Clipmarks | wiccantexan's 'pagan' clips

Winter in Siberia

Sat, 22 Dec 2007 23:18:00 GMT

clipped by: gingembre
clipper's remarks: Photos from a trip across Siberia in January 2006, when the average temperature was -60F. Just thinking of this numbing cold makes my bones ache, but the photos are lovely. Grab a cup of your favorite warm beverage and take a look at these photos of winter in Siberia.

Clip Source: englishrussia.com

Those Russian guys made photos of their travel across Siberia in January 2006.

The average temperature outside was -60 F. Yes, minus sixty fahrenheit.

When it is -60 F (-50 C) outside, the car windows never get rid of the ice and snow. Even when the heater is on to its maximum.

Russian guys are used to such extreme colds.

They got advised in one of the Siberian cities to install double windows on the cars. Those double windows help a lot in keeping warm.

And all the way through Siberia there are remains of Soviet Era artefacts sitting right near with old pagan totems of wild natives.

Here you can see the car before the double windows were installed.

More Soviet artefacts.

Some guys use more heavy vehicles to travel across Siberia.

Before the cell and satelite phones in Russia in Siberia there were such phone booths each 25 km (12 miles) across the Siberia road. Most of the drivers had a special key to unlock the booth.

Using special laptops.

And even vodka freezes in Siberia.

Tags: siberia, russia, winter, photographs

Liberating Christmas from Christianity

Sun, 16 Dec 2007 07:43:47 GMT

clipped by: masbury
clipper's remarks: Episcopal priest makes interesting argument

Clip Source: www.counterpunch.org

There are some very good reasons why Christians should give up the fight to reassert ownership of Christmas and to stop resisting its so-called secularization.

Neither Christmas nor anything it stands for originated in the Jesus movement or in the early Christian Church.

In imperial Rome, the December 25 feast in honor of the Invincible Sun, Sol Invictus, was accompanied by the exchange of gifts, cutting of greens, lighting of candles, and public festivals commemorating new life.

In the 4th century, the Christian Church, having been adopted by the Emperor Constantine, was rather suddenly transformed from a persecuted minority into the official imperial religion of Rome. The Church responded by importing the Jesus' birth narratives of Matthew and Luke into the feast of Sol Invictus and erased every reference to the pagan gods.

To liberate Christmas from the clutches of Christianity would demonstrate a generosity of spirit on the part of Christians

Tags: christmas

Puzzling pagan burials at the famous Christian catacomb

Sat, 17 May 2008 15:47:16 GMT

clipped by: invictus
clipper's remarks: A very interesting article on the new discoveries at one of Rome's biggest catacomb complex, which was thought to be a Christian site for years. The latest foundings revealed the skeletons of more than 100 humans which predate Christianity and possibly "pagan burials". Puzzled scientists are working at the site for further details and clues. From the Archaeology Magazine.

Clip Source: www.archaeology.org

When a sinkhole opened up after a pipe broke underneath the convent and school of the Instituto Sacra Famiglia on Rome's Via Casilina, the sisters there received a surprise--about 1,200 surprises, in fact. The partial collapse of the building's foundation revealed five large chambers in which the remains of more than a thousand individuals had been interred almost simultaneously sometime at the beginning of the third century A.D.

Perhaps equally surprising is the location in which they were found. The convent under which the burial chambers are located sits atop the vast catacomb complex of San Pietro and Marcellinus. With three distinct gallery levels, the deepest of which is 36 feet (11m) below the surface, it is one of the largest such burial complexes in the city.

"there is at the moment no conclusive proof that can exclude the possibility that these may in fact be pagan burials." Which begs the question: What would pagan burials be doing in the middle of a Christian catacomb?

Tags: archaeology, ancient rome, christianity, via casilina, san pietro, marcellinus, pre-christian, pagan, roman empire, science

Iceland has the happiest people on earth

Sun, 18 May 2008 21:54:45 GMT

clipped by: boozich
clipper's remarks: cos you can "root" around and have no conscience whatsoever!

Clip Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Highest birth rate in Europe + highest divorce rate + highest percentage of women working outside the home = the best country in the world in which to live. There has to be something wrong with this equation. Put those three factors together - loads of children, broken homes, absent mothers - and what you have, surely, is a recipe for misery and social chaos. But no.

It is a largely pagan country, as the natives like to see it, unburdened by the taboos that generate so much distress elsewhere. That means they are practical people. Which, in turn, means lots of divorces.

'Patchwork families are a tradition here,'

'It is common for women to have kids with more than one man. But all are family together.'

fact is that Icelanders don't stay in lousy relationships. They just leave.' And the reason they can do so is that society, starting with the parents and grandparents, does not stigmatise them for making that choice. Icelanders are the least hung-up people in the world.

