When is a Druid not a Druid?

Another twist in the William Melnyk affair. Jason Pitzl-Waters has the conspiracy theories.

Benedict the inquisitor

As I paid for my turkey wrap and orange juice at “La Cantina,” i.e., the student coffee shop, today, the cashier told me that a new pope had been elected. Back in my office, I went on the Web and learned that Cardinal Ratzinger was now Pope Benedict XVI.

Coincidentally, some of my colleagues and I had just been discussing Aidan Kelly’s Crafting the Art of Magic (Llewellyn Publications, 1991), which for all its flaws represents the first book-length study by a scholar of religion on Wiccan origins.

Kelly, raised Roman Catholic, turned to the Craft as a young man, but then in the early 1980s tried for a time to return to the Church, only to feel that there was no place for him in it.

At his book’s conclusion, noting how the Church never apologized for the execution of “witches” and “heretics,” he writes:

The man who holds the position of Grand Inquisitor, Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, is responsible for the harassing of Fr. Charles Curran, and of Fr. Matthew Fox, whom he has accused of heresy. Why? Because Fox hired Starhawk (and Luisa Teish, a Voudun priestess) to teach at Holy Names College in Oakland, California. . . .

Let me merely extend an invitation: if you, dear reader, can no longer stomach being in communion with Cardinal Ratzinger–or whoever the Chief Son-of-a-Bitch of your particular persuasion may be–then come circle with the Witches. We offer you liberty, fraternity, and equality.

That was my first introduction to the Ratzinger-as-Inquisitor meme, back in 1991. As the analysis of the papal election rolls forth, we may hear more of it.

New classics

The Independent (UK) newspaper reports that a group of ancient, seemingly unreadable documents might contain both Classic works of literature and ancient Christian gospels.

Now, in a breakthrough described as the classical equivalent of finding the holy grail, Oxford University scientists have employed infra-red technology to open up the hoard, known as the Oxyrhynchus Papyri, and with it the prospect that hundreds of lost Greek comedies, tragedies and epic poems will soon be revealed.

In the past four days alone, Oxford’s classicists have used it to make a series of astonishing discoveries, including writing by Sophocles, Euripides, Hesiod and other literary giants of the ancient world, lost for millennia. They even believe they are likely to find lost Christian gospels, the originals of which were written around the time of the earliest books of the New Testament.

Between these documents and those at the Villa of the Papyri in Pompei, we might have some wonderful new texts. But where are the rest of Sappho’s poems? (Via Bartholomew’s Notes on Religion)

The saga of the two married Episcopal clergy who were denounced by their denomination’s conservative wing for participation in Druidry has a new twist.

After resigning his pastoral post last November, the husband, William Melnyk, has decided that Druidry is more welcoming. (Registration may be required to view article.)

W. William Melnyk, former rector of St. James’ Episcopal Church, has formed the Llynhydd Grove of the Druid Order of the Yew, which he is leading under his Druid name, OakWyse.

He told the Philadelphia Inquirer that his move was “a joyous occasion.” His wife, Glyn Ruppe-Melnyk, who kept her parish, said she supports her husband’s decision to “exercise his ministry in an interfaith context, which was not available to him strictly within the ordained ministry of the Episcopal church.”

More links and a photo at the Wildhunt blog. A copy of Melnyk’s resignation letter is in the comment section here, along with derogatory comments about “Episco-Baalians.”

I’m in Blog Heaven

This blog has been added to BeliefNet’s “Blog Heaven,” a list of blogs emphasizing religion and spirituality.

Appropriately enough, you will find “Letter from Hardscrabble Creek” in the “Other” category. I feel “Other” quite a bit of the time. Not “the Other,” just “Other.”

The button on the right side of your screen below the blogroll will take you to Blog Heaven too.

Another BeliefNet article profiles an American who became a shaman in southern Africa.

He says, “The great taboo in our [Western] culture has nothing to do with sex, drugs, or controversial theater or performance—it is that realm of ecstatic experience. We just dismiss it, close the door, just no room, no reason, in fact, we don’t even want to look at it.”

Lipstick

The case of the male Wiccan high school student in San Bernardino, Calif., suspended for wearing black lipstick is all over the Pagan Web, but the Zero Intelligence blog dissects it nicely.

That’s the crux of the issue. If his black lipstick and red eye makeup were causing a genuine distraction then the school is justified in calling him on it (although a five day suspension is huge overkill for a dress code violation). However, this is a school in California, self-styled land of self expression. It is in San Bernardino which has no lack of people expressing themselves colorfully. I strongly doubt that James got any more reaction than “there goes another goth”.

Remember, “Zero tolerance equals zero intelligence.” On the other hand, I would like to hear James Herndon articulate just how the makeup expresses “Wiccan religious beliefs.” Someone could get a conference paper out of that.

The devil gets all the good topography

A man in California thinks that having a mountain named Mount Diablo has negative effects. (Also linked here.)

“Words have power, and when you start mentioning words that come from the dark side, evil thrives,” Mijares told the Contra Costa Times. “When I take boys camping on the mountain, I don’t even like to say its name. I have to explain what the name means. Why should we have a main feature of our community that celebrates the devil?”

Back in the mid-1980s when I was in graduate school, I wanted to write a paper on how so many interesting Earth features in the United States had “devil” in their names. For instance, a side canyon to the Arkansas River north of here is called “Devil’s Hole,” also known as “Big Hole.” And of course there is Devil’s Tower.

I got busy and never wrote the paper–I could not fit it into any of my course work. But I still think that there is something to be said about Americans’ ambivalent relationship to the landscape, which is both sacralized and mistrusted in our mythic mind.

What dog are you?

I don’t normally link to Internet quizes, but this one has an amazing retro interface. Click the “Game” tab at upper left.

No extra points if the title puts you in mind of an couplet by Alexander Pope.

Oh yeah, curly-coated retriever.

Labor relations in Harry Potter’s world

Wendy A.F.G. Stengel tackles the tricky issues of house-elf slavery and other issues of class in the Harry Potter world in the SF ezine Some Fantastic.

It is tempting to view the major labor conflict of the Harry Potter world—-the status of house elves—-simplistically: “Slavery is bad.” However, the house-elves’ exploitation resonates on many more levels. . . . As many otherwise-sympathetic characters support the use of unpaid house-elf labor, there is clearly more going on. Harry and Hermione have similar mudblood but have very different levels of political awareness; Harry treats Dobby decently, Hermione becomes a firebrand for labor rights, the Weasley children beg for them not to challenge the status quo. From exploring the status of and reactions to the house-elves, we can extrapolate the production and perpetuation of class in the wizarding world.

Pagan Studies update

Three new journal articles related to Pagan Studies and/or nature-based religion:

Lynn Ross-Bryant, “Sacred Sites: Nature and Nation in the U.S. National Parks,” Religion and American Culture 15.1 (Winter 2005): 31-62.

Adrian Ivakhiv, “In Search of Deeper Identities: Neopaganism and ‘Native Faith” in Contemporary Ukraine,” Nova Religio 8.3 (March 2005): 7-38.

Michael Strmiska, “The Music of the Past in Modern Baltic Paganism,” Nova Religio 8.3 (March 2005): 39-58.

Available at your favorite university library or through interlibrary loan!