The Epicenter of Halloween in America

It has been known for years that Salem, home of the infamous witch trials, has become a mecca for Halloween revelers and modern Pagans (who purportedly make up 10% of the local population). But I think outside observers might be surprised to see how this witchy tourist draw has grown to Mardi Gras proportions. For example, did you know that thousands of bikers do a "Halloween Witch Ride" every year?


Halloween Witch Rider. Photo by Mark Garfinkel.

"More than 3,000 scary-looking cyclists got a jump on Halloween yesterday by participating in the 20th annual Halloween Witch Ride to Salem. Taking off from Bruce Rossmeyer’s Boston Harley-Davidson in Everett, werewolves, skeletons and other ghouls all shared a scenic route through the North Shore."

This particular event has grown so large that Salem has opened its own Harley-Davidson shop this year, complete with a special Harley Salem witch shirt (which is apparently selling like hotcakes). Meanwhile, the city itself is coming up with grander closing spectacles to signal to the large crowds that the Halloween-season party is over.

"The city has hired Somerville-based Visual Design Associates — the company that created an elaborate indoor display at Jordan’s furniture in Reading — to design an eye-catching, end-of-the-night program that will both entertain and send the message to revelers that Halloween night is over ... Around 10 p.m., the live music and DJ’s scattered throughout the downtown will wrap up for the night and direct crowds to the display on Washington Street. At 10:30 p.m., the 15-minute artistic program will start. Then, a scaled-back fireworks display will be launched near the North River at 10:45 p.m. ... It involves an 8-foot wall, helium and giant dancing shapes, according to Kate Fox, the executive director of Destination Salem."

Another article points out that Salem isn't only drawing American revelers and Pagan pilgrims, but a growing international contingent of Halloween tourists.

"So far this October, more than 6,000 visitors have stopped by the booth, which is open on weekends. “There are so many people from other countries,” said information booth volunteer Grace Lamarre, a Salem resident."

As for local Pagan groups, they are hardly idle. Witchy impresario Christian Day's Festival of the Dead grows ever larger, with a Retro Zombie Ball, a Vampires’ Masquerade Ball, and, of course, The Official Salem Witches‘ Halloween Ball.

"Saturday, November 1, 2008, 7:30pm to 12:30am at the Hawthorne Hotel! Join Christian Day and the Witches of Salem with special guest Fiona Horne and musical guests Wendy Rule and Dragon Ritual Drummers for a night of magic at the event AOL CityGuide rated one of America's top Halloween parties! Join us as in days of old when fires burned on every hilltop and Witches gathered to feast, rejoice, and cast spells for the new year!"

In addition to Day's massive multi-week extravaganza, Pagan events are also being thrown by Crow Haven Corner, the Cabot Witches (for Cabot initiates only), the Witches' Education Bureau, The Temple of Nine Wells, the First Church of Wicca, and several others.

Add in the seemingly recession-proof yearly increase in Halloween-related spending, and what began as a local tourist draw is gradually morphing into a nationally (and internationally) recognized seasonal festival. For better or worse, this change from cheesy wax-works and trial re-enactments into a massive cultural (and money-making) multi-week event is partially due to the emergence of Witches and modern Pagans injecting a sense of the sacred (and the psychic) into the proceedings. It may never be officially called a Samhain festival, but for all intents and purposes this is America's tribute to Summer's End.

Labels: Christian Day, Halloween, Laurie Cabot, Paganism, psychics, Salem, Samhain, Witch, Witchcraft

9:30 AM | (0) Blogger comments | | DiggIt! | Del.icio.us

 
Wiccan Wins Fortune-Telling Case

A federal judge has tossed out a Livingston Parish Council ordinance barring all forms of fortune-telling. The ordinance was challenged by local resident Cliff Eakin, a Wiccan who believed the ban violated his religious freedoms.

"A Livingston Parish Council ordinance outlawing fortunetelling and soothsaying is unconstitutional, a federal judge ruled Tuesday. A Wiccan minister, Cliff Eakin, sued the parish over the ordinance, asserting inspiration from the divine transmitted by a Wiccan minister should be treated legally the same way as a message from God transmitted to a congregation by a Christian minister. “I would highly recommend that the council not appeal it,” Blayne Honeycutt, the council’s attorney, said of Tuesday’s ruling."

The Livingston Parish Council, despite warnings from their lawyer telling them they would lose, decided to fight removing the ordinance on religious principle.

"Harrell and councilmen Jimmy McCoy and Eddie Wagner said they have no plans to change their votes. Other council members did not comment on where they stand. 'I got elected to represent my constituents,' McCoy said. 'I am a Christian and I love the Lord, period. We can vote today or next month, my vote won't change.'"

This case is just the latest in a string of successful legal and political challenges to outdated or religiously biased laws and ordinances banning fortune-telling. As I said when this case first emerged, today's fortune-tellers and diviners aren't simply grifters on the make, but a growing assortment of men and women who have a deep religious investment in their trade.

"While banning psychics was once seen as an easy political move to garner an image as a moral crusader fighting fraud (and activities that carry a Biblical injunction), in the last thirty years the business has changed. It isn't simply a bevy of frauds peddling fake "curses" and a smattering of sweet old ladies making a buck on the side, the business has been steadily infiltrated by modern Pagans, Afro-diasporic faiths (VooDoo, Santeria, etc), and the New Age movement, many of whom see divination work as a spiritual calling. These groups on the whole are more affluent (relatively speaking), more aware of their legal rights (and hence more litigious), and more rooted in their communities than the stereotypical image of the fly-by-night con-man (or woman) who makes a living grifting from the margins."

Laws explicitly banning psychics and other diviners from plying their trade are outdated and discriminatory, and the growing legal consensus has favored overturning such bans. Religious favoritism masquerading as social concern can no longer be tolerated in a free and multi-religious society. Congratulations to Mr. Eakin for his victory.

Labels: Cliff Eakin, law, litigation, Livingston Parish, Louisiana, Paganism, psychics, Wicca

10:56 AM | (0) Blogger comments | | DiggIt! | Del.icio.us

 
(Pagan) News of Note

My semi-regular round-up of articles, essays, and opinions of note for discerning Pagans and Heathens.

We start off with news of a custody case involving accusations of anti-Wiccan judicial bias. An Arkansas woman, who says she lost custody of her son due to the judge's perceptions of Wicca, has lost her appeal to the state Court of Appeals.

"A Southeast Arkansas woman who argued she lost custody of her son because of a judge's perception of her alleged practice of Wicca lost her appeal Wednesday before a divided state Court of Appeals Wednesday. In a 4-2 ruling, the appeals court affirmed a decision granting custody to the child's father, though the judges disagreed on whether the lower court considered the mother's religious beliefs. In her appeal of Chicot County Circuit Judge Robert Vittitow's decision, the mother noted Vittitow described Wicca in his opinion letter as 'a religion, movement, cult or whatever it that may be.' The judge also wrote that while the mother testified she was only joking when she told the boy's father that she was involved with Wicca, the 'court believes she is much more involved than she would lead us to believe.'"

The two dissenting judges claim that the majority simply 'set aside' concerns over religious bias and that the initial ruling 'impermissibly considered' her religious beliefs. You can read the opinions of the judges on the appeal court, here (Andrea Hicks v. Joshua A. Cook). There is no word if Ms. Hicks will attempt, or be able to, appeal to a higher court. Considering the fact that one of the dissenting judges accused the majority of "torturing" the law and "mishandling the judicial-review process" one would hope that this case is explored further.

Is a psychic fair secular entertainment or a religious gathering? That is the question surrounding a controversial event being held on New York state property.

"The state Office of General Services, however, said the second annual Psychic Fair and Halloween Festival is just good clean fun. Psychics, astrologers, mediums, people who talk to angels, dream interpreters and tarot card readers will be on hand Oct. 29 at the Empire State Plaza’s concourse, where thousands of state workers pass daily ... “These vendors who are coming are strictly entertainment,” said OGS spokesman Brad Maione, noting the fair isn’t a cost to state taxpayers."

Rev. Jason McGuire calls the event a breach of church-state separation that contains "Satanic" and "occult" elements, while Dennis Poust, Director of Communications at New York State Catholic Conference, is a tad more measured in tone.

“I’m not saying these psychics are Satanists, though. The Catholic church does warn against divination, which is foretelling the future.”

