Pagan Community Notes: New Alexandrian Library, Patrick McCollum, Damh the Bard, and more!

March 7, 2011 By Jason Pitzl-Waters 105 Comments

Pagan Community Notes is a companion to my usual Pagan News of Note, a series more focused on news originating from within the Pagan community. I want to reinforce the idea that what happens to and within our organizations, groups, and events is news, and news-worthy. My hope is that more individuals, especially those working within Pagan organizations, get into the habit of sharing their news with the world. So lets get started!

New Alexandrian Library Project Prepares to Break Ground: Yesterday in Georgetown, Delaware, building materials were unloaded for a dome kit that will form the New Alexandrian Library’s home. Overseen by the Assembly of the Sacred Wheel, the NAL project hopes to create “a library worthy of its namesake” focused on esoteric knowledge, mystical and the spiritual writings from many traditions, and the “history of our magickal communities.”

Unloading building materials for The New Alexandrian Library.

“Today was a momentous step forwards towards the New Alexandrian Library Project breaking ground. By forklift and by hand, twelve dedicated volunteers unloaded a huge truck laden with building materials. The barn is full to the rafters and the field has several tall and tarped bundles. The trees have been marked for clearing in the woods where the library will stand and the general contractor will soon be taking over the bulk of the physical work. This dome is the first of a long term plan of five domes that will make up the New Alexandrian Library.”

A fundraising event connected to the official ground breaking ceremonies will be announced soon. In the meantime, an urgent appeal has been sent out to supporters to cover the cost of renting the forklift. If you’d like to donate to NAL, you can find contact information, here. You can also follow NAL’s progress at their Facebook page.

Updates on Patrick McCollum’s Thailand Trip: As I’ve mentioned previously, Pagan chaplain and activist Patrick McCollum has been traveling in Thailand at the invitation of Dhammakaya temple in the Pathumtani Province, where he will be honored as a World Inner Peace Ambassador, and share Pagan rituals and practices with local Buddhist practitioners. McCollum will then travel to the renowned temple at Borobudur on the Island of Java with Lama Gangchen Rinpoche, of the World Peace Foundation. At the Patrick McCollum Foundation website, Patrick has posted several updates about events from his journey, including doing ritual in the Khou Yi jungle.

“The sounds of the jungle at night are like nothing I’ve ever heard before. There are huge frogs croaking as loud as bass drums, and dozens of other smaller ones that sound like a chorus of children. Elephant’s screams pierce the night, and the sounds of large animal hunters seeking prey can be heard intermittently. My rational mind says I’m crazy for venturing out so, with tigers and poisonous snakes and who knows what? I have no weapons or any way to defend myself, and yet the moon guides me forward without fear. After about an hour I find a perfect clearing to do ritual. It’s circular and about 30 feet in diameter. I can see huge colorful flowers high in the trees and hanging vines everywhere filled with tropical fruits and spiny pods. I call the quarters and invoke the Goddess and find myself completely immersed. I did prayers for world peace and for human rights, everywhere, and I asked for blessings on my community.”

Patrick will no doubt be sharing further reflections about his trip with us when he returns. To keep track of Patrick’s journey be sure to follow the Patrick McCollum Foundation’s blog, and the Foundation’s Facebook page.

Damh the Bard is Ready For His Close-Up: Peg Aloi at The Witching Hour interviews producer-director Gary Andrews about his upcoming film The Spirit of Albion, a story inspired by the music of Damh the Bard.

“…the 3 main characters are young, modern people with the kind of problems that are very real today. One, Esther, is working in a high powered, pressured job with no real life outside of work and has reached breaking point. The second, Annie, is a damaged young woman who works in a job she hates (animal testing) and has taken refuge in drugs and casual sex rather than face her reality. Finally we have George, an anti war activist who is fighting the guilt that his soldier brother was killed in Afghanistan and the last time they spoke they had a fight about their life choices. All 3 of them, on the same day (Oct 31st) have a meeting with a stranger who turns out not to be what they first appear. Added into the mix is Annie’s brother, a Christian priest who is having doubts about his vocation. All of these characters are given a chance to see things a different way, through the filter of the Pagan perspective and all of them have a life-changing experience, although not everything turns out as you might expect!”

