New CoG Poster from your NPIO's

Here is a new CoG informational poster that was prepared by Don Frew and Rachael Watcher.  Rachael took it to India to go on display at the Pagan Indigenous conference that she attended last week.  We now have this poster in digital form. So please get a hold of Don or Rachael if you want a copy for yourself.

Turner Family Support Team at Bowdon Elementary School.

Several members of the Turner Family Support Task Force accompanied Stephanie Turner to the December 12, 2011 meeting with school officials.

(Pictured from left to right:)

* Rev. Charissa Iskiwitch, High Priestess, Coordinator of North Georgia Solitaries & Pagan Assistance Fund & Lead Chaplain for Church of the Spiral Tree Pagan Prison Ministry.

* Stephanie Turner, Mother of the Turner children;

* Rev. Ginger Wages (Hawk), National First Officer, Covenant of the Goddess.

* Lisa Palmer, Attorney working with the Lady Liberty League.

* Rev. Michelle Boshears, Major, US Army retired (Dawnwalker), Circle Sanctuary Minister & Military Circles Coordinator, Lady Liberty League Advocate, and Distinctive Faith Group Leader of the Fort Gordon Open Circle at U.S. Army Fort Gordon Garrison.

Other members of the Turner Family Support Task Force who joined the meeting in spirit: 

* Lady Miraselena, Public Information Officer, Dogwood Local Council, Covenant of the Goddess.

* Lady Arsinoe Meri Ma'at, First Officer, of the Dogwood Local Council, Covenant of the Goddess.

* Rev. Selena Fox, Senior Minister, Circle Sanctuary, and Executive Director, Lady Liberty League.

NOTE:  This situation has been resolved as of Dec 13 2011.  The wrap-up essay, entitled "A Week in Bowdon Georgia," is posted on several sites including PNC-Atlanta and Miraselena's Blog.  For more information on the case, go to the Turner Support Fan Page. 

EMLC's Turning the Tide Festival

Everglades Moon LC, which covers all of the Sunshine State of Florida, recently held its annual Turning the Tide weekend festival, which this year celebrated it's 5th year (or as we like to call it, it's PENTACULOUS year!). It was a weekend of ritual, singing, workshops, drumming, and building community. This year also featured a performance by the band Witch's Mark! If you were unable to come and celebrate with us, why not take a look at the outstanding coverage by the Pagan Newswire Collective?

A Recap of the First Day of the Festival: http://florida.pagannewswirecollective.com/2011/12/02/pentaculous-5th-annual-turning-the-tide-festival-begins/
A Recap of the Second Day of the Festival (including main ritual!): http://florida.pagannewswirecollective.com/2011/12/04/pentaculous-2nd-post/

Should your travels in 2012 find you in our state at the beginning of December, we'd be honored to have the pleasure of your company at next year's Turning the Tide! The EMLC site, located at http://www.emlc.net/, always has the latest news of our LC, including meetings and upcoming festivals. You can also follow us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/evergladesmoon

-Alpandia
Everglades Moon LC - Publications Officer

Turner Family Support

From the PIO of Dogwood Local Council

Turner Family Support
Statement from NGS, CoG, DLC, LLL, Circle Sanctuary:

"After concerns spread about some problems with accommodating Pagan students needs at Bowdon Elementary School (BES), there was an overwhelming show of community support for the Turner family of Carroll County in western Georgia, USA. Many local Pagans and associated organizations reached out to assist the Turners by providing emotional support and offering practical advice. The Turners have been deeply touched by this out-pouring of spirit and wish to express their sincerest gratitude.

In addition, a Task Force of local and national Pagan organizations have come together to help resolve issues between the Turners and BES. The Task Force also hopes to provide the school with Pagan accommodation information and materials with the hopes of avoiding misunderstandings and other problems in the future. Represented in this group are the North Georgia Solitaries (NGS), both the local and national chapters of the Covenant of the Goddess, Circle Sanctuary and Lady Liberty League.

Currently, Carroll County Schools, led by the assistant superintendent, has expressed an active interest in resolving the current tensions and is planning to meet with Ms. Turner. The family and the Task Force are requesting that those with concerns about their situation do not directly contact the school or its employees. It is important that everyone involved have the maximum space needed to focus on resolving this conflict in a positive way. However, all concerned individuals are welcome to show their support for the Turners through the Turner Family Support Facebook fan page or through the simple use of prayers and energy toward a peaceful resolution and healing."

