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.

Embracing The Darkness

I wish I had the time to browse the “recently published” lists more often. Often I don’t hear about interesting new books until several months after they have been published. Such is the case with the new book by Corvis Nocturnum entitled “Embracing the Darkness; Understanding Dark Subcultures”. The book seems to take a broad look at the “dark” subcultures including dark paganism, vampirism, Satanism, and the goth scene.

“Embracing the Darkness is an in-depth look into the aspects of various dark subcultures of the Goths, Witchcraft, Satanists, BDSM/Fetishists, and Vampyres, incorporating interviews and conversations with well-known and everyday individuals, as well as taking a psychological and historical look at the similarities between these groups. From the Knights Templar and Vlad Tepes, during the Gothic and Renaissance periods, to the modern day renewed interest in Vampires, from a variety of movies and television shows to the commercialization of Witchcraft; from the various stereotypes surrounding devil worship to the truth about true Satanism; this work delves into the darkness with a stark and unyielding offering of cold hard realities. Time has still not granted a favorable view on dark aspects of art, music, or religious paths. Many of these groups have been secretly whispered about and confused with one another. This book attempts to enlighten readers about some of the more positive aspects within the dark culture, and to dispel the notion that the dark is “evil”.”

The book interviews notable figures from these subcultures including author Michelle Belanger, gothic fashion designer Kambriel, and current High Priest of the Church of Satan Peter H. Gilmore. While not academic in tone, the book looks like it could be a good introduction to some misunderstood subcultures and belief systems.

Thanks to Th’Elf for the tip-off.

A Look At Where Wicca (And Many Other Things) Started

Cambridge historians have been awarded a £1m grant to find out how much Victorian-era historians and scholars influenced, reinterpreted, and reinvented pre-Victorian history to fit their sensibilities. Some of the areas the project will be looking into will be writings on ancient Egypt, “the Merrie England of Good Queen Bess” (something that Ronald Hutton has studied quite extensively), and the influence of Greece and Rome.

The Victorian obsession with classical Greek culture is one of the many threads that eventually lead to the birth (or rebirth if you will) of modern Paganism and Wicca (again, Hutton’s writings on this subject are essential). Here is what the article has to say on the subject.

“Then there were debates about Greece and Rome. As early as the 1860s, some Victorian liberals were arguing that too much respect for Greece and Rome was positively anti-democratic, and that the compulsory teaching of Greek and Latin ought to be eliminated at grammar schools or even at Oxbridge. Modern languages such as French should be viewed as the proper foundation for a liberal education, some advocated. But others thought the Greeks were the fathers of democracy. Some thought the Greeks had prefigured Christianity, others that they were pagan and godless, others still (covertly) liked the paganism and godlessness and even (still more covertly!) celebrated the homoeroticism and naked emotionalism of certain aspects of classical Greek culture.”

The English fascination with the pre-Christian traditions and myths of ancient Greece would persist into our modern era. Influencing poetry, the arts, philosophy, religion and writing. These threads not only fed the first generation of modern Witches, but the writings of CS Lewis (where classical mythology loomed large in his Narnia books) and Tolkien (in Tolkien’s case he was inspired to write an “English” mythology that he felt was displaced by the English love of Greece). I look forward to the published results of this major grant, and hope it will shed more light on this dynamic and influential period of history.

Happy Thanksgiving

“We forfeited our country. Our lands have fallen into the hands of the aggressor. We have allowed the white man to keep us on our knees. What has happened cannot be changed, but today we must work towards a more humane America, a more Indian America, where men and nature once again are important; where the Indian values of honor, truth, and brotherhood prevail.” – Wamsutta, an Aquinnah Wampanoag elder and Native American activist, September 10, 1970