[You can read part one of this entry, here.]

05. Dominionism! The Reponse! Christians Behaving Badly! I don’t revel in writing about extremism and anti-Pagan fervor within the politically and culturally dominant Christian religion(s), much preferring to instead highlight achievements and challenges within our interconnected communities. Still, even the most temperate of commentator would have to agree that this was the year when some ugly elements within Christianity inched ever closer to the mainstream, and, for a time, received some much-needed scrutiny from the mainstream press. There were three main and intertwining narratives, the Christian religious phenomenon known as Dominionism, the continuing emergence of the New Apostolic Reformation, and the embrace of these elements by mainstream politicians.

“What [Pastor] Thomas [Muthee] was probably doing, and he and I are friends also, what he was probably doing was speculating that there would be some people who practiced witchcraft and other forms of the occult who would try and take Sarah Palin down through certain rituals or curses or other techniques that witches have and try to destroy her through those things. And I think Thomas was praying a shield of protection around Sarah so that she would not be affected by them.” - C. Peter Wagner, one of key architects and Apostles of the New Apostolic Reformation movement, on NPR’s Fresh Air.

Fred Clark at Slacktivist pointed out that Dominionism has been a serious concern within conservative Christian circles for some time now, but many Christian commentators chose to frame questions about it as conspiracy theory  or anti-Christian paranoia by leftist/liberal elements. Meanwhile, for many Pagans, the New Apostolic Reformation’s spiritual warfare techniques started hitting too close to home, spurring a counter-campaign to preserve religious liberty and diversity. A serious discussion of these issues that goes beyond denial and alarmism is clearly needed, especially since we are at a point where serious presidential candidate have clear and definable ties to figures within these movements. As I’ve pointed out before, paying lip-service to extreme elements may seem politically expedient, but it can have serious repercussions once a candidate has taken power. I fear the “Religious Right” is becoming something very different from what people understand, and I hope that these controversies in 2011 were but passing storms and not a harbinger of what is to come.

04. Patrick McCollum, The Ninth Circuit, and the Future of Pagan Chaplaincy: At the end of 2010 I said that the struggles of Pagan activist and chaplain Patrick McCollum “represented and defined the public face of Paganism” and that there’s “every indication the 2011 will see even more from this tireless advocate for Pagan rights.” 2011 did indeed see much more from McCollum, as his legal challenge to the State of California’s “five faiths” policy saw a serious setback when the 9th Circuit Court upheld a lower court decision stating he doesn’t have standing to challenge California’s discriminatory “five faiths” policy. This policy limits the hiring of paid chaplains to Protestant, Catholic, Jewish, Muslim, and Native American adherents and is part of what McCollum has called an “endemic” level of religious discrimination against minority faiths in our prison system. Ultimately, McCollum decided to not appeal this ruling, and is instead working to shepherd new cases through the court system.

Patrick McCollum on the cover of Witches & Pagans.

“I’m currently in a place where if an inmate brought a case, my case could go forward [...] I saw this coming down the pike, and so I have helped inmates bring forward cases that meet the criteria to make it so my case is viable and valid [...] I’ve managed to keep those cases under the radar and the first of those cases his the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals last week. [...] If the court rules that those inmates who are on that case do have a right to a chaplain then I can walk right back into the court and forget the ruling made by the 9th Circuit or anybody else.”

These battles are vital, as the basic question of equal treatment for Pagans and other minority religions lies at its center. Access to chaplains, to religious guidance and instruction, should be a fundamental right and the human cost when that right is denied can be greater that some would imagine. The rights of prisoners are a canary in the coalmine of our society, what we imagine is acceptable to deny them eventually become acceptable to deny others. Precedents are won and lost behind bars, and McCollum has worked tirelessly to ensure that minority religions have access to chaplaincy. I have no doubt that 2012 will see even more reverberations from this story, and from the larger battle over access to chaplains.

03. Candidate Gary Johnson and the Pagan Media: On October 16th a live Google+ video interview/”hangout” with GOP Presidential candidate Gov. Gary Johnson and members of the Pagan media was held. Pagan media organizations participating in the Q&A with the former New Mexico Governor included Cara Schulz of PNC-Minnesota, Star Foster of Patheos.com, Devin Hunter of ModernWitch Podcast, David Salisbury of PNC-Washinton DC, Crystal Blanton of PNC-Bay Area, and myself. In addition,Ramesh Rao of the Hindu American Foundation also took part. It was, as far as I can tell, the first time any serious presidential candidate agreed to speak with Pagan media representatives, and Johnson’s willingness to reach out to us ended up making headlines in the political-minded press (and snarked about at Wonkette, New York Magazine, and Gawker).

The former New Mexico governor spoke with members of the Pagan Newswire Collective, ModernWitch Podcast and Patheos.com, among others. He said it was important to reach out to voters that fall outside the Christian, Jewish and Muslim faiths, and slammed his own party for being too beholden to the Christian right. “I think the world looks down on Republicans for their socially conservative views, which includes religion in government,” Johnson said. “I think that should not play a role in any of this. When Republicans talk about values — you know what? I bet you and I have the same values.”

In an editorial at The Washington Post I tried to contextualize the importance of this event, noting that alienating religious minorities is not a good long-term strategy for any political party, and that modern Pagans have real, serious, concerns that should be addressed by our political system. Since that press conference, Johnson has indicated that he’ll try to run as a Libertarian in 2012, noting that obstacles his candidacy has faced within the current Republican Party. Johnson’s chances to win the presidency of the United States are slim, but his willingness to reach out to Pagans, whatever the motivations were, opens a door to our faiths being taken seriously within the context of American politics.

02. Occupy Paganism: Time Magazine named “The Protester” as its Person of the Year, including in that archetype the growing and ever-evolving Occupy movement that started with Occupy Wall Street in New York. The movement, centered on issues of economic justice, has gripped the news as Occupy camps were (sometimes violently) removed by police, and Occupiers “mic checked” various events and political figures. Several modern Pagans have involved themselves with the Occupy movement, including noted figures like Starhawk, who noted with amazement how the organizing ethos she’s long preached suddenly sprung forward organically to effect massive changes in a matter of months. Former COG First Officer Peter Dybing stood ready to be arrested with Occupiers in Florida, while T. Thorn Coyle noted why so many Pagans seemed to take to Occupy so readily.

