You're Godless! No, YOU Are! No, You!
Friday October 31, 2008
There truly are no words to adequately describe the idiocy and general bucket'o'stoopid of this story out of Raleigh, NC, so I'll just let the article speak for itself: Godless ... Read More
Happy Beltane to Our Southern Hemisphere Readers!
Friday October 31, 2008
Beltane blessings to you!Image © Getty Images
For those of you below the Equator, this is Beltane. It's the time of year when you can smell the greening of the earth, ... Read More
Have a Blessed and Magical Samhain!
Friday October 31, 2008
Happy Samhain!Image © Getty Images
It's the time when the Wheel is turning towards the dark half of the year, and the chill of winter is in the air. For those ... Read More
Temple of Artemis to Be Rebuilt
Thursday October 30, 2008
This is so cool. A Turkish foundation is going all Extreme Home Makeoverand rebuilding a temple to Artemis which was destroyed by fire about 2300 years ago. Once one of ... Read More
TX Atheist Sues Over Nat'l Day of Prayer
Thursday October 30, 2008
More on the National Day of Prayer issue - you'll remember that earlier in October the Freedom From Religion Foundation filed a lawsuit against several politicans (including George W. Bush) ... Read More
Pagans and Homosexuality
Thursday October 30, 2008
With Proposition 8 rearing its ugly, bigoted head over California, a reader writes in, "I'm new to the Pagan community, and it seems to me that there are a lot ... Read More
Samhain: Superstitions, Legends and Lore
Thursday October 30, 2008
In addition to all the magic we can conjure up at Samhain, there are a number of legends and bits of folklore associated with this holiday. Did you know that ... Read More
Witches In the News, of Course!
Wednesday October 29, 2008
Well, bless my pointy black hat, it's nice to see an article in mainstream media that realizes you can't lump all Pagans into the Wiccan category. There's a well-written bit ... Read More
Samhain Altars: Send in Your Pics!
Wednesday October 29, 2008
Are you getting your altars ready for Samhain? If you'd like to share a photo with the rest of our readers, you can send it in as a jpg file, ... Read More
Samhain: Ritual Honoring the Ancestors
Wednesday October 29, 2008
For many modern Pagans and Wiccans, there has been a resurgence of interest in our family histories. We want to know where we came from and whose blood runs through ... Read More
Viking Burial Sites Give Clues to Ritual, Religion
Tuesday October 28, 2008
The average person tends to view the civilizations of the Vikings as being chock-full of pillaging, plundering barbarians. However, anyone who's studied their culture knows there is a bit more ... Read More
Beltane: Rituals and Celebrations
Tuesday October 28, 2008
For our Southern Hemisphere readers, spring is on its way! That means Beltane is coming up this weekend, so you're probably planning some sort of event. Whether it's a quiet ... Read More
Samhain: 13 Spooky Poems to Read
Tuesday October 28, 2008
One of the great things about this time of year is that it's starting to get chilly, and it gets dark earlier. There's something comforting about curling up in a ... Read More
Italian Pagans Welcome Samhain
Monday October 27, 2008
I know we have several regular readers here from Italy, so this article didn't strike me as a surprise. Reuters explores the increasing number of Italians embracing Pagan spirituality, and ... Read More
Reader FAQ: Can I Be Wiccan if I'm Not White?
Monday October 27, 2008
Reader JaynieDoodle writes in with an interesting question. She says, "My father is Hispanic and my mom is African-American, so I'm about as non-caucasian as anyone can get. Whenever I ... Read More
Monument Project Underway for Scottish Witches
Monday October 27, 2008
Back in the heyday of the witch hunts, Scotland found more than four thousand people guilty of practicing witchcraft and sorcery. A recent attempt to gain a mass pardon has ... Read More
Magical Mondays: String
Monday October 27, 2008
Magical Mondays: String!© Susan Trigg/Getty Images
I did a working this week involving this item, and I'm curious to see how the rest of you might use it. It's something we ... Read More
Samhain: Make an Apple Garland
Monday October 27, 2008
I took the kids out apple-picking last weekend, so now I have something like two bushels of apples that have to be peeled, sliced, cooked and preserved before they turn ... Read More
Beltane: History and Legends
Sunday October 26, 2008
If you're below the equator, October is the month when you start making your Beltane plans. After all, you've already had your chilly winter months, and spring is right around ... Read More
Problems Crash Aussie Beltane Party Plans
Sunday October 26, 2008
A reader recently sent me a gentle reminder that while those of us above the equator are gearing up for Samhain, the folks in the Southern Hemisphere are planning to ... Read More
Samhain: The Banshee
Sunday October 26, 2008
I'm a big fan of using my slow cooker (or crockpot, as it's known in some circles) to prepare giant steaming vats of warm drinks in the chilly months. There's ... Read More
Samhain: Spirit Incense
Saturday October 25, 2008
Incense is often a good way to set the mood for a ritual or working. Depending on what's available for you to use, you can create a wide variety of ... Read More
