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.

On Wednesday the Salem News reported that Laurie Cabot, Salem, Massachusetts’ official Witch, would be closing the doors of The Official Witch Shoppe at the end of January, bringing to an end Cabot’s 42-year run of owning and operating Witch-related stores in Salem. The Salem News piece quotes a message sent out by Cabot on January 6th, detailing the reasons why Cabot is stepping back from personally running a retail establishment.

Laurie Cabot

“Here I sit now, reflecting on my life as a Witch, my goals, challenges and successes both in the past and what will be in the future. My goals have changed, my focus must now change to meet those goals and it is to that end that I have decided to gear my focus to our temple, the first ever temple of Witchcraft in Salem, the Cabot Kent Hermetic Temple, what an event! In 1692 people in Salem township were killed in the name of Witchcraft, murdered when there is no evidence to support they were even Witches or knew what Witches were, and now today we have founded our temple in its place! We are working to replace fear and hate with hope, love and majick. My goal is to is to see this temple flourish, I want to see us have a building, a real place where anyone can come and learn about Witchcraft, the science, the art and the religion. A place where you can learn about your Celtic ancestors, our Gods and Goddesses, where we can use majick and cast spells to heal the world.”

Over the years Cabot has run and operated four separate stores:  The Witch Shoppe, opened in 1971, Crow Haven Corner (now under different ownership), The Cat, The Crow and The Crown, and finally,  The Official Witch Shoppe. Cabot and her growing family of initiates and students oversaw Salem’s transformation from sleepy New England city with an infamous history of killing accused witches, to a massive Halloween tourist draw that now boasts a number of occult, Pagan, and Witchcraft-related businesses. During that time, Cabot emerged as a prominent voice for an emerging Pagan movement in the United States, was profiled in National Geographic, appeared in documentaries, on talk-shows (including Oprah!), and wrote a number of popular books on Witchcraft and occult practices.

At news of this shift in focus for Cabot, hundreds of Pagans and Wiccans have expressed their thanks for her work, and wished her well on the planned temple project. Noted author and Temple of Witchcraft co-founder Christopher Penczak, who was a former student of Cabot’s, says that “there was always a special magick to learning magick in her shop.”

“I’ll treasure the time I spent in this shop in the reading room chatting with her and teaching there after hours. I’m sad to see it go, but know it’s part of her evolving work to manifest a physical temple in Salem for the Cabot-Kent Hermetic Temple. With about forty years involved in a shop in Salem, it’s time for a change and I”m glad to see her making that change.”

Green Witch Amy Blackthorn, a frequent visitor to Salem, added “you can always tell what the ‘temperature’ in the Pagan community nationwide” by entering her shop.

“I’ve been following Ms Cabot’s work for 19 years. My husband and I vacation in Salem every quarter, and though I don’t go to Laurie for readings, she is always a dear to talk to. You can always tell what the ‘temperature’ in the Pagan community nationwide by going into ‘The Cat The Crow and the Crown’ because it’ll feature in the shop. No matter what Laurie sets her mind to do, especially with her new Temple, I’m sure she’ll do it in her signature way. Pickering Wharf will be a bit darker for her absence. I’ll raise a Wharf Rat in her name on our next visit.”

While Cabot has been a polarizing figure for some in the Pagan community due to her flamboyance and willingness to embrace publicity, it was also these characteristics that helped slowly mainstream religious Witchcraft, Wicca, and modern Paganism.  For all the black capes, conical hats, and impressive eye makeup, we shouldn’t forget that Laurie Cabot was named Salem’s “Official Witch” by then-Governor Michael Dukakis for her work with special needs children. At Cabot’s root is a willingness to be healer and a teacher, to endure years of scorn and ridicule so that today’s Witches in Salem can largely party with impunity.  As for the future, the 78-year-old has no plans to slow down.

“I will continue to teach; my classes on Witchcraft and Tarot are still very much available as are my physic readings and workshops. The shops phone number will remain the same and continue to operate for more information on classes, workshops and readings as well as online at the shops website which will continue to operate, more information will be provided should the fate of that site change.”