Peter Dybing at Occupy Fort Lauderdale

“Not all Pagans or Magick Workers support the Occupy movement. I would not expect them to. However, I am unsurprised at the large number of us who do. We are used to linking the spiritual with the material, honoring the sacred in the baking bread, the programmed pixels, the words we speak, the trees, the earth, the sky. Some of us find comfort in humanity and some from our Gods. For me, the Occupy movement includes all of this. Also, Occupy is about the spirit of individual people striving to connect with one another, to feed each other, to fight for each other, and to lift each other up.”

Here at The Wild Hunt I’ve tried to document Pagan involvement with the Occupy movement, highlighting Pagan chaplains at Occupy Wall Street, launching a group blog to document Pagan and Heathen voices, and even interjecting with a rare moment of pure editorializing in favor of the movement’s goals. As things progress I think we’ll see more Pagan voices emerge from within the Occupy movement, using the organizational and spiritual technologies taught them by their traditions to effect change. I think this is a unique moment for politics in America, and for modern Pagans who involve themselves with it. I think history is being made, and when it is written, Pagan voices will be a part of that narrative.

01. West Memphis Three Go Free: On August 19th, 2011, the West Memphis 3 (Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin and Jesse Misskelley Jr.) were released from prison on an Alford plea. The West Memphis 3 case is perhaps the most high-profile trial known in which the 1980s Satanic moral panic played a significant role, using Damien Echols interest in the occult and Wicca as proof of his murderous interests. The case was decided with no physical evidence, and a coerced confession from the mentally challenged Misskelley. Jessie Misskelley’s former defense attorney Dan Stidham, in an interview with John Morehead, paints a picture of the Satanic hysteria that surrounded the trial.

“…you really have to put this case into historical perspective. In 1993, the Satanic Bandwagon Folks like Dr. Griffis were mainstream and largely supported by both the media and established religion. We now know better, just like we now know that there are such things as “coerced confessions.” In 1993, virtually everybody believed that the phenomena of Satanic Ritualistic Homicide was very real, and perhaps even more regrettably, that no one, not even a mentally handicapped person, or a child, would confess to a crime that they did not commit. Thankfully, due in large part to pioneers with real credentials like Dr. Gisli Gudjohnson, Dr. Richard Ofshe, and Dr. Richard Leo, we now understand the dynamics of false confessions. By the way, not many people remember that Dr. Ofshe won a Pulitzer Prize for his work studying religious “cults.” He had a dual expertise.”

It’s easy to forget how pervasive anti-Satanic propaganda was back then, with many journalists and talk-show hosts (even Oprah) diving right into the hysteria. The result was thousands of lives ruined, directly or indirectly, by this phenomenon until it finally lost steam and faced a backlash from investigators and skeptical Christians. As a society, we are still dealing with the fallout of “Satanic Ritual Abuse” panic, and sadly, some judges and prosecutors are continuing to engage in the same tactics that convicted the WM3. The freeing of the West Memphis Three presents a vindication of those who have long fought against individuals being prosecuted simply for their outsider beliefs or mannerisms, and a warning that these moral panics can happen in a supposedly rational and free society.

That wraps up my top ten news stories about or affecting modern Paganism in 2011. Thanks for reading, and I hope you’ll join me for another year of sifting through the news and views of interest to our communities. See you in 2012!

[The following is a guest post from Courtney Weber and Mary Caliendo. Mary Caliendo and Courtney Weber are Wiccan Priestesses living in New York City, who chaplain the Occupy Wall Street movement through the Support and Medic Working Groups. Mary can be reached at maryacaliendo@earthlink.net and Courtney can be reached at courtneyaweber@gmail.com. Courtney is also a contributor to the Pagan Newswire Collective's new blog documenting Pagan and Heathen involvement in the Occupy movement. I hope you'll join her, and the other contributors, there.]

We are Wiccan Priestesses who have been Chaplaining at Occupy Wall Street.

Courtney’s story:

I became personally engaged with the movement from day one—when one of my Coveners could not attend our September 17th Mabon because he was going downtown to camp in a park that I’d never heard of with “a bunch of other people” to “show Wall Street that we’d had enough.” I didn’t understand what he was doing, but as I am supportive of peaceful action toward change, I applauded his efforts, but didn’t see myself getting any further involved than offering him use of my shower. Within a few weeks, however, I found myself sitting in Liberty Square (Zuccotti Park) several nights a week. It was clear that this was more than a few disgruntled people hanging out in a park. It was an uprising for social and economic justice and in any movement as such, there is a role for Chaplaincy.

People often ask me to explain a Chaplain’s function. “To listen,” is my response. Chaplaincy provides personal support in a way that crosses religious and social barriers. A movement like Occupy needs individuals who are experienced in working with people, attuned to subtle needs, who can help keep a calm and peaceful environment. Quite often, just listening is enough to let people know they are cared about and that working for this movement is worthwhile. Chaplains frequently have a natural inclination toward caring for individuals’ needs and are often quite experienced in things like mediation, delegation and also knowing when a professional mental health counselor, medical person or otherwise should be called into a situation.

There is no typical day in Occupy. I have consoled persons through anxiety attacks and episodes of depression. I have stepped into heated conflicts to mediate and deflect potentially violent fights. I have taken in Occupiers post-eviction who had nowhere else to go. I have helped organize housing. I have stood outside the city jail in the freezing cold all night to support persons arrested in demonstrations. The police brutality cannot be underestimated and quite often, those targeted are small of stature and quite frequently, female. Broken ribs, damaged wrists, head wounds and effects of the ever-present pepper-spray are the norm. While I am not a doctor or mental health professional, I am legal clergy and I am there to listen and to witness. Most importantly, I am someone who cares about these people and about the movement.

