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News & Submissions 7/28/11

Thursday, July 28th, 2011

Arts & Entertainment:

Scariest Movies
Over the history of cinema there have been many films that have been called the scariest movies. Many of these movies are horrific, gory and frightening on many different levels. Some people are scared by monsters while others are frightened by real life horrors, but all these movies scare people in many different ways. Read full story from screenjunkies.com

Native American:

Navajo Continues Life’s Work With AICF
Early this year W.K. Kellogg Foundation gave the American Indian College Fund (AICF) $5 million for the Wakanyeja “Sacred Little Ones” Early Childhood Development Initiative.

The program is funded for five years and is intended to:

  • improve young Native American students’ skill acquisition
  • prepare them for grades K-12 and post-secondary education
  • improve the quality of early childhood teachers in Native communities
  • bridge early childhood and K-3 education
  • integrate Native language and culture into early childhood curriculum
  • empower Native families and communities as change agents in education for their children

In March, AICF started looking for someone to administer the program, and they finally found someone who fits the bill. Read full story from indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com

News:

War Widow’s Truck Targeted By Vandals
SPARKS, NV – The wife of a Nevada National Guard soldier killed in Afghanistan woke Monday morning to find her husband’s truck vandalized.

Sadly, it was only the latest in a series of incidents which have marked Roberta Stewart’s life since her husband’s death.

The truck was to have been Sgt. Patrick Stewart’s coming home gift, a purchase he and Roberta, had planned together.

In 2005, he and Chief Warrant Officer John Flynn, both Nevada Army Guardsmen were killed when their Chinook helicopter was shot down in Afghanistan.

Monday morning, the truck he had wanted, the one she bought, now bearing new Gold Star license plates as a tribute to their sacrifice, was parked outside her Sparks apartment, it’s windshield smashed by a large brick. Read full story from kolotv.com

Paranormal:

Children of the paranormal
I have been doing paranormal research now for over 11 years now. I have written four books on the subject and dozens of articles. I have also been to dozens of places around the US in nearly 20 states. To this day, in spite of many attempts and visits to notoriously dangerous locations, I have never been attacked or injured by a ghost, spirit, demon, entity, evil energy, ifrit, jinn or anything similarly supernatural. I am starting to feel a bit left out. When is my hair going to be pulled? When am I going to be poked, kicked or prodded? When is my immortal soul going to be in danger? I mean, if you watch some of these shows on television you would think this sort of thing happens all the time. Well, at least once or twice a week and maybe more on “sweeps week” and Halloween. Read full story from examiner.com

Paranormal Activity Found At Terror Mansion
SAN ANTONIO — At Halloween, you pay your money and take a scary tour through Terror Mansion, a popular haunted house in San Antonio.

But now the house is the subject of a paranormal investigation after ghostly orbs and other phenomena were caught on camera.

Photos of Nancy Alanis’ dog, Jenny, taken at Terror Mansion the day before the dog died, gave the first clues of paranormal activity. Read full story from ksat.com

Religion:

Atheists pick the wrong ground to fight
It is so common that zealous individuals take actions that seem wholly against what they claim they stand for it is almost a cliche; those who object to abortion as murder commit murder to get their point across, the heinous mass killing in Norway was meant to “protect” traditional values, Republicans claim to be defending US soldiers while they cut their pay and strip them of benefits, and multiculturalists out to protect “free speech” want to ban objectionable words and phrases.  Neither left or right is free from this hypocrisy, and it continues to hamper public discourse and objective consideration of opposing viewpoints, and a group here in NYC that I agree with in principle has done something I wholly disagree with, attempting to force the removal of a “cross” at the Ground Zero memorial. Read full story from examiner.com

Media:

Montreal First Peoples’ Festival: Fun!
Montreal is North America’s festival city during the summer, and one of the most exciting is the First Peoples’ Festival. This year’s festival—the 21st annual event—takes place August 2–9.

The year’s theme is “And now, the world,” according to Andre Dudemaine, Innu, the co-founder and director of Land InSights, a nonprofit organization that organizes and sponsors the event.

“Artists from First Nations of the whole planet will come to meet their North American counterparts and showcase their works. It is an opportunity here on Native land to reaffirm messages of welcome and peace they left as sovereign peoples to all the world’s peoples,” Dudemaine says on the festival website. Read full story from indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com

Colbert on the Media’s Rush to Blame the Oslo Attacks on Muslim Jihadists
Just because Norway’s confessed murderer is a blond, blue-eyed, Norwegian-born, anti-Muslim crusader doesn’t mean he’s not a swarthy, ululating madman. (Source – ColbertNation.com)

Blogpost:

  • Inciting A Riot – The Super Witch’s Tarot+
  • Pantheon – Guest Post: Drew Jacob on Lúnasa with “The Family”

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

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News & Submissions 7/26/2011

Tuesday, July 26th, 2011

Headlines:

Jacobs, Benefiel To Spend 40 Days Laying Spiritual “Seige” To Washington DC
Last week we posted a video John Benefiel, head of the Heartland Apostolic Reformation Network, explaining how he had gone to Washington, DC in order to exercise his “spiritual authority” to “divorce Baal” and rename the city “the District of Christ.” Read full story from rightwingwatch.com

Why Pagans Need Community Centers
In response to the Sacred Paths Center’s financial situation, opinions have been circulating that Pagans don’t need community centers.  I realized that we assume the reasons for community center projects are obvious.

In some of the conversations online, the feeling that we get is that some folks are looking at just what they need instead of the needs of other people and the whole of the Pagan community.  If your first response is that you don’t need X (be it a building or whatever) to practice your religion, so that X isn’t a valid reason for Pagans to have a center, ask yourself this…  Are there are a lot of other folks who would benefit from that function of the community center?  What would having X mean for the Pagan community.  Just think of all of the Pagans in just the DC region.  What about the regions with large numbers of Pagans? Think of all of the Pagan groups and all of the Pagan event organizers.  Just because you don’t feel that you’re in need of a community center doesn’t mean that the Pagan community wouldn’t greatly benefit from a community center. Read full story from openhearthfoundation.blogspot.com

Arts & Entertainment:

10 Creepy, Sexy Fairy Tales That Should Be Films
— If there’s one thing we learned this past week at Comic-Con, it’s that Hollywood is obsessed with fairy tales. They’re magical, they’ve got instant recognition… and they’re public domain. But Hollywood keeps hitting on the same five stories.

With all due respect to both Emma Watson and Guillermo del Toro, the absolute last thing we need is yet another take on Beauty and the Beast. We also don’t need a Sleeping Beauty or Snow White, and god forbid someone try again with Cinderella or Little Red Riding Hood. Rather than returning to the same well-worn stories, here are ten slightly lesser-known fairy stories worthy of Hermoine and the Hellboy director, as well as anyone else in Hollywood. Read full story from io9.com

News:

S.African ‘corpse’ wakes up, scares off morgue staff: report
A 50-year-old South African man thought to be dead woke up in a chilly morgue on Sunday and shouted to be let out, scaring off two attendants who thought he was a ghost, local media reported.

