2008 in Review: Diggin' Archaeology
Wednesday December 31, 2008
I'll happily admit that archaeology itself isn't truly a Pagan or Wiccan issue, but the fact is that a lot of us (a) have a strong sense of kinship to ... Read More
Groups Seek to Remove God from Inaugural Pledge
Wednesday December 31, 2008
Oh, here's an interesting one from CNN. In a lawsuit filed on Tuesday, several atheist and religious freedom advocacy groups are requesting that the phrase, "So help me God" be ... Read More
2008 in Review: Prisoners Rights, Religion in Court
Wednesday December 31, 2008
Unfortunately, there are thousands of Pagans and Wiccans in prison, many of whom discovered their spiritual beliefs after becoming incarcerated. The religious rights of inmates became one of the big ... Read More
Pagan Musician Needs Your Help
Wednesday December 31, 2008
For those of you who aren't familiar with SJ Tucker, you've been missing out. She's a gifted, talented musician, who plays a lot of Pagan events and does a lot ... Read More
Dec. 31: Happy Hogmanay!
Wednesday December 31, 2008
In Scotland, there's a fascinating custom called Hogmanay. Celebrated on December 31, and running over into the early days of January, Hogmanay hearkens back to the days of mid-winter sun ... Read More
2008 in Review: Soothsaying and the License Plate Situation
Tuesday December 30, 2008
The year 2008 was a big one for laws relating to fortune-telling, or as they call it down in Louisiana, soothsaying. I actually love that word - I can just ... Read More
2008 in Review: The 1st Amendment and How We See It
Tuesday December 30, 2008
Another big series of stories this year came to us courtesy of the First Amendment. Free speech and religious rights were at the forefront of a number of issues.
In ... Read More
2008 in Review: Faith, Government and Politics
Tuesday December 30, 2008
Unless you've been living under a rock for the past twelve months, you're most likely well aware of the issue of religion when it comes to politics. After all, this ... Read More
2008 in Review: Schools and Religion
Tuesday December 30, 2008
The year 2008 was a busy one for everyone. For those of us who follow religious freedoms in the news, there were a number of stories that jumped out as ... Read More
New Year's Resolutions? Take the Poll!
Tuesday December 30, 2008
It's nearly New Year's, and that means for many people it's time to start thinking about what you're going to do differently in 2009. For me personally, I'm going to ... Read More
Pagans Who Made a Difference in 2008, Part 2
Monday December 29, 2008
Continuing on the theme from the previous entry, here are five more Pagans Who Made a Difference in 2008:
Starhawk: A tireless activist and educator, Starhawk found herself deported from Israel ... Read More
Pagans Who Made a Difference in 2008
Monday December 29, 2008
As we wrap up yet another year, I thought I'd go back and take a look at some of the people who have really made a difference in the Pagan ... Read More
What to do With the Holiday Tree?
Monday December 29, 2008
Vanessa Richins, our About.com Guide to Trees & Shrubs, has a great piece on how to recycle your holiday tree. If you've got a real tree to get rid of, ... Read More
Internet Sites and Ratings
Monday December 29, 2008
Thanks to Hattie for sending me this piece out of the UK Telegraph. It seems a British Cabinet minister is so worried about icky stuff on Teh Interwebs that he ... Read More
Send in Your Yule Altar Photos!
Monday December 29, 2008
Got pretty pics of your Yule altar? Take a photo and send it in, and I'll create a Yule Altar Gallery! For information on how you can submit your pic, ... Read More
Magical Mondays: Q-Tip
Monday December 29, 2008
Magical Mondays: Q-Tips!© Getty Images
While I was cleaning off my keyboard this morning, I felt a bit inspired for this week's Magical Mondays item. What on earth can we do ... Read More
Celebrity Wiccans & Pagans
Sunday December 28, 2008
A reader writes in, "I recently read that [famous female actress] is Wiccan. Is that true? Are there other Pagan celebrities?"
Could be. I haven't seen anywhere where she's confirmed it, ... Read More
Reader Needs Help: Seeking a Story
Friday December 26, 2008
A reader writes in with an interesting request. "I have been searching for a few years now trying to find a story I once saw, and was hoping that maybe ... Read More
Airport Hosts Anubis
Wednesday December 24, 2008
So in a move that pairs the transportation industry up with a local museum, the Dallas/Fort Worth airport will be the host of a giant statue of Anubis, the Egyptian ... Read More
Santa Tracker from NORAD
Wednesday December 24, 2008
For those of you tracking the fat man in the red suit this evening, the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) is working with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric ... Read More
Join Me for a Coffee Break!
