The Wild Hunt

Update: Graffiti or Religious Expression?

2008-07-06T07:42:00.003-05:00

So it looks like we have a resolution in the case of an Iowa Pagan couple, some spray-painted Pagan symbols on their fence, and an unhappy neighbor. To briefly recap:

Ryle MacPebbles and his fence.

"A Des Moines couple say city officials have attacked their pagan religion and their civil rights after a complaint from a neighbor led to a notice to remove symbols that had been painted on the fence. Officials said the symbols are graffiti and must be removed. "Those are religious symbols; they're not mean or obnoxious in any way," said Ryle MacPebbles who lives in the 2000 block of Southeast Sixth Street. "I just don't like them telling me my religion isn't anything. "When they start making it personal with my religion, I'm sorry, we'll take it to court," said MacPebbles, a member of the American Pagan Church."

Now the charges of the markings being graffiti/vandalism have been dropped, and the MacPebbles can keep their Pagan markings so long as they purchase a sign permit.

"Ryle and Rachel MacPebbles were ordered to remove pagan and Celtic symbols from the fence in May. The couple appealed on the grounds of religious freedom. They were told this week that the symbols could stay, as long as the couple purchased a $35 sign permit. Deputy City Attorney Mark Godwin says city officials withdrew the graffiti complaint because the fence falls under a city law that governs signs, because the symbols were painted by the property owner and not vandals."

So a clear win for religious expression here, and a reiteration that it isn't "vandalism" if you want the markings there. Even more interesting is that most of the neighborhood doesn't care a bit about the markings, and think the MacPebbles are good neighbors, except, it seems, for a single neighbor lady they accuse of spying on them (the one who reported the graffiti).

"MacPebbles put up the fence because he thought the next-door neighbor lady was spying on him. Then he took a can of black paint and sprayed pagan symbols on the side of the fence that she sees. To keep her from peeking in, he hung a tarp with more symbols above the fence ... The neighbor lady, who wouldn't give her name, believes she's the aggrieved party. "It's totally wrong what he's doing to me," she says. And the ground war continues. MacPebbles has put up a canvas and an $800 surveillance system to keep an eye on the enemy. The enemy points to the camera looking out over her driveway and says who's spying on whom? She says he's "torturing" her and turning the neighbors against her. I can't speak for the torture, but the neighbors I talked with seem to be siding with him. MacPebbles seems like a decent enough guy, even with scary tattoos."

So it looks like this all started as a neighborly feud, one that got vindictive after MacPebbles erected his fence to keep her out of his life. So barring some other conflicting ordinance, officials are still deciding if the fence falls within official sign size limits, it looks like the Pagan symbols get to stay. So the markings may be crude, but they aren't illegal, and protected as personal and religious expression.

Satanic Panic Alive and Well in North Carolina

2008-07-05T08:29:00.003-05:00

I was going to do an update on the Pagan fence controversy today, but another story I've read, the more I think about it, the more it bothers me (I'll get to the fence thing tomorrow). It involves five people, the local Democratic party, accusations of kidnapping and rape, and Satanism. The more you dig into it, the more it seems like the beginnings of a witch-hunt. At first it seems like a straightforward crime with a hint of Satanism thrown in for spice.

"Prosecutors have charged three people, including two ranking members of the Durham County Democratic Party, as part of an investigation into allegations of rape and kidnapping that prosecutors said involved satanic worship ... Authorities have said little about the case outside of the information included in arrest warrants, which allege that [Joseph Scott] Craig beat a man and a woman, raped the woman and that [Joy] Johnson watched as he did so. Durham County Assistant District Attorney Mark McCullough said earlier this week that charges stemmed from some sort of satanic ritual."

Joseph Scott and Joy Johnson

Now hold on, this is going to get a bit complicated. The three people arrested, Joy Johnson, Joseph Craig, and Diana Palmer are all New Agers. Joy and Joseph run/ran a web site (now down) called "Indigo Dawn", which provided spiritual healing services, past-life regressions and the like. Joseph Craig, on the site, claims to be a practitioner of magick. Meanwhile, Joy and Diana are both chairwomen of the Durham County Democratic Party. Joy and Joseph are the ones accused of rape and kidnapping, Diana is accused of helping to hide evidence after the fact. All have been accused of participating in a "Satanic ritual". Diana Palmer claims no involvement or knowledge of any illegal acts or cult activity.

"The warrant for Palmer's arrest states she put the evidence in her trunk and "drove her vehicle to another location in an effort to conceal those items from detection of the Durham Police Department." "She denies knowing about any crime, being connected with this crime or having anything at all to do with Satanism or any assault of any nature whatsoever," Thomas said, describing his client as a New Age Christian."

Still, this could have been a straightforward case of rape and kidnapping, with Palmer as an innocent dupe, or willing accomplice. However, it looks like the charges of "Satanism", along with the charges of rape and kidnapping might not be as it appears.

"But the attorney for Joseph Scott Craig, 25, has questioned whether authorities misunderstood what was taking place inside his client's home. "It sure seems to look like sadomasochism or some kind of consensual activity that maybe went too far," defense attorney Woody Vann told The News & Observer of Raleigh. "While it may not be normal activity for our everyday population, that doesn't mean it's criminal." ... Authorities allege that Craig beat a man and a woman, raped the woman and that Johnson watched as he did so. Court documents filed this week accuse Johnson of "instigating and encouraging" her husband as he handcuffed the man and forced him "into a dog cage, leaving him there for hours, terrorizing him." The documents said the incidents occurred in December 2007 and in January and May."

Let's deconstruct this for a moment. One couple meets another couple, allegedly through "a shared interest in Satan worship". They then engage in, on three occasions, what sounds very much like cuckold play, a very, very common kink. The basic scenario, in short, is that a man (or woman) is restrained (mentally or physically) and "forced" to watch his (or her) partner sexually gratified by a stranger. While I'm not ruling out mental coercion, or that the final instance may have been done without consent, we may also be dealing with what sex columnist Dan Savage calls "drastic, disgusted, after-the-fact denial" (NSFW language at link).