You can follow the progress of the Cabot-Kent Hermetic Temple, here. You can also keep track of Cabot’s work at her official web site. We here at The Wild Hunt wish Ms. Cabot all the best in her future endeavors, and thank her for her ongoing service to our community.

Perhaps no figure looms as large on the history of modern religious Witchcraft (and in turn modern Paganism) than Gerald Gardner, who, depending on whom you ask, introduced the heretofore underground religion of Wicca to the wider world, or simply created it from a variety of esoteric and folkloric sources. Whatever one’s stance is on the providence of Wicca, all agree that Gardner played an essential role in developing what would become a world religion practiced everywhere from India to Lebanon and Brazil in less than sixty years. As historian Ronald Hutton notes in “The Triumph of the Moon: A History of Modern Pagan Witchcraft” Wicca has unique significance due to it being “the only religion which England has ever given the world.” Now Gardner, with the help of Hutton, will be the subject of an hour-long documentary on Channel 4 in Britain.

Publicity still from "Britain's Wicca Man".

“Britain’s Wicca Man tells the extraordinary story of Britain’s fastest growing religious group – Wicca – modern pagan witchcraft – and of its creator, an eccentric Englishman called Gerald Gardner. Historian and leading expert in Pagan studies, Professor Ronald Hutton, explores Gardner’s story and experiences first hand Wicca’s growing influence throughout Britain today.”

The documentary, commissioned by Channel 4, is being produced by Matchlight, who expand a bit more on the film at their web site.

“Its a journey that takes in tales of naked witches casting spells to ward off Hitler, tabloid hysteria about human sacrifices and Gerald Gardner himself appearing on Panorama. The film tells of a peculiar man who saw that the world was ready for a new religion based on magic, sex nature and ritual – and gave it to us.  In doing so, he created in Wicca, the UK’s first religion, one that has taken on a life of its own and is today counted amongst one of the fastest growing faith groups in the world. Through interviews and encounters with Wicca followers, experts and these who knew Gardner,  Professor Hutton delves into this unusual world and the story of how its eccentric founder created a religion that is today increasingly seen as a valid alternative to the more orthodox faith groups.”

While this isn’t the first documentary to deal with Wicca, it is the first to focus exclusively on Gardner, and certainly the first to so prominently place a scholar and historian as the point-person in its explorations. Despite the occasional criticisms that have been launched toward Hutton’s work from within modern Pagan circles few can argue that he is deeply knowledgeable on the history of Wicca, well-read on the latest scholarship, and has extensive contacts with surviving associates (and initiates) of Gerald Gardner. One can only hope that Hutton will follow in the footsteps of Simon Schama or Michael Wood, and that this one-hour documentary ends up sparking a series of documentaries on the history of modern Paganism in Britain (I would love to see a multi-part treatment of “The Triumph of the Moon” or “Blood and Mistletoe: The History of the Druids in Britain”).

Once we have an air date for “Britain’s Wicca Man,” or other pertinent information, I’ll update you here. In the meantime, I’ll see if I can talk to anyone involved in the documentary. A big hat-tip to Chas Clifton for letting us know this was in the works.

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.

• 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.”

Peruvian Shaman Slayings: Back in October I reported on the murder of fourteen shamans in Peru, allegedly ordered by Alfredo Torres, the mayor of Balsa Puerto, and carried out by his brother. Author and indigenous leader Roger Rumrrill claimed these killings are part of a wider witch-hunt by the brothers, who are members of an unnamed protestant Christian sect. Now, progressive news site Truthout brings us an update on the story, alleging that more than mere religious animus is behind these murders.

Alberto Pizango, Peru’s top indigenous leader and president of the country’s most powerful indigenous organization, the Interethnic Development Association of the Peruvian Rainforest (known by its Spanish acronym, AIDESEP) paints a more complex picture of the case, blaming cash and pressure from legal and illegal industries in the Amazon who poach natural resources from indigenous lands. ”What is happening now in my community is organized crime,” said Pizango, himself a Shawi medico who studied for seven years under a master shaman.

