“Indigenous Peoples’ Statement to the World” at the Parliament of the World’s Religions 11:30am – 1:00pm Wednesday, December 9th.

http://witchschool.com/library/Audio_Files/PWRindigenousdeclaration.mp3
Time: 1:23:10

The document will be brought after the Parliament to all of your communities to raise consciousness and increase support for the issues of Indigenous Peoples. Bring your friends and colleagues!

Kind regards,
The International Indigenous Task Force Committee
and The Aboriginal Planning Committee of Melbourne

This is part of the Audio/Video Pagans at the Parliament created on behalf of Magick TV and Pagan Newswire Collective, exclusively funded by Witch School and the Correllian Tradition.

Collective, declaration, Indigenous, News, Newswire, Pagan, Parliament of the World's Religions, people, religion, Wire

What an awesome gathering of beings. For me it was one long ritual – a sacred Journey. I only slept 5 hours each day – focussed on being present to it all as much as possible. I walked kilometers every day just getting from one program to another, and walking long distances just to catch someone for a moment … then along the way meeting up with long lost or never before met cyberfriends: it was intense.

I was deeply impressed by the Indigenous presence – of many global places, and including the representation from my own Old European – Pagan – tradition and heritage. I attended many of the programs where Indigenous elders spoke and shared worldviews and various issues were discussed. Notable programs that I attended were “People Call Us Pagan: The European Indigenous Traditions”, “The Doctrine of Discovery and Indigenous Peoples”, “The Revival of the European Pagan Religions” and a session by elders of the Yoruba and Voodoo traditions “Veneration of the Ancestors”. One of the presenters in this latter session was Ifaboyede Michelle McElwaine Oguninhun Abimbola, a lecturer at the Ifa Heritage Institute in Oyo, Nigeria where she is also an assistant to the president. She holds degrees in Religious and Women’s Studies and a Master’s Degree in Applied Linguistics. In Oyo, Nigeria, Ifaboyede was initiated as an Iyanifa, priestess of Ifa, and she is actively involved in the practice and propagation of Ifa. She also has an extensive background as an anti-racism/cultural competency trainer. Such impressive CVs were common at this PWR gathering. She and her partner, Baba Wande Abimbola who moderated the session, had their baby with them throughout – no problem.

The Indigenous Assembly – about 10 indigenous elders – presented a charter at the closing ceremony, amongst which was a request for an official recanting of the “Doctrine of Discovery” … very important I think, a re-instatement of the integrity of the Mother, the Land in Her Native state, our Source of being. This to my mind, is what Paganism is about … do some “Pagans” forget this?

The presence of those I regard as elders of my own Old European heritage – and their proud restoration of the term “Pagan”, was very significant for me. I was deeply moved by the EarthSpirit Ceremony “Peace at the Heart of the World”, especially when Andras Corban Arthen chanted the blessing in Gaelic. I felt it as a Homecoming. I wept as I embraced Andras and thanked him on behalf of my ancestors who came to this Southern Land – Australia, my home – as an already conquered people who had had this heritage stolen from them. I was also impressed by the senstivity and flexibility of this group and other Northern Hemispheric Pagans to be present to our different season and elemental directions – prepared to ask and act accordingly. A woman with the voice of Goddess sang at a ceremony facilitated by Patrick McCollum, and she called the directions in accord with our place with such grace.

I had imagined that the PWR would be dominated by mainstream religious entities swanning around, but this was not the case: there were many beautiful dancers and artists from many traditions, and the Pagan and Indigenous presence was strong – and this apparently was a new situation especially for the Pagan contingent. This was the result of work over past years, as has been noted on this blog – Angie Buchanan and others speaking up and taking responsibility for becoming a credible part of this global forum – to become recognised as the Indigenous tradition of Old Europe. I came away prepared to be more consciously part of this restoration of the term “Pagan” … this was an unexpected outcome for me.

I felt that “Goddess” as Earth Mother had the final say at the event, when in the closing ceremony She – as Mother Earth – was invoked by both Elder Prof Joy Wandin Murphy and Elder Bob Randell, and all present were given painted stones with blessings mentioning Her as we left the assembly.

My own presentations on the 7th December (as Pagan presenter in “The New Archaic” and as a co-presenter of “Australian Pagans Speak”) were very well received, and the rooms were overflowing. My co-presenters and I for the New Archaic were stopped frequently by people in the days following to thank us for a great presentation … one told us it was in the top 100.

The whole experience of such a gathering is hard to capture and will require many viewpoints and ponderings. The harvest of it will be rich I am sure – in personal ways and in communal feedback and global involvement/action.

Glenys Livingstone

Indigenous, Pagan, Parliament World Religions

Pagans from a variety of countries and traditions are among those who have gathered in Melbourne, Australia for the 2009 Parliament of the World’s Religions, one of the world’s oldest and largest international interfaith gatherings.  The Parliament is taking place December 3-9.

Leaders and practitioners of a wide range of religious and spiritual traditions and from eighty countries around the world are participating.  Organizers expect up to 8,000 participants.

Pagans from many paths, organizations, and places are among the presenters at this year’s Parliament.   Pagans are also among those reporting on the 2009 Parliament.  And, there are now three Pagans in the Parliament’s administrative Council.

The Pagans at the Parliament Community has continued to develop with each Parliament since its rebirth in 1993 in Chicago.   Circle Sanctuary, Earth Spirit Community, Covenant of the Goddess, and Fellowship of Isis were among initial sponsoring organizations of the 1993 Parliament and I am thankful that additional Pagan organizations and individual paths  have joined in supporting this event over the years.

With each Parliament, the collaboration and communications among Pagan individuals and organizations has increased, and it is my hope that at this Parliament this also will be the case.

Having attended and been a speaker at previous Parliaments (1993 in Chicago, 1999 in Cape Town, and 2004 in Barcelona), I had hoped to also attend this one, but instead I am joining in spirit and  through the magic of cyberspace communications, including posts to Twitter (@Selena_Fox) and to my Facebook Fan Page, as well as reports via our Circle Times e-bulletin and at Circle Sanctuary’s blog, Circle Interfaith News.

I send special greetings and support to all the Pagans at this year’s Parliament as well as well-wishes to everyone who is part of the 2009 Parliament of the World’s Religions.

May there be sharing, caring, respect, understanding, and collaboration among all those who are part of the Parliament.

May the Parliament be a source of inspiration and a force for positive transformation to bring about more peace and cooperation among humans the world over and more well-being in the greater community of life, the Circle of Nature, of which we are all part.

Blessed Be,

Selena

Rev. Selena Fox
Senior Minister, Circle Sanctuary
under the Full Moon at my Oak forest home near Barneveld, Wisconsin, USA

Circle Sanctuary, Pagan, Parliament of the World's Religions, Selena Fox