• We have updated the guidelines regarding posting political content: please see the stickied thread on Website Issues.

Pagans & Paganism

ramonmercado

ramonmercado

CyberPunk
Joined
Aug 19, 2003
Messages
58,204
Location
Eblana
Wands and wine for imprisoned pagans

Wands and wine for imprisoned pagans
By Richard Ford, Home Correspondent

PAGAN priests will be allowed to use wine and wands during ceremonies in jails under instructions issued to every prison governor.

Inmates practising paganism will be allowed a hoodless robe, incense and a piece of religious jewellery among their personal possessions. They will also be allowed to have Tarot cards but are forbidden from using them to tell the fortunes of other prisoners.

The guidance, issued by Michael Spurr, the director of operations of the Prison Service, makes it clear that Skyclad (naked pagan worship) will not be permitted. Prison staff have been told that pagan artefacts should be treated with respect.

The formal guidance on paganism in prison is contained in a 14-page annexe to a Prison Service order on religion in jails. It was issued last month to governors, chaplains and race relations officers. Under sections ranging from the use of wine, dress and hygiene to festivals, marriage and death, governors are given a complete guide to paganism, based on information supplied by the Pagan Federation.

It is the latest faith guidance sent to governors to deal with an increasingly diverse prison population in England and Wales. Previous documents have included guidance on Buddhism, Sikhism and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Governors are told that the main pagan festivals are at the time of a full moon, and seasonal celebrations such as the spring and autumn equinox, midsummer and Samhain, on October 31, the Celtic new year.

“Some Pagans like to celebrate Samhain with cider for the celebration of the apple harvest. In prison an apple can substitute for cider,” the guidance says.

Prisoners will be allowed to practice paganism in their cells, including prayer, chanting and the reading of religious texts and rituals. The wearing of ritual jewellery must be risk-assessed by prison officers before the inmate is allowed to place it around the neck.

The guidance adds: “Washing prior to ritual is considered very important in some traditions. Where possible, prisoners should be permitted to shower prior to group worship.”

In addition to a hoodless robe, prisoners can keep a flexible twig as a wand, a chalice and rune stones. The guidance makes clear that the hoodless robe can be used only during worship, and not by prisoners while on the wings.

The guidance highlights the part that wine plays in pagan rituals: “Some . . . will use water while other groups will use red wine. It is important that both variations be treated equally.”

But wine must be ordered through the prison chaplaincy, stored securely and used only under supervision. “Individual consumption will be one sip only. As part of the ceremony, the pagan chaplain may also anoint the prisoners with wine on the forehead,” the instruction says.

Prisoners will be permitted books of pagan writings, and the guidance specifies what staff should do in the event of a pagan marriage, to be performed by a pagan chaplain in addition to an office register ceremony, and a pagan death.

It is not known how many pagan prisoners are in jails in England and Wales.

PRISON FAITHS

Anglican 26,055
Free Church 1,418
Roman Catholic 12,750
Other Christian 2,239
Buddhist 947
Hindu 339
Jewish 184
Muslim 6,136
Sikh 490
Other non-Christian 207
No religion 22,584

Source: Prison Service. June 2003


http://www.timesonline.co.uk/newspaper/ ... 95,00.html
Click to expand...
 
Pagan priest hired to help prisoners

By Stewart Payne
(Filed: 01/11/2005)

Prison chiefs have hired a pagan priest to give spiritual advice to three inmates serving life sentences.

The prisoners have converted to paganism and, under prison service rules, are allowed a chaplain in the same way as those with Christian or other religious faiths.

To deny them a pagan chaplain would infringe their human rights, said John Robinson, the prison governor at Kingston Prison, Portsmouth.

Ian Edwards, a pagan priest, visits the men at a cost to the taxpayer of £11.56 an hour plus expenses. He is able to bring with him tarot cards and a wand, but not the cauldron he uses in spell-making.

Mr Edwards, who receives the title of reverend by being a prison chaplain, visits the inmates in their cells three times a month and has helped them to celebrate Samhain, the pagan name for Hallowe'en.

He said he only conducted positive spell-making and would not help prisoners who wished harm on anyone.

"We mark out a circle. We invoke the god or goddess appropriate to whatever it is they want to do," he said.

"It is usually something concerning their state of mind, for example to have more self-control."

Mr Robinson said it would be unreasonable to deny the men access to a priest from a belief that was lawful in the wider community when inmates of other faiths were provided with spiritual help.

