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Excerpt from Paganism and Fascism by Andy Norfolk
Ostara/Beltane 2008  issue

It seems that rumours of a far right take-over of Paganism have been greatly exaggerated. It is not happening and for some very good reasons.

Fascism, according to Mussolini, who ought to have known, is a right wing collectivist ideology opposed to socialism, democracy and individualism. Under this ideology people have no value except as part of the "State". Fascism is a reaction to a paranoid view that society is in decline and that outsiders are humiliating its people. The Encarta encyclopaedia says that fascism has idealistic gaols of seeking to improve a country by heightening a sense of national or ethnic identity, but that it rejects the idea of freedom and individual rights. The rise of fascism always results in the centralisation of control under a dictator, close state-control of society and the economy and violent suppression of dissent. The persecution that seems to be an integral part of fascism has resulted in millions of deaths and fascism is associated with right-wing fanaticism, racism, totalitarianism and violence.

So - does any of that sound like it fits into Paganism? No? Thought not! Pagans are renowned for being individualistic to extremes, to be anti-authority and hence difficult to organise. Pagans, from my close observations of over 30+ years, are a peaceful lot, though occasionally given to bitchy comments about each other. It would seem then that Pagans are going to be a pretty lousy prospect for conversion to some right wing cause - and yet people do occasionally try…

Fascism doesn't fit with most Pagans, but perhaps some are more susceptible to its influences than others. Any spiritual or religious beliefs system that holds equality as a principle and welcomes anyone to join isn't likely to fall prey to fascist tendencies. If you feel that your beliefs spring from the land where you live you are equally unlikely to be affected. However, if you have a set of beliefs that you think come from a particular people then beware, because they could be twisted to become racist.

This is perhaps why it is the Northern tradition and Heathenry that have had, and still have, some problems with white supremacist groups. Even in the Northern tradition the few attempts by the extreme right wing to infiltrate have generally been unsuccessful. In the UK, Odinshof and the Ring of Troth are well-respected large Odinist organisations that are definitely  not fascist. However, there are also such tiny groups as Woden's Folk that are clearly at the extreme end of the right wing. Their web site is full of classic indicators of fascist ideology. They recently gate-crashed the protest about the stunt at the Long Man of Wilmington which is why you may know the name.

There are also some rarer attempts to subvert Celtic Reconstructionist Paganism and/or Druidry using race-based arguments. A recent attempt to claim the discovery and translation of a lost Irish text, Lebor Feasa Runda, was quickly spotted as a fraud and the person behind it was linked back to a well known neo-nazi web site. The story about the book did start with its supposedly being brought to Britain by Rudolph Hesse! However, Pagans with an interest in Celtic ways respect the value of individuals and accept that proof of Celtic ancestry, whatever that may be, isn't an essential qualification for following this path.

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Excerpt from Pagan Postcards by Beithann
Yule 08 / Imbolc 09  issue

Orkney
When we got on the ferry from Scrabster the Sun was just beginning to come out.  It was the end of July and we had planned to spend just one day there.  We had a lot to fit in that day.  We had driven up the east coast of Scotland for most of the day before in rain with a grey sky and high winds so we thought that the trip would be a bit rough.

It took 90 minutes to cross and although it was quite breezy the Sun stayed out and it became very warm.  About an hour into the journey we passed the Old Man of Hoy, a quite magnificent rock stack which is better in real life than on the pictures that I had seen.  This was our welcome to the Islands of Orkney.

We disembarked at Stromness, a small fishing port with little passage like streets, where even the roads were paved instead of tarmacked, and made our way to Scara Brae, the first stop on our sight seeing tour.

Skara Brea is the best preserved group of stone age houses in Europe, uncovered by a winter storm in 1850.

"This revealed the outline of a number of stone buildings. The discovery intrigued the local laird, William Watt of Skaill, so he embarked on an excavation of the site.

By 1868, after the remains of four ancient houses had been unearthed, work at Skerrabra was abandoned. The settlement remained undisturbed until 1925, when another storm damaged some of the previously-excavated structures. A sea-wall was built to preserve these remains, but during the construction work more ancient structures were discovered"

http://www.orkneyjar.com/history/skarabrae/

This was not a disappointment and was situated right on the coast, the view was magnificent and it was a real treat for the beginning of our discovery of some of the sites on the Island.

We also planned to go to the Burial mound called Maeshowe, so we had to book as the only way we could enter it was to go with a guided tour.  The lady at the visitors centre at Skara Brea was very obliging by booking us on the tour from there.

Our next stop was to be the Ring of Brodgar, somewhere I had wanted to visit for years.  However, on the way we stopped at the Standing Stones of Stenness because they are on the same road.


