4.19.2008
600,000 "Satanists" in Rome?
While America is distracted by the Pope's visit, the Christian Broadcasting Network (home of Pat Robertson's "The 700 Club") spotlights the growing popularity of exorcisms in Italy (a topic I've touched on before).
"In this predominantly Catholic nation the devil is gaining a foothold. "There is a greater openness towards the devil," Rev. Gabriele Amorth, the Vatican's chief exorcist, said. In fact, Rome has been called the most 'satanized' city in Italy. "Satanism and the occult are in fashion," said Father Pedro Barrajon, a professor of theology."
None of this rhetoric is new or unusual (indeed, the good Rev. Amorth seems willing to talk to any news outlet that will give him the time of day), but what did draw my eye was an un-sourced statistic thrown out by the CBN reporter.
"There are an estimated 800 satanic cults operating in the country, with more than 600,000 followers. And their numbers are growing."
Over half a million Satanists? Really? That seems like an awfully big number. To get some perspective, I checked in with theistic Satanist Diane Vera's web site, where a whole section has been devoted to Satanic panic in Italy. According to Vera, these high numbers may be including Satanists, occultists of all stripes, Pagans, psychics, and other "heretical" individuals (teenage metal heads, for example).
"Among Christians, including Catholics, an increased emphasis on demons and exorcism leads inevitably to an increased fear of all non-Christian spiritual practices ... All the "We're not Satanists" disclaimers in the world will not stop conservative Christians from associating non-Christian spiritualities - especially the more "magical" spiritualities - with demons and/or with Satanism. Even in the eyes of those relatively few conservative Christians who are well-informed about the beliefs of Pagans, occultists, etc."
This view is backed up by the blog Bartholomew's Notes on Religion, who dug into census data and found that there were only 240 or so "organized" Satanists (as of 2003).
"Therefore, despite the many more relevant numbers often supplied by mass media - those who propose such numbers should, of course, be capable of supporting their statements with evidence as far as we can see from the numbers right now - the groups of organized satanists only represent an insignificant percentage of the Italian population even if, of course, the experience lived can be extremely hard for the people involved. The organized satanism is therefore a phenomenon that is often overrated, as a matter of fact, it concerns only a few thousands of people all over the world."
Taking all this into account, it becomes clear that exorcisms aren't simply a tool against "demonic possession". No heroic Father Merrin casting out the demon in little Regan. Instead, we have a struggle against all forms of non-Catholic thought. If you embrace a theology outside the bounds of the dominant monotheisms, or simply want to divorce your Catholic husband, you are demon-haunted and ripe for spiritual torture-tactics.
"Typical cases, he said, include people who turn away from the church and embrace New Age therapies, alternative religions or the occult. Internet addicts and yoga devotees are also at risk, he said."
The rhetorical slight-of-hand that turns all non-Catholic thinking into demon-possession hasn't escaped the notice of Pagan groups around the world, who condemn this new commitment to "curing" people who may simply be happier as Pagans.
So while Benedict XVI makes nice at an inter-religious gathering in America, those under his purview continue to ignore his wish to "discuss our differences with calmness and clarity", and instead label anyone in Rome rejecting Christianity as "Satanists". But then, perhaps Benedict's call for "sincere dialogue and cooperation" was only extended to the religions big enough to be invited to the party. Pagans, Heathens, and assorted polytheists, on the outs since the time of Theodosius, need not apply.
Labels: Catholicism, exorcisms, Italy, occult, Paganism, Rome, Satanic Panic, Satanism
3.05.2008
(Pagan) News of Note
My semi-regular round-up of articles, essays, and opinions of note for discerning Pagans and Heathens.
The Staten Island Advance reports on a dispute between neighbors that involves a Pagan family and charges of religiously-motivated harassment.
"Ivy Colmer Vanderborgh, her husband and her mother live in one half of a duplex on Oceanview Avenue. Their Annadale neighbors say they are disrupting the neighborhood. But the Colmer Vanderborgh family claims those same neighbors are persecuting them because of their religion. Ms. Colmer Vanderborgh and her mother, Marlene Colmer, both practice Wicca. They contend that since their appearance on a Staten Island Community Television show about their religion in June 2006, neighbors have they have been verbally harassed, their car has been vandalized, their property damaged and their dog poisoned."
The neighbor charged with masterminding their harassment denies any wrongdoing, claiming the family is loud, obnoxious, and paranoid. At this point all evidence in the case is circumstantial, so we have no idea if these Wiccans are truly being persecuted, or if they simply have a persecution complex.
It is reported that The Church of England has "serious reservations" about the looming abolishment of Britain's blasphemy laws. While the archbishops, Dr Rowan Williams and Dr John Sentamu say they won't oppose abolishment, they are "concerned" about the meaning and timing of the move.
"[The archbishops] say the government needs to be clear as to precisely why the offence is being scrapped. They argue that it should not be seen as a "secularising move" or as a general licence to attack or insult religious beliefs and believers. They say it is still too early to be sure how the new offence of incitement to religious hatred, which applies to all faiths, will operate in practice and that laws which carry "a significant symbolic charge" should not be changed lightly."
