PAGAN CHRONICLE. In this, the first edition, we hear from Pagan Freedom Day organizers on their events this year, as well as an update about the South African Pagan Council. Read the rest of this entry »

DAMON LEFF. Recent conversation in Pagan communities in both South Africa and the U.S. turned to issues of freedom of speech, intolerance, Pagan leadership, and scapegoating.I thought I'd wade through the conversations from my own perspective... Read the rest of this entry »

CHRISTOPHER BLACKWELL. Janet Farrar and Gavin Bone represent a remarkably large segment of Wiccan history. In 1970 Janet was initiated by Alex Sanders as Maxine Sanders was initiating Stewart Farrar. Stewart would work with her and later become her husband. Gavin Bone was initiated into Seax-Wicca in 1986 and would meet the Farrars and become friends with them 1989, becoming an important member of the team, working together with them and nursing Stewart during his several strokes. As I researched them, I found them to be more fascinating. I therefore e-mailed them with a request to interview them and they were kind enough to grant it. Read the rest of this entry »

BRONWYN KATZKE. Yesterday I did what I normally do in the afternoon- bring the laundry in from off the wash-line. I reach for a shirt, and there is a spider that has spun a delicate web between it and another shirt. Grabbing a small stick, I carefully pick it off its web and place it on a branch. See, I’m not scared of spiders. Getting to the final bit of laundry, I unpeg a long black skirt off the line and drape it over my arm. Out the corner of my eye I notice something large and greyish rubbing against me. I think nothing of it. As I plop the skirt in the laundry basket, the greyish thing moves and realisation dawns. Read the rest of this entry »

FRANCISCO FUMAROLA. A popular tool of Christianity has been the threat of ‘Satanism’; a threat so intense that it prompted the SAPS to found an ‘Occult-related Crime Unit’ in 1992. It’s now 21 years later and despite what the media may have told you, the ORCU is still operating regardless of it being in contravention of SAPS ethical codes and the Bill of Rights. There have been many calls to disband the unit, once and for all, but those calls have been met with questions- here are the answers to those questions and motivation for why the ORCU should be no more. Read the rest of this entry »

AMANDA RYKAART. Without blow-ups like this, Pagan issues will stagnate or just disappear into the background. At the end of this storm-in-a-teacup, we were all at least in the position to have been able to decide for ourselves whether or not we support the efforts to debunk Satanic Panic myths in a bid to squash altogether the misconception that Pagans are Satanists. Due to the issue raised publicly we were forced to clarify this issue in our own minds and know exactly where we stand on this. Not a bad thing, is it? Read the rest of this entry »

EDITOR. Traditionally, the term ‘community journalism’ has been reserved for small town and neighbourhood newspapers. Usually reporting on stories that have been generated directly from the community it serves, community journalism has been a way of keeping its members informed and a means of encouraging community spirit. However things have changed and we now live in the age of the internet, and with that the definition of ‘community’, in terms of community journalism, has changed too. It is no longer restricted to a group of people connected by a common geographical location; the internet now connects us not by geography but by common interests. That means the ‘community’ in community journalism is now broadened to include groups of people who are defined by their shared interests, whether that be a hobby, vocation, life outlook or religion. Read the rest of this entry »

ARIANAWYR. Pampoenkoekies (pumpkin fritters) are a part of South Africa’s culinary history, being served as either an accompaniment to a meal, or as a dessert. Drawing on our culinary heritage, this updated version uses sweet butternut and adds raisins to make the perfect Samhain treat. Read the rest of this entry »

ARIANAWYR. Ginger, a spice long associated with Samhain cooking, is used in this South African dessert that will satisfy any comfort food cravings on a wintery night. Read the rest of this entry »

ARIANAWYR. These traditional biscuits are not only fitting for Samhain with their spicy notes, but would make wonderful ‘cakes’ for any Samhain ritual’s ‘cakes and ale’. Read the rest of this entry »

EDITOR. In the words of House Stark- ‘Winter is coming’. The sun is setting earlier and the mornings are moving well past ‘nippy’ to positively chilling. However winter’s approach also signals the Sabbat of Samhain, the time to honour the ancestors and prepare for the coming hard, cold months. To our predecessors, winter’s approach carried a greater sense of urgency than it did today. We live in the modern age of heaters, electric blankets and supermarkets- we don’t share the same sense of foreboding when we feel the mornings grow cool. Read the rest of this entry »

BRONWYN KATZKE. According to a report on Christian news portal, gatewaynews.co.za, Commander of the SAPS Occult-related Crime Unit, Attie Lamprecht, confirmed that previous media reports stating the disbanding of the ORCU in 1997 were false. This would mean that despite pressure and petitioning from various human rights groups at the time, SAPS, instead of adhering to the SA Constitution, chose to keep the ORCU operable while lying to the public and media, and using the taxpayer’s money to fund the religiously-motivated crusade of a few. Read the rest of this entry »