Pagan & Shinto News: Woman Faces Felony Charges For Threatening Police Officer With Witchcraft

Pagan & Shinto News: Woman Faces Felony Charges For Threatening Police Officer With Witchcraft April 18, 2022

Top stories of the week in Paganism and Shinto:

  • US: Pennsylvania witch faces felony charges
  • TikTok witches are accusing each other of being toxic, gatekeepers, and misinformation spreaders
  • UK: Stonehenge crowned Wiltshire’s most accessible cultural attraction

Read more below…

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Easter Coverage

Why do we eat chocolate eggs at Easter? Pagan symbolism and when tradition began
Mirror
Easter commemorates Jesus Christ’s sacrifice on the cross, so it is strange that the holiday has become synonymous with rabbits and chocolate eggs. Here’s the reason scoffing chocolate Easter eggs has become such a major tradition…

Rites of Spring: fascinating springtime rituals from around the world
Far Out
Here you’ll find a selection of curious, fascinating, and downright bizarre springtime rituals from Scotland to Japan…

How ancient pagan rituals helped inspire modern Easter traditions
New York Post
While Easter is a time when Christians celebrate the resurrection of Christ, a few aspects of the holiday were adopted from ancient pagan rituals that celebrated the resurrection of life in the spring…

Festive Origins: What have chocolate eggs and rabbits got to do with Easter?
Female First
Ever wonder why you eat chocolate eggs and decorate Easter-themed projects with chicks, lambs and hares for a day that’s supposedly about the death of Jesus Christ? You’re right to think the two aren’t connected, and you may be surprised to know you’ve been practising Pagan traditions all this time…

The ancient origins of the Easter Bunny
Smithsonian
A scholar traces the folk figure’s history from the Neolithic era to today…

Where does the Easter Bunny come from?
Metro
Easter, and the lead-up of Holy Week, is a special time, whether you’re religious or not…

Sacred hares, banished winter witches and pagan worship – the roots of Easter Bunny traditions are ancient
The Conversation
The Easter Bunny is a much celebrated character in American Easter celebrations…

The Easter Bunny’s ancient Greek origins
Greek City Times
The Easter bunny is a much-celebrated character in Western Easter celebrations, but how many people are aware of its Ancient Greek origins?…

Finland: Easter witches make the rounds on Sunday
YLE
Witches, cats and bunnies are out this Sunday, carrying willow branches ornamented with bright feathers and tissue paper…

Pagan News

US: Pennsylvania witch faces felony charges
Lincoln Report
Pennsylvania State Police say a grandma allegedly threatened a police officer with white witchcraft if he did not withdraw her grandson’s marijuana possession case…

TikTok witches are accusing each other of being toxic, gatekeepers, and misinformation spreaders
Insider
The community appears welcoming and inclusive, but there is also infighting…

UK: Feminist witches movement aims to destigmatise the craft
NBC News
When Scotland became one of the first countries to formally apologise to the nearly 4,000 people accused of witchcraft during witch trials that took place more than 500 years ago, it sparked a feminist movement among present-day witches and their supporters…

What the resurgence of druids says about spirituality today
Independent*
Druids were the high priests of ancient British tribes but disappeared for more than a thousand years. Today, a new generation of people are identifying as druids. Len Williams asks why…

UK: Meet the modern-day witches who ‘heal broken bones’ and keep world of magic alive
Mirror
Last year 2,000 witches and pagans from across the UK attended the Cove of Gaia festival in Coventry…

How I became a Philly witch (and you can, too)
Phillymag.com
It’s not about wands and cauldrons, but rather empowerment, self-care, and connection with the Earth…

West Australian witches Sue, Fiona and Joanne speak on magic, nature and feminism
Gloucester Advocate
ACM spoke to several West Australian witches about what it means to them to be a real life, modern witch…

Women’s solidarity through witchcraft
Outlook India
There is a thriving Wiccan witch community in India…

US: Owners from Anderson witch shop, “Twisted Twigs” talk about business, spirituality and social media
Daily News
Since summer 2017, Twisted Twigs has sold crystals, handmade oils, dried herbs, incense and other homemade apothecary items to their customers…

The punks Among Pagans: What is Chaos Magic?
A Little Bit Human
It’s not easy to answer the question, “What is Chaos magic?” because there are no definitions and no rules…

Young Thais seek fortune-telling upgrades
Reuters*
Many in Thailand’s anxiety-gripped young demographic have started to embrace fortune-telling and other forms of divination…

Shinto news

The ‘golden crane’ of Kasuga Taisha
Japan Forward
Kasuga Taisha Shrine in Nara City revealed the reproduction of a national treasure known as the “Kintsuru and Ginjushi,” from the Heian period (794-1185) in a press conference on April 4…

Inside Japan’s “Penis Parade,” Kanamara Matsuri
Hyperbae
The inclusive story behind Japan’s well-respected Kanamara Festival…

How sakura blossoms gained cultural significance in Japan
Unseen Japan
The sakura (cherry blossom) is practically synonymous with Japan. Here’s a deeper look at the history of this fascinating flower’s popularity…

5 cool things I learned about Japan at Ise Shrine
GaijinPot
Not only is Ise Grand Shrine Japan’s most important Shinto site—but it’s also a great deep dive into Japanese culture and history…

Animal symbolism of shrines and temples in Japan
GaijinPot
Anyone who spent enough time in the country knows that Japan loves animals…

Other News

Stonehenge crowned Wiltshire’s most accessible cultural attraction
Wiltshire Times
A new report by the hearing aid specialists at ReSound has crowned Stonehenge the most accessible cultural attraction in Wiltshire for visitors with hearing loss…

Enormous puppet Gnomus is coming to Stonehenge
Wiltshire Live
A huge puppet named “Gnomus” will be coming to Stonehenge this month to tell stories of the English Heritage site…

The mystery of the Phoenician goddess in a medieval Spanish castle
El Pais
The hill which now hosts the fortress of Guardamar del Segura was previously the site of a sanctuary consecrated to a divine power that protected sailors…

Explaining the Egyptian goddess Hathor featured in ‘Moon Knight’
Distractify
Amidst the superhero antics and the protagonist’s struggle with his mental health, Moon Knight isn’t afraid to dive headfirst into the world of Egyptian mythology…

‘Witch Hunts’ Past & Present

India: Elderly couple killed for ‘witchcraft’ in Assam, 1 held
The Times of India
An elderly couple belonging to the Adivasi community was killed on suspicion of ‘practising witchcraft’ in Assam’s Baksa district…

India: Labeled a ‘witch’, Maharashtra woman stripped and paraded naked
India Today
A woman in Maharashtra’s Nandurbar district was allegedly stripped and paraded naked by locals who suspected her of ‘practicing witchcraft’…

Cornwall’s ‘dark arts’ and the witch’s tower of Launceston where they were burned at the base
Cornwall Live
Seventeenth century Cornwall was witness to a dozen or so witch trials…


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