• If I’m reading this right, it looks like Jessica Orsini, Alderwoman in Centralia, Missouri, and a Hellenic polytheist, isn’t running for reelection in 2012. Quote: “Ward 3 incumbent Jessica Orsini is not a candidate; Landon Magley is the lone candidate for that two-year term.” Orsini is in her third term as an Alderwoman, and one of the few openly transgender and Pagan elected officials. I’d like to thank Orsini for her public service, and wish her well in future endeavors.
• Selena Fox has announced the passing of De-Anna Alba (aka Wendy White), author of “The Cauldron of Change: Myths, Mysteries and Magick of the Goddess,” and a member of Circle Sanctuary in its formative years. May she rest in the arms of the Goddess.
• In his latest column for Patheos, P. Sufenas Virius Lupus discusses the challenges faced by queer-oriented Pagan traditions, and broaches the idea that some form of recruitment might be necessary perpetuate them. Quote:  “If the queer Pagan traditions with which I’m involved are viable, and therefore deserve to be continued in future generations after I’m dead (and even before then, with any luck), how else are those continuities to be made possible without “recruitment”?”
• It seems that the anti-Pagan spiritual warfare-loving New Apostolic Reformation makes up a pretty large chunk of Newt Gingrich’s Faith Coalition. I guess all that “paganism” rhetoric makes a bit more sense now. You can read all of The Wild Hunt’s coverage of this movement, here.
• Looking for more “The Wicker Tree” material after my post yesterday? Check out this video interview with writer-director Robin Hardy, recorded at 15th annual Fantasia Film Festival in Montreal. Meanwhile, the io9 blog calls the new film “thoroughly balls,” which I don’t think is a compliment.
• Over at her The Witching Hour blog, Peg Aloi notes that West Memphis 3 documentary “Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory” has been nominated for an Academy Award.
• The Religion News Service reports on Buddhist, Sikh, Jain,Muslim, and Hindu responses to Republican Rick Santorum’s claim that the concept of equality comes only from his God, and is not found in other religions. Quote: “Indian religions predate Abraham, Jacob and all that Rick Santorum was talking about,” said Sulekh Jain of Sugar Land, Texas, chairman of the International School for Jain Studies. “All souls are equal in every way. All feel pain and all feel pleasure. This concept is deeply embedded in the whole philosophy of Jainism.”
• The BBC posts a story on Haitian-Americans finding connection and solace in Vodou. Quote: “Since the quake, voodoo has played an important role in the healing process. Many of these Haitian immigrants have found comfort in the faith and community that voodoo cultivates, practitioners of the religion in the US say.” For more on this, see my January 25th post, “The Solace of Vodou for Haitian-Americans.”
• Covenant of the Goddess points to an obituary for Gardnerian Elder Kevin Cornell (KC) Anton from Veneta, Oregon, who died trying to rescue his dog, swept out to sea. A memorial service is being held February 11th, more information can be found here. May his spirit rest and return to us again.
• LAShTAL points to an unofficial trailer for the in-production movie “Aleister Crowley: Legend of the Beast”, a film that seems to break the mold and actually cast Crowley as a hero/protagonist instead of a villain. Looks like you can add that to the growing number of films created by Pagans and occultists, for Pagans and occultists.

That’s it for now! Feel free to discuss any of these links in the comments, some of these I may expand into longer posts as needed.

Still from 1973's "The Wicker Man".

Like many cult films, there had been talk for years about a sequel, or a remake. The remake happened in 2006, a disaster of a film starring an inane and overacting Nicolas Cage. The film managed to remove nuance and any sympathetic characters from its treatment, and is largely seen as an unintentional comedy today (despite that, Cage is talking sequel). Then came word that a follow-up to the 1973 film, written and directed by Robin Hardy, who also directed the original, was in the works. Originally titled “Cowboys For Christ,” the new film would be a spiritual “companion” to the original film, not a direct sequel.  In production for years, and beset by money problems early on, the film, renamed “The Wicker Tree,” finally hit the festival circuit in 2011. It got mixed reviews at Fantasia 2011 and FrightFest 2011, with Total Film complaining that the new film had a “near-absence of momentum or intrigue.”

www.youtube.com/watch?v=pO_ZRkDD26A

Now, at the beginning of 2012, “The Wicker Tree” is finally seeing a limited theatrical release. Andy Webster at The New York Times gives it a sympathetic review, but notes that it can’t live up to the “raw, earthy and mythic power” of the original film.

