text:
My name is Puff. I'm the de facto leader of the Shreveport Chapter of the Bullet Club. We literally have an entire department of the Townsquare Media Shreveport Building dedicated me…it's called HR. I've been to war with bands, record labels, management, religious groups and everything in between…and enjoyed every bomb thrown. If you love tasteless jokes and tacos, I'm the man for you! I love wrestling, hockey, football, whiskey and rock that can make your ears bleed. If you see me out and about at concert, give me a 2 Sweet and I would enjoy if you would have a beer with me.
LSU Legend Shaq Made His NBA Debut 27 Years Ago
Hard to believe Shaquille O'Neal has been apart of our lives for almost 3 decades.


text:
Lobbying: The Right to Influence
By Anish Dayal
India's opposition has made a hue and cry over recent disclosures by Wal-Mart Stores that it paid money to lobby for its business in India.
It is time to shed the hypocrisy. Indian politicians, parliamentarians and public officials regularly face lobbying – just not in such a transparent manner as that conducted by Wal-Mart.
People lurking around offices, living rooms, conference venues or tea lounges in India may not technically be termed lobbyists but they do the same job as anyone with a mandate to influence. That is, to ensure beneficial government decisions for clients, to steer requests to senior officials and to win contracts.
And this need not necessarily be a bad thing, if it can be brought out from the shadows.
Decision-making and the legislative process do not need to exist in an isolated cocoon. They should be enriched by a spectrum of opinions and interests. An official who is accessible to hear all who come knocking should not face accusations of corruption. Each of us formulates opinions based upon multiple viewpoints. Of course, in the end, the official should be free to make the right decision without coercion from lobbyists.
Hopefully most people understand the difference between lobbying and bribery. While bribery is a corrupt practice, the ability and right to lobby cannot really be prohibited. At a philosophical and legal level any such prohibition goes against free speech, uncomfortable as it may sound to many. The right to influence, to advocate, to petition – either for a private company or a non-profit cause - stands well entrenched within the right to freedom of speech.
One way of lobbying is for companies to spend money to influence opinion ahead of elections. The U.S. has strict laws on how much companies and unions can put into candidates' campaigns. But the United States Supreme Court, in the Citizen United case of 2010, held that the First Amendment prohibited any restriction on private organizations' spending on "electioneering communication," including negative campaigning against an election candidate.
Citizen United, a conservative non-profit group, produced a documentary film "Hilary: The Movie," which was critical of then-Senator Hilary Clinton and it sought to air commercials to advertise the film before the primaries.
The Supreme Court with a wafer-thin 5-4 majority opinion ruled that it was unconstitutional to ban the film and to limit expenditures that private corporations could make to support or oppose political candidates.
This led to the rise of the so-called Super PACs, organizations that raise money from individuals and companies and spend independently of candidates but face no limit on donation size.
In the U.S., short of bribes, all groups and individuals have the right to disseminate their opinion, use professional agents and experts to canvass their views, with the hope of influencing policy-making.
Many have been critical of the role of corporate money in U.S. politics. But lobbying has existed for years. The word derives from the tradition of using lobbies in the British House of Commons for outsiders to interact with parliamentarians.
Professional lobbyists today are experts in their fields, have detailed knowledge of legislative process and wield the ability to tap into wide networks. Clients pay well for the promise of better results.
There has been some criticism of the process, especially the revolving door through which government officials move between state jobs and lucrative lobbying sinecures.
Such cosiness skews the process. The power to influence gets concentrated in a few rich hands, drowning out the voice of those that can't pay adequately.
That's why transparency and disclosure are important. And it's here that India could learn a lot.
The U.S. toyed with efforts to regulate lobbying even prior to World War II and finally, after many legislative avatars, came the Lobby Disclosure Act in 1995.
The 1995 act mandates compulsory registration, disclosure and periodic reporting by lobbyists. It includes both lobbyists working inside organizations and third-party lobbyists.
Lobbyists must submit to Congress bi-annual financial activity reports, which identify the lobbyist and clients. The reports also must disclose issues and draft laws that were the subject of lobbying and an estimate of expenses. These filings and reports are available to the public for inspection. By this, lobbying gains in legitimacy.
If one cannot prevent the right to influence, then making it transparent can only assist in better governance. The Lobbying Act of Canada probably sums it up best in its preface: "Whereas free and open access to government is an important matter of public interest; and whereas lobbying public office holders is a legitimate activity..."
Many voices have been advocating in India to bring lobbying out from its cloak of skulduggery and subterfuge [see "Move it to the Main hall"]
Efforts by anti-graft activist Anna Hazare in recent years to bring greater scrutiny to government affairs has led to a dramatic increase in public awareness in India of the business of the state. The growth of civil-society, coupled with an increasingly vigorous social media, including blogging and television debates, augurs well for a vibrant democracy.
Even better would be for interest groups to state and disclose openly what they hope to achieve. There has been clamour amongst politicians about the undisclosed role played by many non-profit organizations, including complaints about their hazy financial sources and hidden agendas. Compulsory disclosure may help.
Likewise for India's corporate sector, whose lobbying of government remains unknown to most of us, making it more difficult to discern the line between bona-fide persuasion and bribery.
Legitimate advocacy also would facilitate better law-making and automatically involve a wider range of expertise. Except via the standing committee process, our lawmakers don't really get access to a range of well-researched viewpoints.
Lobbying, after all, is omnipresent in a democracy. From the government to Mr. Hazare and a range of industry bodies and associations, everyone wants to peddle influence. Then why must the process lurk in the shadows.
Anish Dayal is a lawyer based in Delhi and practices at the Supreme Court and the Delhi High Court. An alumnus of Cambridge University, he works closely on policy and legislation, media, entertainment and sports law.
Follow India Real Time on Twitter @indiarealtime.

subset: commoncrawl


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Antawn Jamison has been traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers, NBC4's Lindsay Czarniak reported, and good for him. He gets to play for a contender alongside one of the NBA's best: LeBron James.
Oh, and don't forget about some guy named Shaquille...
Jamison was the centerpiece of a three-team deal that also sent Drew Gooden to the Los Angeles Clippers.
U.S. & World
TheWiz received Cavaliers center Zydrunas Ilgauskas, a 2010 first-round draft pick and the rights to Emir Preldzic, who was
selected in the second round of last year's draft from Cleveland.
Washington also received forward Al Thornton from Los Angeles. Cleveland gets guard Sebastian Telfair from the Clippers.
"Antawn is a great pro. We are very excited to have an experienced all-star player of Antawn's caliber and character join us," Cavaliers general manager Danny Ferry said in a statement announcing the trade. "He has the ability to add a special, unique
dimension to our team with a strong inside presence and the ability to stretch teams defensively, while impacting the entire court."
Jamison, who had been with the Wizards since 2004, is averaging 20.5 points this season. He was not in uniform for Washington's
game with Minnesota on Wednesday.
"Antawn Jamison has been the embodiment of leadership on and off the court for this franchise for five-and-a-half seasons and we
thank him for all he has done for the Wizards and the city of Washington," Wizards president Ernie Grunfeld said. "Unfortunately, our on-court results have not met our expectations and we felt it was necessary to make changes to improve our future and our financial flexibility. This trade accomplished both of those objectives."
Jamison left the arena shortly before the game. As he entered his car, he said to reporters: ``Not now.''
He did have a message for Wizards fans: ``You know I love them more than they love me.''
The Washington Wizards garage sale began after guards Gilbert Arenas and Javaris Crittenton were suspended for the season for bringing guns into the Wizards' locker room. Arenas, Jamison and Caron Butler were the core of a team that went to the playoffs in '06, '07 and '08, though Arenas missed the 2007 playoffs with a knee injury and most of the 2007-08 season after surgery to his left knee. In September 2008, Arenas underwent another operation on his knee and missed most of the season again. The team tumbled to a franchise worst-tying 19-63 record.
This season, with Arenas back, the Wizards were optimistic about a return to the playoffs, but even before Arenas's suspension for gunplay, the team struggled. It's on pace to top last year's 19 wins with a 17-33 record heading in to Wednesday night's game, but it's not likely to climb out of the Southeast Division's cellar.
So with Arenas gone for the season and likely not to return to the team ever again, the Wizards put for sale signs on their stars. Earlier this week, the team sent Butler, Brendan Haywood and DeShawn Stevenson to Dallas for Josh Howard, Gooden, Quinton Ross and James Singleton.
It's a big do-over in D.C. -- save money, collect draft picks and begin rebuilding.
Jamison is averaging 20.5 points per game this season. He leads the Wizards with 8.8 rebounds per game.
Ilgauskas, 34, is averaging 7.5 points and 5.3 points in 20.5 minutes per game this season.
The NBA's trade deadline is at 3 p.m. Thursday.
Now stop and wave goodbye as Jamison leaves the Verizon Center.


