Top Story: Solar Cross, a non-profit religious organization dedicated to pan-magical practice, worship, education, research and outreach, co-founded by T. Thorn Coyle, Jonathan Korman, and Robert Russell, has announced the official launch of their organization’s e-publishing venture.

“Solar Cross is pleased to announce the official launch of our e-publishing venture with the release of the formerly out of print Magick of Qabalah. This is the first in a line of magickal, esoteric, and Pagan books to be issued from the LVX/NOX and Sunna Press imprints. We are committed to bringing forth both original and out of print books as well as shorter works on practice and craft.”

Their first release is “The Magick of Qabalah” by British author Kala Trobe and is currently available via Amazon, with more platforms to be rolled out shortly. Future releases from the LVX/NOX and Sunna Press e-publishing imprints include works by  T. Thorn Coyle, Diana Paxson, and Shen-tat. With the large number of Pagan and occult works that are out of print, this is an exciting and useful first step in using the power of digital publishing to rescue lost classics and important developmental works in the history of our communities. I’m hoping this is the start of a far larger trend.

In Other News:

• Speaking of e-publishing, two well-received Pagan works are now available in digital formats for the first time. Erynn Rowan Laurie’s “Ogam: Weaving Word Wisdom” and Margot Adler’s seminal “Drawing Down the Moon: Witches, Druids, Goddess-Worshippers, and Other Pagans in America” (check out The Wild Hunt’s interview with Margot Adler on the release of the 2006 edition of the book).
• Mary K. Greer lets us know about an incredible discovery in the world of tarot, a second set of painted images commissioned by A.E Waite ten years after the now-famous illustrations done by Pamela Coleman Smith. These works were done by stained glass artist J. B. Trinick, and an effort is now underway to have them professionally photographed and published. Greer calls this “the biggest discovery in Tarot this century.”
• Haters gonna hate watch: Long-time anti-Paganism crusader Linda Harvey believes LGBT people don’t really exist, and John Hagee lets us know that “secular humanism is a pagan god and America is bowing at the shrine.”
• The landlord of the Phoenix Goddess Temple has terminated their lease. You can read all of my coverage of this issue, here.
• Saudi Arabia has beheaded Abdul Hamid al-Fakki, a Sudanese citizen, for practicing “witchcraft and sorcery.” Last year Amnesty International called for the commutation of his death sentence. Saudi Arabia’s threshold for charges of “sorcery” are completely arbitrary, as evidenced by the case of Lebanese citizen Ali Sibat, who barely escaped the death penalty after an international uproar.

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

Earlier this week I was talking about Pagan responses to threats against pre-Christian/pagan sites and artifacts, and now Chas Clifton points to an article from The Media Line (reprinted in several places) on rising hostility in Egypt against Western tourism, and calls to cover up famous objects from the Pharaonic period of ancient Egypt.

Osirid statues near Luxor.

Abd Al-Munim A-Shahhat, a spokesman for the Salafi group Dawa, has said that Egypt’s world-renowned pharaonic archeology – its pyramids, Sphinx and other monuments covered with un-Islamic imagery – should also be hidden from the public eye. “The pharaonic culture is a rotten culture,” A-Shahhat told the London-based Arabic daily A-Sharq Al-Awsat on Wednesday, saying the faces of ancient statues “should be covered with wax, since they are religiously forbidden.” He likened the Egyptian relics to the idols which circled the walls of Mecca in pre-Islamic times.

The article also notes that Islamist groups in Egypt have long been hostile to the tourism industry, but these sentiments were suppressed under Mubarak’s oppressive regime. Now, however, Egyptian xenophobia and paranoia seem to be blossoming, with government officials harassing foreigners.

Micah Trau, an American who has been studying Arabic with a private tutor for the past three months, decided that after being questioned twice, he would just leave. “I couldn’t take it,” he tells The Media Line from his home in Seattle. “I was there to study the language and the culture, but after being told I was a spy on three occasions I just thought it was time to get out of there before anything worse happened.”

Tourism in Egypt is a multi-billion dollar industry, and is hardly a revenue stream rising Egyptian leaders want to blithely throw away. While hardliners in the local Salafi movement may be calling for pagan statues to be encased in wax, the increasingly politically dominant Muslim Brotherhood seems to be trying to strike a balance between catering to tourists and pleasing Islamic factions who want to see such practices curtailed.