"I'm familiar with drastic, disgusted, after-the-fact denial ... the moment a closet case gets what he came for ... his tone changes dramatically. Not only does he stop begging to be ******, he will deny he ever wanted to be ****** in the first place. The truly messed up ones would even deny that they had been ****** at all..."

So far the police have been tight-lipped about details of the case. As I have said before, this could very well be what they say it is. A kidnapping and rape. If so, the accused should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. However, if this is a case of guilt/shame after the fact, or self-protection from being labeled as perverts, two (or three) innocent people could be facing jail time and a lifetime on the sexual offender lists. Worse, by spinning tales of Satanism, and by the police releasing those details, we face a new wave of "Satanic Panic" in the region.

Will people start looking out for more "cultists" in the New Age or Pagan communities? Will there be more arrests? Will vigilante justice ensue if the accused are cleared of wrongdoing? We can't be sure, but one thing we do know is that justice has been marred by the Durham police engaging in sensationalism. We can only hope that justice prevails here (whatever that may be), and that this doesn't spark any further witch-hunts. What do you think? Real crime with a touch of sensationalist Satanism thrown in, or a smear of innocent people who believed they were engaging in a consensual act?

Did Robert Graves Steal "The White Goddess"?

2008-07-04T08:09:00.004-05:00

Poet and author Robert Graves is perhaps one of Britain's most famous creative voices. His 1948 work "The White Goddess", a meditation on poetic myth, has been seen by scholars and historians as a direct influence on the modern Paganism movement that emerged in Britain in the 1950s. Now, a researcher at Nottingham Trent University is claiming that Graves may have stolen the idea for "The White Goddess" from his former mistress Laura Riding Jackson.

Laura Riding Jackson

"Dr Jacobs said Jackson accuses Graves of "robbing" her of key ideas which he appropriated as his own for his seminal study of poetic inspiration, The White Goddess, published in 1948. He claimed that the inspiration for the work, which equates God with women, related to an early essay Jackson wrote in the 1930s called The Idea of God and her book, The Word Woman, which preceded Graves's magnum opus. The couple moved from Britain to Spain, where Jackson left her manuscript for The Word Woman when the pair fled the country on the outbreak of the civil war in 1936. Dr Jacobs claims it was this manuscript � which Jackson had asked Graves to burn � that the poet used as the basis for The White Goddess. "Between 1926 and 1939, he was learning from her what she was doing and thinking," Dr Javcobs said. 'He was taking her ideas, her research, he was simply shovelling it in to his own books.... She left her manuscript in Majorca. She later wrote to him [Graves] and told him to burn the manuscript. We now know that he didn't. It all appeared in dribble form in The White Goddess. He used it for his own ends without mentioning it to her. She only found out in the 1950s.'"

The researcher, Dr Mark Jacobs, is currently writing a book about the relationship between Graves and Jackson, and the charges of intellectual theft. Naturally, The Robert Graves Society isn't taking these accusations lying down.

"Professor Dunstan Ward, president of the Robert Graves Society, said there was a host of textual evidence proving that Graves was developing his theory for the White Goddess even before he met Jackson and that a poem called A History, written before the two met, contains 'clear references'..."

Did Graves "steal" ideas from Laura Riding Jackson for "The White Goddess"? Possibly. But one could make the argument that the notion of Goddess religion reborn (or rediscovered) was an idea that had been percolating in British and European culture for some time. Certainly works by Leland, Frazer, Murray, Sharp, Yeats, and several others helped pave the way that "The White Goddess" would eventually tread. I anxiously await the publication of Jacobs' book for further insight into claims that Graves appropriated ideas for one of his most famous works.

The Return of the Revenge of Witches on Reality Television

2008-07-03T10:27:00.003-05:00

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.

Gay Marriage: The Pagan Difference

2008-07-02T07:50:00.003-05:00

As I have pointed out before, laws against legally recognized gay marriage unfairly benefit those religious traditions who have a vested interest in GLBT folks remaining second-class citizens. The melding of a civil contract and (mainly Christian) religious ceremony in America has created the erroneous idea that the State should have some role in defining and blessing (with legal benefits) which two consenting adults should be able to be joined before their god(s). In a theocracy that might be understandable, but in a theoretically secular nation (one that harbors a vast diversity of religious viewpoints) such "traditions" of mixing religious law with secular law are absurd at best, and harmful at worst.

The Pagan attitude towards gay marriage is a very different one than the so-called 'Judeo-Christian' attitude that rigidly defines a sacred bonding, a marriage, as only possible between mating couples of the opposite sex. An example of this difference recently popped up in an Icelandic newspaper, where a former Asatru high chieftain blasted his government for its double standards concerning the legal status of gay and straight marriage in his country.

"J�rmundur Ingi Hansen, former high chieftain of �satr�arf�lagid (a religious organization for those who believe in the pagan Icelandic/Nordic gods), has criticized the new laws on religious associations being able to confirm cohabitation between individuals of the same sex for being too vague and not really including marital rights. �The laws on confirmed cohabitation are mostly an optical illusion,� Hansen told Fr�ttabladid. �They neither give gay people nor straight people any rights to my best knowledge.� �Various people have claimed they give the same rights as marriage, but that is unfortunately not true. They do not include a reversionary right and do not provide the kind of safety that marriage is supposed to provide,� Hansen explained."

While Iceland has long had civil unions for gay couples (called "registered partnership"), they have steered clear of allowing "marriage" for gay couples. The situation Hansen describes, is in regards to a new law that allows religious institutions to solemnize a "confirmed cohabitation". While some are calling it "marriage", others, like Hansen, point out that it doesn't grant the same rights and status as a straight marriage.

