Medicinal Monday – Chamomile Tea

January 23rd, 2012 by sivodd

Chamomile Tea

Chamomile is one of the most widely used flowers and effective medicinal teas known. The gentle action of this herb makes it suitable for children and adults, and can be safely used on a regular basis. It is widely used for stomachaches, insomnia, sore throats, cramps and teething children. Matricaria recutita, or German chamomile contains the highest concentration of the essential oils responsible for giving chamomile its healing power. The medicinal use of chamomile dates back to the Romans, who relied on its antispasmodic and anti-inflammatory properties. It is also said that the Egyptians dedicated Chamomile to their sun god and valued it over all other herbs for its healing qualities. Except for the small risk of allergy, Chamomile is one of the safest herbs to use.


Photo by Justin and Elise

Preparation of Tea:

  • In a teapot, place 1 tsp. of chamomile flowers per cup of water.
  • Boil the water, then let it cool slightly (using boiling water will cause the various therapeutic compounds in chamomile to evaporate).
  • For best results, steep the tea less than 5 min.

Therapeutic Effect:

  • The healing effect of chamomile is primarily due to the chamazulene and alpha-bisabolol in its essential oil.
  • Chamomile has analgesic, anti-inflammatory, antispasmodic and antibacterial effects.
  • It calm the nerves and induces sleep.
  • Chamomile tea can be used in healing compresses or added to bathwater.

For treatment of gastric problems:

  • The essential oils in chamomile combined with other ingredients, such as sulfur and calcium, help relieve gastrointestinal inflammation.
  • To ease pain and stimulate the digestion, drink 3 or 4 cups of freshly prepared tea daily for a period of several weeks.

For relief of intestinal cramps:

  • The flavonoids in chamomile tea can prevent gas and relieve cramps.
  • For menstrual cramps, a chamomile tincture is better because its flavonoid concentration is a third higher than that of the tea.

Medicinal Uses:

For eye problems:
A Chamomile tea compresses helps relieve eye pain, eye strain and eyelid inflammation.

  • Soak 2 cotton pads in lukewarm tea and place them on the eyes for a few minutes.

Warning: Strain the tea thoroughly to remove any pieces of chamomile flower.

For inflammation, restlessness and insomnia:
A chamomile tea bath provides quick relief from skin inflammations, restlessness and insomnia.

  • Add 1 qt. of chamomile tea to a bathtub full of warm water.
  • For insomnia, take the bath before bedtime.

For menstrual cramps:
A chamomile tincture can alleviate menstrual cramps.

  • Add 2/3 oz. of chamomile flowers to 1 ½ oz. of 100 proof alcohol and let it steep for 1 week.
  • Strain and store in a dark vial.
  • Take 10 drops in a glass of water.

For flu and cough:
The germicidal effect of a chamomile vapor helps destroy the germs that cause flu and alleviates coughing.

  • Pour 2 qt. of hot water over 2 cups of chamomile flowers.
  • Cover your head with a towel and inhale the vapors.

Warning: Do not use if you suffer from cardiovascular disease.

Healing Tea mixtures:

For gastric complaints:

  • 1 oz. chamomile
  • 2/3 oz peppermint
  • 1 oz. caraway seeds
  • 2/3 oz. angelica

Use 1 tsp. of the mixture per cup of hot water. Steep the mixture 10 min and strain. This soothes the gastro intestinal tract and stimulates digestive activiy, making it useful for stomachaches or a too full feeling.

For Cystitis:

  • 1 oz. chamomile
  • 1 oz. yarrow
  • 1 oz. sage

Use 1 tsp. of the mixture per cup of hot water. Steep the mixture 5 min and strain. The anti-inflammatory components relieve bladder pain and urinary discomfort. Drink as much as you wish daily until the inflammation has healed.

For skin problems

  • 1 oz. chamomile
  • 1 oz. dandelion
  • 2/3 oz. fennel

Use 1 tsp. of the mixture per cup of hot water. Steep 5-10 min and strain. This medicinal tea blend stimulates metabolic activity, which helps promote the healing of inflammatory skin conditions, such as abscesses, boils and acne.

Warning: Chamomile has been known to cause allergic reactions in people who are allergic to ragweed or other members of the daisy family.

