Click on the links below for the up-to-the-minute news.
We bring you a digest of the news, reviews and articles from About.com on Paganism and Wicca. Please be aware that these links will take you away from the Witchology.com website and we bear no responsibility for their content.
Check back often as this page will be updated frequently.
About.com Paganism / Wiccan
Get the latest headlines from the About.com Paganism / Wiccan GuideSite.
Ostara Countdown: Serpent Magic
In the spring, snakes begin to appear.
Image © Getty Images
Snakes are one of those critters that most people have a love/hate relationship with. However, whether you think they're cool or they give you the heebie-jeebies, snakes tend to appear in abundance once the weather warms up in some areas of the country. In many cultures, serpent mythology is strongly tied to the cycle of life, death and rebirth. Learn more about these magical and mystical creatures here: Serpent Magic and Folklore.
Don't forget to sign up for the free Seven Day Ostara Class!
Follow Pagan/Wiccan on Twitter or Join Me On Facebook.
Ostara Countdown: Serpent Magic originally appeared on About.com Paganism / Wiccan on Friday, March 12th, 2010 at 06:37:00.
Permalink | Comment | Email this
Ostara Countdown: Are Easter Eggs Pagan?
Are colored eggs Pagan or Christian?
Image © Getty Images
While there's a lot of discussion in the Pagan community about where the idea of coloring eggs actually came from, in scholarly circles things seem pretty clear. Despite the image of our pre-Christian European ancestors frolicking on an egg hunt in the forest -- and one well-known Wiccan author's tale about a frisky rabbit and the goddess Eostre -- it looks like in Europe, colored eggs didn't come along until after Christianity moved in. However, in Persia, eggs have been painted for thousands of years as part of the spring celebration of No Ruz, which is the Zoroastrian new year. Learn more about the origins of the Easter egg, and then color your own Ostara eggs with natural dyes!
Don't forget to sign up for the free Seven Day Ostara Class!
Follow Pagan/Wiccan on Twitter or Join Me On Facebook.
Ostara Countdown: Are Easter Eggs Pagan? originally appeared on About.com Paganism / Wiccan on Thursday, March 11th, 2010 at 06:40:29.
Permalink | Comment | Email this
Priestess' Tomb Unearthed in Crete
For those of you who dig archaeology as much as I do, there's a nifty find from the island of Crete. Last summer's excavation of a tomb at Orthi Petra has revealed, according to experts, the tomb of a high priestess of Zeus and three acolytes. Archaeologist Nicholas Stampolidis and his team date the graves to 2,700 years ago. Eti Bonn-Muller of Archaeology magazines says "People then may have considered them sorceresses, or intermediaries with the gods." What's really interesting, to me at least, is that these four women all appear to be related, and seem to be related to other women whose remains have been found at the site in graves spanning two centuries or more. This gives a whole new meaning to the phrase "family tradition."
Follow Pagan/Wiccan on Twitter or Join Me On Facebook.
Priestess' Tomb Unearthed in Crete originally appeared on About.com Paganism / Wiccan on Wednesday, March 10th, 2010 at 16:25:03.
Permalink | Comment | Email this
Ostara Countdown: Deities of the Season
Early spring blooms are associated
with rebirth
Image © Patti Wigington 2009
Ostara is the season of rebirth and new life, and in many cultures, a god or goddess is associated with these aspects. In fact, while the story of the resurrection is typically connected with Christianity, other deities such as Mithras and Attis are also tied to the theme of death followed by rebirth. Here are a few of the deities connected with the spring equinox: Deities of Ostara.
Don't forget to sign up for the free Seven Day Ostara Class!
Follow Pagan/Wiccan on Twitter or Join Me On Facebook.
Ostara Countdown: Deities of the Season originally appeared on About.com Paganism / Wiccan on Wednesday, March 10th, 2010 at 06:28:16.
Permalink | Comment | Email this
Complaint Filed in NV Prayer Stop
Thanks to Rowan for tipping me off to this one. A group of seven Muslim men who stopped to pray in a Henderson, Nevada, parking lot back in December have filed a complaint against the local police. According to reports, a resident called the police to say "seven Middle Eastern males were acting suspiciously by a gray minivan with California license plates." The caller also reported several of the men "were kissing the ground." Shortly afterwards, law enforcement officials showed up to question the men.
If you watch the cell phone video -- which is a bit grainy and blurry -- you can hear the officer saying that police were called because "someone saw you doing your prayers, and they were kind of weirded out by that." The officer makes reference to "indicents in the past," and says, "based on events that have happened around the world... can you fault people who don't understand things for being concerned?" You can also hear one of the Muslim men questioning whether or not just being Muslim is just cause for a police stop. The Council on American-Islamic Relations, or CAIR, has filed a formal complaint with the Henderson Police Department for what they believe to be an unlawful stop.
So, here's the big question -- IS it okay for police to question someone just because people think their behavior is a bit weird? What happens if I'm hosting circle in my back yard, and my neighbors peek over the fence to see a half dozen folks in robes, holding athames, and chanting around an altar? Can my local deputy pay a call just because it's odd behavior by suburban standards? Or is it only a problem if I'm a Muslim, rather than a Pagan? Definitely something worth thinking about.