I personally think its funny how many conservative Christians only seem to care about the separation of Church and State when it doesn't immediately favor them. As for psychic fairs, anyone who hasn't gone to one might be surprised that money and commerce, not religion, is the primary order of the day. A decidedly secular and multi-faith activity in our capitalistic society.

Was Jesus a magician in addition to (allegedly) being the Messiah? A pot that may contain the earliest written reference to Christ marks him as a magus.

"A team of scientists led by renowned French marine archaeologist Franck Goddio recently announced that they have found a bowl, dating to between the late 2nd century B.C. and the early 1st century A.D., that is engraved with what they believe could be the world's first known reference to Christ ... The full engraving on the bowl reads, 'DIA CHRSTOU O GOISTAIS,' which has been interpreted by the excavation team to mean either, 'by Christ the magician' or, 'the magician by Christ.'"

The bowl could provide further proof of the intertwining of Christianity and paganism in the ancient world. Scientists also speculate that the bowl may have been used for divination purposes, which would certainly add a new twist to arguments against psychic practitioners by conservative Christians. Thanks to Megan for pointing me towards this story.

Looks like the Pagans, atheists, Buddhists, UUs, and other groups need to step up, because San Leandro middle school has decided to allow religious organizations to distribute flyers to children in classrooms.

"Last spring, Pastor Derek Jung of the Fundamental Gospel Baptist Church of San Leandro challenged the district when it refused to distribute a flyer about vacation Bible school. "I was shocked we were the first church that had ever used their system," Jung said on Tuesday. Armed with legal advice from the Florida-based Christian Law Association, Jung told the district that if it allowed schools to distribute information for community groups such as the YMCA, 4-H clubs, Boys and Girls Clubs or school fundraising foundations, it could not discriminate against religious organizations. District lawyers researched the issue - and agreed."

Remember, religious inclusion means all or nothing. When this happened to a school in Virginia, they quickly switched from "all" to "none" once the Pagans and atheists started distributing flyers. So lets not miss an opportunity to see how committed this school really is to including a wide range of religious options to middle-schoolers. Thanks to Kate for tipping me off to this story.

In a final note, author and "Techgnostic" Erik Davis has one of the more thoughtful ruminations on the religion of Sarah Palin, what the connection to African witch-hunter Thomas Muthee means, and how Pagans should ultimately respond.

"Muthee's Christianity trumps witchcraft not by disbelieving it--in other words, by dousing it with the holy water of secular rationalism and skepticism, like mainstream Euro-American Christians have done for a couple centuries. Instead, it tries to beat witchcraft at its own game, using what one can only think of as a rival spell--the spell of the Word. It's all about power and manifestation, the shape-shifting of social perception. But notice this: the game only really works if witchcraft remains, as the professor said, a reality."

As for what Pagans, occultists, and other magic-workers concerned about Palin should do? Davis suggests we all "get thy mojo working!".

That is all I have for now, have a great day!

Labels: Christianity, custody case, Erik Davis, Jesus, litigation, Pagan News of Note, Paganism, psychics, Religious Freedom, Sarah Palin, Thomas Muthee, Wicca

10:38 AM | (0) Blogger comments | | DiggIt! | Del.icio.us

 
Barry Lynn and the Psychic Wars

On his syndicated radio program Culture Shocks, Barry Lynn, the executive director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, examines the law banning fortune telling in Montgomery County, Maryland.

"Is an anti-fortune telling rule discriminatory or protective? Pagan witch and shamanic healer, Caroline Kenner joins us..."

Lynn interviews local Pagan activist and organizer Caroline Kenner, and "dirt worshiper" and diviner Diotima Mantineia about the law and its arbitrarily discriminatory nature. They also discuss the current lawsuit against the law brought by Nick Nefedro, who claims the law violates his rights.

"A fortuneteller is suing Montgomery County after he learned he would not be allowed to open a shop in Bethesda because the county bans the business of forecasting the future. Attorneys for Nick Nefedro, previously of Key West, Fla., say county officials violated his First Amendment rights to free speech and discriminated against his “Roma,” or Gypsy, culture when they refused to give him a business license."

You can listen to the program online, here, or download the entire program. Lynn seems very interested in this case, and promises to write about it at length over at his new blog at Beliefnet. Something tells me we aren't so far away from some planned civil disobedience and Americans United getting into the legal fray.

Labels: AU, discrimination, law, litigation, Maryland, Montgomery County, psychics, Rev. Barry Lynn

10:17 AM | (0) Blogger comments | | DiggIt! | Del.icio.us

 
(Pagan) News of Note

My semi-regular round-up of articles, essays, and opinions of note for discerning Pagans and Heathens.

West African Vodun is taking an important step towards modernization as Togo passes new laws (with the blessing of the Vodun divinities) that forbids pressing young girls into the service of the priesthood after their initiation as adepts.

"After a three-year campaign, rights groups claimed victory over a way of life that they said cut the girls off from their own families, sometimes involved ritual scarring -- and occasionally led to sexual abuse. But it took some intense lobbying of political and religious authorities in this small west African state -- and, it would seem, the voodoo divinities -- to get there ... Voodoo priests say that several hundred young girls are baptised every year as voodoo adepts, or voodoosi, after lengthy initiation rites of between three months and two years. Under the old system, instead of rejoining their families after these ceremonies, they had to stay at voodoo convents to serve the gods."

Under the new laws, it is a five-year prison sentence for anyone to take a child away from their family environment. This is a major shift in attitudes in one of the few countries where Vodun is still a major social and political power (60% of Togolese people are adherents of Vodun).

Speaking of Vodun, Speaking of Faith's blog takes you behind the scenes of their recent episode on Vodou.

"About two years ago, Patrick Bellegarde-Smith wrote us a brief e-mail asking if we had produced shows on “African and African-derived traditional religions” and recommended several volumes that he’d edited on Haitian Vodou, Cuban Santeria, Brazilian Candomble, and Umbanda. Our former associate producer Jessica Nordell called him asking for suggestions for people that he thought could speak about Vodou intimately. He was forthcoming and recommended many voices, including Claudine Michel. But we quickly realized that he was that voice — a Haitian aristocrat who was not only a scholar of the tradition but a practitioner who discovered Vodou in his early adulthood. We found his personal story about rediscovering his heritage and the spirit of the people of his country utterly captivating."

Check out SOF's archive of programs for a wealth of programming of interest to our faith communities.

In a town like Salem, even the cops are psychic!

"A retired Salem cop who swapped his badge for a crystal ball is still sleuthing - with backup from his friends from beyond the grave. Professional psychic medium Chuck Bergman, 57, spent 32 years pounding the beat in the Witch City, but says that since retiring five years ago he is finding old habits die hard. Initially skeptical of his “gift,” Bergman says he is now channeling the spirits to help police and desperate families find missing loved ones from coast to coast."

Forget "Medium", I want to see a police procedural set in Salem with a psychic cop! Maybe CSI: Salem? Forensics and Witchcraft, I'd watch it.

The Modesto Bee interviews a group of atheists about their struggles for tolerance and respect, including a self-described Pagan atheist.

"Shawna Amaral, a 22-year-old Modesto caregiver, said her parents and grandparents were Christians who never went to church or read the Bible when she was growing up. "They were too busy," she said. "Since nobody was there to teach me basic religion, I just came to believe that I can't believe in a god or a higher power or anything. "When I was 16 or 17, I discovered paganism, an earth-based religion. You don't have to believe in in a god or goddess, so I still consider myself an atheist in that way." Amaral said she lived in Alabama for a couple of years. When she told people she was an atheist, 'they'd call me a devil worshipper and said I'd go to hell. I'd laugh at them and ask how I could go to hell if I didn't believe in it to begin with.'"

I wonder if she has read Frederick Lamond's "Religion without Beliefs"?

While an American Indian spiritual leader hasn't been invited to the opening interfaith service at the Democratic National Convention, a gathering of Ute tribal leaders will be on hand for a "grand welcoming" ceremony.

"Colorado's first residents will offer the first official welcome to the Democratic National Convention in Denver Aug. 23, when Southern Ute, Ute Mountain Ute and Northern Ute tribal leaders and other Indian notables in full regalia will lead the pageantry of a grand entry before officials address some 13,000 media representatives. "It's the right thing to do, since they were the first people in the state of Colorado," said Holly Arnold Kinney, co-chair of the entertainment committee for the media event at Elitch Gardens near the Pepsi Center. The Ute Mountain and Southern Ute tribes are the only sovereign nations currently in Colorado, once considered home by the Northern Utes and many other tribes."