Pizango goes on to tell how traditions are being distorted to support the murder of shamans who oppose the growing criminal enterprises in Peru, or their political allies. noting that “when the people come out to defend their territorial rights, their rights to their natural resources, then the mayor has the perfect criminal organization to shut them up, accuse them, say that someone was killed because he was a brujo.” At this point the death-count is now estimated at 20, and the government investigation into these charges are still ongoing. No arrests or public statements have been made. For ongoing updates see the Alianza Arkana news blog.

Dan Halloran Responds (by Proxy): I’ve been waiting to hear Dan Halloran’s response to the divisive Village Voice piece that I feel unfairly sensationalized his Heathen faith, and dinged by religion journalism criticism site Get Religion for its “unnecessary mocking tone.” Now, it seems a response was sent out this past Thursday, albeit indirectly through Halloran’s spokesman Steve Stites in an email to the Queens Tribune.

“The liberal press, such as the Voice, based in downtown Manhattan, and knowing zilch about Northeast Queens, have stooped to some pretty creative new lows in trying to bash the Councilman,” Stites wrote in a furious email. “It makes you wonder why they’re so afraid of him, or so fascinated by him. My guess is that the left-wing press doesn’t like the Councilman because he’s outspoken, effective and conservative, and he doesn’t play by their rules of political correctness and go-along get-along politics.”

Voice staff writer Steven Thrasher defended his piece, saying he wrote it “because it made such a good story—a politician with a faith unlike any other,” and that comparing Heathens with Civil War reenactors was meant to be a compliment. Sadly, neither Halloran or Stites have directly addressed the religious content of Thrasher’s article, nor do I expect them to any time soon.

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

Just a few quick news notes to start off your Friday.

The Day the Lights Stayed on at Atlantis: London’s oldest occult bookseller, The Atlantis Bookshop, was apparently the only business unaffected when an explosion caused a blackout on their street. Could it be magic?

The Atlantis Bookshop

Geraldine Beskin, whose family has run the shop for the past 50 years, said: “The lights flickered, and in the streets I could see everyone else’s go out. But we were left intact. It must have been magic!” Staff at the street’s boutiques and cafés turned to Atlantis, a Mecca for mysticists worldwide, for candles to keep their shop-fronts lit.

Atlantis Bookshop is (in)famous for being a place that occultist Aleister Crowley would visit regularly, though the paper points out he died in 1947, precluding any role for Britain’s “wickedest man” in the blackout.

Pendle Witches House Discovered? England’s “Pendle witches,” victims of the most famous witch trials in that country’s history, have long fascinated tourists and historians alike; now some are claiming that an excavated 17th century cottage may have been the legendary Malkin Tower, where the witches were rumored to congregate.

Photograph: Lorne Campbell/United Utilities/PA Wire

“Some historians have speculated as to whether the cottage could have been the fabled meeting point of the Pendle witches. ”This could well be the famous Malkin Tower — which has been a source of speculation and rumour for centuries,” Pendle witches expert Simon Entwistle told Reuters. He said the find, right in the heart of witch country was incredibly rare, and was made just a few months before the 400th anniversary of the infamous Pendle trials.”

Why the speculation on this particular cottage? Because a mummified cat was found in its walls. Author and Pendle Witch expert Mary Sharratt, author of the novel “Daughters of the Witching Hill,” noted to me that a “mummified cat was a common country charm to ward off evil so it doesn’t necessarily follow that cunning folk lived in the cottage, but it’s still an interesting discovery.” As for the Pendle Witches, they remain strange celebrities in England, with a statue of Pendle witch Alice Nutter to be unveiled in 2012.

Meet the (University of Massachusetts) Wiccan: University of Massachusetts paper The Daily Collegian does a paint-by-numbers “meet the Wiccans” piece on Laura Wildman-Hanlon, office manager for the school’s psychology department and author of “What’s Your Wicca IQ?” While a positive article, I’m not kidding when I say this is textbook “meet the Wiccans” material.

Laura Wildman-Hanlon

“Laura Wildman-Hanlon, a practicing Wiccan, is not your Hollywood witch. She doesn’t wear a pointed hat or have green skin, and she certainly doesn’t turn men into frogs. This she says, is not at all what real Wicca and witchcraft are about.”

Still, good on The Daily Collegian for spotlighting a local Witch who is stable, successful, and happy. Here’s hoping a few minds are opened in the process.

