8.10.2008
(Pagan) News of Note
My semi-regular round-up of articles, essays, and opinions of note for discerning Pagans and Heathens.
The Richmond Times Dispatch in Virginia reports on CaribFest, and speaks with Haiti's ambassador to the U.S. about Vodou/Voodoo.
"Raymond A. Joseph, Haiti's ambassador to the U.S., was quite conversant on the subject of voodoo. 'When people think of voodoo, they think about the pins and the dolls. . . . That is sorcery and witchcraft,' Joseph said. In reality, he said, 'voodoo is a religion, like any other.'"
In a fortunate piece of kismet, the public radio program Speaking of Faith aired its "Living Vodou" episode this week, which features an interview with Vodou scholar and practitioner Patrick Bellegarde-Smith.
Tropaion reports that the National Archaeological Museum of Athens, in partnership with the Onassis Cultural Foundation in New York, will be presenting an exhibition in December that may be of great interest to modern Pagans.
"Worship, Women’s Ritual and Reality in Classical Athens, is the forthcoming exhibition by the National Museum and the Onassis Cultural Foundation in New York for the following year ... The exhibition will hold 158 artifacts from the National Museum, Acropolis, Kerameikou, Thebes and others including with 29 artifacts from the British, Metropolitan, Louvre, Vatican, Berlin and other foreign Museums. The exhibition is going to be divided in four main categories / themes: goddesses, priestesses, women and ritual, festivities and women on the circle of life. The visitor will be initially introduce with the Athena Parthenou, Artemis of Brauron, Demeter and Persephone who are presented with artifacts of their temples. Then, there are the mythical priestesses like Theano, who retain the key to further discover the practical aspect of worship (sacrifices, libations and choes). The exhibition ends with the section of the cycle of life (birth, adulthood, marriage and death), which run all stages of life in relation to religion and a woman."
You can read more from this Greek paper. A formal press release hasn't been issued, but once it is, I'll provide a link.
Speaking of exhibitions in New York, the Museum of Biblical Art in Manhattan is currently hosting a traveling exhibit of 106 Albrecht Dürer prints. The famous German painter and print-maker, while devoting much of his work to Christian themes, also explored Greco-Roman myth, and did several witch-themed works. Reflecting the the growing concern (and eventual panic) that would engulf his homeland.
Excerpt from "The Four Witches" 1497
You can read more about the exhibition (which runs through Sept. 21) in this Lower Hudson Journal news article.
The Washington Post does a profile on the Hex signs of the Pennsylvania Dutch, and interviews Don Yoder, co-author of "Hex Signs: Pennsylvania Dutch Barn Symbols & Their Meaning", artist Eric Claypoole, and Patrick J. Donmoyer, a student at Kutztown University who studies hex paintings.
"Some of the symbols, he said, date to Norse, and even pagan, art. And it is no coincidence that the hub of hex sign activity is in Pennsylvania rather than, say, New York or New Jersey. "There was freedom of religion in Pennsylvania," he said. "People were afraid of so many things. Even 'witches' were protected here." The argument that hex signs couldn't have mystical meanings because they're so public and out there for the world to see is misleading, Donmoyer said."
Pennsylvania Dutch "Pow-Wow" folk practice and magic has gained popularity among some modern Pagans (to varying degrees of authenticity and success). So a thoughtful exploration of one aspect of this culture is welcome.
Druid leader King Arthur Pendragon's protest at Stonehenge has entered its second month.
"Demonstrating on behalf of the Council of British Druid Orders, King Arthur Pendragon has vowed to remain at the site, living in his caravan, until the historic site is opened fully to the public ... Pendragon, 54, has been camping close to the World Heritage Site since the Summer Solstice on June 21 and is hoping his protests will encourage the Government to remove the fences around the monument, build a tunnel under the A303 and grass over the A344."
It is unclear if Pendragon's protest, or the ongoing public consultation, will produce much needed changes in time for the 2012 Olympics.
In a final note, it looks fairly certain that Natalie Portman will be starring in a remake of Dario Argento's occult-horror masterpiece "Suspiria" (featuring an evil coven of witches).