Interesting that Native Americans performing dances and songs tied to their indigenous faith traditions will be handled by the entertainment committee, while representatives from "mainstream" religions are organized by the head of the Democratic Party's Faith in Action initiative.

In a final note, the News Virginian reminds us that homeschooling comes in more flavors than right-wing Christian.

“For some reason, it’s gotten into the mindset of the public that homeschoolers are right-wing Christians,” said Ann Cameron Siegal, a homeschool mother and a volunteer for The Organization of Virginia Homeschoolers. “Obviously, there are people under that label, but there are also Jewish homeschoolers, Muslim homeschoolers and pagan homeschoolers; it ranges from far left to far right. If there is any unifying thing, it is the idea of freedom – freedom to pursue education, much like people did in the Colonial period, to the depth and breadth of what you want to do.”

My wife's youngest daughter was homeschooled, and is entering college this year as a sophomore. I'm proud to say I had a hand in her homeschooling, and there was nothing particularly Christian about it.

That is all I have for now, have a great day!

Labels: American Indian, atheism, Democratic National Convention, interfaith, Native American, Pagan News of Note, Paganism, psychics, Salem, Speaking of Faith, Vodou, Voodoo

9:49 AM | (3) Blogger comments | | DiggIt! | Del.icio.us

 
Closure in the Salem Psychic Wars?

Last year I devoted several posts to a local struggle in Salem over the licensing of psychics. One group, led by Laurie Cabot, wanted to limit licenses and inhibit traveling "psychic fairs" (which they felt "poached" their profits), the other, led by Christian Day, wanted more relaxed rules that would allow for a greater number of licensed psychics. Eventually a compromise measure was reached, but in the process, remains from a dead raccoon were left on the doorsteps of two local metaphysical shops.

"The remains of a mutilated raccoon were left at the doorways of two of the city's psychic shops. At 12:41 a.m. yesterday, John Ray of Salem flagged down police Sgt. Richard Gagnon and alerted him to a raccoon's skull and a pile of intestines that had been left at the entrance to Angelica of the Angels, a shop at 7 Central St. While patrolling Essex Street about an hour later, Gagnon discovered more remains at the door to The Goddess' Treasure Chest at 172 Essex St."

Some Salem residents cast suspicion on Day, accusing him of working malignant magic, but it soon came to light that the perpetrator was psychic and Salem Witch Sharon Graham, who had been nursing a grudge against Christian Day.

"Richard Watson said he went back to his Bridge Street apartment on the night of May 26 to a disturbing scene: his roommate, Sharon Graham, dressed in black, surrounded by four young men, also all in black, standing around a jar. Inside that jar was the eye of a raccoon, police say. And in two trash bags in Watson’s refrigerator was the rest of the critter, which had been dismembered."

Now, nearly a year later, and after further accusations of witness intimidation, it looks like we have some closure. Sharon Graham, in a plea agreement, has admitted to a judge that she placed the raccoon remains in front of those shops, though she claims to not know why she did so.

"A self-described Wiccan high priestess admitted yesterday that she had placed pieces of an eviscerated raccoon on the doorsteps of two local businesses last year. But Sharon Graham said she still can't explain why. Graham, 47, formerly of Salem , admitted during a hearing in Salem District Court that prosecutors had sufficient evidence for a conviction on charges of littering and wanton destruction of property. Judge Dunbar Livingston called the case "certainly a somewhat bizarre and troubling incident" but agreed to go along with a plea agreement that called for the charges to be continued without a finding for a year on condition that Graham perform 20 hours of community service and remain in counseling. If she complies with those conditions and stays out of further trouble, the charges will be dismissed in a year. Prosecutors also agreed to drop the most serious charge against Graham, a count of witness intimidation."

Graham has moved out of Salem, is receiving counseling, and is being supervised by a probation officer. Christian Day has gone on to become an even bigger fish in Salem's pond, working with the city to promote Halloween season tourism, and co-running his own Witch shop Hex. Laurie Cabot continues to be as famous (infamous?) as ever, celebrating her 75th birthday in March with Godsmack frontman Sully Erna, among others, in attendance. So it looks like this matter is finally closed, and life in Salem, in all its Witchy glory, can continue.

Labels: Christian Day, Laurie Cabot, law, psychics, Salem, Sharon Graham, Wicca, Witch, Witchcraft

10:16 AM | (4) Blogger comments | | DiggIt! | Del.icio.us

 
The Ongoing Psychic Wars

Both Wren's Nest and the Law and Magic blog point to an Examiner.com story about a man who is suing Montgomery County, Maryland. The problem? Fortune-telling has been banned there, and he wants to open a shop peddling precognition.

"A fortuneteller is suing Montgomery County after he learned he would not be allowed to open a shop in Bethesda because the county bans the business of forecasting the future. Attorneys for Nick Nefedro, previously of Key West, Fla., say county officials violated his First Amendment rights to free speech and discriminated against his “Roma,” or Gypsy, culture when they refused to give him a business license."

The ban apparently dates back to the 1950s, and local officials don't seem too keen to overturn the ordinance.

"Montgomery code dating back to the early 1950s prohibits collecting cash for predicting the future. “The underlying purpose is to prevent people from being taken advantage of, because it’s a scam,” Clifford Royalty, a lawyer in the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office, said ... Council Members Nancy Floreen and Marc Elrich, who both sit on the economic development committee, said there did not seem to be support for repealing the measure. “There are a lot more important things for us to worry about,” Floreen said. Elrich said the county should not encourage businesses “that take advantage of people.” The penalty for fortunetelling in the county is a $250 fine."

So it looks like Montgomery County will be joining Livingston Parish in court to battle over fortune-telling ordinances. But they should be careful, recently courts have been ruling against these laws, or cities have been finding them to be unenforceable. As the First Amendment Center puts it, having the government decide what beliefs are too "dangerous" to be legal can be a slippery slope to tyranny.

"It's not that the unwary, the unknowing or the overly trusting don't deserve to be protected from those who would bilk them of money or worse. But to echo Judge Echols, such frauds are crimes and there are already appropriate laws against them. Basing your behavior on a $25 prediction or gambling your peace-of-mind in sleight-of-hand may well be foolish. But I can predict with certainty that having government decide what we are free to believe is a worse alternative."

Or, to quote the Rabbi Brad Hirschfield, "one person’s “paranormal” is another person’s religion". Laws against divination can favor secular paternalism, or Biblical rigor, but they can also discriminate against belief systems that incorporate such practices into their day-to-day lives. To reiterate something I said in a previous post, let's hope that Montgomery County will cease regulating where and how one can experience mystery and revelation.

Labels: discrimination, law, litigation, Maryland, Montgomery County, psychics

8:48 AM | (0) Blogger comments | | DiggIt! | Del.icio.us

 
(Pagan) News of Note

My semi-regular round-up of articles, essays, and opinions of note for discerning Pagans and Heathens.

We start off in Central Asia where the government of Tajikistan has banned "witchcraft" and all forms of divination at the behest of President Emomali Rakhmon. A move done supposedly for the benefit of the poor in the former Soviet-controlled country.

"The law’s sponsors said that their purpose was threefold: to eliminate a drain on the poverty-stricken population’s finances, to crack down on “un-Islamic” activity and to reduce the number of people practicing medicine without a license — since the fortunetellers often also prescribe folk remedies."

The problem is that fortune-telling is a popular profession among the very poor they hope to protect, and Tajikistan, while being Islamic, is drenched in mysticism.

"Belief in spells, soothsaying and the paranormal is widespread throughout the former Soviet sphere, where suppression of religion under Communism led to a search for other forms of spirituality ... A mystic, almost pagan, tradition also runs deep here, though the country is primarily Sunni Muslim. Mullahs in the high Pamir Mountains, which dominate the country, are believed to have extra powers to discern the future, and they are often sought out for their powers of prophecy. A good fortuneteller is considered a prize, and word circulates quickly if one is perceived to be particularly gifted."

Will this be an unenforceable law? Or will government forces try to actively suppress “un-Islamic” activity by arresting women trying to scratch out a living in the economically depressed country. We'll have to wait and see.