References:

  • The Complete Guide To Natural Healing

Note: Consult with a Physician or certified herbologist if you are seeking medical remedies. The information is not intended as medical advice. PagansWorld.org is not liable for the misuse of the herb listed above.

Thanks for stopping by! Well wishes to you all and have a great day!

Lisa

News & Submissions 1/19/2012

January 19th, 2012 by sivodd

Religion:

Pagan mom challenges Bible giveaway at North Carolina school
WEAVERVILLE, N.C. –  A pagan mother’s challenge to the distribution of donated Bibles at a local school has prompted the Buncombe County Board of Education to reevaluate its policies regarding religious texts.

Ginger Strivelli, who practices Witchcraft, a form of Paganism, said she was upset when her 12-year-old son [who did not wish to be photographed for this article] came home from North Windy Ridge intermediate school with a Bible.

The Gideons International had delivered several boxes of the sacred books to the school office. The staff allowed interested students to stop by and pick them up. Read full story from foxnews.com

More about Pendulum dowsing
We look at this anicent method, which was used by the Romans, Greeks and also by Nostradamus to predict the future Melissa D’costa

The practice of pendulum dowsing is not a new phenomenon and dates back to the anicent Romans and Greeks who used it to predict the future. It is said that ‘scrying’ (another word for dowsing or divination) was a common practice during that time and was even used by Nostradamus. Read full story from indiatimes.com

Finding spirituality through shamanism
In this fast-paced world, many seek deeper peace through spirituality, meditation and religious devotion. For some, a course on shamanism offered by the anthropology department can expand spiritual knowledge. Bonnie Glass-Coffin, an anthropology professor, teaches such courses, including cultural anthropology, spirit and health, and shamanism.

Glass-Coffin said a survey was taken by the Higher Education Research Institute (HERI) in 2004 in which freshmen from public and private institutions were asked if they were religious or spiritual and if they considered this aspect to be a significant part of their lives. Read full story from usustatesman.com

Media:

Why’s religion so big in American politics? (Source: CNN)

Infrared Image Shows Helix Nebula in Fresh Light
The nearby Helix nebula just received the piercing infrared gaze of a giant telescope in Chile, and the resulting image reveals cold gas normally hidden among warmer star-lit material.

Helix’s central star once resembled the Sun, but its outer layers of gas and dust sloughed off. The resulting planetary nebula, located some 700 light-years from Earth, is what telescopes now see. Read full story from wired.com

Is this the ghost of Princess Diana or an optical illusion? (Source: YouTube – ITN News)

Blogspot:

News & Submissions 1/17/2012

January 17th, 2012 by sivodd

News:

Witchcraft trial hears how tortured boy drowned
A teenage boy allegedly tortured and killed because his attackers believed he was practising witchcraft struggled to get out of the bath where he was drowned but had no strength left, a court has heard.

The Old Bailey watched video footage of police interviews with the brother of 15-year-old Kristy Bamu – who cannot be named for legal reasons – carried out the day after Kristy was allegedly killed by Eric Bikubi and Magalie Bamu, both 28, because they believed he was a sorcerer.

Kristy was found dead in the bathroom of a blood-covered flat in Forest Gate, east London, on Christmas Day 2010. He had 101 injuries and was covered in deep cuts and bruising allegedly administered by an “armoury” of weapons. Read full story from guardian.co.uk

Shakespeare and Native American Authors Among Those Banned from Tucson Schools
As part of its compliance with a state ban on ethnic studies, the Tucson Unified School District has banned its Mexican American Studies program and a number of books including The Tempest by William Shakespeare and Rethinking Columbus: The Next 500 Years, which includes pieces by various Native American authors including Suzan Shown Harjo, Buffy Sainte-Marie, Joseph Bruchac, Leslie Marmon Silko and Winona LaDuke.

“By ordering teachers to remove Rethinking Columbus, the Tucson school district has shown tremendous disrespect for teachers and students,” said the book’s editor Bill Bigelow. “It offers teaching strategies and readings that teachers can use to help students think about the perspectives that are too often silenced in the traditional curriculum.” Read full story from indiancountrytodaymedianetwork

Thindwa’s ASH launches fight against recognition of witchcraft
BLANTYRE: The Association for Secular Humanism (ASH) says it has formed a task force to ensure that Malawi  “continues not to recognise witchcraft despite some quarter’s desire that our law should be reviewed to recognise witchcraft.”