"Handsome Charlie Films, which is headed by Natalie Portman (pictured inside) and Annette Savitch, will be producing the remake of Dario Argento's Suspiria. In addition, word has it Portman will topline the film that David Gordon Green is attached to direct. Green's PINEAPPLE EXPRESS hits theaters tomorrow."
Another addition to the large pile of horrid horror remakes (think "The Wicker Man"), or new classic for a new generation? I suppose only time will tell.
That is all I have for now, have a great day!
Labels: art, Arthur Pendragon, Druidry, folklore, goddess, Greece, movies, New York, Pagan News of Note, Paganism, Stonehenge, Vodou, Witchcraft
7.01.2008
What to Do About Stonehenge?
Though the Summer Solstice revelers have moved on, that most famous of British neolithic monuments, Stonehenge, remains in the news. First off, somewhat controversial Druid leader King Arthur Pendragon (no, not that Arthur Pendragon) is camping out near Stonehenge, and vows to continue to do so until long-promised improvements to the site are made.
John Rothwell, aka Arthur Uther Pendragon.
"Demonstrating on behalf of the Council of British Druid Orders, King Arthur Pendragon, has been camping close to the World Heritage site since the Summer Solstice on June 21. Pendragon, 54, is hoping his protests will encourage the Government to remove the fences around the monument, build a tunnel over the A303 and grass over the A344. He said: "That's what they promised to do but the Government said they couldn't afford the tunnel. "It's too commercialised. We want something exactly like Avebury. Those fences have been here since 1978." ... He said: 'The visitor centre, set up 14 years ago, was supposed to be a temporary building. It's awful. It is a national disgrace so what I am hoping to do by my protest is embarrass the Government into raising the issue.'"
However, this outrage over the condition of Stonehenge isn't isolated to Druids and Pagans, and with the Olympics coming to London in 2012, there has been increased pressure to improve the state of England's heritage sites. One manifestation of this willingness to do something about the state of Stonehenge is an upcoming three month public consultation on the future of the site. Organizers are no doubt hoping that this period of public input will quell criticisms of governmental negligence, and spur renewed action.
Stonehenge
"English Heritage is to launch a public consultation to find a new site for its long-planned Stonehenge visitor centre. The news comes more than six months after it scrapped Denton Corker Marshall’s design for a centre. That scheme, which had been granted planning permission in December, was shelved after the government decided not to fund a £500 million A303 tunnel. Heritage Lottery Funding had been conditional upon the tunnel going ahead. Denton Corker Marshall won a competition to design the facility in 2001 after EH had ditched a previous scheme by Edward Cullinan Architects. From July 15, members of the public will be able to offer feedback on EH’s review of the World Heritage Site Management Plan, and proposed environmental improvements to the roads around the monument, as well as possible locations for the new visitor facilities."
Perhaps the fear of worldwide embarrassment over the care of Stonehenge will do more to motivate renewed care and attention to the monument than any protesting Druid could ever hope to achieve. In the meantime, King Arthur camps, and we wait to see if the government and English Heritage can finally find a long-term solution for the site's care and maintenance.
Labels: Druidism, Druidry, Druids, King Arthur, Paganism, standing stones, Stonehenge, UK
6.08.2008
(Pagan) News of Note
My semi-regular round-up of articles, essays, and opinions of note for discerning Pagans and Heathens.
Both The Times and The Independent review the new book "Stonehenge" by Rosemary Hill, which explores the social history and differing perceptions of this famous ancient monument.
"A great strength of Hill's method is that she is by no means inclined just to laugh at what seem ludicrous beliefs. She carefully unpicks them, showing what made them attractive in their cultures, and how scholarly their adherents often were, apart from their brief descent into Stonehenge madness."
You can read an excerpt of the work, here. Hill's "Stonehenge" looks like a worthy new tome exploring this ever-popular monument (including modern Pagan interactions with Stonehenge). Release date in the UK is June 10th, and in America on November 15th.
Looking for Pagan music but aren't a fan of folk music, neo-medieval stylings, or darkwave? Then you might want to check out the latest offering from Jazz musician Jordi Rossy. His trio's new album is entitled "Wicca", and according to All About Jazz, it's "mesmerizing".
