Is Groundhog Day Pagan?
Saturday January 31, 2009
Groundhog© Getty Images
The Greeks believed that an animal's soul was contained in its shadow. Hibernation was a time of spiritual renewal and purification -- an animal that saw its shadow ... Read More
Science Month Could Become Religious Battle
Friday January 30, 2009
This is from my local newspaper, and parts of it are just hilarious. Some background - the town of Whitehall, Ohio, which is a suburb of Columbus, has found its ... Read More
Happy Birthday to Z Budapest!
Friday January 30, 2009
Zsuzsanna Budapest, who has been at the forefront of the feminist Wiccan movement, has a birthday today! In addition to being the founder of Dianic Wicca, Budapest is also the ... Read More
Positive Pagans on TV - We Know They're Out There
Thursday January 29, 2009
You know, with all the commentary lately about negative stereotypes of Pagans on The Mentalist, an episode of Criminal Minds, and NCIS as well, it occurs to me that there ... Read More
Februalia: A Time of Purification
Thursday January 29, 2009
For the ancient Romans, who would have a celebration at the drop of a hat, this time of year was observed as the festival of Februalia. Named for Februus, a ... Read More
New Recipe Section!
Thursday January 29, 2009
A few weeks back, I asked all of you what sorts of things you wanted to see on the site in the coming months, and a number of folks mentioned ... Read More
Is Simon Cowell Cursed?
Thursday January 29, 2009
Simon Cowell© Kevin Winter/Getty Images
Thanks to Artemis for sending in one of the oddest things I've read in a while. MSN Entertainment is running a piece speculating on whether Simon ... Read More
Lammas Traditions
Wednesday January 28, 2009
For those of you readers who are in the Southern Hemisphere, instead of dealing with ice storms and snow, you're in the middle of high summer right now. For you, ... Read More
Imbolc: Get Crafty for the Sabbat!
Wednesday January 28, 2009
Imbolc is just around the corner, and if you're like me, you probably enjoy decorating your home to celebrate the Sabbat. I also like to make stuff of my own, ... Read More
Wordless Wednesday: Forest Man
Wednesday January 28, 2009
© Patti Wigington 2008
Celtic Tree Months
Acorns and Oaks
Cernunnos, Wild God of the Forest
More Wordless Wednesday photos at About.com and the Wordless Wednesday Home Blog.
Hallmark "Good Witch 2" Airs in February
Tuesday January 27, 2009
Thanks to a Forum poster who tipped me off -- the much-awaited Hallmark movie "The Good Witch's Garden" will be airing on Saturday, February 7th. The film stars Catherine Bell ... Read More
Mount Tenabo Update
Tuesday January 27, 2009
You probably remember the case of the Shoshone tribe trying to stop a big company from developing a gold mine on the sacred Mount Tenabo back in November. Well, a ... Read More
Survey Says People Have Never Heard of Wicca
Tuesday January 27, 2009
Thanks to FerretPants for sending me this one. The Christian Post has an article up about the results of a new survey released by the Barna Group, and the results ... Read More
Druid Wars in England
Tuesday January 27, 2009
In the Pagan community, there are few among us who haven't heard the term "witch wars," but now we can add "dueling Druids" to the lexicon. Apparently, over in Great ... Read More
January 27: Up Helly Aa
Tuesday January 27, 2009
It's a lot of fun to say "Up Helly Aa," and I expect it's even more fun to attend it. This annual event has been taking place in the Shetland ... Read More
Tanzania Cracks Down on Body-Part Theft
Monday January 26, 2009
The country of Tanzania has revoked the licenses of all the country's traditional healers. The reason? To stop the increasing drive-by killings of albinos by those who would use their ... Read More
January 26: Chinese New Year
Monday January 26, 2009
I've been doing some reading about Chinese New Year over at Rhonda Parkinson's About Chinese Food site, and I've learned some neat stuff. The Chinese culture is rich in legends ... Read More
January 25: Burns Night
Sunday January 25, 2009
On January 25, people of Scottish descent often celebrate Burns Night. An homage to the poet Robert Burns, it involves a great deal of whiskey, haggis, poetry, and entertainment. It ... Read More
Watch Video of DC Sweeping Ritual
Saturday January 24, 2009
Before the recent presidential inauguration ceremony, I blogged about a group of Pagans who were going to get together in Washington, DC, for a ritual. Ed Hubbard sent me a ... Read More
Actual Expert Testifies in Harris Trial
Saturday January 24, 2009
You probably remember the case of Larry Harris, the guy in Sioux City, Iowa, accused of murdering his two young stepdaughters last year. The case gained national attention because of ... Read More
NA Kindergartener Can Keep Long Hair
Friday January 23, 2009
Remember this little cutie pie, whose elementary school wanted him to cut his hair, but his parents argued that long hair was part of their spiritual practice? Well, a judge ... Read More
Monty Pythonesque Prosecution Won't Work in NH
Thursday January 22, 2009
"She's a witch!"