These laws, while rarely invoked today, were once used to persecute Quakers, atheists, Unitarians, and other groups who threatened (or appeared to threaten) the Anglican Church's primacy in England. They belong in the dust-bin of history along with laws against "witchcraft".
Slate.com explores the history of the crotch-grab in Italy.
"It's the seat of fertility. The crotch grab goes back at least to the pre-Christian Roman era and is closely associated with another superstition called the "evil eye" - the belief that a covetous person can harm you, your children, or your possessions by gazing at you. Cultural anthropologists conjecture that men would try to block such pernicious beams by shielding their genitals, thus protecting their most valued asset: the future fruit of their loins. Over the centuries, the practice shifted. Men covered their generative organs not only to defend against direct malevolence but also in the presence of anything ominous, like a funeral procession."
The article also explains the ever-popular "corno" necklaces and the corna hand-sign (aka the "devil sign") in the same context.
Groundbreaking Gaelic film "Seachd: The Inaccessible Pinnacle" has finally acquired international distribution through Altadena Films.
"Young Films has secured a deal with Altadena Films, an international sales agent, to sell Gaelic feature film Seachd - The Inaccessible Pinnacle, around the world. Altadena will represent the film at the Berlin Film Festival then at markets and festivals around the world thereafter. For the international market the English title will be Seachd - The Crimson Snowdrop."
For those who can't wait that long, the DVD has been released in the UK, which means that Americans will need a region-free player to watch it. For my previous coverage of this film, click here.
Nobel Prize-winning Irish author Seamus Heaney has lashed out at the Irish government for their road construction through the sacred Tara Skreen valley (home of the Hill of Tara), calling it a "ruthless desecration".
"I think it literally desecrates an area - I mean the word means to de-sacralise and for centuries the Tara landscape and the Tara sites have been regarded as part of the sacred ground ... If ever there was a place that deserved to be preserved in the name of the dead generations from pre-historic times up to historic times up to completely recently, it was Tara ... Tara means something equivalent to me to what Delphi means to the Greeks or maybe Stonehenge to an English person or Nara in Japan, which is one of the most famous sites in the world..."
While it looks like nothing can stop road construction now, campaigners are still working to halt construction and limit further development in the area.
In a final note, The Hamilton Spectator reviews a new e-book by Neil Jamieson-Williams entitled "A Field Guide to Modern Pagans in Hamilton, Ontario", which resulted in an angry reply from the author over errors and "yellow journalism".
"Ms. Fragomeni made no attempt to contact me either by telephone or email to inform me of when the article would be printed - in all probability, she boldly lied to me in our last phone call, knowing full well that the article would be in the Saturday paper. The presentation my book and myself in the article was a smear campaign. No mention is made of the publishing company or where the book is available. Finally, it is clear to me that Ms. Fragomeni has, at best, only scanned portions of the book -- she has written an article about a book that she has not read."
Maybe there is such a thing as bad publicity? In any case, I suppose that should be a warning to be careful where you send promotional copies.
That is all I have for now, have a good day!
Labels: books, Church of England, crotch-grabbing, discrimination, Hill of Tara, Italy, movies, Pagan News of Note, Paganism, Seachd: The Inaccessible Pinnacle, Seamus Heaney, UK, Wicca, Witchcraft
11.27.2007
Updates on Past Stories
My Chemical Wedding: "Chemical Wedding", the film about Aleister Crowley written by Iron Maiden lead singer Bruce Dickinson, has finished shooting and is now in post-production.
"...principal photography on Chemical Wedding, which was written by Iron Maiden frontman Bruce Dickinson and directed by Julian Doyle, has completed and the film is now in post ... Simon Callow stars as a stuttering, shy professor who accidentally reanimates the spirit of famed Satanist Aelister Crowley, dubbed "The most evil man in Britain", transforming into a charismatic, but seriously depraved, reincarnation of Crowley. He wreaks havoc among the students of the Cambridge campus he works for."
Judging by the poster, I dare say that "havoc" may include some gratuitous nudity (perhaps even inside an inverted pentacle). Not that Crowley, ever a lover of controversy, would necessarily disapprove (though considering Crowley's open bisexuality, one hopes it is equal-opportunity nudity).
As for the quality of the finished picture, we'll have to wait and see. Who knows? Perhaps Aleister Crowley will become a new cinematic villain/antihero spawning scores of "Chemical Wedding" sequels. For my original post of this project, click here.
The Cave of Romulus: It looks like Cambridge classics professor Mary Beard isn't the only one skeptical about the veracity of a site in Italy that some are claiming to be the Cave of Romulus (aka the Lupercal). Adriano La Regina, Rome's superintendent of archeology from 1976 to 2004, says he is certain that this grotto isn't the site of the mythical founder's cave.
"La Regina ... said ancient descriptions of the place suggest the Lupercale is elsewhere - 50 to 70 metres northwest of the cave discovered near Emperor Augustus' palace. "I am positive this is not the Lupercale," Mr La Regina told Reuters in an interview. Instead, he believes the cave - which ministry pictures show is decorated with well-preserved seashells and coloured mosaics - was a room in Nero's first palace on the Palatine Hill, which burnt down in 64 AD in the great fire of Rome."