“His family thought he had died,” health spokesman Sizwe Kupelo told the Sapa news agency.

“The family called a private undertaker who took what they thought was a dead body to the morgue, but the man woke up inside the morgue on Sunday at 5:00 pm and screamed, demanding to be taken out of the cold place.”

This caused two mortuary attendants on duty to flee the building in the small town of Libode in the rural Eastern Cape as they thought it was a ghost. Read full story from yahoo.com

Saudi Arabia’s ‘Anti-Witchcraft Unit’ breaks another spell
The unit, established in 2009, is charged with apprehending sorcerers and reversing the detrimental effects of their spells in the Gulf country.

When the severed head of a wolf wrapped in women’s lingerie turned up near the city of Tabouk in northern Saudi Arabia this week, authorities knew they had another case of witchcraft on their hands, a capital offence in the ultra-conservative desert kingdom.

Agents of the country’s Anti-Witchcraft Unit were quickly dispatched and set about trying to break the spell that used the beast’s head. Read full story from jpost.com

Photography:

Photographers Capture Mysterious, Beautiful Patterns in Sand
One day these shells and rocks will be sand. See photos at wired.com

Religion:

Atheist group wants to stop World Trade Center cross
(CNN) — A group of atheists has filed a lawsuit to stop the display of the World Trade Center cross at a memorial of the 9/11 terror attacks.

The “government enshrinement of the cross was an impermissible mingling of church and state,” the American Atheists say in a press statement.

The group says it filed the lawsuit this week in state court in New York and posted a copy of the lawsuit on its website. Read full story from cnn.com

Anders Behring Breivik: Christian terrorist? Right-wing extremist? Madman?
When news broke about the bombing in Olso, many commentators assumed links with Islamic extremism. When reports came of the massacre on Utøya island, perpetrated by a “tall, blonde, Nordic, man,” speculation quieted down until Anders Behring Breivik was identified. News reports first described Breivik as a “Christian terrorist,” largely on the basis of his Facebook profile and his postings to Christian fundamentalist Web sites. After his manifesto became public, Breivik was characterized as a “right-wing extremist.” To most, the Christian terrorist/right-wing extremist distinction makes little real difference: Only a madman could engage in such wanton killing. REad full story from washingtonpost.com

Science:

The Science Behind Dreaming
For centuries people have pondered the meaning of dreams. Early civilizations thought of dreams as a medium between our earthly world and that of the gods. In fact, the Greeks and Romans were convinced that dreams had certain prophetic powers. While there has always been a great interest in the interpretation of human dreams, it wasn’t until the end of the nineteenth century that Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung put forth some of the most widely-known modern theories of dreaming. Freud’s theory centred around the notion of repressed longing — the idea that dreaming allows us to sort through unresolved, repressed wishes. Carl Jung (who studied under Freud) also believed that dreams had psychological importance, but proposed different theories about their meaning. Read full story from scientificamerican.com

“Spectacular” Double Meteor Shower This Week
A celestial traffic jam may be on tap this week as two meteor showers combine forces to put on a brilliant sky show.

One of the best shooting star events of the year is the annual August Perseid meteor shower. (See Perseids pictures.) However this year’s peak, on August 12, happens to coincide with a bright full moon—drastically cutting down the number of meteors visible to the naked eye.

Yet while the main event might be blocked out by the blinding moonlight, the opening act promises to be much better. Read full story from nationalgeographic.com

Where House Cats Roam: Researchers Compare the Mysterious Wanderings of Pet and Stray Felines
Anyone who has ever owned an outdoor cat knows that it tends to disappear for hours, sometimes days, at a time. Where do cats go when they are lurking out of sight? The question is of interest not just to pet owners but also to conservation scientists who study the impact of free-roaming cats on wildlife populations.  Scientists at the University of Illinois and the Illinois Natural History Survey recently attached radio transmitters to the adjustable collars of 18 pet and 24 feral cats in southeastern Champaign-Urbana and tracked the animals by truck and on foot for more than one year. Read full story from scientificamerican.com

Media:

Norway attacks show why you can’t blame the muslims
In the immediate aftermath of 1995’s Oklahoma City bombing, much of the news media rushed to suggest that a Muslim, or at least a Middle Eastern connection, was behind the attacks.

News reports on television and in print featured Middle East terrorism experts claiming the Oklahoma City attack echoed a World Trade Center bombing two years earlier and that it contained parallels to recent Mideast attacks.

The FBI picked up Ibrahim Ahmad, a Jordanian American, for questioning in an initial dragnet.

Does ‘Christian fundamentalist’ label fit Norway terror suspect? Read full story from cnn.com

Breivik Attorny Speaks Out (Source – CNN)

Blogspot:

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

Lisa

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Hump Day Herbs – Hawthorn

Wednesday, July 13th, 2011

Hawthorn

Botanical Name: Crataegus Oxyacantha

Folk Names: Ban-Sangli, Bread and Cheese Tree, Gazels, Hagthorn, Halves, Haw, Hazels, Hedgethorn, Huath, Ladie’ Meat, May, Mayblossom, May Bush, Mayflower, Quick, Thorn, Tree of Chastity.


© Copyright David Hawgood and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence

Hawthorn is a member of Rosaceae family. A spiny tree or shrub, native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere in Europe, Asia and North America, It may reach a height of 30 feet.

The hawthorn has been regarded as the symbol of hope. The branches were carried by the ancient Greeks in wedding processions, and were used to deck the altar of Hymenaios. In Celtic folklore, the hawthorn plant was used commonly for rune inscriptions along with Yew and Apple. It was also used to heal a broken heart. In Serbian and Croatian folklore, hawthorn is deadly to vampires, and a stake used for slaying must be made from its wood. In Gaelic folklore, hawthorn marks the entrance to the other-world’ and is strongly associated with fairies. It has been said, it is very unlucky to cut the tree at any time other than when it is in bloom, during this time it is cut and decorated as a May Bush. (Beltane)

Deities: Cardea, Flora, Hymen

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

Gender: Masculine

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

Powers: Chastity, Fertility, Fishing Magic, Happiness

Medicinal Uses: Hawthorn helps to lessen pain in the heart and adjacent areas. It also increases warmth in cold hands and feet where the drop in temperature is due to poor circulation. Hawthorn can also play a part in lowering cholesterol levels and removing plaque that has accumulated in the arteries. The plant parts used medicinally are usually sprigs with both leaves and flowers, or alternatively the fruit.

Magical Uses: At Beltane, the blossoms are used to symbolize love and the union of marriage. Newlywed couples will dance around a Hawthorn tree to bless and ensure a long and fruitful marriage.

Young women would eagerly await the first blossoms. When found after appropriate regard to the trees guardian spirit, a sprig of the blossom would be taken and kept as a charm to encourage the interest of a suitable husband.

It is said the Hawthorn is sacred to Fairies. Make a wish, then tie ribbons and shreds of personal belongings to the thorn, as a gift to the Fairies. The strips should be symbolically appropriate to the nature of the wish, (i.e. blue for health, pink or red for love, green or gold for prosperity) and if pleased, they would grant your wish.

