Posts Tagged ‘Pagan’

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News & Submission 4/6/2010

Tuesday, April 6th, 2010

BREAKING NEWS: Former Cherokee Nation Chief Wilma Mankiller dies
TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – Former Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Wilma Mankiller died in the morning hours of April 6 at her home in rural Adair County, Cherokee Nation officials confirmed to the Cherokee Phoenix. Read full story from cherokeephoenix.org

April is Disaster Preparedness Month
There’s a reason April is Disaster Preparedness Month: hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, floods, drought, wildfires, disease outbreaks. Are you ready for the unexpected? Read full story from indiancountrytoday.com

Cherokee Nation honors three veterans during March council
TAHLEQUAH, Okla. — The Cherokee Nation honored three veterans during its March tribal council meeting, held in Tahlequah. Among them, their careers represent nearly 50 years of service in three separate branches of the military. Read full story from indiancountrytoday.com

Witchcraft: affliction or religion?
A Nigerian cleric, Bawa Madaki, was recently arrested and charged with child trafficking. He is accused of exploiting 23 children between the ages of 5 and 20 he claims were brought to him for deliverance from witchcraft. The cleric says Jesus appeared to him on 25 June 2004 and blessed him with the powers to “cure witchcraft”. Read full story from newstime.co.za

Witch-hunts then – and now
Anyone who thinks that witchcraft belongs only to our past and imaginations should think again. Tens of thousands of people were executed as diabolists between the 15th and 18th centuries, an episode that for many signifies an age of ignorance and intolerance from which the Enlightenment saved us. There’s some truth in this. And yet much of the world still believes in witches, their supernatural powers and malevolent intentions. And all too often the accused are abused and ostracised, or tortured and killed. Read full story from guardian.co.uk

Pagan club Gaia’s Titans brings religious diversity to campus
“An it harm none, do as you will,” is the golden rule of the Wiccan faith, said Hayley Arrington, 25, anthropology major and founder of Gaia’s Titans, the on-campus Wiccan/Pagan club.

Paganism and Wicca are both Earth-based religions, Arrington said. Wicca specifically involves goddesses, Witchcraft, “magick” and following the rules of karma, she added. Read full story from dailytitan.com

New Exhibition Explodes Myth of SS Castle Wewelsburg
Wewelsburg Castle, once a pseudo-religious sanctum for Hitler’s SS, has been shrouded in mystery since 1945. Its echoing crypt and mysterious occult symbols have spawned fantasies of pagan, torch-lit ceremonies held by the murderous brotherhood. A new exhibition at the site aims to dispel such myths — and reflects Germany’s new approach towards explaining its darkest places. Read full story from spiegel.de

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News & Submissions 4/3/2010

Saturday, April 3rd, 2010

The pagan roots of Easter
Easter is a pagan festival. If Easter isn’t really about Jesus, then what is it about? Today, we see a secular culture celebrating the spring equinox, whilst religious culture celebrates the resurrection. However, early Christianity made a pragmatic acceptance of ancient pagan practises, most of which we enjoy today at Easter. The general symbolic story of the death of the son (sun) on a cross (the constellation of the Southern Cross) and his rebirth, overcoming the powers of darkness, was a well worn story in the ancient world. There were plenty of parallel, rival resurrected saviours too. Read full story from guardian.co.uk

Old children’s book takes a look at the symbols of Easter
Even the cross on top of the buns was a pagan symbol, dating back to Diana, goddess of the hunt. What other of today’s Easter customs started as pagan rites … Read full story from dailygleaner.canadaeast.com

Kristin Swenson: Easter and the Bible
Of all the Christian holidays, it’s Christmas that gets the most attention. And can you blame us for that? Light and life in the dead of winter, gifts galore, and cookies to boot — no wonder it’s a favorite. Yet Easter is the most important Christian holiday and was celebrated long before Christmas became what it is today. We can be comfortable with Christmas, its jollity and twinkling beauty, the stable, newborn and serene mother. Read full story from progo.com

Medical Marijuana
Almost ten years ago, Coloradans legalized medical marijuana in Amendment 20. And now we’re getting ready to host the Colorado Cannabis Convention, which sounds to me like a weird mix of actual medicine, law, and partying. Sure, there’s going to be some intense discussion and debate about medical marijuana, but there’s also going to be glassblowing and songwriting contests and one can now Buy Wiz Khalifa Weed Online. It’s also the butt of puns, some better than others. Read full story from pagannewswirecollective.com

