New Moon Risings

It is not often that I mix religious views with political or social action but with Independence Day drawing near in the US I began pondering freedom, specifically religious freedom and so that became the topic of Activ8’s July Issue.

Our new article Military Pagans (US) is a reprint of a recent Stars & Stripes article that explores the experiences and beliefs of pagans serving overseas in the US military. An interesting read and a look into yet another aspect of pagan life.

With thoughts of freedom on my mind, I was so please to see the Pagan Religious Rights Rally will be held in Washington DC this July 4. If you are unable to attend in the capital, as we are, there is a version of the ritual available for download. We will be conducting the very same ritual at our home to coincide with the DC ritual. More people, more energy, more change!

The highlight of this issue is our interview with Aghamang Bughaw. Founder of the Shrine of Luntiang Aghama, he works to facilitate learning opportunities and community outreach in his native Philippines. His experiences starting on the pagan path will mirror many of our own but it is the actions that he is taking now to make paganism accesible to seekers in the Philippines as well as his focus on reviving cultural beliefs and traditions that will inspire. It was my pleasure to sit down and speak with Aghamang and I sincerely thank him for his time and it is my honor to call him friend.

Additionally, you will find new links in Pagan Action

As usual, nuggets of knowledge have popped up, so of course I had to add them to the Book of Light to share with everyone.

While re-reading Triumph of the Moon by Ronald Hutton, an excellent read for anyone regardless of experience level, I came across his research into the origin on the word “pagan”. Different theories have been proposed and are now presented along with the entry for Pagan in the BoL Glossary.

Also added to the BoL’s Glossary are extended information regarding the origin of the words “widdershins“, “deosil“, and “yuletide” all thanks to the Word Detective. I just love his site, he digs up the most interesting nuggets of knowledge.

With insects biting like vampires around here, I dug up a copy of Herbs for Health (an excellent mag with tons of useful tips) to find Natural and Essential Oil based recipes for insect repellents. These two new recipes have been added to Essential Oils in the Garden in Chapter X :: Incense & Oils.

And finally, I ran across an incredibly interesting article that discussed new, genetic information regarding the origin of the Etruscans, the pre-Roman civilization that once inhabited Italy. The article, Ancient Etruscans were Immigrants can be found in Chapter I :: Ancient Worlds. Further interest led me to find The Mysterious Etruscans, a quite interesting site devoted to all aspects of Etruscan history and culture.

Professional level host packages are once again available for purchase at Helikas

Selling out of our largest and most expensive package allowed us to make the largest charitable donation to date. Let’s sell out again!

According to Charity Navigator, it is more effective to donate much to one rather than little to many and so have decided to select one charity per quarter.

Thanks to Helikas customers, we were able to donate to The Elephant Sanctuary, a recipient of 4 stars from Charity Navigator. A little about the sanctuary:

The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee, founded in 1995, is the nation’s largest natural habitat refuge developed specifically for endangered African and Asian elephants. It operates on 2,700 acres in Hohenwald, Tennessee - 85 miles southwest of Nashville. The Elephant Sanctuary exists for two reasons: to provide a haven for old, sick or needy elephants in a setting of green pastures, old-growth forests, spring-fed ponds and a heated barn for cold winter nights and to provide education about the crisis facing these social, sensitive, passionately intense, playful, complex, exceedingly intelligent and endangered creatures. Our residents are not required to perform or entertain for the public; instead, they are encouraged to live like elephants.

We look forward to continuing to make donations to improve the world we live in and we sincerely thank all Helikas customers for their support.