“In “The Wicker Tree,” two born-again Texans, Beth (the fresh-faced if one-dimensional newcomer Brittania Nicol) and Steve (Henry Garrett, slightly better), bring drawls, a cowboy hat and door-to-door evangelizing to rural Scotland (played unconvincingly by genteel Oxford), only to be drawn into a similar conspiracy, led by the nuclear-power magnate Lachlan Morrison (Graham McTavish, vainly trying to match the presence of the original’s Christopher Lee, who makes a cameo here).

Again, the town’s natives are a randy lot, with Honeysuckle Weeks playing the Britt Ekland temptress role and providing abundant nudity. But the decadence is more restrained; the gore, as before, is minimal. Inside references — animal carcasses, a costume horse-head, a sun pendant — drop in amid innovations, like an amusing crow’s-eye perspective. But finding sympathy for the leads isn’t as easy as it was for the forceful if self-righteous Woodward. Still, “The Wicker Tree” does manage to leave you with a haunted, agreeable unease.”

But will Pagans enjoy this new version? Pagan author and philosopher Brendan Myers has seen it, and gives it a thoughtful, somewhat positive, review.

“In a way, the film is about the inexorability of fate: Lord Summerisle himself says as much in a cameo appearance. So the plot of the film is an unfolding of Beth and Steve’s fate. We as audience members know what is going to happen: all the mystery and surprise is in how it happens. In that sense the film is a bit like a prequel. [...] I must also say, there were some moments at the end I genuinely didn’t expect. Beth and Steve met their fate as we knew they would, but the shock you feel when director Robin Hardy’s thesis is revealed – the thesis that great evil can come when people’s beliefs in the rightness of their actions is strong enough – came from an unexpected direction. This too helped make up for the weaknesses of the film: the unstable union of comedy and tragedy, the wooden-ness (dare I say wicker-ness?) of some of the characters. I’d give the film three out of five stars, although somehow I feel as if I should be giving it more. There’s still lots of depth and richness to be explored in the world of the Wicker Man, and lots more terrors to be seen as well. Robin Hardy, if you’re reading this, I hereby volunteer to write the script for the third film.”

Most mainstream reviewers are pointing out that this new film simply can’t live up to the original film, and that Hardy’s sensibilities as a director are a touch out of step with modern mores. I predict the consensus will be that “The Wicker Tree” is a noble failure that tries and ultimately fails to capture the magic of “The Wicker Man.” Better, by far, than the remake, but still a flawed attempt to “update” the basic story for a modern audience. Still, I’m interested to see what the wider Pagan response to this new film will be, and I look forward to judging the picture for myself.

I think that “The Wicker Man” caught hold of something at just the right time, British psychedelic folk and folk-rock bands were still riding high, occult practices and modern Paganism were becoming something more than an oddity, and this film seemed like a tuning fork that vibrated to the tensions and possibilities of that era. It became a touchstone for those who recognized that tension within their own lives, the desire to create a new world, to live in a new context, to break from the “straight” Christian world. The intrusion of Howie, and his undoing, can be read as a parable for the irreconcilable differences between the mainstream and the counterculture, the end of a “fool” who thinks this society should play by his rules. In a way, it is much like “The Exorcist,” which also played on tensions between cultures, but for different reasons, and to different ends.

I’m generally not a fan of remakes, and I think attempts to bottle the magic of “The Wicker Man,” no matter how faithful or well-pedigreed, will run into problems. Put simply, we live in different times, and the nature of tensions between Christianity and competing faiths and philosophies are different.  I think an excellent film can be made about those tensions, but I fear “The Wicker Tree” will not be that film.

