A Pagan writer reflects on the way Beyonce's pregnancy announcement infers the imagery of Oshun. A group called "WITCH" gathers in Portland to fight for political and social causes. And a Korean shaman looks online for funding to help complete here training. It's Watery Wednesday, our segment about news regarding Pagan communities here and abroad. All this and more for the Pagan News Beagle!
Can a living person embody a divinity, however unintentionally? Beyonce, the popular pop singer, has long drawn hyperbolic praise and criticism from both her fans and her critics but when she recently announced her second pregnancy things got bumped up a notch. However, as strange or frivolous as the obsession with Beyonce might seem to those not familiar with her, Lilith Dorsey argues that there's more to the eye than there seems.
There's little doubt that witch is a provocative word. For centuries it has been a primarily pejorative word, not one that men or women were likely to claim for themselves. But that started to change with the Neo-Pagan movement and today even non-Pagans are picking up on the word as a symbol of power. Haute Macabre takes a look at an activist group in Portland, Oregon that has decided to use the word for their own purposes.
Heathenry has gotten an unfortunate association over the decades with white pride groups and other extreme sociopolitical movements. But what do the traditions of Heathenry really say about equality? When it comes to women, quite a lot, if you're willing to look for them.
It's clear that many Pagans like to think of themselves as creative souls. And even if they don't, we often share a great fondness for the arts. At The Wild Hunt, Heather Green talks with Laura Tempest Zakroff, Pagan artist and writer, about her work, her activism, and how it all ties into her spirituality.
For many Pagans, it is a fact of reality that we must teach ourselves: opportunities for a more complete education are often not available. But that's not always true. Some traditions are still extant, like that of Mugyo, also known as Korean Shamanism. And it is this tradition that one young woman hopes to become a part of it. But she can't do it alone and she's turned to the online community for aid. If you're interested in helping fund her religious education, you can donate here.