"Separate laws are valid for the confirmation on cohabitation for straight and gay couples and the traditional definition of marriage, as a union between a man and a woman, remains unchanged. In October 2007, the State Church decided not to change the traditional definition of marriage. �I think it is poor behavior to make people believe that this is marriage when it isn�t,� Hansen said, adding, �If confirmed cohabitation is supposed to be such a good thing then why can�t priests confirm the cohabitation of straight couples?� �Until now I have not had the right to confirm the cohabitation of a man and a woman. There is no law that states that the cohabitation of two individuals of the opposite sex can be confirmed,� Hansen claimed. �I just don�t understand what the legislator is trying to achieve with this. It is like a band-aid for an undefined wound,� Hansen concluded."

What these Icelandic issues illustrate is that "separate but equal" civil union compromises usually only emphasize the "separate", and hardly ever confer true "equality". Civil unions for GLBT folk in America might be seen as a step forward for awhile, but eventually those "not-marriage" contract compromises will start to chafe.

"We are all the same people, all of us. You're no different than I am. Our love is the same. To me -- to me, what it feels like -- just, you know, I will speak for myself -- it feels -- when someone says, 'You can have a contract, and you'll still have insurance, and you'll get all that,' it sounds to me like saying, 'Well, you can sit there; you just can't sit there.' That's what it sounds like to me. It feels like -- it doesn't feel inclusive...It feels -- it feels isolated. It feels like we are not -- you know, we aren't owed the same things and the same wording." - Ellen DeGeneres

The solution is either for the government to allow true marriage equality and allow the solemnizations done by Pagan priests for gay couples to be just as legal as a Christian wedding of a straight couple, or for the government to get out of the marriage game altogether and establish only civil unions for everyone. Anything else creates a moral hierarchy with the traditional Christian definition of marriage at the top, and anything deviating from that below it. Thia marriage debate isn't just about legal rights for gay couples, it is about respect, and true religious equality. So long as Pagan marriages and handfastings of gay couples aren't legally recognized, the American government is participating in the sort of religious favorites-playing the separation of Church and State is supposed to prevent.

What to Do About Stonehenge?

2008-07-01T07:10:00.003-05:00

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.

(Pagan) News of Note

2008-06-30T08:05:00.004-05:00

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

Getting excited about Hellboy II yet? I sure am! The film, directed and co-written by "Pan's Labyrinth" director Guillermo del Toro, is chock-full of pagan-friendly elements. To whet your appetite for the July 11th release date, an animated comic prologue has been released.

For more pre-release fun, check out the multiple trailers at the Apple site. You might also want to read some advance reviews from Variety, Hollywood Reporter, and Cinematical.

While I'm on the subject of movie news, a recent Virgin Media survey places "The Wicker Man" in the top ten best British films of all time.

"Four Weddings And A Funeral has been named best British film of all time in a survey out yesterday. The 1994 romantic comedy just beat Monty Python's Life Of Brian, and made a star of Hugh Grant, who comes fourth in the Best Actor poll. Trainspotting, Casino Royale, starring Daniel Craig as James Bond, Guy Ritchie's Lock Stock And Two Smoking Barrels, Lawrence Of Arabia, Withnail And I, Atonement, The Wicker Man and Get Carter completed the top 10 in the Virgin Media survey."

Speaking of "The Wicker Man", star Christopher Lee has lashed out in the press about ageism in the film industry after his role in the Scottish movie "Stone of Destiny" was edited out.

Presidential candidate Barack Obama seems to embody the religious hopes and fears of America. He's been called a secret Muslim, spurred claims that he might be the messiah, or a perhaps a "light worker", pissed off James Dobson, gained the support of a Pagan delegate (and had supposed Pagan ties used against him), and was formally adopted into the Crow Indian Nation. Now Hindus think he might be one of them.

Spot the Monkey God!

"If charges of being a �secret Muslim� weren�t enough, Barack Obama may now need to prove he�s not a secret Hindu as well. According to the Times of India, a group of supporters in New Delhi have sent Obama a two-foot, gold-plated statue of the monkey god Hanuman. According to Indian politician Brijmohan Bhama, �Obama has deep faith in Lord Hanuman and that is why we are presenting an idol of Hanuman to him.� The apparent source of this pronouncement of Obama�s newly-discovered faith is this photo from Time magazine, which shows a collection of lucky charms Obama carries with him, including a small Hanuman charm."

What better way to debunk "secret Muslim" smears than to have the Hindus claim you! Of course Obama is actually a liberal Christian, but this swirl of activity proves just how far America has moved from its "Christian" identity.

The Miami Herald has put out a very nice story about the shrine of la Ermita de La Caridad, a place where Cuban refugees come for solace and to pray. Though technically a Catholic shrine, it also attracts followers of Santeria who see la Caridad as a manifestation of Ochun.

"At the northern end of the seawall, where historic Vizcaya serves as a foreground to the glossy towers of Brickell Avenue, a stone Eleggua (the Santeria god known as the opener of paths) with cowrie-shell eyes gazes up toward the water's surface. At the southern end, near Mercy Hospital, someone's Santeria necklaces cling to a rock, a school of little silver fish brushing by the yellow and amber beads for Ochun, the blue and white ones for Yemaya ... As Catholic as the shrine is, many of the devoted who come here are also followers of Santeria. In the religious syncretism of Cuba, la Caridad, an apparition of the Virgin Mary, is also called Ochun, one of the orishas, the Santeria gods. "A sanctuary is precisely a place where the Catholic religion makes contact with el pueblo," Roman says. "We know there are people who perform rituals out there by the seawall. But they do it very respectfully. They don't let us see it."

A touching and balanced story about how culture and shared experience can sometimes overcome the barriers erected by religion.

In a final note, Religion Clause links to a story about how legal peyote used for religious purposes by Native Americans is becoming increasingly scarce due to local land being leased to oil speculators.