The Turner Family Support Facebook fan page can be found here: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Turner-Family-Support/190477514377248
More information:
http://pncatlantabureau.wordpress.com/2011/12/08/turner-family-discrimination-update/
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/wildhunt/2011/12/update-on-georgia-school-harassment-case.html

NCLC reception for The American Academy of Religions in San Francisco CA

On Saturday Evening November 19, in San Francisco, the Northern California Local Council of the Covenant of the Goddess held a reception for the Members of the American Academy of Religions. This event, (the conference not the reception) drew ten thousand participants, and last Saturday evening it felt as though most of them passed through the suite on the 43rd floor of the Hilton which had a sweeping and breathtaking view of the city. The Hilton was one of the five dedicated hotels for the AAR. The event was, to say the least, successful if we are to judge by the comments on Sunday.

Lise Dyckman, from the California Institute of Integral Studies wrote:

“Based on how many people we managed to fit into Puck’s room last night, and how noisy lively those conversations were, and also on the comments I heard at sessions today (Sunday), it was a very successful event last night…”

More than just successful, this event might even be termed historic for the number of local Pagan and Heathen groups gathered for a specific purpose. Eventually over 30 different groups, organizations, and distinguished Elders were physically represented as examples of the Bay Area’s diverse Pagan and Heathen spirituality available to our community. They came together for the specific purpose of meeting and reaching out to scholars, Interfaith leaders, and Peace makers outside of our community. Reverend Patrick McCollum had this to say from the AAR’s view point:

“I want to thank everyone involved in putting together the Pagan reception. It was awesome. As an ongoing Program Chair with the AAR and as a participant in many AARreceptions over the last sixteen years, ours was right up there with some of the best. It was professional, classy, and most importantly… it was full of meaningful dialogue“.

As you glance down the list of attendees which follows, you will see a large number of non-pagan folks, many of whom are highly placed in such organizations as the Hindu American Foundation, and the Tony Blair Foundation. There were many Interfaith friends there as well. Among them Bud Heckman, Director for External Relations at the Coexist Foundation, brought two people with him, one of whom was from out of country. He told us at an interfaith Breakfast this morning that the reception was the highlight of her experience in San Francisco even though they had visited so many of our unique sights. For her it was a rare experience to stand in a room and realize that the people surrounding her were very different in practice than she was and she had, for the first time, the experience of feeling like a religious minority. Then she circulated, was greeted warmly and with enthusiasm, and began to realize that maybe folks in the room were not so different.

Elderflower Women’s Festival Coordinator Edye Cheeseman writes:

“Thanks to all the hard work of getting together theAARreception, and Thank you for inviting  me. What a wonderful evening full of conversation, seeing old friends, and meeting new ones.”

In fact that was our closing question to everyone in the room. “Did you meet someone new tonight?” The one thing that is certain is that if we plan this event again, it will be red wine and Scotch as the beverages of the day!

Next year’s AAR will be held in Chicago and NCLC would challenge CoG’s Mid-West Local Council to host a pagan reception there as a specific part of that event.

Follows Don Frew’s list of attendees.

AFRO-DIASPORIC groups:
American Magic Umbanda House – Mama Maeva, Mae do Santo
Oshun Iya Oshogbo – Andrea Johnson

CEREMONIAL MAGIC groups:
Open Source Order of the Golden Dawn – Frater Sam Webster, m.div
TempleSophia – Nathan Bjorge

DRUID groups:
Order of Bards, Ovates, and Druids – SusaMorgan Black (Druid), Michael Black

HEATHEN groups:
The Troth – Diana L. Paxson, Elder

PAGAN groups:
Adocentyn Research Library – Rowan Fairgrove
Cherry Hill Seminary – Wendy Griffin, Academic Dean Christine Hoff Kraemer, Department Chair, Theology & Religious History,William Blumberg, Chair, Board of DirectorsAline (Macha) O’Brien, Board of Directors
Church of All Worlds - Jim J. Emert

