A few quick notes for you on this Sunday.

Death Threats Against Sacred Source: Back on the 10th, I reported that Rajan Zed‘s Universal Society of Hinduism, and the Forum for Hindu Awakening were protesting several Hindu statues made by Sacred Source, claiming that they were “denigrating” to their gods and their faith. Since then it seems that Sacred Source has been receiving death threats via e-mail.

“Since then, the company has received about two dozen unhappy e-mails, said Liana Kowalzik, who owns the company, Sacred Source, with her husband. About half of those were threats, she said. “How hard you pray and how hard you try, you shall not escape, the days are coming, when each part of your body starts decomposing while you are alive,” one angry person wrote. Wrote another, “I want to kill you at least cut your tongue for doing this. Regards.” Kowalzik said she won’t be swayed by the violent messages. “Who are they going to threaten with death next if I cave?” she asked.”

There has been no response or statement from Zed or the Forum for Hindu Awakening condemning these death threats that their media exploits have seemingly spurred.  According to a post on Sacred Source’s Facebook page made by Liana Kowalzik, the threats are being forwarded from the Forum for Hindu Awakening site. The FBI and local authorities have been notified.

So far, there’s been no sign that this cause is being taken up by other national Hindu organizations. Neither the American Hindu Association, or the Hindu American Foundation, have mentioned the controversy or issues in an official statement. As for Rajan Zed, it should be noted that he doesn’t speak for all Hindus in America, and some Hindu groups have never heard of him outside his press clippings. In fact, some Hindus are alternately amused and annoyed by Zed’s ongoing media antics. Meanwhile, Zed’s getting the Global Civil Rights Hindu Jewel Award at the 1st annual California Hinduism Summit, organized by, you guessed it, the Forum for Hindu Awakening.

Religion and Custody Battles: An ongoing fear for all religious minorities is having their religion and beliefs used against them in divorce child custody hearings. There, misinformation and bias can become life-wrecking, forcing some Pagans deep into the closet, cut off from their religious community for fear of losing custody.

“Katie fought for her marriage with an attempt at joint counseling, then she fought for her faith in court, now she is reduced to just fighting daily to keep her child. Could she have taken a chance that the judge would be open-minded enough to view her religion as “real” and benign? Sure, but the risk was too great. She gave in.  Katie left the coven and she no no longer goes to festivals or meets with other Pagans. She prays alone, in secret. Her husband was, and continues to, pushing hard for full custody to save his little girl from the evil inside her mother.”

The only solution for people like Katie, forced into the closet because she doesn’t have the resources to fight,  is to build the resources within our communities for all the individuals who don’t win the ACLU intervention lottery so they can fight. For those working in the judicial system to come out and fight the prejudices that make judges think a Pagan religion is less moral and healthy than Christianity. To build on the precedents set in cases like Harrison v. Tauheed, where a Kansas appellate court ruled that a mother’s religious practices are inadmissible in a custody dispute. Until the day comes when vengeful ex-spouses stop using our faiths as a weapon in custody hearings.

Polygamy’s Social Evils: I’ve reported before on the upcoming Supreme Court case in B.C., Canada that is looking to decriminalize the practice of multiple marriage. The family behind the case is a polyamorous triad, and a local Wiccan (among others) has filed an affidavit in support of decriminalization. Now the defense is filing their own affidavits, with one scholarly paper essentially saying that legalized polygamy would cause far more social harm than the harms of limiting religious freedom and freedom of expression.

“Increased crime, prostitution and anti-social behaviour. Greater inequality between men and women. Less parental investment in children. And, a general driving down of the age of marriage for all women. These are some of the harms of polygamy (or more correctly, polygyny, since it is almost always men marrying more than once) that are outlined in a 45-page research paper by noted Canadian scholar Joseph Henrich, filed Friday in B.C. Supreme Court.”

The government plans to go the “Muslims and Mormons” route in order to show that a decriminalized, let alone legalized, multiple marriage would cause massive social ills. Consider this a preview of what will come should a similar movement try to challenge the laws of the United States. Can we have healthy, legal, multiple marriages without also empowering the abusive patriarchal excesses of fundamentalist Mormons and other polygamous-friendly sects? If this becomes a high-profile issue, how will various Pagan groups, many of whom have endorsed, or at least tolerate, poly marriages, react?

