Quick Note: Agora Teaser Trailer

February 26, 2009 By Jason Pitzl-Waters 7 Comments

The movie “Agora”, which chronicles the pagan philosopher Hypatia’s attempts to preserve the collected wisdom of Alexandria, has released a teaser trailer.

“Agora” is scheduled for a mid-December 2009 release (rioting Christian mobs are quite Christmas-y). The film is directed by Alejandro Amenabar (“The Others”, “The Sea Inside”), and stars Academy Award-winning English actress Rachel Weisz as Hypatia. For more on the film check out my post from March 2008. Thanks to Rimrunner for the heads-up!

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The Apple iPhone: The Newest Ritual Tool?

February 25, 2009 By Jason Pitzl-Waters 8 Comments

Before we begin, I recommend playing this song in the background to experience the full effect of this blog post. I should also mention that I don’t own an Apple iPhone, and have no intention of purchasing one in the near future. So having said all that, let’s get into the topic at hand: is the Apple iPhone the new killer app for Pagan and occult practitioners? I don’t simply mean Pagans using them as script prompters during ritual, I mean using this hot tech item to cast spells, practice divination, and even curse your enemies.

The iPhone helps you manage your e-mail, listen to your music, stay connected, and—every now again—make a phone call or two. Now, with the assistance of two recent arrivals at the App Store, it can also help you master the dark arts. Oh, sure—VooDude bills itself as an entertainment app, but I think we can see through its facade. The app, from Aspyr Media lets you create your very own voodoo doll, which you can then poke with your finger, shake using the built-in accelerometer, or (virtually) set on fire. Aspyr calls Voo Dude a “stress relief buddy,” and I’m sure it’s all fun and games—until someone uses the app’s customization feature to create a VooDude who looks suspiciously like you. (You can use pictures from the image library on the iPhone or iPod touch to personalize your voodoo doll.)

What better way to focus your will than using a machine you already obsess over and use every day? The makers of VooDude should also include a healing extension for the program (band-aids, medicine, etc), imagine the boost in sales! Respond immediately to healing energy requests you get via e-mail on your iPhone! Brilliant! However, if poppets aren’t really your thing, there are also several divinatory tools available for the iPhone, from palmistry to several tarot-based programs (iTarot, Touch Tarot, Party Tarot). Also, you may never miss a high holiday again.

“Get quick offline information and forthcoming dates of all religious festivals. Religious festivals give us an opportunity to ignite cosmic love, mercy, generosity, selflessness, truthfulness and purity. Each festival, in its own way, pays tribute to all the enlightened beings and the pure inner love we nurture in our hearts. Major festivals of all religions including … Asatru  …Hindu …Wiccan”

That along with programs to help you along in your esoteric studies, keep track of moon phases, and brush up on classic esoteric texts, certainly positions the iPhone as an attractive piece of machinery for the aspiring techno-Pagan . I can only imagine the interactive possibilities once more Pagan programmers get to work. Maybe the iPhone has finally created a useful ritual (and lifestyle) tool for a truly modern Pagan population…. [soundtrack swells].

PS – In a fit of self-promotion (and speaking of swelling soundtracks), I should mention that the iPhone has access to all the podcasts listed in iTunes, which means you could subscribe to A Darker Shade of Pagan to provide the  perfect soundtrack for your modern Pagan lifestyle. I merely remark.

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Update: Setback in Wiccan Chaplaincy Case

February 25, 2009 By Jason Pitzl-Waters 1 Comment

Religion Clause (the best source for religious litigation news) just posted some new developments in the numerous legal challenges that Wiccan chaplain Patrick McCollum had brought against the state of California’s prison system, and it looks like more bad news.

“In McCollum v. California, 2009 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 13580 (ND CA, Feb. 23, 2009), a volunteer Wiccan prison chaplain claimed that the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation has not given him the same access to prisoners and facilities as it gives to chaplains of other faiths, and that it retaliated against him because of his complaints about the treatment of Wiccans in California prisons. The court held that plaintiff had not shown sufficient evidence of disparate treatment to support his equal protection claim. Nor had he proven that the temporary suspension of his volunteer privileges or the failure to hire him for a position for which he applied were because of his exercise of 1st Amendment rights. (See prior related posting.)”

This, along with McCollum’s loss concerning challenges to California’s “five faiths” policy, doesn’t exactly paint a rosy picture concerning the future of Wiccan/Pagan prison chaplaincy. No word yet on if McCollum plans to challenge these rulings to a higher court. One brief ray of hope here is that law professor Howard M. Friedman (author of Religion Clause) points to a recently-released ruling from last year that could help McCollum lauch a more successful challenge to the “five faiths” policy.

“While the Northern District of California denied standing to a chaplain to challenge the 5 Faiths Policy, a decision from last year has just become available through LEXIS in which the Eastern District of California finds that an inmate does have standing to challenge the policy. In Rouser v. White, 2008 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 107199 (ED CA, Sept. 16, 2008), the court also found that plaintiff’s complaint alleges “plausible grounds” for relief in his Establishment Clause challenge.”

So if McCollum partners up with a Wiccan or Pagan inmate willing to challenge the “five faiths” he might get a bit further next time. This may also be true in issues concerning equal access of Pagan prisoners to chaplains. In the meantime, the ongoing mistreatment of minority religions in prison continues.

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Baking Some New Cakes

February 24, 2009 By Jason Pitzl-Waters 1 Comment

The Medusa Coils blog recently alerted me to the fact that the (in)famous feminist thealogy course “Cakes for the Queen of Heaven” (the title taken from a famous Bible verse) has released a new and updated version, now available through the Unitarian-Universalist Women & Religion non-profit group.

In the past 20 years it is estimated that 80% of UU congregations have offered the “Cakes” curriculum. Many congregations have offered the series repeatedly. Women who participated state that, “Cakes changed my life! . . . It connected me with my spirituality. . . . It made me aware that history often excludes herstory.” Even when the curriculum was out of print, some congregations continued to offer the series, using well worn, if not battered materials. Today there are many women who are young or new to UU or who have never experienced this series. The woman affirming message of “Cakes” is still just as relevant and necessary today as it was twenty years ago. With the newly revised and republished materials, we can begin anew.

It is safe to say that this course has had a large affect on the growth of feminist thealogy, Pagan religion, and recognition of the feminine divine in our culture. Over twenty years later, despite this growth in popularity of more female-focused or gender-balanced faiths, the mere idea of a female divinity (let alone the “Queen of Heaven”) is still enough to drive some monotheistic adherents to distraction. The vitality and endurance of  “Cakes for the Queen of Heaven” can perhaps be measured by the  scandals that erupt whenever the course, or one like it, dares to emerge outside the permissive boundaries of the UU church.

It should be interesting to see what the next twenty years of grass-roots feminist thealogy might do. Not only to Unitarian-Universalism, Goddess worshipers, and Pagans, but to the faiths with a vested interest in seeing women as subordinate. Check out the new “Cakes For The Queen of Heaven” blog, as well as samples from the course and a FAQ for more information.

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