Elderflower Women’s Festival – Edye Cheeseman

Fellowship ofIsis – Priestess M. Francesca Gentille

Fellowship of the Spiral Path – Rev. Debra Cardoza, President

Feraferia – Jo Carson

Fire Family Tradition – Tao Starbow

Holy Order of the Epicene – IrRev. joi wolfwomyn

Pagan Alliance – JoHanna White, President Arlynne Camire
Pagan Newswire Collective, SF Bay Area – Greg Harder
PantheaCon / TheurgiCon /Ancient Ways – Glenn Turner
Patrick McCollum Foundation – Rev. Patrick McCollum, Barbara McGraw
Radical Faeries – Chuck Hohman
Romuva – Prudence Priest
Solar Cross – T. Thorn Coyle
Spark Collective – DeborahHamouris
StoneCity Pagan Sanctuary – Winter, Director

WICCAN groups:
Come As You Are Coven - Lady Kahin Yeshe Rabbit
Covenant of the Goddess (NCLC) – Elder Don Frew, CoG National Interfaith Representative
Daughters of the Goddess – Leilani Birely, High Priestess & Kahuna
Eko, Eko: Gardnerians of the Bay Area – Polly Moller (Lady Argante)
NewWiccanChurch - GaryMattingly, California Branch Magus New Reformed Orthodox Order o/t Golden Dawn (NROOGD) – Kurt Piersol
Reclaiming – M. Macha NightMare, CoG National Interfaith Representative

AAR hosts:
Robert Puckett, Kitty, Lori

Just a sampling of the AAR guests who signed the guest book:
Helen A. Berger
Sasha Caitow
Chas S. Clifton
Rev. Judith Fleenor
Lee Gilmore
Amy Hale
Graham Harvey
Bud Heckman
Leigh Ann Hildebrand
Ian Jamison
Sabina Magliocco
Jason Mankey
Mihir Meghani
Pamela Morgan
Jason Pitzl-Waters
Katerina Ragousi
Caroline Tully
Steve Wehmeyer

NCLC COG Reception Committee & hospitality team:
Anith
Crystal Blanton (NCLC co-First Officer)
Lise Dyckman
Deborah Bender Frankel
M. Macha NightMare (CoG National Interfaith Representative)
Anna Korn
Glenn Turner

Rachael Watcher (NCLC co-First Officer & CoG National Interfaith Representative and Nationa Public Information Officer.

The Atlanta Interfaith Broadcasting Segment that has been airing regularly on AIBTV.COM, is now available ON DEMAND at http://www.aibtv.com/vod/index.htm

Go to the page.  Scan down the list of shows and click on the one called AIBMetro: October 2011.  The 3-4 minute segment runs about halfway through the 30 min. program. It stars National First Officer, Ginger Wages and, DLC member and initiate, Jesslyn Kelly.   

You can also hear the radio interview with Ginger and Lord Cheiron, Correspondence Officer at DLC, at Blog Talk Radio.  The show is called Open Hearts Open Minds.  It aired live on Oct 31st and is hosted by a local Atlanta Interfaith broadcaster, Scott Lindquist and his wife, Rev. Sydney Lindquist.    The show can be found in the ON DEMAND list at the bottom of his radio show page.  (click on the link above)

Dogwood Local Council Members Interviewed on Local TV

In late September, two Dogwood Local Council members were interviewed for a local interfaith broadcasting station.   The current first officer, Hawk, and Grove of Phoenix Rising initiate, Cliodhna, sat down with local broadcaster, Audrey Galex, for a personal look at Wicca and Paganism today. 

Audrey's program, AIB Metro, is a 30 minute news program that highlights a variety of local Atlanta happenings.   The show airs on AIB TV which can be seen both on local cable stations and over the internet. 

To view the program:

 

AIB TV is broadcast over the internet via live-streaming on http://www.aibtv.com/.  Click on WATCH NOW (from the top menu) and, then, selecting AIBTV.NET from the drop down menu.   Or go directly to http://www.aibtv.net/

 

For all local viewers, you can also see the program on the following stations:   

• ch. 5 on Comcast 
• ch 22 on charter cable  
• ch 6 on AT&T Uverse

Remember, the internet link above takes you to a live stream which shows just like it would on the TV. You have to watch the program at the time it airs via that link above. The times are as follows (EST): 

• 10a Tuesdays 
• 6:30p Thursdays
• 12pm on Fridays 
• 7:30p Saturdays

The show will be shown through live-streaming until after the 1st of November.  At that point, the program may move into the on-demand format where we can watch it whenever we want.  Until that point, you must tune-in at the designated times.

  

The next airing is tomorrow at 7:30pm est. The next weekday airing will be Tuesday at 10am and so forth.

 

Blessings

Lady Miraselena

PIO, Dogwood Local Council