Posts

NASA finds ‘significant’ water on moon
(CNN) – NASA said Friday it had discovered water on the moon, opening “a new chapter” that could allow for the development of a lunar space station. Read full story from cnn.com

Oz Muslim students bully 11-year-old kid for eating a salami sandwich
Melbourne, Nov 13 (ANI): A Sydney couple has withdrawn their two children from a public primary school because Muslim students bullied their 11-year-old son for eating a salami sandwich during Ramadan. Read full story from yahoo.com

Catholic Church gives D.C. ultimatum
The Catholic Archdiocese of Washington said Wednesday that it will be unable to continue the social service programs it runs for the District if the city doesn’t change a proposed same-sex marriage law, a threat that could affect tens of thousands of people the church helps with adoption, homelessness and health care Read full story from washingtonpost.com

‘Witches, possessed’ flock to Kenya pastor
Kisii, Kenya (CNN) – On one Sunday each month Pastor Lawrence Omambia, the lead preacher at the Community of Christ church in Kisii, Kenya, shows off his gift – healing and exorcism. Read full story from cnn.com

I’ve added a new section to PagansWorld.org. The Witch Hunts page provides links and resources to information on the Salem Witch Trial and European Witch Hunts. Come by and check it out!

Herbalists call for legal remedy to protect traditional medicines
MEDICAL herbalists say their profession is under threat and they will no longer be able to prescribe traditional remedies such as St John’s Wort unless urgent action is taken by the UK government to regulate the sector. Read full story from news.scotsman.com
A living God cries after visiting Tawang and seeing first hand how the Chinese militia massacred the Tibetans - can India rescue Tibet from Chinese communists?
Tibetan spiritual leader, the living God Dalai lama sadly speaks about his ‘‘dharma’’, his escape from Tibet 50 years ago and the warm welcome he received in India. He came, he saw, he wept for all Tibetans. No one is there to rescue the Tibetans from the dark forces of communist China and its militia. Read full story from indiadaily.com

City’s First ‘Heathen’ Council Member
After capturing the seat last Tuesday Halloran is trying to steer the media buzz toward his political goals and away from his religion. Read full story from wpix.com

How rainforest shamans treat disease
Ethnobotanists, people who study the relationship between plants and people, have long documented the extensive use of medicinal plants by indigenous shamans in places around the world, including the Amazon. But few have reported on the actual process by which traditional healers diagnose and treat disease. Read full story from mongabay.com

The fall of the Berlin Wall: Your memories
As Germany celebrates the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, the BBC News website has asked readers to share their memories of the historic day. Read full story from new.bbc.co.uk

Mongolian Shamanism Making Comeback
When Degi, a 24-year-old web designer in Mongolia’s capital, Ulaanbaatar, hit a pedestrian in July 2008 with his Daewoo sedan, his luck took a turn for the worse. His company didn’t get a contract he was hoping for, and misfortune seemed to hover over his personal life. The family of the victim extorted money from him, threatening to sue and warning him that they had connections in the courts. So Degi, like many Mongolians, took his troubles to a shaman. Read full story from isn.ethz.ch

Tibetans delighted with Dalai Lama’s Tawang visit
Dharamsala, Nov. 8 (ANI): Tibetans living in-exile in Dharamsala on Sunday expressed delight over the Dalai Lama’s Arunachal Pradesh visit. Read full story from Thaindian.com

Paganism – supernatural or naturalistic?
People who identify as pagans don’t all believe the same things. Some believe literally that gods or spirits exists, that elaborate ritual is critically important, or that magick can achieve real effects outside of the user’s natural reach. Most books on pagan beliefs and practices belong in this “supernatural pagan” category. This approach is accompanied by a whole panoply of products and paraphernalia, from crystals and cauldrons to chalices, daggers and tarot cards. Read full story from Pantheism.net

Dalai Lama greets people of Sikkim
DHARAMSALA - Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama Saturday greeted the people of Sikkim on the occasion of a five-day ‘Tibet Festival’ in Gangtok. Read full story from blog.taragana.com

British ‘Indiana Jones’ finds missing legs of 900-year-old Buddhist statue
It sounds like the plot of an Indiana Jones movie: an archaeology professor with little more to go on than a yellowing photograph discovers part of a 900-year-old statue deep in the Cambodian jungle, rewriting history in the process. Read full story from independent.co.uk

Hallowe’en: trick, treat and a total travesty?
Hallowe’en, as we know it now, is a fake. It was imported from America in the 1980s, which is when British children found out from the film ET (1982) how to go about trick-or-treat. It may not be long ago, but it is long enough to seem immemorial to anyone under 30. To them, Tesco’s Hallowe’en Frankenstein cake or Asda’s “Bride of Chuckie’s very own recipe for Creepy Cupcakes” seem just like the commercialisation of Christmas. The difference is that there’s really nothing behind them. Read full story from telegraph.co.uk

The Wild Hunt at The Florida Pagan Gathering
Assuming that all went well yesterday with my flights, by the time you read this I’ll be enjoying my first day at the 2009 Samhain Florida Pagan Gathering! During the three-day event I’ll be giving talks, and enjoying presentations and performances by festival co-headliners Janet Farrar & Gavin Bone, Donald Michael Kraig, and musical guests Kellianna & Coyote Run. The event runs from November 5-8th (the theme being “Hail the Honored Dead”), and has gotten positive reviews from former presenters  Thorn Coyle and Chas Clifton. Read full story from The Wild Hunt