Jennifer's Alternative Religions Blog September 2004 Archive

Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell, by Susanna Clarke
There is nothing small-minded about Susanna Clarke's debut novel, nearly 800 pages about the return of magic to 19th-century England. Every kind of spell seems to haunt its pages, ... Read More

Thursday September 30, 2004 | permalink | comments (0)

Is the universe friendly?
Albert Einstein once said the most important question a human being can ask is “Is the universe friendly?” Think of that for a moment. How would you answer? If you think ... Read More

Thursday September 30, 2004 | permalink | comments (0)

The Cosmic Force And Shiv-Shakti
Before creation took place there was nothing but a pervading consciousness that had no name. Creation was the result of manifestation of this pervading consciousness. The first form in which ... Read More

Thursday September 30, 2004 | permalink | comments (0)

Mother Says Son Attacked As 'Jesus Hater'
Woman Says Boy Targeted Because She Is A Witch Police are investigating an attack on a middle school student as a possible hate crime because the child's mother says ... Read More

Thursday September 30, 2004 | permalink | comments (0)

Why America Needs Rumi
When Cat Stevens (a.k.a. Yusuf Islam) got on a plane from London, it did not touch ground at Dulles International as anticipated. Instead the flight was diverted to Maine's Bangor ... Read More

Thursday September 30, 2004 | permalink | comments (0)

A spiritual welcome for season's turn
Earth-centered church members blend variety of beliefs, practices Janice Ader and Bob Anderson closed the circle and the service began Monday evening at Pleasant Valley Unitarian Universalist Church, 1215 Main St. Ms. ... Read More

Wednesday September 29, 2004 | permalink | comments (0)

Madonna and the meaning of life
Eitan Yardeni, Madonna's first kabbala teacher, says that working in Hollywood helped him to understand the illusion - `what everyone is looking for outside that leaves them empty' Anyone in ... Read More

Tuesday September 28, 2004 | permalink | comments (0)

Dervishes will whirl in Oakland tonight
Well before spin doctors, and before spinning classes, the Order of the Whirling Dervishes was praising Allah through a ceremonial dance called Sema. The order, also known as the Mawlawi ... Read More

Tuesday September 28, 2004 | permalink | comments (0)

Bestselling author's plagiarism cloud
The author of a thriller that has sold more than 12 million copies is to be sued for plagiarising two books published more than 20 years ago. Dan Brown, whose The ... Read More

Tuesday September 28, 2004 | permalink | comments (0)

Living goddess makes rare outing
A seven-year-old girl, who Hindus and Buddhists think is a living goddess, has made a rare trip out of the house where she lives in Nepal. Preeti Shakya has been worshipped ... Read More

Tuesday September 28, 2004 | permalink | comments (0)

God is Not a Republican or a Democrat!
"Despite what some people may want you to believe, God is NON-partisan and you can vote for any candidate! In a country evenly divided along two party lines, it is bad ... Read More

Monday September 27, 2004 | permalink | comments (0)

Sikhs honour their holiest book
About 50,000 Sikhs celebrated the 400th anniversary of Guru Granth Sahib, their holiest book, at a temple in Malton yesterday. With fireworks blasting and drums beating, a procession carrying the scriptures ... Read More

Monday September 27, 2004 | permalink | comments (0)

On Native Grounds
Occupying the last open space on Washington's Mall, the new National Museum of the American Indian suggests a powerful irony of American history: The people who were first on the ... Read More

Monday September 27, 2004 | permalink | comments (0)

Roman goddess of love found in German canal
Construction workers in the western German city of Cologne have discovered a priceless Roman-era Venus statue, the director of the city's Roman-Germanic Museum said on Monday. The 1 600-year-old find, unearthed ... Read More

Monday September 27, 2004 | permalink | comments (0)

Pagans gather to celebrate changing seasons
A group of people gathered at Ellison Park on Saturday for a festival that celebrated the change of seasons and allowed them to enjoy the company of friends. "The purpose ... Read More

Sunday September 26, 2004 | permalink | comments (0)

St. James to dedicate community labyrinth
St. James Episcopal Church is giving the community a chance to “walk a sacred path.” At 1:15 p.m. Sunday, the church will be dedicating an outdoor labyrinth, available for community ... Read More

Sunday September 26, 2004 | permalink | comments (0)

‘We’re Just Regular People’
First Area ‘Pagan Pride Day’ Will Try to Dispel Myths, Inform Public They don’t turn people into toads. They don’t cast evil spells. They don’t worship the devil. Pagan Thomas “Moss” England ... Read More

Friday September 24, 2004 | permalink | comments (0)

