Clipmarks | Wiccan Clips

The First Harvest

Fri, 27 Jun 2008 05:41:49 GMT

clipped by: zippunkygirl

'Lughnassad' means 'the funeral games of Lugh', referring to Lugh,
the Irish sun god. However, the funeral is not his own, but the funeral
games he hosts in honor of his foster-mother Tailte. For that reason,
the traditional Tailtean craft fairs and Tailtean marriages (which last
for a year and a day) are celebrated at this time. As autumn begins,
the Sun God enters his old age, but is not yet dead. It is also a
celebration of the first harvest. The Christian religion adopted this
theme and called it 'Lammas', meaning 'loaf-mass', a time when
newly baked loaves of bread are placed on the altar. An alternative
date around August 5 (Old Lammas), when the sun reaches
15 degrees Leo, is sometimes employed by Covens.
- Wiccan Holidays, Lughnassad (July 31 - August Eve)

June 20, 2008: Summer Solstice (Northern Hemisphere)

Fri, 20 Jun 2008 09:16:27 GMT

clipped by: egsnyder
clipper's remarks: Summer Solstice Fun Facts

* Pagans called the Midsummer moon the "Honey Moon" for the mead made from fermented honey that was part of wedding ceremonies performed at the Summer Solstice.

* Ancient Pagans celebrated Midsummer with bonfires, when couples would leap through the flames, believing their crops would grow as high as the couples were able to jump.

* Midsummer was thought to be a time of magic, when evil spirits were said to appear. To thwart them, Pagans often wore protective garlands of herbs and flowers. One of the most powerful of them was a plant called 'chase-devil', which is known today as St. John's Wort and still used by modern herbalists as a mood stabilizer.

Celebrated in the Southern Hemisphere on:
December 21, 2008 at 10:04pm AEST.

Clip Source: www.chiff.com

Summer Solstice 2008

in the Northern Hemisphere on: June 20, 2008 at 7:59 PM EDT; and in the UK on June 20, 2008 at 23:59 UTC.

Sol + stice derives from a combination of Latin words meaning "sun" + "to stand still." As the days lengthen, the sun rises higher and higher until it seems to stand still in the sky.

As a major celestial event, the Summer Solstice results in the longest day and the shortest night of the year. The Northern Hemisphere celebrates in June, but the people on the Southern half of the earth have their longest summer day in December.

Early Celebrations

Awed by the great power of the sun, civilizations in the northern areas have for centuries celebrated the Summer Solstice, otherwise known as Midsummer (see Shakespeare), the Christian St. John's Day, or the Wiccan Litha.

The Celts & Slavs celebrated with dancing & bonfires to help increase the sun's energy. The Chinese marked the day by honoring Li, the Chinese Goddess of Light.

Clip Source: multiculturalcalendar.com

Solstice

Tags: summer, solstice, vernal equinox

Greece Sued Over Sectarian Prayer

Wed, 14 May 2008 01:19:46 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan
clipper's remarks: Note: Greece here is a town in the United States, not the country.

Clip Source: www.democratandchronicle.com

In just a few seconds' time during the April Town Board meeting, Jennifer Zarpentine made Greece history.

Zarpentine, a Wiccan, delivered the first-ever pagan prayer to open a meeting of the Greece Town Board.

Her hands raised to the sky, she called upon Greek deities Athena and Apollo to "help the board make the right informed decisions for the benefit and greater good of the community."

Greece is embroiled in a legal battle over the prayers delivered before the meetings. In March, national church-state watchdog group Americans United for Separation of Church and State, filed suit against the town in state Supreme Court.

their

The suit claims the practice of allowing explicitly religious prayers — regardless of the religion — during the public meetings is a violation of the U.S. Constitution.

Tags: religion, belief, legal, wicca, prayer

WICCAN UPRISING

Mon, 05 May 2008 21:55:59 GMT

clipped by: missykiss

Clip Source: content5.clipmarks.com

Marty Laubach, a sociology professor at Marshall University, says the number of followers of pagan religions is even higher now, citing a 2008 U.S. Religious Landscape Survey that put the estimate at 1.2 million.

My suspicion is that the first number was way too low due to people not responding," Laubach said. "The 1990 study was conducted at the height of the 'satanic panic,' which kept many neopagans in the closet."

While some subsets don't believe in gods, others, like Wiccans, worship many gods and goddesses. Women, in fact, are revered as the bearers of life in Wicca.

A 2001 survey by the Graduate Center of the City University of New York found that the number of followers of Wicca, one of the many religions that fall beneath the pagan umbrella, increased from 8,000 in 1990 to 134,000 in 2001, making it the fastest-growing religion in America in terms of percentage increase.

