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.
- If I’m reading this right, it looks like Jessica Orsini, Alderwoman in Centralia, Missouri, and a Hellenic polytheist, isn’t running for reelection in 2012. Quote: “Ward 3 incumbent Jessica Orsini is not a candidate; Landon Magley is the lone candidate for that two-year term.” Orsini is in her third term as an Alderwoman, and one of the few openly transgender and Pagan elected officials. I’d like to thank Orsini for her public service, and wish her well in future endeavors.
- Selena Fox has announced the passing of De-Anna Alba (aka Wendy White), author of “The Cauldron of Change: Myths, Mysteries and Magick of the Goddess,” and a member of Circle Sanctuary in its formative years. May she rest in the arms of the Goddess.
- In his latest column for Patheos, P. Sufenas Virius Lupus discusses the challenges faced by queer-oriented Pagan traditions, and broaches the idea that some form of recruitment might be necessary perpetuate them. Quote: “If the queer Pagan traditions with which I’m involved are viable, and therefore deserve to be continued in future generations after I’m dead (and even before then, with any luck), how else are those continuities to be made possible without “recruitment”?”
- It seems that the anti-Pagan spiritual warfare-loving New Apostolic Reformation makes up a pretty large chunk of Newt Gingrich’s Faith Coalition. I guess all that “paganism” rhetoric makes a bit more sense now. You can read all of The Wild Hunt’s coverage of this movement, here.
- Looking for more “The Wicker Tree” material after my post yesterday? Check out this video interview with writer-director Robin Hardy, recorded at 15th annual Fantasia Film Festival in Montreal. Meanwhile, the io9 blog calls the new film “thoroughly balls,” which I don’t think is a compliment.
- Over at her The Witching Hour blog, Peg Aloi notes that West Memphis 3 documentary “Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory” has been nominated for an Academy Award.
- The Religion News Service reports on Buddhist, Sikh, Jain,Muslim, and Hindu responses to Republican Rick Santorum’s claim that the concept of equality comes only from his God, and is not found in other religions. Quote: “Indian religions predate Abraham, Jacob and all that Rick Santorum was talking about,” said Sulekh Jain of Sugar Land, Texas, chairman of the International School for Jain Studies. “All souls are equal in every way. All feel pain and all feel pleasure. This concept is deeply embedded in the whole philosophy of Jainism.”
- The BBC posts a story on Haitian-Americans finding connection and solace in Vodou. Quote: “Since the quake, voodoo has played an important role in the healing process. Many of these Haitian immigrants have found comfort in the faith and community that voodoo cultivates, practitioners of the religion in the US say.” For more on this, see my January 25th post, “The Solace of Vodou for Haitian-Americans.”
- Covenant of the Goddess points to an obituary for Gardnerian Elder Kevin Cornell (KC) Anton from Veneta, Oregon, who died trying to rescue his dog, swept out to sea. A memorial service is being held February 11th, more information can be found here. May his spirit rest and return to us again.
- LAShTAL points to an unofficial trailer for the in-production movie “Aleister Crowley: Legend of the Beast”, a film that seems to break the mold and actually cast Crowley as a hero/protagonist instead of a villain. Looks like you can add that to the growing number of films created by Pagans and occultists, for Pagans and occultists.
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.