Royal Romance and Medieval Mayhem
"King Artus: A Hebrew Arthurian Romance of 1279" is a unique artifact in Jewish literature: a medieval Hebrew version of an Arthurian romance from the age of chivalry. Originally written ... Read More

Thursday September 23, 2004 | permalink | comments (0)

Some Christians complain, but the government leaves Halloween alone
Roanoke recently decided that even though Halloween falls on a Sunday this year, it will celebrate Halloween on Halloween, rather than on Saturday, Oct. 30. Back in 1999, when Halloween ... Read More

Thursday September 23, 2004 | permalink | comments (0)

I can see dead people
John Routley is your everyday kind of guy. Middle aged, slightly balding and dressed in T-shirt and trousers, he is not a man you would give a second glance in ... Read More

Thursday September 23, 2004 | permalink | comments (1)

Tribes hope to protect ancient sites in Southern Nevada
For more than 1,000 years, tribes from at least three American Indian cultures came to a place overlooking what is now the Las Vegas Valley to feast on agave, ... Read More

Thursday September 23, 2004 | permalink | comments (0)

A respectful look at native spirituality
The eclectic and prolific Philip Jenkins asserts that during the past century, a profound shift has occurred in the mainstream acceptance of Native American spirituality. What was once considered demonic ... Read More

Thursday September 23, 2004 | permalink | comments (0)

New Hats Abound at White Witch Wedding
The first legal white witch wedding to take place in Scotland was held today in the atmospheric heart of the country’s capital. Canadians Paul Cameron Rickards, 37, and Laurie Schedler, 42, ... Read More

Tuesday September 21, 2004 | permalink | comments (0)

Spinners pray as they perform
The Whirling Dervishes slowly rotated onstage, their eyes closed, their long white robes flaring. Periodically, they stopped, then resumed the same steps, repeating the dizzying patterns over and over and ... Read More

Tuesday September 21, 2004 | permalink | comments (0)

Halloween at Alternative religions: Death in art: Grim Reapers, destroying angels, and Gods of death from a variety of cultures Halloween ... Read More

Tuesday September 21, 2004 | permalink | comments (0)

The real DraculaDiscover the real life exploits of Vladislavs Dracula, a very real monster who gave new meaning to the word Bloodthirsty.Vlad Dracula image Gallery

Tuesday September 21, 2004 | permalink | comments (0)

Happy pagans live, let live, and donate a lot of food
Bruce Baldwin of Boston wants you to know that paganism is not a synonym for devil worship. Pagans such as him don't believe there is ... Read More

Monday September 20, 2004 | permalink | comments (0)

Cuban Rastafarians high on their religion
Past the potholes and puddles, the skinny dogs and scampering children, a stone stairway snaked its way through an ancient apartment building. Near the top, a woman sat in her ... Read More

Sunday September 19, 2004 | permalink | comments (0)

A quiet life no more
Great Falls resident’s problems multiplied after she challenged Town Council’s prayer policy Darla Kaye Wynne lives in an unassuming white house on a street of equally unassuming houses in the out-of-the-way ... Read More

Sunday September 19, 2004 | permalink | comments (0)

Shamanism seeks peace to heal souls
In the modern world of upheaval, violence and war, Myron Eshowsky and the Pathways Foundation for Peace and Healing believe an ancient practice can have a positive effect. Shamanism – a ... Read More

Saturday September 18, 2004 | permalink | comments (0)

Lebanon Bans Da Vinci Code
Lebanon has banned Dan Brown's bestselling novel "The Da Vinci Code" after Catholic leaders complained it was offensive to Christianity. Bookstores said on Thursday that security authorities had told them to ... Read More

Saturday September 18, 2004 | permalink | comments (0)

How Witchcraft Went From Crime To Prime Time
For centuries they were burned alive at the stake or hanged for their heresy. Those accused of practising witchcraft were hunted down and put to death throughout Europe - and ... Read More

Saturday September 18, 2004 | permalink | comments (0)

An Array of Takes on Thomas
St. Thomas arguably is the most popular chronicler of Jesus -- outside organized Christianity, that is. Discovered more than half a century ago at Nag Hammadi, Egypt, the Gospel of ... Read More

Saturday September 18, 2004 | permalink | comments (0)

Nice Day for a White Witch Wedding
A pagan first for Scotland A CANADIAN couple will marry in Scotland's first legal white witch wedding. But Paul Cameron and Laurie Schedler aren't even followers of Wicca - pagan witchcraft. Instead they ... Read More

Friday September 17, 2004 | permalink | comments (0)