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Excerpt from George Pickingill by Andy Norfolk
Yule 08 / Imbolc 09  issue
 
One of the longest running threads on the Pagan Network forums has been about George Pickingill. It started with a few questions.

Did Pickingill start nine covens?
Was one of these the New Forest coven into which Gardner claimed he was initiated?
Was Pickingill a Satanist?
Are the 9 covens still in existence?

This has resulted in 36 pages of discussion at the time of writing and much of this has been quite detailed.

Later further questions were posed in an attempt to clarify the issues
Was Pickingill a Cunning Man?
Did he have links to any covens, orders or magical groups?
Did he pass on any teachings?

In the 1950s an author called Eric Maple researched witch traditions from the south-eastern quarter of Essex. Between 1960 and 1965 he published articles about this in the journal of the Folk-Lore Society. He mentioned George Pickingill, who was born in Hockley in Essex in 1816 and later lived in Canewdon and died in 1909. Pickingill was described as a farm labourer who charmed warts, cured other ailments and found lost property. He also ran a protection racket in which farmers paid him not to stop farm machinery and horses working. It was also said that he could fly through the air and could force local witches to come to their doors or dance for him in the churchyard. Maple, it seems, had spent some time talking to locals who could remember Pickingill, or who could at least remember stories about him. He was portrayed by Maple as a village magician, or what would now be called a cunning man.  It is also clear from Maple's articles that his clients were all fairly local.  However in 1962 Maple published a sensationalist book called "The Dark World of Witches". In this Maple exaggerated the reputation of his part of Essex as a centre of witchcraft and he reputation of George Pickingill.  This book was unashamedly targeted at a popular market and it was after its publication that people began to take any notice of Pickingill. Despite the influence of this book subsequent authors have played down Pickingill's importance. For example, Owen Davies says that Pickingill who died in 1909 "was certainly one of the last practising cunning-folk in the country, but he was never a major regional figure".1

That answers one question; George Pickingill was a cunning man.

The chances are that Maple's articles and book would not have had much effect and that most people would have never have heard of Pickingill, or paid much attention to him. However a series of articles written by "Lugh" that first appeared from 1974 in the Wiccan magazine, and from 1977 in The Cauldron were to change that. "Lugh" is an Englishman, Bill Liddell, who emigrated to New Zealand in the early 1960s and subsequently moved to Australia. He claimed in the articles that he was a child of a witch family; an initiate into a hereditary Pagan witchcraft tradition and also an initiate into a separate witchcraft tradition influenced by George Pickingill. According to Bill, the elders of these two separate traditions wanted him to be their mouthpiece and pass on information about their ways and beliefs.   

Over a period of many years Liddell wrote a series of quite extraordinary articles, which included a number of contradictions. At first his information was seized on eagerly by people such as Doreen Valiente as being a vindication of a wish to find proof of old roots for witchcraft, but as time went by more and more scepticism was expressed about his articles, even by those who were initially enthusiastic about them. These articles made a variety of claims about George Pickingill, which included that he was a hereditary witch and had passed teachings on to the Order of the Golden Dawn and that he knew Aleister Crowley and Allan Bennett. Liddell's articles said that the Pickingill family were hereditary priests of the Pagan Old Religion from the 11th century, but also that none of the traditions about which he wrote came from ancient sources but derived from a new religion which first emerged in 15th century France.  He wrote that authentic hereditary covens were lead by a Magister and that sexual initiation was mandatory, but later that this had died out by the 18th century.  Later still he wrote that in true hereditary traditions witches passed  down knowledge within their families and never joined covens. Articles about George Pickingill described him as "England's most notorious witch", from a famous family of witches and that occultists of every sort came to consult him from all over not only England, but Europe and America. Liddell wrote that in Pickingill covens all the rites were conducted exclusively by women and that Pickingill founded nine covens over a period of 60 years. Further claims included that Pickingill introduced a "book of shadows" for each coven member, and that the rites were derived from a group founded by the magician Francis Barrett in 1816 and included many aspects of Wicca including ritual nudity, a dominant Goddess, the fivefold kiss, three degrees, drawing down the moon and the charge of the Goddess. Pickingill is said to have learnt more from the many cunning lodges of which he was a member and that they practised Satanism. A collection of the articles written by Bill Liddell was published by him, with commentary by Mike Howard (the editor of The Cauldron), in 1994 as "The Pickingill Papers".

