Oldenwilde eUpdate: Samhain | Classes | Activism | Handfastings

Merry Meet, Friend of Coven Oldenwilde!

Samhain 2019: Witch Bling!

You're invited to Coven Oldenwilde's 25th Samhain Sabbat, Thursday, Oct. 31, 2019, 7 p.m. until… at the Covenstead in Asheville, North Carolina. 

This year's theme: "Witch Bling — Please the Gods in High Style!" We welcome high-energy, devout teens and adults to dazzle the Gods in their Witchy finery, jewels, and accoutrements!

Meet & Greet others of like mind; enjoy snacks & Spirits; honor your beloved dead and celebrate the New Year in torchlight adoors (weather permitting) or in the Coven's impressive ritual room — billowing incense and ambiance galore!

Find the details at: http://oldenwilde.org/samhain2019.
 

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Two Classes

Monday, Oct. 7, 2019: Join us as we explain, demonstrate, and answer questions on Witchcraft, Paganism, and magic at two college classes on World Religions that are free and open to the public. It's a great chance to meet us personally, learn about the Craft, and ask any questions you wish — including when Lady Passion demonstrates divination by accurately answering unspoken queries. Prof. Dennis Teall-Fleming is a very open-minded and Pagan-friendly Christian, and we enjoy our annual fall and spring appearances at his Blue Ridge Community College classes. We'll have copies of Rituals and Sabbats and Candle Magic available for purchase ($25 each) and signing. 

• First class (50 min.):  9-9:50 AM at Blue Ridge Community College's Henderson County campus, 180 W Campus Dr., Flat Rock, NC 28731, in the Patton Building, Room 201 (campus map here: https://www.blueridge.edu/hccmap).
• Second class (1 hr. 15 min.): 11:00 AM-12:15 PM at BRCC's Transylvania County campus, 45 Oak Park Dr., Brevard, NC 28712, in the Strauss Building (TRCS), Room 143 (campus map here: https://www.blueridge.edu/about-brcc/locations/transylvania-county-campus/campus-map-TCC).

   

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Climate Activism

Trees are Mother Earth's best defense against manmade climate change. Planting new trees removes carbon from the atmosphere; preserving mature trees prevents dangerous flooding, erosion, and urban heat-island effects. But humans made stupid by greed seem bent on destroying as fast as possible the very forests that can save them from their own folly. 

Trees have always been sacred to Pagans and Witches. It's our geas, our spiritual duty, to take wise, bold action to stop and reverse this suicidal deforestation trend. That's what Coven Oldenwilde is doing here in Asheville, in a way that intentionally models what citizens in general — and spellcrafters in particular — can do to save and expand their own communities' urban forest canopies. 

Recently, after years of cynical politicians claiming our city had no power to stop developers from clearcutting our every last historic tree and grove, *Diuvei discovered the long-lost law that says we do — hidden, ironically (magically), in the fine print of a bill that North Carolina's real-estate lobby tried but failed to pass to eviscerate all NC cities' and counties' tree regulations. Now we're helping lead a swiftly growing grassroots movement to stop and reverse our city's deforestation, working closely with city leaders to reform and strengthen Asheville's tree regulations while also guiding developers to repair rather than mindlessly ravage our urban forest. Lady Passion and *Diuvei are putting to work the kind of magical thinking we advocate in our books — for example, recognizing and reversing the polarity that falsely pits environmental sustainability against housing affordability, by demonstrating that dense forest groves can coexist with dense building complexes. 

That means countless hours of doing research, attending and speaking at meetings, writing emails, advising and encouraging fellow activists ... and all of it for free, because there are no wealthy local, state, or national donors who are funding this work as there are for construction and real-estate lobbyists.

There's only you. 

Be a grassroots donor to Coven Oldenwilde, and devote a small portion of what you've earned to the good of the Earth. If you're unable to, please pass this message along to someone who possibly can.

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Prisoner Activism

"It was great to hear from you and indeed I do appreciate the information that you provided to the Steel Forest Coven. We took that information and are now putting it to good use. We now have the days for our Sabbats, and the unit administration provided us with additional days to have our Circle meets. We are now in the process of acquiring group religious items, using the department's A&R funds. ... I wanted to take a moment to thank you for helping the Steel Forest Coven. Your help will indeed benefit the Coven as a whole and I know that the rest of the Coven thanks you as well. ..."
— Sirius, Steel Forest Coven, Arizona State Prison Complex, Florence, AZ.

You might think from the plethora of old links still littering the web that lots of organizations exist to help incarcerated Pagans. In reality, WADL and AREN have disappeared, Circle has quit, the Frosts have retired — all across the US, the rapidly rising numbers of inmates who are drawn to the Pagan/Wiccan path have no other organization but Coven Oldenwilde to turn to for sponsorship, teaching, and advocacy. And we do it very well, sponsoring scores of prison Covens — probably hundreds, if we ever had time to stop and count them. 

Every week, Lady Passion personally answers dozens of query letters from inmates, who are referred to us by the ACLU, the US Dept. of Justice, and myriad religions' prison ministries; the number of institutions on our online map of contacts is now up to 531. She handles calls and emails from chaplains wanting to know more about this swiftly spreading faith; counsels sex offenders and murderers on recognizing and making restitution to those they've harmed; convinces erstwhile Odinists to reject racist and sexist beliefs; empowers persecuted Witches in prisons to advocate for and win their right to wear a pentacle, use a Tarot deck, and celebrate the Sabbats  ... 

And she does all of it for free, because there are no wealthy Pagan donors who are funding this work as there are for Christian evangelicals, Muslims, Jews, and Buddhists. 

There's only you.

Be a grassroots donor to Coven Oldenwilde, and devote a small portion of what you've earned to the good of society. If you're unable to, please pass this message along to someone who possibly can. (Learn more at http://oldenwilde.org/prisons.)

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Handfastings & Weddings

Queen Lady Passion and *Diuvei are professionals who have officiated many memorable Pagan/Wiccan Handfasting ceremonies and are also empowered to marry folks legally. They’ve done both kinds of rites for decades in enchanting ways that please everyone. They are in high demand to officiate these Rites of Passage throughout each year: Save the date now for your handfasting ceremony! 

See our newly updated Handfastings & Weddings page, complete with an album of videos and photos: http://oldenwilde.org/handfasting.

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As Lady Passion wages environmental improvement through working on city ordinance re-writes to reduce the decibel level of noise pollution that robs neighbors of peace-of-mind and concentration; *Diuvei advocates for the preservation of city tree canopies; and both champion Craft ideals in innumerable ways — please donate to show your support of our advocacy for the common good and help offset our costs and poverty sacrifices to do so.
— Lady Passion (Dixie Deerman) & *Diuvei (Steve Rasmussen)

Coven Oldenwilde is a GuideStar-listed 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Your donation is tax-deductible.