Care should be taken when removing any of its branches. Damage to the tree is said to anger the guardian spirit. Any Hawthorn tree standing alone should be avoided, and only parts from trees forming hedges should be taken. In Ireland and Britain it is part of the fairy-tree triad known as the:  “Oak, Ash and Thorn”, and where all three trees grow together it is said that one may see the fairies.

The tree is regarded as a powerful symbol of protection, and often planted near a house to protect it against lightning and damage from storms.  In the past most witch’s gardens contained at least one Hawthorn tree, to protect the house against evil spirits. In Ireland it is believed that food left over from the May Eve dinner should not be wasted, but left near the Hawthorn tree as an offering to the spirits that inhabit the tree.

Hawthorn wood is excellent for making talismans and wands for protection, health and luck, as well as tools in rituals to enhance spiritual development and communication.  If you cut a piece of live wood from a tree, be sure to do so with reverence and thanks to the tree’s guardian before hand.  Another option, take the discarded branches to be found after a heavy storm. To make a talisman, strip off the bark while the branch is still green and before it dries hard onto the wood. Store it outside until you are ready to work with it, this will stop the wood from drying out too quickly. Carving is easily done on green wood before it dries. The wood of the Hawthorn is especially hard.

Another custom was to make a Hawthorn globe or charm ball from its twigs and foliage. This is made at first light on the old Celtic New Year’s Day (Samhain) and tied with a white ribbon.  The old charm ball from the previous year is then burned on a bonfire of straw, ash twigs and acorns.  This represents all the previous years troubles.  Your new hopes and aspirations can then be forged into the new globe and hung in a safe place until the next New Year.

Ritual Uses: May poles were once decorated by the Hawthorn, where witches have long danced and performed rites  It was also believed that the thorn were witches transformed. Use Hawthorn to cleanse an area before ritual, protection spells, attract love or communicate with those who have passed.

Other Uses: The wood of some hawthorn trees can be very hard and resistant to rot. It has been used for tool handles and fence posts in North America.

Warning: May interfere with digitalis medications.

References:

Note: Consult with a Physician or a 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, have a great day!

Lisa

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News & Submissions 7/12/2011

Tuesday, July 12th, 2011

Archeology:

The lost city where the Olympics began may have been destroyed by tsunamis
— The Olympic Games first began in the ancient Greek city-state of Olympia. For all its fame, the city suffered a mysterious fate, destroyed by an unknown natural disaster. Now it looks like tsunamis were the culprit…despite being 30 kilometers inland.

The origins of the ancient Olympics are shrouded in mystery, but the generally accepted date for the first Olympiad is 776 BCE, and the games endured for an incredible 1,170 years before the Emperor Theodosius I suppressed them in 394 CE because they were too reminiscent of paganism. The city remained inhabited for another 150 or so years, but by around 551 CE Olympia lay in ruins, and it wouldn’t be until 1829 that it would be rediscovered and excavations could begin. Read full story from io9.com

Bronze Age house from Israel uncovered
Archaeological work during the first season at Tel Shikmona, on the southern edge of Israel’s city of Haifa, has uncovered the remains of a house dating back 3000 years. The site was originally excavated about 40 years ago, but neglect, off road vehicles and the build up of rubbish meant that the site became obscured from view and lay all but forgotten.

Tel Shikmona is located in the Shikmona Nature Reserve and National Park, managed by the Israel Nature and Parks Authority. It was originally excavated by Yosef Algavish on behalf of the Municipality of Haifa, when remains of settlement dating from the late Bronze Age (16th century BCE) to the Muslim period of the 7th century CE were uncovered. Read full story from pasthorizonspr.com

Arts & Entertainment:

Is new Harry Potter movie one more two-hour recruiting film for the occult?
The final Harry Potter movie opens Friday, but Steve Wohlberg, author of Exposing Harry Potter and Witchcraft, is worried that it’s one more two-hour recruiting film for the occult.

“The Pottermania will experience one last spasm as the Grand Finale of Harry Potter movies, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Part 2),” he writes. “When the book was released in July 2007, 11 million copies sold in 24 hours, making it the fastest selling book in history. Read full story from beliefnet.com

Okay. Breathe. ‘Evil Dead’ Remake Is Happening.
I must not assume the worst. I must not assume the worst. I must not assume the worst…

I’ll spare you the rest of my lines (they’re etched on my hand Harry Potter 5 style) and get to the point.

Yesterday Dread Central reported that a new Evil Dead film looked to be going into production. I know, most of us have long since learned to take such stories with at least a few hefty pinches of salt, given how often rumours of a fourth installment and/or remake have arisen this past decade or so. But in this instance, confirmation came quite swiftly from one of the highest possible sources, and – as is so often the case these days – it came via an exchange on Twitter: Read the full story from brutalashell.com

Health:

4 Common Health Care Myths: Test Yourself
When it comes to medical care, you really can have too much of a good thing. Take, for example, the routine use of antibiotics to treat sudden infections of the middle ear (acute otitis media). This condition is the most common reason antibiotics are prescribed for children in the U.S. And yet most ear infections in children will safely clear up on their own within a few days without antibiotic treatment. Treatment for pain relief may be all that is necessary. Antibiotics may be given if symptoms worsen. Read full story from scientificamerican.com

Native American:

Assembly of First Nations Kicks Off National Assembly
First Nations from across Canada are gathering in Moncton, New Brunswick, this week, hosted by the Mi’kmaq and Maliseet Nations, as representatives from 633 First Nations gather to discuss resource development and other aboriginal priorities, including education.

Starting on July 12, hundreds of First Nations chiefs, youth, elders, dignitaries and citizens will gather at the group’s National Assembly to strategize and create an action plan to address indigenous priorities under the theme “The Spirit of Peace and Friendship,” according to an AFN statement. Read full story from indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com

Healthy Communities Focus of Cherokee Nation Conference
TULSA, Okla. — More than 150 representatives from communities across northeastern Oklahoma recently participated in a two-day conference on building healthy communities held recently in Tulsa.

The Creating Healthy Communities Action Institute, sponsored by Cherokee Nation, featured discussions and presentations on creating healthy eating and active living environments, healthy school changes, how complete streets lead to healthy environments and economies, food policies, commercial tobacco control and more.

“Our goal is to help create healthy communities by making the healthy choice the easy choice,” said Lisa Pivec, director of Cherokee Nation Healthy Nation.  “In the spirit of gadugi, we work to form partnerships with schools, state and local governments and other organizations to accomplish this goal.” Read full story from cherokee.org

Religion:

Church Won’t Accept Cash From Catholics Who Voted for Equality
A Catholic bishop is refusing to accept a donation from a New York assemblyman in retribution for his backing of marriage equality.

As he’d been doing for 20 years, Assemblyman Joe Lentol, a Brooklyn Democrat, sent his annual $50 donation to a scholarship fund at the Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish School. But the New York Daily News  reports that it got returned with word that Brooklyn bishop Nicholas DiMarzio won’t allow any donations from politicians who voted for same-sex marriage. Read full story from advocate.com

Media:

Comments on new atheist movie ‘The Ledge’
There are few faithy topics that get our readers talking like atheism does.