Author Erik Davis profiles the Heathen Metal of the Bindrune Recordings label.

"I’ve sifted through a fair amount of gothic ambient music, forest metal, and dark folk looking for this sort of sepulchral traditionalism, this sense of ancient mysteries seeping up like clammy moisture through the moss underfoot, and most of it is as corny as clove cigarettes and black nail polish. In contrast, Celestiial’s haunting and glacial Desolate North album made me feel like I was alone and paddling into a dark fjord toward some ancient whale cemetery that was way spookier than the one I vaguely remember from that Disney movie I saw as a kid. I finish listening to this record feeling cold and clean."

For those wanting an audio sample of the bands Davis discusses, head over to Bindrune's MySpace page.

A variety of (mostly conservative) Christians are teaming up and using journalism to criticize the theology of Oprah Winfrey.

"Oprah Winfrey has become a catalyst for a new journalistic project and increasing news coverage by conservative Christians questioning and criticizing her spiritual beliefs."

While this in of itself isn't surprising, I did find the comments of religion writer Marcia Nelson, who authored a book on Oprah's beliefs, interesting. Nelson contends that Oprah isn't "New Age", but a "New Thought" Christian.

"Nelson, who studied a year of Winfrey's shows, differs with those who call Winfrey's spiritual ideas "New Age." She says Winfrey would be more related to the "New Thought" movement, which is more mainstream, focusing on positive thinking as a spiritual tool rather than crystals, for example. "I absolutely regard her as a Christian but ... she's one of those capacious Christians," Nelson said."

New Thought is indeed a separate strain of belief(s) from New Age, though the differences can seem somewhat arbitrary and esoteric to the outsider looking in, and the two subcultures overlap in many places, making distinctions somewhat hard to make.

Drexel University's online publication The Smart Set features what I suppose one could call "travel writing" by Steven Wells (the punk poet formerly known as "Susan Williams"). In "Let the Sunshine In", Wells writes about a visit to Glastonbury Tor, and substitutes mean-spirited mocking cynicism for cleverness.

"All over the Anglophone world, witches and druids will be conducting (or already have conducted) similar ceremonies, despite the fact the last real druids were exterminated by the Romans in A.D. 60. And that far from being an authentic ancient tradition, Western witchcraft (or Wicca) was invented from scratch by an outrageous liar in England in 1946. And the rest of this New Age menagerie has equally sketchy and recent roots — most of them right here, in the probably non-existent King Arthur’s sacred Glastonbury, where Jesus’ uncle, Joseph of Arimathea, almost certainly didn’t hide the Holy Grail (but there are plenty who reckon he did). Mohammed and Joseph Smith and L. Ron Hubbard have nothing on the New Age ningnangnongers. Not that I think that matters. I’m guessing the original druids and witches kinda made it up as they went along as well."

For Pagans, this isn't anything you haven't heard before. Though if your looking for a low-rent H.L. Mencken to amuse you for a few minutes, I suppose Wells might be your man.

In a final note, I have a couple of pieces of book-related news. First, two Llewellyn titles have won awards from a trade organization I've never heard of until today.

"Two Llewellyn titles, The Temple of High Witchcraft by Christopher Penczak and Natural Witchery by Ellen Dugan, have been awarded prestigious awards from the Coalition of Visionary Resources (COVR), with several other Llewellyn titles being noted as award finalists ... COVR is an organization formed by a unique group of businesses that deal in "Visionary Resources," and who work with and support each other as independent retailers, manufacturers, distributors, wholesalers, and publishers of visionary books, music, and merchandise."

Congratulations to Llewellyn, if you say the COVR awards are prestigious, I'll take your word on it. Secondly, calling all horned-god fanatics, Avalonia Books announces the forthcoming release of "Horns of Power, Manifestations of the Horned God".

"This anthology is the first of its kind to be focussed on the horned gods of our ancestors and includes both scholarly essays, bardic retellings of stories such as that of Herne the Hunter and a number of experiential essays. Invocations and meditation journeys are also included."

Sounds interesting! But then we here at The Wild Hunt are a little biased. For a similar Pagan anthology of note, be sure to also check out "Written in Wine", an anthology of writings concerning Dionysos.

That is all I have for now, have a great day!

Labels: books, Christianity, Erik Davis, Glastonbury, law, music, New Age, Oprah, Pagan News of Note, Paganism, psychics, Tajikistan, UK

8:33 AM | (3) Blogger comments | | DiggIt! | Del.icio.us

 
The Return of the Revenge of Witches on Reality Television

Hard to believe its been nearly a year since I had to post about modern Pagans appearing in a trashy reality television program! I should have known that the siren-call of money and fame/infamy would be too much for some in our extended community to miss. This time its an Australian program entitled "The One: The Search for Australia's Most Gifted Psychic", a game show/reality television program in the vein of "America's Got Talent" or "Hell's Kitchen", only with psychics.


The host and contestants of "The One".

"English statutes against witchcraft were repealed in 1736 and public executions are no longer sanctioned as entertainment, at least not in Australia, but Channel Seven has devised an alternative ordeal - a televised quest for Australia's top psychic. Seven contestants - mediums, psychics, clairvoyants, a "medical intuitive" and a witch - undergo tests to prove their paranormal abilities. They have to find a lost boy in the bush with a bit of help from his teddy, examine memorabilia from celebrities and deduce who they belong to, and find contraband inside a shipping container."

So this spoon-bending Survivor already has one Witch as a contestant, but we get a double-dose this time around, because one of the two judges is a Witch too!

"Using the good cop-bad cop formula loved by reality TV, two judges - Richard Saunders, vice-president of the Australian Skeptics, and Stacey Demarco, a practising witch and author - decide each week who stays or goes until three contestants are left. The winner will be chosen by a public vote ... Stacey Demarco, who teaches metaphysics and has written books on how to apply witchcraft in the boardroom and the bedroom, is the believing panellist. "I'm a rational type of expert, I'm not the purple tie-dye type of witch. I just want people to come into this with a really open mind. It's not a circus act or an act of any kind. "The contestants are normal people, they've got husbands, wife, kids, pets, a house in the suburbs and they are considered weirdos, freaks, satanists just because they have these abilities." Only a couple of episodes have been shot but, Demarco says, the show lives up to its billing that it will make "hairs stand up on end"."

So who is Stacey Demarco? Well, she authored two books for Llewellyn, "Witch in the Bedroom: Proven Sensual Magic", and "Witch in the Boardroom: Proven Business Magic", was initiated as a solitary Witch (though I'm not sure what she means by that), and has a background in PR and marketing (which most likely explains how she got this gig). Demarco's role marks something of a step up for Pagans in reality television, from mere entertainment fodder to playing a role in the selection/elimination process. Of course the larger question is if modern Pagans should be participating in the vapid, soulless, and cheapening reality television market in the first place.

While shows like "Wife Swap" and its ilk have portrayed Wicca and modern Paganism as bizarre lifestyle choices (instead of, say, a serious religious faith), "The One" will most likely portray Witchcraft as an enhancement/byproduct of possessing psychic powers (though I suppose I could live in hope...). Neither of these approaches does much to broadcast an accurate picture of our family of faiths, or give insight into the fact that we worship multiple gods, have our own holidays, and are (generally speaking) rather pedestrian in our lifestyle choices and attitudes. The saddest thing is that every time our faiths get run into the ground on one of these programs, there is always another Witch or Pagan out there who thinks "I'll be different". To them I say, no one is more powerful than the video editors, those great powers who decide which of your words to emphasize, and actions to highlight.

I suppose there is always the chance that this program will be different. But I've been down this road before, and don't hold out too much hope that our faiths won't be trivialized for the sake of entertainment. To my readers in Australia, keep an eye on this show (which premieres on Tuesday) and fill me in on how it is. Who knows, maybe we'll all get lucky for a change.

Labels: Australia, Paganism, psychics, Reality Television, Stacey Demarco, Television, Witchcraft

10:27 AM | (11) Blogger comments | | DiggIt! | Del.icio.us

 
(Pagan) News of Note

My semi-regular round-up of articles, essays, and opinions of note for discerning Pagans and Heathens.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel publishes an article about how Pagans that Selena Fox of Circle Sanctuary knows are excited that a "unicorn" (a deer that grew only one horn due to genetic mutation) was born in Tuscany.

