Salem needs a new museum to explore its witch-trial past
OCTOBER HAS a special significance in Salem, where the month-long Haunted Happenings is the nation’s leading celebration of Halloween. It’s a unique event, combining everything from ethnic dance presentations to demonstrations by the city’s psychic community and followers of Wicca, to such family fare as haunted houses and fireworks. Read full story from boston.com

Victorian book proves Old wives aren’t all witchcraft and wizardry
First published in 1856 ‘Enquire Within Upon Everything’ was a how-to book for domestic life, first published in 1856 by Houlston and Sons of Paternoster Square. The book was a top-seller in its day, and was regularly updated with an encyclopedic collection of cheap and straight-to-hand remedies using day to day items found in an average house of the 1800’s (and latterly the 1900’s; its last edition was printed in 1976). Read full story from entertainment.stv.tv

Shamanism: Spirits in the valley
The cultural heritage of pre-Islamic philosophy and mythology is so interwoven into the mountainous Gilgit-Baltistan that strands of it survive to this day. Religions born of their environments, the influence of centuries of Shamanism, Buddhism, Baoism and Zartosht are seen most clearly in their interaction with nature, where the word worship can be interchanged with respect for and love of. Read full story from tribune.com.pk

Media needs to stop enabling stigmas
The Senate is on the verge of change as 37 of the 100 Senate seats are up for election in November. However, one candidate for the senate in Delaware is causing quite a stir. Tea party favored Christine O’Donnell caused an upset when she became the GOP Senate candidate after the primaries. Though I disagree with everything the tea party stands for, my issue with O’Donnell does not revolve around her party affiliations, but rather her idiotic comments. Read full story from understatesman.com

A Jacksonville witch explains what witches are - and aren’t
Delaware’s U.S. Senate candidate Christine O’Donnell created a stir by declaring, in a televised political ad, that she is not a witch.

While meant to ease the concerns of evangelicals over reports of her interest in witchcraft many years ago, the ad has offended real witches by implying they are evil, says Jacksonville’s Judith “Holly” Charland. Read full story from jacksonville.com

Honhongva: Take back Columbus Day
Indigenous Peoples’ Day commemorates the resilience of indigenous peoples worldwide, throughout campaigns of exploitation, prejudice, and outright genocide. But this year, you might know it as something different: the 518th anniversary of Christopher Columbus’ landing in San Salvador. Columbus Day glorifies a history of injustice and historical fallacy; Indigenous Peoples’ Day is a chance to reevaluate. Even Yale, a bastion of progressivism, only employs two American Indian professors among nearly 3,000 faculty members. Read full story from yaledailynews.com

Man stabbed in arms by friends who wanted to suck his blood
CHANDLER, Ariz. – Police say a man was stabbed for refusing to let two of his friends suck his blood.

Aaron Homer, 24, and Amanda Williamson, 21, are reportedly into “vampire stuff” and “paganism.” Read full story from azfamily.com

Halloween boo-ted by one day
CALGARY - Sweet-toothed little creatures of the night won’t have to wait as long to sink their fangs into treats in at least one southern Alberta town.

My Take: So who are the Druids, anyway?
The Druids have hit the headlines in the recent days because religious charity status has been granted in the UK to The Druid Network – a group set up to foster Druid values and projects. Read full story from cnn.com

Priest fears Masonic ‘witchcraft’
A Christian minister in Carterton is objecting to a Masonic Lodge being used for a temporary library because he considers it connected to witchcraft. Read full story from time-age.co.nz

Shamans and sorcerors booted off Russian TV
Having a sixth sense will no longer be enough to advertise legally – from now on only a license will allow fortune tellers, faith healers, magicians and shamans to practice.

Anyone who wants to use their traditional or occult gifts to promote a business will be forced to get a licence – and it’s up to the media to check out the credentials of their clients. Read full story from mn.ru

Darwen man wins Druid campaign
Phil Ryder, of Richmond Terrace, led the campaign as chairman of the trustees of the Druid Network, a nationwide fraternity of followers of the Pagan practice. Read full story from Read full story from lancashiretelegraph.co.uk

Druids recognized as religion for first time in UK
LONDON – Druids have been worshipping the sun and earth for thousands of years in Europe, but now they can say they’re practicing an officially recognized religion. Read full story from news.yahoo.com

Justice Department debuts streamlined tribal grants
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Justice has awarded a round of new funding under the “Coordinated Tribal Assistance Solicitation Grants” banner to hundreds of tribes with the intent of improving the safety of tribal citizens. Read full story from indiancountrytoday.com

Pagan beliefs differ, share common ground
When asked exactly what Paganism is, Jenny Nguyen ‘14 of the Vassar Pagan Circle (VPC) sits in awkward silence, then says, “I don’t really know what Paganism is, but whenever I think about it I think of like a ritual circle and a fire.” Members of the VPC have only a slightly clearer understanding of what Paganism is. “That’s a question that no one can answer…The closest thing we can do is tell you what we aren’t,” Aaron Fagan ‘11 laughs. Paganism is not Abrahamic [Judeochristian], and most branches are polytheistic. Some modern religions have aspects in common with Paganism, but they are not considered Pagan because they do not view themselves as such. A common theme in Paganism is an oppressed or largely extinguished viewpoint, such as Greco-Roman religion or Druidism, being revived in a modern context. As such, there is a tendency for Pagan or neo-Pagan religions to be ostracized from mainstream society and viewed as archaic. These are all the general facts that can be summed up about Paganism in general, as the numerous branches vary widely. For such a small group, Vassar’s Pagan Circle-or VPO, the O standing in for a pentacle, or star inscribed by a circle-represents a surprisingly diverse array of viewpoints. Erin Clarke ‘11 and David March ‘14 are two Wiccans with radically different opinions on almost every issue; Fagan follows a Celtic tradition dedicated to the goddess Brighid, and Lilu is an atheist who has joined nearly every religious group on campus while considering a correlate sequence in religious studies. Read full story from miscellaneousnews.com

Accuser’s message for Bishop Eddie Long: ‘You are a monster’
(CNN) – One of the young men who has accused a Georgia pastor of sexual coercion told Atlanta television station WAGA that he wanted to send a message to Bishop Eddie Long: “You are not a man. You are a monster.” Read full story from cnn.com

Pagan pride
AUGUSTA, GA - Augusta’s second annual Pagan Pride Day will afford Pagans and non-Pagans alike an opportunity to learn about this fast-growing religion. Read full story from metrospirit.com