• Quick Note: Legal Commentary on McCollum Ruling
  As the recent Ninth Circuit Court decision in Patrick McCollum’s case against the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation reverberates through our community, those familiar with the law (and “legalese”) are weighing in. Yesterday I quickly pointed out Rhett Aultman’s commentary on the McCollum decision, in which he explains why he thinks the decision was sound and [...]
• That’s Me All Over (Plus some news links)
  I hope you’ll forgive me while I briefly chat about some media I’ve been appearing in lately. First, I was interviewed by Steve McManus for his Forbidden America podcast, you can listen to that, here. I then appeared on the Witchtalk Conjure podcast/videocast, hosted by Karagan and Indigo Astrea. Both of those interviews were inspired in part [...]
• Unleash the Hounds! (Link Roundup)
  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. Since the incident last week where Mrs. B from Confessions of a Pagan Soccer Mom was attacked (and “prayed for”) by [...]
• Pagan Community Reacts to McCollum Decision
  Yesterday the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals published their ruling upholding a California district court’s decision to deny Pagan chaplain Patrick McCollum standing in his case against the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. McCollum’s case centers on the State of California’s “five faiths” policy. This policy limits the hiring of paid chaplains to Protestant, Catholic, Jewish, [...]
• Breaking: 9th Circuit upholds lower court ruling in McCollum v California
  The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals has just published their ruling in the case of Patrick M. McCollum; et al., v. California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation; et al. The decision upholds the district court ruling that McCollum doesn’t have standing to bring the case (an assertion that is rejected by McCollum, Americans United, the ADL, and other groups). [...]
• Why Our Fight Matters
  Sometimes a story comes along that crystallizes exactly what you’re fighting for. The case of Alexandria Boring, who was convicted in 2006 of murdering her mother, echoes the West Memphis 3, and other cases where prosecutors use character assassination and fear-mongering against misunderstood subcultures and minority religions. Yesterday the Georgia Supreme Court unanimously overturned her conviction, noting that living a “gothic [...]
• Essays of Note: In Defense of Magical Beliefs, Religious Satanism, and Loki Trouble
  I’d like to highlight three excellent essays worth checking out today. In Defense of Magic: Andrew Sullivan points to an excellent essay by Jessa Crispin, editor and founder of Bookslut.com, that talks about the endurance of religion, of irrational beliefs, of magic, in a seemingly rational and increasingly secular age. In the process she discusses two [...]
• Pagans Observe Memorial Day
  In America, today is Memorial Day, a federal holiday that recognizes those who have died in the service of our military forces. For decades modern Pagan military personnel have worked to see that their contributions and sacrifices were given equal honor and recognition. Today, Pagan involvement in our armed forces is at level of visibility and acceptance never before imagined, [...]
• The Pagan Terminology Discussion Continues
  I put in my two cents yesterday, and the Patheos Pagan portal continues to gather different perspectives, but I thought I’d highlight some of the voices that have sounded off on the issue of using “Pagan” as a descriptor for our diverse movement since Friday. Let’s start with T. Thorn Coyle, who’s written extensively on [...]
• Paganism, Solidarity, and the Way Forward
  There’s been much talk recently of individuals, who many would classify as adherents of a “Pagan” religion, rejecting that label. The reasons tend to vary, but most center on a dissatisfaction with what the label Pagan implies, who it includes (or excludes), and the wider impressions it engenders among outsiders. Polytheistic reconstructionists, Druidic groups, Traditional [...]

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