Around Circle Sanctuary

Finally, after a decade-long struggle that included three federal lawsuits, the US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) added the Pentacle to its list of emblems that can be included on the veteran gravestones it issues. This victory resulted from the April 20, 2007 settlement of our Circle Sanctuary vs. Nicholson lawsuit brought by Americans United for Separation of Church and State in our behalf against the VA in the US District Court of Western Wisconsin.

Within weeks following our victory, we received several VA-issued gravestones with pentacles to honor deceased Wiccan veterans whose cremains are interred at Circle Cemetery at our headquarters. We set and dedicated three gravestones with pentacles on Memorial Day in a public ceremony attended by the widows of the veterans, Pagans of many paths, local townspeople, and the media.

To commemorate and document this important Pagan religious freedom victory, we have included a special section with a variety of reports and photos in this issue. Additional information is archived on-line: www.circlesanctuary.org/liberty/veteranpentacle, including links to some of the media coverage.

The Quest victory consumed much of our center’s resources and most of my personal attention for the past two years, plus disrupted the publication of our magazine, led to the suspending of our monthly study groups, and caused considerable financial loss and staff stress, among other things. We appreciate the spiritual and financial support we received during this difficult time – your help made it possible for us to keep operating and achieve victory.

Now that the Quest has met with success, we are regrouping as well as resuming work on various endeavors, including the publication of this magazine.

MAGAZINE: We decided to skip the Summer issue of our magazine in order to return to our regular pattern of seasonal publication. We have extended subscriptions by one issue for subscribers who would have received that issue had it been published. In addition, we have adjusted our sequence of upcoming forum topics.

STAFF OPENING: We are expanding our staff with the addition of a new Communications Editor position in our office. Please help us get the word out about this new position. The person we select will join our editorial team, which presently includes Georgette, Skya, Kia, and me.

PSG: This year’s Pagan Spirit Gathering went very well and was our largest ever, with nearly 1000 participants. Some writings and photos from this year’s PSG are included in this issue. We already have begun work on PSG 2008, which will be held June 15-22 at Wisteria in Ohio.

LAND: In July, we renovated and expanded our Faery Shrine area, and at our Green Spirit Festival at Lughnassad, Peggy guided youth in the making of Faery houses, which now are part of this sacred site. Also at Green Spirit, Joey did some additional work on our Spiral Labyrinth and guided a magical divination rite under the Full Moon at the festival. We are expanding our Sacred Fire Circle area in preparation for the shamanic retreat that will be held there on the upcoming Labor Day weekend. In addition, we have resumed work on our Cemetery expansion project, including the creation of an additional road to give better access for vehicles transporting those with mobility challenges.

CYBER SERVICES: Our web presence is continuing to expand thanks to breeze, Aspen, and Michelle. We now have a PSG feedback form on-line and an additional e-bulletin list for Pagan News Media. This Summer, we also added discussion lists – one for those in our ministers training program and another for those who are part of our festival staff.

UPCOMING EVENTS: We hope that you will join us for one or more of our upcoming festivals, classes, and other events. To stay informed, join our Circle Times e-bulletin list – sign up on-line or by contacting the Circle Office.

Bright Blessings,
Selena

Rev. Selena Fox
Executive Director & Senior Minister
Circle Sanctuary