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Nolan Arenado attempting to become 10th rookie to win Rawlings Gold Glove
ST. LOUIS — Anyone who watched Nolan Arenado this season has a story to tell about his defense.
That play on Marco Scutaro's bunt in San Francisco. Throwing out San Diego's Cameron Maybin with a barehand stab and flip. The ridiculous double play to home and first in Miami, Arenado's personal favorite.
He's a deserving Rawlings Gold Glove finalist, and would be in select company if he wins the honor on Tuesday night. Arenado, 22, is attempting to become the second rookie third baseman to win a gold glove, joining Boston's Frank Malzone in 1957.
"Hopefully it happens," Arenado said.
Only nine rookies of have won the gold glove, or roughly 3 percent of those those chosen. Troy Tulowitzki nearly joined the list in 2007, but was edged by the Phillies' Jimmy Rollins. The full list provided by Rawlings:


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Both wild and domestic roses may be used as sources for the petals. There are several recipes for rose petal wine, all of which use a second ingredient for body. Here are two good ones to choose from, although if you have enough petals you might try both and compare later.
Pick the rose petals just before starting, so they're fresh. Boil 6 pints water and pour over all ingredients except yeast and pectic enzyme, stirring gently to dissolve sugar. Cover with cloth or plastic wrap and set in warm place for 24 hours. Add pectic enzyme, yeast and half remaining water. Set aside until vigorous fermentation subsides (7-10 days), stirring daily. Do not exceed 10 days. Strain liqueur into secondary fermentation vessel, top up to neck with water, and fit fermentation trap. Rack after 30 days, then again after additional 30 days. Bottle when clear and store in dark, cool place. It will be fit to drink after 6 months, but will improve enormously after a year.
Use pea pods as soon after shelling as possible. Rose petals may be picked up to two days earlier and frozen in plastic freezer bag. Juice the lemons and orange and combine juice with all ingredients in crock except water, pectic enzyme and yeast. Bring water to boil and pour over ingredients, stirring to dissolve sugar. Cover and set aside 24 hours. Add pectic enzyme and yeast, recover, and set aside one week, stirring daily. Strain through a muslin cloth or bag onto secondary fermentation vessel, topping up to neck of vessel. Fit fermentation trap and allow to ferment completely (45-60 days). Rack and bottle when wine clears. Allow it to age six months in the bottle before tasting. Will improve with age.
COMMENTS: Both color and fragrance will vary with different roses. Generally, the fresher the flower the stronger the color and fragrance, but the rose muust be fragrant to begin with. It is perfectly acceptable to use petals from flowers whose blooms are fading (but not yet brown) on the plant. Cut the flowers and carefully remove the petals from the hip and stem.
Both recipes call for 2-1/2 lbs granulated sugar per gallon of wine. This produces a medium wine. Use 1/4 lb less sugar for a dry wine, 1/4 lb more for a sweet. Champagne yeast will convert more sugar into alcohol than Rhine yeast.


text:
Is a SAP career suitable for me?
Hi, I'm a Master of Commerce and Post Graduate Diploma in Computer Programming and computing statistics from Pakistan. After completing my education in 1997, I'm working as IT Technician in a power generation company. I have planned to go to Australia after 6 months. Kindly guide me on if SAP will...Thanks! We'll email you
when relevant content is
added and updated.
Hi, I want a career in SAP. I have an Associates degree in Graphic Design but work as tech support for a telcom company for 6 years. I dont want to pursue networking or programming, but something geared more towards business. My question is, should I get a SAP certification or should I pursue a...
How to Change text size in SAP 4.7 . I want to increase fonts. Thanks.
Error info… 00 671: ABAP/4 processor: SAPSQL_ARRAY_INSERT_DUPREC
When somebody posts something in FI (FB50), SAP seems to normally post it (It says on bottom e.g. "Document 100000008 was posted in company code 1000"). However, as soon as we continue working a message appears saying: "Express document 'Update was terminated' received from author {Name of...
How to get into SAP for experieced IT professional
I am in IT for 18 years doing development work under UNIX with C/C++/ORACLE/PL-SQL etc. Have done analysis/design work and feel pretty good about my logic and design ability. I want to break into SAP and get a job after some training. I would appreciate your suggestion to help me get into it....
Difference between different SAP platforms
Specific difference between SAP R/3 and mySAP ERP.
A Purchase order has been invoiced but i need to cancel the invoiced document. So i use MR08 to cancel the invoice doc. However the clearing doc number did not appear. The invoice is for partial items that were received. Anyone with any suggestions ? The GR/IR job is run daily. On version 46B....
SAP R/3 AP-Create vendors, post with forms, AP reporting
Hello everyone, I am doing a project called Implementation of SAP R/3 at Cyclone Singapore Pty Ltd--Company code 0002. I create vendors in accounting, using account group 0001 which is internal number assignment. How to change account group 0001 using external number assignment, so I can find an...
Hello GURUS, I am looking for an expansion of the following SAP acronyms CSV - It is not Comma Seperated Values - as used in EXCEL or in any flatfile input into SAP BW (Could it be Computer System Validation?) FRS - Can anyone help me with these - Thanks and your help will be appreciatedThanks! We'll email you
when relevant content is
added and updated.
All, Thanks in Advancce.. What is the latest SAP verion (is it 5.0 ECC?) When was the SAP 4.7r was released.
SAP – locked cycle run group – how to fix?
I am running budgeted allocations and ran into an error - it states that I want to run a cycle but run group 0000 is locked. Wait until cycle run group is unlocked. We cannot find anywhere or any guidance on how to unlock or fix this issue. Can anyone help?
Problems during project implementation
Hello All, I have a question, kindly help me on this. What are the problems faced in project during the SAP is implemented for FICO module.Give me few examples for the same and also kindly tell how it is resolved? Advance thanks for your help regards Surya
Hello,, What is the relevence of "post automatically onlyy'while craeting GL account/? Thanks Surya
Need to enhance the Fixed Asset Screen
Hello, I need to know where to get the user exit for the asset master screen via AS03. In the tab 'Time-depdendent', there is field 'cost center'. Here, i like to add field 'Room' or 'plant'. Each new field will has a pull-down feature to list eg: the room number and description. Where can i get...
Help Module Selection(SD,CRM,Basis)
My qualification is MBA(IT & Marketing), have exp in BPO for 1.5 years, Could you please tell which module to choose, SD,CRM or Basis. Should to do CRM - is SD knowledge and work exp is must. Please guide.
PLease advise, the module which will be in demand in future
Hi freinds, I am an electrical engineer working in a EMS company as Hardware engineer for the past 4 yrs.I have good knowledge of Production process flows. I want to make a career in SAP.Can any body guide as to which module of a SAP I should go into,considering the module will be in demand in near...
New Enjoy Purchase order screen
Using the enjoy Purchase Order screen(ME21N), i created a PO. However i cannot get it to send to a printer. Is there any configuration that needs to be done ? Can anyone pls provide guidance on this ? Am on version 46B. Thank you.
Career move between SAP and .Net
I have about 7 years experiences in ABAP. Now have a chance to work in ASP.Net and enjoy doing portal programming. About 6 months into .Net. I wonder if i should make a career move into .Net and leave the SAP world ? Is this a good move ? Not sure if they are jobs utilizing both sap and .net. What...
Advice on Career Change to SAP FI/CO Consultant
I have a Computer Science degree and have been a developer for the last 13 years. The last 4 years as an ABAP developer, the last two of those years as SAP Dev. Lead. I have experience in BSP's, Workflow, CRM as well as R/3 modules. However, I feel that as I get older that I should maybe consider...
Incorrect Jurisdiction Code in Purchase Order
I have a purchase order created using ME21N. The jurisdiction code in the 'Invoice' tab is based in Illinois. We deliver the good to California (CA). In the 'Delivery Address' tab, the jurisdiction code is based in CA which is correct. However why is Illinois juris-code showing up in the 'Invoice'...


text:
Energy efficient fan and pump control
Invertek Drives provides innovative, easy to use variable frequency drives for the energy efficient maintenance of environments within buildings. Eco variable frequency drive has been specifically designed to deliver improved performance, control and energy savings in fan and pump applications in building services.
Take control of your environment with Eco Variable Frequency Drive.
Up to 250kW / 350HP200 – 600V
The perfect solution for optimising the performance of fans and pumps used in HVAC applications.
Building services require a range of specific drive features to ensure that safe and comfortable environments can be maintained in a reliable and cost effective manner.
The knowledge base for variable frequency drives
Most frequently asked question:
Case studies, announcements and exhibition news from Invertek Drives
© 1998 - 2020 Invertek Drives Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
Registered in England: No. 3504834 | VAT Registration: GB 712854929


text:
Maxine Waters a bizarre model for Denver Democrats
Oh, how wonderful: California Rep. Maxine Waters is coming to Denver to be keynote speaker at Democrats' House District 7 unity dinner Saturday, according to The Post's Lynn Bartels.
Waters is, of course, just the sort of political model Colorado lawmakers should aspire to emulate. Her understanding of economics is particularly keen, as she demonstrated in a 2008 congressional hearing in which she told oil company executives, "Guess what this liberal would be all about? This liberal would be about socializing … uh, umm. [she seemed to be hunting for the word "nationalizing"] Would be about, basically, taking over, and the government running all of your companies."
She has equally noteworthy views on the limits of social protest — believing, apparently, that there aren't any. In reacting to the riots that followed the the acquittal of police who beat Rodney King, she declared, "I maintain it was somewhat understandable, if not acceptable. So I call it a rebellion."
The families of the dead may not have been quite so enthusiastic, but what did they know?
And she has such a famously civil tongue, too. "The President is a liar," she said of George W. Bush, to pick one of many such examples. "Dick Cheney, the chief architect of the Big Lie, is not only a liar, he is a thief."
Yes, there is so much to learn from Waters. Let's give her a big, warm-hearted welcome to Denver.


text:
Contact Us: (503) 273-8719
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text:
It is an adult-only fair that promises to cater for every fantasy, but South Africa's annual "sexpo" drew an unusual exhibitor on Friday: the Salvation Army.
Tucked between sex-toy stands and skimpily dressed hostesses, the Christian group famed for its charity work said it was there on a mission to raise awareness about sex trafficking.
"We are not here to judge anybody, that's not our job as Christians," spokeswoman Major Carin Holmes said. "We want to make people aware that there could be danger to this trade."
Holmes said they were encouraged by the reception they had received from visitors to the Johannesburg expo.
She said more than 500 people had signed their petition opposing the traffic of women into the sex trade.
"This is a great platform to spread our message. People need to know that sex is not always sexy," she said.
The church group's cubicle featured posters of naked girls with bruises on their bodies.
The Sexpo sexuality and lifestyle show is currently in its sixth year.
"Me and my wife have been attending this event since 2009 ... we always look forward to it," 65-year-old Fred Smythe said.
"It's exciting and there is nothing unlawful or forbidden about it," he added with a smile.
The four-day event, which draws several thousand visitors a year, includes pole dancing and adult puppet shows.
However, it was the penile artist Pricasso who appeared to attract the largest crowds on Friday. The middle-aged artist, only clad in a pink high hat and a matching bow tie, used his penis as a paint brush to conjure up impeccable portraits before an appreciative, but gobsmacked audience.
According to the Sexpo franchise owner, Arthur Calamaras, the show "has grown greatly" over the years."
"Most of the visitors are women, they even come in groups, that means they love what they see here," he said. "Part of the show is to educate people about sensuality, to make them aware of their bodies."
He shrugged off criticism that the show was undermining women in a country with one of the highest rates of sexual violence.
"People will always have prejudgements ... everything here is decent, nothing is done to demean anybody. We are not about that," he said


text:
Division to be headed by Exclusive/Hammer's Simon Oakes [pictured].
Exclusive Media, the film company behind The Ides of March, is launching a TV division and has signed a first-look deal with Fremantle Media Enterprises.
London-based Exclusive Media Television plans to produce "intelligent, grown-up" scripted content in line with its film output, and already has projects in development with two UK broadcasters.
UK broadcasters including the BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Sky are being targeted ahead of a wider international push by the division, which is headed by Exclusive Media vice-chairman and Hammer president Simon Oakes.
Oakes said that making the move into TV was not "rocket science" for the business, which will focus on delivering returnable series rather than one-off specials.
"The lines between TV and film are becoming increasingly blurred," he said. "We have a track record for producing quality films and any ambitious content creating company should be in the TV business."
He added: "To a certain degree, TV is a ratings game and you have to be cognisant of what commissioning editors are looking for and have a sense of the zeitgeist.
"In TV, developing in a vacuum is a mistake."
Exclusive Media's existing staff of around 65 will work across the TV division, with plans to recruit dedicated creative staff early next year.
The deal with Fremantle Media gives it first look on all of EMTV's commissioned programmes to distribute internationally.