For those wanting to see the extended version of “The Wicker Man”, you can still get it used for a reasonable price.

Nicol Williamson as Merlin

“He was the most honest, funny and intelligent man I have ever had the pleasure of knowing; he was my father and words cannot adequately express how proud I am of him. [...]  If anyone would like to express their love or appreciation of Nicol, I would ask them to make a donation in his name -however small- to a charity for children suffering from cancer or other life threatening illnesses. [...]  Dad will live in the memory of all those who knew him, all those who were affected by a performance of his they saw, and all those he made laugh until they couldn’t breathe. I love you Dad. Good game, sir, good game.” - Luke Williamson

It is no overstatement to say that Williamson shaped our conceptions of Merlin for an entire generation, and shaped the consciousnesses of more than a few modern Pagans. The performances of Williamson and Mirren, coupled with Boorman’s symphonic direction, had a huge impression on me as a kid watching and rewatching the film on VHS and cable television. He became for me, and I suspect for others, the image of Merlin in their minds.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=U8mJwgPiarg

Farewell Mr. Williamson, you, and your Merlin, live on in our dreams.

“Indie Pagan Cinema makes its mark. From the ambitious music-based SPIRIT OF ALBION (with songs by Damh the Bard) to the spooky, blood-soaked, folklore-laden horror flick CALL OF THE HUNTER, there’ve been a lot of great attempts to bring paganism into the theatres. There is also AMERICAN MYSTIC, a fascinating documentary by Alex Mar (interviewed here by Jason Pitzl-Waters) about alternative spirituality which profiles an African-American Spiritualist, a Native American Sundancer, and a Caucasian Wiccan priestess.”

Perhaps the highest profile Pagan-produced film might be the still-in-pitch-phase adaptation of Starhawk’s novel “The Fifth Sacred Thing,” a project that managed to raise over $75,000 in small donations from supporters. At the kick-off of that fundraiser I noted the growing number of movies produced and directed by Pagans and occultists.

“Films made by and for modern Pagans is a newly emerging phenomenon. Recently, film projects like “Our Pagan Heart,” “Dark of Moon,” “Tarology,” “The Spirit of Albion,” and the recently completed “To Dream of Falling Upwards” have woven explicit Pagan and occult themes into visual storytelling. Considering the popularity of Starhawk’s novel, this may be the biggest project of its kind to ever be undertaken. We’ll keep you posted as things develop on this project.”

Now, at the beginning of 2012, there are three projects, out now, or being released soon, that we’ll get to consider as we look at the growth of indie Pagan and occult film-making. First, Taliesin Govannon’s “Dark of Moon,” which was released on DVD at the beginning of December. Govannon describes “Dark of Moon” as film “about friends, lovers, and choices. It’s also filled with Pagans.”

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wht4ZamGP5s

Next up, scheduled for its premier in February, is Antero Alli’s “Flamingos.” An “outlaw romance noir” that features “two enigmatic entities from the Bardo interzones” who “take interest in” the fates of the main characters.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=_zbPnrkm9NQ

Alli, a prolific indie director, released the well-received Thelemic-themed occult comic drama “To Dream of Falling Upwards” in 2011 (and which I was supposed to review, but it somehow kept getting pushed aside, a condition I’ll try to correct soon). Finally, we have a trailer for “The Spirit of Albion,” due out on DVD in May.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXH4qlq2Ksw

“The Spirit of Albion” is an adaptation of a stage play, and is built around the music of Damh the Bard.

The question isn’t when there will be an oeuvre of independent “Pagan” of “occult” films made or overseen by practitioners, as it is happening now, as we speak. The real question is will these film resonate with our interconnected communities, and will these directors, producers, and performers, find enough support to continue doing this work? If, like Starhawk’s planned film, we are willing to support these efforts, we could see a real flowering of films that speak our language, understand our concerns, and reflect our struggles. A healthy culture needs vibrant artists to help shape our sense of ourselves and our values, and while the budgets may be small, these films seem to be moving us in the right direction.