"Unicorns are considered sacred creatures in ancient and contemporary pagan traditions," said Selena Fox, founder and senior minister of Circle Sanctuary, a Wiccan church, resource center and nature preserve with a worldwide ecospirituality ministry on a 200-acre nature preserve about 30 miles west of Madison. "Some pagans are part of the emerging field known as crypto zoology, in which science and myth converge. There are several theories about unicorns having actual origins in living creatures. Well, this report seems to confirm that.

The piece seems more like a way to plug the ongoing Pagan Spirit Gathering, than to have a discussion about the significance of a single-horned deer. For some reason the article keeps bringing to mind Oberon Zell-Ravenheart's old "unicorn" goat-raising business.

Canada seems to be big on controversial child welfare cases lately. First we had the swastika/Odinist case from last week, and now the Children's Aid Society has been called in, and a report filed, after a psychic claimed a young autistic girl was molested.

"Leduc's weird tale began on May 30, when she dropped young Victoria off for class at Terry Fox Elementary and headed in to work, only to receive a frantic phone call from the school telling her it was urgent she come back right away. The frightened mother rushed back to the campus and was stunned by what she heard - the principal, vice-principal and her daughter's teacher were all waiting for her in the office, telling her they'd received allegations that Victoria had been the victim of sexual abuse - and that the CAS had been notified ... "The teacher looked and me and said: 'We have to tell you something. The educational assistant who works with Victoria went to see a psychic last night, and the psychic asked the educational assistant at that particular time if she works with a little girl by the name of "V." And she said 'yes, I do.' And she said, 'well, you need to know that that child is being sexually abused by a man between the ages of 23 and 26.'" ... things got worse when school officials used the "evidence" and accepted the completely unsubstantiated word of the seer by reporting the case to Children's Aid, which promptly opened a file on the family."

Here you thought the use of spectral evidence had been done away with! Luckily the girl had recently been hooked up to a GPS and an auditory monitoring system which conclusively proved that the girl was never sexually abused. But now the mother doesn't want to send the child back to the gullible educational assistant (for obvious reasons), and wants the school to pay for special therapy. Something the school has refused to do at this point.

Controversy swirls in the UK after a local Pagan meeting space/shop in Reddish was refused classification as a temple under the Places of Worship Act of 1855.

"A bid to set up the UK’s first official Wiccan temple in Reddish is living on a prayer after the Government refused to recognise the building as a genuine place of worship. Sandra Davis, high priestess at the Crystal Cauldron, on Gorton Road, is appealing the decision she claims is discriminatory. She applied to have her business - a shop and meeting room - recognised as a temple but this week the General Register Office, part of the Home Office, refused ... The Home Office argues that the religion does not involve worship of a supreme being so is not legitimate, a point which Sandra strongly refutes."

Doesn't involve the worship of a supreme being? I expect that Pagan advocacy groups in the UK are already discussing strategy and responses. Considering the growing numbers of modern Pagans in the UK, this will be an issue that will only intensify in years to come. More on this as I hear it.

The newsroom of the Miami Herald turns to Santeria in order to save their struggling newsroom in the face of an increasingly digital world.

"And then somebody brought a chicken into the newsroom. A sign affixed to the bird — a statue of a rooster in full crow — said: "Brought in by a Santeria priest ... to help save our jobs. Make an offering." The bird, placed last week on a bank of file cabinets in the newsroom of The Miami Herald, drew flowers, wine, pennies, peppermint, dolls, candles and other oblations. A few days later, the McClatchy Co., which owns The Herald and 30 other newspapers around the country, announced it was cutting 10 percent of its work force. At The Herald, that means 190 jobs throughout the newspaper's various departments. So if Santeria — a combination of Catholicism and the West African Yoruba religion — has any miracles to work, it better get busy."

Santerian rituals aside, editorialist Leonard Pitts Jr says that the old-school newspaper business needs to change or die, turning to the web not as a side-project of the newspaper but as the primary means of delivering news. Unfortunately many news organizations seem stuck in the past, and are unable, or unwilling, to change.

In a final note, this Summer Solstice, in addition to your normal religious/ritual plans, you might also want to spare some time to pray for Native American sacred spaces.

"The sixth annual National Days of Prayer to Protect Native American Sacred Places will be observed across the country on June 20 and June 21. The day highlights the dangers posed to sacred places like Mount Taylor in New Mexico. Tribes are seeking to protect the mountain from uranium development amid controversy. "We honor sacred places, with a special emphasis on the need for Congress to build a door to the courts for Native nations to protect our churches," said Suzan Shown Harjo, the president of The Morning Star Institute, which organizes the event."

Public prayers will be performed across the country at many sacred sites, and in Washington, D.C., where the day will be observed on the grounds of the U.S. Capitol on the West Front Grassy Area at 8am on June 20.

That is all I have for now. Have a great day!

Labels: American Indian, Children, Circle Sanctuary, Native American, Pagan News of Note, Paganism, psychics, Santeria, Selena Fox, Summer Solstice, UK, unicorn, Wicca

7:35 AM | (4) Blogger comments | | DiggIt! | Del.icio.us

 
(Pagan) News of Note

I'm back! Did you miss me? I had a lovely vacation at my undisclosed location, and I would like to give a huge thank you to my amazing guest bloggers, who went above and beyond the call of duty to write some wonderfully challenging, moving, and insightful things. I urge my readers to add their blogs (found in the blogroll to your right) to your daily Internet travels, in addition to checking out the many published works they have produced.

Now, let's catch up on the news...

The Libertarian Party has picked its nominee for President of the United States of America. Former congressional Republican Bob Barr. A puzzling choice considering that Barr's record isn't one that lends itself easily to Libertarian values of a small and un-intrusive government.

"Barr not only wrote and sponsored the Defense of Marriage act, but also voted for the Patriot Act; proposed the Pentagon ban a religious group from practice in the military: Wicca; and advocated complete federal prohibition of medical marijuana—succeeding in this last with his "Barr Amendment" - which also forbid any future law that would decrease penalties for marijuana use."

Barr is widely famous as an anti-Pagan bigot who tried to ban the military from allowing equal access and freedoms to Pagan soldiers, which he claimed set a "dangerous precedent" and that toleration of Paganism led to youth violence. This no doubt leaves many libertarian-leaning Pagans in a quandary, since a vote for Barr is a vote for someone who has actively worked against equality for Pagans.

Another religious freedom battle involving Santeria is brewing. Santeria priest Ernesto Pichardo is threatening litigation if the police dept. in Coral Gables, Florida doesn't release their records of an incident that occurred last summer.

"Ernesto Pichardo, president of the Church of Lukumi Babalu Aye, has been trying for almost a year to obtain records relating to the interruption of a Santeria ceremony by police last summer. An attorney he recently hired, David Aelion, has filed a public records request for any documents relating to the incident, which took place June 8. Aelion has requested all the incident reports, any internal investigations reports and communications between officers the day of the incident, as well as photographs taken at the scene, inventory reports and all city communications referring to the scene. 'We want to find out why they were there for quite a few hours holding them [the practitioners] against their will,' Aelion told The Miami Herald Friday. 'It is pretty clear that the U.S. Supreme Court allows them to practice their religion freely. Why did it take many officers and that long to find out that they had no right to be there and no right to bother them?' He said he was preparing for a possible civil rights violation case."

According to reports, around two dozen officers with guns drawn interrupted an initiation ceremony after a neighbor reported that he could hear animals suffering. Why dozens of cops with guns drawn were necessary to investigate an animal cruelty complaint remains unknown.

Is the Crowley-inspired horror film "Chemical Wedding" so bad its good?

"Fans of terrible movies shouldn't miss Chemical Wedding, which contains so many wooden performances it should really have been thinned before release by the forestry commission. Director Julian Doyle shoots the whole thing as though it is a Hammer horror film, and most of the actresses have the Hammer hallmark of being extraordinarily unfit for acting. Most of the cast underact. The one, big - and I do mean big - exception is Simon Callow, who appears to have been taking acting lessons from Brian Blessed and, possibly as a result, gone stark staring bonkers."

Other reviews seem to be sounding similar notes. All we need is some audience participation, and a regular midnight showing, and we're good to go! But while "Chemical Wedding" turns Aleister Crowley into a serial-killing horn-dog, works in other mediums are seeking to redeem the great beast, and paint him as a vilified patriot.