Pagan Chaplaincy is a unique animal. Our faiths are widely diverse and do not contain a central belief code. Therefore, what is the role of a spiritual worker whose very beliefs are defined by respecting the personal beliefs of others and not attempting to influence them? As it turns out, this unique quality of Pagan spirituality is an excellent fit for the Occupy movement. There is a prevalent antagonism within the movement toward organized religion. Sympathizing Chaplains of various religions frequently face hostility, many of them often hearing, “Religion is one of the reasons we’re in this mess!” In these sorts of situations, Pagan Chaplains are able to fly under-the-radar. Where one Chaplain might face hostility and rejection in a situation due to their religious affiliations, that situation might be more open to a Pagan Chaplain. Paganism itself mirrors the Occupy movement in its lack of centralization and leadership. Pagan Chaplains are effectively able to get close to the heart of the various matters that come up within the movement as we do not have the same barriers of suspicion and prejudice that face many of our colleagues from mainstream religions.

It is important to remember that this is not a “Goddess movement.” This is a movement for all persons, regardless of their religion. But even in our diversity of beliefs, one common value among Pagans is that balance is essential to life. We do not, however, exist in a balanced age. Occupy is meant to restore a balance that has been lost—both economically and ecologically. One of many objectives of the movement is to call attention to the fact that corporations have for years broken environmental laws and blocked green energy initiatives: (http://www.nycga.net/resources/declaration/) This in itself is sufficient enough reason for Pagans to contribute to this effort in some way. At the November 17th march across the Brooklyn Bridge, an illuminated message on the side of the Verizon tower stated “Occupy Earth.” For decades, Pagans have spoken about reclaiming Earth. The Occupy movement may just be the socially active opportunity to do that.

Pagan Chaplaincy and the Occupy movement is also providing a unique opportunity for us to continue to show ourselves as a productive and legitimate faith community. Over the last few decades, countless Pagans have come forward with important blogs and websites and numerous Pride days dot the country festivals every year with the similar desire to present ourselves as “just like everyone else.” But where our desires for acceptance really shine is in connecting with members of other faiths over common goals. Getting to know us not just under the guise of “That Pagan Person” but “Friend and Ally—and also Pagan” is a huge step toward making our voices heard and our practices respected. Divisions melt away under the pressure-cooker goal of making a difference.

Priests and Priestesses, everywhere: Find your local General Assembly. Attend a Working Group session. Holding vigils and rituals are great—but they’re not enough. Talk to the people. Listen to the people. Find them blankets when they’re cold, food when they’re hungry, medics when they need them. Be a witness and share what you’ve seen and heard. Let us join our brothers and sisters of all faiths in making a difference in our communities, our country and our world. So mote it be!!!

Mary’s Story:

My involvement as a Wiccan Chaplain in OWS began when a call for chaplains went out on a private list. I decided to go down and help. The reasons behind it were many yet the solitary reason that prompted me into action is the pure fact that religion has hijacked our government and has produced policies that are discriminatory and marginalizing. For years, Wiccans and Pagans alike have always embraced all colors, creeds and genders long before it became fashionable. Most of us recognize that all creatures that live and breathe on this planet are the Goddess’s children. She is about unity of all living creatures working in harmony. I also knew that I had an obligation as a spiritual person, given I live in New York City, to come out of the underground and by example portray that religion and spirituality is all inclusive of everyone.

On the fated day that I reported to the Medical Tent to volunteer, I was put to work in 30 seconds. I was called to de-escalate a serious situation involving a protestor who felt marginalized due to her emotional difficulties. Mental diseases have such a stigma in this society that a lot of those with these illnesses feel out of place in the greater whole. From that day forward, I built a very close working relationship with the staff of the OWS Medical staff. It was through my on-going relationships to the Medical staff that I learned that I was the first Chaplain to ever volunteer with them. It was comforting to them that I was not biased in any way. Although this surprised me, in reality it did not given the nature of what has been done within the last 10 plus years in the name of religion, god and theology. My work however has not been overtly spiritual, as I chose to work strictly through humanitarian efforts. I never bring deity into the equation when I am counseling a protestor or calming down those who are stressed. I feel if I work from my heart and a place of empathy, the gods are already present. As a result of my observations of the movement and the general feeling of religion; it prompted me along with Courtney Weber, Janet Farrar and Gavin Bone to draft a Chaplain Code of Conduct. It was presented to the medical and support working groups as proposal and passed. Since then I was asked by other Occupies around the country for the Chaplain Code of Conduct that we wrote so that it may be used as a model.

The key to being apart of this movement as a Chaplain is to remain neutral in regards to politics as well as religion. As a result, I have been called upon to liaison with the NYPD, Firefighters, and EMTs. If there is a patient that requires their care to be upgraded, often times the medical staff is asked to leave the tent. As a chaplain, I am able to remain with the patient to ensure that they are treated properly and with respect, I am also allowed to accompany them in the ambulance with a nurse. This also is helpful to the patient because they feel like someone is present that will advocate on their behalf if they are unable to do that for themselves.

As most know from the headlines, OWS has had many difficulties from police officers. These can be quite traumatic experiences for the protestor especially after being pepper sprayed, beaten or contained in pens unable to move. Similarly, there are young people who have never been far from home, living in a tent in the middle of Manhattan surrounded night and day by scores of police. The LBGT community of OWS has found a place where they are accepted and embraced. When that happens, there are realizations of the depth of discrimination, trauma and difficulties that they have encountered in society. I have worked to soothe and support their feelings, trauma and disorientation of all protestors and society in general who came to Zuccotti Park. Even though OWS is no longer encamped in the park, the work still continues in the movement.

The most significant experience that will forever be etched into my mind was the night of the raid. I received a call in the middle of the night from Pauly Kostora, Chief Administrator of the OWS Clinic. He said: I need you down here, we are being raided. People are traumatized—there are police in riot gear are everywhere. I said “I will be right down”. I jumped out of bed and immediately went on Twitter to find out what was happening. I had learned that all subways were closed so I called for a cab to bring me down to the park. Lower Manhattan was in lock down. No one was allowed in and no one out. Contrary to what was cited in the press, the protestors were given less than a 20 minute warning. People were fast asleep in their tents.