• Virginia’s Board of Social Services has approved a truly audacious list of new adoption rules that authorize agencies to discriminate on the basis of age, gender, political beliefs, family status, and religion. This is ostensibly to prevent same-sex couples from adopting, but could be used to discriminate against religious minorities, like Pagans, in the state. Lawsuits are already being geared up to challenge these new guidelines. We’ll have more on this story in the future, including perspectives from Virginia Pagans.
• On Tuesday, Gianluca Casseri in Florence, Italy, went on a racially-motivated killing spree killing two and injuring three others before taking his own life. Casseri apparently had ties to Italian far-right groups and, according to The Guardian, “dreamed of a return to the pagan roots of a Europe reigned over by Norse kings.” Mark Sedgwick, author of “Against the Modern World: Traditionalism and the Secret Intellectual History of the Twentieth Century,” explores Casseri’s writings at his blog and says that his “ideological profile” as a Evolian Traditionalist is “reasonably clear.” According to Sedgwick, Casseri argues for finding the “‘roots of Europe’ not in Christianity or the Enlightenment but in paganism, Indo-European religion and ultimately the Vedas.” I’ll be digging into this story more in the coming weeks, and what the ramifications might be for Pagans in Italy and Europe.
• Two Romanian witches were arrested in a high-profile blackmail case involving television celebrities. The witches, in return, claim the public charges being made by Oana Zavoranu are motivated by vengeance due to a death spell against her mother not working. Romania was embroiled in a political battle over the licensing and regulation of psychics, fortune tellers, and witches this year, with the proposed new laws ultimately failing.
• Drake Spaeth, a Clinical Psychologist and co-founder of Earth Traditions, has been named Elder Sentinel on the Council of Elders of the Brotherhood of the Phoenix, a Pagan order for Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender men who love men. Spaeth released the following statement on his appointment: “I am deeply honored to officially announce that I now hold the position of Elder Sentinel on the Council of Elders of the Brotherhood of the Phoenix, for a term of three years. The Elder Sentinel holds an “at large” position and works to ensure the security of the organization and communicate about issues in the larger Pagan context that could impact the Brotherhood in a significant way. Earth Traditions and the Brotherhood have worked well together now on several endeavors, to the mutual benefit of each, and this connection further strengthens bonds of friendship and spiritual kinship! I look forward very much to the great work our two organizations will continue to do together!” Congrats to Drake Spaeth!
• Miraselena, Public Information Officer of the Dogwood Local Council of the Covenant of the Goddess (COG), has written an essay exploring the experiences and processes the coalition of Pagan advocacy groups who worked with the Turner family of Bowden, Georgia, whose son, Christopher (11), was facing religiously-motivated harassment by his school. Quote: “The School Administration demonstrated a sincere willingness to work with the Turners going forward and to put systems in place to alleviate many of their concerns. Unfortunately, we are not at liberty to disclose the details of these actions because of the involvement of minors. Such private information is normally reserved for approved school personnel and primary caregivers, in this case, Ms. Turner. However, we can say with confidence that, as a Pagan community, we have made significant steps forward in the education of our educators.”