"Wicca is a largely ruminative album, Rossy somewhere on the piano spectrum between George Winston and his sometimes employer Mehldau ... Whether the piano is in the lead, organ droning behind, or organ leads, in churchy mode, with piano chords underneath, that sound is consistent and, at its best, mesmerizing. A comfort zone is established and observed, only breached noticeably on the title track, the CD's longest, adding trumpet and tenor sax and combining disparate elements of tempo and form into an intricate yet harmonious texture."
You can order the album from this web site.
Your Christian scare-mongering link of the week: beware of horoscopes (and palmistry, and Ouija boards).
"Just like the Ouija board, the horoscope can also be dangerous—a dangerous first step into the world of the occult. One woman, Barbara Gardner, writing in Today’s Christian Woman, explained how reading horoscopes sucked her into a dangerous pattern that led to astral projection—also known as “out of body experience”—palm reading, and fortune-telling. She ultimately attributed the breakup of two of her marriages to her obsession with occult activity."
Back! Back Rob Brezsny! Back into the pits of Hell with you and your ilk! Also, beware of "slutty" mermaids selling you coffee!
Are Pagans considered a part of the "religious left"? Pew Forum Senior Fellow in Religion and American Politics John Green seems to hint that we could be, if we wanted to.
"Attention has largely been focused on various kinds of Christians who hold these views, but it is important to remember that these groups extend to non-Christians as well, including believers in the Jewish community and people who are “spiritual but not religious.” There are progressive voices appearing in nearly every religious tradition."
Of course if Christians like Jim Wallis, who is regularly misrepresented as a liberal, get their way the "big tent" of the "religious left" wouldn't openly include the Pagans and other non-monotheistic outsiders that could embarrass him or moderate Democrats trying to win over "values voters".
Press profiling Pagans round-up! The Sault Star talks to author and Pagan Elizabeth Creith about her involvement in "flash fiction" and other artistic projects, Pennsylvania publication Voices talks to Art Shipkowski, a member of Ár nDraíocht Féin, at a Penn. State Pagan gathering, and The Shreveport Times talks to a Pagan husband and wife who run a local tattoo parlor called the Twisted Cauldron.
"The Clementses say opening Twisted Cauldron "is a 10-year dream." Knowing the previous tenants, Modern Primitives, B.J. said, the opportunity popped up and he jumped on it. "There isn't really a shop like this in the area, and privacy is a big issue," B.J. Clements said. "A lot of our success has to do with how we treat our customers," B.J. Clements said, adding one of the tenets of their Wiccan faith is "May you never hunger, May you never thirst." "I do commerce with all sorts of religions and denominations; it generally isn't an issue," he said of being Wiccan."
Did you get profiled recently in your local paper? Why not drop me a line! You too could be mentioned in my semi-regular round-up of Pagan press profiles.
In a final note, should you buy a Pan Flute? The answer may surprise you.
That is all I have for now, have a great day!
Labels: Astrology, books, Christianity, journalism, music, Pagan News of Note, Paganism, Religious Left, Rosemary Hill, Stonehenge
3.10.2008
New Stones, Old Stones, and "Witch" Pits
Britain's sacred landscape is very much in the news lately, with new finds, concerns over the land's archaeological heritage, and plans to build new sacred sites getting attention from mainstream media. To start, Jonathan Jones from The Guardian looks at Stonehenge, and the increasing encroachment of development onto the site.
"In the misty, rainy morning, pairs of bright white lights keep appearing on the near horizon, and across the grass there is the unholy spectacle of a continuous flow of cars and trucks on the A303. Amazingly, this crowded road is soon going to get worse. In February, it was revealed that Tesco plans to build a gigantic warehouse near Andover, from which it is estimated a Tesco juggernaut will emerge every minute - many of them on to the A303. The Tesco "MegaShed" is just the final, farcical insult after the terrible news that hit Stonehenge three months ago. Just before Christmas, after nearly two decades of ambitious planning to rescue this landscape from traffic, came a brutal government press release: Tom Harris, under-secretary of state for transport, declared that plans to enclose the A303 in a tunnel under Salisbury Plain 'would not represent best use of taxpayers' money'."
