Signs & Portents

A news blog for updates on PaganSquare, Witches&Pagans, SageWoman, Crone, and anything else related to BBI Media's community and web services. Check here for news about our site, information about our social media presence, and any changes in either our services or features. May or may not be run by a sapient serpent.

  • Home
    Home This is where you can find all the blog posts throughout the site.
  • Tags
    Tags Displays a list of tags that have been used in the blog.
  • Bloggers
    Bloggers Search for your favorite blogger from this site.
  • Login
    Login Login form

Pagan News Beagle: Watery Wednesday, March 16

Are the Pagan dead divine? What has the Pagan community's response to Black Lives Matter been? And does Paganism put too great an emphasis on motherhood or not? It's Watery Wednesday, our weekly segment on news and commentary about the Pagan community! All this and more for the Pagan News Beagle!

Despite Paganism's growth over the last few decades, its adherents still struggle sometimes to be taken seriously. The Wild Hunt covers recent tensions at Ft. Hood, where a local Pagan circle has faced obstruction and dismissal by local authorities.

Historically, most ancient Pagan religions have practiced some form of ancestor veneration or worship. Today, such activities are much rarer. But should that change? This article at Polytheist.com advocates for the return of ancestor veneration to Pagan practice.

Although the name originally derives from the verb "to troll" (meaning to bait or to lure), it's not difficult to see why many people imagine internet trolls as representing a more mythological and folkloric meaning of the word. At Huginn's Heathen Hof, James Hodur writes about the unfortunate prevalence of internet trolls in the Heathen community and how best to go about dealing with them.

Following several publicized incidences of law enforcement's harassment and persecution of African-American people throughout the United States, the rallying cry "Black Lives Matter" has grown into a mass movement and the arrow point of new civil rights activism. As another marginalized group it might seem natural for Pagans to be allies with Black Lives Matter. And indeed at PantheaCon, many Pagans made a point of discussing the importance of racial inclusivity in the Pagan community.

Maiden, Mother, Crone. For many Pagans these represent the three ideals of womanhood at different stages of life. But is motherhood for everyone? Writing for her blog at Patheos, writer Megan Manson argues that while motherhood is certainly important—even sacred—Pagans shouldn't exclude those women who don't become mothers.


Top image by Thang Nguyen

Last modified on

Aryós Héngwis (or the more modest Héngwis for short) is a native of the Pontic-Caspian steppe, born some 5000 years ago, near the village of Dereivka. In his youth he stood out from the other snakes for his love of learning and culture, eventually coming into the service of the local reǵs before moving westward toward Europe. Most recently, Aryós Héngwis left his home to pursue a new life in America, where he has come under the employ of BBI Media as an internet watchdog (or watchsnake, if you will), ever poised to strike the unwary troll.

Comments

Additional information