Pagan Tama
Top stories in Paganism and Shinto this week:
- Ireland: Brigid light show honours mother & baby homes victims
- Ritual monument discovered in Scotland dates to the time of Stonehenge
- Japan: Priest at popular Shinto shrine arrested for allegedly fondling two women during prayers
Read more below…
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Pagan News
Ireland: St. Brigid’s Day light show honours Mother & Baby Homes victims among others
Irish Central
To celebrate Brigid’s Day the Herstory Light Show, by Dodeca, will illuminate iconic landmarks across Ireland from Sunday, Jan 31 to Monday, Feb 1 in honour of the Mother & Baby Homes victims; COVID-19 pandemic heroes Black Lives Matter, “women who have arrived”, and the Brigids of the world…
Dior unveils magical mix of fashion and tarot
The Wild Hunt
The fashion luxury brand Dior explores the intersection of tarot and dress in their 2021 spring-summer collection…
The spellbinding history of cheese and witchcraft
Metro
It’s not entirely clear why cheese is seen to have magical properties. It might be to do with the fact it’s made from milk, a powerful substance in itself, with the ability to give life and strength to the young…
US: Metaphysical store opens in Port Huron
Times Herald
People looking for tarot card readings, custom spell work and infrared salted sauna sessions can now get these services at one spot in Port Huron…
Spell books for any occasion
Patheos Pagan: Alura Rose
I was scrolling on Facebook the other day and came across a post asking for recommendations for Spell Books. My mind went racing back to my witchling days…
Shinto News
Priest at popular Shinto shrine arrested for allegedly fondling 2 women during prayers
The Mainichi
A male priest at a shrine in Osaka that has gained popularity on social media as a place with spiritual energy was arrested on Jan. 25 on suspicion of indecently touching two women during prayers, police said…
Naohiko Shimoda constructs detailed miniature ‘kamidana’ shrine for an inner corner
Design Boom
The ‘kamidana’, which literally means ‘god shelf’, is a miniature family altar found in many japanese houses. usually placed high on a wall, these mini floating shelves are a way to bring the shinto shrine into the home…
Casting the demons out with some fiendish Japanese idioms
The Japan Times*
The other day at the local convenience store, I spotted packets of 鬼打ち豆 (oni-uchi mame, beans to strike the demons). This brought back warm memories of Saeko-san, my first homestay “mother” in Japan, who faithfully maintained the traditional custom of exorcising demons every year on a day known as 節分 (Setsubun)…
Other News
Ritual monument discovered in Scotland dates to the time of Stonehenge
Live Science
A massive “cursus” monument, a site for ancient rituals, that was built around the same time as Stonehenge, has been discovered on the Scottish Isle of Arran…
Dozens of Egyptian tombs will be unearthed at Saqqara Necropolis
Wired
Archaeologists in Egypt are preparing to open a 3,000-year-old burial shaft at the Saqqara necropolis, south of Cairo, in the coming week…
Tragedy in Indigenous Panama sparks potentially dangerous ‘anti-cult legislation’
The Wild Hunt
The USCIR described how anti-cult movements and legislation can potentially be used to suppress religious liberties. The report noted how powerful established religions and denominations can use anti-cult movements to suppress new religious movements. While not explicitly stated in the report, the term “new religious movements” includes practically all branches of Paganism…
A Christian wants Norway to stop calling the Statue of Liberty “Freedom Goddess”
Patheos Nonreligious: Hemant Mehta
The Statue of Liberty was famously modelled after Libertas, the ancient Roman goddess of liberty. That’s why the Norwegian word for the Statue of Liberty, Frihetsgudinnen, roughly translates to “freedom goddess.”…
Stanford researchers identify two factors in experience of otherworldly phenomena
Stanford News
Stanford researchers find both socio-cultural and personal characteristics influence how individuals experience the presence of gods and spirits…
More Americans than people in other advanced economies say COVID-19 has strengthened religious faith
Pew Research Center
Nearly three-in-ten U.S. adults say the outbreak has boosted their faith…
‘Witch Hunts’ Past & Present
India: Jharkhand woman gets Padma Shri award for saving women branded as ‘witches’
Hindustan Times
Chhutni Mahato, 62, has rescued over a hundred women branded as ‘witches’ in Jharkhand since she survived a murder and rape attempt 25 years back after she too was called a witch. She has now been conferred with Padma Shri, the country’s fourth-highest award, in recognition of her work…
Poor healthcare drives ‘witch-hunting’ in Odisha
The New Indian Express
Lack of access to proper healthcare in the remote, tribal pockets of Odisha and, more importantly, poor awareness coupled with illiteracy and superstition are the key drivers of the menace of ‘witch-hunting’ which continues unabated despite the Odisha Prevention of Witch-Hunting Act being in force since 2014…
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