First-ever Navajo Nation vice president dies
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. – Marshall Plummer, the first-ever vice president of the Navajo Nation, has died after recently being diagnosed with end-stage lung disease, his family said in a statement. He was 62. Read full story from indiancountrytoday.com

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News & Submissions 4/2/2010

Friday, April 2nd, 2010

Through permaculture, becoming one with nature
Amy Antonucci’s farm in Barrington is not your run-of-the-mill set up. Her backyard is a mixture of garden beds with the first sprouts of garlic of the season just starting to rise from the soil, bee hives, tapped maple trees, medicinal herb gardens and piles and piles of woodónext to the tree stumps that they have been cut from. Read full story from tnhonline.com

Dead roosters were religious sacrifice in Vineland
VINELAND — Cumberland County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals officials stated on Wednesday they cannot prosecute a case involving two dead roosters found in a bag over the weekend. Read full story from nj.com

Mathematics of ancient carvings reveals lost language
Elaborate symbols and ornate depictions of animals carved in stone by an ancient Scottish people have given up their secret – to mathematics. Statistical analysis reveals that the shapes are a forgotten written language. The method could help interpret many other enigmatic scripts – and even analyse animal communication. Read full story from newscientist.com

History of the Easter Bunny
(CANVAS STAFF REPORTS) – It’s rabbit season! Bunnies – whether chocolate, stuffed or live – abound as one of the best-loved symbols of Easter. But how did this rabbit hop into our hearts? Read full story from myfoxspokane.com

Quick Note: The Importance of Afro-Latinos
Creador Pictures has produced a new seven-part documentary series detailing the history and cultural contributions of African descendants in Latin America. Entitled “Afro-Latinos: The Untaught Story”, the series explores an often overlooked aspect of Latin American history. Read full story from wildhunt.org

Season 1 Ep. 45:   Hauntings in America: Hauntings Across America

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News & Submissions 4/1/2010

Thursday, April 1st, 2010

Wistful about Wicca
What do you think about Wicca? Does it make you think: “Yikes! Evil witches!” or grounding earth-based ritual or stoned bare-foot hippies or some manner of something in between? Let me know, I am really interested. And don’t hold back. Read full story from women24.com

Derry couples seeking Pagan weddings – claim
Raymond MacSuibhne, of the Pagan Federation of Northern Ireland (PFNI), says the peace process has allowed “interest and participation in Paganism” to flourish in Derry and across the North over recent years. Read full story from derryjournal.com

Occult dabbling at ancient Gloucestershire well
Wannabe teenage witches are being blamed for sinister signs and symbols springing up around the ancient sacred site at St Anthony’s Well

The spring, which is supposed to have miraculous healing powers and was once used for public baptisms, is becoming a magnet for young people interested in witchcraft. Read full story from thisisgloucestershire.co.uk

Lawyer: Saudi could behead Lebanese for witchcraft
BEIRUT — The lawyer of a Lebanese TV psychic who was convicted in Saudi Arabia for witchcraft said Thursday her client could be beheaded this week and urged Lebanese and Saudi leaders to help spare his life. Read full story from google.com

Can Science Explain Heaven?
There are those who believe that science will eventually explain everything—including our enduring belief in heaven. The thesis here is very simple: heaven is not a real place, or even a process or a supernatural event. It’s something that happens in your brain as you die. Read full story from newsweek.com

Opposition to online wagering softening
Tribal governments and commercial gambling companies are softening opposition to legalize Internet wagering, although it does not appear likely that pending legislation to permit online poker will be successful in the current session of Congress. Read full story from Indiancountrytoday.com

Autumn glory lets us count our blessings
Easter was once a pagan spring festival. A time for growth, renewal, rejuvenation, birth, hence the bunnies and eggs as symbols of new life after a time of bleakness or infertility. It’s also the logic of the passion: Christ’s rebirth after death and hopelessness. Read full story from smh.com.au

Why we celebrate easter
Some of the pagan traditions which have been absorbed in Easter include the Easter Bunny, a symbol of fertility, and coloured Easter eggs, originally painted with bright colours to represent the sunlight of spring in the northern hemisphere. Read full story from iol.co.za

Danielle Egnew – “Montgomery House: The Perfect Haunting”

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News & Submissions 3/31/2010