Our Friday story about “The Ledge,” a new atheist-themed movie that’s trying to do for nonbelievers what “Brokeback Mountain,” did for gays and lesbians, drew nearly 4,000 comments.

A few commenters noted that the movie fits a recent trend of atheist evangelism: Read full story from cnn.com

Local kids learn from famous wizard
The welcoming witch met wide eyes and giggles.

With her best British accent, Demi Fair greeted boys and girls June 30 at Paul Smith Library of Southern York County.

She checked her scroll to make sure they were registered. Then the magical child left the muggle world behind.

Fair, program director at the library, and Dawn Stockbridge, children’s program director, designed a four-week summer camp to simulate Harry Potter’s first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry from J.K. Rowling’s popular series. Read full story from ydr.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

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News & Submissions 5/17/2011

Tuesday, May 17th, 2011

Arts & Entertainment:

Vodun: African Voodoo exhibition – picture preview
Vodun: African Voodoo is an exhibition of the amazing private collection of Voodoo art collated by African and tribal art expert Jacques Kerchache.

Kerchache, a key cultural adviser to Jacques Chirac, was instrumental in introducing African and tribal art to the Louvre in 2000.

The success of the Louvre’s new galleries led to Kerchache’s biggest achievement – the creation of the Musée du Quai Branly in 2006, France’s first major institution devoted to indigenous art, cultures and civilizations from Africa, Asia, Oceania and the Americas. Read full story from independent.co.uk

News:

Police watch as mob kills suspected witches
A couple accused of witchcraft was killed after the body of an eight-year-boy was discovered in a maize plantation Monday morning in Nyahera Village, Kisumu.

Residents were shocked when they found the partly mutilated body dumped in a maize plantation.

Although circumstances under which the child died were not immediately established, enraged villagers descended on the man and his wife, who they suspected of causing the boy’s death.

Residents stormed the home of the suspects where they argued with the man before killing him. They then turned on his wife. Read full story from standardmedia.co.ke

Scots site may hold the key to Arthurian mystery
IT is a mystery that has baffled generations of historians, but the secrets of King Arthur’s round table could finally be laid bare thanks to modern technology.

A circular earthen mound near Stirling Castle has been linked variously to the legendary king, to British aristocrats and to Roman invaders, but its origins remain shrouded in history.

Now, for the first time, a team of archaelogists from Glasgow University is preparing to use hi-tech scanners to survey the ground beneath it, providing a clear insight into the mound’s beginnings.

The structure, often referred to as the King’s Knot, has long fascinated national historians. Despite the mysteries it may contain, however, it has remained undisturbed for fear of damaging it. The new project, scheduled to run next week, will provide a full geophysical survey of the entire area.

Stirling Local History Society (SLHS) and Stirling Field and Archaeological Society have secured funding from Historic Scotland and Stirling City Heritage Trust for the operation. Read full story from heraldscotland.com

Syrian mass grave found near Deraa, residents say
Thirteen bodies have been retrieved from a mass grave in Deraa, the hub of Syria‘s protest movement, according to residents cited by rights organisations.

People from the southern city say hundreds are unaccounted for since a crackdown on protests began on 18 March and intensified when the army moved in on 25 April to try to quash unrest against Bashar al-Assad’s 11-year rule.

Radwan Ziadeh, the US-based head of the Damascus Centre for Human Rights, said so far seven bodies had been identified by residents. Read full story from guardian.co.uk

Photography:

Best Night-Sky Pictures of 2011 Named
Organized by astronomy-education projects The World at Night (TWAN) and Global Astronomy Month, the contest honors pictures that meet one of two criteria: “either to impress people on how important and amazing the starry sky is, or to impress people on how bad the problem of light pollution has become.” In total, ten winners were announced May 9 in either the “Beauty of the Night Sky” or “Against the Lights” category. Read full story from nationalgeographic.com

Religion:

Tens of thousands celebrate Buddha’s birthday at temple in southern Nepal
LUMBINI, Nepal — Tens of thousands of devotees chanted sutras and lit incense Tuesday at a temple in southwestern Nepal to celebrate the anniversary of Buddha’s birth.

Police said they expect up to 50,000 people to visit the forested Mayadevi temple, built where Buddha is believed to have been born 2,555 years ago.

Devotees chanted and offered fruits and flowers at the temple.

Buddha was born as Prince Sidhartha in Lumbini, about 150 miles (240 kilometers) southwest of Katmandu. Followers believe he left his family and kingdom and meditated in the jungles of Nepal and India before achieving enlightenment. Read full story from washingtonpost.com

Huckabee announcement puts evangelical votes up for grabs
(CNN) – With former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee’s announcement this weekend that he won’t seek the presidency, one of the largest voting blocs in the Republican Party is now officially up for grabs: evangelical Christians.

As a presidential candidate in 2008, Huckabee – a Baptist minister who focused on faith-related issues like opposition to abortion – rode evangelical support to victory in Iowa and seven other states during the primaries and caucuses. John McCain eventually won the GOP nomination.

With Huckabee on the sidelines, other Republican White House hopefuls will have a better chance of picking up evangelical votes, which accounted for more than half the GOP electorate in Iowa and South Carolina in 2008, according to polling. Read full story from cnn.com

Media:

New Vatican Sex Abuse Guidelines Don’t Require Reporting Abuse To Authorities (Source: YouTube – MOXNEWSd0tCOM)

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 and have a great day!

Lisa

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News & Submissions 5/12/2011

Thursday, May 12th, 2011

Headlines:

100,000 to get Jason Pitzl-Waters on the Daily Show
In an effort to support religious equality and equal voice, we are trying to get Jason Pitzl-Waters a spot on the Daily Show to address recent attacks on minority religions. Media responds to numbers, if we show that enough people are actively interested in seeing Jason on the Daily Show then it is likely he will get on! Spread the word and let’s make it happen!

Archeology:

The Last Neanderthals?
As if deciphering human evolutionary chronology isn’t complicated enough, recent discoveries at a site in the foothills of the Ural Mountains of Russia have thrown yet another wrinkle in the developing fabric of the human ascent through the Ice Age.

While excavating at Byzovaya, Russia, an archaeological site in the cold western foothills of the Ural Mountains at the edge of the Arctic Circle, Dr. Ludovic Slimak of the Université de Toulouse le Mirail, France, along with a team of colleagues, had unearthed a total of 313 human artifacts, along with a massive accumulation of remains of mammoths and other animals, (such as reindeer, wooly rhinoceros, musk ox, horse, wolf, polar fox, and bear). Examination of the mammoth remains indicated that they had been butchered using human-made tools. But these artifacts, a stone tool technology known as Mousterian and associated most commonly with Neanderthals, were dated to about 28,500 BP, too late for the Neanderthals.  The dating didn’t seem to match the nature of the technology, as the newly discovered artifacts defined a toolkit that belonged primarily to the Middle Paleolithic period (300,000 to 40,000 years ago), and Neanderthals are generally thought to have become extinct before that time — replaced, as many scientists have suggested, by Homo sapiens (anatomically modern humans) around 75,000 to 50,000 years ago with a more advanced stone tool industry.  Read full story from popular-archeology.com

Astronomy:

Planets Jupiter, Venus, Mercury and Mars to line up in Australian sky
FORGET the hippie-era song that has Jupiter aligning with Mars and love steering the stars. The fact is, those two orbs get together all the time.