Interior view of the grotto.
La Regina was also quoted as saying that this is still an important find, even if it isn't the Lupercal, due to the well-preserved state of the site (which he believes was a nymphaeum used to entertain guests). No word yet from the Italian Culture Ministry, who said they were "reasonably certain" this was the Lupercal. You can read my original post on this subject, here.
Labels: Aleister Crowley, Chemical Wedding, Italy, Lupercal, movies, Rome, Romulus
11.21.2007
The Cave of Romulus?
The international press has been buzzing over an archaeological find in Italy that some believe is the cave of Romulus, the mythical founder of Rome. Romulus, along with his twin brother Remus were the sons of Rhea Silvia (descendant of Aeneas, and possibly a former forest goddess) who bore the twins after being raped by the god Mars (one of the principal Roman deities, and very different from his Greek counterpart Ares).
Rhea Silvia, a sworn virgin priestess, was sentenced to death, but her twins were rescued and set adrift on the river Tiber where they eventually took shelter in the cave of the she-wolf Lupa, who nursed them. Ever after, the cave (called the Lupercal) was a sacred place to the Romans and the starting point for the major festival of Lupercalia. But has the legendary cave really been found? Italian experts seem fairly certain its the right place.
"Presenting the discovery, Italian Culture Minister Francesco Rutelli said archaeologists were "reasonably certain" that the newly unearthed cave could be the Lupercal. "This could reasonably be the place bearing witness to the myth of Rome, one of the most well-known cities in the world - the legendary cave where the she-wolf suckled Romulus and Remus, saving them from death," he said ... The ancient cave was found 16m (52ft) underground in a previously unexplored area during restoration work on the palace of Augustus, the first Roman emperor."
Interior view of the cave.
But some aren't so certain, including Cambridge classics professor Mary Beard. Beard fears the Italians may be rushing to judgment in their haste to find the legendary spot.
"What has been discovered is a rather elegant underground cavern on the Palatine hill, with a nicely decorated vault, inlaid with seashells, mosaics and marble ... The place is Roman all right, and it looks for all the world like one of those decorated underground grottoes that Roman toffs went wild about. But that doesn't mean it's the "Lupercal", as the Romans called the cave where they thought the twins had been found by the wolf (lupa). The mysterious entrance is a problem for me. One thing we know about the Lupercal is that it was easily accessible. It was, for example, the starting point of one of the major - and strangest - rituals of Roman religion: the Lupercalia ... So I shall be reserving judgment until I see a bit more of this grotto."
Has one of the most important religious and cultural places in Rome truly been found? No doubt the passage of time will eventually reveal if this is the she-wolf's cave (digging begins next year), or simply a random grotto.
Labels: Italy, Lupercal, Lupercalia, Mary Beard, Rome, Romulus
7.11.2007
Pagan Fashions For Peace
Lately it seems that everything old is new again in the world of high fashion. Earlier this year you had the witch-themed fashion line by British designer Alexander McQueen, then last month their was reporting on "antler chic", now one of the world's most famous fashion designers is making an explicitly pagan statement ... for peace.
High fashion and high ideals merge for Valentino's 45th anniversary.
"As bombs fell during the first Gulf War, Valentino designed a simple, white column dress with the word 'Peace' embroidered on it in 14 languages. That 'Peace' dress is now the centerpiece of Valentino's 45th anniversary fashion exhibition, surrounded by 300 more of his most glamorous evening gowns at Rome's Ara Pacis monument commissioned by Emperor Augustus. 'This monument is so amazing that we decided if you can't beat it, join it,' Giancarlo Giammetti, Valentino's business partner, said to reporters before the opening. 'We decided to create a pagan procession of women honoring the Ara Pacis.'"
The Ara Pacis Augustae (altar of majestic peace) personifies peace as a Roman goddess, and celebrated the Pax Romana, an era of relative tranquility after a number of wars (both civil and foreign). According to the organizers of the event, the show is mean to be a "spiritual journey" with the gowns embodying "floating ideas", and unlike the hostilities to pagan displays in Greece, Italy seems to have no compunction at such an "unChristian" display of extravagance.
"Among the visitors to the exhibit was Italian Premier Romano Prodi. On hand to congratulate the designer at the opening was Rome's Mayor Walter Veltroni, who announced the opening of a museum dedicated to Valentino and his fashion in a former city garage near the Roman Forums. 'Rome is making an effort to keep up with the beauty of Valentino's work,' he said."
Also attending the gala event were Sienna Miller, Sarah Jessica Parker, Joan Collins, Mick Jagger and Annie Lennox. Proving that while the UK and America may have jump-started the modern Paganism movement, the Italians remember that ancient paganism walked hand-in-hand with pomp, glitz, and high ideals, just like in the (very) old days.
Labels: Ara Pacis Augustae, fashion, Italy, Paganism, Rome, Valentino