When I finally arrived, the driver warned me, “Be very careful. The police look intimidating and ready to enforce their mission with violence.” He gave me his cell phone number and said, “Call me I will come pick you up when you are done free of charge, I fully support this movement and your work.” I profusely thanked him and approached the barricades. There I went up to a group of police officers and said “I’m a Chaplain you have to let me in by law” as I showed them my credentials. The police officer said, “I don’t care, you are not getting in.” I said, “I’m allowed to go anywhere as a Chaplain.” I was then physically pushed away from the barricades with force and the officer told me, “Don’t make me arrest you.” I said, “Go for it. Won’t this be great press and go viral over the internet that you arrested a Reverend trying to assist doctors and nurses with patients?” He turned away and ignored me.

Out of the corner of my eye, across the street, I saw the same thing happening to members of the press. There was a total press blackout. I shouted to a reporter, “ARE YOU with press? I need you to bear witness and document!” I told them exactly what happened. The next thing I knew I was surrounded by cameras. Whether it ever aired or not, I’m not sure. It doesn’t matter, what matters is that I went on record. Shortly thereafter, I got a call from Pauly Kostora and found out his location. I made my way to where he was located inside the barricades. I then told a different officer that I was a Chaplain and needed to get through due to a medical emergency. I got a blank stare passed me, while he was avoiding contact. I received information that the protestors were heading to another park to regroup. I aided them as they came past the barricades comforting and telling them where to regroup. I then was able to talk again to Pauly. I was informed that he was carried out of the medical tent along with a patient that was recently released from the hospital with heart trouble. The patient was ignored and no care was given by the police. During that time, NYPD took chainsaws to the medical tent. They did not check to see if there was anyone inside. A doctor and nurse was inside treating a patient got out in the nick of time. Confiscated from that tent were patient records, 5,000 dollars worth of pharmaceuticals and medical equipment and hundreds of dollars of supplies donated by medical professionals and individual citizens—all of which have gone missing. The pharmaceuticals and medical records were kept under lock and key accessed only by licensed physicians.

The medical tent was one step away from being a completely free clinic to serve the whole of the community protestor and NYC resident. We have numerous doctors of all specialties from psychiatry to pediatricians, nurses, physician assistants, paramedics, social workers and a course a tiny group of Chaplains. People came in scores for free medical care; we filled a vast hole in our society. As middle class resources are dwindling and health insurance premiums are too expensive, all found a place where they can get top notch medical attention.

I do profoundly hope that the work I am doing with OWS Medical will echo through America. Medical care should be a right not a luxury and I pray that the work we are doing will somehow change the course of history so that medical professionals will see the day when they can treat a patient properly instead of having their hands tied by appeasing and treating in such as way that insurance will pay for it. Due to the primary fact that no health insurance was involved at the OWS medical tent, the patients were able to receive the attention and care that has been unseen in this country in a very long time. I am humbled and inspired by the humility and compassion of the all the medical professionals that have volunteered their time and resources. They work full time jobs and then tirelessly work long hours with OWS Medical.

They may have shut us down, but all is not lost. We are currently regrouping and coming up with a new strategy to continue to provide medical services to the community, even the NYPD if they so require.

OWS Chaplain Code of Conduct

Written and Assembled: Rev. Gavin Bone, Rev. Janet Farrar,  Aquarian Tabernacle Church, Eire Courtney Weber and Mary Caliendo –Pagan Chaplains New York , NY USA

1. We do not preach or proselytize As Chaplains, we provide comfort, support, counseling and consolation to the community as a whole as compassionate people. Our involvement is strictly humanitarian, we actively remain neutral. We do not interject our religious beliefs, cultural view points or self identified biased opinions upon each other, protestors or the community that we serve. We do not attempt to invite or coerce any individual to any religious activities, services or path of belief. While on duty and marked we do not engage in politics or political beliefs of any kind. We continuously scrutinize our own blind spots in order to foster service in a humanitarian manner.
2. We recognize that there a multitude of paths that lead to the same place. We respect each religion, philosophy and belief as each individual perceives or recognizes a higher power. We honor and find value in the diversity of all beliefs.
3. Our appearance is vital. We strongly encourage wearing plain clothes and keeping on persons religious symbols to a minimum in order to appeal to all diverse religions, cultures, genders, colors and lifestyle preference so that it will provide an atmosphere of sacred space, equality and acceptance for all.
4. We recognize that individuals have been marginalized and stigmatized by religions, congregations and society. We actively challenge the perpetuation of any form of social and/or religious domination or oppression. This includes, but is not at all limited to sexism, racism, transphobia, ableism, classism, ageism and any other institutional oppression. We cultivate an awareness of our own economic and/or cultural privilege and the impact it may have on an individual, thus we work to create a welcoming, comfortable space through acceptance, trust and non-judgment for all, while calling out any action of other chaplains that perpetuate oppression.
5. While on duty we do not solve the issue with prayer, chant or mediation as a first, second or even third line of service; we act only within our scope of universal counseling training, provide comfort, passive listening and safe space. We always partner to the best of our ability with trained support team, certified mental health professionals and/or medics.  We administer to spiritual needs only at the request of the individual.
6. We recognize that energy is important. We keep an upbeat, positive attitude when dealing with those we service and in our care. Universal kindness, love and compassion are essential to the energy we project. We ask before we make any kind of compassionate physical contact such as hugging, hand holding, etc.
7. We practice empathy and cultural and spiritual humility by checking your own identity-based assumptions. We seek to listen to individual experiences from a place of openness and non-judgmental religious beliefs, and help people to meet their needs as they define them for themselves rather than our own idea of what might be best. We refrain from assigning a name or gender to a higher power and use universal language(s) in which to express our faith based beliefs so that our language is appealing to all.
8. We serve with no ego or religious hierarchal structure. We organize ourselves horizontally without religious dominance or hierarchies of command, experience ability or level of involvement. Every Chaplain has equal power in all decisions affecting them
9. We maintain a high level of confidentiality at all times. We respect the privacy of confession, needs and issues of those we aid and service. We ask the individual in a non-threatening manner prior to the involvement of any medical treatment or any other necessary intervention to aid in any crisis.
10. At all times we adhere to the Medic and Support Code of Conduct and procedures. We are an active part of the Medic working group and Mental Health sub-working group therefore follow all codes of conduct, guidelines and procedure.

