Witch

Candle rituals a symbolic form of prayer, a way to ask for change
In Wicca, and other pagan (nature-based) and mystical belief systems, burning candles is one of the simplest forms of magic. Not the “hocus-pocus, pull-a-rabbit-out-of-a-hat” variety of magic, but rather focusing and directing mental energies to manifest a change in the physical world. Read full story from winnipegfreepress.com

“Jesus is the ONLY reason for the season” Billboard
I saw a billboard here in San Diego (on University in Hillcrest), which reads “Jesus is the ONLY reason for the season,” apparantly sponsored by two businessmen. To paraphrase Jeff Dunham’s Achmed the Dead Terrorist: “Don’t say Merry Christmas, it only irritates the other infidels.”. That is a very profound statement. Read full story from sandiegoreader.com

Bakersfield council prayers too Christian?
Bakersfield is the second city in Kern County to have prayers at city council meetings challenged by the Freedom From Religion Foundation Inc., a Wisconsin nonprofit with a membership of mostly atheists and agnostics. Read full story from bakersfield.com

Is Islam really a threat to America?
A recent headline in the Nashville newspaper The Tennessean asks the question “Is Islam a threat to America.” Throughout the history of the nation this question has been asked of many different groups. What is the difference now? Islam as a faith is no more a threat to America than Judaism, Hinduism, Paganism or other any other faith experience. The question itself suffers from the propensity to mislabel and mis-characterize Muslims (and many other groups). Read full story from examiner.com

It is time to negoitate a peace treaty and end the ‘War on Christmas’
Jesus was not born on December 25. Early Christians picked that date because it was a popular Roman pagan holiday marking the winter solstice. Jesus probably wasn’t born in a stable, either. Read full story from the examiner.com

Ashland OR school removes holiday tree
ASHLAND, Ore. (AP) — The principal of an elementary school in Ashland, Ore., has removed a holiday giving tree from the school after several families complained it was a religious symbol. Read full story from kgw.com

Taking back the Pagan holiday tree and where to find Pagan ornaments
Anyone who knows their history knows that the “Christmas” tree was first introduced by ancient Pagans.  The Egyptians decorated palm branches during the winter solstice to symbolize resurrection. Ancient Greeks decorated evergreen trees in worship of Adonia, who was resurrected by a serpent.  The ancient Germans decorated evergreen trees in worship of Woden.   Romans covered their trees with metallic decorations and candles to honor Bacchus.  All of these tree decorating traditions predated Christianity. Read full story from examiner.com

Happy Re-Birthday: Celebrating the Light’s Return at Winter Solstice
Winter Solstice marks the shift of the seasons from harvesting crops to rejuvenating the Earth.
In 2009, this longest night of the year falls on December 21. While the notion of winter usually evokes images of warm coats, mittens and boots, in ancient times Winter Solstice was honored as the turning point when the sun begins warming the Earth a little bit longer every day. Read full story from visionmagazine.com

December 1 is World AIDS Day
Today, December 1, is World AIDS Day - a day to bring awareness to this pandemic that does not discriminate based on gender, age, color, religious sect nor sexual orientation. Almost every one of us knows someone who has been touched by this disease in some way: a friend, a sibling, a parent, a child, a cousin, a friend’s child – someone in our lives has been affected. Read full story from examiner.com

Shayne Looper: To coexist is just not enough
We were in an Ivy League town recently, and I noticed a number of cars sporting a bumper sticker that read COEXIST. The letters were constructed from various symbols, some of which were religious in nature. Read full story from norwichbulletin.com

Winter solstice is a time of renewal, reconnection with the Earth
Throughout the ages, a variety of cultures have viewed the winter solstice as a time for celebration and renewal. The tilt of the earth’s axis makes the winter solstice the shortest day — and longest night — of the year. According to Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary, the word solstice comes from the roots “sol,” which means sun, and “stit,” which means stand. In the northern hemisphere, the winter solstice usually falls on Dec. 21 or 22. Read full story from poughkeepsiefournal.com

Welcome to Melbourne for the Parliament of the World’s Religions, December 3-9, 2009
On behalf of the spiritual ancestors and the traditional owners of Melbourne, I invite you to Melbourne in 2009, for the Parliament of the World’s Religions to share in the traditions, culture and spirit of Australia. Read full story from parliamentofreligions.org

Hidden Symbols of Thanksgiving
According to an article published on the Fox News website, there are five secrets of Thanksgiving and they are:
1- A secret society invented Thanksgiving.
2- There’s a secret connection between the Bible and Thanksgiving.
3- A manuscript lost for two centuries resurfaces with true Thanksgiving meanings.
4- Pilgrims preferred Thanksgiving to Christmas.
5- The Statue of Liberty holds Thanksgiving Day secrets.
Read full story from  examiner.com

SAUDI ARABIA: Kingdom steps up hunt for ‘witches’ and ‘black magicians’
When the popular 46-year-old Lebanese psychic Ali Sibat went on-air and made his predictions about the future, the phone lines of the satellite television station Sheherazade used to be flooded with calls.

But what the star psychic probably did not predict was that his claims to supernatural prowess would land him a death sentence. Read full story from latimes.com

[Killer son stabbed ‘witch’ mother 21 times](A divorced father of three stabbed his mother 21 times after becoming convinced that she was a witch and had put a curse on him, a court heard today. Kayode Kuye tortured and killed Christina Kuye, 69, because he believed she had ruined his life with a black magic spell, the Old Bailey was told. )
A divorced father of three stabbed his mother 21 times after becoming convinced that she was a witch and had put a curse on him, a court heard today.

Tony Alamo Gets Locked Up Forever
Tony Alamo, 74, is convinced that a demon possessed FBI and the pope are behind the plot to put him in prison, but this defense didn’t exactly impress the judge who sentenced him to nearly two centuries of hard time. Read full story from unreasonablefaith

Pagan spirituality group offers opportunity to explore beliefs, rituals
With a multitude of churches in the Whitewater area, most people don’t have a problem finding a supportive environment for their religious and spiritual beliefs. Read full story from royalpurplenews.com