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Excerpt from Animal Totems by Twilightgirl
Autumn Equinox/Samhain 2008  issue
 
The Frog

Frogs and water, the two are never far away from each other, so it makes sense that frog represents cleansing, not only of our physical bodies, but also our minds, emotions and environment. If you find yourself holding onto your emotions, especially negative ones or emotions that are no longer useful, frog is the totem to turn to in order to help cleanse yourself of them. Often tears are a good cleansing tool for our emotions or standing under a shower or in a good downpour of rain and allowing any negativity to wash away from you. With frog by your side he might be reminding you not to become swamped by others' emotions or situations. Learn to let their emotions or situations wash over and away from you so you don't become bogged down with them, that way you will be able to help deal with them more clearly. Learning psychic cleansing is another very useful tool for those into whose lives frog has hopped.

Frog often represents transformation and regeneration due to living a life cycle in two stages, from egg to tadpole and then developing into a frog. Frogs are also seen as a symbol of fertility due to the tadpole shape resembling a spermatozoa. Because they live two life cycles frog totems, when they appear, are often regarded as a new start in life or a time of healing and growth.

Because frogs live both in and out of the water, they are linked to two elements, water and earth. Not only do those with frog totems often have the ability to cleanse themselves and those around them but they also have the ability to bring about growth, whether this is through releasing new ideas and dreams using the creative process or bringing out physical growth. Frogs possess sharp eyes on each side of their head enabling them to see in almost all directions. There isn't much that can get past a frog or you if you have frog as a totem. You are able to see what is going on around you and may even show clairvoyant abilities.

Frogs have a very complex language ranging from ribbets to croaks. Often those with a frog totem are good at learning other languages or working with people who have learning disabilities.

There is a lot of mythology surrounding frogs and they have been used in various cultures for making medicine and potions. Some American Indian cultures believed that Frog called down and controlled the rains. In many cultures frog was revered as a symbol of sexual awakening, fertility and abundance.

The Squirrel

Squirrel is the boy scout of the animal world - Always be prepared!

Squirrels always seem to be busy, scurrying from one place to the next, gathering nuts and seeds in preparation for winter. Squirrel's behaviour asks if you are so busy rushing around that you have ignored preparing for a rainy day. Do you need to take time to slow down and look at your life and see what you have planned for the future? By being prepared you can alleviate a lot of life's stresses.

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Excerpt from A Brief Exploration of Fire by Julia Wren
Summer Solstice/Lammas 07 issue
 
Stepping onto the street, a British summer is blaring out of cheesy car radios, through wound-down windows, across mirrored reflections of elbows and sunglasses. In the park, people are basking, animal-natured, half-naked, watching the clouds and enjoying the sensation of grass against their skin. Like a great eye, that bright blazing ball is spilling forth into the dark bowels of the universe; burning hard in ceaseless explosions.

The sun might be seen as a primary source of fire. As one of the four classical elements, it is a life giving force; a parent of our being. A few words of a Philip Larkin poem come into my head: Unclosing like a hand / You give forever. As a deity, a force of nature, the sun is a spectacular benefactor of humanity and all living forms.

A quiet fire-less vigil held from sunset to sunrise is a powerful means of realising that solar connection. The patience required for the wait seems to be a useful reminder of our passivity and dependence. We cannot rush the sun, nor can we hold it back. Sun and moon forge on at their own pace. We can simply sit, breathing in the dawn air, with freezing fingers and toes as the colours begin to wash in. One by one, the street lights flicker off and the quiet landscape turns from black to blue to green. Something in nature lifts upward and outward. Each tiny leaf and flower perks up and claims their territory; no longer hiding their edges in the darkness.

Fire, in its brightness, exposes what we try to keep hidden, and as such it is an element associated with courage and expression. It might be seen as an inversion of wintry north, demanding the externalization of our introspective selves. In the darkness, one is just darkness, but light gives life to form and feature. We cannot hide. So the challenge of fire is of exhibition, while the leaping flames speak of a passion that overcomes self-consciousness.

In the popular imagination, fire quite commonly holds these kinds of associations: In a favourite book, Jack Kerouac exclaims: "The only people for me are the mad ones….. the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn, like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars". I think of my heroes and heroines… fighters, activists, writers… those who seem to hold a perpetual flame at the core of their being. They are reminders that fire speaks of action, energy and the manifestation of ideas thrown into motion.

The passion is also the kind that radiates forth from desire and love-making, like the heat of wild abandon and sexuality that we celebrate at Beltane. But whereas at Beltane we wear masks which allow us to lose our inhibitions, Midsummer challenges us to burn the masks in the flames and to consciously step into the bright lights. Not only does it require strength, but also enormous honesty.

To read the full article download Summer Solstice/Lammas 07 issue

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