Jones, pondering why the British people don't care more about Stonehenge, wonders if the recent de-mythologizing of the site by experts and archaeologists has led to a blase' attitude towards Stonehenge's fate.
"Stonehenge is a miracle, a mystery, like the ancient world sites that are its peers: the pyramids of Egypt and Mexico. This is why the tourists come. But official archaeology only tells us what we shouldn't think: we must not believe that this is about astronomy, or druids, or mathematics, let alone - as Oxbridge scholars argued in the 1950s - that the dagger carving on stone 53 betrays a link with the ancient Aegean world. No, it's the very people whose job it is to describe the unique nature of Stonehenge who make it sound as if it's nothing more exciting than all the earthworks they dig up in bogs with a couple of wooden posts stuck in the peat. Stonehenge has been talked down by the experts. And now the philistines have an excuse to treat it as if it was nothing special."
If Stonehenge is losing its enchantment thanks to modern science, the urge for scared monuments haven't left the British people. In Northamptonshire, two new sacred circles, one explicitly Pagan, are being constructed.
"A 'woodhenge' in Rothersthorpe and a new stone circle in Crick are both under construction. The woodhenge is being constructed by organic cooperative Permorganics ... The other structure, which will be made of four massive stones, is an art project being sponsored by the East Midlands Arts Council which will eventually stand on Cracks Hill, Crick."
The stone circle at Cracks Hill will have its foundation markers laid out by local youths on the Spring Equinox, with the project reaching completion in five years. The Permorganics project will take longer, since it has to wait for the planted orchard to grow and surround the sacred grove. Both projects seem to speak to a desire for re-sacralizing the landscape by embracing elements from the land's pre-Christian past.
Speaking of re-sacralizing the landscape, certain Pagan practitioners are going to love the following story. It seems that excavation efforts of 35 pits along the Cornish countryside have turned up evidence of pre-Christian offerings from a decidedly Christian time-period.
"Evidence of pagan rituals involving swans and other birds in the Cornish countryside in the 17th century has been uncovered by archaeologists. Since 2003, 35 pits at the site in a valley near Truro have been excavated containing swan pelts, dead magpies, unhatched eggs, quartz pebbles, human hair, fingernails and part of an iron cauldron. The finds have been dated to the 1640s, a period of turmoil in England when Cromwellian Puritans destroyed any links to pre-Christian pagan England. It was also a period when witchcraft attracted the death sentence."
Archaeologist Jacqui Woods then makes an interesting comment regarding one of the finds.
"Often when secret rituals are abandoned people will talk about 'things that were done in my grandmother's day' but there has been no whisper of this. It really makes me wonder whether that is because it is still going on."
Pagan survivals? Folk customs given a Christian gloss and performed by people who considered themselves good Christians? None of the above? The article all but screams "witches", and no doubt these discoveries are going to end up generating some interesting conversations among Witches and other Pagans.
These articles all point towards a palpable desire to embrace a sacred landscape that is not only post-Christian, but increasingly post-secular as well. A land filled with myth, story, and art. Enhanced by a ritualized awareness of the changing seasons, and reinforced by natural and man-made monuments. A land where modern Paganism fits right in.
Labels: Archaeology, Paganism, standing stones, Stonehenge, UK, Witchcraft
7.31.2007
(Pagan) News of Note
My semi-regular round-up of articles, essays, and opinions of note for discerning Pagans and Heathens.
British Druid chief Arthur Pendragon is running for a seat in parliament as an independent candidate. Pendragon's platform is one focused almost solely on the issue of Stonehenge.
"A Druid chief has announced his intention to stand in the next general election to fight what he describes as the "disgusting neglect" of Stonehenge. King Arthur Pendragon, titular head and chosen chief of the largest independent Druid order in Britain, will stand as an independent candidate in the Salisbury constituency and take on the mainstream political parties. He is campaigning for the construction of the E510 million A303 Stonehenge road tunnel, which, he says, is the only way to protect the ancient monument and was backed up by a lengthy public inquiry in 2004."
Pendragon has run for a seat in parliament four times previously, there isn't any polling data so I can't make any predictions if the fifth time will be the charm.
A group of North Carolina Pagans are getting "barbarous" in defense of a magnolia tree that is scheduled to be cut down by developers.