"I'm not a witch!"
"Perhaps you're... a duck!"
Sorry, got carried away when I read this completely ridiculous story out of Manchester, NH. So here's the background. A woman claims ... Read More
Sheela na Gig: What Is She?
Thursday January 22, 2009
This was a neat little piece in the Shropshire Star. Reporter Sophie Bignall discusses the figure known as the Sheela na Gig, who is found in carvings dating back to ... Read More
More TV Portrayals of Religious Kookiness
Thursday January 22, 2009
Thanks to several readers for bringing all of these to my attention. After The Mentalist aired its show about the daffy crystal-bedecked Wiccan, it seems to have opened up a ... Read More
Who Was Dorothy Clutterbuck?
Wednesday January 21, 2009
Sometimes, when I write a blog post in advance, I set it to drip on a certain date (it's my "Set it and forget it" mode), but every once in ... Read More
Wordless Wednesday: Temple of Karnak
Wednesday January 21, 2009
© Hisham Ibrahim/Getty Images
Egyptian Paganism
Isis, Mother Goddess of Egypt
Osiris, King of Egyptian Gods
Thoth, God of Magic and Wisdom
More Wordless Wednesday photos at About.com and the Wordless ... Read More
Is Religion More Divisive Than Race?
Tuesday January 20, 2009
From the Daily Mail in the UK, a new report shows that 60% of British people polled believe that religion is far more likely to divde a community than race. ... Read More
Inaugural Info Online
Monday January 19, 2009
Just an FYI, if you're thinking about attending tomorrow's presidential inauguration events in Washington, DC, or you're interested in watching it from the comfort of your own home, our About.com ... Read More
MLK: A Day to Remember
Monday January 19, 2009
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.© Getty Images
"Every man must decide whether he will walk in the light of creative altruism or in the darkness of destructive selfishness." ~~ Martin Luther ... Read More
Forum: Spirituality in Your Daily Life
Monday January 19, 2009
Inspired by a comment made by reader Maureen, over in the "What Do You Want to Read?" post, I've started a new thread over on the message boards. Feel free ... Read More
What is Mercury Retrograde?
Sunday January 18, 2009
Several readers have written in to ask what it means when Mercury goes into retrograde. Fortunately for all of us, our About.com guide to Astrology, Molly Hall, explains it way ... Read More
Make Your Own Goddess Avatar
Sunday January 18, 2009
© Patti Wigington 2009,built by Panthea's Create-A-Goddess
I just stumbled across this, and it's too fun for words. You can make your own Goddess Doll avatar, thanks to Panthea's Create-A-Goddess. That's ... Read More
Obama: Lincoln Returned?
Saturday January 17, 2009
Barack Obama © Getty Images 2008
I hadn't heard about this until recently, but it seems that a number of people are making the case for Barack Obama being a reincarnation ... Read More
Live Near Amarillo? Check Your Maps!
Friday January 16, 2009
This is so weird that at first, I honestly thought it was a joke from the folks at The Onion or someplace, but no, it's real. There's a fundamentalist group ... Read More
Lammas History and Folklore
Friday January 16, 2009
If you're one of our Southern Hemisphere readers, you're probably not too concerned about cold right now... in fact, you're in the middle of summer, and the harvest season is ... Read More
Farewell To Winter
Friday January 16, 2009
That's what I'm thinking right about now -- it's so cold, even my dog (who LOVES cold weather) doesn't want to go out. Even though the sun is shining, turning ... Read More
Obama, the Boy Scouts, and Atheists
Thursday January 15, 2009
President-elect Barack Obama takes office in just five days (but hey, who's counting?), and already is being inundated with requests from various interest groups. A recent one comes from an ... Read More
January 16 is Religious Freedom Day
Thursday January 15, 2009
Outgoing president George W. Bush has issued a proclamation declaring January 16 to be National Religious Freedom Day, in honor of the passage of the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom ... Read More
Debt Collecting Magic
Thursday January 15, 2009
Thanks to HiC for forwarding this one my way -- it appears that if you live in Lithuania and you default on your debts, creditors might just end up sending ... Read More
Did You Catch "The Mentalist"?
