This past Thursday the Washington Post reported on a story that’s been causing no small amount of controversy in Britain, even sparking comment from the Prime Minister and the Queen Herself. It centers on the small English town of Bideford, and litigation over Christian prayers said as part of the official agenda during Town Council meetings. Here’s how the Washington Post leads things off. “Perhaps the locals should have anticipated sparks on a town council stocked not only with a... Read more
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 New York Times profiles Baba Heru Semahj, a New York police officer turned Kemetic priest. Quote: “He performs weddings, funeral services and Kemetic cosmological holiday services. He has bestowed his blessings and jewelry on the likes of the jazz bandleader Sun Ra, the controversial... Read more
Today, the organizers of PantheaCon, the largest indoor Pagan-oriented convention, released their policy on limited-access rituals. Most notably, for those who’ve been engaged in the ongoing dialog/debate over gender and the inclusion of transgendered individuals at officially scheduled events and rituals, the policy explicitly states that women-only or men-only events will be open “to all who self-identify as such.” Here’s the entire policy statement: “PantheaCon will adhere to state and federal laws which require age limitations and non-discrimination on the basis of age, race,... Read more
Greetings! I’ve been on an assortment of planes and trains today on my way home from Hexenfest (more on that later), so today’s post at The Wild Hunt won’t appear until later this evening. Thanks for your patience and understanding. Until I get back, consider this an open thread to discuss whatever you’d like (in a civil manner, of course). Read more
In addition to the ongoing dialog over gender that has defined PantheaCon 2012 for many, there were several other amazing talks, presentations, rituals, and panels that were important to our community, and deserve wider reporting. One of those was a panel discussion between modern Pagans and members of the Hindu American Foundation entitled “Pagans and Hindus Together: One Billion Strong.” “This panel will discuss ideals held in common by Pagans and Hindus. Panelists will include Patrick McCollum, T. Thorn Coyle, Mihir... Read more
Modern Paganism is a movement, an umbrella term for a variety of individual faith groups that share common practices, goals, outlooks, and theologies. In this, modern Paganism is more like Hinduism, than, say, Catholicism. There is no Pagan “Pope” or acknowledged leader that can label one group heretical, or cast individuals out. There is no singular statement of belief, or religious rule, that binds us all. So when schisms happen, when new groups form, our “umbrella” simply expands to encompass... Read more
This Sunday, March 11th, will be the one year anniversary of a massive earthquake and tsunami that brought death, destruction, and nuclear chaos to Japan. A tragedy that the island nation is still trying to recover from. A few days after the disaster began, I explored the religious angle to stories of Japanese citizens dealing with tragedy, and how Western journalists seemed uncertain of how to talk about the spiritual dimensions outside of a Christian context. “As things progress, we... Read more
Why, in the name of all that is good and holy, is anyone still paying attention to Kirk Cameron? In what way is this former teen television star turned laughable Christian caricature relevant enough to our culture to get a primetime interview slot on CNN? Does anyone really care about his views on homosexuality or same-sex marriage? The stark truth is that his once familiar face, tied to his evangelical Christian views, are the only thing keeping him on the... Read more
Pope Benedict XVI, head of the Roman Catholic Church, is making a historic trip to Cuba at the end of March, the first papal visit since Pope John Paul II’s visit in 1998. This high-profile trip has many people buzzing as to its significance, and what it means as Cuba’s communist government looks towards a post-Castro era. What is clear, is that the Pope will not be meeting with any leaders or practitioners of Santeria / Lukumi during his three-day... Read more
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 the wonderful Norse Mythology Blog, which won Best Religion Weblog in the 2012 Weblog Awards (aka “The Bloggies”). Dr. Karl E. H. Seigfried has written the first of a two-part essay on why he believes his blog on Norse mythology beat out heavy-hitters... Read more
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