Vandals Damage Stonehenge With Hammer

Fri, 23 May 2008 04:49:31 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan

Clip Source: www.foxnews.com

LONDON — Two men attacked the ancient monument of Stonehenge with a hammer and chipped off a piece of stone the size of a large coin, a conservation group said Thursday.

Two men hacked the piece from the Heel Stone — the central megalith at the ancient site — last week, English Heritage spokeswoman Debbie Holden said. They were spotted by security guards but escaped by jumping over a fence and driving off.

Wiltshire police are investigating the incident at the UNESCO World Heritage Site located 90 miles (145 kilometers) west of London.

"The damage is very, very slight because security guards spotted them straight away, but the whole thing is still upsetting," said Holden. "This kind of thing has not happened for decades."
The mysterious Stonehenge site is one of Britain's best known and least understood landmarks.

Tags: history, pagan, religion, belief, stonehenge, england

Scotland, Beltane Fire Festival brings Summer closer

Sun, 04 May 2008 12:33:15 GMT

clipped by: syncopath

Clip Source: www.edinburghguide.com

Beltane - Interview with a Drummer

With its heady brew of drums, fire, theatre and pagan ritual on the top of Calton Hill, the Beltane Fire Festival, celebrating the arrival of Summer, is one of the most exuberant events in Edinburgh's calendar. But what's it all about?

What's your name?

Please just refer to me as a Drummer. Beltane is bigger than any individual, so we prefer to be called by our character names in publicity.

How did you get involved with Beltane and what's the festival mean for you?

Like many of the participants, I first got involved as a spectator. I heard a vague rumour about an amazing festival on Calton Hill so I wandered up with a drum and a few friends to check it out. I caught a bit of the procession and then hooked up with some other drummers and when I stopped it was dawn and I hadn't yet touched the alcohol in my bag. The sheer energy of the event, even on the periphery, blew me away and I knew that I had to get more involved.

Clip Source: www.indymedia.org.uk

Clip Source: www.edinphoto.org.uk

Clip Source: www.indymedia.org.uk

Tags: gaelic, celtic, pagan, may queen, fertile green man

Origins of Halloween and Trick or Treat

Mon, 30 Oct 2006 19:27:59 GMT

clipped by: ericw
clipper's remarks: 'Tis the season ... a little bit of history about tomorrow, clipmarks-style.

Clip Source: www.geocities.com

1. Where does Halloween come from?

Our modern celebration of Halloween is a descendent of the ancient Celtic fire festival called "Samhain". The word is pronounced "sow-in", with "sow" rhyming with cow.

5. What about the aspects of "evil" that we associate with the night today?

The Celts did not have demons and devils in their belief system. The fairies, however, were often considered hostile and dangerous to humans because they were seen as being resentful of men taking over their lands. On this night, they would sometimes trick humans into becoming lost in the fairy mounds, where they would be trapped forever. After the coming of the Christians to the Celtic lands, certain of the folk saw the fairies as those angels who had sided neither with God or with Lucifer in their dispute, and thus, were condemned to walk the earth until judgment day.(3) In addition to the fairies, many humans were abroad on this night, causing mischief. since this night belonged neither to one year or the other, Celtic folk believed that chaos reigned and the people would engage in "horseplay and practical jokes".(4) This served also as a final outlet for high spirits before the gloom of winter set in.

6. What about "trick or treat"?

During the course of these hijinks, many of the people would imitate the fairies and go from house to house begging for treats. Failure to supply the treats would usually result in practical jokes being visited on the owner of the house. Since the fairies were abroad on this night, an offering of food or milk was frequently left for them on the steps of the house, so the homeowner could gain the blessings of the "good folk" for the coming year. Many of the households would also leave out a "dumb supper" for the spirits of the departed.(5) The folks who were abroad in the night imitating the fairies would some- times carry turnips carved to represent faces. This is the origin of our modern Jack-o-lantern.

Tags: halloween, trick or treat, samhain, holiday, origins, history, religion, pagan, dead, demons, fairies, jack-o-lantern

Top Tips in Tantric Sex for Women

Thu, 29 Mar 2007 02:47:53 GMT

clipped by: missmelq
clipper's remarks: These are the top tips recommended for women with different exercises to practice. In the last part it will concentrate on the partners trying their new techniques together

Clip Source: www.geocities.com

Developmental Techniques for Tantra/Sex Magic

For women:

Kegals are the best for women.

basic exercises

try the Gripping exercise:

insert a slim smooth object into the yon

practice gripping/squeezing it using the same contractions learned

Traditional Belly Dancing is a wonderful way for a woman to further develop her muscular control and does combine some subtle energy work

Subtle Energy Techniques:

General Approach:

Methods that combine breathing and energy awareness with some sort of visualization/meditation are best.