text:
Search For Jigsaw Puzzles
Number of Jigsaw puzzles found: 53
Click a name or image to play.
Cotswold sheep
Battle Abbey tilt
Portrait Of Charles I, King Of England, Detail [2]
Shed in Vermont
Harbor in Maine
Autumn in Maine
Fishing Boat in Rhode Island
The Needles at Sunset in the Isle of Wight
Sunset and Bridge in Newport, Rhode Island
Architecture Details
Porch with the American Flag Flying
Augusta, Maine
New England Village in Autumn
Dorset Shaftsbury
Boston Skyline
Camden, Maine
Boston, Massachusetts
Hand of Cerne Abbas Giant
London Skyline
Selfridges Clock in London
Big Ben
Rainy Day On Country Farm
Canterbury Cathedral in Kent
Maine Lighthouse
Hyde Park Gate
Big Ben
Trafalgar Square at Dusk
Androscoggin River in Autumn
Statue of Eros
The Mayflower at Plymouth, Massachusetts
Cape Cod Windmill
Lighthouse in Maine
Taxi Blur
Paul Revere Statue in Boston, Massachusetts
Bridge Silhouette
Autumn in New Hampshire
Corfe Castle Ruins
Oxford University
Castle of Victoria at Windsor Castle
Bodiam Castle
Plymouth Rock, Massachusetts
Man with Bowler in London
Bunker Hill Monument, Massachusetts
Pulteney Bridge
Road to a Covered Bridge
Stonehenge, England
Sunrise over the Thames
Grazing Sheep
Oxford Street at Christmas
Winchester Cathedral
For more
free games
visit GameScene.com. Also check out
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text:
Ly Sambo, a survivor of the Khmer Rouge atrocities and a former refugee, is the author of a memoir titled "All I Heard Was My Sorrow." In it, she wrote about her escape from the Khmer Rouge genocide, and her work as an interpreter for World Vision in Khao I-Dang refugee camp before immigrating to America. "All I Heard Was My Sorrow" helps Sambo in her journey to heal herself from a painful past through gratitude.
Sum Rithy, a survivor of the Khmer Rouge, says the UN-backed tribunal must speed up the trial of two aging regime leaders. Sum Rithy, 62, is a leader among those survivors of the Khmer Rouge who have pushed for a complete tribunal process, which has so far only tried one defendant.


text:
Marketing was easier when the economy was expanding and consumer disposable income was growing. For three decades after World War II, marketing strategies generally were built around the development of growth markets. Satisfying customers was important, but never as important as it has become in the nineties, with the competitive pressures of largely static markets. Previously, ethical problems were less apparent as well, not so much because people did not care, but because society's expectations were different and there was a simple rule for evaluating marketing practices: caveat emptor, within the rule of law. If it was legal to sell a product that might be harmful or might not live up to the seller's promises, then marketing the product was acceptable because the decision to buy was the consumer's. The consumer was expected to employ the maxim "buyer beware."
Today there is widespread concern about ethics in public and private life extending to many areas — politics, education, health, as well as business. Indeed, the current period may be called the "ethics era." For marketers, this has meant that standards of acceptable marketing practice have shifted along a continuum, from a position wherein producer interests are paramount to a position wherein consumer interests are more favored. Society's expectations have changed so that if caveat emptor ever was truly an adequate basis for evaluating marketing ethics, this is no longer the case.
What constitutes ethical marketing practice in the ethics era? In this article, I provide an answer by first illustrating society's expectations of marketers today and the challenges to basic marketing assumptions. Second, I propose a tool, the "consumer sovereignty test" (CST), that helps resolve some of the ethical problems marketing managers are currently experiencing.
I briefly review research developments in business and marketing ethics to highlight the difficulties in guiding managers on ethical business conduct. Next, I use three examples of ethical controversy in marketing to illustrate the decline of caveat emptor. This shift in society's expectations of marketers, which further complicates the task of guiding managers, I cover more formally in a discussion of the marketing ethics continuum. I propose resolving the problems identified by using the consumer sovereignty test. I describe the rationale for CST, discuss how managers can use it (including its application to the foregoing examples), and identify the major ethical issues in marketing to which it applies.


text:
Time for me to start driving...
... and this was pretty much my view the entire time
Apart from dodging bouys
And buzzing sea planes
Takatz Bay, our first anchorage
Really pretty. Would have been better if the weather cleared up
When in Rome, make sure you go crabbing
We look so official
Really excited to catch some crab!
The excitement would wear off when all we got was a giant starfish and a slightly fatter sea lion laughing at us from the shore
More buzzing sea planes
Some random sailboat
My first whale sighting! Finally!
I'm memorizing that fluke
Gummi bears lined up at the firing range in Warm Springs Bay, AK
Man overboard!
Kiawah in Warm Springs Bay, AK
Seal pile on channel marker #62
Jabba the hutt's / Sea Lions on a dock
Walking the docks in Petersburg, AK
A cool viking pole
group shot with the Mariner bell
This guy!
Dan, pondering what to do in case of a bear attack...
I made it! All 50 states
Good 'ole William "Skagway Bill" Fonda
Leslie and the smallest handrail I have ever seen.
Go Blue!
Sun, Scrabble, and trail mix. Mmm
I liked that the sun was shining only on our boat
Hello Dan!
Hello Jenny!
Hello Leslie!
Hello Kiawah!
Staged, but it really doesn't look like it
Come to find out, these things are like squirrels and are everywhere in Alaska
This was on a canoe
The same bald eagles, like 45 minutes later
Ooh look, they are moving now!
matching rain gear!


text:
PIRC Event Notice
- 27 July 2016
After a 5 week layoff, we're a little more than a week away from load in at Pittsburgh International Race Course. Load in is currently set for 4pm Thursday.
As always- please register on DLB - http://www.dlbracing.com/
There is a good chance the current posted schedule will be modified (for the better), but we probably won't know until next week. We will distribute any changes as soon as they happen.
See you all next week.


text:
JUNE 7, 2011 Rocket Grants Announced for 2011-2012
Charlotte Street Foundation and The Spencer Museum of Art, in partnership with the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, are excited to announce the selection of ten projects selected to receive Rocket Grants of $4000 each in 2011-2012. This is the second year of Rocket Grants, which seek to support and encourage work that is inventive and "under the radar", and that engages or benefits an audience somewhere other than in an established arts venue, museum or art gallery. The long-term goal of the program is to both encourage emerging and non-traditional art practices in the region, and to contribute to a thriving artists' community.
Rocket Grants are part of the Foundation's Regional Regranting program.
The 2011-12 Rocket Grantees are:
Artists: Daniel Eichenbaum, Bob Riddle, Cheryl Melfi, Richard Johnson, Rebecca Ashe
Project: Dark Matter presents "Ascent"
A community-built balloon will carry high-resolution cameras to the edge of space, connecting local artists and scientists in the process. The resulting images will generate an hour-long performance featuring live electro-acoustic music and narration at Union Station's Gottlieb Planetarium.
Artist: Asma Kazmi
Project: Playing Gender
A transdisciplinary art project celebrating the precarious fabrication of gender artifice and exaggeration, Playing Gender will consist of documentary footage and reconstructed audio/visual material gathered from research in India among the hijra community, live performances, workshops, and programmed discussions on issues of gender construction, sexuality and ritual.
Artist: Caitlin Horsman
Project: Resistant History
Resistant History will reframe political reform as a local activity through collecting stories of progressive change in the Kansas City area and making them available via the web to educators, citizens and artists. The project will map sites of change in the history of our region through the creation of a group of films, a collection of documentation, and a series of downloadable neighborhood "tours."
Artists: Nicole Mauser, Cory Imig, Amy Kligman, Misha Kligman & Caleb Taylor
Project: Plug Projects
An artist-run, curatorial collaboration designed to nurture critical dialogue, expand the scope of art being shown in the area, and cross-pollinate regional and national artists in Kansas City, Plug Projects involves a new collective exhibition space, a "critique night" series, experimental curatorial practices and an online presence.
Artist: Judith Levy
Project: NV in KC
Levy will work with videographers, actors, non-actors, artists and musicians in Lawrence and Kansas City to create a faux documentary. This project will consist of an initial 20- to 30-minute video episode followed by five additional 15-minute episodes, featuring a story that, with wit and humanity, explores envy as a motivating force in a regional arts community.
Artist: Elizabeth Lovett & Yair Keshet
Project: Discrete Curiosities
The artists will build a mathematically derived display system that will act as a postmodern Cabinet of Wonders. Curated based on three thematic groupings, or "sets," it will travel to public spaces around Kansas City and will juxtapose the work of regional (and a few national) artists together with that of scientists and other researchers.
Artist: Daniel Parks
Project: Community Projection Week
Each night for one week, Parks will facilitate the creation of a unique projection art piece on the outside of a different community center or secondary school across the Kansas City Metro area. These events will involve local residents in helping to create material and performances to celebrate their local community.
Artists: Eric Dobbins & Kelly Clark
Project: Field Trip Publishing
Field Trip Publishing will enable eight emerging Kansas City area artists to experiment with new art making practices, collaboration, and marketing. The project includes the production and creative dissemination of affordable art multiples, with the intent of bolstering the region's art market and providing further financial support to local artists.
Artist: Amber Hansen
Project: The Story of Chickens — A Revolution
This project features a nomadic chicken coop, designed to be both functional and beautiful and to be inhabited by five heritage chickens. It will reconnect the community with its food cycle when the birds that people have tended are killed and eaten at a communal meal.
Artist: Julia Vering
Project: You Live Here Too
A multimedia performance utilizing video, stop-motion animation, an original score, and local senior citizens as actors and oral historians, this project examines the ways in which we construct identities and meaning through storytelling, congregated living and age-segregated recreation. Blurring truth and fiction through an absurd framework, it will enable participants to both become someone else, in the way that drama allows, and also reveal their true character through the sharing of personal histories.
For more in-depth information about these projects please visit rocketgrants.wordpress.com/rocket-grants-projects.
The jurors for this year's selection panel were:
Shana Berger
Interdisciplinary artist with a focus on innovative community and public art, writer, curator and Executive Director of the Coleman Center for the Arts in York, Alabama.
Ulysses Jenkins
Award winning experimental video and performance artist with a background in mural painting and collaboration with musicians, professor at UC Irvine in both the Studio Art and African American Studies Program.
Peggy Noland
Interdisciplinary artist, clothing designer, instructor at the Kansas City Art Institute, downtown business owner, and recipient of a 2010 Rocket Grants Award as part of a collaborative team.
Marguerite Perret
Interdisciplinary installation artist with an interest in land use, conservation, women's health and other social concerns, professor of Art and Design at Washburn University, Topeka.
Raechell Smith
Writer, curator, Director of the H&R Block Artspace at the Kansas City Art Institute, and a member of the Rocket Grants steering committee.