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

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.

• The Atlanta Independent Media Center reports on a 11-year-old child harassed at his school due to his family being Pagan. Christopher Turner of Bowden, Georgia has been singled out, lectured on religion by teachers, and given suspensions for seemingly trivial reasons since knowledge of his faith has come out. Quote: “Christopher’s teacher, Mrs. Ross, pulled him out of class and proceeded to drill him about Paganism, ending the conversation with “Paganism is not a religion.” Remember, this is an 11 year old student, with no parent present while being harassed about his religion by someone who is suppose to be an educator.” At this point the parents are planning to home school Christopher for now, and are looking into legal action.
• Performance artist and sex educator Annie Sprinkle, in an interview with PopMatters, weighs in on the recent arrests of the Phoenix Goddess Temple members in Arizona. Quote: “For the people arrested, this was with out a doubt their religious practice, and not prostitution. So they are avoiding contact with sex worker rights organizations. So, whores don’t want to support them. There are tantra people that don’t want to support the PGT (Phoenix Goddess Temple) workers because they feel that they weren’t really practicing tantra and are bringing bad publicity to their wholesome image. It’s really shocking to me how so many in the tantra community were so whorephobic.” It should be noted that Annie Sprinkle uses the term “whore,” not as a pejorative, but in a context of reappropriation.
• Witches in South Africa are blasting South African Press Ombudsman Joe Thloloe for defending the Sunday Tribune’s use of the term “witch” in describing a murderer. Quote: “Real Witches, which he condescendingly calls “self-styled”, are regarded by Thloloe as attempting to use the office of the Ombudsman to proselytize their religion, not defend their collective right to dignity. According to the Press Ombudsman, any notion that actual Witches should wish to appeal against the defamatory stereotyping of witches in the South African media is ridiculous and can never merit anything but contemptuous scorn.” We will no doubt be hearing more about this from SAPRA.
• Phaedra Bonewits has announced that she is beginning to auction off some of the possessions of her late husband, Druid leader Isaac Bonewits. Quote: “That does mean going through a lot of Isaac’s stuff, too. I kept so much of his, both because I wasn’t ready to part with it for myself, and because I thought other people might like to have something that once belonged to him. I have boxes and boxes of magical memorabilia, as well as boxes and boxes of books and music. And boxes and boxes yet unsorted. My winter will be busy.” The first batch, featuring mostly vintage Pagan music cassettes, is up on eBay now. It should also be noted that Isaacs papers are safe and sound, donated to the University of California, Santa Barbara for future scholars to access.
• Religion Clause reports that members of the indigenous religion Sunda Wiwitan in Indonesia are fighting to have their religion listed on official identification. Quote the Jakarta Globe: “We have to choose between the six religions. We’re confused that we can’t put ‘Sunda Wiwitan’ on our IDs,” Dainah said. “We went to the Home Affairs Ministry in Jakarta to ask about this but they recommended we go to the Constitutional Court.”
• Would you like to bid on a designer Gaia?
• New Age guru James Arthur Ray, now in prison for the negligent homicide of three sweat lodge participants, has settled the civil lawsuits with the victim’s families for more than 3 million dollars. Quote: “Both prosecutors and defense attorneys tiptoed around specifics of the civil settlements during Ray’s criminal trial because those involved were bound by a confidentiality agreement not to discuss it. At one point, Yavapai County Attorney Sheila Polk suggested that by settling the civil case, Ray was admitting fault for the deaths. Ray’s attorneys quickly denied that; the settlement includes no admission of guilt.” More lawsuits against Ray are pending.
• For those who missed, religion journalism criticism site Get Religion weighed in on the recent Village Voice Dan Halloran piece. Quote: “I don’t share the Village Voice’s politics in toto but this otherwise well-researched piece leaves a bad taste in the mouth solely because of the unnecessary mocking tone.” You can read my own take on this, here.
• Bloody Disgusting reports that the official trailer for Robin Hardy’s “The Wicker Tree” is now out. “The Wicker Tree” is a forthcoming companion film to the classic 1973 Pagan-themed horror film “The Wicker Man.”

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.