 24 hours after Transport Minister Martin Cullen turned the first sod on the project."

An environmental group is already threatening legal action if they attempt to destroy the henge, while a local archaeologist bemoans the fact that it has come to legal action.

"The campaign to preserve this site has become a legal battle when in fact it should be an ethical one - whether we value our heritage or not."

But it looks like, for now, the site has been given a reprieve thanks to the spiritual practices of ancient Irish pagans. A superstitious person could even comment that a message was being sent. To remain updated on the battle over this site, and the motorway expansion, check out the TaraWatch blog.

Labels: Celts, Hill of Tara, Ireland, M3 motorway, Paganism

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Pagan Relics Old and New

When approaching the topic of ancient paganism, location is everything. For instance, locals in Ireland (and the UK) are often very proud of the ancient statues and landmarks from the pre-Christian era. To illustrate this point is a recent story in the Guardian concerning the Janus stone in the Caldragh graveyard on Boa Island in Ireland. Plans to possibly move the statue to a museum in Belfast is drawing an emotional response from the locals.


The Janus
Photo: Around Ireland

"The Janus, which has stood in the Caldragh graveyard on Boa Island in Co Fermanagh since it was put up by the Celts more than 2,000 years ago, inspired the Nobel prize-winning poet Seamus Heaney to write the poem, 'January God'. Locals hold the 2ft tall figure, depicting a man on one side and a female on the other, in awe ... rumours are circling that the statue may be moved to the Ulster Museum for its own protection. Opponents say it would be like moving Stonehenge to London ... Looking around last week at his fellow protesters gathered inside the graveyard where the statue stands, Carrigan added: 'These people and more like them are prepared to do the same. We will physically stand in the way of anyone trying to take the Janus away.'"

Similar responses have occurred in Ireland over plans to build a motorway through the Hill of Tara. These defenders aren't just some small band of Pagans (though Pagans have been involved in such efforts), but patriotic Irish citizens proud of their country's rich heritage and history. Pagan stones are a part of things, co-existing with their Christian heritage. A heritage that America doesn't share, which explains the often hysterical reactions to even the possibility of a pagan or non-Christian landmark.

"Sedgwick County commissioners have put a planned Stonehenge-like Solar Field in Sedgwick County Park on hold after some Wichitans worried that it had cultish religious connotations ... The privately funded one-acre project, which is similar to Wichita artist Steve Murillo's Riverside solar installation but on a larger scale, does come off as vaguely New Agey -- the artists call it a peaceful and "metaphysical" place of healing."

Local clergy fear goths and gangs if such a thing were to be built!

"What these exhibits tend to attract are kids into the Gothic, people who are on the edge of living and because of that they tend not to attract enough of the city who feels comfortable enough to go there ... Gangs, sometimes, will tend to be attracted there because it has a very mystical connotation. It's not a positive thing."

We see here the difference between a people unthreatened by their rich pagan past, and a people who have disconnected from such a history and the resulting religious insecurity that follows. Perhaps things here would have been different if the near-cultural obliteration of America's indigenous peoples hadn't occurred, but that is just speculation. What is clear is that as the numbers of modern Pagans grow, some places will feel keenly threatened by that growth and by any attempt to leave a permanent mark on the landscape.

Labels: America, Ireland, Janus stone, Kansas, Paganism

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Soap Features Brazilian Wiccans in Ireland

It isn't just America that likes to feature Witches on television. Proving perhaps that Brazil is a bit more daring in most areas of life, Brazilian company Globo Television is shooting a new Irish-Brazilian soap opera featuring a trio of Wiccans.


Malu Mader, Maria Flor, and Fernanda Vasconcellos as three Irish Witches

"Provisionally called Eterna Magia (Magic Eternal) the plot will centre on a provincial town in the Forties and Fifties, and will tell the story of the Sullivan sisters, who are three witches that support the Wicca religion - thus the Celtic connection ... The story will also deal with historical Irish emigration to Brazil, where many families of Irish descent still live ... "Ireland was chosen because of its rich history of witches and Celtic people. The country has important characteristics to be introduced to Brazilian public," said the spokesperson."

A Portuguese Wikipedia entry on the soap delivers a cast list, and some further plot developments. Involving, of course, a romantic interest from all three sisters in the same man!

"[The soap] will [tell] the history of three pretty sisters: Eva, Mariana and Sarah Sullivan, followers of the religion of Wicca. They could be happy, if they did not have a great problem: they are all passionate for the same man. [The] history of the soap will be inspired by Wicca, one of the traditions of the witches, and unfolds itself around a perfume store/factory, where most of the characters will work."

Here is what the writer of the soap, Elizabeth Jhin, explains as her motivations behind the ambitious television show.

"My intention is to make a novel that speaks of magic, therefore always I was interested myself for the subject. Moreover, I believe that we need a good dose of dream and fancy".

The real question now is, how does one get to see this program in America?

Labels: 2007 Wicca Alamanac, Brazil, Ireland, Magic Eternal, Paganism, Soap Opera, Witchcraft

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