The truly remarkable event – when Jupiter lines up with Venus, Mercury and Mars in the pre-dawn sky – will be visible in Australia’s eastern sky on Friday.

The alignment of the four planets, which happens only once every 50 to 100 years, will occur just before sunrise, Sydney Observatory says. Read full story from heraldsun.com.au

History:

Boscastle’s Museum of Witchcraft celebrates a long and colourful history
An interesting day can be expected on May 14 when a famous museum in Boscastle opens its doors for a day of talks and a new book launch.

To celebrate the anniversary of its 60th year, the Museum of Witchcraft has gathered together the memories of 50 people who have a connection with the museum and published them in a book called The Museum of Witchcraft – A Magical History.

Together with the book launch there will be talks throughout the day under the moniker The Guardians of Cornish Magic. Read full story from culture24.org.uk

Native American:

Sacred Languages
A relation to the sacred is inherent within many indigenous languages. The justification for the renewal of tribal languages is often the belief that language contains meaning that is not well understood or translated into English, or other languages. For many tribal cultural programs, language is a major strategy for renewing culture and identity. There is great wisdom in this viewpoint, but what can it mean? Read full story from indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com

News:

Spain: Earthquake rocks Lorca, Murcia, killing 10
Hundreds of people have spent the night outdoors in the southern Spanish town of Lorca after an earthquake which killed at least 10 people.

The magnitude-5.2 tremor toppled several buildings after striking at a depth of just 1km (0.6 miles), 120km south-west of Alicante.

Lines of cars lay crushed under tonnes of rubble and a hospital was evacuated as a precaution.

Wednesday evening’s quake came about two hours after a 4.4-magnitude tremor. Read full story from bbc.co.uk

Religion:

County Board Considers Wiccan-Proof Prayer Policy
Prayer may soon be part of the Frederick County, Md., commissioners’ public meetings.

Republican Frederick County Board of Commissioners President Blaine Young suggested implementing the prayer at the start of the meetings. Read full story from nbcwashington.com

Religious belief is human nature, huge new study claims
London (CNN) – Religion comes naturally, even instinctively, to human beings, a massive new study of cultures all around the world suggests.

“We tend to see purpose in the world,” Oxford University professor Roger Trigg said Thursday. “We see agency. We think that something is there even if you can’t see it. … All this tends to build up to a religious way of thinking.”

Trigg is co-director of the three-year Oxford-based project, which incorporated more than 40 different studies by dozens of researchers looking at countries from China to Poland and the United States to Micronesia. Read full story from cnn.com

Science:

Mind Reading: Technology Turns Thought Into Action
An old technology is providing new insights into the human brain.

The technology is called electrocorticography, or ECoG, and it uses electrodes placed on the surface of the brain to detect electrical signals coming from the brain itself.

Doctors have been using ECoG since the 1950s to figure out which area of the brain is causing seizures in people with severe epilepsy. But in the past decade, scientists have shown that when connected to a computer running special software, ECoG also can be used to control robotic arms, study how the brain produces speech and even decode thoughts. Read full story from npr.org

Media:

Dr. Andy Thomson – Why We Believe in God(s): A Concise Guide to the Science of Faith

Why We Believe in God(s): A Concise Guide to the Science of Faith — Dr. Andy Thomson from Kurt Volkan on Vimeo.

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 and have a great day!

Lisa

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Tarot Journal – The Intuition & Basic Ethics of the Tarot

Tuesday, May 10th, 2011

The Intuition & Basic Ethics of the Tarot

Lesson 2: Intuitive Tarot Certification Course

All I can say is, WOW! So much useful and interesting information in this course. I learned about 2 very influential men, Carl Jung and Joseph Campbell.

Just a brief overview:

Carl Jung was a Swiss psychologist and founder of Analytical psychology, also called Jungian psychology. Originally he had no plans of studying psychology as it was frowned upon at the time. He later read that psychoses are personality diseases, which was of great interest to him. Jung had many childhood memories that left life long impressions, and realized this is what he was searching for. He was convinced as a boy he had 2 personalities; 1. A typical schoolboy living in the era of the time, 2. A dignified, authoritative and influential man from the past.

He was the first psychologist to say the human psyche is “by nature religion”. Jung was a practicing clinician, but most of his work involved the studies of Eastern and Western philosophies, such as alchemy, astrology, sociology, as well as art and literature. All of which are related to the human psyche found in dreams and the unconscious.

Jungian psychology (aka analytical psychology) is wholeness through the integration of unconscious forces and motivations underlying human behavior. It is the model of the unconscious mind as the source of healing and development in an individual. Jung saw the psyche as mind, but also admits the mystery of soul, and used as empirical evidence, the practice of an accumulative phenomenology around the significance of dreams, archetypes and mythology

Joseph Campbell was an American mythologist, writer and lecturer, known for his work in comparative mythology and comparative religion. Best known for his philosophy: “Follow your bliss.” After visiting The American Museum of Natural History in New York as a boy, he became versed in numerous aspects of Native American society, primarily in Native American mythology. He then became very passionate about myth and the study of and mapping of the cohesive threads in mythology that appeared to exist among even disparate human cultures.

Campbell was highly influenced by Sigmund Freud, but in particular on the work of Carl Jung. In his book The Mythic Image, Campbell quotes Jung’s statement about the Bardo Thodol, that it “belongs to that class of writings which not only are of interest to specialists in Mahayana Buddhism, but also, because of their deep humanity and still deeper insight into the secrets of the human psyche, make an especial appeal to the layman seeking to broaden his knowledge of life.

He had a big influence on pop culture. George Lucas credited Campbell’s influence. Lucas stated following the release of the first Star Wars film in 1977 that its story was shaped, by ideas described in The Hero with a Thousand Faces and. Campbell was further reinforced when reprints of Campbell’s book used the image of Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker on the cover.Lucas discusses this influence the authorized biography of Joseph Campbell, A Fire in the Mind.

On to Archetypes, I was asked What is an archetype? Describe five examples of archetypes and their meanings which have not already been discussed in the lecture material (for instance a heart = love, red= stop, etc.)

An archetype is a symbol recognized universally that can trigger emotions or memories. It can take on different forms (e.g. a color, a sign, person, or place). It’s an idea or image from the unconscious. Also an original idea in which similar things are patterned.

Examples:

  • Tiger: Very warm, loving. Independent minded. Pays scant regard for others feelings while pursuing fun and freedom.
  • Monkey: Wily and cunning. Ignores regimented rules. Free spirit.
  • Rooster: Brave and enthusiastic. Notoriously picky. Highly intelligent. Rarely has wool pulled over its eyes.
  • Dog: Honest, loyal, sincere. Believes in justice for all. Fights for principles. Sometimes bad tempered, self-righteous.
  • Dragon: Charismatic and colorful. Wants to be center of attention. Very arrogant.