"South Texas property owners have realized there is profit in leasing their land as oil or hunting preserves. Suddenly, the small pittances peyoteros could pay for access didn't seem worth it. "Now, it's getting to where the ranchers don't want to give permission for us to look on their land," he said. "You have to keep going back to the same patches and waiting for it to grow again." This presents a conundrum. If Morales and his colleagues keep revisiting the same patches, the cactus doesn't have enough time to re-grow. Repeated overharvesting also affects the potency of the plant, said Martin Terry, an assistant professor of biology at Sul Ross University in Alpine. "If the demand continues to increase - even slowly - and the supply continues to decrease, then the amount available to the church will just keep continuing to decrease," he said."

Religious prohibitions prevent greenhouse-grown peyote, and trips to Mexico, where the cactus is still plentiful, is wrought with legal entanglements. With only a few legal peyoteros left, and available land dwindling, it remains to be seen if the Native American Church can find a way to solve this problem.

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

A Troubling Legal Precedent in Texas

2008-06-29T08:39:00.002-05:00

Twelve years ago a 17 year-old girl in a Pentecostal church was restrained for several hours on two different occasions for the purposes of exorcism. She experienced rope-burns, carpet burns, and bruises. Feeling emotionally traumatized by this involuntary action, the girl was eventually diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, and her parents sued the church for damages and won. However, the Texas Supreme Court has now reversed that decision, saying that the previous ruling unfairly impinged on the First Amendment rights of the church.

"...the state Supreme Court dismissed Schubert's case in a 6-3 ruling, saying her lawsuit violated the U.S. Constitution's First Amendment protections on religious expression � the latest in a string of decisions limiting judicial oversight of religious institutions and practice. "The case, as tried, presents an ecclesiastical dispute over religious conduct that would unconstitutionally entangle the court in matters of church doctrine," said the majority opinion, written by Justice David Medina."

All three opposing judges, including Chief Justice Jefferson, filed dissents. Arguing that this decision will sanction abuse, so long as the offending organization holds a fig-leaf of religion.

"After today, a tortfeasor need merely allege a religious motive to deprive a Texas court of jurisdiction to compensate his fellow congregant for emotional damages. This sweeping immunity is inconsistent with United States Supreme Court precedent and extends far beyond the protections our Constitution affords religious conduct. The First Amendment guards religious liberty; it does not sanction intentional abuse in religion�s name. Because the Court�s holding precludes recovery of emotional damages - even for assault and other serious torts - where the defendant alleges that the underlying assault was religious in nature, I respectfully dissent."

While this case happened within a Pentecostal church community, one could hypothetically imagine scenarios involving the modern Pagan community that could echo this young woman's trauma. Covener held against his or her will due to a "psychic attack"? Sexual misconduct? Abusive initiations? Inappropriate emotional control? So long as the rest of the group testifies that these practices are normal and accepted by the group, the abusers in question could escape prosecution or having to pay damages. Worse, imagine the fate of Christian minors interested in Paganism who could now be subjected to traumatic "exorcisms" or "re-education" with no recourse after the fact.

"Because providing a remedy for the very real, but religiously motivated, emotional distress in this case would require us to take sides in what is essentially a religious controversy, we cannot resolve that dispute," the Supreme Court ruled. "Determining the circumstances of (Schubert's) emotional injuries would, by its very nature, draw the court into forbidden religious terrain."

While I admire judicial neutrality when it comes to making decisions regarding religion (we don't want judges to favor one faith over another). This carries that ethic too far. Using "neutrality" as a way to avoid causing controversy allows for a multitude of evils to flourish. Abuse done in the name of religion is still abuse. No still means no, even if your abuser thinks a demon said it, and separation of Church and State doesn't mean religion is above the law or judgment. No religious faith should be a law unto itself, and I can only hope this case goes to the Supreme Court and is overturned.

Kathie Lee Gifford and the "Nasty" Pagan Controversy

2008-06-28T09:06:00.004-05:00

Perhaps I've developed outrage fatigue from covering religious news for so many years, but I just can't seem to muster much energy for the supposed controversy over vacuous morning-show host Kathie Lee Gifford's "anti-pagan" comments.

The trivia question that spurred a tempest in a tea-pot.

"Wednesday June 25th on the Today Show, host Kathy Lee Gifford was quizzing guests of a wedding on wedding traditions. On a question as to the origin of wearing the wedding ring on your left ring finger, an option for an answer was that "Pagans believed it was bad luck to carry metal on the right side." Reading the question aloud, Gifford chose to say "The Pagans, the nasty, bad, Pagans, believed ....." For any other religion, she would not have made the comment, and if she had, a public apology would most likely be released very quickly. The pagan community should not stand for it. Her personal belief may be that we are "nasty and bad", but it does not make it alright for her to say so on national television."

I watched the offending video clip in question, and I just don't see anything worth threats of boycott or starting a petition. I certainly don't agree with Ellen Evert Hopman & Dana Corby's assertion that her off-the-cuff statement amounted to "hate speech".

"Ms. Gifford's hate speech has done harm to American Pagans' ability to live in peace with our neighbors of other faiths. By allowing her hate speech to be broadcast, her direct employer the TODAY Show, and their network, NBC, participate in that hate speech."

Hate speech is something very specific, and Gifford's off-the-cuff riffing on a trivia question doesn't even come close to qualifying. I very much doubt Gifford even realizes there is a modern Paganism movement, much less has a nuanced understanding of pre-Christian religion (she's a born-again Christian). I question the petition's assertion that any Pagan will have their quality of life affected in any way because of what a Regis Philbin cast-off said. This action by Pagans, far from chastising the folks at the Today Show, has only provided more grist for Gifford's "comedic" mill.

I'd like to think that I'm fairly tenacious in defense of modern Paganism. I have worked daily to follow stories and bring important issues to light. There are many serious issues facing modern Pagan faiths, and we should remain vigilant and address them. However, the last thing I want to see is for Pagans to adopt the tactics of groups like the Catholic League. Constantly scanning the news looking for the next outrage, the next rallying cry for those who believe some great religious conflict is brewing. I don't want us to become unable to laugh off something stupid, I don't want us to become unable to tell the difference between an innocuous trifle, and real anti-Pagan hate speech.