[Again, my thanks to Courtney Weber and Mary Caliendo for sharing their unique perspectives and insights with us. For more on Pagan and Heathen involvement in the Occupy movement, do check the new PNC group blog dedicated to documenting their experiences.]

[This is part one of a two-part story by Cara Schulz from PNC-Minnesota. With today being Veterans Day in the United States, I'm proud to run this important look into the experiences of Pagans in the Air Force.]

When potential Military Members join the United States Air Force they usually enter through one of two Gateways To The Air Force.  Future officers attend college at Colorado Springs Air Force Academy and enlisted trainees go through Basic Military Training (BMT) at Lackland AFB in San Antonio, Texas.  Both places not only educate and train service members in warfare techniques they also help assimilate individuals into the Air Force collective culture.  In the past, that culture has not always been kind to airmen of minority faiths like Paganism, but what is it like now?  PNC-Minnesota spoke with Air Force officials, airmen, and civilian Pagan ministers involved at both gateways. On Tuesday we’ll take a look at the Air Force Academy.  Today, on Veterans Day, we’ll head to basic training at Lackland.

“We each walk our own path to the divine.  Be it in a God/dess faith or not.  Our airmen coming out of Lackland have been armed in so many ways with their military training.  More importantly, they should know that the Air Force has gone to great lengths to ensure their spirit was nurtured while in basic training,” says Rev. Tamie Rieth of Sacred Well Congregation.  She should know.  She’s been the Wicca Distinctive Faith Group Leader (DFGL) at Lackland for just over 6 years.  Rev. Rieth is one of 5 instructors who lead the weekly Wiccan services for BMT trainees.

Approximately 150 to 300 trainees attend the two hour Wiccan services held in the Receiving Center each Sunday.  Rev. Rieth and the other instructors spend the first hour answering any questions the trainees may have and the second hour is spent in meditation and chanting.

As a mark of how important the military considers access to religious services, all trainees are briefed religious service options within the first few days of arrival at Lackland.  No one is pressured to attend religious services and there is no penalty or extra duty for airmen who choose not to attend a Sunday service.  In a phone call with Lackland Public Affairs and one of the base Chaplains, they stressed that they treat all religions, and those who are not religious, equally.  Religious discrimination and harassment is not tolerated.

A1C Justin Lindquist, a recent basic training Honor Graduate, said he didn’t encounter  harassment or hazing for attending the Wicca services, “Everyone there really didn’t care what service you were going to.  There were people who went to the Christian services that weren’t Christian and people went to the Wicca services that were Christian and wanted to learn more about it or found the time more opportune.  No one really cared.” He said between four and ten fellow airmen out of his flight of 45 attended Wicca services.

Graduating airmen are allowed to invite their visiting family to attend religious service with them.  For some parents, attending the Wicca service is their first exposure to the religion.  As one parent said on the Facebook AFWingMoms group, “It was a relief to see how normal and professional [the Wiccan service] was.  It was a shock that he was attending that and not the Lutheran church, but I’m not as worried as I was when he first told me.”

When we spoke with Rev. Rieth, she had high praise for Lackland’s commitment to religious diversity, “I’m blessed to work with the Gateway chapel and it’s leadership.  In the 6 years I’ve been involved I’ve had amazing chapel support.” She went on to note how this benefits the trainees, “At Lackland they offer so many options for the trainees to choose from that they leave with the ability to learn about many religions.”

The larger benefit, and the reason the military offers such diverse religious services, is the effect on the morale and well-being of service members, especially in high stress environments such as basic training, “It was really good because you got to unwind and you found something familiar when you are under pressure every day.  Very important.  Just not having your [Training Instructor] around was really nice, especially those first few weeks.  It was important to keep everyone up.  You wouldn’t think it would be so important, but alot of people pick back up religion at BMT.”

Another high pressure enviornment is when service members are deployed.  Retired Lt. Col. Tony Gatlin is a Sacred Well Congregation minister and is  taking over as DFGL at Lackland next month when Rev. Rieth steps down.  He’s assisted Rev. Rieth for four years and has the added experience of being a DFGL and an Inspector General while he was deployed overseas.  He’s seen how building trust and confidence in the Chaplains and DFGLs during BMT can translate into trust and confidence in the field,“When I was in in Afghanistan and Iraq there were airmen who came up to me and asked if they could learn more about Wicca.  They trusted that their spiritual needs would be met.  They learned that trust in basic training.”

If Gatlin’s name isn’t known to you, it should be.  Lt. Col. Gatlin is the man responsible for getting Wicca registered as a religious choice on Air Force service tags and is the first person to have the designation on his tags.  The other designation non-Wiccan Pagans choose is “Other Religions.”

Our community has come a long way from when it was argued Pagans in the military were morally ineligible to self-identify as Pagan.  It’s hard to estimate the number of Pagans in the military, but in 2002 the Military Pagan Network estimated there were over 1,000 active duty Pagans in the Air Force alone and over 100,000 service members and DOD dependents military wide.   Judging from the number of trainees who attend the Wiccan services at Lackland each week, that number is much larger today.

As the number of Pagans in the military increase, more Pagan groups are actively supporting them.  “Pagans who have served and who are serving in the US military need our support, as do their families and friends.  Veterans Day is an excellent time to express our support and appreciation for their service, but they deserve and need our support year round,” said Rev. Selena Fox of Circle Sanctuary.  She also wanted to express her appreciation for those who choose to live out a Pagan warrior ethic, “Those of us at Circle Sanctuary join with other Pagan organizations and individuals in saluting Pagan veterans, troops, and their loved ones – thank you for your service!”

