The Wild Hunt » Robert Anton Wilson

Unleash the Hounds! (Link Roundup)

Jason Pitzl-Waters — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 17:56:49 +0000

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.

It looks like the magic made by Salem Witches Lorelei and Lori Bruno was effective, or perhaps New England Patriots QB Tom Brady has pacts with powers unknown to us, in any case Brady led his team to a crushing victory over the Denver Broncos in last night’s NFL playoff game. Much was made of the Brady’s Sports Illustrated “cover curse” in the days leading up to the game, but it seems it has been lifted. Jesus, who often receives very public homage from Bronco’s QB Tim Tebow, could not be reached for comment.
NewRealities has posted an Occupy Wall Street-focused video featuring Starhawk (and LIsa Finthian) entitled “Deconstructing Empire”, a “strategy training workshop on how to organize deconstruction of those that have power over the people.” For more on Starhawk’s interactions with the Occupy movement, check out her official blog. You may also want to listen to her presentation at the American Academy of Religion’s Annual Meeting on “Elemental Theology,” which also touches on these themes.
A group of influential conservative Christians, including Gary “hypothetical Pagan candidate” Bauer, have decided to back Rick Santorum in the race to see who will be the Republican nominee for 2012′s presidential contest. Family Research Council president Tony Perkins said that “the race is far from being decided.”
This past week at the popular blog Boing Boing was “Robert Anton Wilson Week,” featuring a number of remembrances and tributes from folks like Rev. Ivan Stang, Erik Davis, and Jay Kinney of Gnosis Magazine. If you are a fan of Robert Anton Wilson’s work, and I know many of you out there are, you should go check it out.
I now present to you: Sh** New Age Girls Say (though I’ve seen more than a few guys say similar phrases).
Deborah Harkness’ bestselling novel “A Discovery of Witches” (part of a forthcoming trilogy of novels) is being adapted for the big screen by Warner Bros. Looks like witches (and vampires) are still hot in Hollywood.
Will Yoga wreck your body? Suhag Shukla says no, but it might make your more Hindu: “Ironically, while much of the yoga industry and mainstream media perpetuate the yoga is asana formula with an occasional nod to pranayama, the leadership of a number of the world’s religions, such as the Vatican, warn their flock that yoga may lead one into exploring and experiencing Hindu belief and practice. I have to say, I concur. True yoga will not wreck your body or make you fat, but it may just open your heart, increase your capacity to see and be divine, and lead you towards a more pluralistic, Hindu view of life.”
The news that infamous witch-hunter Helen Ukpabio is visiting America has started to spread, Michael Mungai at HuffPo says there should be protests, the International Humanist and Ethical Union reminds us that Ukpabio tried to destroy an organization that works to protect children accused of witchcraft in Nigeria, while PZ Myers says that “this evil, criminal woman ought to be met at the airport and turned right around, if not sent off to trial for crimes against humanity.”
A British man who attacked a Witch with a bottle at the Witch’s house during a party has been sentenced to two years of prison. I mention this article because it has one of the worst headlines ever: “White witch party bottle attack man jailed.” Seriously, that doesn’t even make sense, are their headlines being written by a keyword script or something?
A sweat lodge including Natives and non-Natives doesn’t end up going so well.
An argument over different traditions of Santeria turns tragic.
Chesterfield County, South Carolina, the place where divination isn’t a religious practice, where a “Wiccan-proof” public invocation model withstood a legal challenge, and where it took the threat of an ACLU lawsuit to stop the local school district engaging in federally-funded proselytizing. Quote: “The board of the Chesterfield County School District voted tonight to adopt a proposed settlement agreement that would put an end to the district’s pervasive practice of school-sponsored prayer, preaching and religious activities aimed at students.” What is with that particular county?

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.

(Pagan) News of Note

Jason Pitzl-Waters — Mon, 29 Jan 2007 15:44:00 +0000

My semi-regular round-up of articles, essays, and opinions of note for discerning Pagans and Heathens.

For those of you who have been missing pioneering acid-house band The KLF since their retirement, it seems that “New Rave” act The Klaxons are here to pick up the slack.

“Pogoing behind the banks of synthesisers is, instead, a band steeped in art rock, soft pop and science fiction…That old rascal Aleister Crowley gets exhumed once again. ‘Do what you will,’ urges ‘Magick’, abetted by an irresistible on-beat.”

You can find the lyrics to their Thelemic ode, here. For some samples of their musical wares, try The Hype Machine.

Cambridge Classics scholar Mary Beard criticizes the Greek Pagans who made the news recently for their lack of blood sacrifice.