That’s all I have for now, have a great day!

While modern Pagans, Hindus, Native/indigenous adherents, and various African diasporic practitioners in America may have some significant commonalities that make banding together to fight for religious freedoms and equal treatment a pragmatic option, we are all part of a far larger grouping known as “religious minorities” that’s a grab-bag of just about every faith that isn’t some form of Christianity (about 75% of the United States if you lump Catholics and Protestants together ). This larger unchosen demographic fellowship contains everyone from Muslims to Rastafarians, and is hardly what one would call a happy family. Still, in a country where Christian expressions, traditions, and allowances can seem hegemonic, there are some shared experiences.

“Imagine having an exam or mandatory meeting on a holiday with the religious importance of Christmas. It’s a regular occurrence for religious minorities in the United States … In many ways, religious minorities get the short end of the stick. Having her high school’s homecoming on Yom Kippur was not a shocker to Emma Peck-Block, whose family was one of the few Jewish ones in the small town of Menomonie, Wisconsin. Like many minorities, Peck-Block went to what many minorities call the “Christmas argument.” “We caused a stir and asked, ‘If it was a basketball game on Christmas, would you change it?’ and they said, ‘Of course,’” Peck-Block said.”

The CNN report quoted above goes on to present the argument that religious minorities may have an “advantage” because we form stronger religious identities and bonds with co-religionists. Surely that is partially true, and it’s why many Christian denominations present themselves as minorities despite their collective cultural and demographic dominance, often framing our mere existence as an attack on “Christian America”, or exaggerating the size and influence of various religious minorities to form a more intense group identity. However, I don’t agree with Rabbi Saul “Simcha” Prombaum that religious minorities should take an accommodationist stance when it comes towards seeking equal treatment.

“Prombaum has some advice. “You’re better off finding a way to accommodate yourself rather than force acceptance when you live as a minority in a majority culture,” he said. “Instead of forcing the majority to bend, it’s better for you to enlighten the population.” Do you agree? What do you believe are the advantages of being a religious minority, if there are any? Should minorities force the majority to bend or do you agree with Rabbi Prombaum?”

The idea that we should keep quiet, not rock the boat, and hope that eventually we’ll sway the majority by being very nice and informative is a recipe for remaining perpetual second-class citizens in a supposedly secularly governed country. Without litigation, without protest, without some fierce personalities who were willing to stick their necks out, modern Paganism would still be a tiny, secretive, and wildly misunderstood group of cults, our social standing not much different from what we had back in the 1960s. While some modern Pagans do indeed yearn for some kind of return to that time, just as some Christians yearn for a return to various early “purer” points in their own faith, it is neither a practical or wise choice for a family of faiths that is now growing rapidly with virtually no proselytizing. We are far too along in our journey to reverse course, we can only accept what we have become, are becoming, and fight to ensure we are free to practice as we wish. To be treated equally under the law, or continue to see our affiliations used against us in the courts, in the classrooms, in our prisons, in our workplaces, and in our military.

In addition, the demographics are changing. Continual Christian dominance isn’t a sure thing any longer. Most likely not in my lifetime, but eventually, America we’ll see a true shift into “post-Christianity”, a world where the Christian world-view and morality is no longer solely dominant. When that time comes, all of us who were once in the “religious minorities” will have to decide what kind of society and culture we’ll have. Will we pursue the fierce secularism of France? Or will America end up looking a lot more like India?

“India is secular and a democracy but a country with a billon-plus population — consisting of hundreds of tribes, clans and castes following myriad beliefs — can be pretty fickle when it comes to defining ’sensitive’ topics and easily susceptible to parochial politics … If countries like France lay emphasis on the separation of religion and state, in India, most aspects of public life are inter-connected with religion, not to mention caste, tribe and what not.”

The path America takes, not to mention countries dealing with similar tensions, like Canada, the UK and Australia, will come fraught with drawbacks, tensions, and problems, no matter which way we collectively turn. But what is certain is that we need to make sure we are taking an active role in shaping our future, politically, legally, and socially, or else the decision will be entirely out of our hands. There’s no guarantee that the post-Christianity our Pagan children and grandchildren face will be one friendlier to our faiths and traditions. If building a better future for us means daring to ask our “Christian nation” to “bend”, then so be it.