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|Date published
|Is It Desirable for Asian Economies to Hold More Asian Assets in Their Foreign Exchange Reserves?—The People's Republic of China's Answer
|August 2011
|Bin Zhang
|Services Policy Reform in the People's Republic of China: Before and After the Global Financial Crisis
|August 2011
|Ying Fan
|The Current State of Financial and Regulatory Frameworks in Asian Economies: The Case of India
|August 2011
|Abhijit Sen Gupta
|The Political Economy of Reducing the United States Dollar's Role as a Global Reserve Currency
|July 2011
|Josef T. Yap
|Bond Market Development in Asia: An Empirical Analysis of Major Determinants
|June 2011
|Biswa Nath Bhattacharyay
|The Great Liquidity Freeze: What Does It Mean for International Banking?
|June 2011
|Dietrich Domanski, Philip Turner
|The Global Financial Crisis: Decoupling of East Asia—Myth or Reality?
|June 2011
|Yung Chul Park
|Towards an Expanded Role for Asian Currencies: Issues and Prospects
|May 2011
|Hwee Kwan Chow
|The Role of Macroprudential Policy for Financial Stability in East Asia's Emerging Economies
|May 2011
|Yung Chul Park
|Appropriate Financial Instruments for Public-Private Partnership to Boost Cross-Border Infrastructural Development-EU Experience
|May 2011
|Willem van der Geest, Jorge Nunez-Ferrer
|E-Finance Development in Korea
|April 2011
|Choong Young Ahn, Doo Yong Yang
|Causes of and Remedies for the People's Republic of China's External Imbalances: The Role of Factor Market Distortion
|April 2011
|Yiping Huang, Kunyu Tao
|Exchange Rates and Global Rebalancing
|April 2011
|Barry Eichengreen, Gisela Rua
|Financial Development in Emerging Markets: The Indian Experience
|April 2011
|K. P. Krishnan
|Asian Monetary Unit and Monetary Cooperation in Asia
|April 2011
|Eiji Ogawa, Junko Shimizu
|Trans-Pacific Rebalancing: Thailand Case Study
|March 2011
|Chalongphob Sussangkarn, Deunden Nikomborirak
|Crisis, Imbalances, and India
|March 2011
|Rajiv Kumar, Pankaj Vashisht
|Emerging Contours of Financial Regulation: Challenges and Dynamics
|March 2011
|Rakesh Mohan
|Financial Regulatory Harmonization in East Asia: Balancing Domestic and International Pressures for Corporate Governance Reforms
|March 2011
|Richard W. Carney
|What Regulatory Policies Work for Emerging Markets?
|February 2011
|Luo Ping


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If you've been looking for work in the Washington Post's Jobs section, you might have one more thing to worry about. User IDs and email addresses for 1.2 million accounts were compromised on June 27th and 28th. No passwords or other personal information was accessed.
The hack was attributed to an "unauthorised third party", though it falls in the shadow of the hacking mayhem of the Antisec movement. The biggest risk from the attack is an influx of spam and phishing attempts, so as always, don't send people your shit over email. [Computer World]


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Detergents & Cleaning Supplies
Soft Silicone Horn Liner: It features a soft silicone liner which lines the inside of the horn. This liner feels soft, natural, and allows the horn to create a better suction so that you can express your milk more easily.
Adjustable vari-suction valve: Allows you to adjust the suction pressure of the pump to fit your individual comfort.
Fits All Natural Touch™ Bottles and Cups: The Nûby™ Comfort™ Breast Pump provides more flexibility and convenience. You can express, store, and feed using any Nûby™ Natural Touch™ bottle or cup! This allows you to give your baby the benefits of breast milk and continue breast feeding even longer.


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- Focus on Funds
Morningstar: Precious Metals CEFs Offer Rare Discounts
- Order Reprints
- Print Article
Fund analyst Mike Taggart has his eye on the silver lining to precious metals investors' tough year: You can buy closed-end funds at extreme discounts to where they usually trade.
The discount of 8% or so recently in Central Fund of Canada (CEF) -- it was 6.4% yesterday, according to CEFConnect.com -- is more than two standard deviations outside the norm and the math suggests this can be expected less than 4% of the time, Morningstar's Taggart writes.
One pretty reasonable premise a bull would need to accept: CEF investors often overshoot the mark.
[P]ure and simple, this fund's discount/premium is largely determined by retail investors' outlook for gold and silver. After all, the fund portfolio contains nothing other than gold and silver bullion (primarily in bar form, with 0.34% of holdings--as measured in fine ounces--in bank certificate form). Thus, as sentiment for gold and silver investment waxes, the fund's premium increases, and as sentiment wanes, the discount widens.
Taggart sees a similar case for Central GoldTrust (GTU). Both funds have lagged the YTD loss of 21% in SPDR Gold Trust (GLD). CEF is down by nearly 31% and Central GoldTrust by 27%.


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"I believe that sometimes you have to slow down in the short run in order to speed up in the long run. In other words, it pays to invest in a good foundation to have a better house. This is an attitude, an approach, with which you have to come to terms for yourself." From his first trip to Beirut as a senior accountant to his recent tour as partner in charge of a major German engagement, John M. Crawford, now head of EO's International Department, has made this approach an integral part of his professional life. Jack, who returned to Executive Office lastyear, heads a department that operates in large part as a clearing house. It has administrative responsibility for our offices in Japan and South America and shares responsibility with Deloittes for offices in other parts of the world. EO International also provides communication between domestic and international clients, functioning as liaison where necessary. "We have to realize that there are differences in the way things are done inother parts of the world," Jack explained, "and then attempt to make these differences work to everyone's advantage—diplomatic dealings, you might say. In general the department sees that all bases are touched, that the quality is there and, most important, that the client is satisfied." Jack brings to the department the background, temperament and experience to fulfill these duties. Although he has spent many of his years with Haskins <SL Sells in international work, his career with the Firm has been a varied one. Not only did he spend twelve years in the New York office audit practice, but he has been in charge of recruiting and professional development for that office, and he headed the EO Research Department from 1968 to 1971. Born and raised in Montreal, Jack began working for an accounting firm at a time when the Canadian system, modeled on the British, hired high school graduates in a form of apprenticeship. When Jack's 12 family decided to move to New York City, the firm attempted to dissuade him; finally convinced that he was going, they prepared three letters of introduction. Two were sent directly to other firms, while the third Jack carried with him. "I am a bit of a wary Scotsman," Jack said, "and I knew in that case what had been written about me." An interview with James Anderson, a fellow Scotsman at Deloittes in New York, landed him a job on a six-month trial basis. Things proceeded well, and Jack decided to become a CPA. He began to develop the skills necessary to obtain certification. "I started going to Pace University at night. It took me six years to get my degree, but I was so eager to become a CPA that I would have done just about anything." A year after the move to Ne wYork, J ack's father died, leaving his son responsible for the family's welfare. Following a brief return to Canada ("where the Deloitte people were extremely kind and helpful") the Crawfords decided to settle permanently in New York, the city Jack had chosen for his future home. In 1954, two years after the Deloitte merger with Haskins &. Sells, Jack was a senior accountant with our Firm. Aramco, an oil-producing client, was building a railroad for the king of Saudi Arabia. This required a separate audit and Jack was asked if he would like to be the senior on the job. "After discussing the matter with my new bride Eileen, I responded with a definite 'yes,'" Jack said. "But after I was processed and ready to go, the assignment was canceled." Yet Jack seemed destined for the journey, for New York partner Lin Boyle soon asked if he would like to join the Aramco engagement. Jack was off on his first overseas trip and the first step on a path he would follow for much of his professional life. "It took us two days to get there," he recalled, "flying in an Aramco-owned DC-6. When we arrived in Beirut about 5:00 a.m., ready to be served breakfast, we found the nightclubs still going strong with music and belly dancers. That was my first impression of Beirut'.'Jack was responsible for three district audits in Saudi Arabia, which gave him the opportunity to travel within the country and become familiar with some of its people. This led to such exotic experiences as sharing strong Arabian coffee with a Bedouin tribesman in his tent on one of Jack's ventures into the desert. In 1959 Jack became a manager and was asked to assist New York partner Walt Ruschmeyer in hiring temporary help for the busy season. What started off somewhat informally soon became a full-time project, including visits to college campuses to interview students. "Pretty soon I was out of audit and into personnel," Jack said. "It's hard to evaluate exactly what you arelookingfor whenyou are recruiting. Of course there are the obvious factors like grades and class standing, but the intangibles are somewhat more difficult to pinpoint. You work almost by instinct." Yet, if Jack cannot verbalize the criteria, his instincts must have been right, for many of those he hired have gone on to successful careers with the Firm. Some, like Fred Heinzeller, Dan Bailey, Bill Rowe, John Coblentz, Peter Hoffman and Tom Lock-burner, have become partners. It's a track record to be proud of, and Jack admits to a justifiable satisfaction. J ack remained responsible for recruiting and professional development in the New York office until 1964, the year in which he was admitted to the Firm. At the dinner given for new partners, Tom Hogan and Lin Boyle informed him that he was to be the partner on the Aramco engagement. He would also be working with Schering- Plough, an international pharmaceutical company, at a time when the Firm had the opportunity to take over all of its foreign audit work. Jack was off and traveling again, this time to Europe as well as to Saudi Arabia. "That experience offered me even more exposure to the international side of our practice than I had previously had," he said. After five busy, productive years John Schumann asked Jack to speak with Emmett Harrington in Executive Office. Emmett's proposition to Jack: head the Research Department. "I had some reservations," Jack admitted, "but Emmett assured me that my qualifications suited the job. It turned out to be one of my more valuable experiences with the Firm." Jack recalls asking John Tillotson, the department's anchor man, just what the Research Department was. "John's response was simple, yet astute: It's whatever you want it to be.' I thought of it as an People m H&S: John M. Crawford
Object Description
People in H&S: John M. Crawford
|Personal Name
Crawford, John M.
Boyle, Lindsay R.
Heinzeller, Manfred
Bailey, Daniel A.
Rowe, William E.
Coblentz, John
Lockburner, Thomas C.
Hoffman, Peter A.
Hogan, Thomas B.
Schumann, John S.
Harrington, Emmett S.
Tillotson, John
Herrhammer, Karl A.
Haskins & Sells. Executive Offices
H&S Reports, Vol. 12, (1975 autumn), p. 12-13
|Originally published by: Haskins & Sells
|Copyright and permission to republish held by: Deloitte
|PDF page image with corrected OCR scanned at 400 dpi
|Deloitte Digital Collection
|Digital Publisher
|University of Mississippi Library. Accounting Collection
|Date-Digitally Created