The film originated as a stage play, thematically structured around 10 Damh the Bard songs, and was recently performed at Witchfest International in November of 2010. Once complete, a direct-to-DVD release is planned. Updated will be posted to the official The Spirit of Albion site. As for Damh, a truly excellent human being and musician, he recently released a live CD, and has a new single coming out soon entitled “The Sons & Daughters (of Robin Hood)”.

When to Participate in Press Opportunities: Joseph Merlin Nichter, a volunteer minority faiths chaplain for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, discusses his recent participation in a local interfaith vigil, and the process he went through in deciding if that participation was a good idea.

“This past Wednesday I was contacted by an enthusiastic community organizer who was trying to manifest an interfaith prayer vigil ad hoc. He explained what he was trying to do and asked if I would be willing to speak publicly on the matter along side other religious community leaders. I told him I needed to conform my availability and would call him back shorty. I knew my availability, but didn’t want to make an ad hoc decision because there would be media coverage. I sought counsel before calling him back and agreeing to participate.”

Nichter references my recent participation in a panel at PantheaCon and the Charlie Sheen “warlock” media controversy to make the point that sometimes press attention isn’t what you want or need. However, in his case, it seemed to go well, and his speech is well worth the reading.

Christian Day and the Binding of Sheen: Speaking of the Charlie Sheen “warlock” issue, Salem Warlock Christian Day has posted a video of the ritual to “heal and bind Charlie Sheen.”

The ritual was covered by the press, both local, and national. As for the use of the term “warlock,” an issue that has sparked quite a bit of conversation lately, Day has issued a $1000.00 reward to anyone who can find source material “prior to 1950 that designates the word Warlock as someone who betrays a coven to the Witch hunters, or betrays a coven at all.” No doubt some scholars (amateur or otherwise) in need of some cash might want to take up his challenge.

Esoteric Order of the Golden Dawn Expels Founder: The Second Order of the Esoteric Order of the Golden Dawn have voted to expel founder/leader Robert Zink due to a laundry list of charges that span from misusing his power to misappropriation of funds.

“It is come to the point where we of the Second Order have to take the unfortunate action of deposing former G.H. Frater P.D.R. (Robert Zink) of his highly influential position and expelling him from the Esoteric Order of the Golden Dawn. He received the grievances from the Adepti of the Second Order, but was still given a great deal of time and opportunity to reform his ways. In response to this, he persists to hold himself above accountability and has gone to great lengths to secure his own position through surreptitiously ensuring as much of the Order’s assets were under his sole control as possible.”

However, as Frater Barrabbas notes, it may not be possible to expel him due to the way the bylaws of the organization are written. So we may soon see two competing Esoteric Orders of the Golden Dawn. He notes that this is just another peril of creating (or joining) organizations that aren’t built on democratic principles and consensus-based decision making.

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

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What’s the Most Offensive Thing About Sheen’s Meltdown?

March 3, 2011 By Jason Pitzl-Waters 63 Comments

Here’s something I thought I’d never have to confront at The Wild Hunt, writing about the high-profile mental meltdown of a famous television and film actor. Yet, here we are. Charlie “Tiger Blood” Sheen is having his Britney moment, and the gossip bloggers, mainstream press, artists, and various musicians are having field day. But like all good/bad things in the press, there are diminishing returns, people get bored of the cries for attention, and the ever-hungry celebrity press must constantly look for new angles to keep their latest hot mess story suitably warm until the next controversy explodes. Enter the Warlock. Celebrity gossip super-site TMZ has zeroed in on Salem’s Witchy impresario Christian Day, who has been on a recent kick to reclaim the term “Warlock”, and is offended by Sheen’s cavalier usage of the term in his semi-coherent ramblings.

Salem’s Coven of the Raven Moon in Salem, Massachusetts told us he’s “fuming” over the statement because it’s a “blatant offense against our ways.” The warlock — named Christian Day  tells us he plans to take action against the actor … not legal action — but magical action.  Day explains, “I am going to magically bind Mr. Sheen, not to harm him, but to simply prevent him from using this word in such a negative manner in the future.”