Monday December 22, 2008
I've been invited to appear on "Coffee Break", which is a daily news program out of Valdez, Alaska. I'll be talking about winter solstice celebrations, and how they've evolved from ... Read More
FAQ: Pagans and Polyamory
Monday December 22, 2008
A reader we'll call Ann O'nymous writes in, "Ok, I don't want to sound stupid, but I keep meeting people in my local Pagan community who say they're polyamorous. What ... Read More
Pagans Come Out to Celebrate
Monday December 22, 2008
As in years past, a large crowd of Druids, Wiccans and other Pagans showed up at Stonehenge to celebrate the Winter Solstice. Nearly two thousand people braved the cold to ... Read More
Magical Mondays is Taking a Break!
Monday December 22, 2008
Magical Mondays is off this week, because I'm recovering from too much Chocolate Yule Log, as well as far too many hours playing Mario Cart on my new Wii. However, ... Read More
A Happy Solstice to All of You!
Sunday December 21, 2008
© Getty Images
If you're in the Northern Hemisphere, today is Yule, the day of the Winter Solstice. It is a time of long nights, cold and gray skies, and an ... Read More
Official Pagan Cemetery Opens in Denmark
Saturday December 20, 2008
Now, this is just nifty. The Copenhagen Post reports on the opening of the first official Pagan cemetery to exist in about a thousand years. A corner area of a ... Read More
TX School Relies on Prayer, No One Minds
Saturday December 20, 2008
I'm amazed that no one has spoken up about this one yet. The Celina, Texas, high school football team regularly recites the Lord's Prayer before games. More interesting is that ... Read More
Some Outraged Over Obama's Pick of Warren
Thursday December 18, 2008
© Getty Images
President-elect Barack Obama is coming under fire by many liberals for his selection of pastor Rick Warren as the guy who will deliver the invocation at next month's ... Read More
Yule Countdown: Ornaments
Wednesday December 17, 2008
© Patti Wigington 2008
So this afternoon I'll be taking my rugrats out to get our Yule tree, and then tomorrow we'll decorate it. I remember when I was a kid, ... Read More
An Apology for an Error
Tuesday December 16, 2008
Edited 12/17: I was just looking over the links in the article on House Resolution 847 and caught something I had missed before. It appears that HR 847 was actually ... Read More
Newsweek Tackles Biblical Objection to Gay Marriage
Tuesday December 16, 2008
After California's voters passed Proposition 8, the measure which outlawed gay marriage in the state, there was a lot of discussion about religious perspective coloring one's viewpoints on the issue. ... Read More
Yule Countdown: Setting Up Your Altar
Tuesday December 16, 2008
Yule is approaching fast... hard to believe it's in just a few days! Have you gotten your altar set up yet? If you haven't, now's a good time to do ... Read More
Litha: Ritual and History
Tuesday December 16, 2008
While we're all busily talking about Yule up here in the Northern Hemisphere, the folks down below the equator are gearing up for Litha. This is the midsummer sabbat, celebrated ... Read More
Yule Countdown: The Magic of Mistletoe
Monday December 15, 2008
It's small, it's cute, and if you're really lucky, you might get a lip lock from someone special when you stand underneath it. Any plant that gets me a kiss ... Read More
Was NU Employee Fired for Being a Witch?
Monday December 15, 2008
Thanks to BubbleRap for the tip on this one - a University of Nebraska employee says she was unfairly terminated from her job when administrators found out she's a practicing ... Read More
Magical Mondays: Fork!
Monday December 15, 2008
Magical Mondays: Fork!© Getty Images
This week's not-so-magical item is one that lives in our kitchen, and you probably have a bunch of them. So, let's put them to work, shall ... Read More
Yule Countdown: Io, Saturnalia!
Sunday December 14, 2008
No one partied quite like the ancient Romans, so it should come as no surprise that they had a huge way of celebrating around the Winter Solstice. The week-long festival ... Read More
SC Plates Put on Hold by Injunction
Saturday December 13, 2008
According to a report from the New York Times (About.com's parent company), the controversial South Carolina "I Believe" license plates have been put on hold for now by a federal ... Read More
Yule Countdown: Keeping the Pounds Away
Friday December 12, 2008
Coming right on the heels of our discussion about Wiccan dietary restrictions, or the lack thereof, a friend of mine mentioned to me that the thing he hates most about ... Read More
Reader FAQ: Does Wicca Have Dietary Restrictions?
