Pagan Peace Hera
The City of Leeds in England is throwing a gala event celebrating religious “Peace Heroes” nominated by the citizens of Leeds. The event is part of a larger city-wide “Together For Peace” festival.
“Drama, music and film will be used at a Leeds event to celebrate religious leaders who have made a contribution to peace. Martin Luther King and the Dalai Lama will be featured alongside leaders from Pagan, Muslim, Hindu, Sikh and other faiths at the Royal Armouries in Leeds on Sunday. The prestigious event will be attended by the Bishop of Ripon and Leeds, the Lord Mayor of Leeds, Deputy Lord Lieutenant of the West Riding and city MPs. “Peace Heroes” have been nominated by religions represented in Leeds. A member of each religion will introduce the leader chosen. The aim of the event is to show how different faiths and religions can work together in common cause.” – Peter Lazenby, Leeds Evening Post
The Pagan contingent involved in the event has nominated author and activist Starhawk as their “Peace Hero” (though I would suspect she would prefer the term “hera”). No word on in what manner Starhawk will be feted that evening.
From a larger perspective, it seems that parts of the UK have truly been affected by the significant growth of the modern Pagan population and is looking towards inclusion and participation as a way forward. No matter how one feels about Starhawk personally, the fact that there is a Pagan contingent involved in this event, and that their chosen “hero” will be celebrated alongside Martin Luther King and the Dalai Lama represents a big step forward for modern Paganism collectively.
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