Pagan Tama
Top stories of the week in Paganism and Shinto:
- Tsubaki Shinto Shrine of America closing abruptly
- UK: Witches & pagans perform special ritual for King Charles’ coronation
- Ancient Greek healing temple of Trikala to be restored
Beltane Coverage
May Day’s pagan roots are alive and well in Beltane
Religion News Service
One of the eight sabbats, or modern pagan holidays, Beltane is a celebration of community after the colder months and of the returning fertility of the land…
UK: Beltane festival in Hampshire celebrated with burning of giant wicker phoenix
ITV
A traditional Celtic fire festival to mark the coming of summer has been held at Butser Ancient Farm in Hampshire…
UK: Thousands gather at Rochester’s Sweeps Festival for May Day celebrations and festival of folk
ITV
The streets of Rochester have filled up with Morris dancers and folk musicians taking part in the Sweeps Festival this bank holiday weekend…
The May Day wreath and its roots in ancient Greece
Greek Reporter
The name of the month of May, or Maios in Greek (Μάιος), originates from the ancient goddess Maia (in Greek Μαία) and is a reborrowing from Latin, as the Romans were the first to name the month after her…
Other Pagan News
UK: Witches & pagans perform special ritual for King Charles’ coronation
The Sun
Witches and pagans from across the country gathered to cast a spell in support of King Charles in a special coronation ritual…
UK: Fillongley witches festival returning on coronation weekend with celebration of King Charles
CoventryLive
A festival for witches is returning over the bank holiday weekend – and will feature a celebration of King Charles…
UK: Swedish ecologist revives old Norse myths and rituals to tackle environmental crises
Religion Unplugged
That humanity’s original ancestors are under threat is a potent metaphor for Andreas Kornevall, a Swedish-British ecologist and educator who is devoted to bringing the wisdom of Old Norse myths and rituals to bear on contemporary life — particularly in relation to current environmental crises…
India: Pinky Punjabi – The role tarot played in the Wicca high priestess’s journey
The Free Press Journal
Pinky Punjabi, a Wicca High Priestess and occult healer started her journey into the spiritual world 14 years ago…
‘WitchTok’ and the rise of Paganism in the western world
Daily Wire
There are more than two million adherents to paganism, the modern neopagan syncretic religion called Wicca, and other New Age practices in the United States…
A new paganism
Aeon
Now is the time to revitalise our relationship with nature and immerse ourselves in the little wonders of the universe…
Shinto News
Tsubaki Shrine of America closing abruptly, stunning US Shinto community
Unseen Japan
In a stunning, largely unpublicized move, Reverend Koichi Barrish of Tsubaki Grand Shrine of America is shuttering the largest Shinto shrine in North America at the end of June…
Purification ceremony held ahead of Kyoto’s ancient Aoi festival for 1st time in 4 yrs
The Mainichi
Many shrine goers watched the Misogi-no-gi ceremony to purify the body and soul of the heroine of the annual Aoi Matsuri Festival on May 4, which took place here for the first time in four years…
Variety of rare clay figures found at ancient tomb in Osaka
The Asahi Shimbun
In a rare find, researchers unearthed various “haniwa” (clay figures) in the shapes of humans, animals and houses from a newly discovered kofun burial mound dating to the late fifth century…
Supercars at Kitano Tenmangu Shrine
Speedhunters
The Japanese city of Kyoto is best known for its historic temples, shrines and royal palaces. There also happens to be a big classic and custom car scene in wider Kyoto Prefecture. If only there was a way to combine the two…
5 places to see Buddhist and Shinto syncretism in Japan
Gaijin Pot
Buddhism and Shinto can combine in fascinating and astonishing ways. Here are five places to experience it for yourself…
‘Japanese Yokai and Other Supernatural Beings’: Ghosts and ghouls in all their macabre glory
The Japan Times*
Finding one’s bearings in this wealth of fiends can be a challenge though, especially for Western readers who are not familiar with the imagery and symbolism of Japanese art. This is where Marks’ latest volume, “Japanese Yokai and Other Supernatural Beings,” comes in handy…
Rikka (Beginning of Summer)
Nippon.com
Rikka marks the beginning of summer in Japan’s traditional calendar, characterized by blinding sunlight and the proliferation of young leaves…
Other News
Ancient Greek healing temple of Trikala to be restored
Greek Reporter
The ancient Asclepieion at Trikala in Thessaly, one of the most important healing temples of the Greek empire, will be restored, the Ministry of Culture announced on Wednesday…
Germany: 2,300-year-old scissors discovered in Celtic grave – and they’re still sharp
IFL Science
German archaeologists have discovered a spectacular pair of ancient scissors while investigating a construction site in Munich…
Vatican City: Pope voices willingness to return Indigenous loot, artifacts
AP
ope Francis said Sunday that talks were underway to return colonial-era artifacts in the Vatican Museum that were acquired from Indigenous peoples in Canada and voiced a willingness to return other problematic objects in the Vatican’s collection on a case-by-case basis…
Why The Wicker Man has divided opinion for 50 years
BBC
Like all the best cult films, The Wicker Man has been dividing audiences from the moment it slipped into Britain’s cinemas 50 years ago…
Did the ancient Irish believe in reincarnation?
Irish Central
Irish mythology provides evidence to support the idea that ancient Irish believed in reincarnation…
The 10 greatest occultist movies
Far Out
Whilst occult movies existed long before the 1970s, with Benjamin Christensen’s 1922 horror Häxan being one of cinema’s earliest examples, such films flourished in the late 20th century when horror enjoyed a liberating boom…
‘Witch Hunts’ Past & Present
Fife conference explores Scotland’s witchcraft trials and plans for a memorial
Fife Today
A charity set up to raise awareness of the thousands of people, mainly women, convicted of witchcraft in Scotland is set to bring its annual conference to Fife – where a permanent memorial could be established…
Gathering to mark Bargarran witch executions in Paisley will take place next month
Daily Record
A real effort has been made to ensure the tragic story of the persecuted Renfrewshire residents lives on…
Zimbabwe: Man kills mother over ‘witchcraft’
News Day
Police in Hwedza, Mashonaland East province, have launched a manhunt for a 49-year-old man who allegedly killed his mother early this week accusing her of ‘bewitching and killing’ his father five years ago…
India: Elderly couple beaten to death for allegedly ‘practising black magic’ in Jharkhand
The Print
An elderly couple was beaten to death allegedly for ‘practising black magic’ in Jharkhand’s Latehar district, a senior police officer said on Wednesday…
India: Ostracised over ‘witchcraft’ claims, a Santhal family’s quest for home
Hindustan Times
A Santhal family in Bengal’s Birbhum has been wandering from village to village for three years after being accused of ‘witchcraft’ and thrown out of their home…
Germany: Remembering my ancestor who was burned as a witch
DW
For Walpurgis Night, the April 30 feast associated with witchcraft in German folklore, DW’s Karin Helmstaedt looked into the tragic story of her ancestor who was burned as a witch…
UK: ‘Witches’ that were tried and hanged in sleepy Merseyside village
Liverpool Echo
There have been ‘whispers’ of witchcraft for hundreds of years…
South Africa: Will a new law curb witch hunts?
Mail & Guardian
Lawmakers at the South African Law Reform Commission (SALRC) say it’s time to redefine legislation for dealing with accusations of witchery — both to shield people from violence and to make sure everyone’s right to religious and cultural beliefs is respected…
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