Should you boycott The Today Show? Sure, if only because it's stupid, lowest-common-denominator television that enriches no one. Not because Kathie Lee Gifford allegedly "hates" Pagans. Let's turn our attention to the endemic discrimination against Pagans in prisons, or the improper influence of Christianity on our military, or the legislative strategies that seek to enshrine a Christian civil religion and relegate religious minorities to second-class status, or the role of modern Pagans in politics. Heck, we could even talk about the reality television shows that actually do some damage to our reputation. What we shouldn't do is manufacture a controversy where one doesn't actually exist.

PS If George Carlin has gone on The Today Show and called Chritianity "nasty" and "bad" (and he's called it far worse things than that) would you call it "hate speech"? Would you think Christians were correct in calling for a boycott, or would you think such an action was an overreaction?

Using a Pagan to Smear Obama?

2008-06-27T08:42:00.003-05:00

Conservative pundit Cliff Kincaid writes an anti-Obama polemic for Right Side News bizarrely equating Obama with a Pagan leader because they happen to support the same piece of legislation.

"While Senator Barack Obama struggles to keep the public in the dark about the nature of his pro-U.N. Global Poverty Act, a recent �Bay Area Interfaith Leaders� Luncheon� was held to lobby for Senate passage of the bill, whose cost has been estimated at $845 billion. An actual witch who spoke at a �Pagan Pride� festival in San Francisco was one of the listed participants. The witch, known as the �Elder Donald Frew� of the 'Wiccan Community,'"

Gasp! Not an "actual Witch" from the "Wiccan Community"! I'm still not seeing the scandal though. I get that Kincaid opposes the legislation, and I also get that Kincaid doesn't like Obama much, but I'm still a bit fuzzy on why Frew being supportive of the bill matters in any way. Perhaps Kincaid will explain in greater depth?

"Frew�s reported participation was significant. A featured speaker at a �Pagan Pride� festival in San Franciso, he is described as an Elder in both the New Reformed Orthodox Order of the Golden Dawn and Gardnerian traditions of modern Wicca and a High Priest of Coven Trismegiston in Berkeley, California ... According to his bio, Frew �has been very active in interfaith work on behalf of the Craft for over 17 years and is the National Interfaith Representative for the Covenant of the Goddess (the largest Wiccan religious organization on Earth).� He has represented Covenant of the Goddess at both Parliaments of the World�s Religions and serves on the Global Council of the U.N.-affiliated United Religions Initiative."

Wait. Wait. Did he just quote Don Frew's bio as why his "reported participation" is "significant"? Seems to me Kincaid is trying to whip up right-wing hysteria by invoking the old association fallacy*. If a Witch supports Obama's proposed legislation, it must be bad. Right? I'm surprised he didn't try to dig up a Muslim supporter to really get some right-wing frothing action going. Oh wait, he did.

"A Muslim representative to the Bay Area conference was identified as Iftekhar Hai of the United Muslims of America (UMA). The UMA is a member of the American Muslim Taskforce on Civil Rights and Elections (AMT), an umbrella organization that includes controversial groups such as the Council on American-Islamic Relations."

Muslims! And Witches! How could anyone support this bill! This horrid bill that would ... work to eliminate extreme global poverty, a bill that is supported by such dangerous extremist groups as ... Bread for the World, the Daughters of Charity, and the Catholic Archdiocese of San Francisco. How brave of Kincaid to sound the alarm!

It is obvious that one can oppose a piece of legislation in good faith. If something goes against your principles, criticizing its merits is perfectly acceptable. However, what Kincaid attempts to do in this editorial is cowardly and ethically repugnant. Trying to raise the specter of "witchcraft" in order to turn people (ie Christians) against the bill is the worst kind of gutter politics. The pathetic howling of a man who all but admits he lost the moral high ground long ago, and is as good as beaten.

* My favorite manifestation of the association fallacy is Reductio ad Hitlerum ("Hitler (or the Nazis) supported X, therefore X must be evil/undesirable/bad"). A fallacy that has been used against Pagans and vegetarians on multiple occasions.

A Victory for South African Pagans and Traditional Healers

2008-06-26T05:47:00.000-05:00

Word has come in from South Africa that the controversial Witchcraft Suppression Bill of 2007 has been put on hold "until further notice".

"Mpumalanga healers and pagans have been given a new lease of life after the Witchcraft Suppression Bill was put on hold. The proposed bill by the department of local government, which came under fire last year from various stakeholders, was put on hold yesterday. The department of local government said it had put the drafting of the bill of 2007 on hold �until further notice�. The department was mandated by the provincial executive council to prepare a bill which seeks to address high levels of violence in Mpumalanga linked to allegations of witchcraft."

The bill, which in theory was supposed to suppress violence against accused "witches" (an ongoing problem in many African nations), instead caused an uproar among modern Pagans and various traditional healers due to its overly vague language (and trying to "solve" the problem by essentially blaming the victims).

"...Witches themselves need protection from violent attack, Sapra said. "Practitioners of natural magic (witchcraft) throughout the country have rallied together to oppose the passage of the proposed Mpumalanga Witchcraft Suppression Bill on the grounds that the bill will criminalize men and women who practice witchcraft or who claim to be witches," Sapra convener Damon Leff said. Sapra has even submitted an alternative bill - the Mpumalanga Witchcraft Protection Bill - for the Mpumalanga Legislature to consider instead ... Potgieter said those who attacked people they accused of being witches were the criminal element that needed addressing, not witches themselves. She warned that the bill also affected traditional healers and "disempowered" them."

Government spokesperson Simphiwe Kunene says that further consultation and research is needed before any bill addressing witchcraft in South Africa can go forward. Kunene is hoping that affected groups won't "go to the media" when "certain matters" are raised with them in the near future (though "going to the media" is what stopped this bad bill from going forward). This is a major victory for South African Pagans, and a groundbreaking instance of cooperation with traditional religionists in the region.

