Pagan

‘I cast spells and it works’
According to Pagans, the early Christian church hijacked December 25 to celebrate the birth of Jesus. Read full story from lep.co.uk

Fla. appeals court reinstates challenge to prison religious aid
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — A humanist group can go ahead with its challenge against the Florida prison system’s use of two faith-based organizations to provide substance-abuse programs for inmates, a state appellate court has ruled. Read full story from firstamendmentcenter.com

Army still threatens sacred site
FORT SILL, Okla. – The Comanche Nation and the U.S. Army have been battling over a proposed training/service center for the Fort Sill complex that was to be built on Medicine Bluff, a sacred site of not just the Comanche, but also the Kiowas, the Wichitas and the Apaches. Read full story from Indiancountrytoday.com

Witchy Moon Magickal Pagan Superstore Partners with Circle Santuary to Deliver Yuletide Care Packages to Pagan Troops
WitchyMoon Magickal Pagan Superstore today announced that is supporting Circle Sanctuary’s “Operation Circle Care” program to collect Yule gifts for Pagan soldiers stationed overseas. As part of this sponsorship, WitchyMoon will be selling care packages on its web site, which can be sent to Pagan service members abroad. WitchyMoon will be offering a 25% discount on all care package items. Read full story from pr.com

Wiccan to sit out two Christmas songs
Fifteen-year-old Katarina Keen won’t sing along to “Silent Night” or “Listen to the Stars,” two Christian songs planned for her choir’s upcoming Christmas concert at Borger High School. But she will sing “Jingle Bells” and “A Carol in Winter.” Read full story from amarillo.com

Glitzy, fun – but soulful too
I grew up singing “Deck the halls with boughs of holly” but never actually stopped to think why we were decking the halls at all. Each year we take the time to decorate our homes during the festive season, hanging baubles on the Christmas tree and placing holly and ivy around the house but how many of us stop to wonder why we participate in such traditions? Read full story from ft.com

Candle rituals a symbolic form of prayer, a way to ask for change
In Wicca, and other pagan (nature-based) and mystical belief systems, burning candles is one of the simplest forms of magic. Not the “hocus-pocus, pull-a-rabbit-out-of-a-hat” variety of magic, but rather focusing and directing mental energies to manifest a change in the physical world. Read full story from winnipegfreepress.com

“Jesus is the ONLY reason for the season” Billboard
I saw a billboard here in San Diego (on University in Hillcrest), which reads “Jesus is the ONLY reason for the season,” apparantly sponsored by two businessmen. To paraphrase Jeff Dunham’s Achmed the Dead Terrorist: “Don’t say Merry Christmas, it only irritates the other infidels.”. That is a very profound statement. Read full story from sandiegoreader.com

Bakersfield council prayers too Christian?
Bakersfield is the second city in Kern County to have prayers at city council meetings challenged by the Freedom From Religion Foundation Inc., a Wisconsin nonprofit with a membership of mostly atheists and agnostics. Read full story from bakersfield.com

Is Islam really a threat to America?
A recent headline in the Nashville newspaper The Tennessean asks the question “Is Islam a threat to America.” Throughout the history of the nation this question has been asked of many different groups. What is the difference now? Islam as a faith is no more a threat to America than Judaism, Hinduism, Paganism or other any other faith experience. The question itself suffers from the propensity to mislabel and mis-characterize Muslims (and many other groups). Read full story from examiner.com

It is time to negoitate a peace treaty and end the ‘War on Christmas’
Jesus was not born on December 25. Early Christians picked that date because it was a popular Roman pagan holiday marking the winter solstice. Jesus probably wasn’t born in a stable, either. Read full story from the examiner.com

Ashland OR school removes holiday tree
ASHLAND, Ore. (AP) — The principal of an elementary school in Ashland, Ore., has removed a holiday giving tree from the school after several families complained it was a religious symbol. Read full story from kgw.com

Taking back the Pagan holiday tree and where to find Pagan ornaments
Anyone who knows their history knows that the “Christmas” tree was first introduced by ancient Pagans.  The Egyptians decorated palm branches during the winter solstice to symbolize resurrection. Ancient Greeks decorated evergreen trees in worship of Adonia, who was resurrected by a serpent.  The ancient Germans decorated evergreen trees in worship of Woden.   Romans covered their trees with metallic decorations and candles to honor Bacchus.  All of these tree decorating traditions predated Christianity. Read full story from examiner.com

Happy Re-Birthday: Celebrating the Light’s Return at Winter Solstice
Winter Solstice marks the shift of the seasons from harvesting crops to rejuvenating the Earth.
In 2009, this longest night of the year falls on December 21. While the notion of winter usually evokes images of warm coats, mittens and boots, in ancient times Winter Solstice was honored as the turning point when the sun begins warming the Earth a little bit longer every day. Read full story from visionmagazine.com

December 1 is World AIDS Day
Today, December 1, is World AIDS Day - a day to bring awareness to this pandemic that does not discriminate based on gender, age, color, religious sect nor sexual orientation. Almost every one of us knows someone who has been touched by this disease in some way: a friend, a sibling, a parent, a child, a cousin, a friend’s child – someone in our lives has been affected. Read full story from examiner.com

Shayne Looper: To coexist is just not enough
We were in an Ivy League town recently, and I noticed a number of cars sporting a bumper sticker that read COEXIST. The letters were constructed from various symbols, some of which were religious in nature. Read full story from norwichbulletin.com

Winter solstice is a time of renewal, reconnection with the Earth
Throughout the ages, a variety of cultures have viewed the winter solstice as a time for celebration and renewal. The tilt of the earth’s axis makes the winter solstice the shortest day — and longest night — of the year. According to Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary, the word solstice comes from the roots “sol,” which means sun, and “stit,” which means stand. In the northern hemisphere, the winter solstice usually falls on Dec. 21 or 22. Read full story from poughkeepsiefournal.com