In a statement made available to MaraPost, ASH said it  “considers any moves calling for recognition of witchcraft as retrogressive and unconstitutional and not in line with modern and democratic principles.” Read full story from maravipost.com

Science/Environment:

Lost Charles Darwin fossils rediscovered in cabinet
A “treasure trove” of fossils – including some collected by Charles Darwin – has been re-discovered in an old cabinet.

The fossils, lost for some 165 years, were found by chance in the vaults of the British Geological Survey HQ near Keyworth, UK.

They have now been photographed and are available to the public through a new online museum exhibit released today. Read full story from bbc.co.uk

Incredible New View of Eagle Nebula’s ‘Pillars of Creation’
The European Space Agency’s Herschel space telescope has captured this gorgeous new view of the famed Eagle Nebula.

The Eagle Nebula, located 6,500 light-years away in the constellation Serpens, is visible as a fuzzy red spot to backyard astronomers with a modest telescope.

In 1995, NASA’s Hubble space telescope captured a famous image of one region within the Eagle Nebula: a star-forming cluster named NGC6611, known as the “Pillars of Creation.” Light and heat from young stars carved out the iconic pillars, which are each several trillion miles long. Read full story from wired.com

One Of World’s Oldest Cypress Trees, ‘The Senator,’ Burns In Florida
Investigators are now saying arson was not the likely cause of a fire that on Monday destroyed a cypress tree in Central Florida that was an estimated 3,500 years old — making it perhaps the oldest such tree in the nation and one of the oldest in the world.

Known as “The Senator,” the tree that once stood 165 feet tall (before a hurricane lopped off about 45 feet in 1925) was more likely brought down by a fire that had been smoldering inside it — without being detected — since a lightning strike about a week ago, investigators say. Read full story from npr.com

Media:

Q&A with Joe Berlinger, Director of West Memphis Three Documentary
In 1993 acclaimed director Joe Berlinger arrived in West Memphis, Arkansas, a community still in shock after three eight-year-old boys disappeared, then were found dead in a nearby ravine. Facing a public that was both enraged and afraid, police scrambled to make an arrest. Soon three local teens—Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley—found themselves in court, accused of the murders.

With no physical evidence linking the teens to the crime, prosecutors pointed to their black clothing and interest in heavy metal music, indications, they said, that the teens had formed a devil-worshipping cult and, inspired by the full moon, murdered the boys as a sacrifice to evil spirits. Read full story from huffingtonpost.com

SOPA: What’s It All About? A Video Explanation (Source: IndianCountryTodayMediaNetwork)

PROTECT IP / SOPA Breaks The Internet from Fight for the Future on Vimeo.

End of The World 2012 – Has The Time Come To Repent? (source: YouTube – TreVelocita)

Blogspot:

Feel free to leave comments regarding the articles posted.

If you’re interested in guest blogging or would like to submit an article or event, contact me at pagansworld.org@gmail.com.

Thanks for stopping by! Well wishes to you all, have a great day!

Lisa

Friday’s Food For Thought – Hash Brown Quiche

January 13th, 2012 by sivodd

Happy Friday!

I love this recipe, it gives quiche a whole new taste. Hubs does NOT like quiche, but fell in love with it. Enjoy, and let me know what you think if you get a chance to make it.

Hash Brown Quiche


Prep time: 34 minutes
Baking time: 25 to 30 minutes
Servings: 6 to 8

Ingredients:

  • 3 cups frozen shredded hash brown potatoes, thawed
  • 4 tablespoons butter, melted
  • 1 1/2 cup chopped cooked ham
  • 1 1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
  • 1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper
  • 4 large eggs
  • 3/4 cup milk
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Preparation:

  • Preheat the oven to 425ºF.
  • Press hash browns between paper towels to remove excess moisture. Press onto bottom and sides of an 8-inch pie plate. Drizzle with butter. Bake for 25 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350ºF.
  • Combine ham, Cheddar and bell pepper in a medium bowl and mix well. Spoon into the hash brown crust.
  • Beat eggs in a small bowl. Add milk, salt and black pepper and mix well.
  • Pour egg mixture over ham mixture. Bake until set, about 25 to 30 minutes. (I like to broil it for about a minute when done)
  • Variation: Add 1/4 cup finely chopped onion to the ham mixture.