But [Muhammad Saad] Al-Katatny [secretary-general of Freedom and Justice] said that the Muslim Brotherhood regards Egypt’s archeology as belonging to all of humanity, and should therefore be safeguarded. “This heritage belongs to everyone, and one can’t simply remove something he doesn’t like,” he told Al-Ahram daily.

International travel agencies have so far rejected the idea of any restrictions on tourism, and low-price tours are being planned to encourage tourists back to Egypt, hoping to reverse a dramatic downturn caused by the revolution and its aftermath. Even if tourism is allowed, and the statues remain uncovered, will there be any tolerance for the more spiritually-minded tours that draw so many seekers, Pagans, and New Age adherents?

“In this predominantly Muslim country, Egyptologist and spiritual tour guide Amro Mounir, 34, said he encounters many Egyptians who criticize his tours for practicing a form of paganism. But Mounir says the tours are about tapping into the energy of the earth and helping people find the truth.”

It is very likely that the permissive tourist industry many are used to could be coming to an end. It shouldn’t be forgotten that in 2006 Egypt’s Grand Mufti, Ali Gomaa, issued an edict (fatwa) which condemned the work of sculptors and declared un-Islamic the display of statues in homes. At the time, some predicted suicide bombings at ancient temples, though this never materialized. Now that the political climate is far more unstable, could these threats now materialize? Can more moderate and progressive elements in Egypt hold out against an Islamist tide long held back by brute force? We’ll soon see if economic pragmatism and pluralistic aspirations will win out against an energized hardline who see this as a chance to mold Egypt in their image.

Just as legal questions over the Frederick County Commissioners opening invocations policy, initially dubbed a “Wiccan-proof prayer policy,” seemed to be settled, a new issue involving prayer before a government body (and religious minorities) is intensifying. This time Lancaster, California’s voter-approved invocations policy, which I covered last year, has withstood its first legal challenge.

Plaintiffs have failed to establish that the Policy has been used for an improper purpose or is otherwise unconstitutional. Volunteers of numerous faiths are invited to and have given invocations before City Council meetings, and the selection process does not discriminate against any faith.

You can read the full ruling, here. So, when the ruling talks about “volunteers of numerous faiths,” what do they mean?

“Since the City Council adopted the Invocation Policy: twenty invocations were given by people from Christian denominations, and each included a reference to Jesus or Jesus Christ; four invocations were by a person who identifies as a metaphysicist; one invocation was given by a member of the California Sikh Council; and one invocation was given by a person from an Islamic congregation. On four occasions no invocation was given because the scheduled speaker cancelled or was absent. No meetings were held on November23, 2010 or December 28, 2010. When counted only from the date of the challenged invocation, April 27, 2010, nine additional invocations included references to Jesus or Jesus Christ and five invocations have not included such references.”

Lancaster mayor Mayor R. Rex Parris, who had previously stirred controversy by proclaiming that “we’re growing a Christian community, and don’t let anybody shy away from that,” is now saying that “there never was any exclusion, and we never intended there to be any.” But is “a metaphysicist, a Sikh and a Muslim” enough to inoculate Lancaster’s prayer policy against the already-promised 9th Circuit Court appeal? I think the arguments given in an opinion piece published by the Los Angeles Times editorial board last year are still relevant.

“People of varying religious beliefs should be able to attend council meetings, or any other legislative sessions, without feeling marginalized … given the dominance of Christian congregations in almost all corners of the country, a rotating guest list is going to result more often than not in Christian prayer …Though a nondenominational prayer might satisfy the vast majority of Americans, aren’t atheists, agnostics, members of polytheistic religions and, for example, Buddhists — whose faith does not include a belief in a supernatural-related God — entitled to feel equally comfortable at these sessions? … there is no getting around the fact that what the courts call nonsectarian prayer is actually polysectarian monotheistic prayer. To someone who isn’t from one of those faiths — primarily Christianity, Judaism and Islam — this sure looks like establishment of a particular religious belief.”

While the inclusion of a Sikh and a Muslim is admirable, especially after one Lancaster City Councilwoman courted controversy in 2010 by saying that beheadings were “what the Muslim religion is all about,” Lancaster hasn’t veered far from “polysectarian monotheistic prayer.” Sikhism and Islam are, since I last checked, monotheistic religions, so that leaves the lone metaphysicist. If that anonymous metaphysicist came from the local Center for Spiritual Living, the individual in question was probably a monotheist too. So while there may be “numerous faiths” giving sectarian prayers, it remains to be seen if several flavors of monotheist truly is diverse enough. We know that the “include a Wiccan” gambit can work, but what about including a Sikh, a Muslim, and a Metaphysicist among a sea of prayers to Jesus?