Teen's Presentation Nixed for Diversity Week
Friday October 24, 2008
Along with the scent of burning leaves, candy corn, and pumpkin spice, there's another smell in the air... aha, it's irony! At Pinkerton High School in Derry, New Hampshire, a ... Read More
Samhain: Ritual Honoring Animals
Friday October 24, 2008
Our relationship with animals goes back thousands and thousands of years. They have been a source of food and clothing, they have protected us from the things that lurk in ... Read More
Biden Handlers Cover Statue's Girly Parts
Thursday October 23, 2008
Vice-presidential candidate Joe Biden put in a recent appearance in Pueblo, and in an apparent homage to the John Ashcroft school of public speaking, had his people cover up a ... Read More
Samhain: Black Cat Cookies
Thursday October 23, 2008
Diana Rattray over at our Southern Food site has a great recipe for Black Cat Cookies. They're easy to make, with a box of chocolate cake mix as the main ... Read More
Campus Wiccans at Boston University
Wednesday October 22, 2008
It's autumn, which means we're seeing a lot of the "witches are normal" stories in the news right now. I wanted to share this one with you, in particular, because ... Read More
Samhain: Tricks or Treats?
Wednesday October 22, 2008
While many of us Wiccans and Pagans celebrate the holiday called Samhain, for some of us, it's also the secular event of Halloween. The tradition of trick-or-treating isn't quite as ... Read More
People Still Spend $$ at Halloween
Tuesday October 21, 2008
Don't let all the Sooper Skeery Economic News fool you. Americans have their priorities in order. Halloween spending is still going strong. In fact, a survey from BIGresearch indicates that ... Read More
Hallmark Plans "Good Witch" Sequel
Tuesday October 21, 2008
If you're one of the bazillion or so viewers who enjoyed Hallmark's "The Good Witch" earlier this year, you're in for a treat. They're planning a sequel, starring Catherine Bell ... Read More
Intro to Wicca e-Course Now Available!
Tuesday October 21, 2008
Okay, gang, you asked and I'm listening! I've had numerous (and by that, I mean hundreds) of requests for a Basic Wicca e-course through this site. Good news -- it's ... Read More
Samhain: The Dumb Supper
Tuesday October 21, 2008
Although traditionally a seance is a good way to communicate with those who have crossed into the spirit world, it's also perfectly fine to talk to them at other times. ... Read More
Magical Mondays: Toy Cars
Monday October 20, 2008
Magical Mondays: Toy Cars!© Dougal Waters/Getty Images
This week's Magical Mondays item comes to us from the dark and scary place under my son's bed. We did a little cleaning this ... Read More
Samhain: Make a Grave Rubbing
Monday October 20, 2008
Many modern Pagans and Wiccans include ancestor worship as part of their Samhain celebrations -- it's not out of the ordinary to meet members of the Pagan community who can ... Read More
Samhain: Pumpkin Candles
Sunday October 19, 2008
I love pumpkins. They're everywhere, I have them all over my porch (and a few that snuck into my garden, thanks to last year's cast-off jack-o-lanterns). They're an all-purpose vegetable, ... Read More
The Annual Black Cat Panic
Saturday October 18, 2008
It sucks that this even has to be brought up, but once again, animal shelters are putting the kibosh on the adoption of black cats right before Halloween. While I'm ... Read More
Act Now! Buy Your Own Temple!
Saturday October 18, 2008
If you hurry, you can purchase one slightly used temple to Cybele, located in Bulgaria. The 680-square meter plot containing the temple was found in the Black Sea town of ... Read More
Bell-Ringing Causes Concern at Samhain
Saturday October 18, 2008
This is an interesting story out of the UK. Apparently, the small town of Bungay had a custom, back in medieval days, of ringing the St. Mary's church bells at ... Read More
Starhawk on Faith: Stop the Hatred
Saturday October 18, 2008
Over at the Washington Post's On Faith blog, Starhawk rings in on the issue of the politics of hatred. She points out that our politicians, as leaders, set the tone ... Read More
Samhain: Jack-O-Lantern Quesadillas
Saturday October 18, 2008
Our Mexican Food guide, Chelsie Kenyon, has this posted over on her site, and it's so darn cute I had to share it. If you're planning a get-together -- or ... Read More
Country Singer Considers Reincarnation
Friday October 17, 2008
Although I normally don't give a dingo's kidney about the lives of pop culture icons, I thought this was an interesting story for a couple of reasons. Country singer Reba ... Read More
Samhain: Death and Dying
Friday October 17, 2008
© Patti Wigington 2008
I've got a treat for you all! I got to hang out last weekend with author Ray Buckland, who was at the Universal Light Expo (also, a ... Read More
Samhain: Celebrate the God and Goddess
Thursday October 16, 2008
By Samhain, in many traditions of Wicca and Paganism, the Goddess has moved into the aspect of Crone. Rather than being a young, fertile woman carrying a basket of flowers, ... Read More
John Morehead and The Resurgence of Anti-Pagan Lit
Wednesday October 15, 2008
There's been a wave lately of anti-Pagan books released by publishers, most of which are aimed at educating innocent Christian teenagers about the evils of Wicca, the occult, and Japanese ... Read More
Be Careful With Your Candles!