Sikhs mark anniversary of Guru Granth Sahib
Three-day celebrations of the 400th anniversary of the Sri Guru Granth Sahib ended at Gurdawara Kartarpur in Narowal on Wednesday. Around 1,000 Sikh pilgrims from Pakistan and around 125 Indian ... Read More

Friday September 17, 2004 | permalink | comments (0)

Supernatural element just what she wanted
In Suspect Zero, which will open Friday, Moss plays an FBI agent who is called to a remote New Mexico field office to help another agent (Eckhart) crack a serial-killer ... Read More

Friday September 17, 2004 | permalink | comments (0)

'Witches are trying to kill me'
Jake Jenkins home-schools his kids to protect them from witches he says live nearby. To hear Jake Jenkins tell it, he's battening down the hatches in a battle against evil. As ... Read More

Thursday September 16, 2004 | permalink | comments (0)

Some facts about Kabbalah
Pop idol Madonna is embarking on a spiritual pilgrimage to Israel to practise her newfound faith in Kabbalah, stirring ire among Orthodox rabbis who fear she may debase Judaism's deepest ... Read More

Wednesday September 15, 2004 | permalink | comments (0)

Pop stars lend the mystical mystique
Pop goes religion. And each time -- a faith is reborn. Richard Gere and the Beastie Boys bow to Buddhism. Tom Cruise and John Travolta have directed thousands of followers to ... Read More

Wednesday September 15, 2004 | permalink | comments (0)

The power to unite and divide
Can act of prayer be act of intolerance, too? A Richmond City Council member, rather than outside clergy, will now give the nonsectarian prayer that opens each council meeting. The council decided ... Read More

Wednesday September 15, 2004 | permalink | comments (0)

The Freedom Exercised By One Teacher Is Raising Some Eyebrows
As Americans, we value our right to worship in any language we'd like. But, for one local teacher, the freedom he exercises is raising some eyebrows in and out of ... Read More

Wednesday September 15, 2004 | permalink | comments (0)

The Pentagon and The Pentacle
If asked to consider the political leanings of a modern pagan, I imagine you'd think of a flaming liberal wielding a fiery torch that is made of passion and not ... Read More

Wednesday September 15, 2004 | permalink | comments (0)

Industrial eyesore to be 'a modern Stonehenge'
THE award-winning architect Charles Jencks unveiled plans yesterday to transform one of Scotland’s worst industrial eyesores into a "21st-century Stonehenge". Professor Jencks hopes his design will turn the site of the ... Read More

Tuesday September 14, 2004 | permalink | comments (0)

New at Alternative Religions
New entries in the Symbol GlossaryMany new texts in the Library New entries in Religions A-Z

Tuesday September 14, 2004 | permalink | comments (0)

Knotty debate over kabbalah
A bracelet that is part of an ancient form of Jewish mysticism is catching on with celebrities and causing serious religious discussion These days, you can't look at a celebrity without ... Read More

Monday September 13, 2004 | permalink | comments (0)

Viking Burial Site Found in England
The graves, discovered with a metal detector, yield a trove of artifacts. A metal-detecting enthusiast wandering on a farm in northwestern England has unearthed a rare Viking graveyard, probably dating from ... Read More

Monday September 13, 2004 | permalink | comments (0)

Tolkien's Invocation of the Star Goddess
Close onto forty years ago when I discovered Tolkien's magical trilogy, The Lord of the Rings, it was a vastly different world. Magic was rather thin on the ground in ... Read More

Monday September 13, 2004 | permalink | comments (0)

Woman arrested in death in Santeria rite
A Bronx woman was arrested Friday in the February death of her good friend during a Santeria ritual that went awry when candles ignited a flammable liquid and engulfed the ... Read More

Sunday September 12, 2004 | permalink | comments (0)

Middle East conflict killing the holy water
ON A searing hot summer day, Chana Ridlin screwed up her nose in disgust as she looked out over the dull, brackish waters of the River Jordan. "It’s hard to ... Read More

Sunday September 12, 2004 | permalink | comments (0)

Magic of Western traditions is unveiled in East
Stand by for magical moments and happenings in Tokyo's Ogikubo next Sunday. All manner of wizards, occultists and sages -- barring Harry Potter, who is otherwise engaged -- are coming ... Read More

Saturday September 11, 2004 | permalink | comments (0)

The Vision Seekers
Here's the truth: I have traveled more than 4,000 miles to the middle of the Peruvian Amazon to be ''cured'' by shamans. It's nighttime. The riverboat I'm on plies dark ... Read More

Saturday September 11, 2004 | permalink | comments (0)