I had to pick 2 cards from my deck and explain my perception of them:

Death was my first card. To me I find it an end and and beginning. It doesn’t necessarily mean psychical death, perhaps the end of an era. I can relate to this card in many ways, I had to let many things in my life end in order to have new and stronger beginnings. I believe a lot of people see this card and it scares them, to me it’s like saying “One door closes and another one opens.”

Second card is Temperance. Like the death card, I also see it as an end. There maybe disaster ahead, but these things too will pass. We must find self control and use everything in moderation, or it will lead to something unfortunate.

Tarot cards help you find deeper levels of emotion, through your connection with spirituality. There is something that lies deeper, the unconscious. Tarot reflects hidden aspects of your own life, It a helps you to communicate what you are actually seeing and mentally analyzing.

As far as The Tarot and destiny go, I believe destiny is what you make it. If you do a reading and it may not be positive, that can always be changed. I don’t believe anything is set in stone. I had the choice last year to lay down and die or get up and fight, I chose to fight. Our life is what we make of it. Sometimes we need help along the way and I see the Tarot as a great tool for that.

First and four most we need to realize while doing a reading, nothing is set in stone, as said before our destiny is what we make of it. The cards help show many possibilities in ones life, it just depends on how you chose to use the information you’ve received. People are coming to you for help, so be careful of the information you pass on. You never know one’s personal state of being. Never give anyone a scare, be sure to try and talk to the person and ask them questions. Make sure you have good communication.

Staying positive is important, you want a good connection not only with the person you are reading for, but also with your cards. I believe people, whether you know them or not can always feel negative vibes. That’s not going to make for a good reading and the cards may also reflect what you are feeling. I sound like a hippie.

I’ve been using the Witches tarot and The Rider Deck, I’ve found that I really like The Rider Deck. I just purchased the Dali and The Legacy of the Divine Tarot, I think the cards are beautiful. Does anyone else have these decks, and what do you think?

Feel free to post your thoughts, opinions and comments.

Thanks for stopping by! Have a great day!

Lisa

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News & Submissions 4/5/2011

Thursday, May 5th, 2011

Art’s and Entertainment:

“THE WICKER TREE” grows in the U.S.
Fango has learned that writer/director Robin Hardy’s THE WICKER TREE—the British helmer’s semi-sequel to his 1973 classic THE WICKER MAN—has been picked up for distribution in North America and the UK, as early as this fall. The film’s international sales agent, High Point Media Group, will screen THE WICKER TREE at the upcoming Cannes Film Festival on May 14 and 16. Read full story from fangoria.com

Art exhibition offers a psychedelic experience
Visitors are invited to take a trip through hallucinogenic patterns, optical illusions and cosmic landscapes when the latest exhibition at The University of Queensland opens this weekend.

New Psychedelia takes over the entire ground floor of the UQ Art Museum from Saturday, May 7 with pieces by 43 contemporary Australian artists, including one that requires 3D glasses.

“A new psychedelia has undoubtedly emerged in the past decade as an off-spring of the rave party, but also out of the décor of virtual reality and what William Gibson dubbed the ‘consensual hallucination’ of cyberspace,” Dr Edward Colless writes in the exhibition catalogue.

Curator Sebastian Moody said it was debatable whether recent explorations of psychedelia are in fact a countermovement to the “Turn On, Tune In, Drop Out” mentality of the 1960s. Read full story from ug.edu.au

Environment:

Deadly weather in US could become the norm
It’s been a severe start to the spring season in the United States. Tornadoes have ravaged the southeastern US, flooding threatens much of the Midwest, and wildfires are scorching Texas. But according to researchers, a confluence of seasonal oscillations in weather patterns, rather than climate change, is to blame. And growing populations mean that grim casualty figures from such events may become the norm.

“I don’t think there’s any way of proving climate change is responsible for the weather patterns this week and week before,” says meteorologist Howard Bluestein, of the University of Oklahoma in Norman. Read full story from newscientist.com

Native American:

Apache Leader Jeff Houser on Use of Geronimo’s Name
The day after the news spread that the operation to kill Osama bin Laden, or bin Laden himself, was code-named Geronimo, Fort Sill Apache Tribe Chairman Jeff Houser asked President Obama to issue a formal apology for associating one of the most enduring and heroic figures in Indian country with the name of the man who epitomized global terrorism. Read full story from indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com

News:

Barack Obama pays 9/11 respects at Ground Zero
Barack Obama spoke no words as he laid a red, white and blue wreath at the centre of Ground Zero. But then he didn’t need to: the location and the identity of the individuals gathered round him spoke for him.

The location was in the shade cast by the Survivor Tree, an oak that was recently planted at the World Trade Centre for a second time. The first time was in the 1970s, but the tree was later engulfed in rubble on 11 September 2001. Read full story from guardian.co.uk

Bin Laden killing left ‘uncomfortable feeling’ – Rowan Williams
The archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, said the killing of Osama bin Laden had left a ‘very uncomfortable feeling’. Photograph: Steve Parsons/PA

The archbishop of Canterbury has said the killing of Osama bin Laden left a “very uncomfortable feeling” because it appeared as if justice had not been done.

Bin Laden was shot dead in his compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, on Sunday. It has since emerged that he was unarmed when US Navy Seals fired at him.

Lambeth Palace had previously refused to comment on the death of Bin Laden but, when asked at a press conference what he thought of the killing, Dr Rowan Williams replied: “I think the killing of an unarmed man is always going to leave a very uncomfortable feeling; it doesn’t look as if justice is seen to be done. Read full story from guardian.co.uk

Paranormal:

How Many Intelligent Aliens are Out There?
OK, I’ve had enough. I’ve been looking up at the night sky for 20 years and not once have I ever seen anything that has aroused my suspicion that an alien visitor has popped by Earth to take a look.

The thing is, I am contacted far too often by people saying they have seen an unidentified flying object, or UFO. Being terribly literal, they probably have seen something “unidentified,” and it may look like it’s flying; whatever it is, it certainly is an “object,” but it doesn’t mean it’s aliens. Read full story from discovery.com

UFO, zombie, ghost and witch sightings revealed
DYFED Powys Police has revealed how many sightings of UFOs, zombies, ghosts, witches and vampires occurred in the county in the past five years.

The figures, made public because of a Freedom of Information Request Act, reveal 14 recorded UFO sightings in the past five years, along with 26 reports of ghosts, 11 witches and two of zombies and vampires respectively. Read full story from countrytimes.co.uk

Religion:

The US evangelicals who believe environmentalism is a ‘native evil’
Watching from afar how the environmental debate plays out in the US can be perplexing for many onlookers. Arguably, nowhere is the so-called “culture war” between left and right so heavily fought.

What is often not fully absorbed by onlookers, though, is the underlying role that religious doctrine – or “pulpit power” – plays in the environmental debate in the US. On the one hand, you have the “Creation Care” movement which is prevalent in some quarters of the Christian Church. On the other, particularly among evangelicals, you often see a vitriolic reaction aimed towards environmentalism. Read full story from guardian.co.uk

South Korean man found crucified, police say
(CNN) – A South Korean man was found crucified, local police told CNN on Thursday.