"Using documents gleaned from American, British, French, and Italian archives, Secret Agent 666 reveals that Crowley's clandestine service linked him to the sinking of the Lusitania, a plot to overthrow the government of Spain, the thwarting of Irish and Indian nationalist conspiracies, the Communist International, and the 1941 flight of Rudolf Hess. Author Richard Spence, a professor of History at the University of Idaho, argues that Crowley--in his own unconventional way--was a patriotic Englishman who endured years of public vilification in part to mask his role as a secret agent."

Did Crowley court public infamy to cover up his dealings with the government? If so it would certainly cast a new light on some of his actions, and make some detractors re-think his motivations.

Archie Bland of the Independent explores the ramifications of the new laws governing psychic practitioners in Britain. Bland wonders in the article if we aren't asking the wrong questions as to who is a "bad psychic".

"...perhaps the question should be recast to consider responsibility. Like the doctor, the sensible psychic's first rule is probably to do no harm, and while there may be no such thing as a good medium to the ardent materialist, the contrast between those who have a code and those who don't - between the tactful and the terrifying, the reasonable and the rip-off - is obvious to anyone."

An interesting and sympathetic look at psychic practitioners and the people who frequent them from an unbiased journalist.

The New York Times has a very nice piece on the dedication of a new Hindu temple on Staten Island in New York (the first for that community).

"For Staten Island's growing Hindu population, a couple of hours more was not long to wait to finally have its own major temple. After 10 years of worship in private homes and community meeting halls and the not-quite-finished structure of the temple itself on Victory Boulevard, the Staten Island Hindu Temple was formally consecrated in a clangorous three-day ceremony that ended on Sunday. For the 500 Hindu families from all over India who live scattered across the island, the days of having to travel to Queens or Edison, N.J., to worship are over."

Perhaps we will someday be reading similar stories about the dedication of Pagan temples.

In a final note, the recently renewed gay marriage debate has caused some to connect it with the slow move into a truly post-Christian society. For example, conservative Christian commentator Rod Dreher claims we are living in a "pagan" sensate culture that will inevitably allow for gay marriage and that the best conservative Christians can do is move to a "defensible position" and wait it out.

"Well, it's cold comfort, but this can't go on forever. [Pitirim] Sorokin argues that once sensate culture plays itself out, people will have to yield to an ideational model of some sort. It is doubtful that any culture can long survive without strong, traditional families and durable moral norms based in a transcendental source. Our civilization's prosperity has masked its social weaknesses."

Of course there is no promise that any future dominant "ideational" culture will be a Christian one. There are myriad ways to approach perceived "social weakness", and for thousands of years before Christ was born, those ways were "pagan" ways. Meanwhile, Nick Street at Religion Dispatches argues that the battle over gay marriage has little to do with a moral marriage crisis and a lot to do with the erosion of Biblical authority over American culture.

"...the impulse behind the movement’s anti-gay activism doesn’t really have much to do with marriage and sexuality ... The real issues are the authority of the Bible and the nature of revelation ... a lot is at stake in a political initiative with deep roots in the foundations of canonical Christianity. If religious conservatives can't persuade a majority of Californians to heed one element in an otherwise obscure list of purity codes in Deuteronomy - and that Jesus' preaching in the gospels isn't really complete without Paul's finger-wagging in Romans - the stitching that holds together the disparate parts of the Good Book will have subtly but irrevocably loosened, along with the Bible's centuries-old grip on American public life."

Christian conservatives are using their remaining weapons of fear-mongering and moral revulsion to hold back the post-Christian tide (of which gay marriage is a potent symbol), but it seems that just about everyone agrees that while Christian activists may win the constitutional battle in California, the larger war is all but lost.

That is all I have for now, have a great day!

Labels: Aleister Crowley, Bob Barr, Chemical Wedding, Christianity, Hinduism, homosexuality, law, Libertarian, litigation, marriage, Pagan News of Note, Paganism, Presidential election, psychics, Santeria, UK

8:21 AM | (2) Blogger comments | | DiggIt! | Del.icio.us

 
Updates on Recent Stories

I've got quick updates on two recent stories. We'll start off in Salem...

Mainstream Acceptance in Salem: The panel discussion in Salem featuring Margot Adler and Jerrie Hildebrand is continuing to get coverage from the local papers. This time, Lisa Guerriero from the Salem Gazette reports back from the "No Place for Hate" panel, and pairs it with a recent satellite television appearance by two Salem Witches.

"What is life like for a person who considers himself or herself a witch? How do Hollywood images of witches stack up to their real-life counterparts? These are some of the questions addressed by a No Place for Hate panel in Salem last Saturday [see story, Page 1]. Similar questions were posed recently on a Dish Network TV program, "Magnificent Obsessions." While the panel explored the beliefs and lifestyle of Wiccans and Pagans, the TV show addressed a different kind of witch. Wiccans and Pagans draw mainly from a resurrected tradition of communion with nature, whereas the Salem witches featured in "Magnificent Obsessions" focus more on psychic work and spells than Pagan traditions. They're typically the kind of witches you see walking Salem's streets in all black, sometimes with pointy hats."

The two Witches featured in the television show? Christian Day and Leanne Marrama, two Witches who recently opened their own shop in Salem. Guerriero's observation concerning a split between "Salem Witches" and "Wiccans and Pagans" is an interesting one. While Salem Witches like Day and Marrama may not be Wiccan, aren't they Pagan? Should a shift of emphasis in style and practice remove them from the larger Pagan family? Perhaps the problem with press coverage of Witches and Pagans is that it is so polarized between sensationalism and statements of normalacy that people like Christian Day and Margot Adler start to seem from entirely different movements, instead of part of a larger religious continuum.

First Shot Fired in British Psychic Wars: Since I first reported on it earlier this month, the controversy over Britain adopting EU reforms on psychic services and mediumship has grown. Today the Independent, the BBC, and the Telegraph all report on a protest organized by the Spiritual Workers Association in opposition to the new legislation.

"Today, representatives of British mediums will march up Downing Street to deliver a petition containing some 10,000 signatories demanding that the Government change its decision to repeal the 1951 Fraudulent Mediums Act in favour of a new EU directive ... The SWA complains that the 1951 law, which replaced the 1735 Witchcraft Act, guarantees "genuine" mediums legal protection, penalising only those who seek to hoodwink the public. However, by treating spiritualism as merely a consumer service, mediums believe they risk being sued if customers are dissatisfied with advice brought from the other side - advice they say they always point out should always be treated with care. The solution to the present impasse, according to lawyers advising the crystal-ball fraternity, is via the prosaic expedient of a pre-consultation disclaimer, describing any dialogue with the deceased in terms of either entertainment or scientific experiment. It does not sit comfortably with purist believers."

Meanwhile, the Spiritualists' National Union, the largest UK Spiritualists organization, is supporting the law. Expressing confidence that it will only harm con-artists and not divinations or mediumship performed in a religious context. Despite the protest and the petition, all signs point to these new regulations being passed. So we'll have to wait and see if it only harms con-men, or if it will be used as a cudgel by crusading skeptics or oppositional religious groups (a possibility acknowledged by EU regulations supporter Susie Collings, of the College of Psychic Studies).

Labels: Christian Day, Jerrie Hildebrand, law, Leanne Marrama, Margot Adler, Paganism, psychics, Salem, Spiritualism, Tarot, Television, UK, Wicca, Witchcraft

8:27 AM | (0) Blogger comments | | DiggIt! | Del.icio.us

 
First Shot Fired in British Psychic Wars

America isn't the only place dealing with laws banning or unfairly regulating psychic practitioners. Britain is set to pass a new set of regulations concerning divination, spiritual healing, and psychic practices in line with EU recommendations.

"...a whole list of disclaimers must be added to the spiritualists' spiel if they are to avoid an avalanche of writs following the repeal next month of the Fraudulent Mediums Act, to be replaced by the new Consumer Protection Regulations. Promises to raise the dead, secure good fortune or heal through the laying on of hands are all at risk of legal action from disgruntled customers. Spiritualists say they will be forced to issue disclaimers, such as 'this is a scientific experiment, the results of which cannot be guaranteed'. They claim the new regulations will leave them open to malicious civil action by skeptics."

