Pagan Community Notes: Week of Yule, 2024
In this week’s Pagan Community Notes, keeping Sol in the solstice, more Saturnalia accompanied by toga-free attire, exchanged gifts, simmer pots, cookies, and a Lord of Misrule to oversee the…
The Magic Spell Hypothesis of Legalese
The complex language of “legalese” in legal documents projects a sense of authority, a style that even non-lawyers have adopted and use effectively. We think Witches might be able to…
Spiritual leaders remain in “suicide homes” despite dangers
In Bolivia’s highland city of El Alto, a row of vibrantly-colored cliff-side homes is the center of a stand-off between traditional healers and city officials, as experts warn that ongoing…
LGBTQ Content and Witchcraft! Conservative group pushes for Wicked Boycott
The movie Wicked is the subject of a conservative Christian boycott for “pushing the LGBTQ agenda on families” while also portraying “a tremendous amount of witchcraft and sorcery.” Continue reading…
Danish museum returns a Roman emperor’s head to Turkey
A bronze head of the Roman emperor Septimus Severus, illegally trafficked from a shrine where he had been worshiped as a deity in antiquity, will be repatriated from Denmark to…
After years of struggle, Lithuania recognizes the Romuva religion
For years, the Pagan organization Romuva has has sought recognition by the Lithuanian state, but the legislature repeatedly rejected its bids – even after the European Court of Human Rights…
Bright Forest Longing
The woods around my home in Arctic Norway were few and far between, mostly small birches barely taller than your average adult. Here in Åland, I met with real woods:…
Pagan Community Notes: Week of December 12, 2024
In this week’s Pagan Community Notes: Yule Lads, Juno, the Oak Moon, upcoming events, and—just like on cable television—Nostradamus makes an appearance. Continue reading Pagan Community Notes: Week of December…
Building Supportive Elder Care: Avoiding Loneliness and Allowing “Familiar” Spaces
New research highlights the growing issue of loneliness among the elderly, suggesting that keeping animal companions or familiars may help mitigate the worst psychological impacts of isolation. Continue reading Building…
Haitian Gang Massacres Elderly Vodou practitioners
At least 180 elderly, many of whom were Vodou practitioners, were massacred in Haiti over the weekend because a gang leader believed they were causing his son’s illness. Continue reading…