Pagan & Shinto News: Wiccan Community Expresses Outrage at Ilhan Omar’s “Antisemitic” comments

Top stories in Paganism and Shinto this week:

• Wiccan community expresses outrage at Ilhan Omar’s “antisemitic” comments
• Bad behavior forces Japanese religious sites to reject foreign group tourists
• Longevity of world’s oldest person attributed to Shinto adherence

Read more below…

Pagan News

Wiccan community expresses outrage at Ilhan Omar’s comments
The Daily Caller
One of the oldest and largest Wiccan organizations in the United States blasted Minnesota Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar’s controversial comments regarding Israel…

The Aquarian Tabernacle Church of Wicca Appoints a New Arch Priest
PR.com
The Aquarian Tabernacle Church (ATC), an International Wiccan Church, is elevating a new Archpriest into its ranks after 5 years of being without one when the previous Archpriest passed away…

Fire reveals religious intolerance and community strength
The Wild Hunt
Last week a fire at Laughingbrook Spellcrafting & Ancestral Arts (LBSCAA) that was the result of faulty wiring and poor maintenance allegedly on the part the building’s owner and management has brought to light some religious intolerance within the Huntersville, North Carolina community…

Glastonbury Occult Conference wraps up tenth year
The Wild Hunt
Now in its tenth year, this annual conference brings dozens of practitioners, scholars, and seekers to the famous and fabled town near the foot of Glastonbury Tor…

Police rule out witchcraft motive in mummy head theft
The Times
Detectives are still trying to identify the suspect and have yet to establish a motive for the crime, although they are treating it as planned rather than random vandalism…

Super Worm Moon: When to see the spectacular March 2019 full moon
Country Living
The Full Worm Moon, also known as the Crow Moon, Sap Moon and Lenten Moon, will appear on 21st March…

Educating the public on witchcraft as religion
The Arbiter
Those practicing paganism, some of whom call themselves witches, seek to create a deeper understanding of their craft to those in the Treasure Valley…

Witches, abuse and murder – The pagan paedophile ring that rocked Cornwall
Cornwall Live
It was a paedophile ring that saw men indulge in their sick fantasies wearing hooded robes and terrifying their young victims with daggers…

Shinto News

Bad behavior forces Japanese religious sites to reject foreign group tourists
The Asahi Shimbun
Some Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples  are refusing to accept non-Japanese group travelers because of the bad manners and abhorrent actions of some visitors from abroad…

Longevity of world’s oldest person attributed to Shinto adherence
Inquisitr
Her great-nephew, Gary Funakoshi, has suggested that her longevity may in part be due to the Shinto religion that she subscribes to..

Shrine displays 1,000 colourful dolls to mark Japan’s girls’ festival
Euronews
Many visitors took photos in front of the dolls, and enjoyed sweet rice cakes called “hina-arare” that are eaten during the festival…

Hong Kong protesters plead not guilty to trespassing at Tokyo’s war-linked Yasukuni Shrine
The Japan Times
A man and woman from Hong Kong charged with trespassing on the grounds of the war-linked Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo in December pleaded not guilty Thursday in the first hearing of their case at the Tokyo District Court…

Mikoshi “Portable Shrines” to be displayed in Tokyo Ebisu
Japan Forward
A mikoshi (or omikoshi) is a “portable shrine parade” where a small palanquin shrine is carried around town on the shoulders of festival goers before being returned to the local shrine it belongs to…

Parishioner organises repair of local Shinto shrine
Mimusubi
One of the ujiko came forward and said that he would not only pay for all the repairs, he had organised the materials and the workmen necessary to do it…

Visit to Kyoto’s ‘break-up shrine’ goes well as woman gets her wish in shocking way
Japan Today
Located on the east side of Kyoto, in the city’s historical Higashiyama district, Yasui Konpiragu is a unique shrine…

Namahage demon festival of northern Japan grapples with blessing and curse of UNESCO listing
The Japan Times
The recognition, which included several similar traditions in which costumed “gods” visit villages, doesn’t automatically guarantee survival. In some cases, it could even stifle changes that help keep the groups going, such as including outsiders or women…

Other News

Stone circle moves to new home overlooking £250m Glasgow regeneration scheme
The Scotsman
A modern-day stone circle, built 40 years ago in a deprived part of Glasgow, is set for rebirth as part of a major regeneration project in the heart of the city…

Mother becomes first in Britain to be jailed for FGM after cutting daughter in ‘witchcraft’ ritual
The Sun
The 37-year-old claimed she had never heard of FGM but she hired a ‘witch’ to cut her three-year-old daughter at home in Walthamstow, East London..

Orkney unveiling permanent memorial to 16th century islanders accused of witchcraft
iNews
At least 20 islanders were accused of witchcraft between 1594 and 1645 though the real number could be higher…

Even Mount Fuji climbers who don’t plan to push for the summit will be asked to pay up
The Japan Times
Even hikers who have no intention of reaching the summit of Mount Fuji will be asked to make a donation of ¥1,000 for stepping foot on the country’s highest mountain from this summer, local prefectures said Thursday…

A former inn with ties to the Witch Trials hits the market in Wenham
RealEstate Boston
Former resident was one of the first three people accused of witchcraft and executed in the notorious Salem Witch Trials, the museum notes…

Greek Carnival Reaches Climax with a Hint of Ancient Dionysian Revels
Greek Reporter
Tracing the history of the Greek carnival, and its cultural connection to the ancient cult of Dionysus, the god of wine, celebration and ecstasy according to Greek mythology, is not difficult…

Mysterious monument near Belfast may have been ‘used for human sacrifice’
Mirror
A bizarre circular mound spotted on a satellite image near Belfast could have been a site for human sacrifice…

Ancient Egyptians thought ‘holy POO’ from dung beetles held secret to immortality
The Sun
Ancient Egyptians worshipped poo as a symbol of immortality…

Japanese Monastic University Diversifies Curriculum to Attract New Students
Global Buddhist Door
Koyasan University, a private Buddhist university in Japan’s Wakayama Prefecture, just south of Osaka, is working hard to change its image and diversify its curriculum in an effort to curb declining enrollment rates…

Sakura snacks perfect for the season
Stars and Stripes Japan
Get excited about the beautiful views with these floral-themed sakura snacks that you can bring along to your hanami picnic this year…

How to hanami: What you need to know to join the sakura-loving crowds
Stars and Stripes Japan
Hanami season has become an integral part of Japanese culture. Here are the essential things you need to know about cherry blossom season in Japan…

Maya ritual cave ‘untouched’ for 1,000 years stuns archaeologists
National Geographic
Exploration of Balamku (Cave of the Jaguar God) reveals ancient religious practices—and may hold clues to the rise and fall of the Maya empire…

Vadodara: Woman branded as witch, beaten
The Times of India
Three persons including a woman were booked on Monday for branding a married woman as a witch and beating her up…