The new Consumer Protection Regulations also places the burden of proof on the psychic or practitioner in accusations of fraud. A very different scenario than under the old Fraudulent Mediums Act (which replaced the repealed Witchcraft Act).

"For the past half-century, 'genuine' mediums have been protected by the 1951 Fraudulent Mediums Act, under which prosecutors had to prove fraud and dishonest intent to secure a criminal conviction, which was difficult. There have been fewer than 10 convictions in the past 20 years. With that protection gone, there will now be nothing between the medium and the trading standards officer - and no need to prove fraud. Instead it will be up to the trader, in this case the medium, to prove they did not mislead, coerce or take advantage of any 'vulnerable' consumers."

Those most upset over these impending regulations are the Spiritualist churches in Britain (which, according to latest census, has over 30,000 members), who rankle at having to describe sacred rites as "experiments", in effect denying their own beliefs in order to avoid accusations of fraud.

"Carole McEntee-Taylor, a spiritualist healer in Essex, said having to stand up and describe the invoking of spirits as an 'experiment' was forcing spiritualists to 'lie and deny our beliefs'. She added: 'No other religion has to do that. And how can you tell if someone is vulnerable? You would have to ask them if they felt vulnerable, or had mental health issues, or were of a nervous disposition' ... 'It is taking a religion, a way of life, and making it a commercial transaction,' said David McEntee-Taylor. 'If we hold a service in a village hall, we have to charge or ask for a donation to cover the cost of hiring the hall. There are bad mediums out there, and we would like to regulate them. But this is unfair on genuine spiritualists. Some people are very nervous of entrapment.'"

These regulations would also have an immediate effect on British Pagans and occultists as well. Did you charge for a healing? A tarot reading? Did you pass the hat to cover rent at a public gathering where a Priestess invoked the Goddess and gave advice? You could be held liable for fraud if the advice or healing doesn't work out. The British government, in response to criticisms, claims that no religious services "in themselves" will be affected, only "misleading" business transactions. Some are holding out hope that the regulations will only, as the government claims, affect the scam-artists. Leaving Spiritualists and other practitioners in peace.

"All that Spiritualism needs to do is to ensure that it's mediums operate within the new law regarding any services which involve transactions that could be interpreted as a "consumer contract". This may require some precautions such as verbal disclaimers and possibly in the case of private sittings, signed indemnity statements, but surely this is perfectly possible for any responsible Spiritualist medium to arrange ... In my opinion, the sky is definitely not falling, and the new legislation will serve to eliminate the undesirables, the fortune tellers and the con artists."

In truth, no one is quite sure how these new regulations will be enforced. Will it only target "undesirables", or will it create a litigation nightmare for anyone engaged in psychic practice, mediumship, or spiritual healing work. Is it fair to make a Pagan or Spiritualist call practices tied to their religion "experiments" that the "gullible" or emotionally "vulnerable" should avoid? Since it seems likely that these regulations will be put in place without much opposition in Parliament, we'll all just have to wait and see.

Labels: law, litigation, Paganism, psychics, Religious Freedom, Spiritualism, Tarot, The Witchcraft Act, UK

8:21 AM | (3) Blogger comments | | DiggIt! | Del.icio.us

 
Updates on Past Stories

Psychic Wars in Livingston: It looks like a legal battle over a religiously-motivated Livingston Parish ordinance banning fortune telling will be headed to court. Despite being warned by their lawyer that they would most likely lose a lawsuit, the Parish Council decided to not address the issue at their most recent meeting, much to the dismay of some Parish residents.

"Taxpayers might question the council's insistence on spending public money to fight a lawsuit on an issue that has no purpose other than to pacify a particular religious group. The council's attorney, Blayne Honeycutt, has advised that it probably would lose the Wiccan suit if it persists in defending the ordinance. When no member of the council would offer a motion to repeal the soothsaying ordinance, Honeycutt advised the council it needs to hire special counsel to handle such a case. Parish government, which has a history of being strapped for funds, could be putting that money to proper uses on roads, drainage, water and sewage rather than waging war for or against particular religious groups. Instead, the council will spend money it says is in short supply defending a lawsuit against a problem its attorney told council members apparently doesn't even exist in the parish."

The Parish is being sued by local businessman and Wiccan Cliff Eakin, who wishes to offer fortune-telling and divination services at his store, Gryphon's Nest Gifts. Eakin maintains that the ordinance is an attempt to promote Christianity over Paganism.

Thelemites Fight Pedophillia Charges: Australian couple Vivienne Legg and Dyson Devine have been released from prison after apologizing to a judge for defying an order to remove material from their website that groundlessly implicated a local O.T.O. organization in an underground pedophile ring. The couple served two months of a nine-month sentence for contempt of court.

"Yesterday both apologised to Judge Harbison and the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal, and undertook not to repeat, or help anyone else to publish, the vilifying material about the Ordo Templi Orientis (OTO). But David Leggatt, for the OTO, complained that the vilification had a "grapevine effect". It had been removed from the pair's website, Gaiaguys.net, in December, but soon appeared on Adam Dodson's site. Simon Moglia, for Mr Devine and Ms Legg, said they had not helped the new website. He said they at first saw their non-compliance as individuals standing for their beliefs. But when they realised that resisting the tribunal encouraged others to disobey the law, they closed down their website."

While the OTO in Australia have certainly won this battle, they may find themselves pestered by dozens (if not hundreds) of conspiracy theorists who see Legg and Devine as martyrs in the quest for "the truth". The original actionable paper written by Dr Reina Michaelson inflated in importance and virally spread across the Internet.

Fighting For (Christian) Religious Expression: Arizona joins Oklahoma in trying to pass a "student religious expression" law similar to the one recently passed by Texas.

"On Wednesday, the Arizona House Education Committee narrowly approved, and sent on to the full House of Representatives, HB 2713, a bill that would prohibit public schools from discriminating against students on the basis of their religious belief or expression. It permits students to engage in prayer and religious activity on an equal basis with other activities, but does not permit the school to require participation in religious activities. It includes provisions prohibiting banning of religious attire and jewelry when similar secular items are permitted and another section that prohibits discrimination for or against a student in grading coursework in which the student expresses a religious viewpoint or religious content."

While these laws may sound innocuous enough to some, they ultimately benefit the religious majority, a point driven home by the Texas House's own research organization who stated: "the bill could serve as a tool to proselytize the majority religious view". These proposed laws claim to protect a student's freedom to express religious viewpoints, but I fear they instead encourage a hostile environment towards religious minorities, dis-empower teachers from keeping order in their classrooms, and give Christian students a sense of immunity from consequences. I encourage Pagan groups in in Arizona (and Oklahoma) to send a message to their representatives ensuring them that Pagans, Witches, and Heathens oppose this legislation, but will gladly use their new "rights" as often and as loudly as possible if it is enacted.

Labels: Arizona, Australia, Cliff Eakin, law, litigation, Livingston Parish, Oklahoma, OTO, Paganism, psychics, Religious Freedom, Texas, Thelema, Wicca

9:34 AM | (1) Blogger comments | | DiggIt! | Del.icio.us

 
Tulsa and Sectarian Prayer

The Tulsa City Council has decided to change their "unwritten" policy concerning opening prayers to now allow references to specific deities.

"Tulsa's City Council voted Thursday to change an unwritten policy so that people can name a deity when praying before the council's regular weekly meetings ... The council's previous prayer policy, which prohibited the use of the name of Jesus, Allah or other religious figures, had prompted complaints. Councilor Rick Westcott, who sponsored the change along with Councilors Bill Christiansen, John Eagleton and Cason Carter, said it was warranted because of Tulsa's rich history of a variety of faiths. "I think it's important for this council to open this meeting with prayers that allow people to express the fullness of their faiths," Westcott said."

The new policy passed 7-2 despite critics invoking conservative Christianity's ongoing fear that their "religious freedom" chickens will eventually come home to roost.

"Tulsa Metropolitan Ministry Executive Director James Mishler also spoke against the change, questioning who would decide what is a "recognized congregation." "I think the very people who have been encouraging you to make this change are going to be very uncomfortable when the priest from the Hindu temple is standing here chanting in the name of Krishna or when someone from the Wiccan community offers prayers to the earth mother," he said."