Tip: To double the recipe, use a 13 × 9-inch baking dish. Press the potatoes into the baking dish as directed, then mixed and baked the quiche according to the recipe. Sprinkle with parsley if desired.

Enjoy! Have a great weekend!

Lisa

A Question About Your Magical Path…

January 12th, 2012 by sivodd

Happy Thursday friends! I have a question for you all today about your path.

I realize we all follow different paths, I’ve been a witch for quite some time. It wasn’t until 10 years ago I really looked into the spiritual side of it. I started reading up on Wicca and the different paths, still never found one that suited me. I consider myself an eclectic witch, and tend to do things my way.

When I was growing up there was no internet, you couldn’t  easily access information on witchcraft, Wicca, Paganism, etc. Of course you could buy books, but I was a crazy teenager and never really cared about anything other than hanging out with friends and partying. Here I am 10 years later searching for more, for something new. That’s not to say I want to be anything other than a witch, I guess I’m on a new journey in my path. It could also have a lot to do with the disability that hit me a couple years ago. My life has changed drastically, I’m not able to get around as much, so I find myself reading a lot. The more I read, the more my views have changed. I’m doing things a lot different these days.

Life is constantly changing and we’re constantly changing as people, so my question to you is:

Did you start on one path and move onto something else. (e.g. Did you start as Wiccan and find yourself elsewhere on your journey?)

Thanks for listening, I hope to hear from some of you.

Blessings, Lisa

Hump Day Herbs – Nettle

January 11th, 2012 by sivodd

Nettle

Botanical Name: Urtica Dioica

Folk Names: Ortiga Ancha, Stinging Nettle


Photo by Anni&John

Nettle, is a perennial herbaceous, native to Europe, Asia, northern Africa, and North America, and is best known as a member of the genus Urtica. It has several hollow stinging hairs called trichomes on its leaves and stems, which act like needles that inject histamine and other chemicals that produce a stinging sensation when in contact with humans and animals.

Nettles have been associated with death and burial customs. During the Bronze Age, burial cloths have been found that were woven of its fibers. In the highlands and the islands of Ireland, people believed that nettle grew from the bodies of the dead. The Welsh believed, if fresh Nettles were put under the pillow of a sick person and stayed green, the person would live, if they turned yellow, that person would die. In Denmark, people thought that nettles grew from the blood of innocent victims.

Deity: Thor

Element: Fire (Courage, Exorcism, Health, Lust, Protection, Strength)

Gender: Masculine

Planet: Mars (Courage, Exorcism, Hex Breaking, Lust, Protection, Sexual Potency, Strength)

Powers: Consecration, Exorcism, Healing, Lust, Protection

Medicinal Uses: Stinging Nettle have been used for hundreds of years to treat painful muscles and joints, eczema, arthritis, gout, and anemia. Today, many people use it to treat urinary problems during the early stages of an enlarged prostate (called benign prostatic hyperplasia or BPH), for urinary tract infections, for hay fever (allergic rhinitis), or in compresses or creams for treating joint pain, sprains and strains, tendonitis, and insect bites.

Magical Uses: Brooms made of Nettle are used to sweep out evil and send it back. To remove a curse and send it back, stuff a poppet with Nettle or carry it in a sachet. For healing power, pluck a Nettle up by it’s roots and recite the name of the sick person and his/her parents. Place Nettle leaves into pockets to be safe from lighting. If dry leaves are placed into shoes, it will keep evil from leading one to harmful places. Sprinkle Nettle around the house to keep evil out and send it back. To avoid avoid danger sprinkle in fire, it can also be carried on one’s hand to ward off ghosts.

Ritual Uses: To consecrate an Athame,  plunge  heated blade into an herbal bath with nettles. In the Kawaiisu tribe, children who wished to study witchcraft had to walk through Nettles as practice. It also played a major role in fishing magick, as it was once used for fishing nets. It would be a great herb for knot magic.

Other Uses: Seeds have been known to be be soaked in water for twenty minutes, then used for a final rinse after shampooing.

Warning: Stinging Nettle should not be used by pregnant women and should never be applied to an open wound.

References:

  • umm.edu
  • Paul Beyerl: A Compendium of Herbal Magick
  • Scott Cunningham: Cunningham’s Encyclopedia of magical herbs

Note: Consult with a Physician or certified herbologist if you are seeking medical remedies. The information is not intended as medical advice. PagansWorld.org is not liable for the misuse of the herb listed above.

