Pagan Tama
The top media stories in Paganism and Shinto for Apr 16th- 22nd: Patheos’ Friendly Atheist reports on the evangelical Christian group “POTUS Shield,” who are holding a collective prayer to protect Donald Trump from “witches and warlocks.”
Plus: The huge Takamikura throne of the Japanese Emperor, designed to represent key episodes in Shinto mythology, will be moved from Kyoto to Tokyo ahead of the next Emperor’s accession.
And scientists have deciphered an Egyptian 1,500-year-old ‘magical papyrus’ including incantations telling of Biblical human sacrifice.
Read these and more stories below…
Pagan News
Friendly Atheist: Christian Group Prays to Protect Donald Trump From the Curses of Witches
Pastor Frank Amedia recently appeared on televangelist Jim Bakker‘s show, along with members of his group “POTUS Shield,” to join in a collective prayer to protect Donald Trump from the deep state and “witches and warlocks.”…
The State-Journal Register: Woman arrested for allegedly selling drugs through metaphysical shop
Letha Dean allegedly sold synthetic marijuana to undercover investigators while working at Mystic Enchantments which sells crystals, herbs, tarot cards and Pagan and Wiccan books…
The Wild Hunt: Heathen cookery web series comes to YouTube
A new web series, featuring Austin “Auz” Lawrence is gaining popularity and fans on YouTube…
The Sun: History buffs use ‘witchcraft’ techniques to unearth buried World War Two bunker on Orkney
The team used dowsing — the traditional practice of holding metal rods or twigs to detect hidden substances — to make the discovery..
Raise The Horns: Summer Pagan Festivals 2018: A Guide
A guide to upcoming Pagan festivals in the US…
The Wild Hunt: Godless gather under the full moon
The light of the full moon which shines down on the mighty redwoods here will, in August, illuminate a gathering of non-theistic Pagans as the second annual Moon Meet is convened…
The Dickinson Press: Area pagans, Wiccans explain ancient festivals that mark spring, summer
While Easter or Spring Break may be a signal for many that it’s time for renewal, area pagans and Wiccans recognize spring through ancient festivals during the spring equinox, sometimes called Ostara, and Beltane, the first day of May…
Shemazing: Fancy a bit of magic in your life? We talk to a real-life white witch
Julia, who was born in Portugal and moved to New Bedford, Massachusetts, grew up surrounded by magic with a Wiccan mother…
The Guardian Nigeria: The Gods And Goddesses Of The Earth
In celebration of Earth Day, here are some mythological deities associated with the earth…
Shinto News
The Mainichi: Imperial throne to be moved to Tokyo from Kyoto in Aug. ahead of accession
The throne’s design is said to represent the mythological descent to Earth of Ninigi, grandson of the sun goddess Amaterasu, to rule over the Japanese archipelago…
The Japan Times: Female mayor takes battle to Japan Sumo Association over its barring of women from entering ring
A female mayor at the center of a fierce debate over allowing women into the sumo ring vowed Thursday never to back down as she prepared to lodge a formal protest with the Japan Sumo Association.
The Japan Times: Sumo incident in Kyoto rekindles gender debate in the ring
The incident in Maizuru rekindled an ongoing debate about where to draw the lines — if lines need to be drawn — between “gender separation,” which is supposedly OK, and “discrimination,” which is not…
The Mainichi: Abe sends ritual offering to Yasukuni Shrine
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe sent a ritual offering to Tokyo’s Yasukuni Shrine on Saturday, the first day of its annual spring festival, according to shrine officials, sparking a protest by the South Korean government that views Yasukuni as a symbol of Japan’s past militarism…
Evolo: Skyscraper inspired by Shinto shrine gets second place in competition
“Jinja: Shinto Shrine Skyscraper” designed by Tony Leung aims to restore the traditional interactions between a Shinto Shrine and the local people- an urban building for rice farming, spiritual meditation, and community development….
Engadget: ‘Future Flowers’ blossom at an ancient Japanese shrine
Danish floral designer Nicolai Bergmann presented Hanami 2050, a digitally-enhanced flower exhibition at the historic Fukuoka / Dazaifu Tenmangu Shinto shrine.
Reuters: Festival brings sunshine to scandal-hit sumo wrestling
Hard core sumo fanatics and tourists alike flocked to the event held at the Yasukuni Shrine, seen by many in Asia as a symbol of Japan’s past militarism…
Green Shinto: World Heritage shrine: Gunkanjima
Deserted and abandoned, the shrine now shares with more illustrious names the honour of being recognised as part of a World Heritage Site..
Other News
Live Science: Ancient Egyptian Incantations Tell of Biblical Human Sacrifice
Scientists have deciphered what they describe as a 1,500-year-old ‘magical papyrus’ that was discovered near the pyramid of the Pharaoh Senwosret I…
Vox: “Witch hunts” explained, from Salem to Donald Trump
Trump’s favorite slander against Robert Mueller’s investigation has a very long history…
Classic FM: Who was Peter Warlock? And how did he die?
The composer behind the haunting carol Bethlehem Down was an alcoholic hell-raiser with an interest in the occult…
Mental Floss: The Bizarre Death of Bridget Cleary, the Irish “Fairy Wife”
Fairy belief, in particular, was pervasive in Irish rural societies at the time, and had long coexisted with Christian doctrine…
Irish Central: Do you believe in fairies? This tale might renew your “Fairy Faith”
If there’s now such things as fairies then how do you explain this genealogist and historian’s tale of the discovery of a fairy coat in Kells, County Meath…
San Francisco Chronicle: ‘Forest bathing’ takes tree hugging to new extremes
The longtime Zen meditation student worked as a traditional Sierra hiking guide and a mental health counselor before getting into the forest bathing trade about six years ago, adapting it from a similar Japanese practice…
The New York Times: Indonesia’s Ancient Beliefs Win in Court, but Devotees Still Feel Ostracized
Ironically, Ms. Dewi notes bitterly, those traditional beliefs make her a religious outcast in her own country today, where the Constitution guarantees freedom of religion but the government recognizes only six: Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Protestantism, Catholicism and Confucianism…
Hindustan Times: Man lynched, wife and daughter beaten up for practising ‘witchcraft’ in Meghalaya
A 68-year-old man was lynched and his wife and pregnant daughter were injured in a Meghalaya village when a group of people attacked them on the suspicion of practising witchcraft, police said today…
Gulf News: India: Woman accused of being a witch beaten up
A widow in Bihar was beaten up and her leg fractured by local villagers on the suspicion of being a “witch” in the latest incident related to superstition…
The Telegraph: Catholic priests perform exorcisms over the phone as demand rises
Demand for exorcisms is booming as a result of a decline in Christian faith and the internet providing easy access to black magic, the occult and Satanism, a Vatican conference for exorcist priests was told on Monday…
IQ: “Satanic” Metal band arrested on terror charges in Georgia
Two members of veteran Greek extreme metal band Rotting Christ were detained on terrorism charges ahead of show in Georgia last Thursday, after authorities accused them of practising satanism, their record label has said…
Metal Injection: Protesters Aim To Shut Down France’s Hellfest Because… Of Satanism?
The protesters who tried to shut down France’s biggest metal festival, Hellfest, last year, are back at it again this year. Last year, they were able to get the French government to withdraw some grants that amounted to barely anything…
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