While Saturday is just beginning for us in America, it is already finished in Australia, and a large influx of updates and reports from the Pagan delegations at the Parliament of the World’s Religions have appeared. Let’s start with Dave Linton of Circle Sanctuary’s report of Patrick McCollum’s Saturday-morning ritual at the Parliament.

“Today started with the Solstice Sites and Celebrations program and ritual, which was held outdoors at 8:00 am under a sparkling blue sky, next to the Yarra river, and outside the massive glass walls of the Melbourne Convention Center. Patrick McCollum started the session with a discussion of the combined Northern Hemisphere Winter Solstice and Southern Hemisphere Summer Solstice celebration. This led to how Solstices have been celebrated through the ages, and sacred places where these celebrations have been held historically, and are today.”

But that wasn’t the only Pagan observance happening at Parliament, EarthSpirit’s blog brings us an account of Friday afternoon’s “Peace at the Heart of the World” ritual, co-facilitated by Deirdre Pulgram Arthen, Andras Corban Arthen and Angie Buchanan.

Peace ritual procession. Photo by Moira Ashleigh.

“In the ritual many Pagan presenters offered a spoken piece including T Thorn Coyle, River Higginbotham, Drake Spaeth, Anna Korn, Don Frew, Patrick McCollum, Sue Curewitz Arthen, Kaye Hughes Kittredge, Chris LaFond, Moira Ashleigh and several of the Queensland Pagans. The sacred waters of the worlds were brought to bless everyone as well as the sacred symbolic rattles by Julee Higginbotham. MotherTongue led several chants and closed with a Gaelic Blessing.”

Meanwhile, Don Frew from COG gives us a behind-the-scenes look at the chaos sometimes involved in putting such a ritual together. In fact, the COG Interfaith Reports blog has been refreshingly candid about the frustrations and hectic-paced nature of an event of this magnitude. I’m amazed at how often they’ve been able to update. According to a communication I’ve had from author and Cherry Hill Seminary teacher Michael York, there’s barely time to breath, let alone eat, due to the oft-times frenzied pace. Perhaps that’s why Thorn Coyle wisely decided to share short vignettes in her latest update, rather than even attempt a longer narrative.

“Saami in embroidered clothing. Orange robes. Grey robes. Business suits. Saris. Brown robes. Golden robes. Celtic patterns. Jeans. Turbans. Hijab. Bare heads. Skin of many hues and hair of many textures. Many, many smiles.”

As for local Pagans, they shared their hospitality at Friday’s Parliament Local Community Night, where the Melbourne Reclaiming group organized a ritual and local Pagan rock-star Wendy Rule (among others) performed. There hasn’t been much written about it (yet), but I’ve heard nothing but good things from the folks who’ve been in contact with me.

Turning briefly to mainstream coverage of the Parliament, Pagans haven’t been mentioned all that much, save for a brief aside in an article about the items for sale in the exhibitor’s hall.

“The sceptics are the only ones missing in action. But the pagans have set up shop with a contingent of about 50 from the United States. At their stall they sell celebratory music for the winter solstice – a bargain at $20.”

I suppose our lack of impression on the global media (so far) is understandable considering the many religious (and political) heavy-hitters presenting and giving talks at the Parliament. This state of being lost in a sea of religious voices only underscores why it’s important for Pagan organizations and journalists to work together in getting the word out, something that I think is starting to happen with events like this.

As always, stay tuned to the Pagans at the Parliament blog for more updates, I expect we’ll be hearing from more folks as the paces starts to slow down a bit, and attendees have a moment to collect their thoughts and report in. I’m still arranging audio interviews, so more on that as it happens.

Circle Sanctuary, COG, EarthSpirit, Pagans at the Parliament, Thorn Coyle

We have three more updates from Pagan delegations at the Parliament, the first is from Dave Linton of Circle Sanctuary, who writes about the opening Plenary and last night’s Communities Night.

“Friday Evening was the Communities night, in which the local Melbourne communities hosted visiting Parliament attendees of their various paths. We were guests of the Melbourne Pagan community, which has a very vibrant and active group of people, from at least three separate traditions that I could determine. Ritual was interesting – you have to get used to the Sun being in the North, and that South represents Earth. The circles are cast in the counterclockwise direction, because that is the way the sun goes through the sky here.”

Then, Moira Ashleigh from the EarthSpirit gives a wrap-up of their delegation’s first day.

EarthSpirit delegates singing.

“In the early afternoon Chris tuned and played the harp in the registration hall, Kaye and Kate sang and Moira danced to Old Woman. The group attracted the attention of a Parliament journalist who had them do a sound byte of music and some video where Moira announced the Tuesday morning observance by MotherTongue, all done on the journalist’s iphone, which he called old technology.”

In a final note, Don Frew from C.O.G. shares the text of the Waters of the World ceremony that he and Anna Korn performed as part of a Peace ritual at the Parliament.

“In some traditions, water represents the life force; in others it symbolizes the Divine Spirit. We ourselves are 98% water. If two people from warring nations come together, they may be in conflict. But if they pour water from their homelands into a bowl… One water does not try to be higher than the other – they find a common level. One water does not try to stay separate from the other and keep only to its side of the bowl – they mix together and become one. And so, the mixing of waters has come to symbolize our desire for peace and unity.”

Click on the links to read the full reports, and stay tuned for posts from our blog-participants.

Circle Sanctuary, COG, EarthSpirit, Pagans at the Parliament

One of the Pagan organizations that will have a robust presence at the upcoming Parliament of the World’s Religions in Melbourne will be EarthSpirit (click here for a list of EarthSpirit delegates and the events they’ll be involved in). EarthSpirit founder and spiritual director Andras Corban Arthen has recently posted an overview of the work he does as one of three Pagan members on the Parliament’s Board of Trustees (along with Angie Buchanan and the newly-elected Phyllis Curott), specifically his work within the Indigenous Task Force.

“The Indigenous Task Force named me as one of the speakers for the European traditions, and gave me the task of finding others to bring to the Parliament. The first person I invited was Jonas Trinkunas, krivis (chief high priest) of Romuva, the pagan religion of Lithuania. I have known Jonas for a long time, and in 1997 he attended our annual Rites of Spring celebration. He is quite a remarkable man, who has maintained his ancestral tradition alive in spite of opposition not only from the Catholic church, but also from the Soviet Union during its occupation of his homeland. I am glad to report that Jonas readily accepted the invitation.”

You can see a sampling of confirmed indigenous speakers at the Parliament, including European indigenous practitioners, here. To keep track of all EarthSpirit communications from the Parliament, please check out the EarthSpirit Voices blog, and stay tuned for updates from EarthSpirit delegate Moira Ashleigh on this blog.

Andras Corban Arthen, EarthSpirit, Pagans at the Parliament