"It would be very difficult from a human rights perspective to deny somebody the right to practice a legitimate faith," he said.

Colin Dyer, the pastor of Alverstoke Evangelical Church, in nearby Gosport, said: "I think it is dabbling with the occult and shouldn't be allowed to continue."

Instructions to governors on how to cater for paganism were issued to prisons last month.
Click to expand...

Source

See also:

Ian Huntley to become a witch
www.forteantimes.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=16377
 
What do counselors need to know about modern paganism?
BY ERIC W. DOLAN ON OCTOBER 27, 2016

New qualitative research published in the journal Open Theology provides some recommendations for counselors and psychotherapists who may encounter clients who follow one of the many Neopagan faiths.

The researchers interviewed ten Pagan college students about their spiritual life and their counseling needs. They concluded that while Pagan clients have many of the same issues as non-Pagan clients, counselors and psychotherapists still need to take a culturally-sensitive approach. Pagan clients, for example, may face issues related to their religious identity and stigmatization.

PsyPost interviewed the study’s corresponding author, Kevin A. Harris of the University of Texas of the Permian Basin. Read his responses below:

PsyPost: Why were you interested in this topic?

Harris: I am an assistant professor and licensed psychologist, and most of my research (and a lot of my clinical work) focuses on the psychology of religion and spirituality — particularly on spirituality as an area of multicultural competency for counselors. During my doctoral program, I had to write a term paper for a class on “Witchcraft, Magic, and Religion,” and I was very surprised to learn that very little has been published on Paganism that’s intended for a professional audience of counselors or psychologists.

I made friends with one of my classmates who was a third-generation Pagan, born and raised by Pagan parents, and we decided to interview other Pagans about what Paganism is and what counselors should know in order to provide culturally-sensitive therapy to Pagan clients.

What is the main thing counselors and psychotherapists should take away from your article?

We found that the Pagan college students we interviewed view Paganism as an earth-based spirituality and religion, have a naturalistic view on religion and spirituality, have an open view on sex and sexuality, and generally considered Paganism to be a polytheistic faith, at least superficially – though many of the participants considered Paganism to be both polytheistic and monotheistic. They were less likely than non-Pagans to seek counseling or accept medication, instead preferring to seek alternatives such as meditation. Many had similar concerns about the stigmatization of Paganism.

Many of our interviewees also described “coming out of the broom closet” as being similar to the coming-out process described by people who are GLBT (gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender). They emphasized, though, that no two Pagans are alike – that there is great diversity within Paganism, moreso than in most of the world’s major religions, and they expressed a strong desire to be treated as individuals. ...

http://www.psypost.org/2016/10/counselors-need-know-modern-paganism-45651

The study, “Paganism and Counseling: The Development of a Clinical Resource,” was co-authored by Kate M. Panzica and Ruth A. Crocker.

Full text of study: https://www.degruyter.com/downloadpdf/j/opth.2016.2.issue-1/opth-2016-0065/opth-2016-0065.xml
 
So they can know wether talking to trees means the patient is schizophrenic or just religious.
 
Xanatic* said:
So they can know wether talking to trees means the patient is schizophrenic or just religious.
Click to expand...

This is a good point. In various non-western cultures, hearing voices or believing one is communicating with one's ancestors is considered a natural if not quite an everyday experience. A person who moved from, say, an African country to Britain who disclosed that they could hear their deceased forbears offering advice might find themselves sectioned.
 
Last edited:
Maine man allowed to take ID photo wearing religious horns on his head

15337593_1142426799138097_402788599693847184_n.jpg


A Maine man who applied for a new ID after changing his name said he won a battle with officials to allow him to wear a pair of religious horns in his photo.

Phelan MoonSong of Millinocket said he had his photo taken for a new ID after he legally changed his name in June, and he was told to sent the Secretary of State's office documentation to explain that the horns he wore in the photo were religious head wear for his "Paganism" religion.

MoonSong said months went by without his new ID arriving, so he visited the Bureau of Motor Vehicles office in Portland Tuesday to investigate.

He said officials told him his first photo was rejected by the state, but he could take another picture -- with the horns.

"I won," MoonSong wrote in a Facebook post. "Picture with horns allowed and being re-taken."