Wednesday January 14, 2009
I somehow managed to miss it, because I haven't watched television since I got my Wii, but several readers have emailed me about the CBS show The Mentalist. Apparently last ... Read More
Wordless Wednesday: Castle Walls
Wednesday January 14, 2009
© Patti Wigington 2008
Glastonbury Tor
Stone Circles
Music Review: Secret Voyage
More Wordless Wednesday photos at About.com and the Wordless Wednesday Home Blog
Reader FAQ: My Sister Won't Stop Preaching At Me
Tuesday January 13, 2009
KatManDeux writes in and says, "I'm a Wiccan, but not of the in-your-face variety. My sister, unfortunately, is an in-your-face fundamentalist Christian. We live in the same town, we all ... Read More
Your Imbolc Altar
Tuesday January 13, 2009
I know, I know, we just got past Yule... and yet, Imbolc is right around the corner already. In just three weeks, in fact. Imbolc is a harbinger of spring ... Read More
Reader FAQ: Pagans and "Purity"
Monday January 12, 2009
A reader writes in and says, "Many of my Christian friends have taken abstinence pledges and wear purity rings. I'm just beginning my study of Paganism, and I'm wondering if ... Read More
Goodnight, Moon!
Saturday January 10, 2009
If you get a chance to go outside tonight and check out this month's full moon, it's supposed to be one of the biggest and brightest we've seen in a ... Read More
Mississippi Considers Disclaimer for Evolution
Saturday January 10, 2009
This made me laugh out loud. The state of Mississippi has been asked to consider a bill that would require all school boards to label science textbooks with a sticker ... Read More
Woman Sues IRS Over Ceremonial Knife
Friday January 9, 2009
I thought this article was very interesting, so I wanted to share it with you all, even though it's not about Paganism or Wicca. It's actually about a Sikh woman ... Read More
Three Hours Enough for Prisoner Religious Observations
Friday January 9, 2009
In a case out of Iowa, three Wiccan inmates have lost a case in which they claim they were treated unfairly by prison officials. Lawrence Gladson, Darrell Smith and Scott ... Read More
Woman Burned Alive for Practicing Witchcraft
Thursday January 8, 2009
This is awful. In Papua New Guinea, a young woman was dragged from her home, beaten, tied to a log and set on fire when a mob accused her of ... Read More
What Do You Want to Read? Take the Poll!
Wednesday January 7, 2009
So I'm sitting here making my list of Stuff to Do over the next few months, and I thought I'd get some feedback from all of you as far as ... Read More
Pagans at the Inauguration
Wednesday January 7, 2009
Wondering why you haven't gotten your engraved invitation yet to see Barack Obama inaugurated? Me too... it must have gotten lost in the mail. Anyway, if you're interested in hanging ... Read More
Pew Forum Looks at Faith on the Hill
Wednesday January 7, 2009
Now that it's a new year, and a whole bunch of new politicians are getting sworn in, it's time once again for people to start (over)analyzing the religious preferences of ... Read More
Wordless Wednesday: Winter Waterfall
Wednesday January 7, 2009
© Patti Wigington 2008
Winter Full Moon Ritual
End of Winter Meditation
Winter Craft Projects
More Wordless Wednesday photos at About.com and the Wordless Wednesday Home Blog
Seven-Day Imbolc E-Class Now Available
Tuesday January 6, 2009
I've gotten so much positive feedback on the Seven Day Sabbat e-classes from Yule and Samhain that I've gone ahead and created one for Imbolc as well. In this seven-day ... Read More
Cold Moon January 10!
Tuesday January 6, 2009
As I sit here watching my trees get covered in a layer of freezing rain, I am indeed reminded that the time of the Cold Moon is upon us! January's ... Read More
Wiccans and Recruiting
Monday January 5, 2009
Every few months I get a really nice e-mail from someone whose feelings are a bit hurt. Typically it goes like this: I've been hanging out with some people I ... Read More
Potter Exhibition Coming to Chicago
Monday January 5, 2009
Live near Chicago, or plan to visit this summer? Then you're in for a treat. The Chicago Museum of Science and Industry is hosting a Harry Potter Exhibition, which will ... Read More
A New Weekly Event
Monday January 5, 2009
So, for quite some time we've been doing our Magical Mondays project -- we've taken non-magical items and come up with ritual uses for them. We've had a lot of ... Read More
Pagans in Recovery
Saturday January 3, 2009
We've all heard about the many 12-step programs available to people who are battling addictions to alcohol, drugs, sex, food or any number of other things that are far better ... Read More
Social Networking and Being Outed
Saturday January 3, 2009
A reader writes in with a dilemma that many of you have probably experienced. Starr says, "I have a MySpace page, and on it I'm open about my beliefs. Some ... Read More
Happy Birthday, JRR Tolkien!
Saturday January 3, 2009
While we all know that JRR Tolkien was not a Pagan or Wiccan, his work has definitely had a lot of influence on many people within the Pagan community. Today ... Read More
January: The Month of Janus
Thursday January 1, 2009
In Roman mythology, Janus is known as the god of doors, gates and new beginnings. What better time to honor him than in January, the month named in his honor? ... Read More
Making Changes in the New Year
Thursday January 1, 2009
With a new year, many people decide it's time to make changes. After all, we've said good-bye to the old, and welcomed the new stuff in, right? For some of ... Read More