Category: Human Interest

Interview with Pagan Athropologist, Murph Pizza

I had the opportunity to interview Murph Pizza in August at the Sacred Harvest Festival. She is affectionately called Paganistan’s own “resident anthropologist”. Murph secured her Doctor of Anthropology degree about a year ago. Her published thesis is called, “Paganistan, the growth and emergence of a contemporary Pagan community in Minnesota’s Twin Cities”. It is an ethnography, or recent history and an analysis of what kind of patterns, practices, and customs exist in the Twin cities. It is available through the University of Minnesota library, inter-library loan.  She offers insights into Minnesota Pagans, that you may not know or have forgotten… Read on!

Murph Pizza, PHD Cultural Anthropology

What is Pagan culture?

When we talk about in anthropology about, ‘what is culture’, we kind of have working definitions but what we try to instill, when we are talking about culture, is that culture is patterns of learned behavior. They are passed on from one generation to the next, and usually they are passed on systematically somehow. They could be religious traditions, they could be foods or recipes, but anything that is cultural is learned. To be able to see the emergence of Paganistan as a culture you need a long enough span of time to see what is continuing to be repeated, and when are the innovations in the community necessary. That is really interesting to watch.

Is Pagan culture something outside of mainstream culture, or is it totally contained within it?

Continue reading →

Give Christmas Back to Christians (and perform good deeds)

1 Comment

In a recent essay Pagan author, T. Thorn Coyle, asks: 

“anyone who is not a Christian and who celebrates Christmas: what exactly do you think you are doing? Why are you contributing to this beast, this monster, this creature that not only feeds on the sweat of poor people around the world but simultaneously takes more and more money to just maintain its caloric requirements? Why have you – atheist, Pagan, Christian, or Jew – been taken in?”

That’s an interesting question to ponder and her entire essay is worth a read.

If you are not celebrating Christmas on Saturday, what could you be doing instead?  You could be living out your religious ethics of service to the community by volunteering for Meals on Broomsticks this Saturday.  Spend a few hours helping others – and bring your family and older children along.

UMPA, the Upper Midwest Pagan Alliance has, for the fourth consecutive year, signed up with the Union Gospel Mission to serve meals to senior citizens and low income families residing in two high rises in the Twin Cities. This service commitment requires 8-15 people willing to share a part of their day serving meals, chatting, and maybe even singing a carol or two.

When – This Saturday December 25, 2010 (our fourth year!!)
Where – Meet at the Union Gospel Mission- located at 435 E University Ave.
in St. Paul. It is just East of I35E and North of East Seventh.  MAP
Time – Gather at 11.15am, we load up and drive away shortly after 11:30 am so be prompt.   Contact us if you plan to attend!

UMPA says that dressing up for the occasion adds to the fun, so get out your elf, Santa, or Grinch costumes.  Nels Linde and Judy Olson say that the food is really secondary to the people they deliver meals to, it is the time and attention that the elders receive that is so greatly appreciated.    They also noted that the meal delivery is usually done by 1:30pm and the volunteers then go to Cecil’s Deli for a fun lunch.

Review – Alt for Norge (All for Norway)

1 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.”

Continue reading →

See Kari Tauring in Norwegian Reality Show Tonight

1 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.

PNC Minnesota caught up to the very busy Kari and asked her how she ended up on a Norwegian reality show. (Interview behind the cut)

Continue reading →

Pagans Hunting, A Sacred Way – Editorial

16 Comments

This is the season filled with special holidays for Pagans. Besides Sabbats, special Moon celebrations and feast days, this Saturday some will be experiencing what has become a most sacred day… dawn on the opening of deer season in Wisconsin. For Pagan hunters, this is both a time of excitement and a spiritual marking of the wheel of the year. It is a time of purification and blessing, prayer and thanks giving.

I interviewed three Pagan hunters, and also share my own experience as a hunter. On the surface the main stream culture of the hunt is a merchandising boom catering to ego based dreams of prowess fulfilled, and a wall trophy to prove it. For Pagans, it is a special time of connection to one’s self, family, nature and its cycles.

For 2 million years we were hunters; for 10,000 years we were farmers; for the last 100 years we have been trying to deny it all.” Stephen Budiansky, The Covenant of the Wild

Continue reading →