"I think they tried to think they needed to have a more stringent rule or reason why my spirituality or my religion was a proper one," MoonSong told WGME-TV. "That's not really required, just a strong belief to start any church or religion."

http://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2016/12...ng-religious-horns-on-his-head/5071481125825/
 
ramonmercado said:
Maine man allowed to take ID photo wearing religious horns on his head

15337593_1142426799138097_402788599693847184_n.jpg


A Maine man who applied for a new ID after changing his name said he won a battle with officials to allow him to wear a pair of religious horns in his photo.

Phelan MoonSong of Millinocket said he had his photo taken for a new ID after he legally changed his name in June, and he was told to sent the Secretary of State's office documentation to explain that the horns he wore in the photo were religious head wear for his "Paganism" religion.

MoonSong said months went by without his new ID arriving, so he visited the Bureau of Motor Vehicles office in Portland Tuesday to investigate.

He said officials told him his first photo was rejected by the state, but he could take another picture -- with the horns.

"I won," MoonSong wrote in a Facebook post. "Picture with horns allowed and being re-taken."

"I think they tried to think they needed to have a more stringent rule or reason why my spirituality or my religion was a proper one," MoonSong told WGME-TV. "That's not really required, just a strong belief to start any church or religion."

http://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2016/12...ng-religious-horns-on-his-head/5071481125825/
Click to expand...

Wouldn't surprise me if this is one of those 'fake-story click-baits'. Pagan horns - really?
 
Load of horseshit.


And I knew the Pagan "priest" that came into prison when I was there. A valued member of the chaplaincy team.
 
A burning issue.

If you want to have a pagan funeral when you die, beware: Britain’s crematoria are ill-equipped and may confuse you with a Satanist.

In response to a government consultation, pagans have complained that they struggle to hold ceremonies in crematoria because most are unable to rearrange their fixed, pew-style seating into a circle, while many cannot perform outdoor ceremonies, both common features of pagan funerals. They also said that crematorium staff knew little about paganism and one said they often made an “incorrect association with Satanism”.

The term “pagan” refers to those who follow a belief system outside of the main global religions. It encompasses a range of traditions, often including worship of nature. Druidry and Wicca are pagan movements.

The 2011 census found that paganism was the most popular belief system outside of the “main religious categories”, with 57,000 adherents in England and Wales.

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/news/pagans-are-sick-to-death-of-crematoria-s-faux-pas-ss0jrqdnm
 
ramonmercado said:
A burning issue.

If you want to have a pagan funeral when you die, beware: Britain’s crematoria are ill-equipped and may confuse you with a Satanist.

In response to a government consultation, pagans have complained that they struggle to hold ceremonies in crematoria because most are unable to rearrange their fixed, pew-style seating into a circle, while many cannot perform outdoor ceremonies, both common features of pagan funerals. They also said that crematorium staff knew little about paganism and one said they often made an “incorrect association with Satanism”.

The term “pagan” refers to those who follow a belief system outside of the main global religions. It encompasses a range of traditions, often including worship of nature. Druidry and Wicca are pagan movements.

The 2011 census found that paganism was the most popular belief system outside of the “main religious categories”, with 57,000 adherents in England and Wales.

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/news/pagans-are-sick-to-death-of-crematoria-s-faux-pas-ss0jrqdnm
Click to expand...

Devout Hindus face the same issue, the 'ideal' standard Hindu cremation is open to the air as the soul and its karma is believed to ascend with the smoke. Indeed, the wood used for the funeral ghat is often sprinkled with water and interleaved with green leafy material to ensure an initial billowing of thick smoke. Bit hard to do in Surbiton.
 
This video could be added to a good number of threads, but this might be the best.

'How Pagan Was Medieval Britain?' by Ronald Hutton.

 
I've just watched all of Hutton's 'Pagan' lectures from the Gresham College channel, and they are absolutely fascinating. The big revelation that Hutton seems to want us to take away is that there really is not sufficient evidence to make many firm conclusions about ancient paganism. Another interesting conclusion is that almost nothing survived from pre-Roman belief systems in England, since it was mostly replaced by pagan Saxon belief.

Here are the other lectures

I tell a lie; I haven't watched this one yet, but looking forward to it.
 
eburacum said:
I've just watched all of Hutton's 'Pagan' lectures from the Gresham College channel, and they are absolutely fascinating.
Click to expand...

You'll want the latest one then.

The subject is of 'Pagan Survivals' and whether that term is being correctly applied (other preferring 'Christian Folklore').

His miniature case studies here are:
  • Mother Nature
  • The roving nocturnal lady, Herodias
  • The British 'Fairy Queen'
  • The Gaelic Cailleach
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top