Do you lead a Pagan congregation in Tulsa? I encourage you to contact the city council and volunteer to give an opening prayer. Councilor Bill Martinson has said that he wants "varied" faiths to participate so that "one denomination does not dominate the prayer week after week." Lets see how strong their commitment to religious freedom really is.

Brief Updates on Past Stories

I would also like to give a couple brief updates on stories I have reported on previously. First off, Livingston Parish in Louisiana has decided to hold an open hearing on Feb. 11. to discuss repealing its anti-soothsaying ordinance.

"Councilman Randy Rushing, who said the ordinance is "not going to hold up" in court, made the motion to hold a hearing on the proposal to repeal the ordinance, which was enacted last year. Rushing's proposal was approved 5-2. The hearing will be held during the council's next meeting at 6 p.m. Feb. 11."

This move comes after a local Wiccan brought federal litigation against the parish, and the parish's lawyer advised the council that they would most likely lose in court. I'm no soothsayer, but I predict that ordinance will be repealed before the end of February.

Secondly, police investigators in San Diego have ruled that the death of Wiccan priestess Mimi Rohwer is indeed a homicide, and not accidental.

"Investigators ruled the death a homicide Thursday after the autopsy, which showed she was strangled by hands and not with an object, according to the Medical Examiner's Office."

The prime suspect is Julio Cesar Jacobo-Curiel, a day-laborer who had been staying with Rohwer, and who has been missing since her death. Witnesses claim that Rohwer had been having problems with Jacobo-Curiel, and wanted him to move out. Crime Stoppers is offering a $1,000 reward for information that leads to an arrest. To leave an anonymous tip, call (888) 580-TIPS.

Labels: Cliff Eakin, law, litigation, Livingston Parish, Oklahoma, Paganism, psychics, Religious Freedom, Tulsa, Wicca

9:42 AM | (0) Blogger comments | | DiggIt! | Del.icio.us

 
(Pagan) News of Note

My semi-regular round-up of articles, essays, and opinions of note for discerning Pagans and Heathens.

Police in San Diego are investigating the possible homicide of great-grandmother and Wiccan priestess Mimi Rohwer.

"San Diego County sheriff's deputies found 75-year-old Mimi Rohwer dead in her mobile home early Wednesday morning ... She "appeared to have some injuries" that could have been caused by either violence or an accidental fall, according to Homicide Lt. Dennis Brugos. Brugos mentioned no specific leads, but neighbors and friends told of recent feuds she had with a neighbor and a migrant worker who lived with her."

Friend and fellow adherent to Wicca, Bill Eade, told the press that while he was sad, he knew her spirit would return in another body.

A case of grave-site disturbance during Halloween in New Hampshire, once theorized to be the work of some sort of occult practitioner, has instead turned out to be a trio of prankster teens.

"Police have arrested three teenagers in connection with the disturbance of a nearly two-century-old gravesite at the remote Bible Hill Cemetery around Halloween ... At the time, Police Chief Brian Brown said he did not believe teenagers were involved. "If it was teenagers, they'd be talking." That led investigators to study up on magic and witchcraft, hoping they'd find some link or motive in the case. But the suggestion that the body of a woman who died more than 180 years ago might be desirable to practitioners of witchcraft prompted a flurry of angry telephone calls from all over the country and Canada."

One wonders if a "mea culpa" will be forthcoming from Hillsborough Police Chief Brian Brown for smearing Pagans and occult practitioners.

Thinking of banning fortune telling in your town? You better listen to the lawyer for Livingstone Parish in Louisiana first.

"Livingston Parish officials have been advised by their lawyer that they would likely lose a lawsuit over the parish ordinance against soothsaying. A Wiccan minister, Cliff Eakin, has sued the parish over the ordinance ... Blayne Honeycutt, the council's attorney, has advised council members to repeal the ordinance, a move that was to be considered Thursday night. He recently told the council it would probably lose if it attempted to defend the suit."

Looks like Wiccans and other fortune-tellers will be able to play their trade very soon in Livingston Parish. Will this result in other towns withdrawing bans to avoid lawsuits? As I have stated before, look for the "psychic wars" to continue to rage as religious minorities who lean on income from divination to get along grow in size. For more on this specific story check out my previous post on the subject.

Over at the On Faith blog, Starhawk points out the problems of amending America's Constitution to be more in line with "God's law" (as Mike Huckabee recently claimed he wanted to do).

"It's all very well to propose amending the Constitution to be in line with 'God's standards' - the question is always, which God? What set of standards? And who gets to decide? I'm a Pagan. We have many Gods, with widely varying sets of standards. Are we going to amend the Constitution in favor of Hera, Goddess of marriage, or Aphrodite, Goddess of unbridled love? Do we mandate the wild, ecstatic worship of the goat-god Pan, or the more sedate contemplation of Sophia, Goddess of wisdom?"

Our founders knew that having a State religion could lead to State-sponsored oppression of minority faiths (at the time, it meant tensions between different Christian sects), its a shame that so many of our current politicians seem to have thrown away that wisdom.

In a final note, for those of you keeping track of religious freedom cases within our court system, the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals has given a definition of "religious exercise" within the constrains of the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act.

"The Court of Appeals held that "religious exercise" means a particular practice within a religion - here attending group services - and not merely the general practice of one's religion. So a substantial burden on that practice is enough to create a RLUIPA problem."

In other words, prisons would have to provide proof that bans on group practice constitute the "least restrictive" method of providing adequate security. Expect several cases to develop from this new ruling, including litigation from incarcerated Pagans.

That is all I have for now, have a great day!

Labels: Cliff Eakin, law, litigation, Livingston Parish, occult, On Faith, Pagan News of Note, Paganism, Prison, psychics, Starhawk, Wicca, Witchcraft

10:12 AM | (0) Blogger comments | | DiggIt! | Del.icio.us

 
Psychic Wars

One of my top stories for 2007 concerned the legal (taxation, regulation, and outright bans) battles over psychic readings. While some places, like the city of Salem (or the entire state of Michigan), see psychic readers and other divination services as a fiscal boon, others, like Livingston Parish in Louisiana, view the banning of psychic readings as part of a holy endeavor.

"Harrell and councilmen Jimmy McCoy and Eddie Wagner said they have no plans to change their votes. Other council members did not comment on where they stand. 'I got elected to represent my constituents,' McCoy said. 'I am a Christian and I love the Lord, period. We can vote today or next month, my vote won't change.'"

But it looks like "loving the Lord" will wind them all up in court, since Wiccan store owner Cliff Eakin has filed a federal lawsuit challenging the anti-fortune telling ordinance.

"In Baton Rouge, Louisiana on Tuesday, a local business that wants to offer fortune telling has filed a federal lawsuit challenging on constitutional grounds a Livingston Parish ordinance that prohibits it. KATC News reports that Gryphon's Nest Gifts Inc. filed suit alleging in part that the ban on "soothsaying, fortune telling, palm reading, clairvoyance, crystal ball gazing, mind reading, card reading and the like for money or other consideration" was an attempt to promote Christianity over paganism. The complaint alleges that the ban "primarily affects pagan leaders and pagan church members who are most likely to support themselves or increase their income by performing divination for consideration." The suit also raises vagueness and free speech claims."

While banning psychics was once seen as an easy political move to garner an image as a moral crusader fighting fraud (and activities that carry a Biblical injunction), in the last thirty years the business has changed. It isn't simply a bevy of frauds peddling fake "curses" and a smattering of sweet old ladies making a buck on the side, the business has been steadily infiltrated by modern Pagans, Afro-diasporic faiths (VooDoo, Santeria, etc), and the New Age movement, many of whom see divination work as a spiritual calling.

These groups on the whole are more affluent (relatively speaking), more aware of their legal rights (and hence more litigious), and more rooted in their communities than the stereotypical image of the fly-by-night con-man (or woman) who makes a living grifting from the margins. As such, laws against all forms of divination are being met with fierce resistance, and are being overturned or having enforcement dropped due to social and legal pressures.

The truth is, you can't ban an activity simply because there is the chance of fraud, lest almost any other capitalistic venture be banned as well. You certainly can't (perhaps "shouldn't" is the more correct term here) ban an activity because one religious text outlaws it. As religious minorities who lean on income from divination to get along grow in size, it will become increasingly hard to enforce or pass laws against it. Livingston Parish is on the wrong side of history with their misguided actions, and even if they manage to fight off