Community and Web News

It's that time again...

bish — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 15:05:22 -0500

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Another Way of Celebrating this Festive Season

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As the time of Yule, or Christmas, Winter Solstice comes around again it may be a good time to flag up some of the many ways in which one can gift with ethics in mind. :)

If anyone has additions or changes for the linked page(s), do get in touch. And have a splendid celebration!

A Druid at Colchester?

Oaklore — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 05:25:54 -0500

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Honouring the Ancient Dead (HAD) is working with Colchester & Ipswich Museum Service to rework their Iron Age displays. One of these is based around human remains and artefacts found at Stanway, near Colchester in Essex, which some have interpreted as possibly those of a Roman-era druid.

For more information, see www.honour.org.uk/node/247.

HAD and local Pagans are in discussion with Colchester & Ipswich Museum Service about how best to move forward with their plans to mount a special display in 2009.

HAD would very much like to hear from you if you have an interest in this case. Send your comments, thoughts and observations to Mike Fletcher at mike.fletcher [at] honour [dot] org [dot] uk and he will pass them on. It might be possible to include some of these ideas within the consultation group.

Honouring the Ancient Dead launches 'Database of the Dead'

Oaklore — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 17:23:30 -0500

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Honouring the Ancient Dead is announcing significant improvements to its website (www.honour.org.uk) this month. It has been busy over the summer upgrading the website engine to introduce some new and exciting features making it even more dynamic, up to date and effective. It has focused on improving the delivery of information - specifically on the treatment and storage of ancient human remains - by adding:

An online database of all museums in the country reported to be holding human remains;
Improved menus and layout;
Site search;
News and announcements - allowing snippets of information to be communicated as they come to our attention;
RSS Feeds - automatically updating subscribers.

With this new format HAD expects the content to be an even more useful resource for academics, museum professionals, archaeologists and Pagans wishing to engage in the debate.

Founder of Honouring the Ancient Dead (HAD), Emma Restall Orr said, "The debate about how our culture treats human remains is becoming increasingly topical. The Olympic development is excavating thousands of bones, the Manchester Museum has their controversial display of Lindow Man, while current digs at Stonehenge are throwing up new ideas and problems. How we treat human remains reveals much about us as a society - human remains are not objects to to be stored, studied and displayed; they are the bodies of our ancestors. Ideally, where appropriate, we would like to see them given a sacred re-burial. At the very least, we are campaigning to ensure all remains receive appropriate care from all those involved in their unearthing, studying, storing and display. Such growing interest makes HAD's work ever more valuable".

HAD was originally created in response to concerns expressed by the modern British Pagan community following the perpetually debated plans to divert the A303 through a tunnel dug beneath Salisbury Plain to protect Stonehenge. Because Pagans consider human remains to be worthy of profound respect - many believe they are sacred - the potential fate of any remains unearthed during excavations causes considerable disquiet. More recent concerns within the Pagan community include this summer’s 'Skeletons: London's buried bones' exhibition by the Wellcome Trust, populated by twenty-six skeletons from The Museum of London’s extensive collection.

HAD now aims to represent the claims of Pagan groups and individuals who are concerned about the care of all ancient human remains in Britain, ensuring the Pagan community is included in consultation and decision-making processes. HAD is also interested in the issue of reburial and repatriation of human remains within Britain. The group is currently seeking to repatriate Lindow Man, the well-known mummified corpse dug from a peat barrow just south of Manchester in 1984, from his current home in the British Museum to the north of England.

"We are not claiming ownership of ancient remains," says Emma Restall Orr. "Our point is that these people are not objects for scientific research or entertainment. Treating them as such depersonalises them and affords them no peace. This inconsiderate treatment of the dead reflects badly on us, the living."

Honouring the Ancient Dead is a British network organisation set up to advocate for ancient pagan human remains and related artefacts. HAD's main aim is to represent the claims of Pagan groups and individuals who are concerned about the care of ancient human remains in Britain, ensuring inclusion in any consultation and decision-making processes. Key areas of interest are how archaeologists, museums and government departments care for ancient human remains, through exhumation, study, storage and display, with a parallel focus on issues of repatriation (within Britain) and reburial.

For further details on HAD, visit www.honour.org.uk.

Samhain 2008 Quarterly Newsletter

Oaklore — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 13:05:52 -0500

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Quarterly Newsletter

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The TDN Quarterly Newsletter for Samhain 2008 is now online for members.

Apologies for the delay. The publication was put on hold so that a statement on forthcoming changes at TDN (pages one and two) could be included.