Wednesday, March 31st, 2010

Marine’s Father Ordered To Pay Church’s Court Costs
BALTIMORE –The father of a Marine who died in Iraq and whose funeral was picketed by anti-gay protesters said a court has ordered him to pay the protesters’ appeal costs. Read full story from wbaltv.com

Experts: Christian militia part of growing trend
The actions of the Christian militia group raided in Michigan are part of a growing trend of militant activity across the U.S. because of the weak economy and an African-American president, experts and a civil rights group said today. Read full story from freep.com

‘Peace, balance and harmony’: Former cop opens New Age shop in Centerville
Now, the former Macon police officer is making a career of being a medium. In January, she opened Energy Among Us, a wellness center in Centerville, offering services ranging from meditation and yoga to crystal healings and card readings. Read full story from macon.com

Bahrain plans to make sorcery a criminal offence
The practice of sorcery and witchcraft could be soon become a criminal offence in Bahrain, it was reported on Tuesday Read full story from arabianbusiness.com

The pagan side of Easter
The vast majority of churches will not touch the issue of how Easter got its name, and the ensuing celebration of a so-called Christian holiday with the appearance of cute little rabbits, pastel colored baby chicks, colored (Easter) eggs, the baskets filled with artificial grass and the like. Matter of fact, there are many churches in the U.S. that actually have the children of the congregation and/or the community participate in Easter Egg Hunts, Egg Rolling Contests, and Egg Coloring contests or gatherings. Read full story from examiner.com

American Mystic Trailer

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News & Submissions 10/26/2010

Friday, March 26th, 2010

Millions around the globe set to observe ‘Earth Hour 2010′
Millions of homes around the world are geared up to observe the ‘Earth Hour 2010′ on Saturday, March 27, 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. in order to conserve energy and pay attention towards global warming. Read full story from themoneytimes.com

Albuquerque police and media take steps to learn about Wiccan religion after stabbing
30 year old Angela Stanford has been accused of stabbing a man to death on March 22 in Albuquerque, New Mexico.  Claiming self-defense, the woman told police that she had taken the man into the woods near a hiking trail to perform what she claims was a Wiccan ritual for spring.  Sanford says when the man sexually assaulted her, she stabbed him with a “Wiccan dagger” to save herself.  Early news reports and statements from police showed a lack of understanding by the media and police force of the Wiccan religion. Read full story from examiner.com

Spirituality and reincarnation through Wiccan eyes
What is “spirituality?” It’s a great marketing tool for preachers and writers, but it doesn’t have much real meaning for nearly anybody today. The problem is that we don’t understand the relationship between the finite part of ourselves the part that lives and dies and our eternal part. Read full story from statesman.com

The Episcopal Church, Wiccans, and the Divine Feminine
In this holiest of Christian seasons, on the evening before Passion Sunday, the Cathedral of All Souls Episcopal Church in Asheville, N.C., hosted an event in its parish hall for an organization called The Mother Grove Goddess Temple. The purpose of the event? To celebrate the spring equinox of course. Wait, you say, that’s not Christian, that’s pagan. But there’s more. According to Mother Grove’s website, its mission “is to create and maintain a permanent sanctuary where people of all faith traditions may openly and safely celebrate the Divine Feminine.” According to Byron Ballard, a Wiccan priestess and a member of the temple, Mother Grove “isn’t a Wiccan group, though some of us are Wiccans.” Just in case you were wondering, Ballard goes on to explain that “Wiccans may also refer to themselves as witches.” Read full story from worldmag.com

Witchcraft exists everywhere – even in you
Witchcraft, argues Malcolm Gaskill, PhD, a researcher in early modern history at the University of East Anglia (UEA), leading expert and author in witchcraft, is not a thing of the past or something that only exists in developing nations Read full story from independent.co.uk

Judge: Wiccan inmates have no right to sweat lodges, raw meat
CARSON CITY — A federal judge has ruled that prison inmates have no right to sweat lodges and raw meat to practice the Wiccan religion.

