Christians, Mormons, and Polytheism

August 28, 2012 By Jason Pitzl-Waters

“We represent the rise of something Christian leaders thought they had vanquished long ago, and we should never forget that initial vanquishing involved the sword far more than persuasion.” – Gus diZerega At the beginning of this year influential conservative evangelical Christian, and former presidential candidate, Gary Bauer engaged in a “thought experiment” for USA Today. The conclusion of this experiment was that voters should ”support policies that align with their values,”except in once instance. “I wouldn’t vote for a pagan, I’d vote for... Read more

The Problem with Mount Carmel Moments

August 27, 2012 By Jason Pitzl-Waters

When one faith is dominant in a culture, it can sometimes lead to weird things being celebrated as positive moments. For example, certain Christians love to reference Elijah’s challenge to the worshipers of Ba’al and Asherah on Mount Carmel. Being an exemplar of intolerant monotheism, Elijah hated the idea that other (false) gods were being worshiped in Israel, so he issued a showdown, a challenge between his God and their gods. “Let them therefore give us two bullocks; and let them choose one bullock for themselves,... Read more

Updates: South Dakota Sacred Land Auction, Maetreum of Cybele Case, and COG’s Grand Council

August 26, 2012 By Jason Pitzl-Waters

Happy Sunday! Here are few quick updates on stories that I’ve covered here previously at The Wild Hunt. Sacred Land Sale Stopped: A week ago I reported on Lakota, Dakota and Nakota efforts to purchase the land known as Pe’ Sla, an area in the Black Hills of South Dakota, that was being sold by its owners. This was no ordinary piece of land, as one Native commentator put it: “Its grounds are holy. It is our Church of the Holy Sepulchre. It is... Read more

Guest Post: The New Alexandrian Library and Building Real Pagan Infrastructure

August 25, 2012 By Jason Pitzl-Waters

[The following is a guest post from Michael Smith. Michael Smith, Gwydion Stormcrow, has been practicing Wicca, Magick, and various esoteric disciplines since 1989. He has been active in the pagan community since 1993 when he became a member of the Assembly of the Sacred Wheel (ASW), a Wiccan organization in the Mid-Atlantic region. He is an Elder of the ASW and is currently serving as High Priest of Coven of the Rowan Star, a coven in that Tradition. He is... Read more

Pagan Voices: Yeshe Rabbit, Thorn Coyle, Star Foster, Sam Webster, and More!

August 24, 2012 By Jason Pitzl-Waters

Pagan voices is a new spotlight on recent quotations from figures within the Pagan community. These voices may appear in the burgeoning Pagan media, or from a mainstream outlet, but all showcase our wisdom, thought processes, and evolution in the public eye. Is there a Pagan voice you’d like to see highlighted? Drop me a line with a link to the story, post, or audio. “Live that truth. Speak up about rape. Take risks and say things out loud. Make sure you... Read more

Pagan Organizations: Responding to Good News and Bad News

August 23, 2012 By Jason Pitzl-Waters

Every single Pagan organization that aspires to serve its chosen community, whether that community is local, regional, national, or even international, needs someone who will interact with the press (and social media). If you don’t, or if it’s seen as an odious task that’s always last on the list, or it it takes months to craft a statement, you become as good as mute to the very people you wish to serve. Your organization defaults to letting other people shape... Read more

Pagan Fundraising Initiatives: Patrick McCollum, New Alexandrian Library, Orpheus Pagan Chamber Choir

August 22, 2012 By Jason Pitzl-Waters

A bright and ongoing success story in the Pagan community has been the utilization of crowd-funding sites like IndieGoGo and Kickstarter to collectively raise funds for important projects. Starhawk raised over $75,000 dollars to help fund a pitch-reel in order get a feature film based on her book “The Fifth Sacred Thing” made. Peter Dybing helped raise $30,000 dollars for Doctors Without Borders in the wake of the 2011 Japan earthquake and tsunami. Pagan singer-songwriter SJ Tucker was amazed when a Kickstarter campaign for Tricky... Read more

Unleash the Hounds! (Link Roundup)

August 21, 2012 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. Michael Lloyd’s (excellent) new book “Bull of Heaven: The Mythic Life of Eddie Buczynski and the Rise of the New York Pagan” recently celebrated its publication in Manhattan, and the New York Times covered it for their City Room blog. Quote: “So many friends and followers... Read more

Why The Covenant of the Goddess is Vital to Wicca’s Future

August 20, 2012 By Jason Pitzl-Waters

Covenant of the Goddess (COG) is one of the oldest and largest credentialing bodies for Wicca and Witchcraft in the United States. Originally founded in 1975 by 13 original member covens, the organization today boasts 121 member covens and a growing number of solitary members. The work of COG is done by a national board of directors, and fourteen regional local councils that engage in much of the grassroots organizing and direct activism in service of Wiccan rights. For example, it... Read more

When Sacred Land Goes Up for Sale

August 19, 2012 By Jason Pitzl-Waters

What happens when sacred lands go up for sale? That is the situation faced by the Lakota, Dakota and Nakota people as Pe’ Sla, an area in the Black Hills of South Dakota, is being sold by its owners. Though long in private hands, tribes had been allowed access to perform necessary ceremonies, and this is now in question with the sale. In addition, the government of South Dakota is planning on paving a road right through the middle of the site,... Read more