New Alexandrian Library Gifted With Rare Dion Fortune Paintings

Last updated on: September 7, 2011 at 7:42 pm By Jason Pitzl-Waters

The New Alexandrian Library, overseen by the Assembly of the Sacred Wheel, is a project that hopes to create “a library worthy of its namesake” focused on esoteric knowledge, mystical and the spiritual writings from many traditions, and the “history of our magickal communities.” Based in Delaware, the NAL broke ground earlier this year on the domed buildings that will house their growing collection. Last week, the library was gifted with four paintings created by the legendary 20th century British occultist Dion Fortune, author of... Read more

Unleash the Hounds! (Link Roundup)

Last updated on: September 6, 2011 at 7:56 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. Duke Divinity School professor Mark Chaves, author of “American Religion: Contemporary Trends,” explores why a growing number of Americans are willing to say they don’t belong to a religious tradition. I recently mentioned Chaves in an earlier post about the decline of religon, and... Read more

Interview with Vivianne Crowley on The Pagan Federation’s 40th Anniversary

Last updated on: September 4, 2011 at 9:23 pm By Jason Pitzl-Waters

In October, The Pagan Federation, an international organization that was founded in 1971 to provide information on Paganism and counter misconceptions, celebrates its 40th anniversary. What was originally started in Britain now has branches throughout the world, including Mexico, Russia, and the United States. While the Pagan Federation (PF) is a vibrant force in Europe and the UK, many Pagans in America might not know of their work or understand the importance of this organization, so I’ve turned to Council member Vivianne Crowley... Read more

Musings on the Fantasy Boom

Last updated on: September 4, 2011 at 10:48 am By Jason Pitzl-Waters

The other day I was at my local used bookstore and found an out-of-print edition of Rosemary Edghill’s “Book of Moons,” part of a trilogy of mysteries involving a Wiccan protagonist and a number of lightly-fictionalized real-life Pagans. While not fantasy in the slightest, as Wiccan and Pagan spells in the novels “work” much as they do in the real world, I can only imagine that these books, if released today, would benefit greatly from the current boom in fantasy, urban... Read more

Selena Fox Featured in Wisconsin Public Television Documentary

Last updated on: September 3, 2011 at 9:40 am By Jason Pitzl-Waters

Selena Fox, founder and co-executive director of Circle Sanctuary, an international Nature Spirituality resource center based in southwestern Wisconsin, will be appearing in an upcoming documentary about the Lower Wisconsin State Riverway entitled “Rhythm of the River.” httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C4YUZwAmOAU “Explore the Lower Wisconsin State Riverway, a unique slice of our state that flourishes under a public/private land management plan.” Fox appears in a segment dedicated to spiritual dimensions of the river, and part of a public ceremony facilitated by Fox and members of Circle... Read more

Spiritual and Archaeological Tourism Threatened in Egypt?

Last updated on: September 2, 2011 at 11:02 am By Jason Pitzl-Waters

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. 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... Read more

Pagan Community Notes: Drew Jacob, Abraxas, Fifth Sacred Thing, and More!

Last updated on: September 1, 2011 at 10:50 am By Jason Pitzl-Waters

Pagan Community Notes is a companion to my usual Pagan News of Note series, more focused on news originating from within the Pagan community. I want to reinforce 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! Drew Jacob’s Heroic Path: PNC-Minnesota reports that Drew Jacob, former head of... Read more

What’s the Best Way to Protect Our Pagan Past?

Last updated on: August 31, 2011 at 11:44 am By Jason Pitzl-Waters

Whether revived, re-imagined, reconstructed, or revealed, modern Pagan religions all look to our collective pre-Christian past for inspiration, connection, understanding, and a sense of continuity. Because of this phenomenon, many Pagans follow the world of archaeology very closely, both for new information, and to monitor the preservation of objects and artifacts that reach back to a time when pagan religions were the dominant expression of faith. When the Egyptian revolution started, many Pagans, particularly Kemetics and Greco-Egyptian polytheists, expressed great concern at reports... Read more

Quick Notes: Ritual Killing, Burning Man, and Dominionist Debates

Last updated on: August 30, 2011 at 12:33 pm By Jason Pitzl-Waters

Just a few quick notes for you on this Tuesday. Animal Sacrifice, Factory Farming, and Palo Mayombe: Religion Dispatches has an excellent essay up by Meera Subramanian, senior editor of Killing the Buddha, on the recent case of William Camacho, a practitioner of Palo Mayombe whose barber shop was shut down after sacrificial chickens were found in the basement. Subramanian compares the actions of religions that engage in animal sacrifice to the factory farming industry, and suspects that public discomfort with one and not... Read more

Witchcraft and Television

Last updated on: August 30, 2011 at 11:51 am By Jason Pitzl-Waters

Not since the 1990s has witchcraft been such a popular subject matter within pop-culture. Wicca and Brujería mingle with more fantasy-oriented versions of witchcraft on the HBO series “True Blood,” while the CW is set to launch “The Secret Circle” this Fall, a teen-oriented show based on a series of books that focuses on a coven of genetic witches. To top it all off, there seems to be plans for a new take on the 1960s classic television show “Bewitched”. “In... Read more