U.S. District Judge Philip Pro rejected the civil rights suit of Scott Fletcher, who claimed the federal law on religious rights of prisoners required the prison to provide such things. Read full story from lasvegassun.com

The Easter Bunny Must Die
Among the peeves I keep as pets, chief is my loathing of the Easter Bunny.  There are many reasons to hate the Bunny.  I will get into why in particular the Bunny, but first to some other pressing business. Read full story from ncregister.com

Police Work With Wicca Community After Stabbing
A self-proclaimed Wicca practitioner and murder suspect faced a judge Wednesday as police try to learn more about the woman’s practices. Read full story from koat.com

Religious groups fear ‘witch-hunt’
RELIGIOUS groups fear the Equal Opportunity Bill debated in State Parliament yesterday will launch a witch-hunt against them and schools, forcing some to secularise or disband. Read full story from theage.com

30 days of advocacy against Witch-hunts in Africa
The words witch and witchcraft are used predominantly as an accusation throughout Africa, either to describe a number of clearly defined traditional religious practices that do not self-define as witchcraft, as well as a number of variable urban legends perpetuated by religious leaders, churches and traditional healers, or to identify women, children and men who are not actual Witches. Read full story from therichmarksentinel.com

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News & Submissions 3/19/2010

Friday, March 19th, 2010

TV presenter gets death sentence for ‘sorcery’
(CNN) — Amnesty International is calling on Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah to stop the execution of a Lebanese man sentenced to death for “sorcery.” Read full story from cnn.com

Asheville Mother Grove Goddess Temple to celebrate spring equinox
ASHEVILLE — After making it through the harsh winter, people in Western North Carolina are looking forward to the warm sun of spring. Some are preparing to celebrate the season’s change with an ecumenical ritual. Read full story from citezen-times.com

Towards gaining unique insights
It includes middle-roaders who say science and religion are two sides of the same coin since they both spring from human minds, while tacitly maintaining an eternal edge always separates the sides. And it includes those scientists who see some sort of deep mysterious beauty in the cosmos but remain atheists and religious mystics who shun dogma but retain a personal faith. REad full story from economictimes.com

Checklist: Spring is here, so pet your hares
All you pagan moonchildren will likely be petting your sacred hares this weekend when the vernal equinox rolls in from Spokane on Saturday. Read full story from wenacheeworld.com

Celebrating Spring: The Vernal Egguinox
Since the earliest times, the egg has been humanity’s obvious and essential symbol for the significant atmosphere of the vernal season: birth, fertility, growth, eternity. The purely primal power, which comes from the handling of eggs at the equinox, has been a principle influence on many popular spring ritual practices throughout time and across culture. Read full story from huffingtonpost.com

California first to create position for Native American vets
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – On March 3, Roger Brautigan, director of the California Department of Veteran Affairs (CalVet), swore in Pedro “Pete” Molina, Pascua Yaqui, as the nation’s first assistant secretary for Native American Veterans Affairs. This position was created by the state to oversee the administration of services to Native American veterans in California, which boasts the largest population of American Indian veterans in the country. Read full story from indiancountrytoday.com

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News & Submissions 3/18/2010

Thursday, March 18th, 2010

Avatar Is The Work Of The Devil, Says Idiot Pastor
Pastor and shit-stirer Mark Driscoll claims that Avatar is the devil’s work, aimed at promoting paganism and primitive lifestyles. Sounds like somebody just needs to make “Tsaheylu.” Of course, after watching the “Na’vi” on chatroulette, he’s got a point. Read full story from io9.com

Tribes need to prepare for inflationary future
NEW ORLEANS – American Indian tribes achieving unprecedented economic progress in the past decade now must brace themselves for future inflation, delegates attending a recent Native American finance conference were warned. Read full story from indiancountrytoday.com

Spring: Leeds folklore expert and weatherman’s view
The name ‘vernal equinox’ sounds vaguely mystical and conjures up images of shrouded figures moving through ancient stone monuments on mist-laden dawns. Equinoxes are one of those things I feel I ought to be more familiar with but, like most people of the TV generation, I’m not. Read full story from yorkshireeveningpost.com

Dallas County jail guard fired over remarks
A sheriff’s department review concluded 59-year-old Stephen Johnson persisted in giving his religious opinions and speaking out against homosexuality. Read full story from dallasnews.com

Arizona Town to Rescind Ban on Church Meetings in Homes
A controversial ban on holding church meetings in private homes in a rapidly-growing town in Arizona could be rescinded as early as next week, officials say. Read full story from foxnews.com

EPA to target flea and tick treatments
Washington Complaints of dogs and cats injured and sometimes even killed by flea treatments have increased significantly, the Environmental Protection Agency said Wednesday as it outlined plans to make the products safer. Read full story from latimes.com

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News & Submissions 3/17/2020