Though witch-killings in places like Africa and India aren't aimed at practitioners of modern Paganism, it is slowing becoming a Pagan issue as we spread and grow in areas affected by this violent hysteria. While Pagans (ancient and modern) may never have truly suffered from the "burning times" of Early Modern Europe, we may soon find ourselves on the front lines of attempts to stem the tide of modern-day witch hysteria.

What Will The Neighbors Think?

2008-06-25T06:30:00.000-05:00

As practitioners of Santeria move up from lower-income and immigrant neighborhoods and into the higher social stratas, inter-religious and cultural tensions are bound to flare up. A recent example of this is making the local news in Florida. Members of the Waterford Lakes community are unhappy that animal sacrifice, legal in Florida, is taking place and neighbors are making (completely speculative) accusations of cruelty.

"Residents living in the Waterford Lakes community near Lake Underhill Road recently called sheriff's deputies after seeing people carrying live chickens into the home of Hector Febus. Febus has practiced the Santeria religion for about 30 years. "Yeah, we are not happy about that type of religion," neighbor Ron Hardbower said. "The religion itself is OK, but to have that here in this neighborhood? This is a very quiet residential area. We don't expect to see goats herded in or chickens being carried in and out." Febus said Tuesday that he was performing a healing ritual the night neighbors called police but the chicken were for food and not sacrificed."

Hardbower seems to be saying that a Santero is free to practice his religion within the law, just not in his community. Despite calling the police, and ongoing efforts by the local homeowners association to see if they can ban religiously-motivated animal sacrifice, the law (in Florida at least) is firmly on the side of Hector Febus.

"Because it's considered a religious act, sheriff deputies say they can't do anything about the issue. Now the homeowner's association is trying to find a way to resolve it ... Neighbors find it all very bizarre. Meanwhile, it seems there is little even homeowner's association can do. Their bylaws don't seem to have animal sacrifice provisions, so the HOA is weighing its legal options and letting the home's owner know what his tenants are doing in there."

Stories like this are very likely only the beginning. As Santeria continues to grow, and religiously-motivated animal sacrifice is allowed in more places (and depending on the outcome of some ongoing litigation, possibly everywhere), we will start to see some real conflicts emerge. Will differences between Christians and practitioners of Santeria escalate into intimidation, anti-Santeria local ordinances, or violence? Will the modern Pagan community, which shares many attributes with Santeria, though is often split on the issue of animal sacrifice, come to their defense? Whatever the outcome, consider this story a harbinger of what's to come.

(Pagan) News of Note

2008-06-24T05:28:00.001-05:00

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

The California Literary Review has published an excerpt from �The Last Pagan: Julian the Apostate and the Death of the Ancient World� by Adrian Murdoch. A sensitive and nuanced portrayal of the man who almost stemmed the tide of Christianity.

"It is unfair that Julian is still known to us primarily for attributed and spurious dying words. That tradition has the wounded and dying emperor filling his hand with blood, flinging it into the air and crying: �Thou hast conquered, O Galilean!� But then the history, as ever, was written by the winning side. Whether the Galilean actually won or not, it is perfectly possible to go beyond an entry in the Oxford Dictionary of Quotations and look not just at Julian�s death but, beyond that, to his life, to see how he was a product of his time. It was a narrow�one might even say lucky�victory for the Galilean, and Julian might just as easily have entered the history books as Julian the Philosopher rather than as Julian the Apostate."

I can only imagine that Julian would take great pleasure in the modern resurgence of Pagan/polytheistic religions (you could argue that he prefigured the modern Pagan faiths by generations), and would no doubt keep a blog in which to publish his criticisms of "the Galileans".

Stefani "Spiral" Barner examines the high-choice ethic of modern Paganism that allows both for a pro-military warrior culture, and pacifistic conscientious objectors.

"...the Pagan community is in a unique position. It is possible to support both the service person and the CO�to honor the sacrifices that either choice demands and to embrace the paradox that comes with loving both. Let us demonstrate to the world that it is possible to be both anti-war and pro-soldier. Let us struggle together for peace, even as we recognize and support those who are sent to war. Let us cherish the wisdom that comes from speaking truth to power, as well as the insight that is gained through willingly enduring fear and pain, sacrifice and strife. Let us hear and share the truths of both soldier and CO."

Barner also references recent court decisions that seem to support granting conscientious objector status within philosophically diverse religious communities. Allowing for CO status in religions that aren't explicitly pacifist. A situation that seems confusing for top-down organizations like the military or some Christian denominations, but one that is completely normal for the average Pagan used to dozens (if not hundreds) of unique (and valid) relationships with the divine.

The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life has released lots of new data in its groundbreaking U.S. Religious Landscape Survey. Including the political inclinations of Pagans (and the other "others").

You can read my previous examination of the Pew survey data, and what it means to modern Pagans, here. Also of interest might be my examination of the recently released Henry Institute survey.

ReligiousLiberty.TV points to two YouTube videos that examines Christian proselytism in India from the Hindu perspective.

"The video also proposed a �Code of Ethics� for religious conversion which includes language that it should be the result of true spiritual change, not manipulation or coercion. This is likely to increasingly become a larger issue in a global economy and information society. As this issue grows, churches will need re-evaluate their methods of spreading the gospel and seriously consider how they are being perceived in order to avoid sweeping attempts to ban all forms of proselytism."

A idea of a mutually-agreed upon code of conduct for religious conversions has been floating around for years now, and is supposed to come to fruition soon. It remains to be seen if such a document would be "toothless", as many groups see conversion as their highest priority, and have no qualms of moving in ethically questionable directions.

In a final note, scientists may have discovered when legendary king and hero Odysseus returned to Ithaca after the Trojan War.