Top Story: It looks like openly Pagan New York City councilman Dan Halloran has been vindicated in his recent clash with a parking enforcement agent. The NY Daily News reports that a judge threw out the $165 ticket written to him during his confrontation with traffic agent Daniel Chu, and that Chu has been disciplined and sent back to training.

“The lawmaker had tailed Chu after he saw the agent speed through a stop sign with his police lights flashing, he said. When Halloran stopped to snap photos of Chu parked illegally in front of a Dunkin’ Donuts in Whitestone, Queens, Chu hollered at him and wrote him a ticket for blocking a crosswalk. Chu was put on foot patrol and is required to undergo retraining at the Police Academy, which includes sensitivity training. He also faces several days’ docked pay, police sources said. After the Daily News ran a story on the confrontation last month, Halloran was bombarded with calls and e-mails from motorists claiming to have been wrongly ticketed by Chu. Complaints included the agent doling out tickets to a funeral procession, he said, adding that he is still calling for a review of every ticket the agent wrote.”

Considering how many New Yorkers feel about traffic agents, I’m sure Halloran has won himself a few new supporters from this little tempest in a tea-cup. But this doesn’t look like the end of troubles for the freshman council member, the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF) is calling for a federal investigation into the election that made Halloran a councilman, citing accusations of racial intimidation at the polls.

AALDEF told us their observers saw Asian-American voters and volunteers for Kim’s campaign harrassed and even assaulted by whites. The Halloran campaign countered that vanloads of Asian voters from outside the district were brought in to vote, and that voters were encouraged not to support him because of his pre-Christian pagan religious beliefs. Today, AALDEF is also claiming Korean-American voters also faced roadblocks to casting their ballots, thanks to the “racially discriminatory application of election procedures by New York City Board of Elections officials.”

I’m very certain there were racial tensions heightened during the campaign, and I don’t doubt that some thugs engaged in direct harassment of Asian voters, but there’s been no real proof that the Halloran campaign participated, encouraged, or benefited from such actions. Halloran, for his part, says he welcomes “any investigation to address election issues, especially voter fraud and electioneering inside the prohibited zones, as well as whether monitors followed the rules for avoiding voters entering polling sites before they voted.”

Another Pagan Music Festival: We have the music-focused Faerieworlds in Oregon, and the upcoming festival of Pagan Music That Doesn’t Suck in Missouri, and now Bangor Daily News reports that the Eastern Maine Pagan Pride Association will sponsor the state’s first pagan music festival.

“What makes a pagan song pagan is the lyrics rather than the kind of music or the instruments, according to Keri Alley, who helped organize the event. “Portland has held a pagan pride event, but this is the first event in the state devoted to pagan music,” she said recently. The performers will include Women with Wings, 1476, SadisTech, Lorelei Greenwood, Wolf Bone and Brite Phoenix. Members of Dark Follies, including Selcouth, are scheduled to perform. Brotha Luv, the host of WERU’s “Head Rush” show, will act as emcee.”

A sign that Pagan music’s time is soon arriving? Harbinger of a generational shift in Pagan-themed events? The most exciting thing about this show is that I haven’t heard of many of these bands, which points to a far larger underground of Pagan music-making than maybe any of us have anticipated. Artists at the festival include Lorelei Greenwood, Dark Follies, Women with Wings, 1476, SadisTech, and Wolf Bone.

Botanicas and Those Who Supply Them: Fascinating in-depth journalistic treatments of minority faiths, and the businesses that grow up around them, are truly rare. So I was very happy to see the Dallas Observer’s profile of Chango Botánica in Oak Cliff, and its resident folk healer (curandero) Francisco “Pancho” Diaz.

“You can’t take out the religious element from the botánicas,” says Northern Arizona University anthropology professor Robert Trotter, who has researched curanderismo, Mexican-American folk medicine. “But, if you were to do so, there would be a huge overlap between what they carry and many of the supplements and products sold at, say, a GNC or someplace like Whole Foods.”

Despite Chango Botanica’s popularity and success, its future is threatened by a cancer diagnosis for Pancho, and a planned rezoning and gentrification of the neighborhood that will drive up property values, and drive away the shop’s usual clientèle.

