luni, 25 octombrie 2010

[WitchesWorkshop] Digest Number 4557

Messages In This Digest (8 Messages)

Messages

1.

Launceston Pub Moots, 10/26/2010, 7:00 pm

Posted by: "WitchesWorkshop@yahoogroups.com" WitchesWorkshop@yahoogroups.com

Sun Oct 24, 2010 1:57 am (PDT)



Reminder from: WitchesWorkshop Yahoo! Group
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/WitchesWorkshop/cal

Launceston Pub Moots
Tuesday October 26, 2010
7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
(This event repeats every month on the last Tuesday.)
Location: Cock & Bull British Pub, corner Wellington & Elizabeth Sts, Launceston

Notes:
LAUNCESTON PAGANS IN THE PUB!

We are proud to announce that the Launceston Pub Moots are back!!

~~~

When: Last Tuesday of every month

Where: Cock & Bull British Pub, corner Wellington & Elizabeth Sts, Launceston

Table is booked under 'Rose & Jess', upstairs

Time: 7.00pm onwards

To celebrate our first moot we will be having a lucky pagan door prize!!!

~~~

If you want to get together with Pagans in your area, for friendly chats, event discussion, forum questions, and to catch up with like-minded folk, we'd love to see you there.

Come for a lovely meal or just a coffee – and bring a friend!

Please RSVP to myself Rose (rosiesgrove@gmail.com) or Jess (jess@tascommodores.com) for the purpose of booking a table.

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2.

Shamanic Circle - Wollongong, 11/1/2010, 7:00 pm

Posted by: "WitchesWorkshop@yahoogroups.com" WitchesWorkshop@yahoogroups.com

Sun Oct 24, 2010 1:57 am (PDT)



Reminder from: WitchesWorkshop Yahoo! Group
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/WitchesWorkshop/cal

Shamanic Circle - Wollongong
Monday November 1, 2010
7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
(This event repeats every month on the first Monday.)
Location: Central Wollongong, NSW

Notes:
Shamans around the world come together in groups to perform healings, to journey and to create a community that is filled with support for all within it. We have set up this group to explore Shamanic ritual, drumming, dancing your power animal, power retrivals, energy and the light body and much, much more.

No shamanic experience is required, in fact no healing experience of any kind is necessary to reap the benefits of being part of a community event like this.

This circle meets every 1st Monday of the month from 7pm and all are welcome. The cost is $15 and refreshments are included :)

Call Alison or Megan on 042 020 8879 / 042 038 1436 or visit www.shamanicspirit.com.au for more information.

All Rights Reserved
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3.1.

Re: Taxation dept may finally recognise Paganism as a valid religion

Posted by: "Amethyst" amethyst@oakandmistletoe.com.au   a2zamethyst58

Sun Oct 24, 2010 2:05 am (PDT)



Hi Tim,

Thank you for your congratulatory post but I apologise in advance if I seem
grumpy. I do not see anything to celebrate about with this article. The
serious nature of this situation has been completely over taken by Mr
Elder's apparent preference for sensationalism rather than serious news. It
is convenient it seems that the sensible part of the conversation I had with
him off forum was not printed and instead the one or two things he does
quote from me were then projected out of context.

Furthermore, his twisting of "positive energy" into apparently the entire
craft community supposedly casting spells on the ATO is nothing short of
ludicrous. At the commencement of my conversation with Mr Elder (who will no
doubt read this post I'm sure) included my concern that the media all too
often turn a serious situation about Wicca, Witchcraft and paganism into
something sensationalist and it has happened once again. I realise that Mr
Elder is a freelance journalist and thus must sell his story in order to
make a living but a little common sense would have gone a long way to making
the story more sensible. I doubt however that was ever his intention. His
last paragraph in particular is nothing short of crass and laughable.

With smiles none the less,

Amethyst

From: WitchesWorkshop@yahoogroups.com
[mailto:WitchesWorkshop@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Ozpagan
Sent: Sunday, 24 October 2010 4:21 PM
To: WitchesWorkshop@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [WitchesWorkshop] Re: Taxation dept may finally recognise Paganism
as a valid religion

On 24/10/2010, at 10:22 AM, David Garland wrote:

>Witches hope spells will end taxing time
>John Elder
>October 24, 2010 - 3:00AM
>WITCHES across the nation are being urged to send ''positive energy'' to
the
>Australian Tax Office in support of a Wiccan church's claim for tax breaks.
> This story was found at:
>
http://www.theage.com.au/national/witches-hope-spells-will-end-taxing-time-2
0101023-16yn4.html

Thanks David for posting this in. Thanks also to John Elder, and of course
Amethyst without who there would be no story.