Lt. Col. Gatlin understands what military members face when they choose to put on the uniform.  The challenges are many, but he says service members can always turn to Chaplains and DFGLs for help, ”You can rely on the Chaplains in the field.  They are wonderful, supportive.  It doesn’t matter what faith you are, they are willing to help you and service your faith needs.”

How can you support military Pagans?
Upper Midwest Pagan Alliance -
Pagan Soldier Support Packages is a project to aid our community in collecting personal and magical supplies for Pagan soldiers in the Iraq war zone. You can either do this completely on your own, or drop off items to be assembled into aid boxes containing each a wide variety of items. We will also include information about UMPA and our pagan community.

We collect individual items at any UMPA meeting or event, and at many regional events. If you wish to participate, and can donate the cost of shipping a box this is preferred. If you can just donate a few items, we welcome that as well. We do reserve the right to donate locally any items we find unsuitable for this project!

Drop Boxes located at:

• Keys Of Paradise, 713 Minnehaha Ave E, Ste 109 & 111, Saint Paul, MN 55106
• Magus Books, 1309 1/2 4th Street S.E., Minneapolis, MN 55414
• Eye of Horus, 2717 Lyndale Ave South, Minneapolis, MN 55408
• Sacred Paths Center, 777 Raymond Ave, Saint Paul, MN 55114

Circle Sanctuary -
provides support to Pagan veterans and Pagans serving in the US military and their families in a variety of ways.  We sponsor Pagan Circles at US Army, Air Force, Navy, and Marine installations.  The Air Force Circles we sponsor include those in the USA at Langley Air Force Base in Virginia and Sheppards Air Force Base in Texas, plus some overseas, Osan Air Base in Korea and Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar.

Each year, we send Yuletide care packages for Pagan troops on active duty in war zones and elsewhere overseas through Operation Circle Care.  Circle Sanctuary sponsors the Order of the Pentacle and the Pagan Military Association.  In addition, Circle Sanctuary ministers conduct Pagan Warrior Blessing rituals at Pagan festivals and other events throughout the year across the country.  For more than thirty years, we have been active in the quest for equal rights for Pagan veterans and troops and their families.

Pagan Warrior Radio -
A weekly program for Military Pagans, their friends, families, and supporters, which debuts with a special Veterans Day show on 11/11/11 from 8-9 pm CST.  Pamela Kelly, who co-hosts with Rev. Selena Fox, is the DFGL at Sheppard AFB.

Editor’s Note:  Special thanks to Seshen Wolfsong, the San Antonio Pagans, and the San Antonio Military Open Circle Yahoo group for all their help.

I’m back from FaerieCon! First off, I’d like to thank all the wonderful folks who stepped up to do guest-posts while I was away: Sharon Knight, Star Foster, T. Thorn Coyle, Teo Bishop, Laura LaVoie, and Eric Scott. They all did an excellent job of providing interesting, informative, provocative, and inspiring pieces for you, and I hope you’ll follow them at their own blogs and projects in the future. As for me, I’ve returned to an avalanche of stories of interest to our communities, so I’m going to unleash the hounds in an attempt to get caught up.

• Former COG First Officer and Officers of Avalon president Peter Dybing has issued a request to the Pagan community for donations to 100 Percent for Haiti, and organization founded by artists looking to assist Haiti in the aftermath of the 2010 earthquake. Quote: “Today I am placing the call. Can you please support this worthy effort? We are not seeking large sums of money. It is in fact our small size that makes us so effective. We have no fancy fundraising materials, no adopt-a-child program, no tear jerking commercials, only real people making a difference with what little we have. Please consider joining us, committing to give a little in support of this effort. If you find that you can not commit funds to this effort, please forward this to others who may be able to assist.”
• Anthropologist Tanya Luhrmann writes about her time studying occultists in the 1980s for Freq.uenci.es (which led to the infamous book “Persuasions of the Witch’s Craft”). This leads Pagan scholar Chas Clifton to explain what made Luhrmann’s work controversial in the first place, and how it partially inspired the book “Researching Paganisms”. Also, check out Chas Clifton’s post on the necessity of the Iliad for modern polytheism.
• This Friday, Veterans Day, a new Pagan podcast entitled Pagan Warrior Radio will launch focused on serving Pagan veterans and those on active duty in the United States Military. This new weekly internet radio show will be hosted by co-founders Pamela Kelly, facilitator of the Sheppard Air Force Base Pagan Circle, and Selena Fox of Circle Sanctuary. Quote: “Pagans have served and are serving in each of the branches of the US Armed Forces. We are creating Pagan Warrior Radio as an additional way to support Pagan veterans and troops and their loved ones, and to be a forum for networking, education, and dialogue. Shows will be a mix of news, information, music, reflections, ideas, and call-in discussion.”
• The Esoteric Book Conference in Seattle is now accepting proposals for next year’s conference. Deadline for proposals is January 15th, 2012. For more on the EBC, check out the recent guest-post from Dr. Amy Hale on the event.
• The Huffington Post looks at the important role botanicas play within the Latino community in the United States. Quote: “This is an old tradition that in part is a response to the lack of more formal resources, such as physicians, that Latinos have continuously utilized,” said David Hayes-Bautista, a professor of medicine and director of the Center for the Study of Latino Health and Culture at the UCLA School of Medicine. “The tradition has been buttressed by the fact that Latino communities have usually had very poor access to formal medical care.”
• A rabbinical court in Haifa, Israel has fined a woman for the practice of witchcraft. This included a polygraph test, and consultations of texts to find an alternative to stoning her dead (no, I’m not joking). Quote:  “The wife denied her husband’s charge that she practiced witchcraft, but she failed a polygraph test, leading the court to determine that she in fact had been practicing witchcraft. Death is the punishment for witchcraft in the Torah, but the rabbis found a source that instead allowed them to mete out the financial penalty.” Oh, and did I mention the husband cheated on her, and that they were trying to get a divorce? Yeah, stay classy Haifa rabbinical court.
• Is the fantasy genre inherently Christian? DG Myers thinks so, but ED Kain rebuts that it’s far more pagan than Christian in its outlook and orientation. Quote: “I think that fantasy is not founded in Christian themes so much as it is rooted in distinctly Anglo-Saxon mythology. And not just the mythology of the Medieval, feudalistic period, but the pre-Christian myths of the faerie-folk as well.” More here, and here.
• Tomorrow is the Thai festival of Loy Krathong, a time to honor the goddess of the river, and ask “her forgiveness for man’s polluting of the water and to thank her for fertility.” More on this at the Washington Post.
• Broadmoor Hospital Chaplaincy Service in Berkshire says it is “responding to requests for pagan and Rastafarian input” for its in-house chaplaincy team.
• Sentencing in the James Arthur Ray sweat lodge deaths case has finally begun. First witnesses in the six days of hearings were very critical of Ray and his methods.
• So this has to be one of the most bizarre claims I’ve read in awhile: six ‘Curse of Tutankhamun’ deaths were actually murders perpetrated by Aleister Crowley according to Mark Beynon, author of “London’s Curse: Murder, Black Magic and Tutankhamun in the 1920s West End”. The Telegraph breaks down the accusations and there seems to be no hard, credible, evidence (something the author admits). In essence, if Crowley, or anyone he knew, crossed paths with a “victim” he could have done it. The whole thing is a smear-job designed to sell books to the gullible.
• Remember kids, practice safe Satanic sex.