Police in Munkyuong said they were overwhelmed with the investigation and declined to provide further details.

But local media depicted an elaborate reconstruction of the crucifixion of Jesus, with the victim wearing a crown of thorns and dressed only in his underwear. He put nails into the cross first, then drilled holes in his hands and hung himself on the cross, reports said. Read full story from cnn.com

Contaminated Zam Zam holy water from Mecca sold in UK
Holy drinking water contaminated with arsenic is being sold illegally to Muslims by UK shops, the BBC has found.

Zam Zam water is taken from a well in Mecca and is considered sacred to Muslims, but samples from the source suggested it held dangerous chemicals.

Tourists can bring back small amounts from Saudi Arabia, but it cannot be exported for commercial use.

An undercover researcher found large quantities of bottles being sold in east and south London, and in Luton.

The president of the Association of Public Analysts said he would “certainly would not recommend” drinking it. Read full story from bbc.co.uk

World:

Nigerian kids ‘slain as witches’
HUNDREDS of Nigerian children have been severely beaten, burnt or killed after being accused of witchcraft, a British charity was to tell an inquiry overnight.

Stepping Stones Nigeria has compiled a dossier of more than 250 cases of severe violence against children accused of being witches in Akwa Ibom state. Children as young as two have been burnt, poisoned, buried alive or chained up because their families believed they were witches, according to the report. Read full story from australian.com

Media:

Is bin Laden pure evil? (Source: CNN)

Bin Laden’s wives — and daughter who would ‘kill enemies of Islam’ (Source: CNN)

Blogspot:

  • Ghost Theory – Assange: US Intelligence Uses Facebook, Google, Yahoo To Spy On Us.
  • Inspired by Life – Out of the Broom Closet
  • The Pagan Household – Pagan Parenting to Combat the Violence of the World Today
  • Phantoms & Monsters – St. Clair Shores, Michigan: USO, UFO and Alien Entity Encounters
  • The Wild Hunt – Quick Notes: Dogwood Protests, Wicker Tree Gets Distribution, and Hoodoo & Conjure Quarterly

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 and have a great day!

Lisa

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News & Submissions 4/26/2011

Tuesday, April 26th, 2011

Headlines:

Pagan Freedom Day 2011
An ancient pagan Greek historian and author Thucydides (460-404BCE) once wrote “The secret of happiness is freedom. The secret of freedom is courage.” It takes courage to publicly announce ‘I am Pagan’ in South Africa, but that’s exactly what Pagans do every year on Freedom Day.

In January 2004, this initiative was formally chartered as the Pagan Freedom Day Movement (PFDM). Since 2004 Pagans of every religious persuasion, including Witches, Wiccans, Druids, Asatruars and many others, have mingled and shared with other South Africans in celebration of their constitutionally guaranteed freedom to practice their own personal religions, and to gather openly with others of like mind, without fear of persecution or prejudice. Read full story from newstime.co.za

Archeology:

Archaeologists recover massive statue of one of ancient Egypt’s most powerful pharaohs
CAIRO — Archaeologists unearthed one of the largest statues found to date of a powerful ancient Egyptian pharaoh at his mortuary temple in the southern city of Luxor, the country’s antiquities authority announced Tuesday.

The 13 meter (42 foot) tall statue of Amenhotep III was one of a pair that flanked the northern entrance to the grand funerary temple on the west bank of the Nile that is currently the focus of a major excavation. Read full story from washingtonpost.com

Lost City Revealed Under Centuries of Jungle Growth
Hidden for centuries, the ancient Maya city of Holtun, or Head of Stone, is finally coming into focus.

Three-dimensional mapping has “erased” centuries of jungle growth, revealing the rough contours of nearly a hundred buildings, according to research presented earlier this month.

Though it’s long been known to locals that something—something big—is buried in this patch of Guatemalan rain forest, it’s only now that archaeologists are able to begin teasing out what exactly Head of Stone was.

Using GPS and electronic distance-measurement technology last year, the researchers plotted the locations and elevations of a seven-story-tall pyramid, an astronomical observatory, a ritual ball court, several stone residences, and other structures. Read full story from nationalgeographic.com

Arts & Entertainment:

Spout About: Will “Thor” Inspire Neopaganism? Death to Body Swap Movies! Death of a “2001” Influence
Above is a cropped section of a “Thor” bus stop ad posted to BuzzFeed. You can see that someone has taped a religious flyer to it. Intentional? Is there a minor protest going on against the polytheistic themes of the upcoming comic book movie? Does “Thor” have a soundtrack consisting of Varg Vikernes and other infamous neopagan black metal bands? Is there any other reason for people to worry it preaches anti-Christian messages? I sincerely hope this is just a chance occurrence.

Still, apparently some people are seeing too much in a flashy, potentially campy summer blockbuster. Star Foster at the pagan blog Pantheon looks into why “Thor” matters. Remember how people were turned onto Wicca after seeing “The Craft”? Wait, did that really happen? I knew some Wiccans back in high school, but I can’t recall the movie being a huge influence. Anyway, Foster sees a similar thing occurring with “Thor” and neopaganism: Read full story from indiewire.com

News:

Rebuilding Japan’s disaster-hit towns may take a decade
TOKYO, April 26 (Reuters) – The reconstruction of Japanese towns and cities devastated by a deadly earthquake and tsunami last month could take a decade, an advisory panel to the government tasked with coming up with a blueprint for rebuilding said on Tuesday.

The March 11 earthquake and tsunami, which left a large swathe of Japan’s northeast in ruins, killed at least 13,000 people, forced about 130,000 into shelters and is estimated to have caused $300 billion worth of damage.

“The first three years would be needed for tasks like rebuilding roads and constructing temporary housing,” said Jun Iio of Japan’s Reconstruction Design Council, formed after the quake to advise the government’s rebuilding efforts. Read full story from scientificamerican.com

Paranormal:

THE STEYTLERVILLE MONSTER
JOHANNESBURG, South Africa – A monster plaguing the town of Steytlerville struck again over the Easter!

There were  two sightings of a terrifying shape-shifting monster reported over Easter in the province of Karoo in South Africa.

“Two men were walking near a tavern when they saw another man wearing a black jacket. One of the men, identified only as Nozipho, went up to the stranger and asked him, “What is your problem?” said Nelani.

When the stranger did not respond, Nozipho went closer and saw that the man had no head. The man then turned into a dog that was “very angry” and “as big as a cow”, Nelani said. Read full story from weeklyworldnews.com

‘Haunted Watauga County’ delves in N.C. withcraft folklore
“Haunted Watauga County” by Tim Bullard will be published by The History Press of Charleston in September.

Bullard, 55, is a Laurinburg, N.C., native with magazine and newspaper clips at his website www.timbullard.com. He is formerly a reporter, photographer and columnist at the North Myrtle Beach Times, as well as a former Morning News reporter.

