Pagan Tama
Top stories of the week in Paganism and Shinto:
- US: GOP Senate candidate Hung Cao says Wiccans have “taken over” California
- Ghana: Parliament criminalises ‘witchcraft’ accusation
- US: Texas Tech cancels witchcraft course
And more – see below…
Pagan News
GOP Senate candidate Hung Cao says Wiccans have “taken over” California
Business Insider
Hung Cao, a Republican running for US Senate in Virginia, warned in an interview this week that “witchcraft” has “taken over” in some parts of California…
US: Texas Tech cancels witchcraft course
The Wild Hunt
Texas Tech University has cancelled offering a course on Witchcraft this Fall after public backlash…
US: Whidbey Pagans celebrate pride
Whidbey New Times
The Whidbey Island Pagan Pride Festival brings an array of vendors and workshops open to all…
As witchcraft becomes a multibillion-dollar business, connection to the natural world is changing
The Conversation
Witches, Wiccans and other contemporary Pagans see divinity in trees, streams, plants and animals…
UK: The coven in a small Cambs village where witches danced in fields at midnight
Cambridgeshire Live
A famous pagan leader called Daddy Witch lived in a small cottage in Horseheath in the 1800s and witches came far and wide to dance in the fields with them…
So you’re thinking about using your period blood for magic spells?
Dazed
A guide to menstrual magick and using period blood in your practice by sorceress and spellcaster Isabella Greenwood…
Witchcore: how to hone the enchanting fashion aesthetic before fall
Glam
Are you itching to dive into those witchy vibes? If you see autumn as the perfect time to dress the part, now is the right time for honing your look, and we have some great tips on what should be in your witchy wardrobe…
Shinto News
Public offered rare look at Kyoto cultural properties in fall
The Asahi Shimbun
Fifteen landmarks, mostly Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines, will be featured in the special exhibitions for a month from late October…
Adrenaline rush with handheld fireworks display at Aichi shrine
The Asahi Shimbun
The spectacular Toyohashi Gion Matsuri festival, one of the most eye-catching summer events in Japan, features handheld “tube” fireworks that explode in a shower of fiery sparks…
The best festivals to visit in Japan in August
Japan Nakama
Experience a different dimension of Japanese culture by immersing yourself in the vibrant, lively, and colourful festivities that light up the nation during August…
Sake and its place in Shinto rituals
Patheos Harmonising Body and Mind
Read this guide to learn everything you need to know about the drink and its symbolic meanings in Shinto rituals…
Hana-no-Iwaya: A looming entrance to the underworld
The Asahi Shimbun
Driving along the Iseji, one of the seven Kumano Kodo routes, I saw a roadside sign that read “Hana-no-Iwaya–World Heritage Site–The Oldest Sacred Place in Japan.”…
Heartwarming video shows herd of Nara deer seeking shelter alongside humans
Firstpost
Nara in Japan hit headlines in 2019 after plastic bags killed multiple deer…
The nature of healing in ‘My Neighbour Totoro’
High On Films
Shinto, or Shintoism, is a religion native to Japan that has profoundly shaped the imagery of Studio Ghibli’s works and is a fundamental component of Nipponese mentality and art…
The oni of Japanese folklore: are they fierce demons or cute and gentle?