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This month, I'm taking a break from my introductory series of posts (Gael Ùr, Cànan, Sgeul and Creideamh) to offer a transcript of the guest lecture I delivered this week at St. Francis Xavier University entitled An Introduction to Neo-Paganism for Non-Pagans. You can find a printable transcript and audio download of the lecture at http://csmaccath.com/itnp. As members of my community of faith, I invite your thoughts on the material. What would you have added? Subtracted? Where would your focus have been different? What are your thoughts on the areas of need I identified for the Neo-Pagan community?
As always, tapadh leibh airson a' leughadh, 's beannachd leibh,
(Thank you for reading, and bless you,)
An Introduction to Neo-Paganism for Non-Pagans
About Me
My name is Ceallaigh MacCath-Moran, but I write under the name C.S. MacCath, and the title of my talk this evening is An Introduction to Neo-Paganism for Non-Pagans. I'd first like to thank Kristen Mills, the Celtic Studies Department and the Religious Studies Department for offering me the opportunity to speak this evening. You've been most kind. By way of academic credentials, I hold a Bachelor of Celtic Studies from the University of Toronto and a Master of English from the University of Maine. I'm a writer of fiction, non-fiction and poetry who has also been Pagan for roughly twenty-six years, and my writing often contains Pagan themes. In terms of credentials from within the Pagan community, I'm a Druid-grade member of the Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids (OBOD), which means that I'm progressing through the final coursework in the Order's educational program (I'll also be called a Druid-grade member when I've completed it). I'll talk a bit about clergy training and credentialing in the Neo-Pagan movement later in the lecture.
About This Lecture
Whenever I deliver a lecture (and most of them lately have been for writers and fans of science fiction and fantasy), I provide a resource page on my web site that contains any book recommendations I make and the URLs for any web sites I mention. The resource page for this lecture is located at csmaccath.com/itnp. In the next week, I'll also be uploading my notes along with a recording of the lecture under a creative commons license. You're welcome to download these for your reference and use.
This lecture introduces Neo-Paganism for non-Pagans, so I'll be discussing elements of Pagan and Neo-Pagan history, denominations, beliefs, practices and contemporary issues. Because of time constraints, this is not a comprehensive introduction, and it should be noted that another lecturer might choose to highlight different elements of the Neo-Pagan movement. Finally, though the term 'Pagan' rightly refers to historical belief systems and 'Neo-Pagan' refers to their modern reconstruction and revival, 'Pagan' is a blanket term for most of us, so it's possible that I'll slip and use it that way in the lecture.
Pre-Christian Beliefs and Practices
Pre-Christian beliefs and practices of various cultures around the world are a part of Neo-Pagan history, though these are fragmented depending upon the culture in question and the amount of information available about it. This means that historical Greek, Roman, Northern and Western European and even Mesoamerican beliefs and practices are a part of Neo-Paganism, depending upon the practitioner, though it should be noted that not every Neo-Pagan adopts historical Pagan practices into her religious landscape.
In addition, it should be noted that these historical beliefs and practices are not universally adopted by Neo-Pagans when they are known. Common examples of unadopted beliefs and practices include those that are violent and/or sacrificial, though I'll talk a little more about sacrifice later in the lecture.
Finally, when these practices are adopted, it is often with an attitude of reclaiming something lost. Many Neo-Pagans are conscious of the coerced conversion to Christianity their historical counterparts often endured and believe they are reconstructing and reviving important ways of understanding the world, both for themselves and for future generations of practitioners.
Romantic and Victorian Roots of Neo-Paganism
This lecture does not afford the time I would otherwise like to take exploring the Paganism of Romantic and Victorian poets and thinkers and Pagan themes in their work (and indeed I would have to refresh my own knowledge of these to give the topic proper treatment), but I think it might be useful to look at a few instances of Paganism in these periods.
Ronald Hutton proposes that Wordsworth was too conventional a person to fully embrace Paganism but asserts that he reluctantly admits early Paganism had enchanted the landscape in ways Christianity could not1, especially in his poem 'The World Is Too Much With Us: Late And Soon':
THE world is too much with us; late and soon,
Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers:
Little we see in Nature that is ours;
We have given our hearts away, a sordid boon!
The Sea that bares her bosom to the moon;
The winds that will be howling at all hours,
And are up-gathered now like sleeping flowers;
For this, for everything, we are out of tune;
It moves us not.--Great God! I'd rather be
A Pagan suckled in a creed outworn; 10
So might I, standing on this pleasant lea,
Have glimpses that would make me less forlorn;
Have sight of Proteus rising from the sea;
Or hear old Triton blow his wreathed horn.
Shelley was more enthusiastic about his admiration of early Paganism. In a letter to Thomas J. Hogg he wrote:
I am glad that you do not neglect the rites of the true religion. Your letter awoke my sleeping devotions, and the same evening I ascended alone the high mountain behind my house, and suspended a garland, and raised a small turf-altar to the mountain-walking Pan.2"
The poet Algernon Charles Swinburne, who rose to prominence after the height of the Romantic period, both actively criticized Christianity and allied himself with the Goddess in his 'Hymn to Proserpine'. He writes:
Wilt thou yet take all, Galilean ? but these thou shalt not take,
The laurel, the palms and the paean, the breasts of the nymphs in the brake;
Breasts more soft than a dove's, that tremble with tenderer breath;
And all the wings of the Loves, and all the joy before death;
All the feet of the hours that sound as a single lyre,
Dropped and deep in the flowers, with strings that flicker like fire.
More than these wilt thou give, things fairer than all these things ?
Nay, for a little we live, and life hath mutable wings.
A little while and we die; shall life not thrive as it may?
For no man under the sky lives twice, outliving his day.
And grief is a grievous thing, and a man hath enough of his tears:
Why should he labour, and bring fresh grief to blacken his years ?
Thou hast conquered, O pale Galilean; the world has grown grey from thy breath;
We have drunken of things Lethean, and fed on the fullness of death...
And later in the poem:
But I turn to her still, having seen she shall surely abide in the end;
Goddess and maiden and queen, be near me now and befriend.
O daughter of earth, of my mother, her crown and blossom of birth,
I am also, I also, thy brother; I go as I came unto earth.
In the night where thine eyes are as moons are in heaven, the night where thou art,
Where the silence is more than all tunes, where sleep overflows from the heart,
Where the poppies are sweet as the rose in our world, and the red rose is white,
And the wind falls faint as it blows with the fume of the flowers of the night,
And the murmur of spirits that sleep in the shadow of Gods from afar
Grows dim in thine ears and deep as the deep dim soul of a star,
In the sweet low light of thy face, under heavens untrod by the sun,
Let my soul with their souls find place, and forget what is done and undone.
These are only a few examples of many and only one facet of a multifaceted and fascinating topic. However, they do illustrate a Pagan sensibility in Romantic and Victorian literature and thought that found its way from Shelley to Swinburne to Aleister Crowley, Dion Fortune and Gerald Gardner3, all prominent figures in the Neo-Pagan movement. For a more thorough treatment of this topic, I would refer you to The Triumph of the Moon: A History of Modern Pagan Witchcraft, by Ronald Hutton.
Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries
The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn (of which W.B. Yeats was a member), the Ordo Templi Orientis (of which Aleister Crowley was a member) and the Ancient Druid Order (from which the Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids later split) formed some of the more important foundations of Neo-Paganism in the late Nineteenth and early Twentieth centuries. These organizations were (and those that remain still are) fraternal and esoteric, focusing on meditation, knowledge and theurgy as paths to spiritual development.
In the 1960's and 1970's, The Fellowship of Isis, the Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids and other, similar organizations followed in their footsteps. As you might expect, these reflected the spirit of the times, lending a more experimental philosophy of spiritual development to the Neo-Pagan movement. Circle Sanctuary was founded in 1974 as a place of retreat for Neo-Pagans and has since become an important resource for the movement both spiritually and politically. Of note, the Lady Liberty League, an advocacy branch of the sanctuary, was instrumental in the authorization of the pentacle for use on US military gravestones and other memorial markers in 2007. The Reclaiming branch of Neo-Paganism (where 'Reclaiming' is a proper noun) was founded in 1979 by Starhawk and Diane Baker upon the synthesis of Neo-Pagan spirituality and sociopolitical and ecological activism. I recently had the opportunity to attend a spiritual activism retreat at the Tatamagouche Centre with Starhawk, who provided attendees with a useful and empowering synthesis of earth-based spirituality and tools for activists.
From the 1980's onward, many more Neo-Pagan organizations have risen, remained resilient or disbanded. Some of the more influential among these are (and this list is by no means exhaustive):
- The Covenant of Unitarian Universalist Pagans: Founded in 1985 as part of the Unitarian Universalist Church and remains active therein.
- Ár nDraíocht Féin - A Druid Fellowship, Inc.: Founded in 1983 by the late Isaac Bonewitz, its focus is Reconstructionist Druidry and other Indo-European religious practices.
- The Sacred Well Congregation: A Universalist, independent, non-evangelical Wiccan church with strong ties to and advocacy of Neo-Pagan members of the military.
- Cherry Hill Seminary: A provider of education and practical training in leadership, ministry, and personal growth in Pagan and Nature-Based spiritualities, seeking accreditation as an academic institution in the United States.
So while Neo-Paganism certainly has roots in the fragmented beliefs and practices of early cultures around the world, it also owes some loyalty to Romantic and Victorian poets and thinkers who viewed early Paganism as an antidote to everything from the industrial revolution to dogmatic Christianity. Their inheritors were late Nineteenth and early Twentieth-century mystics, whose fraternal and theurgical approach to spiritual development were carried forward by the expanding Neo-Pagan movement of the 1960s and 1970s, which informed the plethora of organizations that rose, and continue to rise, in their wake.
