M.Macha NightMare – Interview

2 Comments

M. Macha NightMare

I was able to interview M. Macha NightMare as she waited for a plane to MSP airport, I asked her;

“What have you been up to recently?

Well, Cherry Hill Seminary, which I am always working on. I hope will develop into a more stable foundation. It is something that needs more support from the Pagan community. They have wonderful teachers and students.

I have been working on a Pagan elders study. I did a survey on survey monkey, and got over 800 responses and have been analyzing that data. I have been starting to present on that topic. We have never had elders because we are a new religious movement. We are not a tribe in the conventional sense, and we really don’t have any role models. We have to look elsewhere for models. There are two different kinds of elders, one is older people, and another is people who have been in a community for a while and have some perspective and are turned to frequently for counsel or lore and things like that. Those are the ones I am thinking about. It is not defined and very haphazard. I think it behooves us to examine what our assumptions are about elders and try to put some things in place within our various communities.

What do elders actually do?

That is one of the things that I believe we as the Pagan movement have to determine for our communities. Who are the elders accountable or responsible to? What kind of matters do they address, if any? I got a lot of answers, but they are all over the place. Any human community has occasions and individuals that are not healthy for the well-being of the whole group, and may be dysfunctional and that may be unacknowledged. Some people see that behavior and may be frustrated or alienated. They may withdraw from a community instead of fixing it, or they may not know where to turn to get it addressed. I don’t have the answers. What I have is a lot of questions. It is not up to me to determine what the answers are. I can share some of the answers I got in the survey. I have my own ideas, but I don’t have a nice tidy description of what an elder is yet, because of all the input I have been given. It is pretty interesting. I come at this from a selfish perspective in that people have turned to me as an elder, and have not really known what my role is. I want to respond in an honorable way, or refer them if that seems appropriate.

Continue reading →

Follow the Moon: Astrology of intention and mindfulness

1 Comment

by Teri Parsley Starnes

Teri’s interest with astrology lies with helping people see how following a practice of intention and self-awareness leads to a fuller relationship with Mystery. Astrology is a wonderful tool for this. Her weekly column orients readers to the seasonal energy of
each month’s Sun sign in order to set magical/mindful intention for the lunar month beginning at the New Moon.

Each week Teri will write about the unfolding energies that support and challenge our intentions. The ebb and flow of the lunar cycle resides deep in our souls. Through following the phases of the Moon, we remember the natural cycles that guide us.

Continue reading →

Memorial fund for Dave Grega set up

1 Comment

A memorial fund for PNC’s Dave Grega, who died earlier this week at age 27, has been set up.

David left behind a girlfriend and child he dearly loved.    We have setup a memorial fund to help them with expenses and make sure they are well taken care. – from the memorial fund page

Dave’s girlfriend Kat DuPash had this to say about the fund:  “Whatever’s left from his mom coming down will likely go towards helping me become a lactation consultant so I can support Mallory. We really appreciate all the support. Dave was an awesome father and the best guy I’ve ever known. We love him so much…and while Mallory may not remember much, I will always miss him.”

Prominent Heathen charged with theft

21 Comments

Kansas City police sergeant and Chieftain of Jotun’s Bane Kindred Mark Ludwig Stinson is charged with stealing more than $75,000 from his mother over a two year period, resulting in her eviction from an assisted-living facility.

Mark Stinson with his youngest of 3 children.

Background
In addition to his role as Chieftain of Jotun’s Bane Kindred, Stinson hosts one of the largest Heathen gatherings in the US, Lightening Across the Plains (LATP).  In 2011, 225 Heathens, including approximately 70 children, attended LATP and the Midwest Thing.

You can read Kari Tauring’s report on last year’s LATP here.

Stinson has also written several books on Heathenry and has been active in the Heathen community since 2007.

Saga Erickson, who has known Stinson for several years, says, “Mark is a great man who deserves the benefit of the doubt.”  She first met Stinson at the Superior Heathen Gathering and says he has been instrumental in bringing the Heathen faith into an accessible form through his books and articles.

Although she doesn’t know the particulars of the case, Erickson described Stinson as a man of sound ethics.  “We have in Heathenry concepts called the Nine Noble Virtues,” said Ericskson, “From what I have seen and experienced in knowing Mark, is that he is a man of noble virtue. He is strong, resiliant and trustworthy. He is generous, compassionate and selfless.”

Erickson pointed out that Stinson is very much a leader in both his local and national religious community, “Mark is a great chieftan. He has been a roll model in the Heathen community and in his own kindred. His ‘can do’ attitude has brought many Heathens forward to form their own households and kindreds and has been the model of “We are our deeds.” He is a strong and worthy chieftan, who is very much a father figure to his kindred as well as the greater Heathen community.”

The Case
Stinson was granted durable power of attorney over his mother’s finances starting in 2008.  Court documents claim Stinson wrote out checks to himself or cash in the amount of just over $66,000.  He spent an additional $16,600 on car repairs, personal expenses, and gifts to friends.  Platte County Prosecutor Eric Zahnd notes the alleged theft was uncovered when Stinson’s mother was evicted from her assisted-living complex after her rent wasn’t paid for five months.

“The charges are very serious and the defendant faces up to four years in prison for felony theft,” says criminal defense attorney Tony Armandii.  “It will all come down to receipts.”

Armandii says while the sums involved may seem like a large amount and the checks made out for cash appear damning, it could all be explained at the trial.  “When you have someone in a care-taker role there are expenses to pay and many reasons why a person would write checks out to cash.  Was the defendant reimbursing himself for bills he took care of?  Did the mother tell him it was OK for him to use funds to repair his car since the car was used for running errands?  Other questions are what is the mental condition of the mother?  Are there family members with a vested interest in making accusations?”  Armandii was careful to note he was speaking generally about cases involving alleged abuse of power of attorney and not about this specific case.

While Jotun’s Bane Kindred has not yet issued an official statement, members and friends of the Kindred are posting messages of support on their facebook page.

Erickson says it is important to not take what the media says at face value, “The media is out there to sell a story or a point of view that is not necessarily the truth but causes the most hysteria. Sensationalism is not truth. Truth will come out in time, with research and fact finding.”

David Carron, Redesman for the Troth, said, “… these charges are particularly shocking and unsettling as we are supposed to be a family religion. [Stinson] himself has acknowledged this via his many words. It is my understanding that he has claimed his innocence, that the press has only seen one side and that this is a family squabble. I hope for his sake that he is correct. I expect that justice will be done. Time and Tyr will straighten this out. It goes without saying that it seems quite unfortunate for his mother. She is, at best, caught in the middle and, at worst, was greatly wronged and made homeless and certainly has my sympathies.”

Currently, Stinson is free on a $10,000 bond and has been suspended without pay from the Kansas City Police Department.  Stinson’s mother is living with another family member.  Stinson declined to comment on advice from his attorney.