It is a positive story about an issue which otherwise would have gone
unnoticed for it's significance to Australian Pagan generally. It's a major
milestone for the community when individuals achieve these sorts of results
and one that must have certainly involved a lot of personal sacrifice. It is
another step in establishing in-roads of equality where Wicca and Paganism
can be treated equally among other religions.

Thank you and congratulation to Amethyst and the "Community Church of
Inclusive Wicca".

vinum sabbati,
Tim Hartridge <moderator>

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/WitchesWorkshop/
http://www.facebook.com/WitchesWorkshop
http://www.witchesworkshop.com
http://www.witchcampaustralia.org.au

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

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3.2.

Re: Taxation dept may finally recognise Paganism as a valid religion

Posted by: "firewuff" firewuff@gmail.com   firewuff

Sun Oct 24, 2010 2:32 am (PDT)





--- In WitchesWorkshop@yahoogroups.com, "Media Officer" <media@...> wrote:
>
> Just to clarify on this point, John Elder also spoke to David off-list about the ATO's recognition of institutions rather than religions, so whether he used that information directly from the forum is unclear, and a bit of a moot point. John's presence on Witches Workshop is as a result of an invitation from Tim. If he wants a representative of the mainstream media onboard with us, then as list-owner that is his prerogative. We either choose to post here, or not, with that in mind.
>
>
> Gavin Andrew
> PAN media officer.

The fact that the list owner invited some one to join, journalist or not, does not give them permission to use material from here without the posters consent. It is not a 'public' forum rather a closed group. It is a clear breach of ethics to do so. That said I'm glad that John appears to have sought permission from David.

BRETT

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3.3.

Re: Taxation dept may finally recognise Paganism as a valid religion

Posted by: "Touchwood" touchwood8@bigpond.com   nan_in_sa

Sun Oct 24, 2010 2:44 am (PDT)



Not really a moot point about using information directly from the forum,
Gavin, as in his article John writes:

>>>>The plea for collective spell-casting was posted on the Witches Workshop
online forum by Amethyst Treleven, who believes the magic may already be
working.

... On the forum, she writes: ''I thought you all might like to know of the
hopeful breakthrough in terms of recognition of paganism with the Australia
Taxation Office . It's one more strike for religious equality.''>>>>>>>

I agree it's Tim's prerogative to invite whomever he wants on the list, but
I assume it's okay for me to express my concerns about how my posts will be
used by others.

Cheers

Nan

Hi Nan, all,

Nan, you wrote:

> We have also had the debate here about the ATO not being able to recognise
> paganism or any other religions - and personally I think it was a bit low
> that you used information from this forum in your article.

Just to clarify on this point, John Elder also spoke to David off-list about
the ATO's recognition of institutions rather than religions, so whether he
used that information directly from the forum is unclear, and a bit of a
moot point. John's presence on Witches Workshop is as a result of an
invitation from Tim. If he wants a representative of the mainstream media
onboard with us, then as list-owner that is his prerogative. We either
choose to post here, or not, with that in mind.

Gavin Andrew
PAN media officer.

--- In WitchesWorkshop@yahoogroups.com
<mailto:WitchesWorkshop%40yahoogroups.com> , "Touchwood" <touchwood8@...>
wrote:
>
> Sadly, this story seems to put us back into the "slightly nuts" grouping
of
> people with "irrational" beliefs.
> And just out of curiosity, John, didn't we see a post from Amethyst asking
> that the story be held until the outcome of her application with the ATO
was
> known?
> And again, out of curiosity, are you using this list to find topics to
write
> for your publication? If so, I think everyone here needs to be
particularly
> aware of what they share.
> Although I share your profession, I also share a sense of community and
the
> inherent confidentiality that comes with it.
> And where I come from "positive energy" is not quite the same as casting
> spell.
> Sadly, another beat up of a religious story that only helps reinforce to
the
> wider community that we are all a little ridiculous!
> We have also had the debate here about the ATO not being able to recognise
> paganism or any other religions - and personally I think it was a bit low
> that you used information from this forum in your article.
> Makes me nervous about posting here.
> Cheers
> Nan
>

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

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3.4.

Re: Taxation dept may finally recognise Paganism as a valid religion

Posted by: "Media Officer" media@paganawareness.net.au   pan_inc_media

Sun Oct 24, 2010 2:59 am (PDT)



Hi Tim, all,

Tim, I am interested that you and Nan have very different interpretations of the overall tone of John's article.

Personally, I am glad that the piece correctly identified the fallacy that David (not to mention the ATO spokesperson) was at pains to debunk - the notion that the ATO can recognise a religious belief, as opposed to the incorporated bodies and individuals practicing it.

A few questions, if I can trouble you so far:

1. What is your view on the article leading in with Amethyst's request for "positive energy" (note the quote marks used in the story)? Are you concerned that this quickly became a campaign for "collective spell-casting"?