Definitions and Denominations
There are a number of terms in Neo-Paganism that might best be understood in the context of their use by Neo-Pagans. So I'll be introducing you to terms while I introduce you to some of the more prevalent denominations in the movement. Please note that these are only a few among many, many denominations both established and emerging. That said, Neo-Paganism is extraordinarily difficult to define because it is both syncretic and diverse. When I was introduced to the movement in the mid-1980s, it was far less so, but there were fewer practitioners then, as well. So Neo-Paganism has grown wide as it has gained adherents.
Wicca is modern witchcraft, which might or might not contain a religious component. When it does, it is usually duotheistic, honouring both a Goddess and a God in one or more of their many aspects (i.e. any Goddess or God figure among the global pantheon of Goddesses and Gods). Wicca is theurgical and celebrates eight holy days called the Eight Great Sabbats, which correspond with the cycles of the seasons; the solstices and equinoxes along with Samhain (November 1st), Imbolc (February 1st), Beltane (May 1st) and Lughnasa (August 1st). Wiccans may either be eclectic or they may be initiates of a Wiccan tradition or mystery school. They may practice solitary or in groups called covens. Wicca has as its core tenet a couplet attributed to Doreen Valiente: "Eight words the Wiccan Rede fulfil, An it harm none do what ye will."
Reconstructionism and Revivalism
Reconstructionists are animistic polytheists or pan-polytheists drawn to one of any number of historical Pagan cultures (i.e. Gaelic, Greek, Northern European, Roman) and who endeavour through research to uncover and implement whatever of their beliefs and practices seem appropriate for modern practitioners. However, the amount of historical information available is greater for some Pagan cultures and less for others, so there is a variable amount of gnosis and invention in Reconstructionist traditions, though it's usually referred to as 'unverified personal gnosis' or UPG and frowned upon. I would like to note here that these reconstructed practices do include animal sacrifice in a few cases, where the practice has historical precedent and the animal in question is a food animal who is slaughtered and prepared for a ritual feast. Again, I'll talk more about the issue of sacrifice in a bit.
Revivalists are also animistic polytheists or pan-polytheists drawn to one of any number of historical Pagan cultures and do endeavour to uncover and implement whatever of their beliefs and practices seem appropriate for modern practitioners. However, they are far more comfortable with gnosis and invention and actively integrate their historical researches and their unverified personal gnosis. I've not heard of any instance of animal sacrifice among Revivalists, and indeed I would not expect to.
Both Reconstructionists and Revivalists endeavour to celebrate whatever holy days belonged to the historical Pagan cultures they favour.
Goddess Spirituality
Goddess spirituality is usually monotheistic and replaces the concept of a Holy Father with a Great Mother. Individual Goddesses from various pantheons are viewed as aspects of the Great Mother. Goddess Spirituality has ancient roots in matriarchal cultures and modern roots in early feminism. It appeals primarily to women, though there are men who are Goddess worshippers. Of interest in Goddess Spirituality are Dianic Wiccans, who combine Goddess spirituality and Wicca into practices designed for women only. Most practitioners of Goddess spirituality celebrate the Eight Great Sabbats.
John Michael Greer, who is a prominent modern Druid, a prolific writer and a blogger, a scholar of economic history and a peak oil theorist explains Druidry brilliantly in his now out-of print book Druidry: A Green Way of Wisdom. He writes:
What does it mean to be a Druid today? Above all else, Druidry means following a spiritual path rooted in the green Earth. It means participating in a living Western spiritual tradition drawn from many sources, including surviving legacies from Celtic wisdom teachings, but embracing the contributions of many peoples and times. It means learning from archaic traditions, from three centuries of modern Druid scholarship, and from the always changing lessons of the living Earth itself. It means embracing an experiential approach to religious questions, one that abandons rigid belief systems in favour of inner development and individual contact with the realms of nature and spirit.
So Druidry is a Revivalist mystery school and not a religious tradition, though it comfortably pairs with other religious perspectives such as Neo-Paganism and Christianity. In fact, while researching this portion of the talk, I found a beautiful poem by RoMa Johnson on the OBOD web site that speaks to the connections modern Christian Druids are making between their faith and their mystery tradition. She writes:
What if
Jesus and Merlin were to meet
At twilight
In the garden, in the grove,
One looking forward to the Skull of Golgatha,
One looking back on the Sacred Head of Bran?
What would they say to one another,
These men, these Gods,
Who live in time beyond their lives -
One forward, one retrograde?
"Let this Cup pass from me…" says the one.
"May the earth open and swallow me,
May the sky fall upon me,
May the sea rise and cover me,
May fires consume me…" says the other.
"Take this cup and drink from it…" says the one.
"This is the Cauldron of Inspiration and Wisdom…" says the other.
"Do this in remembrance…" says the one.
"I know the Cup
From which the wave has overflowed.
I know the end of the dawn…" answers the other.
What if they do meet
There in the grove, in the garden,
Two avatars -
One about to ascend,
One about to descend -
Each serving the Chalice in his way?
What if Merlin's Afallen and Jesus' Rood are the same Tree?
One rides it to his destiny,
One sits beneath to prophesy.
What could they give to one another
These prophets circling in their Time-long orbits?
Could Merlin say: "The seed is planted, the tree will grow
There is a thorn in Avalon that bears fruit in thy name."
Would Jesus reply wistfully: "Kiss Nimue for me.
Tell her I love her beauty and her power."
External and Internal Self-Definition
Because Neo-Paganism is so syncretic and diverse, and because in most cases it values gnosis and invention, it can be difficult even for its adherents to describe their own pathworking succinctly. Some years ago, the Morning Star Coven explored this idea in a parody that is probably a lot funnier to me than it will be to you. It's sung to the tune of 'I'm a Yankee Doodle Dandy', and the first two verses go like this:
I'm a Wiccan, shaman, druid,
I am New Age through and through,
Decked in crystals from my head to toe,
With feathers and pyramids too.
My spirit guide is from Atlantis,
He's a Zen Aztec guru.
Come and spend the weekend with us;
For twelve hundred dollars
You'll be a Wiccan shaman too.
I'm an Elvis-Loki-Viking
I channel Ashley Montague.
In a former life I was a gypsy clerk,
Bullfighter and troubadour too.
I know five Illuminati;
They're a strange and motley crew.
There's a priest from ancient China.
He lives in my basement.
He is an Elvis-Viking too.
As funny as it is, it does illustrate the comfort Neo-Pagans have with experimentation and the concurrent difficulty they have in describing the spirituality that results from it. For instance, I might tell a person outside the Neo-Pagan community that I am Pagan or Buddhist, depending upon my estimation of her comfort level with Neo-Paganism. When asked by hospital intake nurses what my faith is, I've been known to reply "How long do you have?" And if I know the questioner is Neo-Pagan, I would likely say that I am a Gnostic Heathen Druid with a Buddhist practice.
It should be noted that my way of answering this question isn't terribly off the mark for other Neo-Pagans. If they'll answer outsiders at all (and some won't, for various reasons I'll explore in a moment), that answer tends to be vague, while insiders will almost always be answered with a more detailed explanation of faith and practice. This sort of external and internal language arises from the wariness many Pagans have of outsiders and the lack of understanding those outsiders often have of the terms we use to define ourselves.
In brief, Neo-Paganism is a new spirituality founded on the fragments of old spiritualities. Some traditions are religious, while others are not. However, all of them employ some level of gnosis and invention, even those that prefer to minimize it. That said, I believe that gnosis and invention are critical to the health of any religion or spiritual movement. As societies and individuals modernize, globalize, etc., the ways they relate to themselves and to others change, so why shouldn't their relationships with the divine change as well? Neo-Paganism offers an open environment for this sort of invention, and I think it's one of the movement's great strengths.
An Obligatory Discussion of Satanism
When I was coming up in Neo-Paganism in the 80s, many Evangelical Christians were conflating the movement with Satanism, and this caused a great deal of difficulty for my fellow practitioners; from family misunderstandings to job discrimination to the removal of children from their homes. This doesn't happen as much anymore, but for the sake of my fellow Neo-Pagans, I'm offering the following brief but obligatory discussion of Satanism.
Many Neo-Pagans, myself included, will tell you that Satan is a Christian deity, since He features in the Christian pantheon of Gods, Angels and Demons. Therefore, in order to be a Satanist in the popularized sense of the term, one must first be anchored in Christianity. Neo-Pagans are not, so those people who are anchored in Christianity and engaging in these practices (of which there are precious few, in my experience) are a Christian phenomenon.
Anton LaVey, who authored the Satanic Bible and founded the Church of Satan, was an occultist who advocated radical, non-theistic individualism in the style of Friedrich Nietzsche and Ayn Rand and not a believer in the person of the Christian Satan. Rather, Satan was and remains a model of human behaviour in that the Church of Satan believes individuals should seek their own self-interest above all things and conduct themselves as active and adversarial questioners of the world around them. Perhaps most importantly, LaVey-style Satanists are atheists and do not believe in any God above the self, so they are neither Christian nor Neo-Pagan.
Finally, Classical representations of Satan as a being with hooves and horns are co-opted from representations of non-Christian Gods of the hunt, the underworld or sexuality, such as Cernunnos. Many contemporary Neo-Pagans celebrate the aspects of life and human nature these Gods embody, but their celebration ends with the perversion of those representations into an evil.
It has been my experience that there remains an impulse among some Evangelical Christians to persist in the belief that anything Neo-Pagan is evil even in the face of explanations such as the one I have just provided. I understand this impulse and where it comes from; I spent the formative years of my life a Jehovah's Witness. It has also been my experience that where an accusation of evil is absent (usually because the accuser is both Christian and is on friendly terms with a Neo-Pagan), there is an impulse to believe that Neo-Pagans are well-meaning but deluded and need to find the right church. I would respectfully propose that both of these perspectives are inaccurate and unhelpful.