“Imagine one day you’re driving and you don’t see that lighthouse of beautiful saints from multiple faiths and beliefs, and you ask yourself, ‘What happened?’” Jorge says. “We are a fixture in this community and so is every other business on West Davis. It’s sad to see even one tire shop disappear. And if a tire shop can make me feel that way, think about Chango Botánica.”

The whole article is worth the read, and I encourage you to do so. Better yet, as evidence of the amount of research Daniel Rodrigue did for this piece, he presents a story thread that didn’t make it into the main article; a spotlight of the candle manufacturer that supplies many of the local botanicas. It, along with a slideshow of Chango Botanica’s back rooms give an engaging portrait of a thriving economy that many of us barely notice.

A New Training Program for Pagan Clergy: Pagan organization Earth Traditions, co-founded by Angie Buchanan and Drake Spaeth, has officially launched their new training program for Pagan clergy.

“Thank you for your interest in the Earth Traditions Ministry Training Program. This is not a Seminary, a program of magical instruction, or necessarily an ordination track. This is a practical certificated training program designed to provide Pagans who wish to be Ministers, (servants of the community) an array of tools and resources to inform and protect both the individual and the communities they serve.”

You can find an outline of their curriculum, here, and a list of instructors, here. I couldn’t find word on when their Fall semester begins or ends, but I’m sure interested parties can find out by contacting Earth Traditions.  In other Pagan clergy/leader training news, the next National Pagan Leadership Skills Conference is coming up next week in Virginia, and Cherry Hill Seminary’s Fall registration is now open. It should be interesting to see how all these organizations, and others, rise to the challenge of providing leadership training to an ever-expanding modern Pagan community in the years to come.

A Ritual Death Results in Homicide Charge: A Santero in Puerto Rico, Jose Cadiz Tapia, has been charged with negligent homicide in the death of a woman who suffered extensive second-degree burns after he allegedly dropped a candle into an alcohol bath she was undergoing under his direction.

“Police consider 28-year-old Stephanie Rodriguez Pizarro’s death in July 2009 in a San Juan housing project to be an accident, and say she sought the treatment to help with marital and financial troubles. She died of second-degree burns over half her body. The healer, 46-year-old Jose Cadiz Tapia, was charged Tuesday following an investigation that took about a year to complete, police said. He faces six months to three years in prison if convicted.”

What is it with bizarre ritual deaths lately? Needless to say, if you are bathing in flammable liquid, do so well away from flames. If you do think alcohol baths and candles mix, be sure you really, really, trust the person holding the candles, and that you take precautions against an agonizing fiery death.

A Quick Final Note on Catholic Empathy: A Zambia chief is imprisoning “witches” in an illegal dungeon in his palace basement, and the Malole Catholic Church Parish Council has threatened to withhold holy communion from the chief (who apparently is nominally Catholic) if the practice continues. Good for the local Catholic Church, right? Well, apparently it’s snarky comedy gold for National Catholic Register blogger/commentator Pat Archbold.

“It seems the deal-breaker in this case is that the Chief’s sorcerer slammer does not provide adequate toilet facilities.  Nothing will bring down the full wrath of the God and Amnesty International like not having adequate porta-potties in your own personal Azkaban. While sharia law may allow for attempted murders (or actual murders) on the cast of Harry Potter actresses, the Church still frowns upon such activity.  Porta-potties or no porta-potties. Closer home, certain Catholic politicians who oppose the Church do not seem to be in any danger of being banned from Communion any time soon.  Not that they are too worried about that anyway. Apparently in U.S, just as in Zambia, the witches are still free to receive communion.“

Yes, because voting the wrong way in a democracy is equatable to illegally imprisoning accused witches in your basement! Also note that he makes no mention of the hundreds of thousands killed, tortured, and abused because of witch-hysteria around the world, but instead makes a correlation to the “witches” (ie Catholic politicians who are pro-choice) receiving communion in America. Truly, his empathy and sense of proportion is staggering.

That’s all I have for now, have a great day!

I’m on the road again today, returning to my home in Oregon, so I won’t have time to do my usual overview of the Pagan news. Instead, I’d like to take this opportunity to share some more reporting from this year’s Pagan Spirit Gathering that I recently attended. First, here’s a picture from the main ritual that was released for print by Circle Sanctuary. If you squint, you can spot me in the spiral dance (hint: I’m wearing black).