Follow Pagan/Wiccan on Twitter or Join Me On Facebook.
Complaint Filed in NV Prayer Stop originally appeared on About.com Paganism / Wiccan on Tuesday, March 9th, 2010 at 11:21:14.
Permalink | Comment | Email this
Christianity vs Vodoun in Haiti's Streets
Since the January earthquake that struck Haiti, leveling buildings and killing thousands, there has been an emerging battle between Christian groups and the country's many practitioners of Vodoun, or Voodoo. Last month, Vodoun high priest Max Beauvoir accused missionary groups of discriminating against those who practiced his religion, saying, "The evangelicals are in control and they take everything for themselves." He claimed that opponents of Vodoun have deliberately prevented medical assistance and food relief from reaching some of the more remote areas of the country.
In the past few weeks, things have gone from bad to worse, as Christian evangelical groups place the blame for the quake on the sinfulness of Haiti's Vodoun followers. Willer Jassaint, a houngan, or high priest, told reporters, "They say we're the ones who caused the earthquake. But we know ourselves that we didn't cause the quake, because it was a natural catastrophe."
On February 23, things got completely out of control when a group of Protestant evangelicals threw rocks at people holding a Vodoun ceremony. Max Beauvoir has encouraged his people to respond to such acts with aggression, although at this point it doesn't look as though there have been additional violent conflicts. Still, folks in Haiti have it bad enough right now, what with there being no real infrastructure to speak of, a lack of resources, and a crumbling socioeconomic strata. Add to this some violent dissention between religious groups, and you've got the makings of a civil war in an already damaged country.
Meanwhile, the houngans continue to plan ceremonies, so they can lay the dead to rest. They say they "owe the spirits of the dead that release... and they owe themselves that show of defiance."
Follow Pagan/Wiccan on Twitter or Join Me On Facebook.
Christianity vs Vodoun in Haiti's Streets originally appeared on About.com Paganism / Wiccan on Tuesday, March 9th, 2010 at 10:21:18.
Permalink | Comment | Email this
Dowsing Workshop Planned in Canada
I've always been fascinated by the notion of dowsing, which is a method of locating water sources beneath the ground using sticks and rods for divination. Some might scoff at this, but it's a technique that's been used with some degree of success for hundreds - even thousands - of years in some parts of the world. The Canadian Society of Questers, which is a dowsing group based in Calgary, has planned their spring conference at Olds College from May 14 -17, 2010. If any of you folks up in Calgary get a chance to attend, be sure to stop back in and let us know what you learned!
Follow Pagan/Wiccan on Twitter or Join Me On Facebook.
Dowsing Workshop Planned in Canada originally appeared on About.com Paganism / Wiccan on Tuesday, March 9th, 2010 at 10:08:48.
Permalink | Comment | Email this
Ostara Countdown: Hooray for Herbs
Plan your magical herb garden in advance!
Image © Getty Images
If you're planning your spring garden, consider adding some magical herbs into your planting activities. Start off by selecting a few plants you'd like to work with, and grow them yourself instead of buying them from suppliers. Plan ahead, by looking over the list of Magical Herbal Correspondences. Also, be sure to check out our Magical Herbs Image Gallery.
Don't forget to sign up for the free Seven Day Ostara Class!
Follow Pagan/Wiccan on Twitter or Join Me On Facebook.
Ostara Countdown: Hooray for Herbs originally appeared on About.com Paganism / Wiccan on Tuesday, March 9th, 2010 at 06:27:22.
Permalink | Comment | Email this
Join Me for the Gift of Light!
If you're in the Central Ohio area, stop in next weekend, March 13 & 14, and visit me at the 8th Annual Gift of Light Expo! It's a great festival that brings the metaphysical community together, and includes all kinds of workshops, lectures, energy workers, readers, vendors and artists. I'll be doing readings and selling books at The Cat & The Cauldron's booth (#308), so if you get a chance, stop in and say hi!
Follow Pagan/Wiccan on Twitter or Join Me On Facebook.
Join Me for the Gift of Light! originally appeared on About.com Paganism / Wiccan on Monday, March 8th, 2010 at 11:08:05.
Permalink | Comment | Email this
Ostara Countdown: Peeps Everywhere!
Got leftover Peeps? Make dessert!
Image © Getty Images
Coming on the heels of yesterday's goofy Chocolate Rabbit ritual, I thought I'd share with you one of my favorite sugar-coma inducing recipes for Ostara. Got leftover Peeps after your Chocolate Rabbit rite? Never fear -- you can whip them up into a dessert! Marshmellow Peep Ambrosia.
Don't forget to sign up for the free Seven Day Ostara Class!
Follow Pagan/Wiccan on Twitter or Join Me On Facebook.
Ostara Countdown: Peeps Everywhere! originally appeared on About.com Paganism / Wiccan on Monday, March 8th, 2010 at 05:01:54.
Permalink | Comment | Email this
Newsfeed display by CaRP
About Pagan/Wiccan Religion
Back