Starhawk's Tree Meditation

or similar meditation/visualization

Try the Polarity exercise to learn to feel your own aura:

Rub the hands together briskly in front of you.

Bring them apart, even with the shoulders. Slowly bring them together and try to feel the flow of energy across the gap between them.

It helps to move the hands in a very small circular pattern while keeping them very close together.

also practice projecting this flow thorugh your hand

to various parts of your body

Tags: tantric sex, buddhism, sexuality, zen. sex tips, exercices, pagan

Wicca veterans seek grave symbols

Fri, 06 Oct 2006 01:26:00 GMT

clipped by: invictus
clipper's remarks: Wiccans in the US are taking the government to court over its refusal to allow their symbol on gravestones in military cemeteries.

Clip Source: news.bbc.co.uk

Wicca veterans seek grave symbols

The pentacle is an important Wicca spiritual symbol

Wiccans in the US are taking the government to court over its refusal to allow their symbol on gravestones in military cemeteries.

Relatives of dead soldiers, including one killed in Iraq, are demanding that Wicca symbols be permitted.

Some 38 other religious symbols, including the Jewish star of David and the Buddhist wheel, are allowed.

The Pentacle, a five-pointed star surrounded by a circle, is one of the most important symbols in Wicca.

Tags: religion, pagan, wicca, religious symbols

Mesoamerica's Mother Culture Revealed?

Tue, 16 Oct 2007 03:23:06 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan

Clip Source: www.mysanantonio.com

Deep in the Huastec jungle the enormous carved stone monolith stands, suspended over the pool of water where a team of archaeologists discovered it. A powerful woman stands at the center of the carving, flanked by two smaller decapitated women. A stream of liquid flows from the headless women toward the woman in the center.

The truth is, however, nobody knows for sure what these stones mean.

One thing is fairly certain — because of the recurrence of the number 13, the monolith seems to be a lunar calendar of some sort. That's why it set the archaeological world abuzz with discussion when it was unveiled last November. It is believed to have been created around 600 B.C. — 2,000 years before what was previously the oldest discovered calendar in the Americas, the Aztec Calendar, which dates to A.D. 1400.

Tags: pagan, women, stones, calendar, ancient, history, archaeology, lunar, moon, culture

Report on Resistentialism

Wed, 21 Nov 2007 11:59:04 GMT

clipped by: wildcat
clipper's remarks: Resistentialism, a sombre, post-atomic philosophy of pagan, despairing nobility, advocates complete withdrawal from Things..

Clip Source: www.handstones.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk

It is the peculiar genius of the French to express their philosophical thought in aphorisms, sayings hard and tight as diamonds, each one the crystal centre of a whole constellation of ideas. Thus, the entire scheme of seventeenth century intellectual rationalism may be said to branch out from that single, pregnant saying of Descartes, 'Cogito ergo sum' - 'I think, therefore I am.' Resistentialism, the philosophy which has swept present-day France, runs true to this aphoristic form. Go into any of the little cafés or horlogeries on Paris's Left Bank (make sure the Seine is flowing away from you, otherwise you'll be on the Right Bank, where no one is ever seen) and sooner or later you will hear someone say, 'Les choses sont contre nous.' 'Things are against us.'

Ventre offers us a grand vision of the Universe as One Thing - the Ultimate Thing (Dernière Chose). And it is against us.

Tags: resistentialism, fun, philosophy, paul jennings

The Pagan Christ NT based on Egyption Mythology

Fri, 07 Dec 2007 06:04:14 GMT

clipped by: photowriter
clipper's remarks: I grew up as a fundamentalist Xian X= Greek letter chi for Christ. I have read several of Tom Harpers books and have found him to be one of the most honest Anglican Priests I have ever met in book and person.

What we find now is that the literal interpretation of the Bible is producing a very dangerous culture, focused in the US where military culture and war are often seen as part and parcel of the religious right's political theology.

Clip Source: www.cbc.ca

THE PAGAN CHRIST

There are 2.1 billion Christians on the planet – roughly one third of the entire human population. At the heart of their religion is the New Testament and the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth. To Christianity, the written word is the glue that binds the faith of its followers.

Based on Tom Harpur’s national bestseller, The Pagan Christ examines these very questions. During his research, Harpur discovered that the New Testament is wholly based on Egyptian mythology, that Jesus Christ never lived, and that – indeed – the text was always meant to be read allegorically. It was the founders of the Church who duped the world into taking a literal approach to the scriptures. And, according to Harpur, this was their fatal error – and the very reason Christianity is struggling today.