There are lots of articles and essays of interest to modern Pagans out there, sometimes more than I can write about in-depth in any given week. So The Wild Hunt must unleash the hounds in order to round them all up.

• First off, congratulations to all same-sex couples in the state of New York, who will soon have the right to get married. Huzzah! New York is the sixth, and largest, state to legalize gay marriage. I’m sure there are plenty of Pagan officiants ready and willing to perform the matrimonial honors! You can read my Washington Post piece about religious exemptions to the just-passed bill, here. For more on Paganism and gay marriage, click here. Is this the tipping point? I’m hoping to spotlight some voices from New York on this issue soon!
• An article on environmentalism and religion has a somewhat odd assertion by Celtic Reconstructionist LaQuetta Purkiss, who claims that while “Wiccans tend to be liberal and favor government restrictions, Celtic Reconstructionists like herself lean more conservative and often oppose federal government intervention, unless industries or individuals refuse to regulate themselves.” Which made me scratch my head, since that doesn’t seem to accurately describe the political/environmental stances of prominent Celtic Reconstructionists like Kathryn Price NicDhàna, Erynn Rowan Laurie, or P. Sufenas Virius Lupus. Here’s what the CR FAQ has to say about the movement’s ethical basis. Is there a strong libertarian streak in CR concerning environmental policy that I’ve missed?
• CNN”s Belief Blog highlights more Native voices in the wake of the James Arthur Ray verdict. Valerie Taliman, who I quoted in my recent round-up of reactions, tells CNN that “according to our teachings, what he’s done to these people will come back on him over a lifetime [...] let’s see how spiritually grounded he is now.” In related post-verdict news, the Atlantic Wire looks at people who bought Ray’s shtick (Oprah,  Larry King, The Today Show, and the American public), and Time Magazine does a reactions piece as well. Remember, this case isn’t over. There’s sentencing, and the inevitable appeals down the road.
• Is there anything more charming than Christian rappers? The Calgary Herald spotlights MashetiMoses, a Catholic rapper who talks about escaping from his godless ‘pagan’ past. “He describes being raised in a ‘pagan’ household with no religion whatsoever. His mother used to make a living reading Tarot cards and being a psychic. ”We had all sorts of weird idols in the house,” he says.” Sadly, even the best of upbringings sometimes can’t stop someone from following in the footsteps of DC Talk.
• Speaking of Christians, some of them are holding vigils outside a pub in Dorset. Why? “We aim to hold peaceful vigils outside occult events, in the hope of turning people away from the path of evil towards God’s love.” Look, if you really want to turn us away from the path of wickedness, maybe you should have a pint (or two) with us, instead of praying and going on like some cartoon stereotype.
• According to High Mountain Tempel, they are the “San Diego’s most occult band.” Sounds like the gauntlet’s been thrown down! Then again, I assume that would be an easier hill to climb than being the “most occult” band in the Bay Area. I merely remark.
• Come to Iceland! Attend a Pagan ceremony!
• Is Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia really ignorant about the doctrine of discovery?
• Amy Levin at The Revealer looks at occult practices and Islam in Iran.
• Damon Albarn (Gorillaz, Blur) has written and will star in a new opera about John Dee. You know, the guy who gave us the Enochian language, and consulted Queen Elizabeth I.

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.

There are lots of articles and essays of interest to modern Pagans out there, sometimes more than I can write about in-depth in any given week. So The Wild Hunt must unleash the hounds in order to round them all up.