Challenge Ideologies and Practices
There are many dualities inherent to the Neo-Pagan movement; masculine and feminine, light and darkness, above-world and underworld, and so on. However, the duality of good and evil is almost never paired with these, such that (masculine = light = above-world = good) and (feminine = darkness = underworld = evil). With that in mind, there are ideologies and practices found in the movement that some might find challenging and indeed are meant to challenge. I'm going to discuss a couple of these now, but of course this list should not be viewed as exhaustive.
Some Neo-Pagans have as their patrons challenging Gods and Goddesses such as Kali, Loki, the Morrighan and others like them, whose mythologies teach destruction, trickery and warfare. However, their modern devotees usually do not gravitate to them in order to emulate their mythological behaviours. Rather, it has been my experience that dark Gods teach their devotees to interrogate dark aspects of life and consciousness. In short, they teach understanding of the shadow self. We live in tough times, and some Neo-Pagans believe we need tough Gods to help us navigate them. I don't disagree with that assessment.
An acquaintance of mine is a devotee of Hecate who is studying to become a mortician. For those of you who might not be acquainted with Her, Hecate is a Goddess of crossroads and passages, among other things like witchcraft and sorcery. My acquaintance believes her association with this challenge Goddess is helping her learn how to help others understand one of the two most universal crossings in the human experience.
Animal Sacrifice
As previously mentioned, there are a few sub-sects of Neo-Paganism that practice animal sacrifice, all of them Reconstructionist. Their argument is that the practice is a part of the historical Paganism they favor and, therefore, deserves inclusion in Neo-Pagan Reconstructionism. The animals sacrificed are food animals, usually pigs, and the meat is cooked and shared in a ritual feast.
I take issue with this practice on several points, but I would rather not present my argument against animal sacrifice as part of a talk meant to be informative. So I'm going to refer you to the resource page and an essay commissioned from me for Witches & Pagans magazine some years ago, which was later killed pre-publication because of space constraints. The title of the essay is Blood Rites: The Case Against Animal Sacrifice, and you can download it in PDF format.
There are other challenge ideologies and practices I don't have the time to share with you now. I find some of them compelling and others problematic, and your judgement of them would certainly be as distinctive to you as mine is to me. That said, I would again stress that I believe gnosis and invention are critical to the health of any religion or spiritual movement. We don't have to agree with all of what emerges from that process, and indeed we have the right to oppose those things we disagree with, but the process itself is an important one.
Contemporary Issues
I'd like to discuss some contemporary issues in Neo-Paganism now, to give you a sense of the challenges we're facing as a community.
Internal vs. External Legitimacy
I spoke awhile ago about internal and external language in the Neo-Pagan community, and now I'd like to expand on that a bit by discussing internal vs. external legitimacy of the clergy. Our ways of training Neo-Pagan clergy are still not often recognized outside the community, and in these cases we're presented with a few problems. First, our clergy people don't have the authority to marry, serve in hospital chaplaincy, etc. when they aren't recognized by a governmental body like a province or state. Also, the work they do to become clergy can't be transferred from one academic institution to another, so they can't pursue new avenues of study with it. Finally, though it's certainly true that clergy people rarely come to the profession out of a desire for wealth, our clergy people usually don't have the financial support of a religious institution and almost never make enough money to support themselves. Cherry Hill Seminary is working hard on this issue by seeking academic accreditation in the US, and I earnestly hope they succeed, because it would mean that Neo-Pagans called to the clergy could study in an environment sympathetic to their spirituality and become degreed professionals.
Having said this, I'd like to provide an example of success in communication between the Neo-Pagan community and an external organization as it relates to chaplaincy. A close friend of mine is a Commander in the US Navy who served a tour of duty in Iraq with the US Army Corps of Engineers. She's also a Third Degree Wiccan Priestess in the Georgian tradition. A Wiccan Third Degree confers the right to teach and lead group rituals, so once she was sponsored by the Georgian tradition and presented her paperwork to the US military, she was recognized by military clergy as a distinctive faith group leader and able to lead other military Neo-Pagans in weekly study and ceremony. She was also able to intercede on behalf of deployed Neo-Pagan soldiers in crises of many different kinds, who would likely not have been as well served by a chaplain not of their faith.
However, not every Pagan group is so well organized and neither is every secular organization, so it isn't always possible to translate authority from inside to outside the movement.
Humanitarian Functions of the Church and Paganism
Dovetailing on this issue, Neo-Paganism still struggles with some of the more humanitarian functions mainstream churches serve for their individual congregations; helping the poor, interceding during crises such as house-fires, deaths in the family and the like, providing sanctuaries and gathering places during political upheaval and environmental catastrophe, etc.
I think this is a serious area of need for Neo-Pagan communities, and while I am seeing individual priests and priestesses in prison ministries, hospital chaplaincy and the aforementioned distinctive faith group leadership, I think Neo-Pagans need to strive toward creating the same humanitarian spaces for their communities that churches do.
The Continuing Need for Secrecy
Another problem Neo-Pagans face is the ongoing need for secrecy about our spirituality. Neo-Paganism is still not well-understood or well-accepted by mainstream, Western society, so many Neo-Pagans prefer to keep their spirituality private because they fear situational discrimination.
My military friend is concerned about moving home after retirement to the small, Northwestern community where her in-laws live and openly practising her faith there, since her husband's family might suffer negative social repercussions as a result.
An acquaintance of mine is both a rising Celtic scholar and a Neo-Pagan who has discussed with me the necessity of keeping his faith quiet in the academic community for fear of professional repercussions.
Beyond these reasons for secrecy, Neo-Paganism is sometimes made a spectacle of or publicly mocked, so many Neo-Pagans choose not to share the details of their spirituality outside their communities of faith because they don't want for their spiritual practices to be desacralized by hyper-inquisitive or negative outsiders.
The media often seeks out 'real Witches' for Halloween human interest stories, and I've also seen the media seek out 'real Heathens' for human interest stories about Heathenry and racism. In fact, in my twenty-six years of practice, I've encountered few objective, non-sensational representations of Neo-Paganism by the media, and because of this many Neo-Pagans just don't talk to the press.
Finally, I would say that many, if not most Neo-Pagans don't feel entirely safe with outsiders for many reasons, so that leads to some level of secrecy, and the individualistic, experimental nature of Neo-Paganism only adds to that impulse. So I wouldn't expect Neo-Pagans to ever be entirely open with outsiders about their spirituality, even though I am seeing quite a bit of positive movement toward acceptance of Neo-Paganism by outsiders.
Conflation of Neo-Paganisms with Racism
Another challenge Neo-Pagans face is the conflation of Neo-Paganisms with racism. Northern and Western European Pagan histories are especially attractive to racially-aware groups, and in conversations with Kristen Mills, I've learned that the European academy has some level of concern about people professing to be Pagan or Neo-Pagan with interests in early Northern and Western European studies for this very reason.
To counter this problem, Northern European Neo-Pagans (who often call themselves Heathens) have created and sustained an online Heathens Against Hate (HAH) movement that began with a web site which has since gone offline and continued on a new web site and Facebook page with over a thousand 'Likes'. I've offered support to the web site and written a short article about the HAH movement, which is linked from the resource page.
Similarly, the Celts Against Oppression, Racism and Neo-Nazism (CAORANN) movement focuses on the separation of Celtic and Gaelic pan-polytheism from racism and also has a Facebook page. All of these web sites and Facebook pages are linked from the resource page for this lecture as well.
Having interacted substantially with Northern and Western European Neo-Pagans and with Heathens, it is my considered opinion that:
- If a person tells you that she is a Northern European or Celtic Neo-Pagan (and the Pagan/Neo-Pagan self-identification is key here), it's unlikely that she is a practitioner of Northern or Western European Paganism for racially-motivated reasons.
- While there are more racially-aware persons self-identifying as Heathen and indeed Heathenry has a more complex relationship with racist attitudes, it's important to observe the person and her faith in context to understand whether or not her interest in Northern and Western European cosmology is racially-motivated, especially since we're such a diverse community.
- In fact, even the Southern Poverty Law Center has a qualifier on its web page of racist symbols. It reads: "Although white supremacists and other extremists commonly use the Celtic cross and the runic alphabet, these symbols are also frequently used by non-racists. Many non-racist neo-Pagans, for instance, have runic tattoos but have no relation to racist groups or beliefs."
Cultural Appropriation
The issue of cultural appropriation in Neo-Paganisms is large and worthy of its own lecture, but I'd like to touch on a few key issues here. I'll begin with a quote from the blog I write for BBI Publications:
To be sure, not every culture - and indeed not every Gaelic or Celtic culture - has the same price of entry. For instance, I'm given to understand that while it's certainly possible to learn Gaìdhlig in Scotland, it's more difficult to integrate into Gaìdhlig-speaking communities there than it is here. Beyond this narrow example are the many Gaeilge (Irish), Gaelg (Manx), Cymraeg (Welsh), Brezhoneg (Breton) and Kernewek (Cornish) communities whose members have shared languages, cultures and histories and whose intrinsic sense of themselves is defined by these things. If they are to survive, then their decisions about who is 'inside' and who is 'outside' must be held inviolate.
