"On February 26, the Live Oak Local Council of Texas joined The Council of the Magickal Arts, Earth Spirit Alliance, North Austin Pagan Meetup, Yew Grove Pagan Interfaith, and others to sponsor "A Sacred Feast: A cook-off and potluck fundraiser for Cherry Hill Seminary." The event was organized by Live Oak member Ellen Friedman and held in the yard at The VORTEX, a theater in Austin owned by Bonnie Cullum of Tejas Web, the Austin Reclaiming community.
Blessing the Feast
The event had 28 volunteers on the day of the event and a total of 97 attendees. They had an amazing 22 sponsors, and 43 auction items were donated.
Sensory Awareness
The cook-off winners were:
Best of the Beast: Holy Ghost Mole, Jim C.
Blessed Bacon: Homemade Maple Bacon, Mark S.
Culinary Comfort: Dill Bread Dip, Lauren G.
Divine Desserts: Cuatro Leches Cake, Meredith C.
Gifts from the Garden: Rice, Corn & Lentil Salad, Sherry S.
Global Gourmet: Seafood-Mexican Chowder, Sirce D.
Light My Fire: Roo's Red Hot Ribs, Roo H.
Overall Best: Cuatro Leches Cake, Meredith C.
The feast brought in a total of $1,659: $979 from the auction, $280 from admissions, $350 from cash donations from sponsors, and a surprising $50 from 2 cook-off winners who generously re-gifted their winnings. After expenses (table & chair rental, cook-off cash prizes, refreshments, and printing), the event raised over $1,100 for Cherry Hill."
Dogwood Local Council, the Atlanta-based Covenant of the Goddess affiliate, gives the green-light to digital-media magick.
Atlanta-The Dogwood Local Council (DLC), a southern affiliate of the national organization Covenant of the Goddess (CoG), launched a new, interactive website – marking the beginning of its digital-media initiative. With this modern approach to communication and outreach, the small organization is hoping to expand its membership base, facilitate communication with current supporters and build bridges with other CoG local councils.
“As a religion, our followers value ancient practices and natural processes. ‘Going digital’ seems contrary to our world view. However, this is not the case when one considers that digital communication eliminates our excessive use of paper and speeds up our work processes allowing us to spend more time on our traditional hobbies,“ notes Hawk, First Officer of Dogwood Local Council and High Priestess of GryphonSong Clan.
The Dogwood Local Council became interested in revamping its digital media footprint after Grand Council 2010, the Covenant of the Goddess’ yearly national meeting. Within the Pagan community, there has been a major push for organizations to recognize the benefits of digital communication and social media. For years, there have been countless websites that profess some type of connection to Paganism, Witchcraft, Wicca, Druidism and other related practices. However, most of these sites were and are currently managed by individuals or commercial entities.
Pagan leaders and organizations, such as the Covenant of the Goddess and her affiliates, are now finally beginning to follow suit. CoG, as the center point for the greater Pagan community in the United States, recently updated its own website and launched a successful Facebook account. If organizations like CoG and DLC don’t maintain an outspoken digital voice, they risk being left behind and forgotten.
“Not only do we have to ‘go digital’ for ourselves; we have to go digital to communicate with the younger generations of seekers and Pagans. These newer folks are unfamiliar with communicating via the post-office or even the analog telephone. Everything is texting, email, Facebook and Twitter. To be a positive point of support for them, we have to operate in that world,” remarks Lady Miraselena, Public Information Officer for DLC.
The Dogwood Local Council began its own digital initiative with the launch of a brand-new website containing two distinct areas: a public front with a private, members-only arena. Sporting a new look, the public pages still provide detailed information about DLC and CoG. In addition, there is a link to the new DLC Twitter account for use by those Pagans who prefer the social media venues.Completely new for 2011 is the private section where DLC members can monitor Council activities, such as: meetings, events and local news. Furthermore, members can request a personal login ID for use in community-style moderated forums.
With the ever changing and flexible nature of the digital world, the DLC website will remain a ‘work in progress’ for quite some time as the Council adapts and integrates the technology into their current processes. In the next few months, DLC is planning to launch a public blog and begin an area-wide membership drive via email. Yet, with all of these pending changes, the Council’s board is highly optimistic about its prospects for the future. For these Southern witches, the future of the Old Ways is now resting on a path paved with pixels.
For more information about Dogwood Local Council,please visit http://www.dogwoodlc.org/ or follow @dogwoodlc on Twitter.
Official Japanese NHK WORLD TV live on USTREAM.
NHK WORLD TV is an English language 24-hour news and information channel.
From Peter Dybing - our National First Officer
Tuesday, March 15, 2011Pagan Japan Relief Success 3/15/2011
"WOW! What a day for the Pagan Japan Relief project benefiting Doctors Without Borders. As you all know by now we have been setting the goal of raising $2,000.00 per day working towards our overall goal of $30,000.00. On both Sunday and Monday the community met this goal. As of this writing the project raised more than $4,100.00 on Tuesday.
