Pagan Tama
Top stories in Paganism and Shinto this week:
- Iceland: Ásatrú Pagans receive foreign aid
- UK: Gamers ‘using Paganism as cover to slaughter animals’
- US: Apparel company files to extend trademark on the term “heathen”
Read more below…
Pagan News
Iceland: Ásatrú Pagans Receive Foreign Aid
The Reykjavik Grapevine
Ásatrú Pagans received aid from an unexpected source. Religious leaders in Thailand donated thousands of euros to the temple…
UK: Gamers ‘using paganism as cover to slaughter animals’ in bloodthirsty rampages
Daily Star
It’s been claimed video game obsessed youngsters are using paganism as a cover to kill animals in the wake of a string of brutal killings in New Forest…
US: Apparel company files to extend trademark on the term “heathen”
The Wild Hunt
Heathen Productions which produces the clothing line, Heathen Nation, has filed to extend its existing trademark that applies to clothing, footwear, and headgear to encompass stickers and a variety of beverageware and kitchen tools…
UK: Striking images of pagan fire festival in Yorkshire to honour coming of spring
Yorkshire Post
In a pagan tradition to celebrate the first stirrings of spring, a brilliantly lit fire battle has raged to honour the impending close of the darkest of winter days…
World: What is a hare moon? The myth that inspired Chilling Adventures of Sabrina
Evening Standard
A key aspect of the show – which has been the source of some controversy – is the spotlight that it shines on non-traditional religious practices…
UK: Modern-day witches ‘still facing endless abuse’
Surrey Comet
Toni Hunt says she and her fellow witches face “endless” abuse for their beliefs – including threats of murder…
UK: Marc Almond – “I’ve been taking time to become a druid”
The Guardian
The singer-songwriter, 62, on examining mortality, living with trauma, and learning to become a druid…
Canada: Pagan beliefs help Truro women find peace
The Chronicle Herald
It was when she was struggling with mental health issues that Sarah Coleman discovered the power of spiritual beliefs. Today, paganism plays a large part in her daily life…
US: San Geronimo shamanic witch dispels stereotypes
Marin Independent Journal
The 67-year-old has taught classes in magic and ritual for more than 30 years…
Shinto News
Entry tax eyed for popular western Japan island Miyajima amid surge in visitors
The Mainichi
The city of Hatsukaichi in the western Japan prefecture of Hiroshima is considering imposing an “island entry tax” on people who travel to Miyajima, the location of the popular Itsukushima Shrine, a UNESCO World Heritage site…
Stars throw soybeans in setsubun event at Naritasan Shinshoji temple
The Japan Times
An annual bean-throwing event was held Monday at Naritasan Shinshoji, a major Buddhist temple in Narita, Chiba Prefecture, to mark setsubun, the day before the start of spring according to Japan’s ancient calendar…
Beloved mascot Kumamon joins annual bean-scattering event at southwest Japan shrine
The Mainichi
Kumamon, the beloved black bear mascot of Kumamoto Prefecture, joined locals to perform the annual bean-scattering ritual at Kushida Shrine in this southwestern Japan city on Feb. 3, pleasing visitors hoping for luck in 2020…
Osaka shrine holds ritual for old sewing needles
NHK World
About 1,500 people, including Japanese-style clothing makers and fashion students, took part in the traditional ritual at Osaka Temmangu Shrine on Saturday…
At Yushima Cat Festival, get your paws on cute cat goods & visit charming downtown Tokyo
Japan Today
Yushima is a charming neighborhood of Tokyo, not far from Akihabara and Kanda, which has retained a lot of its shitamachi (old downtown) flair…
A month of ice and fire: Japan’s best winter festivals
The Japan Times
Throughout much of Japan, people in towns and cities illuminate the gloom with festivals, and have been doing so for centuries…
Folk fun: Reverence for life-giving soil and agriculture
The Japan Times
Reverence for the soil that nourishes life has always been deeply rooted in Japan, where agriculture was central to daily life. Even today, earthenware objects are available to worshippers at many shrines…
Other News
Israel: Veterinarian discovers 3,400-year-old Egyptian anchor decorated with an image of the ‘Mistress of the house of books’
Mail Online
A veterinarian has discovered a 3,400-year-old Egyptian anchor adorned with images of the goddess Seshat and other hieroglyphics while swimming off the shores of Atilt, Israel…
Germany: ‘Gods in Color’: Shining new light on ancient statues
DW
In the exhibition “Gods in Color – Golden Edition,” which features over 100 painted sculptures in Frankfurt’s Liebieghaus museum, visitors can witness the polychromatic transformation of ancient statues and experience their original, eye-opening bright hues…
UK: Row rumbles on over bongo player who refuses to stop beating drum on top of Glastonbury Tor
Somerset Live
A note, attached to a gate leading up to the National Trust Site, has described the mysterious musician as “selfish” and is reportedly ruining the “shared sacred place and space” by playing their drum on top of the hill…
Nigeria: Expert wants protection for victims accused of witchcraft
Punch
A psychiatrist at the University College Hospital, Ibadan, Dr Olatunde Ayinde, has called on policy makers in the country to prioritise social welfare legislations and services to protect persons accused of witchcraft from abuse and avoidable death…
India: Six arrested for branding woman as witch in Assam
India Today
Police have arrested six women for their alleged involvement to assault another woman by branding her as a witch in Assam’s Biswanath district…
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