That’s all I have time for today, expect a write-up of my FaerieCon adventures in the near-ish future. In the meantime, do check out my interview with Qntal’s Michael Popp at A Darker Shade of Pagan. As always, some of these stories may be expanded upon in future posts.

Back in September, newswires and blogs reported on the case of Jamyi J. Witch, a Wiccan chaplain at Oshkosh Correctional Institution who is accused of sexually assaulting an inmate, illegally transporting drugs, and hatching a fake hostage scheme to procure a transfer for her and an inmate. The twist? Jamyi Witch is Wisconsin’s first Pagan prison chaplain.

Jamyi Witch

“In December 2001, Scott Walker, then a Republican member of the Wisconsin State Assembly and chair of the Assembly Committee on Corrections and Courts, learned that theWisconsin Department of Corrections had recently hired Rev. Jamyi Witch as a prison chaplain at the Waupun Correctional Institution in Waupun, Wisconsin. Witch, who had volunteered for two years as a chaplain and had an extensive knowledge of alternative religions, had competed against 9 other candidates for the civil service position and was hired as the most qualified candidate for the $32,500 per year job. The chaplain was a practicing Wiccan and had, in fact, changed her last name to Witch in honor of her chosen religion.“

Since that initial report, which was sensationalized by outlets like Gawker and the Daily Mail, the case has slowly progressed.  A judge declared in late September that the trial could move forward, and the inmate involved in the incident gave his initial testimony.

“This is all her plan,” explained the inmate. “Only thing I know is that I knew Ms. Witch eight to ten years. Throughout that time, I gained a lot of respect and a lot of trust for her, so when she told me, you know what I’m saying, that I was not going to get into any trouble and that this would not be a hostage situation, you know what I mean? I took her word for it and that’s why I went up there.”

Then, this past Friday, Ms. Witch officially entered a plea of not guilty. In addition, supporters of the chaplain are now starting to speak up. Lady of the Lake Church, of which Witch is a clergyperson, issued a statement defending their colleague.

“Jamyi Witch was held hostage by a inmate “John Washington” in her office and she was raped by this inmate. She gave the inmate some of her prescription pills to make him sleepy and weak allowing the officers to enter her office and give her aid. [...] The inmate later sent his mother a letter, knowing full well that after his actions his mail would be monitored, telling his mother that Jamyi Witch helped him come up with the plan to take her hostage. NOTE: This inmate 20 years earlier, was arrested and charged with rape and sentenced to prison which he is now serving. (Same crime)  Two weeks earlier he attempted the same attack on another female staff member at the correctional facility. (Not in the story.) The facility read the inmates mail and charged Jamyi Witch with the crime of suppling drugs to the inmate, raping the inmate and suppling the inmate with illegal materials. Jamyi Witch has been in the correction system as a wiccan chaplin for 11 years and never had any violations. The police who interviewed her told her and her boyfriend that they worked for god and thought she was lying. We need to stand with her and help tell her story and raise funds for her legal defense which is now racking up. We need to call our congressman and state officials and protest the treatment of a rape victim (Jamyi) .”

In addition, someone who claims to have attended the preliminary hearing posted the following:

“Ok, here’s the TRUTH of the whole matter: At the preliminary hearing, the inmate admitted after finding out he could recieve another 25 years in prison for rape, lied about the chaplain’s involvement in the whole situation. Jaymi Witch is a very accomplished woman, speaks 9 languages, and has counselled hundreds of victims of child abuse, etc. Amazing how quick everyone is to take the word of a convicted criminal over an innocent victim of a violent crime. Scott Walker got her out of Waupun and now he’ll get her out of Oshkosh.”

Are police and prison officials working against Witch as her church alleges? Are these charges being trumped up due to anti-Pagan hostility? Prominent Pagan prison chaplains like Patrick McCollum have shared stories of hostility, threats, and obstruction of their efforts, allegations backed up by prominent Pagan figures like Starhawk.

“But our visit to CCWF did not go well.  Again, they had ‘lost’ our paperwork—this time, five separate copies of our event package which Sister Mary Ann had personally delivered to five separate officials.  The warden was not on site on a Saturday—nor were other personnel who could have okayed the event.  The Watch Commander, who could have authorized it, said “No way.”  We were allowed in as visitors—which meant a much more exhaustive process of listing every single thing we were wearing or carrying.  Tiki’s underwire bra would not go through the metal detector, and she had to go out, change into a bathing suit, and put up with snide comments about her breasts.  But, we got in, though Patrick was quietly fuming while being ever so polite to everyone.”