Thanks for stopping by! Well wishes to you all and have a great day!

Lisa

News & Submissions 1/10/2012

January 10th, 2012 by sivodd

Arts & Entertainment:

Warner Bros. to adapt ‘Discovery of Witches’
David Auburn is looking for witches and vampires and has come on to adapt Deborah Harkness’ “A Discovery of Witches” for Warner Bros. and producers Denise Di Novi and Allison Greenspan.

Studio acquired the property last summer. Story centers on a reluctant witch and a 1,500-year-old vampire. The witch — a direct descendant of the first woman executed in the Salem Witch trials — accidentally unlocks an enchanted manuscript and finds herself in a race to prevent an interspecies war.

David Auburn is looking for witches and vampires and has come on to adapt Deborah Harkness’ “A Discovery of Witches” for Warner Bros. and producers Denise Di Novi and Allison Greenspan.Studio acquired the property last summer. Story centers on a reluctant witch and a 1,500-year-old vampire. The witch — a direct descendant of the first woman executed in the Salem Witch trials — accidentally unlocks an enchanted manuscript and finds herself in a race to prevent an interspecies war. Read full story from varitey.com

Racing the Rez Documentary Reaches KickStarter Goal!
On New Year’s Eve we posted a story about the incredible documentary Racing the Rez, which was $11,215 shy of of the $15,000 at the time.  A scant nine days later, director Brian Truglio and his team have reached their goal.  There are still three days of fundraising left for the film team to help build up their outreach program.  We reached out to Brian to see how he was feeling, and what comes next.  Here was his response:

The money, of course is, important, and the reason the KickStarter campaign exists, but I’m most blown away by all the support and excitement around the project.  The running community is really something special and unique.  Having Christopher McDougall‘s support means the world to me, it’s unbelievable that a writer and runner who is one of my heroes is supporting Racing the Rez.” Read full story from indiancounrytodaymedianetwork.com

Health:

How Yoga Can Wreck Your Body
On a cold Saturday in early 2009, Glenn Black, a yoga teacher of nearly four decades, whose devoted clientele includes a number of celebrities and prominent gurus, was giving a master class at Sankalpah Yoga in Manhattan. Black is, in many ways, a classic yogi: he studied in Pune, India, at the institute founded by the legendary B. K. S. Iyengar, and spent years in solitude and meditation. He now lives in Rhinebeck, N.Y., and often teaches at the nearby Omega Institute, a New Age emporium spread over nearly 200 acres of woods and gardens. He is known for his rigor and his down-to-earth style. But this was not why I sought him out: Black, I’d been told, was the person to speak with if you wanted to know not about the virtues of yoga but rather about the damage it could do. Many of his regular clients came to him for bodywork or rehabilitation following yoga injuries. This was the situation I found myself in. In my 30s, I had somehow managed to rupture a disk in my lower back and found I could prevent bouts of pain with a selection of yoga postures and abdominal exercises. Then, in 2007, while doing the extended-side-angle pose, a posture hailed as a cure for many diseases, my back gave way. With it went my belief, naïve in retrospect, that yoga was a source only of healing and never harm. Read full story from nytimes.com

News:

Muslim group’s anti-gay leaflet was hate crime, court told
A group of Muslim men publicly distributed a leaflet calling for gay people to be given the death sentence, a court has heard.The pamphlet was entitled The Death Penalty? and showed an image of a mannequin hanging from a noose. It said sodomy was a sin that led to hell, that it used to be punished by hanging, and that people practising and allowing homosexuality would suffer, the court was told.

Five men – Ihjaz Ali, 42, Mehboob Hussain, 45, Umar Javed, 38, Razwan Javed, 27, and Kabir Ahmed, 28, all of Derby – are alleged to have handed out the document outside and near the Jamia mosque in in the city in July 2010, and to have put it through people’s letterboxes in the neighbourhood.

They are accused of stirring up hatred on the grounds of sexual orientation, in the first prosecution of its kind since legislation came into force in March 2010. They deny the charges. Read full story from guardian.co.uk

Sister weeps at ‘witch’ death trial
A young woman broke down in court as she recalled events which led to her teenage brother being tortured to death in east London for being a “witch”.Kelly Bamu, 21, wept as she came face-to-face with her sister Magalie, and her partner Eric Bikubi, both 28, who are accused of killing Kristy, 15.