Discover
These demonic creatures appear in varied forms across Japanese art and folklore. Modern depictions of oni can still be seen in anime, films and TV shows today…
Taisho (Greater Heat)
Nippon.com
Taisho (Greater Heat) is the hottest time of the year. Schools start their summer vacations, some people seek refuge from the heat by the sea or in the mountains, and farmers are kept busy weeding and grass-cutting…
Other News
UK: Suspected Pagan burial site among Viking Link archaeology discoveries
Lincolnshire Live
A suspected Pagan burial site has been unearthed, alongside a range of artefacts, during the construction of a major interconnector between Lincolnshire and Denmark…
UK: Symbol to ward off evil unearthed at 750-year-old Essex tea room
Essex Live
Colchester City Council revealed a witchcraft symbol was found at the Shoulder of Mutton Centre on social media…
Italy: Precious Roman gem found in lagoon depicts mystery mythological figure
Newsweek
An extremely rare engraved Roman gemstone has been discovered underwater by researchers near Venice in northern Italy…
UK: Campaigners to challenge A303 Stonehenge tunnel again
BBC
Campaigners are planning another legal challenge over the construction of a road tunnel near Stonehenge…
UK: Wiltshire countryside and Stonehenge campaigner Dr Kate Fielden dies
Wiltshire Live
A campaigner who endlessly fought for the protection of the Wiltshire countryside, and against plans for a Stonehenge tunnel, has died…
UK: Ukrainian soldiers buzz with excitement as they drive past Stonehenge for the first time in ‘wholesome’ TikTok video
Mail Online
A video of Ukrainian soldiers seeing Stonehenge as they drive past the prehistoric monument has warmed people’s hearts – and left many making the same joke…
UK: English Heritage plans to build new Neolithic classroom at Stonehenge
Salisbury Journal
Plans to build a ‘Neolithic classroom’ as part of new educational facilities at Stonehenge have been tabled…
Greece: Latest gold Proof coin in popular “Greek Mythology” series features Artemis
Coin Update
The Bank of Greece has released its latest gold Proof collector coin, which is part of their ongoing and popular collector series entitled “Greek Mythology,” featuring some of the most well-known stories of the gods and goddesses…
‘I thought people would throw bottles’: orgy in Athens as ancient Greek drama strips off and lets rip
The Guardian
Naked choruses, sexual fantasies, rubbish tip wastelands and nods to refugee camps … Athens’ Epidaurus festival is thrilling audiences – and thrusting theatre into the 21st century…
‘Witch Hunts’ Past & Present
Ghana: Parliament criminalises ‘witchcraft’ accusation
allAfrica
Parliament has passed the Criminal Offences (Amendment) Bill, 2022, to criminalise the accusation of ‘witchcraft’…
India: 271 women accused of ‘witchcraft’ killed in eight years in Jharkhand
Lagatar24
In Jharkhand, the process of killing women accused of witchcraft is not taking the name of stopping. From the year 2015 to May 31, 2023, 271 women across the state have been murdered on the allegation of ‘witchcraft’….
India: Man beaten to death in Odisha over accusations of ‘practising witchcraft’
The Federal
A 50-year old man was beaten to death in a village in Sambalpur district after being accused of ‘practising witchcraft’, police said on Wednesday…
India: 2 held for killing woman on witchcraft suspicion
The Times of India
Koyyuru police in ASR district arrested two persons for killing a woman after branding her as tonahi (witch)…
UK: Lancaster festival honours Pendle Witches on anniversary of 1612 trials
Lancaster Guardian
The Witches’ Revival, a four-day festival of history, healing and creative arts, will remember the 12 innocent people found guilty of witchcraft during the Lancaster Witch Trials of 1612…
UK: Reports of newly registered charity’s ‘witch’ content being assessed
Civil Society
The Charity Commission for Northern Ireland is looking into allegations raised about a recently registered religious charity that shared content about ‘witches’…
South Africa: An enraged mob torches houses belonging to a family accused of ‘witchcraft’
IOL
A family had to witness their homes burn to ashes after an angry mob went rampant and torched them, accusing the family of ‘witchcraft’ in Mudimeli Village in Limpopo…
Nigeria: Cross River Community sensitized on ways to end ‘witchcraft’ branding
Cross River Watch
A non-profit organization poised on ending all forms of witchcraft accusations, the Basic Rights Counsel Initiative (BRCI), has sensitized Cross River Community on ‘witchcraft’ accusations and the Child Rights Law….
US: Unitarian Universalist church dubbed “pagan and satanic” firebombed
The Wild Hunt
n LGBTQI+ affirming church in Plano Texas was firebombed last week after right-wing activists reportedly visited the congregation and identified the church as “pagan and satanic.”…
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