2. Are you worried that non-Pagans might find the idea we could influence the ATO in this way to be odd or ridiculous, and assume that all Pagans think this is possible or desirable?

3. What is your view of the fact that John felt it necessary to point out Amethyst's 'street name' as well as her Pagan one? Do you think it is possible many readers might interpret this (in conjunction with the mention of robes and wands) as evidence that Paganism consists of dress ups and play-acting, as opposed to a serious spiritual endeavour?

3. In relation to the rather forced humour at the end of the article, do you think the suggestion of an ATO worker under the influence of a 'magic spell' might not subtly reinforce the idea that this story, and consequently, anyone who identifies as a witch, lies within the realm of humour?

Amethyst has clearly done a lot of work to try and further the cause of her tradition and the Pagan scene in general. And well done and thank you to her.

However, I think we cannot and should not view media of coverage of Pagans absent a hermeneutic of critical examination. It is, after all, the same lens through which the media purports to examine us.

Gavin Andrew.
PAN media officer

--- In WitchesWorkshop@yahoogroups.com, "Ozpagan" <ozpagan@...> wrote:
>
>
> On 24/10/2010, at 10:22 AM, David Garland wrote:
>
> >Witches hope spells will end taxing time
> >John Elder
> >October 24, 2010 - 3:00AM
> >WITCHES across the nation are being urged to send ''positive energy'' to the
> >Australian Tax Office in support of a Wiccan church's claim for tax breaks.
> > This story was found at:
> > http://www.theage.com.au/national/witches-hope-spells-will-end-taxing-time-20101023-16yn4.html
>
> Thanks David for posting this in. Thanks also to John Elder, and of course Amethyst without who there would be no story.
>
> It is a positive story about an issue which otherwise would have gone unnoticed for it's significance to Australian Pagan generally. It's a major milestone for the community when individuals achieve these sorts of results and one that must have certainly involved a lot of personal sacrifice. It is another step in establishing in-roads of equality where Wicca and Paganism can be treated equally among other religions.
>
> Thank you and congratulation to Amethyst and the "Community Church of Inclusive Wicca".
>
>
> vinum sabbati,
> Tim Hartridge <moderator>
>
> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/WitchesWorkshop/
> http://www.facebook.com/WitchesWorkshop
> http://www.witchesworkshop.com
> http://www.witchcampaustralia.org.au
>

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Messages in this topic (33)
3.5.

Re: Taxation dept may finally recognise Paganism as a valid religion

Posted by: "Valerie Voigt" valerie_voigt@yahoo.com   valerie_voigt

Sun Oct 24, 2010 6:21 am (PDT)



Here in the USA we have had such recognition since 1975, thanks to Covenant of the Goddess (http://cog.org).
We still have a way to go to full equality, however.  We recently won in court to force the Veterans' Administration to add the pentacle to the list of religious symbols allowed on government-provided military headstones, but we are still among the minority religions whose prison chaplaincy work the State of California will not sponsor:  this despite research (by the Christian professor, Rev. Dr. J. Gordon Melton of the Institute for the Study of American Religion at University of California, Santa Barbara!) showing that Pagans have the best success rate at preventing recidivism (re-offense after release) among youthful offenders.  
Nobody knows for sure why we are better at getting young offenders to reform their ways.  Personally, I suspect it is because we don't let them off the hook by telling them that the devil made them do it, and that if they follow our religion they will be forgiven and go to heaven.  Instead, we tell them that their being in prison is their own karma, a direct result of actions they chose to take, and it doesn't matter what religion they are:  they have to take personal responsibility.
Blessed Be,
Valerie Voigt

P.S. Greetings from California!  In a couple of months it will be time for you Aussies to send the Sun back up our way!  (A friend of mine who heads up a local Atheists chapter recently said to me,  "I'm glad you Pagans aren't like those fundamentalists.  You Pagans just mind your own business and do your job of making sure the seasons do what they are supposed to do.")
_______________________

You know how to you make God laugh?

Tell him your plans.

--From BeliefNet

_______________________

--- On Sat, 10/23/10, Ozpagan <ozpagan@ozpagan.com> wrote:

From: Ozpagan <ozpagan@ozpagan.com>
Subject: [WitchesWorkshop] Re: Taxation dept may finally recognise Paganism as a valid religion
To: WitchesWorkshop@yahoogroups.com
Date: Saturday, October 23, 2010, 10:50 PM

 

On 24/10/2010, at 10:22 AM, David Garland wrote:

>Witches hope spells will end taxing time

>John Elder

>October 24, 2010 - 3:00AM

>WITCHES across the nation are being urged to send ''positive energy'' to the

>Australian Tax Office in support of a Wiccan church's claim for tax breaks.