Pagans from all over the country have donated and stepped forward to endorse the project. We received donations from individuals as well as organizations. To all those who stepped forward THANK YOU. We still have been unable to generate significant numbers of small donations. It continues to be the goal of this project to engage the entire Pagan community in a unified effort. If you are concerned that you do not have the funds to donate consider just a few dollars. Each of us can only do so much in these tough economic times. What is important is participation not the donation amount.
For those of you wanting to be informed as to what Doctors Without Borders is up to in Japan see the following link:
On Wednesday look for the publication of statements from well known Pagans about this effort. And remember to share the link to the site to donate as widely as you can:
With deep gratitude for the efforts of the entire community,"
Wednesday, March 16, 2011Selena Fox Joins Pagan Japan Effort!
"In a recent press release I was pleased to announce the support of several Pagan Leaders who are supporting our community Pagan Japan Relief Project. These individuals have given their time, beautiful words and efforts to this cause. My deep gratitude to them.
What many do not know is there is another key player in this successful campaign to unite the Pagan Community. Over the last couple of days I have been in constant communication With Selena Fox who has provided dozens of ideas, resources, and paths to success for this project. Selena is a key player in making this effort a success and we would not have accomplished what we have without her efforts.
So here is a Very Special Thank You for dropping everything and spending all of your time on this project.
Selena, by your example, we can observe the change we would like to see."
Starhawk
"– HI friends, if some of you are wondering how to help the folks in Japan who have lost so much in this ongoing tragedy, here’s an effort set up by the Pagan community to raise funds for Doctors Without Borders. I strongly support this effort: Doctors Without Borders does great work worldwide, and I think it’s a positive and important step for us as a community to coordinate our efforts to help. Thanks! Starhawk"
Patrick McCollum, Patrick McCollum Foundation
“Let’s pull together as a community. Peter Dybing has experience and has researched to make sure your money will be used to help the people. I fully support this project and hope many of you will join me as well.”
T. Thorn Coyle: Know Thyself
"Because we value diversity, Pagans tend to scatter into our separate groups and our variant forms of religious expression. And yet, for many of us, there is a common sense of what joins us: we value the sacred in the everyday. We value the sacred in ourselves, in the land, the sea, the sun, the sky.
Magick is manifestation. Because we value diversity, let us help our varied biosphere and acknowledge the ways in which we are the same: let us come together to help Japan. Solar Cross Temple has contributed to the Pagan Giving Fund. Will you?"
Anna Rowe - President WitchSchool International
"The members of Witchschool, staff, students and I wish to express our sympathies to all the peoples of Japan and affected areas that have lost their homes their property and their lives in the recent earthquakes, tsunamis and the now dangerous problems with the nuclear reactors.
We are also aware of the 118 students of Witchschool Japan and their families and wish to express our concerns and to send prayers for their safety and welfare.We are passing on your fundraising effort to all our students and members"
M Macha Nightmare
"In the wake of the devastation that Japan has suffered and continues to suffer, my friend Peter Dybing, who as a first responder himself knows a thing or ten about disaster relief, has initiated Pagan Japan Relief project to raise funds for Doctors Without Borders. We Pagans — you and me and our friends and colleagues — can make a statement while making a difference. Please contribute what you can at Pagan Community FirstGiving."
Star Foster Patheos.com
"I think the fundraising effort to support Doctors Without Borders response to the disaster in Japan is not only a great way to help our fellow human beings, but also a shining example of what we can accomplish together. Being able to point to this as something Pagans can accomplish together will serve as a point of pride and inspiration for a long time."
Jason at The Wildhunt
“This is a hugely positive cooperative effort, one that we can all take pride in. So continue to spread the word,”
Morgana Coordinator for Pagan Federation International
“Shocked and amazed at the force and suddenness of the tsunami raging over North-East Japan – Pagans round the world are rallying to support “Doctors without Borders” in their efforts to help the injured and bereaved in the disaster-stricken areas.” (Regular donor to “Artsen Zonder Grenzen” in the Netherlands)"
Ivo Dominguez Jr
“One belief that many Pagans hold in common is that we are all connected by the web of life. Please support the caregivers that are helping to mend the rip in the web in Japan. Their healing is our healing.”
Blessings, Ivo"
Holli S. Emore, Cherry Hill Seminary
"For many years I have worked with all sorts of clients to help them raise the funds needed to carry out their good work. If anything can mitigate the sorrow I feel over the tragedy in Japan, it is the joy of seeing our Pagan community step up to the challenge of giving at such a critical time. The truth is that charitable giving is a transformative act, a very concrete way of moving energy. I applaud Peter for using his position as CoG First Officer to rally us to this common cause. My husband and I have both given to Doctors Without Borders through the Pagan giving link, and we have also contributed to the American Red Cross where my husband is a national reservist. Most of us cannot go to Japan to help search, rescue, or rebuild. But through our financial gifts – of any and every size – we can be part of the work. I say to all of us – be transformed by your giving and give tranformatively."
Katrina Messenger Reflections Mystery School
"This is an incredible response to such devastation and loss. Pagans have always donated to relief efforts, volunteered to assist victims of disaster and help create policies that save lives and protect the environment. This campaign however allows us to pool our efforts and express our support to the people of Japan as a community."