So, what if it could be proven that Jesus never existed? What if there was evidence that every word of the New Testament

is based on myth and metaphor?

Tags: christmas, christianity, pagan, bible, literal, mythology, myth

Sam Harris: Yahweh Belongs on the Scrapheap of Mythology

Wed, 21 Mar 2007 05:26:12 GMT

clipped by: laceym
clipper's remarks:

Sam Harris said:

I’d like to begin this exchange by making the observation that “atheist” is a term that should not even exist. We do not, after all, have a name for a person who does not believe in Zeus or Thor. In fact, we are all “atheists” with respect to Zeus and Thor and the thousands of other dead gods that now lie upon the scrapheap of mythology.
... Did someone around the time of Constantine discover that the pagan gods do not actually exist, while the biblical God does? Of course not. There are thousands of gods that were once worshipped with absolute conviction by men and women like ourselves, and yet we all now agree that they are rightly dead. An “atheist” is simply someone who thinks that the God of Abraham should be buried with the rest of these imaginary friends. I am quite sure that we need only use words like “reason,” “common sense,” “evidence,” and “intellectual honesty” to do the job.

Clip Source: www.jewcy.com

The United States now stands alone in the developed world as a country that conducts its national discourse under the shadow of religious literalism. Eighty-three percent of the U.S. population believes that Jesus literally rose from the dead; 53% believe that the universe is 6,000 years old. This is embarrassing. Add to this comedy of false certainties the fact that 44% of Americans are confident that Jesus will return to Earth sometime in the next 50 years and you will glimpse the terrible liability of this sort of thinking.

Nearly half of the American population is eagerly anticipating the end of the world. This dewy-eyed nihilism provides absolutely no incentive to build a sustainable civilization. Many of these people are lunatics, but they are not the lunatic fringe. Some of them can actually get Karl Rove on the phone whenever they want.

Tags: atheism, religion

The Origin of Halloween: From Pagan to Christian

Mon, 15 Oct 2007 18:09:50 GMT

clipped by: sahara
clipper's remarks: Isn't this the way most of our holidays came about? I love Halloween, regardless of where it came from!

Clip Source: www.allaboutpopularissues.org

Celts celebrated the end of the light half of the year with the festival of “Samhain” (pronounced sah-wen), which they observed during the October/November lunar cycle. Following the Roman conquest of Britain, British Celts adopted the Julian calendar and fixed the date of Samhain’s observance to Novembe

Costumes and treats were a traditional part of the Celtic celebration. And while Samhain began as a strictly Celtic festival, it is probable that aspects of Roman religion were incorporated into its observance over the four centuries of Roman rule in Britain (43-410 AD).

As Christianity spread throughout the world, pagan holidays were either Christianized or forgotten. Samhain was absorbed into Halloween. Costumes and gifts and bobbing for apples were preserved, incorporated into the new holiday. They remain a celebrated part of Halloween to this day, many centuries later.

Trick-or-treating eclipsed pious regard for Christian martyrs.

Tags: halloween

Roman ruler's head found in sewer

Wed, 13 Jun 2007 00:39:32 GMT

clipped by: Newfman

Clip Source: news.bbc.co.uk

A 1,700-year-old carved marble head of Emperor Constantine has been found in a sewer in central Rome.

Archaeologists found the 60cm (2ft) head while clearing an ancient drainage system in the ruins of the Roman Forum.

Eugenio La Rocca, superintendent of Rome's artefacts, described the head as a rare find and said it was possible it had been used to clear a blocked sewer.

Constantine, who reigned from 306 to 337, is known for ending persecution of Christians and founding Constantinople.

Although most of his subjects remained pagans, he is credited with helping to establish Europe's Christian roots by proclaiming religious freedom.

"We have concluded that the head did not fall by accident into the passage, but was put there on purpose.

"It could have been used as a big piece of stone to divert water from the drain, or it could have been put there to symbolise the resentment of a pagan people for their Christian emperor."

Tags: history

Clipmarks | wiccantexan's 'pagan' clips

Winter in Siberia

Liberating Christmas from Christianity

Puzzling pagan burials at the famous Christian catacomb

Iceland has the happiest people on earth

Vandals Damage Stonehenge With Hammer

Scotland, Beltane Fire Festival brings Summer closer

Beltane - Interview with a Drummer

Origins of Halloween and Trick or Treat

Top Tips in Tantric Sex for Women

Wicca veterans seek grave symbols

Mesoamerica's Mother Culture Revealed?

Report on Resistentialism

Report on Resistentialism by Paul Jennings

The Pagan Christ NT based on Egyption Mythology

Sam Harris: Yahweh Belongs on the Scrapheap of Mythology

The Origin of Halloween: From Pagan to Christian

Roman ruler's head found in sewer