"Reaction to the potential loss of a single magnolia tree has left developer Stewart Coleman baffled. "It's one tree," he said Monday after hearing a group of Wiccans plan to cast spells to save it. "More than 40 trees - including six flowering cherries - have been destroyed for the park construction." ... But Wiccan priestess Dixie Deerman of Coven Oldenwilde in Asheville says the line has to be drawn somewhere, and this is it. Deerman, also known as Lady Passion, has invited Pagans, Wiccans and others to encircle the tree Friday evening and chant spells to protect it, "and Barbarous Words of Power to thwart the developer." Wicca, also known as Paganism, is a faith that worships nature."
The developer has offered to have the tree moved to a different location, though the shock of moving the tree may kill it, and questions the logic of Lady Passion in her spirited defense of this magnolia tree.
"Coleman said he doesn't understand why people are so upset when developments outside downtown are destroying many more trees. 'If I were to develop 40 homes ... say, on a ridge top, how many trees would have to come down?' he said 'And you would need to build roads and water lines. It would be a lot worse.'"
But I guess you can never tell what your radicalizing moment will be, for Lady Passion it is the cutting down of that single tree. One hopes this is only the tentative start for a more involved life of environmental activism.
A British mother who is serving a life sentence for smothering her infant son is bringing litigation against the prison for not allowing her a ritual drum.
"I am a Shamanic pagan. I do not believe in violence. I have respect for all life and individuality. This prison, like many others, has an unwritten policy of pagan persecution. I have been refused and denied possession of religious items. I have faced hostility and disregard over my religious practices and festivals, and I have encountered bullying from inmates and staff due to my faith. I am not abusive to staff or inmates. So why should there be so many difficulties facing me? Either some members of staff see me as a threat because of my perceived intelligence, or they see me as a threat because they do not understand the way I choose to live my life."
Leaving aside the bitter irony of a mother who killed her son (for refusing to breastfeed) saying she "respects" all life, prison officials don't seem too keen to give her a drum, claiming that prison is a place of correction not recreation. So I guess we'll soon see where the line in the UK regarding access to religious items will be drawn.
SperoNews, a Catholic-run news agency, reports on the persistence of paganism in Armenia and attempts to hint at dire political consequences if such behavior continues.
"At Garni, pagan priests placed sacrificial knives in fire, as well as rose petals in earthenware jugs of water, before reading aloud from the Ukhtagir, a collection of pre-Christian folk stories and legends immortalizing Armenia's pagan gods written by Slak Kakosian, the founder of the Pagan Covenant, one of Armenia's main pagan organizations. Founded in 1990, the group now claims it has over 1,000 members. In the group's events, nationalism and paganism mingle equally. "We are pagans," said 43-year-old Zohrab Petrosian, Kakosian's successor. "We are Armenians, but we don't know our true religion. Simply lighting a candle in a church or wearing a cross around our necks does not make us Christian. I've been a member of this organization for 10 years, but as an Armenian I've been pagan since the day I was born." At the Garni Vardavar observances, one of the highest-profile attendees was Armen Avetisian, leader of the ultra-nationalist Union of Armenian Aryans, who received a three-year suspended sentence in 2005 for inciting racial hatred against Jews."
You see, if any racists show up to your gatherings, then this must be the beginnings of a new fascism! But participants in the rituals don't quite see it that way.
"Armenian pagans tend to dismiss the concern, though. Many at the Garni observances said politics wasn't a factor for them ... The hordes of children drenching pedestrians and motorists with water usually overshadow any such quests for meaning on Vardavar. Even so, Armenia's pagans might take comfort in the fact that torrential rains unexpectedly hit Armenia at the festival's end on July 15. As the rain poured down in the days that followed, one can only wonder if Astghik wasn't listening, after all."
No doubt Spero will keep looking for proto-fascists everywhere except in the mirror.
That is all I have for now, have a good day!