As goes TMZ, so goes the Boston Herald, the Daily Telegraph (in Australia), and host of smaller blogs and news outlets. Star Foster at Patheos.com immediately recognizes why Day might pick this moment to be offended, even if it leaves a bad taste in the mouths of other Pagans.

“So why is Christian upset? Because his going to TMZ in a state of indignation resembles the type of publicity stunts that have caused many of us to distance ourselves from folks like Kevin Carlyon. His story in TMZ does our community no good. We derive no benefit from it. This story hurts the Pagan community while increasing Christian’s flash and pizazz. Maybe Christian wants to be Occult Advisor to the Stars! Yet he’s effectively alienated a large number of folks who would have supported him prior to this shenanigan.”

But while Star invokes the wearer of the red bathrobe, Day’s particular media pedigree is far closer to (his) home. Salem’s own Laurie Cabot, who once engaged in many of the media-grabbing activities that Day now does. Now that Laurie is semi-retired, it seems natural that someone would choose to fill that void. I have little doubt that Christian is having the time of his life.

However, if we’re really looking for something to be offended by in Charlie Sheen’s recent behavior, should it really be him nattering on about being a “Vatican assassin warlock”, or is it something that has (literally) been paraded right in front of our eyes for weeks now? Jo Piazza at PopEater offers an op-ed about Sheen’s “goddesses”, the two young women who now share the star’s house and bed.

“Watch any of Sheen’s live interviews in his posh Hollywood estate and you will see one of his two goddesses, Natty, a bikini model, and Rach (also known as Bree, her porn name) [...] Sheen refers to these ladies as his goddesses, often with a sly smirk. [...] On ‘The Howard Stern Show’ Tuesday morning, Sheen revealed the sleeping arrangement he has worked out with the goddesses, whereby they each sleep in their own beds in the same room. When he is ready to retire, Charlie enters the room like a monarch and chooses between the two. We wonder which one sighs in relief. Particularly insulting in this entire scenario is the use of the term goddess, a typically sacred title used to refer to a woman who is treated with special reverence.”

Piazza also quotes Cooper Lawrence, author of ‘Cult of Celebrity’, who notes that Sheen treats women like interchangeable sexual objects, while calling them “goddesses”, inverting  “a term that women use to embrace power.” If we Pagans really want to be upset at Charlie Sheen, if we feel some great urging to jump into the celebrity news grinder, I’d much rather it be over his degradation of that word than of “warlock.” For any family of faiths that see the divine as feminine, a man who has spent years violently abusing women should not be seen as a joke, or an opportunity to gain the spotlight. We should instead point out that these are the fruits of substance abuse mixed with unchained patriarchal power. That, in my mind, is the most offensive thing about Sheen’s meltdown.

Filed Under: Paganism, Religion Tagged With: , , , , , 63 Comments

Quick Note: Are Salem Lawmakers Regretting the Psychic Boom?

January 29, 2011 By Jason Pitzl-Waters 82 Comments

In the “Witch City” of Salem, psychic readings are a big business. In recent years the city has relaxed their regulations on licensing psychics, causing a boom in the number of (largely seasonal) practitioners plying their trade within Salem’s Fall/Halloween tourist economy. While many have welcomed the boom in business, some local politicians seem to be having some second thoughts about the sustainability of their current situation.

Monday night, City Councilor Joan Lovely came before the Licensing Board to discuss the proliferation of licenses. While she didn’t propose a cap or limit, the issue came up. “I don’t think we want a fortuneteller on every corner,” Lovely said at one point. [...] “At this point, it’s not far from being out of control,” member John Casey said after the meeting. Lovely, a lawyer, said she planned to discuss the “constitutional issues” of a cap with City Solicitor Beth Rennard.

The Salem News also interviews some local business owners and readers who are as “concerned about the skyrocketing numbers as anyone else.” Not interviewed is any voice in defense of the expanded numbers of psychic licenses and practitioners. That voice had to be provided in the comments, from Salem business-owner (Hex and Omen) and promoter Christian Day, who campaigned three years ago to relax regulations on psychic services, and runs the annual Festival of the Dead.

Speaking as the employer of the largest number of psychic readers and the single largest generator of psychic license revenue in the city of Salem, I want to go on record as being strongly against any sort of caps. While they would probably not affect existing businesses such as mine, the issue of caps concerns me two other reasons entirely.