A quiet place
When John Miller wants to explore life’s meaning, he doesn’t look to a church or a book or even nature for guidance. He heads to a bedroom-turned-sanctuary, a room he ... Read More

Saturday September 11, 2004 | permalink | comments (0)

A Magdalene for the Twenty-First Century
Two thousand and three was a banner year for the beloved and much maligned Mary Magdalene. Who could have imagined? The Da Vinci Code, Dan Brown's suspense thriller based on ... Read More

Friday September 10, 2004 | permalink | comments (0)

The search for the Holy Grail continues
This summer The Holy Grail has been discovered by millions on different beaches across the globe. This mysterious object has been buried, not under the flagstones of Rosslyn Chapel, nor ... Read More

Friday September 10, 2004 | permalink | comments (0)

Dervishes find faith, meaning at every turn
Muslims from Turkey bring their spinning ritual to Chicago, giving new life to an ancient tradition Arms raised above his head, Mahir Bozan planted his left foot on the ground and ... Read More

Friday September 10, 2004 | permalink | comments (0)

County to give sacred masks back to Senecas
[incidentally, this is my hometown newspaper..small world!]Cattaraugus County lawmakers authorized the return Wednesday of sacred masks from the County Museum to the Seneca Nation of Indians. The three masks, which ... Read More

Friday September 10, 2004 | permalink | comments (0)

Sikh students refused entry to school for wearing patkas
The Sikh community in France, of which there are about 5,000 in the Paris area alone, reacted strongly after five young Sikh boys were refused entry to ... Read More

Thursday September 9, 2004 | permalink | comments (0)

A quest to shed light on chapel's secrets
IT’S a theory that many have signed up to, most lately writer Dan Brown in his bestselling book the Da Vinci Code. Thousands of avid fans who have read the ... Read More

Thursday September 9, 2004 | permalink | comments (0)

Rastas call for slavery reparations
A coalition of Rastafarian groups in Jamaica said yesterday that it wanted to go to the UN to persuade Europe to pay billions of dollars to the followers of the ... Read More

Thursday September 9, 2004 | permalink | comments (0)

Itsukushima Shrine


Thursday September 9, 2004 | permalink | comments (0)

What's a Kabbalah Wedding?
Britney has ditched her Kabbalah wedding plans, Demi & Ashton may still will have one. What would this kind of ceremony entail? You've probably heard that for the second time in ... Read More

Thursday September 9, 2004 | permalink | comments (0)

An awesome power is in our hands
The wee man who used to shuffle through the crowd declaring that the end of the world is nigh, now has a suit, several academic degrees and – thanks to ... Read More

Thursday September 9, 2004 | permalink | comments (0)

Taking the easy route on spiritual journey
The "Material Girl" is getting spiritual. Madonna, who is not Jewish, has adopted Esther as her Hebrew name. She feigns Jewish rituals on stage, Hebrew letters flashing across a screen. Celebrities' ... Read More

Wednesday September 8, 2004 | permalink | comments (0)

Alleged Witchcraft Forces Closure of School
ALLEGATIONS of witchcraft are doing the rounds at the Opuwo Primary School where the practice of the mysterious cult is so rife that 23 employees of the school's hostel have ... Read More

Wednesday September 8, 2004 | permalink | comments (0)

'Parsi community in danger of dying out'
India's Parsi community is in danger of dying out, warns a report by The Institute of Economic Growth, New Delhi. The report states that their already minuscule numbers have been ... Read More

Wednesday September 8, 2004 | permalink | comments (0)

The Ogwugwu Okija fairy tale
Both of us are Christians; Anglican and Catholic respectively. Both of us had parents that were non-Christians. Only Chief Anoliefo’s mother has now, because she still lives, ... Read More

Wednesday September 8, 2004 | permalink | comments (0)

New Religion in America
Listen to segments of NPR audio on Wicca, Toronto Blessing, and other New Religious Movements. Link

Tuesday September 7, 2004 | permalink | comments (0)

Hare Krishnas continue shift to mainstream
On Monday, while he's celebrating Janmastami, the holiest day of the year for Hare Krishnas, Murari Caitanya das will be thankful for warm showers. As part of the ongoing change from ... Read More

Tuesday September 7, 2004 | permalink | comments (0)

'Parsi community in danger of dying out'
India's Parsi community is in danger of dying out, warns a report by The Institute of Economic Growth, New Delhi. The report states that their already minuscule numbers have been ... Read More

Tuesday September 7, 2004 | permalink | comments (0)

Farmer who found runestone is not a fraud, family says
Descendants of Olof Ohman haven't talked much about the Kensington Runestone, not even among themselves. That's because the Ohman family has been ridiculed for generations about his insistence that he ... Read More