Labels: Armenia, Arthur Pendragon, North Carolina, Paganism, Prison, shamanism, Stonehenge, UK, Wicca, Witchcraft
7.08.2007
Seven Wonders
Yesterday, the New7Wonders Foundation named the new seven wonders of the world after a worldwide Internet/phone poll. The list, which updates the seven wonders of the ancient world, includes the Great Wall of China, the Roman Colloseum in Italy, and the Christ Redeemer statue in Brazil (full list). But this Internet-age poll has angered and disappointed many, with criticisms coming from all corners. UNESCO, which runs the World Heritage program, has taken pains to point out that it has no part in this contest, that the contest in biased, and that it in no way helps preserve ancient sites.
"UNESCO's objective and mandate is to assist countries in identifying, protecting and preserving World Heritage. Acknowledging the sentimental or emblematic value of sites and inscribing them on a new list is not enough ... There is no comparison between Mr Weber's mediatised campaign and the scientific and educational work resulting from the inscription of sites on UNESCO's World Heritage List. The list of the "7 New Wonders of the World" will be the result of a private undertaking, reflecting only the opinions of those with access to the internet and not the entire world. This initiative cannot, in any significant and sustainable manner, contribute to the preservation of sites elected by this public."
Egypt, which houses the only surviving ancient wonder, the Great Pyramid of Giza, complained that the contest demeaned their culture and the pyramids. It got so heated that New7Wonders sidestepped the controversy by making the Great Pyramid(s) of Giza an "honorary" candidate.
"After careful consideration, the New7Wonders Foundation designates the Pyramids of Giza—the only remaining of the 7 Ancient Wonders of the World—as an Honorary New7Wonders Candidate. Therefore, you cannot vote for the Pyramids of Giza as part of the New7Wonders campaign. This decision has also taken into account the views of the Supreme Council of Antiquities of Egypt and the Egyptian Ministry of Culture. The Pyramids are a shared world culture and heritage site and deserve their special status as the only Honorary Candidate of the New7Wonders of the World campaign."
Meanwhile, The Vatican has complained that the lack of Christian monuments included in the running points to an anti-Christian bias.
"Archbishop Mauro Piacenza, who heads the Vatican's pontifical commission for culture and archeology, said that the exclusion of Christian works of art such as Michelangelo’s frescoes in the Sistine Chapel was 'surprising, inexplicable, even suspicious' ... Monsignor Piecenza said that many other Christian sites had been ignored, from the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem and Antonio Gaudi's Sagrada Familia church in Barcelona to world famous cathedrals. 'Vatican officials suspect an antiChristian bias' said La Repubblica yesterday. Francesco Buranelli, the director of the Vatican Museums, said he was also aghast. 'How they can they possibly exclude from the wonders of the world a masterpiece like the Sistine Chapel, which last year alone had over four million visitors?'"
Aside from those who felt snubbed or offended, were those who lost out. Druids in Britain mourned Stonehenge's failure to place in the new list, and equated the entire contest to the Eurovision song competition.
"Druid Terry Dobney, who is keeper of the stones at Avebury, said he was disappointed there had not been more support for the Wiltshire monument. 'It's a bit like the Eurovision song contest, there's been block voting around the world so I'm led to believe,' he said. 'In South America, they voted for the Christ statue in Rio and they've got a million block vote in South America and it's the same with the Taj Mahal in India. They're places of intrigue, but we know who built them and why they were built, there's not a great wonderment attached to them as opposed to Stonehenge which has this great wonderment attached to it.'"
Despite Stonehenge's loss, the new list does overwhelmingly favor pre-Christian constructions (giving some credence to the Vatican's complaints). But rather than paint this as some sort of victory for polytheist achievements, I think I'm more in UNESCO's camp in this instance. Our world is far larger now (culturally and geographically) than it was when the seven wonders of the ancient world world were picked. To arbitrarily pick the "top" wonders by an unequal voting process seems counterproductive to the mission of preserving and recognizing great works in human achievement.
Labels: Druids, New Seven Wonders of the World, Seven Wonders of the World, Stonehenge, UNESCO, Vatican, World Heritage
6.22.2007
Glastonbury Festival and Faith
The Glastonbury Festival in England, operating since 1970, is one of the largest outdoor festivals in the world. The last festival in 2005 (they took a year off in 2006) drew around 150,000 people (though gate-crashers have inflated these numbers to nearly double that at previous festivals), and it is considered by many to be the yearly high-point for alternative culture in the UK. Since the festival was founded during the hippie era, counter-cultural views and a generally open view of spirituality has been encouraged. One of the staples of the festival is the "healing area" where tarot readings, shamanic journeys, meditation areas, and chanting exercises are provided.