I’d also like to point out two more PSG interviews that Star Foster conducted that are now posted to the Patheos.com Pagan Portal. One from SkyCat and Bella, who began the Bast ritual at PSG, and another with members of the Ghetto Shaman camp. From me, in case you missed it, I interviewed Pagan musician (and OBOD Pendragon) Damh the Bard, which was recently aired on the A Darker Shade of Pagan podcast (you should also check out my previous PSG post, complete with interviews).

There’s a lot more coverage we collectively did as part of the Pagan Newswire Collective, working with Circle Sanctuary, and you’ll be able to hear more of it on upcoming podcasts from T. Thorn Coyle and the Pagan Centered Podcast. But the work we did isn’t going to be limited to a handful of media outlets, we are in the process of uploading all the audio to Archive.org making it available for any Pagan media outlet, blog, radio show, or podcast, that wants to utilize it. Allowing these stories and memories to spread and survive for those who were there, and for those who have never experienced a large Pagan festival.

We are hoping that this becomes a tradition at PSG, and also spreads to other established Pagan events. A growing Pagan media recording experiences and stories, preserving memories, and sharing this unique culture with a wider audience. An audio and textual archive of Pagans coming together to celebrate and create community. A resource that could be a boon to future historians, academics, journalists, and seekers. I hope festival organizers consider the opportunities of having a Pagan media team at their event, and that in future years we will see coverage from many festivals on blogs like mine.

Planning a trip to China? Want to see mythological sites associated with the Monkey King, Taoist trickster god Nezha, or Guan Yin, Goddess of Mercy? Then you better do your homework ahead of time. It seems the lucrative tourist trade in China has spurred many communities into claiming to be the “hometown” of various legendary and mythological figures in order to profit, and the Chinese government isn’t too happy about this turn of events.

“The Ministry of Culture (MOC) and the State Administration of Cultural Heritage (SACH) have called time on the controversial, and sometimes vulgar, competition of some local authorities claiming to be the hometowns of mythological and historical heroes, and even sometimes villains. The measure came after a host of news reports highlighting the disputes over the birthplaces of almost every renowned name in the country. According to a circular jointly released by the MOC and the SACH, local tourism and cultural heritage authorities are urged to restrain their appetite for exploiting the fame of well-known figures. What’s more, the commercial development of evildoers, no matter whether they are real, fictional or mythological, will be banned. The circular also criticized some local governments for competing to name their places as the hometowns of an eminent person in an effort to profit from tourism.”

However, the lure of tourist revenue seems to be trumping government admonitions against exploitation, and a total ban on utilizing “evildoers”. Two regions are currently competing to be the “home” of notorious folkloric adulterer Ximen Qing, one complete with an adultery-themed site.

“Both of them have proclaimed themselves the hometown of Ximen and each announced an ambitious investment plan to build sites celebrating his exploits. ”It is improper for local authorities to use real or fictional figures to attract attention,” said Li Xiaocong, a history professor with Peking University.”

Of course, trying to stop towns and communities from laying claim to famous historical and legendary figures is like trying to grasp water. Just examine any tourist route in almost any country, and you’ll see a proliferation of “hometowns” and sites of heroic (or vile) deeds allegedly perpetrated on that very spot. I fear that a government that prides itself on control may find this task of regulating folklore a bit too big to handle.

Often those on the road to spiritual enlightenment and wisdom will undertake peak experiences of various natures to further them on their respective paths. When done properly, and safely, they can offer new perspectives and insights that can change the participants lives. When done improperly, injury and death can occur. The Moscow News provides another cautionary tale from a man looking to reenact an ancient Slavic burial ritual.

“Planning to recreate an ancient Slavonic ritual, the deceased took a hosepipe with him for the underground vigil and believed he would be perfectly safe and able to breathe freely until he was released half an hour later … Unfortunately, Interfax reported, this historical re-enactment was destined to end in tragedy when the weight of the soil above him crushed the victim’s neck, chest and abdomen, leading to asphyxiation.”

