Top stories of the week in Paganism and Shinto:
- Russia: Vladimir Putin has reportedly become obsessed with the occult
- Turkey: Statue of Hercules unearthed in ancient Greek city of Aizanoi
- UK: PM rules out law change for return of Parthenon marbles
Read more below…
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Pagan News
Russia: Vladimir Putin has reportedly become obsessed with the occult
The Sun
Vladimir Putin has become obsessed with the occult, including mind reading and blood rituals, according to a prominent Russian journalist…
UK: Witches’ fair to take over town centre market
Liverpool Echo
Around 70 witches will be hosting stalls offering crafts and other goods…
Greek-Irish Society and Inis hold first Athens Samhain Fire Festival
The Wild Hunt
Samhain, the festival celebrating the final harvest in Celtic cultures, has become a tradition in many countries; but Greece was not one of them until Saturday, November 12, 2022, in Drapetsona, a neighborhood of Athens, when Inis and the Greek-Irish Society hosted the first Samhain Athens Fire Festival…
I, a humble Pagan, am over the moon for ‘Hades II.’ Here’s why.
The Mary Sue
Hades always was, and always will be, a series with plenty of love for its pagan followers…
UK: Witch’s dream to move into tiny Yorkshire hillside hamlet stopped by Cliff Richard
Yorkshire Live
Modern-day coven had planned to move into a former chapel but the Batchelor Boy had other ideas…
‘The shaman asks my spirit guides to gently cleanse me’
The Guardian
As the census reveals a twelve-fold rise in followers of shamanism, Amelia Hill experiences a healing ceremony…
Winter Solstice events 2022 – United Kingdom
The Wild Hunt
There will be a number of events held across the United Kingdom (UK) this year to celebrate the Winter Solstice, now that restrictions caused by the pandemic in the previous couple of years have now been lifted…
Watch the ‘Cold Moon’ eclipse Mars during the final full moon of 2022
Live Science
The ‘Cold Moon,’ the final full moon of 2022, will appear to swoop in front of Mars in a phenomenon called lunar occultation…
Shinto News
Treasures from Kasuga Taisha go on show to mark renovation
The Asahi Shimbun
Priceless treasures from Kasuga Taisha are on display to celebrate the rebuilding of Wakamiyajinja, an auxiliary shrine within the complex…
Japan holds centuries old laughing ceremony
KYMA
People are laughing the year away at a shrine in western Japan…
Chichibu crowds captivated by fireworks, parade
The Japan News
Some 5,000 fireworks brightened the night sky over elaborate floats during a night festival at Chichibu Shrine in Chichibu, Saitama Prefecture, on Saturday…
Japan’s lower house tightens religious donation rules amid Unification church controversy
The Guardian
Prime minister Fumio Kishida has seen approval ratings plummet since ties between LDP and the church were exposed…
Other News
Turkey: Statue of Hercules unearthed in ancient Greek city of Aizanoi
Greek Reporter
A stunning statue of Hercules, the Greek demigod, was recently unearthed in the Ancient Greek city of Aizanoi in Asia Minor, according to archaeologists statements…
UK: PM rules out law change for return of Parthenon marbles
The Guardian
Rishi Sunak has ruled out changing a law that could prevent the British Museum from handing the Parthenon marbles back to Greece, after it emerged that trustees have held secret talks with the Greek prime minister about the future of the artefacts…
2,200-year-old Greek ‘victory’ sling bullet discovered in Israel
Greek Reporter
A lead sling bullet inscribed with the message, “Victory of Heracles and Hauronas” in Greek, was discovered in the Israeli city of Yavne…
The birds that the ancient Egyptians offered to the gods
History of Yesterday
What is the mystery behind them?…
The world’s oldest map of the night sky was amazingly accurate
National Geographic
Newly discovered fragments of 2,200-year-old star coordinates—once thought lost—reveal the incredible skill of the ancient astronomer Hipparchus…
US: Inside the battle to save the sacred peyote ceremony: ‘We’re in dire straits’
The Guardian
Used in Native religious ceremonies but now adopted by A-list celebrities, the cactus is threatened by land development and over-harvesting…
Outlander’s Celtic mythology explored as fans look for truth behind the fiction
Scottish Daily Express
From selkies, kelpies, Nessie and standing stones, the fantasy series delves right into the legends of Celtic Scotland…
US: Lake Michigan ‘Stonehenge’ is 4,000 years older than English one
K102.5
Archaeologists diving in the Grand Traverse Bay looking for shipwrecks stumbled across some curious rocks in 2007…
25 songs about witches
Music Grotto
There are plenty of tracks out there about witches, the magic of women, and people who feel like they’ve been enchanted…
‘Witch Hunts’ Past & Present
Nigeria: Calling on victims and survivors of ‘witch’ persecution in Benue State
This Day
The Advocacy for Alleged Witches invites all victims and survivors of witchcraft allegations and witch persecutions in Benue state to come forward and share their stories and experiences…
Nigeria: Man kills 80-year-old uncle over alleged ‘witchcraft’
Daily Trust
A man, Haruna Ezekiel, has been arrested in Bauchi State for allegedly killing his 80-year-old uncle, Sunday Saleh and burying him in a shallow grave over allegations of ‘witchcraft’…
Malawi: Ill-treatment of elderly women over ‘witchcraft’ accusations condemned
Malawi24
On Saturday, the women were forced to bury a dead person on their own while one of the women fell into the grave after being badly beaten on allegations of ‘witchcraft’ in the area of Inkosi Kampingo Sibande in Mzimba…
US: Christian influencer is mocked after claiming ‘masturbation is witchcraft’
Mail Online
A Christian influencer has gone viral after claiming ‘masturbation is form of witchcraft’ that will ‘literally bleed into your future children’s life’ and become a ‘generational curse.’…