Pagan Interfaith, Pagan Ecumenicism, and Pagan Intrafaith

Last updated on: June 19, 2012 at 3:42 pm By Jason Pitzl-Waters

When we talk about Pagans and interfaith, there are many different layers to consider, and different challenges inherent in each one. Because modern Paganism is a movement, an umbrella term for a number of distinct faith traditions, we have to expend almost as much energy on building relationships with each other as we do with Christians, Jews, Muslims, Hindus, or Buddhists. For modern Paganism as a movement to effectively interface with the rest of the world’s religions, we have to... Read more

Patheos Pagan Posts: Horned Gods, New Religions, Your Worst Nightmare, and More!

Last updated on: June 18, 2012 at 12:17 pm By Jason Pitzl-Waters

Happy Monday! It’s a bit of a slow news day, must be a festival-season thing, so let’s check out some of the great content available here at the Patheos Pagan portal. At his new Patheos blog Raise the Horns, Jason Mankey wonders how the Celtic god Cernunnos became the dominant Horned God figure within modern Wicca and related Pagan faiths, when it was Pan who enjoyed tremendous popularity in the poetic and artistic fore-bearers to Wicca. Quote: “However, while Pan is the... Read more

Cascadian “Nones” vs Conservative Christians in Washington

Last updated on: June 17, 2012 at 11:34 am By Jason Pitzl-Waters

Over the years I’ve written a lot about individuals who don’t claim adherence to any religion, dubbed “nones” by journalists and researchers. This group has exploded to around 16% of the population in the United States, and defies easy categorization. What we do know is that their growth is most explosive among younger people, and that “nones” aren’t anti-religioun per se, simply against what they feel institutionalized religion has become (ie polarized and fixated on culture war issues). Now, thanks to a ballot... Read more

Quick Notes: Grant Morrison, Klee Benally, Helen Duncan

Last updated on: June 16, 2012 at 10:57 am By Jason Pitzl-Waters

A few quick news notes for you on this Saturday morning. Grant Morrison Awarded MBE: It isn’t every day that an avowed ritual magician is made a Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire. Comics writer Grant Morrison, famous for works like “The Invisibles,” and the recent “Supergods,” was recognized “for services to film and literature” on the Queen’s annual birthday honors list. Morrison has long advocated the use of magic(k), sigil magick in particular. httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibpudvSTU4o “All you need... Read more

Unleash the Hounds! (Link Roundup)

Last updated on: June 14, 2012 at 11:35 pm By Jason Pitzl-Waters

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. A new documentary produced in Germany, “The United States of Hoodoo,” looks like a must-see for anyone interested in Afro-diasporic religion and traditions. Quote: “[Darius James] immerses himself in the fabric of urban creativity where he encounters artists, musicians, writers, spiritual leaders and scholars.... Read more

Scott Cunningham, Solitaries, and Self-Initiation

Last updated on: June 14, 2012 at 12:22 pm By Jason Pitzl-Waters

When Wicca first emerged into the public eye in the 1950s, it was strictly a initiatory mystery religion. If you wanted to be a Witch, you needed to be initiated by Gerald Gardner himself, or by someone who had been given an initiation by him. When other traditions emerged, Alexandrian, 1734, the ethos of initiation by an already initiated High Priest or Priestess remained intact. In those early years many “traditional” Witches took a dim view of “bootstrap” attempts to... Read more

Re-enchanting the World: Art and Paganism

Last updated on: June 13, 2012 at 1:15 pm By Jason Pitzl-Waters

One of the most obvious legacies our modern world holds from its pre-Christian “pagan” past are the visual arts. There wouldn’t have been a Renaissance without the art and writings of the Classical world, and the pagan-humanist hybrid that began there has been an integral part of the fine arts ever since. Pagan symbolism is such an ingrained part of art’s language, that it can become unconscious, at least until it becomes politicized. However, a growing trend within the world of... Read more

Pagan Community Notes: PSG, Temple of Witchcraft at Pride, Witches & Pagans Magazine, and More!

Last updated on: June 12, 2012 at 10:48 am By Jason Pitzl-Waters

Pagan Community Notes is a series focused on news originating from within the Pagan community. Reinforcing 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! Pagan Spirit Gathering Breaks Registration Records: Pagan Spirit Gathering (PSG), one of America’s oldest and largest Pagan festivals, begins in less... Read more

Who’s Reading Books on Wicca in the United Arab Emirates?

Last updated on: June 11, 2012 at 10:09 am By Jason Pitzl-Waters

Witchcraft and sorcery are illegal in the United Arab Emirates, but unlike their neighbors in Saudi Arabia they treat the matter as a fraud and nuisance, rather than a grave crime that can earn you the death penalty. “Witchcraft and sorcery is strictly illegal in the UAE and most Gulf countries. In Saudi Arabia, it is a crime punishable by death. However in Dubai, authorities have treated it largely as the purview of scam artists and confidence tricksters. In the United Arab... Read more

Guest Post: Nick Ritter on Dan Halloran’s History Within Theodism

Last updated on: June 10, 2012 at 8:39 am By Jason Pitzl-Waters

[The following is the second of two guest posts from Nick Ritter, a member of Axenthof Thiâd, and The Wild Hunt’s resident expert on all things Théodish. Given the rise of Dan Halloran, a Republican New York City Councilman, congressional candidate, and Théodish Heathen, I thought it best spotlight a truly informed voice on the subject of his religion. This post will specifically deal with why Dan Halloran is a controversial figure within Théodish belief. His first post, on what Théodism is, can be found here.] With... Read more