This can be problematic for those of us who come to Gaelic and Celtic culture by way of their pre-Christian cosmologies. In seeking the spirituality of the early Western Europeans, we necessarily reach behind their contemporary counterparts to gather what fragments remain of their Pagan histories. There we find little separation between the sacred and the secular, which is true of many early lifeways. This integrative approach to spirituality can provide much-needed nourishment to those of us who seek the union of our sacred and secular selves, but in piecing together the fragments of Pagan history we find gaps, often large ones. Since a whole lifeway can't be reconstructed with so many pieces missing, we fill the gaps with elements of contemporary Gaelic and Celtic culture, gnosis, psychological imprints left over from mainstream religion and even wish-fulfilment. What results is Celtic Paganism, a thing apart from contemporary Gaelic and Celtic culture even though they all share the same roots.
...This issue isn't entirely a matter of cultural appropriation with its dichotomies of indigenous and colonial, oppressed and oppressor. If the price of entry to a given community is variable, then the narrative that describes that transaction must also be variable. Beyond that, Celtic Paganism should have the right to define itself as a community on its own terms, just as every other group has. At the same time, we must acknowledge that our efforts at self-definition have a direct impact on people whose ancestors preserved the fragments of Pagan history we cherish. More importantly, Gaelic and Celtic language and culture did not die with the pre-Christian, Celtic Pagans. They evolved, and modern Gaels and Celts are their inheritors at a time when these precious intellectual artifacts are threatened with extinction.
So it's clear that cultural appropriation in Neo-Paganism is an extraordinarily complex topic. Here is one side of the issue:
For many pre-Christian peoples, there was little distinction between culture and religion. Together, they represented a cohesive lifeway. Because of this, it's understandable that especially Neo-Pagan Reconstructionist and Revivalist traditions would value this approach to spiritual development. Further, many modern peoples also value a blend of culture and religion. The many cultural faces of Catholicism come readily to mind here. So there is a precedent for this sort of blending.
Beyond that, some aspects of contemporary Neo-Pagan spirituality have their roots in pre-Christian cosmology and so are not appropriated when they are viewed in that context.
Brighid was a goddess before she was a saint. It could even be said that early Christianity appropriated her away from early Paganism as it appropriated so many deities and practices in order to facilitate conversion.
The idea of the feminine divine in Ireland. You can see motifs of the feminine divine in early Bardic poetry, in Aisling poetry after the fall of the earls and in Yeats' Kathleen Ni Houlihan. To my eye, it was no wonder the Abbey Theatre rioted. Yeats played upon one of the most ancient ideas in Irish consciousness, a pre-Christian construct that a Celtic Reconstructionist or Revivalist Neo-Pagan would identify as a piece of early Paganism worthy of adding to her spiritual toolkit.
Further, Neo-Pagans gather wisdom from many living cultural and religious traditions, and the peoples who bear these traditions have the right to negotiate separately with the individual Neo-Pagans who engage them. So there is no one-size-fits-all solution to the problem, which means that once again a dualistic right-or-wrong philosophy isn't going to be of much help here.
And if gnosis and invention are healthy for spiritual development, as I believe they are, can they not be healthy for secular development as well? In other words, is it possible for Neo-Pagans to make valuable contributions to the living cultures from which they gather wisdom?
Finally, this isn't a matter of the misuse of aboriginal symbology in a sports team mascot. Rather it involves the way a group of people intersect with the divine. How do we tell a person that her method of spiritual development has to change because it offends tradition-bearers in a living culture? And again, who but the tradition-bearers themselves have the right to engage that conversation?
Here is another side of the issue:
Most of the cultures and religions from which Neo-Pagans gather wisdom are already threatened in some way or another by colonizing peoples and ideologies. Celtic and Gaelic languages and cultures certainly are. It's already difficult for them to preserve and propagate what remains of their authentic lifeways without having to contend with the re-emergence of their ancient spiritualities, appropriated or not.
Further, gnosis and invention might have a place in personal spiritual development, but fragile cultures will necessarily have a more difficult time absorbing and integrating new ideologies (if indeed they choose to do so at all, which is their right) while struggling to maintain their extant identities. Equally important is the fact that these cultures are not required to share their cultural wealth or acknowledge the perspectives of outsiders as authentic.
Another problem is that many Neo-Pagans, and especially people new to the movement, don't have an understanding of the histories and cultures that inform their spiritualities. Much of this has to do with the wide variety of books available about Neo-Paganism, most of them instructional and many of those derivative of books that are themselves derivative of other books. In a movement that values gnosis and invention, this can be helpful, but it can also be harmful because reliable source materials are often watered-down in successive publications until they are unrecognizable.
Worse, many Neo-Pagans who ought to know better simply don't care, paint a cultural veneer over invented spirituality and propagate it as authentic.
When I was an undergraduate student of Celtic, I had occasion to speak with the spiritual leader of a Celtic Neo-Pagan group who told me that she didn't feel she had to learn a Celtic language in order to practice Neo-Pagan Celtic spirituality. She professed no interest in it at all and indeed very little interest in authentic Celtic or Gaelic culture. I was appalled.
More recently, I read a blog entry by a Neo-Pagan musician who asserted that Oran Mòr referred to the ancient Celtic song of creation, singing the world into existence in perpetuity. Having had the privilege of hearing tradition bearers here sing big songs, I commented with what I knew and tried to correct the misunderstanding. Still, the error was present and propagated by a member of the Neo-Pagan community many people admire.
So on the one hand, there are people in a religious movement with varying degrees of understanding and interest in the source languages and cultures from which they gather wisdom. Many are well-meaning, others are uninformed, still others are apathetic. However, because their purpose is religious and not secular, it's more difficult to tell them that their spiritual development must be curtailed because there are errors of appropriation in its cultural components.
On the other hand, there are the fragile languages and cultures of people who have the first and only right to determine what is authentic about their lifeways and who may participate in them. Full stop.
I don't have an answer to this problem, and I empathize with both positions equally. In a perfect world, I would want for Neo-Pagans to have more respect for and make a greater effort toward the authentic languages and cultures they engage, and I would want for the tradition-bearers of these fragile languages and cultures to become more inclusive where it is possible for them to be so. In the meantime, I'm asking the question myself, and I'm presenting it to you.
Suggested Reading
For those of you interested in reading further in Neo-Paganism, I recommend the following and have linked to them on the resource page:
- The Spiral Dance, by Starhawk (of the Reclaiming tradition)
- Drawing Down the Moon, by Margot Adler
- A Witch's Bible, by Janet and Steward Farrar
- Essential Asatru, by Diana Paxson
- For Druidry, anything Written by Philip Carr-Gomm (the Chosen Chief of OBOD) or John Michael Greer (the Grand Archdruid of the Ancient Order of Druids in America)
- Pomegranate: The International Journal of Pagan Studies (peer-reviewed)
If you're interested in exploring Neo-Paganism and find yourself drawn to a particular culture's pre-Christian practices, I would urge you to read the source material and literature available for that culture before engaging any modern Neo-Pagan writer's work so that you have a better chance of distinguishing history and literature from gnosis and invention.
Conclusion: Why Neo-Paganism?
Neo-Paganism offers reconnection with earth-based, animistic spiritualities at a time when many people feel disconnected from the natural world and with ancestral wisdom. It provides opportunities for reintegration through engagement with the land, sea and sky as divine, with the ways ancient cultures engaged these ideas and with their own innate spiritual wisdom. This reverence can only be healthful at a time when we as denizens of the Earth have been taught to relate to it, to each other and to non-human species in non-sacred or even exploitative ways. This is certainly part of the appeal of Neo-Paganism for me. Neo-Paganism also lacks dogma and prescribed or prohibited behaviours, so it appeals to people who have been classically underserved by mainstream religion for various reasons. Neo-Paganism encourages spiritual gnosis and invention, so people who seek a more individual relationship with the sacred are able to approach it in a fresh and relevant spirit of exploration. Finally, since Neo-Pagan spirituality isn't tied to dogma or prescribed and prohibited behaviours, individuals are able to cultivate a spiritual life while remaining authentic to themselves in ways that might not be acceptable to mainstream religion.
The Charge of the Goddess
I'd like to leave you with a bit of wisdom from my community of faith, an excerpt from the Charge of the Goddess, written by Doreen Valiente and now widely cited in the Neo-Pagan community. This is the second half of the charge, adapted for the Reclaiming tradition by Starhawk:
Hear the words of the Star Goddess, the dust of Whose feet are the hosts of Heaven, whose body encircles the universe:
I Who am the beauty of the green earth and the white moon among the stars and the mysteries of the waters,
I call upon your soul to arise and come unto me.
For I am the soul of nature that gives life to the universe.
From Me all things proceed and unto Me they must return.
Let My worship be in the heart that rejoices, for behold, all acts of love and pleasure are My rituals.
Let there be beauty and strength, power and compassion, honor and humility, mirth and reverence within you.
And you who seek to know Me, know that the seeking and yearning will avail you not, unless you know the Mystery: for if that which you seek, you find not within yourself, you will never find it without.
For behold, I have been with you from the beginning, and I am That which is attained at the end of desire.
1 Hutton, Ronald. The Triumph of the Moon: A History of Modern Pagan Witchcraft. Oxford, Oxford University Press, 1999,. E-book. Page 22
2 Hutton, Ronald. The Triumph of the Moon: A History of Modern Pagan Witchcraft. Oxford, Oxford University Press, 1999,. E-book. Page 24
3 Hutton, Ronald. The Triumph of the Moon: A History of Modern Pagan Witchcraft. Oxford, Oxford University Press, 1999,. E-book. Page 26
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