• Here at Patheos, columnist P. Sufenas Virius Lupus writes about the Christian persecution complex. Quote: “You cannot rightly claim to be in the position of a persecuted minority any longer; you have, more often than not, been the persecutors for the last 1650 years or so. For those of us who are not of your belief system, we have no interest in “dying for” our religion, because we value life and wish to have it in abundance, here, in this very good and beautiful, though flawed, world. For us, martyrdom is not a virtue nor an ideal. For us, who are now in the position that your spiritual ancestors were when your religion emerged, would you act in ways towards us that you still execrate the Romans for nearly two millennia later? “The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,” indeed…” Also, may I note that the ever-erudite Lupus has published a new book: “Devotio Antinoo: The Doctor’s Notes, Volume One.” I can only imagine it is excellent and that you should buy several copies.
• Also at Patheos, Gardnerian Elder, author, and Beliefnet blogger Gus diZerega writes about Pagan and American individualism. Quote: “Even in its secular guise, the traditional American model of an individual is deeply Protestant. From that perspective are individual atoms with firm boundaries and each having a unique relationship with God, a relationship for which we are ultimately entirely responsible. When this idea of an individual became secularized, it usually incorporated its Protestant Christian assumptions of atomistic separation from the world and from other people.”
• The English version of Pravda features an interesting interview with Yakutian ethnographer Sergei Alekseev on the Evenki clan of Deer People, and the mysteries of shamanism. Quote: “We believe that each thing in this world has its spirit, its nature, its aura, its biological field. For example, you and I are wearing glasses. Our glasses also have their own auras. If I wear your glasses, I will be looking at the world with a different pair of eyes. It was you who bought these glasses, so they have absorbed your aura and your biofield. My glasses have mine. We never pass our things of one generation to another. For example, I have a hunting knife, but I am not giving it to my son, because my son must have his own knife. My knife is my knife only. When I die, they will put my things next to me.”
• Back in 2010 New York City Councilman, and Heathen Theodsman, Dan Halloran floated the idea of running for Congress, but ultimately backed down. Now he’s eyeing another step up on the political ladder, New York State Senate. Quote: “Queens Republican Councilman Dan Halloran, one of New York City’s more colorful political figures, is leaning toward running against similarly colorful Democratic state Sen. Tony Avella, according to multiple sources who have spoken with Halloran.” Will he run, and will his faith become an issue if he does? Stay tuned…
• The California Literary Review anticipates Robin Hardy’s film “The Wicker Tree,” the forthcoming companion film to the classic 1973 Pagan-themed horror film “The Wicker Man.” Quote: “Early press for The Wicker Tree has not been overwhelmingly good, but one might say it has been encouragingly mixed. The original Wicker Man did not become known as “the Citizen Kaneof horror films” overnight, or even during the horror boom of the 1970s. It vanished into relative obscurity for some time before its rediscovery, and look at that baby burn now! Expecting the same kind of masterpiece all over again might be pushing it, but who is to say what the future holds? That is the magic of the cult film. And cult films about cults are extra special.”