Cor Gawr Gorsedd Midwinter Tickets now available

Firevixen — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 11:06:41 -0400

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Gorsedd of Bards of Cor Gawr - Gorsedd Beirdd Côr y Cewri

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Tickets for the Midwinter 2008 gathering of the Gorsedd of Cor Gawr at Stonehenge are now available to Druid Network members.

http://druidnetwork.org/en/sacredsites/stonehenge/corgawr/index.html#mid...

Tickets will be available to non-members from 1st November 2008, subject to avauilablility. Please order your requirements as soon as possible (maximum 6 tickets per application). See above link for further details.

Christine Cleere
Gorsedd of Cor Gawr Lead Priest

Affiliated Groups and Groves Newsletter

Cloudberry — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 17:44:04 -0400

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The Autumn Equinox Newsletter is now available HERE

Welcome for end to quarry wrangle on Stanton Moor

Phil Ryder — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 07:31:36 -0400

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The Peak District National Park Authority is delighted to have achieved a final agreement to save a historic Peak District moor from the re-activation of a dormant quarry.

FULL ARTICLE HERE

Police offer £40,000 to animal rights protesters

Phil Ryder — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 02:34:58 -0400

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Compensation for activists prevented from attending demonstration

By Cahal Milmo and Kate Mead
Thursday, 25 September 2008

FULL ARTICLE HERE

Mark Townsend interview on Druidry and Christianity (external link)

bish — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 13:04:17 -0400

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"Mark Townsend is, in his own words, ‘a confused bugger’. He is both a priest of the Church of England and member of the Magic Circle, and sees both roles as essentially to do with evoking the priest-ess / magician within those whom he has the privilege of meeting. He has performed in front of such diverse groups as Massai Warriors and retried Roman Catholic Nuns, and leads retreats that combine magic and spirituality. Mark has also had many of his original magical stories and magic effects published, some of which he has performed on television.

More recently Mark has become a traveller on the Druidic path and is a member of both TDN and OBOD. As the interview will show he has, over the last few years, developed a deep appreciation for the spirituality of nature and the divine feminine. One of his books was conceived (and partially) written within a forest – which he calls his true cathedral. Mark has had three books published so far, all of which combine the two elements of magic and spirituality. He is now busy working on a fourth, which will included a dozen or so real life stories of modern day Druids."

As he says "The first bit takes a while to get going (and I waffle for a while about my over-zealous Christian past) but if you can get past that you might find it a bit of fun."

http://www.conscious.tv/psychology.html

Click on "Magic" then select the video 'The Gsopel of Falling Down'

Dig pinpoints Stonehenge origins

Phil Ryder — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 17:06:15 -0400

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Archaeologists have pinpointed the construction of Stonehenge to 2300BC - a key step to discovering how and why the mysterious edifice was built.

BBC 21/9/008

Full Story Here

UN threatens to act against Britain for failure to protect heritage sites

Phil Ryder — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 08:40:36 -0400

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The UN is threatening to put the Tower of London on its list of world heritage sites in danger after its experts accused the UK of damaging globally significant sites such as Stonehenge, the old town of Edinburgh and the Georgian centre of Bath, the Guardian has learned.

Unesco, the UN's cultural agency, has told ministers in London and Edinburgh that it wants urgent action to protect seven world heritage sites which it claims are in danger from building developments, and said in some cases the UK is ignoring its legal obligations to protect them.

Full article - http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/2008/sep/08/heritage.conservation

Staff Changes

Bobcat — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 16:08:47 -0400

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Legacy - Staff Changes October 2008

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We're pleased to have Chris Hurst taking over the Book and CD Reviews, albeit sad to see Hawthorn leave the role. Very many thanks to Hawthorn for all the work she's done over the past few years. Blessings!

Summer Camp Break

David Orr — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 16:56:28 -0400

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The annual Druid Camp has come round again. Many key contributors to the site will be there from tomorrow onwards up until Monday 4th August.

Do feel free to get in touch during that time, but please don't expect a response until a day or two after the camp has ended.

Thanks in advance for your patience.

Lammas 2008 newsletter

Oaklore — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 06:48:43 -0400

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Quarterly Newsletter

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The TDN Quarterly Newsletter for Lammas/Lughnasadh 2008 is now online for members.

Kevan Manwaring's latest book reviewed

Hawthorn — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 13:59:27 -0400

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Book Reviews

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Kevan Manwaring's latest book, Lost Islands, reviewed by Bobcat here