Tag: interviews

Madison Protests Interviews 2 – Pagan Perspectives

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Elizabeth MoonRaven, Whitewater, Wi Pagan

Why are you here today?

I feel the energy here is part of the global revolution that is coming forth from all parts of the world. I wanted to be here to add my energy to that realm of energy because we are all related. I feel really great about this energy, it naturally flows (around the square) widdershins, see how the parade flows. This is the natural way to unwind all the bad things that have been happening. I am concerned about all of the American Freedoms becuause there is a bigger dark agenda underneath all of this. Part of what is going on under all of this is there is a land grab, wetlands and parks are being threatened. I have friends and family who are teachers. It affects them, it effects their bottom line. I am out here to support the farmers, and the tractors and to add my good energy to it.

Rally at State Capitol in Madison - March 12th

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Madison, WI Pagans Speak Out – Interviews

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Beket is a now retired, Dept. of Revenue worker. She made the choice to retire the first of the year, when the writing seemed on the wall with Governor Walker’s election. She has been a member of the Circle community for ages.

“I had been planning on retiring, but because I worked at the Dept of Revenue, I was hoping to work into the spring. A week after Walker’s election I had my annual physical, and my doctor, who worked at the Medical College of Wisconsin said, he thought Wisconsin was in for a rough ride. I turned in my resignation the next week.”

What about this vote concerns you?

“This will take our money out of our pockets twice. The amount that is taken out to pay our retirement and health insurance is in lieu of higher wages. By making us pay more, it is basically a wage reduction. By taking away union rights. He could change the amount of say, personal religious holidays available. A lot of people aren’t aware, but Lady Cybele, is a retired field ‘rep’ for AFSCME Council 24, and they got the personal holidays increased. She was on the bargaining team, and it was her intent to get that, so that Pagans could take their Pagan holidays off. ”

 

Capitol Gallery Scene photo: Nataraj - Eyedance

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Pantheacon Thoughts: Walking Your Talk

This years Pantheacon, in San Jose, Ca. had a thought provoking theme, “Walking Your Talk”. Rhetorically asked was, “What are we doing individually and as groups to take our vision of Earth Centered Spiritually out into the world?”. As Pagan sub-culture develops in communities like Paganistan, we may find ourselves asking the same question.

I asked nine attendees,  mostly presenters and authors, but also a couple involved partic ipants the same three questions hoping to get at the essence of west coast thought on the matter.  You may find their answers not far from yours!

Victoria Slind-flor (right) dressed for Poma Gira Devotional, Nels and Judith Olson(left)

1) What does ‘Walking your Talk’ (WYT) look like to you?

2) What aspect of WYT is most important for Pagans bring to their relations in the mainstream community?

3) What area of accountability in WYT do Pagans most lack, or is your biggest complaint in Pagans WYT?


Victoria Slind-flor – Victoria is a Dianic crone Witch and Artist. She is a journalist and teaches at Cherry Hill Pagan Seminary, and is a member of The Pagan Alliance.  She is known to many in Paganistan from a 2005  SHF guest appearance. Continue reading →

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?

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Festival Virgins Find Community

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Below are interviews of two new attendees to Sacred Harvest Festival. What they both found on arrival was that unique sense of community created by our experienced Minnesota festivants. Zach attended as a practicing Lutheran, Rachael as a dedicated Gardnerian student.

Click to listen to Zach’s interview.

Zach, –  Festival Virgin, Practicing Lutheran
I identify my self as a Lutheran. I teach Sunday school and do a lot of volunteer work there. I don’t make it every Sunday, but I try to be active.

This is all completely new to you?
Well it kind of started out with me asking a friend of mine about it, I asked him what he does for his religion. I’m kind of a religious nerd I guess. I have gone to Native American reservations, gone into Islamic Mosques, and talked to people. I just like to gain perspective I guess. I was curious to begin with and when invited to attend, I said , “Sure, sign me up!”. I’ll see what it is all about.

What has your experience been like?
I was a tiler  for The Hunt last night. That was really awesome to see the breakdown of how it went. I have never really done a ritual like that before, never one that was that in-depth for people. A friend was a hunter, and so it was fascinating to see the three days fasting and the change from then to today. I don’t know if I can feel the ‘energy’ and stuff that people talk about, but I could definitely tell that spiritually there was a lot going on. Continue reading →