Wednesday October 15, 2008
In a rather timely news story out of San Diego, a Santeria supply shop burned down after a lit candle was left burning. The Centro Botanico La Santisima was totally ... Read More
TX Boy Can Go Back to Class with Long Hair, For Now
Wednesday October 15, 2008
This story really jumped out at me, because it struck me as one of those "school dress code gone bad" kind of tales. A Native American kindergartener in Texas was ... Read More
Samhain: Straw Man
Wednesday October 15, 2008
Back when Julius Caesar was busy conquering the British Isles, he noted in his Commentaries that the Druids had a penchant for human sacrifice. Whether this was true or not ... Read More
Scholars Debate on Use of Stonehenge
Tuesday October 14, 2008
New evidence unearthed at Stonehenge has archeologists divided about what the ancient site's actual purpose was. You may recall back in April, when researchers Tim Darvill and Geoff Wainwright announced ... Read More
Samhain: Soul Cakes
Tuesday October 14, 2008
Ever hear the phrase "going a-souling"? Soul cakes were traditionally baked as a gift for the spirits of the dead. In many European countries, the idea of "Souling" became an ... Read More
Calling Wisconsin Pagans!
Monday October 13, 2008
I normally don't do this but it's for a really good cause, so I want to make you all aware of an event going on near Milwaukee. I got an ... Read More
Magical Mondays: Battery
Monday October 13, 2008
Magical Mondays: Battery!© Getty Images
It's time once again for Magical Mondays, and this week's item is something I found while rummaging around in the bottom of my desk drawer.
If you're ... Read More
Samhain: Hold a Seance
Monday October 13, 2008
As Samhain draws nearer and the veil grows thinner, many of you are probably thinking it's a good time of year to hold a seance. You're right -- it's a ... Read More
Pagan Author Responds to Sarah Palin
Sunday October 12, 2008
This is awesome. Deborah Blake, author of Circle, Coven and Grove and Everyday Witch A - Z, has posted a YouTube video response to the news that Sarah Palin went ... Read More
A Note to My Fellow Pagan Bloggers
Sunday October 12, 2008
Please, if this applies to you, accept in the spirit in which it is intended. Understand that there are many words in the Pagansphere which are similar to words in ... Read More
Samhain: Celebrate the End of the Harvest
Sunday October 12, 2008
If you live in an area that produces crops, you may have noticed something recently. The corn stalks are brown and dried. Fields that were once green are now bare. ... Read More
Samhain: Decorating Your Altar
Saturday October 11, 2008
Are you getting your altars ready for Samhain? If you'd like to share a photo with the rest of our readers, you can send it in as a jpg file, ... Read More
Samhain: Jack O'Lanterns
Friday October 10, 2008
It's October, and that means you can't go too many places without seeing pumpkins, at least if you live in North America. They're everywhere, and often they're carved into scary, ... Read More
Voodoo HPs Says Politician Bounced Checks for "Death Ritual"
Thursday October 9, 2008
I hardly even know where to begin with this one, but I'll give it a shot. George Ann Mills, a Voodoo priestess from South Carolina says she was hired by ... Read More
Student Calls Teacher a Witch, Tries to Set Her On Fire
Thursday October 9, 2008
From the Oakland Daily Trib, there's a story about an adult education student who called his teacher a witch, chanted religious verses, and then poured a liquid over her before ... Read More
Blood Moon on October 14!
Thursday October 9, 2008
It's hard to believe it but autumn is in full swing! The leaves are turning, at least here in the Midwest, and the nights are cool and crisp. On October ... Read More
Samhain: Deities of Death
Thursday October 9, 2008
Although in modern society, we tend to give death a wide berth, in many cultures it was given a hearty respect. Nearly every ancient civilization includes in their myths and ... Read More
Soothsaying Ordinance Tossed Out
Wednesday October 8, 2008
Remember Cliff Eakin, the Wiccan shop owner who challenged an "anti-soothsaying" law in Livingston Parish, Louisiana? Even the parish council's attorney, Blayne Honeycutt, said he thought the parish would lose ... Read More
Join Me at the Universal Light Expo!