"They say the epic poem appears to confirm that the return of Odysseus to the island of Ithaca coincided with a solar eclipse on April 16, 1178BC. In the Odyssey, the moment when Odysseus kills the suitors who have been courting Penelope, his wife, during his absence after the Trojan War, is marked by the Sun being �blotted from the sky�. "

Of course this calculation rests on Homer being accurate centuries after the fact, and not taking too much poetic license. So take this date with a grain of salt.

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

You Can't Ban Odinism In Prison

2008-06-23T07:55:00.003-05:00

The Indiana federal district court has conclusively ruled that prisons can't ban a faith because of hypothetical problems. In this instance, Odinism and the various white supremacist groups that infiltrate and exploit the faith.

"...an Indiana federal district court has ruled that the Indiana Department of Correction's policy banning all group worship for Odinists violates RLUIPA. In Hummel v. Donahue, 2008 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 47534 (SD IN, June 19, 2008), the court held that while the interest in maintaining safety and security is compelling, prison officials must do more than speculate that a religious practice will lead to problems. Here officials were concerned that white supremacists would claim to practice Odinism, but presented no concrete evidence to support this. Secondly, there were less restrictive alternatives than totally banning group worship. These included pre-approved scripts for worship services, increased training for correctional officers, pre-approved volunteers from outside to lead services, and research into solutions found by other prison systems."

As the court hinted, one very easy way to stem the tide of racist Odinist groups is to invite more Pagan/Heathen chaplains in. Currently, the prison system is completely skewed towards Christian modes of belief, and as a result non-Christian prisoners are treated to widespread discrimination and hostility. However, some prison systems are slowly coming to the realization that allowing Pagan chaplains in can help reduce recidivism and create a healthier support network for Pagan inmates susceptible to the overtures of racist gangs masquerading as religion.

"Bolstered by President Bush's recent signing of the Second Chance Act, which promises more money for faith-based programs to help rehabilitate prisoners, corrections officials and religious volunteers are testing the largely unproven theory that faith can not only salvage criminals, but � in the long run � make the rest of us safer, too ... In Colorado, a volunteer network of chaplains offers 216 programs and the Department of Corrections recognizes 36 faiths ... those traditions range from Asatru, a polytheistic Norse religion, to Native American rituals to nature-based Wicca ... Credible research on the effectiveness of faith-based programs remains sparse and inconclusive. But corrections experts and volunteers agree that such efforts, coupled with education, counseling and other therapies, could be part of the solution."

Pagan-friendly corrections departments in places like Colorado and Washington are leading the way into the future. A future where Christianity isn't the only religious remedy for the troubled and violent soul. A future that Indiana will now be forced to at least partially embrace in the next sixty days. Let's hope they embrace the change mandated by the courts, and adopt some of the more progressive methods of quelling racist strains of Pagan religion. No doubt the Odinist/Asatru community in Indiana would look forward to more openness and cooperation from prison officials.

Taking a Personal Day

2008-06-22T08:48:00.003-05:00

I'm currently in Rochester, Minnesota dealing with a family crisis, so I don't have the time to update the blog properly today. I should hopefully be back tomorrow with my normal Pagan-fueled content. In the meantime, here are some quick links to check out today.

Boing Boing: LA's Occult Roots. (Related: L.A. Record interview with author Erik Davis).

"Some people who would say that they practice majick would not necessarily like the world �occult� which tends to have a darker connotation. It really just means esoteric, behind the scenes, or secret�not necessarily in the sense of a secret society but in the sense that it�s not the obvious level of reality."

Universalists plan five-day gathering in Fort Lauderdale with caucuses, issues, rallies. ... "next week's gathering of Unitarian Universalists can seem like a collision of social caucus and New Age festival."

Druid tree language tells a story. ... "The project, called Root 66, is a tree trail of 15 mosiacs designed by students of Calder High, Mytholmroyd, and placed on stumps along a woodland track at the end of Holmes Park, Station Road, Luddenden Foot. The mosaics are based on a 6,000-year-old druid tree language called Ogham and will tell stories for keen-eyed walkers to spot on their way."

Thanks for your understanding. Back tomorrow!

Our Official Herne the Hunter Watch

2008-06-21T05:49:00.001-05:00

We here at The Wild Hunt are big fans of Herne the Hunter, so we were all very pleased to hear that a revival of Shakespeare's "The Merry Wives of Windsor" is currently playing at the historic Globe Theater. According to The Times, it's a great 21st century adaptation of a 17th century comedy.

Falstaff dons the horns of Herne.

"[Christopher] Benjamin's Falstaff is an irresistibly lovable rogue, whose hilarious vanity in imagining he can seduce these two loyal wives is undercut by his own wry admissions of his girth. Got up in stag's antlers for his appearance in the guise of the mythical Herne the Hunter, he is, he remarks, �the fattest stag in the forest�. That scene features a climactic sequence of masked medieval mummery bursting with a grotesque glee worthy of The Wicker Man."

Sounds like a fun production to me! "Merry Wives" is the earliest written account of the legend of Herne the Hunter, a figure of English folklore that has become incredibly popular among modern Pagans, and is often equated with the horned Celtic god Cernunnos.

Sometime a keeper here in Windsor Forest,
Doth all the winter-time, at still midnight,
Walk round about an oak, with great ragg'd horns;
And there he blasts the tree, and takes the cattle,
And makes milch-kine yield blood, and shakes a chain
In a most hideous and dreadful manner.
You have heard of such a spirit, and well you know
The superstitious idle-headed eld
Receiv'd, and did deliver to our age,
This tale of Herne the Hunter for a truth.
� William Shakespeare, The Merry Wives of Windsor

Things had been rough showbiz-wise for Herne lately, what with him being excised from the movie version of Susan Cooper's "The Dark is Rising", so its nice to see a revival of his "first appearance" (albeit a mock first appearance). Now if you'll excuse me, I think I'll go revisit my "Robin of Sherwood" DVDs (especially since I'm not in the UK and able to watch this new production of Shakespeare's play).