"Within the peaceful atmosphere of the Healing Area, there is an exciting blend of healing arts and spiritual/therapeutic orientations as well as fiery celebrations and play. The area is designed as an elemental mandala of Fire, Air, Earth and Water. Each of these circles express a distinct quality of healing which you can experience as you move through the field. Within each circle there is a beautiful garden and sacred space, and all workshops and events are free."
The Healing Area is just one small part of the larger "Green Fields" where environmental attractions, crafts, and political concerns comprise the "soul" of the rock festival. As you can imagine, this has drawn the attention of Christians concerned about the spiritual effects of such "New Age" dabbling. While some have tried to engender a friendly co-existence with the festival, including "Celtic" eucharists and a Christian-themed "art group", other Christians aren't so sanguine about these "creative" outreach efforts.
"Celtic Spirituality is a cousin to the German Faith Movement ginned up by the Nazi "theorist" Alfred Rosenberg. The Deutsche Glaubensbewegung folks went in for horns and pelts instead of hazel-framed coracles and ivy in the hair, but whether it's neo-druidism or neo-goddess worship or the Revd Adrian Prior-Sankey waving a wet reed, the point is the same: the feel of the wind in your face is the true voice of god and Catholic moral doctrine ain't. All attempts to recover a pre-Christian mythology are based on resentments targeted at universal ecclesial authority, and all of them, without exception, promise emancipation from irksome moral strictures. Today's Gaelic beech-huggers may protest that they have nothing in common with the Nazi neo-Norsemen, but their differences are superficial and unimportant. At bottom, each "recovered religion" wants to throw off the yoke of universally binding norms in order to indulge sinful liberties. Ever known a wiccan or a four-winds cultist who gave it up because the ascetical demands were too stiff? Nope. Neo-pagans fast about as often as Elks."
The Catholic World News may have just set a new land-speed record for invoking Godwin's Law of Nazi Analogies. So I guess if anyone thought the "Nazis are Pagans (not Christians)" meme wasn't going to spread to modern Pagans can stand corrected. This seems to denote a growing split among Christians on how to deal with Pagans and other new religious movements. One camp wants to understand and build trust in hope for better relations (and eventually conversions), the other seems to be taking an increasingly adversarial stance that can erupt into abuse, threats, and intimidation (and outright violence eventually, one might assume).
But Christians aren't the only ones with mixed emotions about the Glastonbury Festival. Some Pagans are growing ever-more alarmed at how the festival is ruining their sacred solstice rites at Stonehenge.
"I have written to the English Heritage for the second year running to complain about the disgraceful behavior of the open access for the celebration of Litha. It is a travesty that a sacred monument can be treated in this way ... Not only where people yet again standing on the stones and trying to take a little home with them...But the binge drinking of party goers and the foul language ruined it to a degree, people would not even go in the stone circle ... The stewards where trying their best to keep people from the stones, but there was not enough stewards around the stones to be able to protect them ... Even after speaking to many druids and Wiccan's there, many of them had been insulted and ask why they where there dressed in costume as its a party for glastonbury NOT what in fact the English heritage had allowed access for all those years ago."
This paints a very different picture from the mainstream news reports that claimed the solstice event (which took place the day before the Glastonbury Festival) was peaceful. Could a Pagan-led campaign to have more restrictive rules concerning Stonehenge (after years of campaigning for open access) come to be? It would certainly be interesting if modern Pagans develop the same sort of ambivalence towards this "Pagan-friendly" festival that Christian groups already harbor.
Labels: Christianity, Glastonbury, Paganism, Stonehenge, The Glastonbury Festival, UK
3.29.2007
(Pagan ) News of Note
My semi-regular round-up of articles, essays, and opinions of note for discerning Pagans and Heathens.
We all know that modern Druids in Britain have a special connection to Stonehenge, but it seems that Druids in New Zealand are getting in on the action with a Stonehenge all their own.