“Haunted Watauga County” delves into the witchcraft that has been reported through folklore in the N.C. mountains. Read full story from tricities.com

Religion:

Coffee Shop Religion: Interfaith of the Everyday
I never learned much about religion until I started hanging out at Muddy Waters Coffee Shop on the corner of Lyndale and 24th in Uptown, Minneapolis.

I was raised to be a priestess (of Hinduism), grew up surrounded by world scripture and philosophy, and was taught by learned scholars and mystics. But my religious education didn’t really begin until I started talking — and listening — to other people from other ways of life. I had a great foundation but it had to evolve beyond what I could experience as an individual. Understanding is a journey, and it’s nice to have company if you can get it. Read full story from huffingtonpost.com

KCET lot sold to Scientology
The Church of Scientology is has just bought a bigger pulpit.

The church has cut a deal to acquire the historic Los Feliz studio lot that has been home to pubcaster KCET-TV Los Angeles for the past 40 years. In a lengthy statement, the church said the deal allows it to “establish one of the most advanced centers used by religious broadcasters with the ability to harness 21st century broadcast technology and production power to deliver its message to the the largest international audience possible.” Read full story from variety.com

Sathya Sai Controversies and the Art of Guru Bashing
It is not uncommon now that for many Gurus, Rishis or Seers who have emerged from India, there has always been an unprecedented number of vicious attacks launched on them. These have come in the guise of slander, misquotes, false allegations and myriad smear campaigns.

Moreover it is interesting to note that most of these attackers often turn out to be either individuals who have been suffering from dysfunctional complexes or personality disorders, or pseudo spiritualists, fundamentalists and Christian missionaries working at religions conversion of Hindus, or self-appointed- rationalist experts with highly opinionated, insular theories or dishonest television reporters and interviewers sensationalizing and tarnishing the image of Hinduism and Hindu Gurus, keeping with the trend of unprofessional, ignorant reporting and the highly biased- ‘paid news syndrome’. Read full story from chakranews.com

Media:

Bill O’Reilly: Is There a Hell? (Source: YouTube – AtheistMediaBlog)

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 and have a great day!

Lisa

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News & Submissions 4/19/2011

Tuesday, April 19th, 2011

Arts & Entertainment:

Summer Movie Preview, with a Witchly Touch
My question isn’t “What films will you be seeing this summer,” it is “What movie besides Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2” will you be seeing.  LOL!  For us Pagans of all types, this is the pinnacle of film.  It has opened the world up to the possible fact that Witches and Wizards exist and we’re not that bad.  When you say you are a Witch, the fist image in their head isn’t the Wicked Witch of the West, but maybe of Hermione or, in my case, Looney Lovegood.

Here are the films this summer with Pagan content and do yourself a favour, find your nearest Drive-In theater.  Enjoy a film under the stars! Read full story from apaganslifefor me

It’s Horror Month on SundanceNOW
I’m slowly becoming a big fan of watching films “instantly”, be it through Netflix, Hulu, FearNet or any other online provider. Well, Sundance has gotten in on the action with SundanceNOW, and April is horror month. (You can view a full line-up of their horror films right here).

While most of their films rent out from $3.99-$4.99 SundanceNow is offering our readers three films for only 99¢ each. That’s a pretty good deal, especially considering NONE of these are currently available through Netflix on Demand. Here’s the lowdown on the films and how to view them…Read full story from brutalashell.com

Environment:

Gulf Oil Spill Anniversary News and Pictures  (See links at nationalgeographic.com)

30,000 Confidential Government Documents About The Gulf Oil Spill Made Available By Greenpeace
Here’s one for the more enterprising investigators in the TreeHugger audience: Under the Freedom of Information Act Greenpeace has collected some 30,000 confidential documents related to the Gulf oil spill and made them available in the new PolluterWatch Research site. Included in the documents are internal correspondence with BP, flight records, notes about the types of animal carcasses collected and much (much) more. Read full story from treehugger.com

News:

What is Gov’t Doing to Rescue Women in Witch Camps?
Democracy, education, technology and modernity still haven’t changed the mindset of people in this 21st Century. The beliefs and practices of people pre-dating this modern era still rule the lives of people today.

In the northern part of Ghana, the baseless accusation of aged women as being witches has made old age a nightmare for many women.

Witches’ camps in the northern part of Ghana have been in existence since time immemorial.

The reason behind the creation of these camps was to protect society from the harmful attacks of alleged witches, and the level of false accusations and brutalities compels the victim seek protection from a higher authority if the rest of the society is not willing to protect them. Read full story from allafrica.com

Paranormal:

JFK sought documents on UFOs 10 days before his assassination
Adding new speculation to the assassination of President John F Kennedy, two documents revealed by an author researching the JFK presidency show Kennedy’s interests in gaining access to UFO information.

In letters sent by President John F Kennedy to the CIA, and revealed by author William Lester to AOL News, as reported byThe Daily Mail, Kennedy requests access to top secret information on UFO sightings, with particular interest in sightings reported over the former Soviet Union. Read full story from digitaljournal.com

Religion:

Religion’s interconnectivity comes full circle in Rome
ROME – While chanting monks, accordion players and the Italian version of “Beauty and the Beast” I saw last week were very cool, I’m here to talk to you about a different kind of tune than what you’ll find in the rest of this paper: “Music of the Spheres.”

This ancient philosophy explains there is a harmony between God and heavenly beings that move around the Earth, especially the Sun and the Moon. The idea was later explained in a literal and physical sense by Johannes Kepler, astrology scholar David Plant said. Kepler explained that geometry, astrology and other sciences worked together to explain the movement of the planets.

Last week for class, I watched the film “Agora.” It displays a clash of ideologies in 5th-century Alexandria (Roman Empire), running the gamut from Roman Paganism to Judaism and  Christianity, to astronomy and philosophy. It is impossible for me to go in depth, but what you need to know is that every denomination of faith in the film is portrayed in a bad light. Read full story from temple-news.com

Islam Converted the Pagans But Did Paganism Convert Islam?
The Arabia of Mohammed was religiously diverse during his childhood and throughout the region you had Pagans, Christians, Jews, Zoroastrians, Sabaeans, and other faiths. Therefore, Arabia was multi-religious and extremely diverse and many faiths co-existed and thought patterns were openly debated because countless families will have been religiously mixed.

However, once Mohammed obtained power then the “no compulsion in religion” became “kill the apostate.” This small aspect of the Koran and Hadiths point to a period of weakness and moderation during the early stage but once powerful, then Mohammed desired power mechanisms in order to defeat and control the economic system of the non-Muslims.

Mohammed and orthodox Muslims in the world today believe that the next stage was about monotheism and the eradication of Paganism within the body politic of Islam. However, while it is true to say that Muslim forces did defeat the followers of Paganism it is also true to say that Paganism defeated Islam within the tenets, customs, rituals, and sayings of Mohammed. Read full story from aina.org

Media:

Waynesboro Police Say Full Moon Affects Crime Rate (Source – WJBF)

Pregnant Kate Hudson Dabbles In Light Witchcraft To Predict Baby’s Sex (Source – TheFabLife.com)

Blogspot:

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

Lisa

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