> This story was found at:

> http://www.theage.com.au/national/witches-hope-spells-will-end-taxing-time-20101023-16yn4.html

Thanks David for posting this in. Thanks also to John Elder, and of course Amethyst without who there would be no story.

It is a positive story about an issue which otherwise would have gone unnoticed for it's significance to Australian Pagan generally. It's a major milestone for the community when individuals achieve these sorts of results and one that must have certainly involved a lot of personal sacrifice. It is another step in establishing in-roads of equality where Wicca and Paganism can be treated equally among other religions.

Thank you and congratulation to Amethyst and the "Community Church of Inclusive Wicca".

vinum sabbati,

Tim Hartridge <moderator>

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/WitchesWorkshop/

http://www.facebook.com/WitchesWorkshop

http://www.witchesworkshop.com

http://www.witchcampaustralia.org.au

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

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3.6.

Re: Taxation dept may finally recognise Paganism as a valid religion

Posted by: "Touchwood" touchwood8@bigpond.com   nan_in_sa

Sun Oct 24, 2010 7:36 am (PDT)



Hi Gavin,

Happy to answer these questions from my perspective:

1. What is your view on the article leading in with Amethyst's request for
"positive energy" (note the quote marks used in the story)? Are you
concerned that this quickly became a campaign for "collective
spell-casting"?

I think putting positive energy in quotes misrepresents the motivation
behind the request, and implies, to the uninformed, that "positive energy"
is quirky and odd - rather than the intended "good wishes". To me it seemed
to unfairly imply that positive energy was something only witches were
involved with and therefore slightly weird.

2. Are you worried that non-Pagans might find the idea we could influence
the ATO in this way to be odd or ridiculous, and assume that all Pagans
think this is possible or desirable?

If a Christian group were to try and influence the ATO through prayer, this
would amount to the same thing. What concerns me is that Amethyst simply
asked for some positive thoughts, this is the same as asking someone to keep
their fingers crossed for a desired outcome. It's the beat up that I object
to.

3. What is your view of the fact that John felt it necessary to point out
Amethyst's 'street name' as well as her Pagan one? Do you think it is
possible many readers might interpret this (in conjunction with the mention
of robes and wands) as evidence that Paganism consists of dress ups and
play-acting, as opposed to a serious spiritual endeavour?

If, during the course of contacting Amethyst offline, she gave permission to
use her "street name", then obviously I have no objection. However, if
permission was not gained and he felt it necessary to possibly "out" her by
using it, then I would deem this unethical behaviour on his part. And again,
it seems to be titillating to report on witches wearing panne velvet and
waving wands, but too mundane to bother remarking on priestly vestments,
mitres and the like.

I would welcome reports on Paganism and its various branches written in the
same respectful way as other religions.

I've always worked on the theory that the real function of a good journalist
is to keep the bastards honest, to inform and to write balanced and ethical
pieces, not to twist a story at the expense of the truth or a decent
understanding of the subject.

Amethyst has already publicly said elsewhere that there are several
inaccuracies in the report, and I find it sad that mild sensationalism takes
the place of accuracy.

As far as the world's religions go, Wicca is pretty benign, but still we are
portrayed as either "evil" or "wacky" - go figure!

3. In relation to the rather forced humour at the end of the article, do you
think the suggestion of an ATO worker under the influence of a 'magic spell'
might not subtly reinforce the idea that this story, and consequently,
anyone who identifies as a witch, lies within the realm of humour?

I think this was a throwaway sentence designed to neatly finish off a story
which has all the elements of a fluff and "quirky/crazy" piece, which so
amuses readers.

Overall it just lends more weight to the notion that Wiccans and Pagans
don't need to be treated seriously.

This, of course, is all my own opinion - others may welcome yet another
"positive" piece on paganism in the press.

>>>>>>>However, I think we cannot and should not view media of coverage of
Pagans absent a hermeneutic of critical examination. It is, after all, the
same lens through which the media purports to examine us.>>>>>>

I agree that we should, as a community, examine the intended meanings behind
any media coverage - even the most sympathetic journalist will always be on
the lookout for the words which will make their story have more punch.

There's nothing so boring as the mundane - and witchcraft etc is still
uncharted, unexplained and misunderstood territory for most of the wider
community.

When my Christian colleagues talk about their religious holidays, everyone
is respectful (even me!), but if I should mention one of my "pagan"
holidays, there are smirks and silly remarks - and we know why this is, it
is because our good friends in the mainstream media still treat us as a
novelty similar to the three headed llama, or whatever, in the circus. Not
to be taken seriously.

And lastly, I am sure there are far more disturbing organisations seeking
ATO exemption . perhaps John would like to do some real investigative
reporting?

Rant over - I'm stepping away from the computer and walking backwards very
slowly...

Cheers

Nan

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

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