• For her Patheos column, T. Thorn Coyle weighs in on the Occupy Wall Street movement, recalling her time working at the Pacific Stock Options Exchange. Quote: “The Occupy movement is a movement about material things: jobs, food, housing, money. For me, this makes the Occupy movement about spiritual things. There is spirit in the movement, and the spirit moves through bodies of flesh in a world of matter: concrete, grass, buildings. There is no separation between the spirit and the matter, only our minds make it so.”
• While I’m on the subject of the Occupy Wall Street movement, Minnesota-based Pagan band Murphey’s Midnight Rounders has recorded, “Hard Times, Come Again No More,” in honour of the occupiers. You can download it for free, here.
  
• Also at Patheos, the ever-erudite P. Sufenas Virius Lupus marks Tuesday’s National Coming Out Day, and asks if there’s such a thing as a “gay” or “queer” god. Quote: “For the majority of polytheistic cultures throughout world history, the various categories into which deities could be sorted—chthonic or ouranic, immanent or distant, universal or local, and many more besides—did not include ‘queer’ and ‘not-queer.’”
• The Pagan-themed Russian film “Silent Souls” is coming to Washington DC at the end of October. For more American screening dates, click here. Check out the trailer.
• PNC-Texas interviews the Reverend Meg Barnhouse, the new settled minister of First Unitarian Universalist Church of Austin. Quote: “It was really through that Pagan aspect of Unitarian Universalism that I came into the ministry. While I consider myself and name myself a Unitarian Universalist, I deeply value the earth-based way of seeing things, along with earth-based elements of worship. I am very grateful to the Pagans for bringing me in and introducing me to UUism, so I feel a lot of affection for the Pagan element in our movement.”
• NY Daily News spotlights Latina authors who incorporate Santeria, Palo, and Brujeria themes in their work. Lyn Di Iorio, author of the new novel “Outside the Bones,” Ana-Maurine Lara, author of “Erzulie’s Skirt”, and “When the Spirits Dance Mambo” by Marta Moreno Vega, among others.
• The New Apostolic Reformation apparently want the website Talk To Action “silenced” (through prayer).
• Rob Boston from Americans United gives us an inside look at the recent Values Voter Summit. Quote: “Despite their prejudices, despite their fears – despite the fact that in many ways, Religious Right leaders don’t seem to like America much (too decadent, too secular) – this is a group with friends in high places, a political movement with enough muscle to summon top congressional leaders; they are a constituency that cannot be ignored. They must be given things.”
• The Council for a Parliament of the World’s Religions is holding a webinar featuring Christopher Peters, President and CEO of Seventh Generation Fund for Indian Development – a Native lead Indigenous Peoples public Foundation. Peters will be giving a talk entitled “Native American Earth-Based Spirituality.” The webinar will be held on November 9th. You can register, here.
• In a final note, the US American Council of Witches has issued a clarification on a statement made in my interview with Council member Kenny Klein about their plans and goals. Quote: “I wish to clarify one point. We were never notified by the US Army to revise their manual. We have been contacted from several Federal and State’s to create a manual/guide for them to utilize when dealing with a person who falls under the: Pagan/Wicca ~ Natural Earth Religions. We shall use the Army’s Manual as a guide only. A copy of which will be distributed to ALL Services(Navy, Marines etc…, ALL Federal Government offices, Every State Government office, ALL Federal prison’s, ALL State’s prisons, ALL County’s Jails(in each state), ALL Chaplains in ALL the Hospitals in all states…….. So we are looking at around probably 10,000 books/manuals/guides. We are probably underestimating ourselves. A complete listing will be on our web page when it is operational.”

That’s it for now! Feel free to discuss any of these links in the comments, some of these I may expand into longer posts as needed.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFuxq_J1VuA

“In terms of their status in popular understanding, British Pagan Witchcraft and folk music are strikingly similar. Both are believed, even by many of the people who practice them, to afford a link to the distant medieval past or pre-Christian antiquity, but many of their identifying features are actually relatively modern inventions.”

Bert Jansch

During his career Jansch recorded at least 25 albums and toured consistently, inspiring Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin and Johnny Marr of The Smiths with his unique guitar style. Towards the end of his career he collaborated with contemporary artists like Hope Sandoval (of Mazzy Star), Beth Orton and Devendra Banhart, inspiring a new generation of psych-folk and “freak” folk performers. Still, to many of us, he’ll be remembered as part of that band with the pentagram logo, which, along with the mythological and folkloric themes in their music, was more than enough to consider them one of “our” bands in the Pagan movement’s early stirrings. For his deep contributions to music, and for all those he inspired, Bert Jansch will live on for generations to come.

Another death that will have reverberations among many modern Pagans is the passing of actress Diane Cilento, famous to many as the first wife of Sean Connery, but beloved to us as “Miss Rose” in the 1973 cult-classic film “The Wicker Man”.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=aLbpf-VNmMs

Cilento would go on to marry “Wicker Man” writer Anthony Shaffer, and was a spiritual seeker who eventually studied Sufism.

Diane Cilento

“It doesn’t really matter what basically the religion is, it’s all the same thing. It’s all oneness. And I don’t think you can divorce or segregate or pigeonhole life in that way much. It is just life, and poetry’s part of that.”

Cilento was also the mother of Jason Connery, who played the second Robin Hood in the Pagan-drenched English series “Robin of Sherwood.” Her role in creating a “microcosm of what sacred and profane life in a village might be like if Christianity had never been imported to the Isles” will forever endear her to generations of modern Pagans. May her spirit be united with the oneness she sought in life.