Pagan weddings attract more than a cult following

Tags: wiccan

Wikipedia.org

Tue, 04 Mar 2008 04:21:46 GMT

clipped by: RobbieV
clipper's remarks: Books on the Occult.

Clip Source: en.wikipedia.org

category "Occult books"

The Angel of the West Window

Book of Soyga

Dreaming the Dark: Magic, Sex, and Politics

An Encyclopaedia of Occultism

An Encyclopedia of Claims, Frauds, and Hoaxes of the Occult and Supernatural

F

The Gospel of Filth

Das Kloster

Kybalion

The Magus (handbook)

Man, Myth and Magic

E

F

Formicarius

G

A Garden of Pomegranates

G cont.

K

M

Nos, Book of the Resurrection

Formicarius

G

A Garden of Pomegranates

G cont.

K

M

N

O

The Occult: A History

Rites of Eleusis (Crowley)

Secretum Secretorum

Spirits, Stars, and Spells

The Great Book of Saint Cyprian

The Initiate

A Treatise on White Magic

Subcategories

[+] Wiccan books

Grimoires

[+] New Age texts

] Thelemite texts

Voodoo texts

'Earth worship' on the rise among evangelical youth

Wed, 27 Feb 2008 01:42:48 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan

Clip Source: www.onenewsnow.com

Janice Crouse, a senior fellow with Concerned Women for America, says it's disturbing that many young people in evangelical churches are experimenting with the Wiccan religion. Church leaders and Christian parents, she warns, must be ready to counter that growing interest among their youth.

Crouse cites an article in Religion Journal which said youth pastors in the Southern Baptist Convention were worried about large numbers of evangelicals taking part in Wicca, a religion that involves nature worship, stresses moral autonomy, and includes remedies and spells -- beliefs that Crouse points out are distinctly different from orthodox Christianity, not to mention incompatible with the Bible.

According to Crouse, "earth worship" -- as she describes Wicca -- appeals to people who do not want to be bound by any book of authority or have imposed on them any requirements to be "believers."

Tags: religion, wicca, nature, evangelical, youth, christian, earth

A Midwinter Festival

Sun, 24 Feb 2008 04:58:28 GMT

clipped by: RobbieV
clipper's remarks: Interesting reading.

Clip Source: www.beliefnet.com

A Midwinter Festival

Spring is stirring just beneath the surface at Imbolc, when we anticipate the earth's rebirth.

By Kaatryn MacMorgan

Wiccan holidays celebrate transitions, the passage from spring to summer, and from winter to spring, for example, so it is not surprising that the name of this holiday, also called Imbolg, the feast of Brighid, and the Calends of February, found its way into Wicca from its native Celtic peoples

For Wiccans the holiday is a break from the gloom of winter, a macroscopic version of the Wednesday parties that celebrate having more of the workweek behind you than before you.

It is a holiday of preparedness. The houses of Wiccans are scrubbed floor to ceiling, bills are paid, and taxes are filed, so that none of the business of the winter interferes with the pure joy of the earth's rebirth

Kaatryn MacMorgan is a Priestess of Universal Eclectic Wicca and the author of 'All One Wicca.' She lives in Southern Pennsylvania with her family and long time companion.

Celtic Connection

Sun, 17 Feb 2008 06:57:10 GMT

clipped by: RobbieV
clipper's remarks: more good reading.

Clip Source: wicca.com

Welcome to one of the largest Pagan, Wiccan and Witchcraft sites on the internet. You'll find links here to several hundred pages of information regarding the Wicca and Pagan paths, along with sources for Pagan, Wiccan, and Witchcraft Books, Jewelry, Goddess Statues, Tarot Decks, Herbs, Essential and Fragrance Oils, Magical Oil Blends, Incense, Cauldrons, and much more, all at affordable prices.
Serving the alternatively spiritual community since 1997.

First Wiccan Chaplain in History To Meet With U.S. Commission On Civil Rights

Thu, 07 Feb 2008 23:22:35 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan

Clip Source: bbsnews.net

A Wiccan Chaplain and Statewide California Department of Corrections, Patrick McCollum will speak at a briefing on prisoners' religious rights at the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights in Washington, DC on Friday, February 8, 2007. This marks the first time that a Wiccan expert has spoken on religious freedom issues at a Commission briefing.

"It is an honor to be invited to participate in the dialogue and to share a Wiccan's point of view," said McCollum. "Those in minority faiths are seldom given the opportunity to be heard, even when the issue concerns their rights. I am hopeful this invitation is indicative of what we can expect going forward and that there truly is a desire on the part of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights to ensure that inmates receive equal treatment, and a willingness to better serve minority religions."

