Covenant of the Goddess establishes an Award of Honor for outstanding service to community

  

The Covenant of the Goddess 

P.O. Box 12193, San Bernardino, CA 92423-2193

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

ATLANTA, GA - The Covenant of the Goddess (CoG) has established an Award of Honor for outstanding service to the greater Pagan and Heathen communities in areas such as religious rights, international peace, environmental protection, interfaith leadership and education, the creation of lasting institutions, and the promotion of social justice and civil rights. The CoG Award of Honor was approved at this year's annual business meeting, held at the Crowne Plaza Ravinia in Atlanta.

Covenant of the Goddess currently offers other award programs such as one for Pagan military service and various youth achievements. The new CoG Award of Honor will join these other programs but is broader in spectrum and seeks to recognize those people who serve in a variety of ways, whether not they are a member. CoG First Officer Kathy Lezon says:

Our Craft history is rich with examples of service and advocacy, both in lives already lived and those currently serving. These people have moved all of us forward in so many ways. The establishment of the Covenant of the Goddess Award of Honor for outstanding service is important and timely. Our first 8 recipients are so deserving of this honor.

After the proposal was approved, CoG members nominated eight people to receive the honor in the very first Award of Honor ceremony held Saturday afternoon, during the final hours of the annual meeting. The first eight recipients of the award included Margot Adler, Alison Harlow, Sparky T Rabbit, Deborah Ann Light, Kathryn Fuller, Don Frew, Selena Fox and Judy Harrow.

After all the recipients names were read, the attendees gave the group a standing ovation for their service to the community. Present at the ceremony were Selena Fox, Don Frew and Kathryn Fuller. Rev. Fox says:

I was deeply moved to be among the 8 selected by Covenant of the Goddess at this year's Grand Council to receive the newly created Service Award. It means a lot to receive recognition and appreciation by peers.

The award program was originally proposed by longtime member Amber K from New Mexico. In the coming months, she will design the medallion and an accompanying certificate while the National Board develops a equitable nomination process. All future recipients will be honored each year at the annual meeting. Next year's meeting will be held Aug. 13-15 in Ontario, California.

For more information about the Covenant of the Goddess Award of Honor or Covenant of the Goddess, contact Heather Greene, pio@cog.org

The Covenant of the Goddess is a nonprofit 501c3 organization that has represented Witches and Wiccans for 39 years. Beginning in 1975, the Covenant of the Goddess has worked diligently to secure legal protection for Witches and Wiccans, provide minister credentials, offer education through interfaith outreach or collaboration, and foster community within its membership. For more information go to www.cog.org 

Covenant of the Goddess Says Goodbye to Margot Adler

With a heavy heart, the Covenant of the Goddess says goodbye to long-time member Margot Adler. An NPR journalist, Priestess, friend and mother, Margot was many things to many people. In the Pagan community, she is most known for her landmark book Drawing Down the Moon, which has opened the doors to Wicca for so many seekers over the last 35 years. However, her work did not stop with the publication of that book. Margot was a respected presence and voice at many yearly festivals and events, sharing her wisdom and experience. 

Margot joined CoG in 1985 as the organization expanded from its California roots to the East Coast. For the following nineteen years, she remained a loyal and valued member, attending local and national events whenever possible. Priestess Lady Elestial remembers Margot at Merry Meet 2007 and says, "She was a lovely visitor - intense, intent and a just a nice woman."

During her battle with cancer, Margot remained strong and dedicated to her work. This past February, she was present at the NCLC national meeting at PantheaCon, once again, showing her continued support for CoG. 

2013 CoG Suite at PantheaCon [Photo taken by Greg Harder]

Margot was a beacon of light for those who knew her personally, as well as those that found their spiritual paths through her writing.  She will be remembered and what is remembered, lives free.  In a celebration of life, we invite members and non-members alike to share memories or stories of how Margot and her work touched their lives in the comments

Margot Adler's "Vampires Are Us: Morality, and the Fate of the Planet"

A Summary 

by Banshee ShadowWolf, First Officer 

Midwest Region Local Council

Margot Adler had a good-sized audience for her talk on vampires at Michigan PaganFest in Belleville, Michigan on Saturday, June 15. The audience was very receptive and engaged as she discussed the literary and cultural significance of the vampire. Adler explained why she got into reading vampire novels and stories. It was during a time when she was dealing with the illness and death of her husband that she started reading the novels. Since that time, she has read more than 200+ vampire novels.

Why do people love vampire stories so much? It’s not all about the sex, or sexiness of the vampire. It’s the idea of living forever and having special powers that’s part of the allure. People are fascinated with the idea of living forever.

Adler says vampires change based on what the culture at that time needs or requires them to be. Adler said that Barnabas Collins, from the daytime television soap, “Dark Shadows,” was the beginning of this current era of the morally-conflicted vampire. She then discussed some of the many vampire stories she has read. There was time for questions and for the audience to share their own favorite vampire novels with her.

Adler’s talk was based on an essay that she wrote on the subject, “Out For Blood.”

Midwest Regional Local Council (MRLC) of Covenant of the Goddess (CoG) serves the states of Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan and Ohio.  MRLC maintains a commitment to increase cooperation among Witches and to help secure for Witches and Wiccans the legal protection enjoyed by members of other religions. Through members dedication to the Goddess, they seek to become a positive voice for CoG, standing in peace and fellowship with peoples of all religions, cultures and ethnicities for the sake of our beloved Earth, and all beings dwelling upon it.