He was found drowned in a bath at the couple’s flat in Forest Gate on Christmas Day 2010 after being tortured when he was accused of witchcraft by Magalie and Bikubi. The couple deny murder and assaulting Kelly and a younger sister, who were also accused of influencing another child of the family with witchcraft.

The prosecution says Kristy and his two brothers and two sisters were beaten and terrorised for four days. The Old Bailey was told Kristy was tortured with “an armoury of weapons” and had 101 injuries before being placed in the bath of water where he “begged to die”. Read full story from google.com

Media:

Christians Have the Right to Bully Gay Kids (Source: YouTube – OnKneesforjesus4)

Blogspot:

Feel free to leave comments regarding the articles posted.

If you’re interested in guest blogging or would like to submit an article or event, contact me at pagansworld.org@gmail.com.

Thanks for stopping by! Well wishes to you all, have a great day!

Lisa

Medicinal Monday – Wild Strawberry

January 9th, 2012 by sivodd

Wild Strawberry

Botanical Name: Fragaria Vesca

Native Americans used Wild Strawberries in tea for stomach ailments, jaundice and profuse menses, and the botanist Linnaeus is said to have used the wild berries to relive gout. Until recently the plant’s medicinal uses were forgotten. They are also used in love rituals. If a double strawberry is shared with someone, the two will fall in love. The Strawberries are a symbol for Venus, the Goddess of love.


Photo by dnhoshor

Plant fact: Native to North America, Wild Strawberries are a member of the rose family. They grow to about 8 inches high, and begin to develop in June. The berries are very fleshy with an outer skin that contains the plant’s actual fruits, the bard and tiny yellow seeds.

Parts used: The leaves, berries and roots are used for therapeutic purpose. (Keep dried plants parts protected from humidity)

Components:

  • The leaves and roots contain tannin. (which has an astringent action)
  • The leaves are composed of triterpene alcohols, flavonoids, citral (a lemony substance) and traces of essential oils.
  • The berries contain a great amount of vitamin C (60 milligrams per 100 grams fruit), as well as fruit acids and minerals-such as potassium, magnesium, zinc, manganese, calcium and iron.

Indications: Since the leaves provide an astringent action, they can be used to make a tea that reduces inflamed mucous membranes in the mouth. Fresh strawberries, on the other hand, soothe gastritis and are also helpful in curing anemia.

Methods of Administration:

Fresh root decoction:

  • Add 1 gram wild strawberry root parts to about ½ cup of cold water.
  • Heat, and allow to steep for about 30 min.
  • Drink 2 cup daily before meals for diarrhea relief.

Infusion for gargling:

  • Add about ¼ cup of chopped wild strawberry leaves to ½ cup boiling hot water.
  • Step for 30 min.
  • Rinse and gargle several times a day to reduce inflammation of oral mucous membranes.

Infusion:

  • Add about 1/8 oz, of chopped leaves to ½ cup boiling water
  • Steep for approximately 15 min.
  • Three to four cups daily will strengthen the blood.

Soothing bath:

  • Add 2 handful fresh or 1 cup of dried leaves to your bathwater.
  • You’ll find dried leaves at your local natural-food stores.

Poultice:

  • Apply crushed berries to sunburned areas-or other skin inflammations-and cover with a damps cloth.
  • Allow the poultice to work for 10-20 min
  • Gently wash off the berries with warm water.

Tip: The fresh or dried leaves infused in tea offers relief from diarrhea and other digestive upsets.

References:

  • The Complete Guide To Natural Healing

Note: Consult with a Physician if you are seeking medical remedies. The information is not intended as medical advice. PagansWorld.org is not liable for the misuse of the information listed above.

Thanks for stopping by! Well wishes to you all, have a great day!

Lisa

News & Submissions 1/5/2012

January 5th, 2012 by sivodd

Environment:

This is What the U.S. Would Look Like Without Environmental Protections (PHOTOS)
In the early 1970s, an amazing photojournalism project called Documerica captured a polluted nation in the midst of establishing its first major environmental protections. Documerica was sponsored by the fledgling E.P.A., which hoped to document and examine the extent of the country’s environmental troubles. A team of talented photographers was assembled to shoot, in breathtaking, uncompromising detail, the unchecked air pollution, contaminated waterways, hazardous coal mines, and some truly disturbing waste issues across the U.S. Read full story from treehugger.com

News:

New Native American Studies Program in Maryland
To fill an unmet need in Maryland the Community College of Baltimore County (CCBC) at Catonsville recently started offering a Native American Studies program.