• How do you fight Muslim extremism? With Bollywood! As Chas Clifton says, “Aphrodite will not be denied,” but perhaps it would be more appropriate in this instance to say Parvati will not be denied.
• Michael L. “Mikey” Weinstein, president of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, lashes out at the recent anti-Pagan Washington Times editorial (see my response here) and notes that Technical Sergeant Brandon Longcrier has resigned as the Air Force Academy’s Pagan lay leader “in direct protest over the blatant, strong-arming insensitivity, which the Academy was using in the administration of the naming of that stone circle.” So is it one step forward, two steps back at the AFA? More on this as I can get it.
• Hilmar Örn Hilmarsson, Chief Godi of Ásatrúarfélagið in Iceland, isn’t too concerned about the “Thor” movie, saying the gods have endured much worse. If there are any Icelandic speakers who can give me a decent translation of this article I’d appreciate it, the Google translated version leaves much to be desired.
• The trial of James Arthur Ray continues, with the defense repeatedly calling for a mistrial. This does not strike me as the action a confident defense would take, but perhaps my law-practicing readers can enlighten me? For an exhaustive day-by-day run-down of this trial, check out the Reflections Journal.
• Did you know there’s a group blog for Pagan women of color at Patheos.com? Well there is! It’s called “Daughters of Eve” and there’s some really interesting posts there to be read. Go check it out!
• Is the somewhat suppressed tradition of a Heavenly Mother within Mormonism making a comeback? Wouldn’t that make Mormonism, um, polytheistic?
• Check out this witch-trial themed new video for a remix of Depeche Mode’s “Personal Jesus”.
• You know things are getting serious in Iran when clerics are accusing associates of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of “witchcraft” and “summoning genies.” Could a shift in power be coming there? More here.
• On May 12th the first-ever congressional hearing on the indigenous peoples of Africa will be held, hosted by the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission. Economic development, climate change, and human rights are on the agenda.
• Shepard Fairey, of Obama “Hope” posters fame, and photojournalist Ernesto Yerena have launched a fundraising campaign on a site called Emphas.is toward creating a billboard campaign for the Pine Ridge Reservation.
• In South America Pagan Folk Metal is know as “Ancestral Metal,” and there is apparently a thriving scene.
• Is there a religious freedom “in crowd”?
• Some Medicine Men aren’t all that fond of using the Internet to offer their services.
• Is it really all that shocking that Steven Tyler of Aerosmith practiced sex magick?

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.

My latest response at the Washington Post’s On Faith site is now up.

Here’s this week’s panel question:

Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.), chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, will begin holding hearings Thursday on “the extent of the radicalization of American Muslims.” Ibrahim Hooper, spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, has characterized the hearings as “a witch hunt.” Are they?

King also has said he believes the “self-radicalization” of American Muslims represents“a very small minority” of the overall community. What are the potential consequences of singling out one religious group?

Here’s an excerpt from my response:

As a member of a religious minority, I understand the peril in being labeled as the dangerous “other”. Too far outside the accepted mainstream to fully enjoy the rights and protections of “normal” citizens. At this moment there are Pagans in the “broom” closet because they know their children will be taken away should they speak publicly about their beliefs. There are Pagans in American prisons being denied basic access to religious counsel or materials. For too long even Pagan soldiers were denied the dignity of an emblem on their gravestones. Things are far better now for my family of faiths than 10, 20, or 30 years ago, but I’m old enough to remember the moral “satanic” panics of the 1980s, and how easy it would be for things to slip down that road again should some instigating incident turn public opinion against us. When I see hearings so transparently showy, so obviously about garnering political favor and throwing red meat to their voting base, my first thought is always: who’s next.

I hope you’ll head over to the site and read my full response, and the other panelist responses, and share your thoughts. Also, since I didn’t post about it here, do check out my response from last week dealing with abortion.

My latest response at the Washington Post’s On Faith site is now up.

Here’s this week’s panel question:

Former Arkansas governor and 2012 presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee found himself in hot water this week after he called Islam the “antithesis of the gospel of Christ” and said that churches that share worship space with Muslims are caving to a religion “that says that Jesus Christ and all the people that follow him are a bunch of infidels who should be essentially obliterated.”

In an analysis of how Islam may shape campaign politics, Politico’s Bryon Tau wrote: “As Republican candidates define their national security stands in the 2012 elections, conservative discomfort with Islam in America will be a feature of the debate.”

Should Islam be debated on the campaign trail? Are religious issues in danger of being exploited?

Here’s an excerpt from my response:

My modest proposal: if we cannot leave religion off the stump, cannot resist hobnobbing at the pulpit, and glad-handing at the megachurch, then let us at least expand the parameters. How wonderful would it be if inherently pluralistic faith groupings like Hinduism, Buddhism, or modern Paganism were also allowed to ask questions on the same national podium that Christians now claim as their own? What if we allowed indigenous voices to ask moral questions of our prospective leaders instead of ceding that honor to the Rick Warrens of this world? If Muslims are to be so central to some political careers, to electoral futures, why not have each of these men of power sit down with a panel of Muslim leaders and academics to discuss their views? For surely, if a belief cannot withstand honest and open questioning, then it is worthless as guiding political policy.

I hope you’ll head over to the site and read my full response, and the other panelist responses, and share your thoughts.