Happy Summer Solstice

2008-06-20T05:53:00.001-05:00

Today (and tomorrow) is the celebration of the Summer Solstice*, also known as Midsummer, or Litha. It is at this time that the Northern Hemisphere is tilted closest to the sun (the opposite being true for our friends in the Southern Hemisphere). It is a time of fertility and celebration: bonfires, maypoles, dancing, and outdoor festivals have been traditional during this time for most of human history. In some modern Pagan faiths it is believed that this holiday represents the highest ascendency of masculine divinity.

Druids at Stonehenge on the Summer Solstice

Here are some recent quotes on this day from the press, along with some words from those who celebrate the Summer Solstice as a holiday.

"Party in the sun until midnight. That's what revelers around the world will be doing this weekend to mark summer's official start -- the summer solstice. For most of us, a trip to Stonehenge or Scandinavia is not part of the plan. But what better time to invite friends over for a radiant summer soiree than on the longest day of the year?" - Sue Gleiter, The Patriot-News

"Solstice comes from the Latin words sol and stice, and means literally "sun stands still'' because the sun rises and sets at the same point on the horizon for three days. Ancient peoples celebrated it with festivals, bonfires, feasting, singing and maypole dancing." - Jody Feinberg, GateHouse News Service

"A pagan druid ceremony will be held at the top of [Spinnaker Tower] to mark summer solstice. Leading Stonehenge Druid Frank Somers along with about seven others will be dressed in traditional ceremonial outfits to mark the occasion. The ceremony starts with a procession and a calling of the spirits followed by an explanation of the celebration. There will be chanting, singing and drumming as well as horn blowing." - Portsmouth News

"The dawn of the 2008 Summer Solstice approaches with thousands of revellers expected to descend on Wiltshire's sacred stone circle sites. In 2007, 24,000 people celebrated Summer Solstice at Stonehenge and with this years event falling on a Saturday many more are expected to turn out. Sunrise will occur at Stonehenge at 4.58am on June 21 on what is the longest day of the year." - Victoria Ashford, Wiltshire Times

"Celebrate Solstice time with other Pagans -- take part in the Pagan Spirit Gathering or some other Pagan festival happening during June. Keep a Sacred Fire burning throughout the gathering. Stay up all night on Solstice Eve and welcome the rising Sun at dawn. Make a pledge to Mother Earth of something that you will do to improve the environment and then begin carrying it out. Have a magical gift exchange with friends. Burn your Yule wreath in a Summer Solstice bonfire. Exchange songs, chants, and stories with others in person or through the mail. Do ecstatic dancing to drums around a blazing bonfire." - Selena Fox, "Summer Solstice"

A blessed Midsummer to you all!

* Technically speaking, the 2008 Summer Solstice occurs at 23:59 UTC on June 20th. Please check your local time-zone for accurate Solstice timing.

Splinter OTO Groups Can No Longer Call Themselves "OTO"

2008-06-19T06:05:00.000-05:00

The Ordo Templi Orientis (O.T.O.), an esoteric fraternal order which is perhaps best known for its associations with former leader and primary ritualist/liturgist Aleister Crowley, has recently achieved two major legal victories. The more important of the two regards trademark control over the terms "OTO" and "O.T.O." in the UK.

"I am happy to report that OTO has prevailed against Starfire Publishing Ltd.'s opposition to our trademarks for "OTO" and "O.T.O." in the United Kingdom. In her decision of June 8, Anna Carbone, the Appointed Person hearing OTO's appeal, found in favor of OTO, overturning a previous decision in favor of Starfire. OTO's registrations of the marks "OTO" and "O.T.O." are now proceeding normally in the UK, joining our previous registrations of "Ordo Templi Orientis" and the OTO Lamen. Under UK law, there can be no further appeal of a decision by an Appointed Person, in either the Trademark Registry or High Court."

What does this decision mean? Joined with the international order's trademark control in the United States (and the rest of the world), it means that a variety of splinter groups using the term "OTO" (or variations thereof) must now cease or risk legal action. The OTO's official press release specifically names British occultist Kenneth Grant's "Typhonian" Ordo Templi Orientis in its warning to groups started by expelled or resigned members.

"This litigation was not one we initiated -- these were proceedings brought against us by Starfire acting on behalf of Kenneth Grant's spurious OTO organization, with support from organizations led or founded by other expelled or resigned OTO members, such as Albion OTO and OTO Foundation. These groups would be well advised to find another name. We were merely filing a routine maintenance trademark. Now, having provoked us, they can reasonably expect enforcement proceedings from us if they do not stop appropriating our name, initials and lamen."

Since judges have ruled that "OTO" is the name of a private organization, and not a descriptive term for a religion, these groups will have to follow in the footsteps of other fraternal organizations and pick news names.

The second decision (actually a settlement), this time in America, also reinforced the main OTO body's control over its assets and intellectual property. Specifically, the images of Crowley's Thoth tarot deck.

"OTO filed suit in US Federal Court in Southern California against Focus Features, NBC Universal and Vivendi for copyright infringement in connection with the appropriation of images from the Thoth Tarot cards to promote the Woody Allen film "Scoop," where they were used on the poster, DVD packaging and in the press kits. The case has been resolved to the satisfaction of all parties. Under the terms of the agreement, the details of the settlement are confidential. This was a significant legal case, since OTO took on the world's largest media conglomerate, represented by the best law firm in Hollywood. We have long taken on corporations many times our size before, e.g. Simon and Schuster, Doubleday and Harper and Row, but NBC Universal Vivendi is many, many times larger and more powerful than all these combined."

These cases reinforce the fact that O.T.O. Worldwide is not only in complete control of its name and image, but it has also proved that it has the muscle and will to defend its claims. It would be virtually impossible at this point for another organization to legally claim rights to the "OTO" name or legacy. So would-be "true" OTO orders beware, a lawyer might soon be giving you a visit.

(Pagan) News of Note

2008-06-18T07:35:00.005-05:00

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!