“True, the worshipers last week poured a libation of wine and incense over a copper tripod. But where was the animal sacrifice? As almost everyone who studies ancient Greek religion insists, the key centre of the whole religious system was sacrifice: it was the ritual of killing and sharing the animal that was, if anything, the “article of faith” that defined the ancient community of worshipers. And it was through sacrifice (rather than ecology) that ancient Greeks conceptualized their own place in the world – distinct from animals on the one hand and the superhuman gods on the other. Until these eager neo-pagans get real and slaughter a bull or two in central Athens, I shan’t worry that they have much to do with ancient religion at all. At the moment, this is paganism lite.”

Pagan scholar Chas Clifton fires back with a resounding “so what”?

“Her slightly patronizing tone aside, so what? Religions do change–even while their adherents insist on continuity with the past. I have great respect for Beard as a Classics scholar–I own one or two of her books–but I suspect that she has not given much thought before to new religious movements until she decided to give her opinion on this new development in her blog.”

This caused Mary to get a tad defensive in the comments…

“I think I was really responding to the claims made by this group that they WERE reviving ancient paganism. I am absolutely OK with the idea that religions change. I was reacting to their claims to be a modern version of ANCIENT ‘paganism’.”

For quite a bit more debate on if blood sacrifice is a necessary component of a revived Greco-Roman paganism, check out the comments on Beard’s blog.

In case you were wondering, supermodel Naomi Campbell is not a witch.

“Naomi Campbell called the other day — no jokes about flying cell phones, please. The supermodel was a perfect lady, even as she made her complaints about newspaper stories in Brazil, England and here that she is interested in Brazil’s African-based Candomble religion, which has rituals some have likened to witchcraft.”

I was going to bring forward a witness who said she turned him into a newt, but sadly he “got better” before I could alert the tabloids. No word on if she weighs as much as a duck.

If you can make it to Santa Cruz, I couldn’t think of a better activity than attending Robert Anton Wilson’s Cosmic Meme-Orial & Lasagna Levitation Celebration on February 18th.

“Celebrate the life, work and continued multi-dimensionality of Robert Anton Wilson by joining us in a giant, jammin’ Translation Celebration and 8th Circuit Soiree! Be a part of Bob’s Raucous Processionary Send-Off as his ashes sail out of the cove and rejoin his beloved’s in the Pacific!”

Organizers are still accepting contributions for their media presentation. Send your photos of Wilson or creative graphical tributes as 300 x 600 jpegs to the e-mail address listed here.

Finally, the newspaper of my old hometown in Champaign-Urbana Illinois covers the possible Witch School reality program in Hoopeston.

“The witch school that moved into Hoopeston’s elephant building three years ago may soon be the site of a reality TV show on the Sci-Fi channel. “We’re pretty excited even though we don’t know that much about it yet,” said Don Lewis, who is the Witch School’s chancellor…A spokeswoman for the network confirmed that a reality series to be filmed in Hoopeston is in development. “We don’t have a production timetable as of yet, nor do we have additional information on the details of the production,” Adrienne D’Amato wrote in an e-mail.”

Doesn’t sound like anything is in stone at this point. You wonder if they’ll insist on a photogenic cast of teachers and students?

That is all I have for now, have a good day!

Robert Anton Wilson 01/18/32 – 01/11/07

Jason Pitzl-Waters — Thu, 11 Jan 2007 22:45:00 +0000

“Please pardon my levity, I don’t see how to take death seriously. It seems absurd.” – Robert Anton Wilson, 01/06/07

Famed underground philosopher, author, mystic, and underground visionary Robert Anton Wilson passed away this morning in his home. Wilson had been suffering with post-polio syndrome for the past few years and was receiving in-home hospice care.

Robert Anton Wilson

Wilson is perhaps best-known for his work on “The Illuminatus! Trilogy” with co-author Robert Shea. The books incorporated elements of Discordianism, conspiracy theory, magick, and various 60s counterculture references to create a “fairytale for paranoids”. Since then Wilson published several books exploring philosophy, science, and religion. Most notably his “Cosmic Trigger” series. RAW’s blog has posted this final message from his care-givers.

“Robert Anton Wilson Defies Medical Experts and leaves his body @4:50 AM on binary date 01/11. All Hail Eris! On behalf of his children and those who cared for him, deepest love and gratitude for the tremendous support and lovingness bestowed upon us.”

A memorial is being planned for February.

Addendum: From RU Sirius:

“Robert Anton Wilson taught us all that “the universe contains a maybe.” So maybe there is an afterlife, and maybe Bob’s consciousness is hovering around all of us who were touched by his words and his presence all these years. And if that’s the case, I’m sure he’d like to see you do something strange and irreverent – and yet beautiful – in his honor.”