Co-founder of the The British Visionary Artists Group, Neil Geddes-Ward is an extraordinary Pagan artist who has helped to establish what is now known as Pagan and Visionary Art.

His work has been displayed at The Centre For Pagan Studies and he was commissioned by The Rollright Trust to create a work from the Neolithic sites in Oxfordshire. Book illustrations and his own book of art entitled Faeriecraft: Treading the Path of Faerie Magic with his wife Alicen have cemented his work in the landscape of our century’s influential Pagan artists.

Neil and his wife, Alicen have also founded the Orkney Faerie Museum and Gallery in Skelwick, Westray.

Pagan tradition is still celebrated in Killorglin, County Kerry Ireland during Puck Fair. Officially, since 1610 there has been a goat-fawning festival where the best goat is crowned King Puck and paraded through the streets.

Before the goat festival can begin, the local men of Killorglin go hunting through McGillycuddy's Reeks to search the woods for the next King Puck. Bare handed they manage to capture one of the best of the male wild goats to bring back down to the town. Any injuries the men may incur are seen as badges of honor for hunting down the goat. The local women in turn, compete to become Queen Puck while the men are away. The women who wish to earn the crown must write essays and pass the interview process where they must explain why they deserve to be the Queen of Puck.

Once the men have chosen the goat, they parade the animal through the streets on Gathering Day. The goat is then placed on a platform where the Queen of Puck reads to the townsfolk from the Puck Proclamation and crowns her King Puck. Three days of feasting follow as King Puck watches over his subjects from the top of the platform.

The Puck Fair is held every year in August in Killorglin. If you’d like more information about this year’s event click here: www.puckfaire.ie

Last week, Kathy Lee Gifford in an effort to try and be witty enough to keep her career going said something not all that surprising about Pagan's in general. On a mini-segment of the Today show, where she was hosting a wedding quiz the following question came up:

Why do you wear your wedding band on your left hand finger?
a. More people use their right hand to write.
b. Egyptians believed that finger follows the vein of Love.
c. Pagans believed it was bad luck to carry metal on your right
side.

Now, the question above is not the cause of the outraged Pagan influx of e-mails continuing to flood my inbox; it was her commentary as she read the answers off that set the whole issue a flame. Kathy Lee said: ""The Pagans, the nasty, bad, Pagans, believed it was bad luck to carry metal on your right side." That's all she said. You can watch the full clip here: http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/25368216#25368216

Since then there has been an outcry for justice in the Pagan community. A petition has gone up, boycotts have been called for and even some Pagan political organizations (of which I am a member, so I cannot disclose what was said) have called for action to make this a political statement on the unfairness of how Paganism is seen in our country.

I can understand the out cry, however I do not believe that this is boycott or full on protest worthy event. Should we as a community take the overbearing actions of the Religious Right and bombard media outlets all that would do, would be to bring us down to the same level as those who have done so before.

I believe that as a community we need to pick our battles and not jump on the outrage bandwagon the second someone doesn’t give our beliefs the respect that we think that they should. There are more important and more pressing issues to be dealt with in the Pagan community that deserve more attention than one public figures apparent ignorance. Kathy Lee has no power other than being on TV and that is it. She has no political influence; she does not take part in the law making process and has no idea that there is a big bad world outside of her cocooned lifestyle of self-importance.

So, please... let this one go by and turn your attention to issues that actually deserve it.

The Crystal Cauldron and their HP Sandra Davies wanted to set up the first recognized Wiccan Temple in the United Kingdom. Sandra even petitioned the government to get allowance for the temple where her shop is located in Reddish.

Unfortunately, the Home Office sent Sandra a rejection letter letting them know that their application for temple status had been denied. The reasoning for denial wasn’t based on having the temple in her shop but based on not recognizing Wicca as a religion. The Home Office believes that per the Places of Worship Act of 1855 that Wicca does not worship a supreme being and is therefore not a legitimate religion.

When I first heard about the denial, I thought that maybe it was due to the temple being in the same location as a business which turned out not to be the case.

Click here to watch the news report.