So remember, don’t count on Fortuna to always be with you when attempting a dangerous rite of passage or ritual. There’s a reason India has banned the practice of live burial, and why most modern variations of live burial rituals come with several safeguards against suffocation.

Many of our revered wise men and women from history have undergone tests of their endurance and faith, events that could have killed them. But what history doesn’t speak of are the thousands more who attempt their feats and never survive to pass on the wisdom gained from the experience. So be wise, remember that redundancy and safety go hand-in-hand, and also remember that many of the most significant spiritual/religious breakthroughs come when one is merely sitting.

As you may know, in addition to this blog, I also maintain a weekly ongoing streaming radio show and podcast dedicated to darker streams of Pagan music. So in that spirit, I have a few music-related news items to share with you today.

New Album From Omnia: Gothtronic alerts us that European Pagan folk act Omnia have scheduled a new album release, entitled “Wolf Love”, for September.

“Dutch pagan folk band Omnia will release their new album ”Wolf Love” at 10.09 through Screaming Banshee records. 2011 will bring the band to many German festival stages. With this event the conquering of the German medieval music market has started. First the band Omnia can be seen at the biggest fantasy festival of Holland, Castlefest, and at a theater tour through The Netherlands.”

For those lucky enough to go to this year’s Castlefest, you’ll be spoiled by performances from Pagan acts like Omnia, Faun, and The Moon & The Nightspirit. You’ll also be able to buy an advance copy of “Wolf Love”. Makes you want to see Holland, doesn’t it?

Speaking of Pagan Music Performances: Holland too expensive? How about Eugene, Oregon? Faerieworlds 2010 is coming up, July 30th – August 1st, and will feature Pagan and Pagan-friendly acts like Faun, Stellamara, Australia’s Wendy Rule, and Tricky Pixie among others.

“Faerieworlds is famous for introducing international acclaimed bands to the West Coast festival scene. This year we are taking out all the stops: we are featuring seven new bands who will perform on the Faerieworlds stage in Eugene for the first time. This is the most amazing main stage line-up we have ever presented: check it out!”

It’s a fun time, and hopefully it won’t be in record-breaking heat again this year. Probably the biggest Pagan-friendly music event this year, though October’s Pagan Music That Doesn’t Suck festival may rival it.

Mysticism and Music: Lashtal passes the word that Weiser has just released the John Zorn-edited “Arcana V: Music, Magic and Mysticism”, featuring contributions from Genesis Breyer P-Orridge, Meredith Monk, Larkin Grimm, and several other luminaries who walk that liminal space between music and magic.

“Mysticism, magic and alchemy all come into play in the creative process. For centuries musicians have tapped into things spiritual, embracing ritual, spell, incantation and prayer deeply into their life and work. Although the connection of music to mysticism has been consistent, well documented and productive, it is still shrouded in mystery and largely misunderstood. For this special edition, Arcana focuses on the nexus of mysticism and spirituality in the magical act of making music. Far from an historical overview or cold musicologist’s study, these essays illuminate a fascinating and elusive subject via the eloquent voices of today’s most distinguished modern practitioners and greatest occult thinkers, providing insights into the esoteric traditions and mysteries involved in the composition and performance of the most mystical of all arts.”

Sounds like a must own for anyone who is interested in explorations of how the performance, creation, and experience of music is one of the greatest mystical and magical practices.

The Apocalypse According to David Tibet: In a final quick note, for fans of David Tibet’s magick-making gnostic music project Current 93, The Quietus has a review of their latest offering “Baalstorm, Sing Omega”.

“Current 93′s progression from their post-industrial loops roots, through occultscapes with a heavy Crowley lean and pastoral pentagram/pentecostal folk, has seen them recently arrive at hyper-visual prog-folk-rock preaching. Surprisingly sharp on the heels of last year’s Aleph at Hallucinatory Mountain and as the final piece of a trilogy, Baalstorm Sing Omega sees the band withdrawing from their recent heavier rock-rooted sound. Where the first two-thirds of the trilogy went for the horizon blotting sounds of a bigger, more typical rock aesthetic, the band here are a far gentler collective. Melancholia lies heavy in their hands.”

For those intrigued by this review, but overwhelmed by Current 93′s impressive breadth of output, here’s a quick guide to what the album’s sound like.

That’s all I have for now, have a great day!