Monday September 6, 2004 | permalink | comments (0)

THIS ABOVE ALL: The power of doubt
MOST scriptural writing warns us against the pitfalls of dual thinking (dubhida) or doubt. All religions claim to hold the monopoly over knowledge and denounce doubters as renegades. It is ... Read More

Sunday September 5, 2004 | permalink | comments (0)

First National Meeting of Exorcists in Mexico
The first Mexican National Meeting of Exorcists and Assistants of Liberation, an initiative of the Archdiocese of Mexico, had an attendance of 500 participants. The meeting took place from Aug. 31-Sept. ... Read More

Sunday September 5, 2004 | permalink | comments (0)

Esalen's Identity Crisis
For Decades, the Scenic Institute in Big Sur Was the Pioneer in the Self-Help Movement. But as Middle Age Approaches, It's Being Forced to Turn the Mirror on Itself. In ... Read More

Sunday September 5, 2004 | permalink | comments (0)

Eternal Egypt
'Quest for Immortality' displays the material 'needs' of afterlife For every being born, there will be a time to die. And just as all cultures have a creation myth, it is ... Read More

Sunday September 5, 2004 | permalink | comments (0)

Masonic mythology
Did historical facts get skewered in book? You're probably familiar with caricatures of the Knights Templar, a group of 14th-century militaristic monks. In "Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade," a Templar guards ... Read More

Sunday September 5, 2004 | permalink | comments (0)

My Big Fat Qatari Wedding
Like India, Japan has both arranged and love marriages. Marriage was traditionally viewed as the joining of two households. Family background, personal histories and pictures of the bride and groom ... Read More

Sunday September 5, 2004 | permalink | comments (0)

A wicked man for a wicked mountain
He was the ‘wickedest man on Earth’ and also one mean climber. His name was Aleister Crowley and in 1902 he was part of a doomed expedition to climb K2. ... Read More

Friday September 3, 2004 | permalink | comments (0)

Traversing the Golden Path
Like most movements that grow to become organised religions, Sikhism in its initial stages incorporated the finer aspects of existing faiths while challenging the more pernicious practices of their followers. ... Read More

Friday September 3, 2004 | permalink | comments (0)

Trivial Pursuits
Wanna get rich? Well, you came to the right column! Here's a surefire recipe to finding treasures galore, and preventing the kids from watching too much TV: 1) Approach TV 2) Grip ... Read More

Friday September 3, 2004 | permalink | comments (0)

Sufism aim is world view
It is an uncomplicated altar, featuring just 10 candles and almost as many types of scriptures. The three worship leaders are dressed in white, sitting with others on folding chairs in ... Read More

Friday September 3, 2004 | permalink | comments (0)

Purification And Perception
'Purification comes in all forms and approaches for magick. There is purification that is done daily and there is purification that is done for special occasions. There are extreme forms ... Read More

Friday September 3, 2004 | permalink | comments (0)

Bottles of hoodoo taken from Vermilion River
Bayou Vermilion District Watershed Projects Manager Paul LaHaye holds one of the spells, revealing the nearly illegible writing of the spells, some of it crossed out and unreadable. Among ... Read More

Friday September 3, 2004 | permalink | comments (0)

Reader Question- Satanism
Hello, I need your advice on something I've read that satanists don't believe in anything but themselve using the word for shock value yet ... Read More

Thursday September 2, 2004 | permalink | comments (0)

Parsis up in arms against Oliver Stone film
Hollywood director Oliver Stone's forthcoming movie, Alexander , based on the life of the 4th century BC Macedonian king, has evoked protests from an unusual quarter -the minuscule Zoroastrian diaspora. ... Read More

Thursday September 2, 2004 | permalink | comments (0)

A Sikh who fought for his turban
Gurbax Singh Malhi, parliamentary secretary to the Canadian labour minister, believes the French government must withdraw a controversial Bill that prevents Sikhs from wearing turbans. Malhi in the 1990s had fought ... Read More

Thursday September 2, 2004 | permalink | comments (0)

Pagan Predicament
Tucson's Wiccan community reels after a popular store and gathering place is vandalized When Katherine Kesler thinks of The Broom Closet, she thinks of peace. Her tidy midtown store is a ... Read More

Thursday September 2, 2004 | permalink | comments (0)

Mystery Sells: What the Kabbalah Centre Actually Teaches
Mainstream Jews cannot stand the Kabbalah Centre. You can tell by the way they mock it, highlight its every flaw (huge offices! expensive bracelets!) and deride Madonna, Britney Spears, Ashton ... Read More

Thursday September 2, 2004 | permalink | comments (0)