First, I think there are serious constitutional issues with limiting fair trade, especially when that trade centers around a practice so intrinsically tied up with religious belief systems such as Witchcraft, Wicca, Paganism, Spiritualism, and other faiths that embrace psychic work. In an age where so many people calling for less government intrusion into our lives, we should not be looking for more ways to regulate everything that businesses do, especially when those practices are an extension of the religious beliefs of a people. We would never dream of trying to restrict a Catholic gift shop as it is encompassed by the greater spiritual mission of the church.

The question now is if this is simply political posturing, or if Lovely, Casey, and other local politicians are testing the waters for a cap. There’s always been some tension between those who embrace the Mardi Gras atmosphere of Halloween in Salem, and those who’d prefer to emphasize other, more sedate, historical features. Preferring a Salem that was more, well, stereotypically “New England” in composition. The problem is that people love the Witches, and come to see them in droves.

“Last year, the City of Salem commissioned a marketing study that asked participants why they chose Salem. Among the various attractions that were checked off, like architecture (64.3%), maritime history (65.9%), and shopping (55.4%), 88.8% of participants included the Modern Witch in their response.”

Further, Salem-area Pagans are growing demographic (reportedly around 10% of the population), one that might not look too kindly on any measure that could be construed as anti-Witch in its intentions; and Salem’s economy, like many places in the United States, has suffered in recent years. Would a cap hinder one of their few growth industries? These are all questions and concerns that will no doubt be aired soon, as it looks like a renewed debate over these issues is looming.

Filed Under: Paganism, Religion Tagged With: , , , , 82 Comments

Quick Note: Witches in the Wall Street Journal

January 13, 2011 By Jason Pitzl-Waters 16 Comments

As the United States faces its worst housing market crisis in history, some are starting to rely on services outside the usual bankers, inspectors, and Realtors in order to ensure they are getting the best deal when buying or selling a home. The Wall Street Journal profiles the rise of spiritual house cleansing services, focusing on Salem, Massachusetts, and local Witches Lori Bruno and Christian Day.

“The foreclosure crisis has helped resurrect an ancient tradition: the house cleansing. Buyers such as Mr. Barletta are turning to witches, psychics, priests and feng shui consultants, among others, to bless or exorcise dwellings. Sellers, too, are adopting the trend to help move a property stuck on the market. [...] Mr. Barletta heard about the pair [Bruno and Day] through his real-estate agent after his offer on the home was accepted. “I’m a spiritual person,” he says. “I just wanted to remove the negative energy first.” [...] [Salem real-estate agent Janet Andrews] Howcroft attributes recent requests for house blessings in part to the economic picture here. She counted at least eight transactions last year that involved a house cleansing, compared to the occasional request in prior years.”

The WSJ article notes that foreclosures have been booming in Salem, and that house prices are dropping as a result. With the occult an everyday part of Salem’s culture, it makes sense that Witches would be employed. Since house cleansing traditions can be found in most religious faiths, there doesn’t seem to be much of a backlash against this new boom in the practice. The WSJ points out that neither Bruno, nor another local Witch who provides this service charge for it, with Bruno saying she doesn’t “want to live off people’s sadness.” That definitely isn’t a universal attitude among house-cleansers, and many are seeing opportunity for growth in this crisis.

“Elsewhere, others are viewing the rituals as a real business opportunity. Austin, Texas-based feng shui consultant Logynn B. Northrhip is teaming up with Scottsdale, Ariz., real-estate agent Jason Goldberg to offer a package of services to create better vibes in a home, either before sale or after purchase. The two met at a yoga retreat.”

Ever since the current recession hit, there’s been several news outlets who have done some variation of the “psychics do well in hard times” meme. This seems to be the latest permutation. Whether this new (or at least newly lucrative) industry continues once the housing market stabilizes remains to be seen. For now, whether they like it or not, Bruno and Day have become the faces of this trend. No doubt their phones/e-mails are going to be seeing some interesting messages in the weeks ahead.

Filed Under: Paganism, Religion Tagged With: , , , , , , , 16 Comments
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