Tags: wicca, religion, civil rights, prison, government, freedom

Discrimination Pageant

Sat, 02 Feb 2008 15:11:09 GMT

clipped by: boniface
clipper's remarks: Email their sales department and tell them your thoughts on this matter here: http://www.adrenalinfitness.com/contact.php

Clip Source: network.nationalpost.com

Toronto pagans target beauty pageant over snub to wiccan

Toronto pagans are mobilizing against a beauty pageant being held Saturday night, after one of the judges was rejected because she is a fan of the occult.
They plan to picket the Waterfront Radisson Admiral, where the Miss Toronto Tourism pageant will be held, saying organizers have violated Stephanie Conover’s human rights.

Ralph Hamelmann, who runs The Psychic Brunch, said 16 of 18 sponsors have withdrawn their sponsorship of the pageant. Of the two remaining, Alfredo DiGenova, general manager of Adrenalin Fitness, has no plans now to withdraw despite pressure. “I’ve received seven e-mails since Tuesday asking me to drop my sponsorship. I think the whole thing is blown out of proportion. It’s their pageant so they can have whoever they want.”

Shift Of Nativity Scene Defuses Debate

Fri, 14 Dec 2007 02:10:22 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan

Clip Source: www.buffalonews.com

The battle of the Nativity — and the pentacle — came to an end in Olean on Tuesday, at least for now.

A day after the large lavender and silver wooden pentacle sign was driven over and later stood back up — a hole in the front and tire tracks notwithstanding — the adjacent Nativity scene was moved a block down the street from the City Hall lawn to the front of a Baptist church.

Later Wednesday afternoon, John Garlow went to City Hall and removed the pentacle he and his wife, April, had placed there as a Wiccan response to the Nativity scene.

“If they moved [the Nativity scene], we were going to move the pentacle onto private property,” Garlow said. The pentacle had been

up for three days.

The decisions by the owners of the Nativity scene and the Garlows brought some closure to what at times had become an ugly situation, pitting friends against friends.

Tags: religion, church, state, wicca, christian, city

Wiccan Symbol At Nativity Scene Damaged By Vehicle

Thu, 13 Dec 2007 04:00:51 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan

Clip Source: www.newsday.com

Police are investigating vandalism aimed at a symbol of the Wiccan religion set up next to a Nativity scene in front of city hall.

Officials in this city 60 miles south of Buffalo say someone in a pickup truck backed over the Wiccan pentacle around 10:15 p.m. Monday, then sped off.

The pentacle, a pentagram within a circle, was placed last weekend near the Nativity scene Olean Mayor David Carucci allowed to be set up outside city hall last month.

Some Olean residents complained that placing the Nativity scene on government property raised issues over the separation of church and state. Carucci responded by allowing members of other faiths to display their symbols on city property during special times of celebration.

The pentacle was then set up by April Garlow, a Wiccan.

Tags: wicca, pagan, religion, government, city, church, state

Earth Changes

Tue, 04 Dec 2007 23:21:40 GMT

clipped by: falconspirit

Clip Source: www.crawford2000.co.uk

Thinking that Mother Earth is a material thing in the thoughts of humanity and not recognizing our Mother will be the downfall to those in humanity now in those negative thought forms.

Tags: christianity, end times, prophecy, pagan, wiccan, global warming, globalization

Witches Forum

Tue, 04 Dec 2007 18:37:20 GMT

clipped by: CarpetDog

Clip Source: www.witchesforum.com

Witches Forum is a relatively new site and we hope that we can make it a very happy and enjoyable experience for you all. With any luck we will grow from strength to strength...and if we can help we would be honored!

The reasons we started the forum as a means to stay in touch and have the freedom to discuss different Paths and methods of workings. It is an opportunity to learn and grow and hopefully become more spiritually aware!

The Forum motto is, "Everyone is welcome to contribute and learn and grow through respectful discourse here".

So with that in mind many joyous and wondrous blessings on your Path!
)O(

Tags: witches, pagan, wicca, wiccan, spells

Pentacle VA Gravestone To Be Dedicated To Fallen North Carolina Soldier

Tue, 04 Dec 2007 00:42:53 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan

Clip Source: bbsnews.net

On Saturday, December 1, 2007, from 1 - 6 pm, Wiccan leaders from across the nation will gather at a family cemetery near Lexington, North Carolina with family, friends, veterans, and others in honoring Wiccan soldier, PFC Stephen P. Snowberger III, who was killed in action in Iraq on May 11, 2006.

They will conduct a memorial honoring Snowberger's life, service, and sacrifice, and dedicate his memorial gravestone, recently issued by the US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)

Snowberger's gravestone, which is inscribed with the pentacle, the Wiccan emblem of belief, is historic. It is among the first pentacle-inscribed gravestones in the nation and the first in North Carolina to be issued by the VA.

Tags: wicca, military, death, soldier, memorial