According to the program’s coordinator, Stephanie A.L. Molholt, there are currently no Native American Studies programs in the state of Maryland so this one “meets a compelling need.”

She said the program enhances and furthers the school’s mission “by linking CCBC to under-recognized and under-served communities in Maryland and the U.S.” Read full story from indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com

Read more:http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2012/01/05/new-native-american-studies-program-in-maryland-70672 http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2012/01/05/new-native-american-studies-program-in-maryland-70672#ixzz1ibFh0wxe

Firebombs Targeting a Mandir and the Hindu Community in New York
(CHAKRA) A group representing American Hindus (Hindu American Foundation) condemned a series of firebomb attacks that occurred at five separate locations late Sunday night in New York. Four of the firebombs targeted locations in Jamaica, Queens, including a Hindu temple housed within a residential property. This event was broadly ignored by mainstream media outlets and while no damage or injuries resulted from the attack, the temple’s priest, Ramesh Maharaj, who also lives in the house, believed the firebomb was intended to cause significant harm. A security camera outside the temple caught the attack on camera and helped police create a description of the suspect. Ray Lazier Lengend, a 40-year-old New York man of Guyanese descent, was arrested yesterday. Reportedly, he confessed to all five attacks and cited “personal grievances with each location.” Read full story from chakranews.com

Cuba’s Santeria priests predict upheaval, but no end of the world, in 2012
HAVANA — A body of top Afro-Cuban priests is predicting a year of change and upheaval in 2012, but the group says fears the world will end are wrong.

In their annual New Year’s forecast, the priests warned the world could see more earthquakes and increased global warming, and they cautioned that people should also be vigilant against matrimonial discord.

That may not be a very cheery message, but it’s a lot better than the fire-and-brimstone prophecies that that some have attributed to the Maya, whose calendar cycle ends on Dec. 21, 2012. The priests say they see a spiritual end to old things, but not a physical end to the planet. Read full story from washingtonpost.com

Religion:

AFA defends cost of worship area for Pagan cadets
The U.S. Air Force Academy has been taking fire for building an $80,000 Stonehenge -like worship area for a handful of Pagan and Wiccan cadets.

Yet the academy can justify building Falcon Circle for outdoor, earth-centered spirituality — and the price tag, spokesman Don Branum said today.

The $80,000 figure includes $26,500 spent on erosion control on the east side of the hill where Falcon Circle is situated, Branum said.

The academy did spend $51,484 on creating Falcon Circle, dedicated in 2010, for a small group of cadets — only three in Fall 2011 semester — who identify themselves as Pagans.

“The Air Force Academy did it because it’s the right thing to do,” Branum said. Pagan soldiers, he said, also have served and died for their country.

It’s not a waste of money, said Col. Robert Bruno, the academy’s senior chaplain. Read full story from denverpost.com

Reality checks available at Bloomfield library
‘ve been reading a book called “Buddhism Plain and Simple” by Steve Hagen. The early chapters explain that the problem most people have is their failure to pay attention. They feel disconnected from the reality of their own lives.

This is a simple concept, but it’s hard to grasp. Two other books I read last month illustrate that fact clearly. Eric Weiner’s “Man Seeks God: My Flirtations with the Divine” is light and funny. Debbie Nathan’s “Sybil Exposed” is terribly sad.

In many ways, Weiner reminds me of myself. He is a man who lives largely inside his own head. He is also a gastronomic Jew.

I was in college before I realized that the religious observances of my family had more to do with food than faith.

Weiner was a successful writer with a wife and child when agonizing stomach pains sent him to the hospital. While he was waiting for test results, a nurse asked him a chilling question.

“Have you found your God yet?” Read full story from northjersey.com

Media:

Pair On Trial Over Boy’s ‘Witchcraft’ Murder
A 15-year-old boy who died from “unspeakable savagery and brutality” was attacked by relatives who believed he was a sorcerer involved in witchcraft, a court has heard. Read full story from sky.com

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Feel free to leave comments regarding the articles posted.

If you’re interested in guest blogging or would like to submit an article or event, contact me at pagansworld.org@gmail.com.

