“Britain’s Wicca Man” (2012)
A simplified history of English Wicca as the life’s work of Gerald Gardner, gamely hosted in classic edutainment style by Professor Ronald Hutton.
Activism
“The Witches of Baltimore”
Sigal Samuel writes for The Atlantic: Modern black witches are practicing Yoruba-based faiths, with a few Millennial touches. They build altars to ancestors so they can seek their advice on everything from romance to professional advancement, cast spells using emoji to help banish depression, surround themselves with crystals in the hope that they will relieve stress, and … Read more“The Witches of Baltimore”
“The Demons of Satanism & the Religions of the Nontheistic”
Satanic Temple co-founder Lucien Greaves writes: Theistic religions often only differ from nontheistic religions, at their core, only in degree of intellectual humility. We identify with our mythology, our values and ethics are contextualized by our understanding of Satanism, but we view all knowledge as provisional, as we religiously believe in the value of intellectual … Read more“The Demons of Satanism & the Religions of the Nontheistic”
“The Satanic Abortion Clinic That’s Pissed Off Pretty Much Everyone…and Might Beat the Bans Anyway”
Arielle Domb writes for Cosmopolitan on the Satanic Temple’s telehealth abortion service: Never mind that Satanists don’t actually worship the devil. There are no ritual sacrifices or quests for supernatural powers at TST. In reality, Satanism is a nontheistic faith in which TST’s roughly 1.5 million global members view Satan more like a mascot, one … Read more“The Satanic Abortion Clinic That’s Pissed Off Pretty Much Everyone…and Might Beat the Bans Anyway”
The Gaian Way
Gaianism is a new ecoreligion aiming to: a) build a community of those who believe Gaia is sacred and that there is no calling higher than protecting and restoring Gaia; b) provide ways to stop the horrors that we are unleashing on the planet, ourselves, and countless other species; c) offer means to prepare–oneself, one’s … Read moreThe Gaian Way
Goose and Crow: Urban Magic
Poet and playwright John Constable, sometimes known as the urban shaman John Crow, relates some of his communions with The Goose – the spirit of a medieval sex worker whose apocalyptic visions spurred the creation of the Crossbones Memorial Garden in Southwark, London.
“Paganism is a potent force in Ireland’s conservation movement”
Juju Lane writes for Psyche on the curious relationship between eco-activism and the faery faith: It may seem that Paganism has returned to Ireland. But the truth is, it never really went away. What is new about this modern resurgence is that it has become an Indigenous European response to ecological destruction. Paganism in Ireland … Read more“Paganism is a potent force in Ireland’s conservation movement”
Douglas Rushkoff beatified by the Church of Earthalujah (circa 2010)
Much more on Reverend Billy and the Stop Shopping Choir here.
The Guilty Remnant
A featurette on the enigmatic Guilty Remnant cult from the TV series The Leftovers, set three years after a mysterious event known as the Sudden Departure caused 2% of the world’s population to vanish. I think one key to understanding the series, and the GR in particular, is to sympathize with the characters (and their … Read moreThe Guilty Remnant