Wednesday, March 17th, 2010

March 17th Celebrate All Snakes Day!!! & Support your local and global pagens and the Return of the Snakes.
As the snakes remind us, remember to embrace the random and to ride the spiral ’till it ends as it may just go where no one’s been. Do this by being fully present as much as you can, and always remember to evolve responsibly and feed your will organic optimism. Read full story from evolver.net

The story behind St. Patrick’s Day
For thousands of years, the Irish have celebrated March 17, the anniversary of St. Patrick’s death in the fifth century, as a religious feast day, according to the History Channel Web site. Read full story from spartandaily.com

New Jersey State Board of Education approves Pagan/Wiccan holidays for the 2010-2011 school year
This morning, the New Jersey Board of Education voted to approve their list of religious holidays permitting pupil absence from school for the 2010-2011 school year. Included for the first time on this list are the eight Pagan/Wiccan holidays, or sabbats.  This marks the first time any state has approved Pagan holidays to a state calendar, and will set a precedence for other districts and states across the country. Read full story from examiner.com

College, university presidents pledge to make ‘Pathways’ a priority
SEATTLE – American Indian/Alaska Native students have a lot of strength to draw from at home: Family, identity, indigenous knowledge and teachings, language, spirituality. Read full story from indiancountrytoday.com

Political correctness strikes back: Jedi believer wins apology after being kicked out of Jobcentre for wearing a hood
When benefits claimant Chris Jarvis was asked to put down his hood in a Jobcentre, he said he was entitled to wear it because of his Jedi ‘faith’. Read full story from dailymail.co.uk

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News & Submissions 3/16/2010

Tuesday, March 16th, 2010

St. Patrick’s Day: Did Patrick become Christian for the tax breaks?
We credit St. Patrick for bringing Christianity to Ireland and banishing the island’s snakes. But post-glacial Ireland never had snakes and the saint recognized on March 17 is actually a combination of two men, Patrick and Palladius, with the latter being the first to bring Christianity to the Celts. Read full story from csmonitor.com

Celebrating “Under God” Whether There is a God or Not
The Ninth Circuit did a good thing by upholding the propriety of reciting the words “under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance. And before everyone starts screaming, let me explain both why I make that claim and why the upside for those who value religious freedom is actually far greater than immediately presumed. Read full story from huffingtonpost.com

Shamrock shortage in Ireland threatens the “wearing of the green”
What would St. Patrick’s Day be without shamrocks? They are the most commonly associated symbols of St. Patrick’s Day along with the ethereal leprechaun and his even more elusive pot of gold. Read full story from examiner.com

The Marine and the Black-Eyed Kids
You’d be hard-pressed to find anyone who is tougher than a U.S. Marine. These soldiers are trained in combat, survival and to face the threat of imminent bodily harm or death. But perhaps they’re not quite prepared when it comes to encounters with the unknown. Consider this report from a Marine, using the name Reaper 3-1, who had an unexpected and altogether unnerving experience with the mysterious phenomenon of the black-eyed people. To make it even more harrowing, these black-eyed entities appeared to be small kids. This is the Marine’s story…. Read full story from about.com

Richard Spencer’s Nordic Supermen
I have always been intrigued by the bizarre. I’m familiar with every weird movement in the book: from astral projection to suppressed Nazi technologies to black magick — yes, with a ‘k’, if it’s loony, I’ve probably studied it. (With apologies to John Avlon, anyone who thinks that Glenn Beck and Keith Olbermann represent the lunatic fringe of America is not being very adventurous.) Why exactly I take such an interest in the field is something of a mystery even to me. I suppose that, to a degree, I’m attracted to the creepy, mystical aesthetic surrounding it. It’s also continually fascinating to explore the outer regions of the human experience Read full story from frumforum.com

Native farmers eagerly watch Obama African-American deal
WASHINGTON – Native American litigants in a long-running case against the U.S. Department of Agriculture are hoping the nation’s first farmers won’t be the last to see resolution by the Obama administration on discrimination claims. Read full story from indiancountrytoday.com

To Dry the Eyes of Indian Adoptees
The arrest of white missionaries trying to adopt allegedly orphaned Haitian children struck a chord with me. Similar media stories about well meaning white celebrities adopting pretty babies of color from poor third world countries have also rubbed me the wrong way. You see, American Indians have a long history of white folks trying to help us by taking away our children.  It is estimated that between 1941 and 1978, white parents adopted 35 percent of American Indians in the U.S., often forcibly.  Indians have learned that no amount of good intention can wipe away the painful loss of our culture. Read full story from dailyponder.com

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