Thursday December 11, 2008
This is an interesting one I thought I'd share. A reader writes, "I'm interested in joining a local Wiccan group, and I know that at least several of the people ... Read More
India Adds Witchcraft to Curriculum
Thursday December 11, 2008
In a country where hundreds of people have been killed thanks to fear and accusations of sorcery, officials are hoping that education will help to eliminate violence in the future. ... Read More
Yule Countdown: The Holiday Tree Dilemma
Wednesday December 10, 2008
In a time when people seem to fighting over whose winter holiday is better than all the others, one question that pops up periodically is, "Can Pagans have a holiday ... Read More
Woman Sues Fortune Teller for Fraud
Monday December 8, 2008
Eumanthe Dufrene of Naples, Florida, has sued a local fortune teller, and is claiming fraud. Dufrene says she paid over $13,000 to palm reader Tiffany Johnson, for "her help to ... Read More
Eyeliner Update: Suspended Student Tells His Side
Monday December 8, 2008
Remember the West Virginia high school student who was suspended in August for wearing eyeliner to school, after administrators decided it was "Satanic" and "gang-related"? Derek Rose has commented on ... Read More
Long Nights Moon on Dec. 12
Monday December 8, 2008
There's a full moon a-coming, and in December, it's the Long Nights Moon. It's also called the Big Winter Moon or, in some areas, the Cold Moon (in other areas, ... Read More
Magical Mondays: DVD
Monday December 8, 2008
Magical Mondays: DVD!© Getty Images
This week's not-so-magical item is one that we all have laying around the house, so why not come up with a magical use for it?
If you're ... Read More
Yule Countdown: Make Your Own Greeting Cards
Sunday December 7, 2008
Ever go into your local Big Box Discount Store this time of year and try to find greeting cards that have Pagan themes on them? Yeah, good luck with that. ... Read More
Yule Countdown: Here Comes Santa Claus
Sunday December 7, 2008
The band Emerald Rose has a great song called "Santa Claus is Pagan Too," which my kids love to sing this time of year. Although Santa isn't completely Pagan -- ... Read More
WM3: Dixie Chick Sued Over Blog Comments
Friday December 5, 2008
Natalie Maines of the Dixie Chicks is facing a lawsuit filed by Terry Hobbs, who was the stepfather of murder victim Stevie Branch. Hobbs' suit claims that statements Maines made ... Read More
Pagans Celebrate in Iceland
Friday December 5, 2008
This is nifty, so thanks to BobTheViking for sending it my way. Ásatrúarfélagid, an Icelandic religious group, held a celebration on Monday in honor of the country's Sovereignty Day. Part ... Read More
World's Oldest Pot Stash Found
Friday December 5, 2008
Two pounds of still-green cannabis was unearthed in a 2,700-year-old grave in the Gobi Desert, and researchers say that the ancients were using it for the same purpose it's used ... Read More
Bill O'Reilly Throws Tantrum Over Atheist Sign
Thursday December 4, 2008
It all started when the governor of Washington State decided that if the state Capitol was going to allow a Nativity scene and a holiday tree to be placed on ... Read More
December 5: Krampusnacht
Thursday December 4, 2008
Thanks to a couple of readers who gave me a heads-up on this one. December 5 is the day in which parts of Germany and Bavaria celebrate Krampusnacht, which is ... Read More
Stone Age Sculptures Unearthed
Thursday December 4, 2008
For those of you who dig archaeological goodies like I do, here's a neat story from the BBC. Researchers in Russia, near Moscow, have uncovered a treasure trove of late ... Read More
Psychics See More Business During Poor Economy
Thursday December 4, 2008
While U.S. retailers are wringing their hands and wondering if they're going to see enough customers this holiday season due to the poor economy, it appears that there's one business ... Read More
How Do I Know What to Read?
Wednesday December 3, 2008
The other day, I posted a link to an article over on the Wild Hunt blog about a book with a more-than-questionable provenance. A reader emailed me and said, "Okay, ... Read More
Sex Cult Dude Gets Jail Time
Tuesday December 2, 2008
Coming right on the heels of a reader's question regarding her "weird feelings" about a potential coven, here's one that ought to make you sit up and think twice about ... Read More
Magical Mondays: Dog Biscuit!
Monday December 1, 2008
Magical Mondays: Dog biscuit!© Getty Images
This week's not-so-magical item is one brought to you at the suggestion of Brisco, my Chesapeake Bay Retriever. He says there's not nearly enough information ... Read More
Cute Faerie Art for Pagan Kids
Monday December 1, 2008
Thanks to my friend RoseWelsh for passing this along to me -- it's actually a page I found a while back and then lost the link to. In a serendipitous ... Read More