Notable Area Pagans Speculate on 2011

December 29, 2010December 29, 2010

I sent a request out to several Pagans I considered notable, experienced, and yes, maybe intuitive enough to speculate on the coming year with some degree of accuracy. I asked three questions:

What is your intuitive vision for the future of the Pagan community for the next year?
If a Tarot card, or another archetypical symbol would reflect your vision, which would it be and why?
How will Paganistan look different in a years time?

Responses I received in no particular order:

Susu:

1. The financial squeeze for many should result in a tighter embrace of our collective of our ties to each other.
2. The symbol I see is the spiral cycling in and out simultaneously.
3. Paganistan’s population will grow as the gods of the dominant religion continue to fail the people.

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Anubis Sighted in St Paul

December 18, 2010December 18, 2010

Anubis at Landmark Plaza - Photo by Valerie Gallagher

An icon of Anubis, Protector of the dead and Judge of souls, was spotted at Landmark Plaza. This 26-foot, 10-ton statue was installed to advertise Tutankhamun: The Golden King and the Great Pharaohs, a major exhibit opening February 18 at the Science Museum of Minnesota.

Having Anubis precede King Tutankhamun makes sense on two levels. Anubis is the protector of the deceased and their tombs and one of His names is He who is in the place of embalming. As Tutankhamun is one of the few royals to survive the centuries with his body undefiled and his tomb intact, Anubis has shown him special favor and appears to be continuing His protection over the young king. Less known to all except scholars and Kemetic Pagans, Anubis marched at the head of all public processions in Egypt. It would be sacrilegious for the Pharaoh to travel across the world without Anubis leading the way.

Interesting that Anubis is honored in His traditional role by those who profess not to believe in His existence, even if the honoring is not done in a traditional manner. When Anubis arrived on November 24th, St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman was on hand to greet Him and welcome Him to the city. Mayor Coleman also placed a St. Paul sticker on the suitcase which lays at Anubis’ feet. The sticker isn’t incense and the suitcase isn’t a golden vessel, but it is an offering just the same. I see this as one more sign that the Gods of old are once more fully active in our world, after receding during the rise of Christianity. Our prayers and offerings are calling to Them, and They once again walk the earth.

Coldwater Spring:Amazing Double Sky Event Dec.20/21st

December 16, 2010December 15, 20102 Comments

Celebrate an Amazing Double Sky Event at Coldwater Spring: A Full Moon—Winter Solstice Eclipse!

Join us this night in a “Devotion to Sweet Darkness,” Monday, December 20 at midnight into Tuesday, December 21, 2010

On the darkest night of the year, celebrate the full moon lunar eclipse—an amazing double sky event, outdoors, at the last sacred spring in Hennepin County. The eclipse, visible here, begins at 12:32 AM Tuesday morning and is full at 2:13 AM. A special permit from National Park Service has been secured for this rite. (Normally Coldwater Park is closed at sundown.)

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Review – Alt for Norge (All for Norway)

December 15, 2010December 15, 20101 Comment

Editor’s note: If you missed seeing episode 1, it will air again at Merlins Rest Pub on December 28th.

Last night I attended the Minneapolis premier of the Norwegian reality tv show Alt for Norge. The draw, for me, in attending was two-fold: a) I’ll take any excuse to go to Merlins Rest Pub and b) local musician and Völva, Kari Tauring, was a contestant in the show.

Kari Tauring at Merlins Rest Pub - photo credit, Jeff Wheeler of the Star Tribune

To read an interview with Kari Tauring about the TV show, see this article.

The show, a contest that pits 10 Americans of Norwegian heritage against one another for a prize of $50,000 and a chance to meet their Norwegian relatives, was charming. Watching the show for the breathtaking views of Norway is worth it. Add in the very diverse contestants and the quirky challenges they face and you have the makings of a very enjoyable and engaging program. While watching the show the crowd of approximately 25 people of all ages cheered for Kari whenever she was on the screen. Towards the end of the first episode we clapped and Kari, who was present at the Pub and going from table to table visiting with everyone who attended, took a bow when she was awarded the Norwegian Spirit Award.

However, that isn’t what made the evening go from pleasantly interesting to riveting. It was the Q & A session after the program, and possibly the two hard ciders I had, that made the experience not to be missed. Kari told us that during the taping of the show she felt very isolated, despite making friends with some of the other contestants. “It was a different experience for me than it was for anyone else there,” says Kari. One of the examples she gave highlighted this difference. “When we were at the Unification monument everyone else was lifting a glass to cheer King Harald, but for me it was a very profound moment. This was a place of civil war, like Gettysburg. This was where a monotheist High King won over the democratic Heathen petty Kings. It wasn’t a ‘Yay, King Harald!’ moment for me.”

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See Kari Tauring in Norwegian Reality Show Tonight

December 14, 2010December 15, 20101 Comment

Merlins Rest Pub plays host TONIGHT to a showing of the first episode of Alt for Norge, a Norwegian reality show that took ten Americans with Norwegian ancestry and had them compete for a prize of $50,000 and a chance to meet their Norwegian relatives. Kari will give a brief introduction at 5:30 and start the episode at 6. Each episode is mostly in English as the contestants do not speak Norwegian.

Alt fo Norge (All for Norway) Contestants. Kari Tauring is front row, third from the left

While the participants came from all over the United States, four of the ten were from Minnesota, including our own Kari Tauring. Kari Tauring is best known throughout the Pagan community as a Staving musician, rune reader, and Völva, which is a type of Nordic Shaman.

The first episode started at Prekestolen where they were challenged to hike down to Prekestolshytta. Other challenges were preparing something called a matpakke and figuring out what to buy for dinner by translating from a list. The clip below is from the first episode of the which will be shown in its entirety tonight.