Wednesday October 8, 2008
If you're in the central Ohio area this weekend, stop in at the Universal Light Expo. I'll be there Saturday and Sunday, signing books and doing Tarot readings. This annual ... Read More
Samhain: Ancestor Meditation
Wednesday October 8, 2008
For many of us, Samhain is a time to honor our ancestors. Sometimes we do this in ritual, other times by setting up a special altar for our family somewhere ... Read More
The De-Witchifying of Sarah Palin
Tuesday October 7, 2008
I think I love Mark Morford over at the SF Gate. He always makes me laugh, and at the same time tackles current events with a degree of knowledge that ... Read More
Does Yoga Promote Religion?
Tuesday October 7, 2008
That's what a bunch of upstate New York parents are concerned about. A local high school, in Massena, has been using yoga techniques to help students relax and deal with ... Read More
Samhain: The 12 Days of Samhain
Tuesday October 7, 2008
For many of us, Samhain is a time of solemnity and introspection. We focus inward, and delve more into the spiritual aspects of our path, connecting with the dying earth. ... Read More
Sign Up for the Seven-Day Sabbat E-Class!
Monday October 6, 2008
Here's a new thing I'm starting here on the site. Before each Sabbat, I'll announce a feature called the Seven-Day Sabbat class. It's an e-course, similar to the weekly newsletter, ... Read More
FRFF Sues Over National Day of Prayer
Monday October 6, 2008
This is interesting, indeed. The Freedom From Religion Foundation has filed a federal lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of a government-endorsed National Day of Prayer. Thanks to Public Law 100-307, the ... Read More
Pagan Student Group Could Dissolve
Monday October 6, 2008
In a situation that I think may be a portrait of a problem in the Pagan community in general, the Pagan Student Association at Ohio State University is facing the ... Read More
Magical Mondays: Arrow!
Monday October 6, 2008
Magical Mondays: Arrow!© Getty Images
Welcome back to Magical Mondays! This week's item was one I spent part of the weekend playing with - I attended an outdoorswoman workship, and learned ... Read More
Samhain: Ghost Poop
Monday October 6, 2008
Okay, okay, I know it sounds absolutely horrible. But if you have kids with a sweet tooth, this mousse-like creation is perfect for your Samhain dessert table. It's a blend ... Read More
Samhain: Divination
Sunday October 5, 2008
There are a lot of customs about divination taking place at Samhain. After all, if it's the night when the veil between our world and the next is at its ... Read More
Samhain: Make an Ancestor Shrine
Saturday October 4, 2008
Samhain is a time of change not only in the earth, but in our lives as well. As a time when we often take the time to honor the dead, ... Read More
Samhain: Black Cats
Friday October 3, 2008
Every year when people begin putting out their Halloween decorations, and we start dressing our homes for Samhain, inevitably the image of the black cat comes up. It's usually portrayed ... Read More
Church & State Questions for VP Candidates
Thursday October 2, 2008
Over at Newsweek's On Faith blog, journalist Susan Jacoby raises some interesting questions for Vice Presidential candidates Joe Biden and Sarah Palin. She says, "I do not care whether Joseph ... Read More
Get Your Flyers Ready!
Thursday October 2, 2008
That is, if you'd like to pass out stuff in public schools for your non-profit group of any flavor. In a San Leandro school district, lawyers have advised teachers that ... Read More
30 Days of Samhain
Thursday October 2, 2008
Beginning today, I'll be posting links to different articles about the Samhain season each day until October 31. Some will be to pieces here on Pagan/Wiccan, others will be to ... Read More
Was Jesus a Magician?
Wednesday October 1, 2008
A big thanks to Black Kat, my friend and HPs, for sending this link my way. An MSNBC article today points to a new finding which may indicate that there ... Read More
Wonder if We'll Get a Note on Samhain
Wednesday October 1, 2008
President Bush wished the Jewish people a happy Rosh Hashanah! Think the Pagan community will be getting any greeting cards on October 31?
Nah, me either :)
Meet Pagan Musician David Wood
Wednesday October 1, 2008
When most people think of Pagan music, they tend to get an image of harp-toting folks dressed in Renaissance-era clothing and playing traditional Irish ballads. There's certainly nothing wrong with ... Read More
Happy Birthday to Isaac Bonewits!
Wednesday October 1, 2008
Today is the birthday of Isaac Bonewits, Pagan author and founder of the Druid order Ár nDraíocht Féin. In addition to writing numerous books, Isaac is the author of the ... Read More