In 2008, McCollum gave testimony to the US Commission on Civil Rights that Pagan prisoners faced “endemic” discrimination from prison officials. Considering the battles Jamyi J. Witch faced simply to work at the job she was hired for, it isn’t inconceivable that officials are now obstructing the course of justice now. If these charges are indeed bogus, we can only hope that Witch’s lawyer can navigate her trial successfully and bring the truth to light. Further, if Witch is cleared of the charges against her, what will that mean for the staff at Oshkosh Correctional Institution? Won’t that implicate them in helping to orchestrate this anti-Pagan incident?

Last night on the PagansTonight show special guest Patrick McCollum, a noted chaplain and activist within the Pagan community, announced that he would not be pursuing a Supreme Court appeal to a recent 9th Circuit Court ruling that upheld a lower court decision stating he doesn’t have standing to challenge California’s discriminatory “five faiths” policy. This policy limits the hiring of paid chaplains to Protestant, Catholic, Jewish, Muslim, and Native American adherents.

Patrick McCollum on the cover of Witches & Pagans.

“I have decided not to go to the Supreme Court. My primary reason for deciding not to go to the Supreme Court is that there would only be two issues the court would allow us to bring forward out of the whole case. The one issue is not if we [Pagans?] have rights, but do inmates generally have religious rights. So if I went and I lost I would take away the religious rights of every inmate in every correctional institutuion [...] but if I won all I would get is that we had rights, but I would not win our case.”

Instead of going forward in challenging the 9th Circuit Court decision, McCollum has been nurturing new cases brought by Pagan inmates that would also challenge the California chaplaincy policy. According to McCollum, one of those cases is now before the 9th Circuit, with more waiting in the wings if necessary.

“I’m currently in a place where if an inmate brought a case, my case could go forward [...] I saw this coming down the pike, and so I have helped inmates bring forward cases that meet the criteria to make it so my case is viable and valid [...] I’ve managed to keep those cases under the radar and the first of those cases his the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals last week. [...] If the court rules that those inmates who are on that case do have a right to a chaplain then I can walk right back into the court and forget the ruling made by the 9th Circuit or anybody else.”

McCollum also noted that Jones Day, the law firm that has been representing his case, has agreed to not only continue working his case pro bono, but has also committed itself to represent all these other cases that could result in clearing the way for Pagan chaplains (and by extension, other minority faith chaplains). You can listen to the entire PagansTonight interview, here.

I’d like to thank the PagansTonight crew for bringing this vital update to the Pagan community, and Patrick McCollum for his tireless service on this important issue. This seems like a very hopeful move forward from the disappointing 9th Circuit decision. For more background on this case, here are some highlights from my coverage.

• Official Statement from Patrick McCollum on Ninth Circuit Ruling
• Patrick McCollum on Why His Fight Matters
• 9th Circuit upholds lower court ruling in McCollum v California
• Patrick McCollum’s Case Hits the Mainstream

In addition, the latest issue of Witches & Pagans (pictured above), available in print or as a digital download, has a nice summary of the case, and an interview with Patrick McCollum regarding it, and his work.

The newswires have just lit up with the story of Jamyi J. Witch, a Wiccan chaplain at Oshkosh Correctional Institution, who is accused of sexually assaulting an inmate, illegally transporting drugs, and hatching a fake hostage scheme to procure a transfer for her and an inmate.

Jamyi Witch

“The charges stem from a police investigation of an Aug. 10 incident in which Witch, a chaplain at the prison, claimed to have been taken hostage by an inmate. [...]  The inmate told Witch about being jumped by three men while he was in his cell on Aug. 7 and said he needed to get out of Oshkosh. She told him she wanted to leave Oshkosh too because of threats from other staff and she had a plan to get them both out of the facility. Witch told the inmate the plan, which involved him coming into her office, blocking the door and acting like Witch was his mother. She also discussed giving him pills to make him sleepy and allow the guards to enter her office. The inmate said he left his cell on Aug. 10 without signing out and went to Witch’s office. He blocked the door with a board from a bookshelf and Witch’s wheelchair before requesting Witch have sex with him. She complied.”

The story has already been picked up by Gawker and the Daily Mail, who are having a field day. This is in addition to local coverage of the incident. This is not Witch’s first time in the spotlight, she was involved in the “Wisconsin Witch Hunt” scandal of 2001-2002, when now-governor Scott Walker tried very hard to get the chaplain fired from her position.

“Walker objected publicly on the basis of her religion to the chaplain’s hiring, saying: “Witch’s hiring raises both personal and political concerns. Not only does she practice a different religion than most of the inmates — she practices a religion that actually offends people of many other faiths, including Christians, Muslims and Jews.” Walker threatened to launch a government investigation of the chaplain’s hiring, and was joined by Representative Michael Huebsch of West Salem, in his efforts to terminate the woman’s employment. “Taxpayers shouldn’t be forced to accept this hocus-pocus,” Huebsch stated. Huebsch proposed to delete the state appropriation which funded Witch’s position, even though in the past he had repeatedly advocated increasing state funding for prison chaplains. Walker and Huebsch continued their pursuit of the case over the 2001-2002 Christmas holidays. After several weeks of unwanted publicity, the chaplain began to receive death threats and reported that on one day alone she had received 432 emails and 76 phone messages at her home.”

It should be noted that Jamyi Witch was well-qualified for the position, having a masters degree in theology from the University of Wisconsin in Madison. The question now is if the inmate’s testimony is accurate, and if it is, why Witch, who served for nearly a decade in this position, would suddenly act is such drastic fashion. One that could potentially set back the cause of Pagan and Wiccan chaplaincy in prisons. We will be following up on this story, and will be sharing reactions from Pagan leaders and chaplains soon.

ADDENDUM: A.C. Fisher Aldag has found an interesting news report from the August incident.

“Department of Corrections spokesman Tim Le Monds says it happened about 8:30 a.m. He says prison staff members were able to persuade the inmate to open the door and come out after an hour. He says staff members could see into the room the whole time and could have gotten into it in seconds if necessary.“

If that’s true, doesn’t that instantly invalidate many of the charges being made here? Especially the charge of them having sexual intercourse? Wouldn’t that be an event that would make staff member access the room “in seconds”? I think there’s a lot we aren’t being told in regards to this story.