Thanks for stopping by! Well wishes to you all, have a great day!

Lisa

News & Submissions 1/3/2012

January 3rd, 2012 by sivodd

Headlines:

DC Pagan Community Center Launch (Source: FireFlyAcadamy)

Environment:

Moss Has Cloned Itself for 50,000 Years, Study Says
A moss spreading throughout the Hawaiian Islands (map) appears to be an ancient clone that has copied itself for some 50,000 years—and may be one of the oldest multicellular organisms on Earth, a new study suggests.

The peat moss Sphagnum palustre is found throughout the Northern Hemisphere, but the moss living in Hawaii appears to reproduce only through cloning, without the need for sex or production of spores. Read full story from nationalgeographic.com

News:

ACLU sues library for blocking Wiccan websites
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Eastern Missouri sued a local public library on Tuesday for allegedly blocking websites related to Wicca, a modern pagan religion.

Anaka Hunter of Salem, Mo., said she tried to access websites about Wicca, Native American religions and astrology for her own research, but the library’s filtering software blocked the sites.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Eastern Missouri sued a local public library on Tuesday for allegedly blocking websites related to Wicca, a modern pagan religion.

According to the ACLU, the software labeled the sites as “occult” and “criminal.”  Read full story from thehill.com

Happy Gay Year
In a piece of shameless propaganda, two female sailors were photographed kissing on a dock in front of a U.S. Navy Ship. The headlines read, “Two women share historic kiss at US Navy ship’s return. For the first time since the repeal of ‘don’t ask, don’t tell,’ a same sex couple takes part in a traditional public embrace. A Navy tradition caught up with the repeal of the US military’s ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ rule on Wednesday when two women sailors became the first to share the coveted ‘first kiss’ on the pier after one of them returned from 80 days at sea.”

Having served eight years in the Navy myself, I immediately asked: what Navy tradition is that? The Navy I served in never did any such thing.

American servicemen and women are not just being asked to tolerate this behavior, but are being subjected to “sensitivity training” where they are required to embrace homosexuality or abandon their careers. Meanwhile, homosexuals, transsexuals, and other perverts are being recruited in an effort to drive Christians from service. This abomination has been extended to the rest of government with executive order #13583, directing that homosexuals be given preference for government jobs and contracts. Read full story from rigthsidenews.com

Paranormal:

Reports of “strange lights” & “UFOs” flood in as 2012 hysteria arrives
On a daily basis WeatherWatch.co.nz receives around a handful of eyewitness reports of meteors and other lights in the sky, from nations all over the world.  Some busy days we might get 10 eyewitness reports.  However in the past 24 hours we’ve had almost 80 reports and they are still flooding in at about 10 an hour.

From New Zealand’s Otago Peninsula, to Cape Town, Venezuela to the UK, Australia to North America those ringing in the New Year have seen flashing lights, “floating orbs” and “UFOS”.

WeatherWatch.co.nz weather analyst Philip Duncan puts the dramatic increase in sightings down to a few things.  “Many people around the world have been outside celebrating the New Year.  In the US, where most of the sightings came from, conditions were fairly mild and dry in many areas – so more people were outside to see things.  Finally, it’s 2012, the year the world is supposed to end according to the Mayans and it seems many are already worrying “.Read full story from WeatherWatch.co.nz

Science:

Twin Moon Probes Start New Year by Entering Lunar Orbit
A pair of NASA spacecraft are ringing in the new year in grand style, with both now successfully circling the moon after journeying through space for more than three months.

The Grail-B probe entered lunar orbit today (Jan. 1) after firing its main engine at 5:05 p.m. EST (2205 GMT) in a 40-minute-long orbital-insertion burn, NASA officials said. It joins its twin spacecraft, Grail-A, which arrived at the moon yesterday evening (Dec. 31) after completing a similar maneuver.

The two probes are on a mission to study Earth’s nearest neighbor from crust to core. After gradually circling down to super-low orbits, the pair will zip around the moon in tandem, working together to map the lunar gravity field in unprecedented detail, researchers said. Read full story from scientificamerican.com

Blogspot:

Feel free to leave comments regarding the articles posted.

If you’re interested in guest blogging or would like to submit an article or event, contact me at pagansworld.org@gmail.com.

Thanks for stopping by! Well wishes to you all, have a great day!

Lisa