"As the sun set last night at the Kiwi-style Stonehenge, built on a hill east of Carterton, druids from across New Zealand - along with Britain's Chief Druid, Phillip Carr-Gomm - gathered to be part of the ancient ceremony of Alban Elfed, the autumn equinox...Stonehenge Aotearoa is an adaptation of the 4000-year-old ring of stones on Salisbury Plain in England. The 24 pillars that make up the circle are not stone, but the cement-and-plaster structures look the part. Stonehenge Aotearoa took its final form in 2005."
Will Druids in America soon want their own Stonehenge? If funds are a problem, they could always use Carhenge as a substitute.
Wiccans are the victims in a new novel "White Night" by Jim Butcher. The book, part of a series called "The Dresden Files" (now a television series on the SciFi channel), stars a hard-boiled magician who solves occult-related crimes.
"Further investigation reveals the presence of a serial killer preying upon Wicca practitioners and worse, folks on the street keep seeing a tall man in a gray jacket, a description that fits Dresden. Harry soon uncovers evidence that implicates his brother Thomas as the killer but before he can clear him, he'll have to battle ghouls in a showdown..."
If your a fan of the "Wiccans getting off-ed" motif in occult-tinged stories you might also want to check out M.R. Sellars' Rowan Gant Investigations series, and possibly Rosemary Edghill's "Bast" mysteries.
Ireland has launched its first (and only) Mumming center near the Fermanagh border.
"Ireland's only mumming centre was officially launched this morning in a former national school close to the Fermanagh border. The 266,000 Euro cultural centre, built in the restored listed building of Aughakillymaude National School on the shores of Lough Erne, is set to become a major attraction for tourists plying the Fermanagh waterways. The key attraction will be an exhibition dedicated to the vanishing tradition of mumming, in which eerie straw-masked figures perform a midwinter folk drama whose origins are lost in pagan times."
For more on mumming, check out the Wikipedia article, and of course the final third of the original Wicker Man features some lovely mumming (and a bit of human sacrifice, but its all for the good of the land).
Washingtonian profiles Sally Quinn in her new role as religious master of ceremonies for the Washington Post blog "On Faith".
"I've been an atheist all my life, Jon convinced me not to use that word. He said I was defining myself negatively. So I don't call myself anything, a seeker, perhaps. I had been interested for a couple of years in religion and how it affects policy. I was thinking of writing a book about religion in Washington."
The article also makes special note of the inclusion of Starhawk in the proceedings, and makes much ado over Quinn's affection for labyrinth-walking as a possible sign she has "found" religion.
Bloomberg reports that the Louvre is presenting a special show of the 4th century BC Attic sculptor Praxiteles, famous for his images of Aphrodite.
"Several versions of the lady can be admired at the Louvre, which has organized a rare Praxiteles exhibition. Most of his works survived only in the form of Roman copies. The originals were destroyed by the ravages of time, natural disasters or Christian zealots who, like the Taliban, wouldn't tolerate images of pagan sensuality."
They also point out that the pure-white statues we see now aren't quite what the ancients looked at due to the fact that statutes back then were often painted in vibrant colors.
Finally, for fans of Pagan-created music, the amazing Hungarian Pagan band The Moon and The Nighspirit are releasing a new album entitled "Rego Rejtem" (which in English means "I conjure with magic") on April 2nd. Unlike their first album "Of Dreams Forgotten and Fables Untold", this album is recorded entirely in their native tongue instead of English.
"This time they have traveled further into times bygone, rekindling the flames of the Taltos (Hungarian shaman) and reawakening the spirits of the Elders. The music has acquired a more varied and colorful tone through the use of varied ethnic instrumentation (such as kaval, tapan, jew's harp or zither), and has also become significantly more energetic and vibrant, without sacrificing the unique ambiance that the band had found on their debut album."
You can download an Mp3 of the title track, here. Expect to hear more from this album on my weekly "Darker Shade of Pagan" podcast in the very near future.
That is all I have for now. Have a good day!
Labels: Druid, Mumming, On Faith, Paganism, Praxiteles, Sally Quinn, Stonehenge, The Dresden Files, The Moon and The Nightspirit, Wicca
