Jennifer's Alternative Religions Blog September 2007 Archive

Gwynn ap Nudd, Isis
Today is a busy one as ancient festivals go. To the Welsh, today was the feast day of Gwynn ap Nudd (Celtic Nuada), the Lord of the otherworld, a ... Read More

Friday September 28, 2007 | permalink | comments (2)

Friday Links: Not This Guy, Again
I just do not understand the media's fascination with Jonathon "Publicity Seeker" Sharkey, the preseidential candidate with all the election prospects of wet cheese, is once again a media spectacle. ... Read More

Friday September 28, 2007 | permalink | comments (0)

"Zoso?"
Called "Zoso" because it resembles a word, this glyph is one of four enigmatic symbols appearing on the cover of rock group Led Zeppelin's album Four. Each member of the ... Read More

Friday September 28, 2007 | permalink | comments (6)

Books Returning to Prison Chapels
Following tremendous outrage over their plan to rid prison chapels of all but a few randomly selected, "approved" texts, the Federal Beaurea of Prisons has backed down- at least temporarily- ... Read More

Thursday September 27, 2007 | permalink | comments (0)

Meet the Witch, Just Like all the Other Witches
From the Colorado Springs Gazette, a profile that employs nearly every known trope of "meet the witch" articles: shock and surprise that witches are normal people who wear ordinary clothes, ... Read More

Thursday September 27, 2007 | permalink | comments (0)

Paying for Ignorance
It seems that no amount of constitutional education will dissuade evangelists from their endless attempts to introduce creationism into American education. The most recent separation breach is a pretty ... Read More

Wednesday September 26, 2007 | permalink | comments (6)

Reaction to the Prison Book List
Yesterday's NYT leak of the highly restrictive religious readings lists allowed for Federal prisoners has prompted shock, outrage, and outright condemnation from numerous sources. Some of the reactions so ... Read More

Tuesday September 25, 2007 | permalink | comments (2)

Feast of Obatala
ObatalaImage copyright Eric Lerner, used with permission Today is the feast day of Obatala, the chief of the Yoruban Orishas, venerated in the Santeria and Candomble religions (In Vodoun, he ... Read More

Monday September 24, 2007 | permalink | comments (0)

The Prison Booklist Revealed- it's Tragic
Andrea Pistolesi / Getty Images The New York Times (Our parent company) today has revealed the official book list for the federal Bureau of Prisons' chapel project, which restricts prison chapel ... Read More

Monday September 24, 2007 | permalink | comments (3)

Raud the Strong
In their temples Thor and Odin Lay in dust and ashes trodden, As King Olaf, onward sweeping, Preached the Gospel with his sword. In many Asatru ... Read More

Friday September 21, 2007 | permalink | comments (0)

Friday Links: Patriarchy Edition
In an unexpected turn, the Almighty has apparently deigned to answer the lawsuit initiated against him by Nebraska State Senator Ernie Chambers It would also seem that God is ... Read More

Friday September 21, 2007 | permalink | comments (0)

Dear God: I'm Suing
Can a deity be held responsible for the actions of his followers? If so, how do you collect if you win? Is there a default judgement if the ... Read More

Thursday September 20, 2007 | permalink | comments (2)

Aleister Crowley FAQ
Was Aleister Crowley a Satanist? This is one of the most common misconceptions about Aleister Crowley. If by this question one means, did Crowley worship the being commonly known to Christians ... Read More

Thursday September 20, 2007 | permalink | comments (1)

Soccer and Witchcraft
South Africa's Citizen has a fascinating article about an admittedly obscure practice- the use of witchcraft rituals ("Muti," a folk practice akin to American Hoodoo) by African soccer teams and ... Read More

Wednesday September 19, 2007 | permalink | comments (0)

The Secret Teachings of All Ages
Manly Hall's Secret Teachings of All Ages is one of the most important esoteric works ever published, and probably the most complete compendium of the world's mystic, occult, and ... Read More

Wednesday September 19, 2007 | permalink | comments (2)

Eleusis, Hathor, Mithra
PersephonePublic Domain Image Today is quite a busy one on the holiday scale..Sept 17 marks the beginning of the ancient Rites of Eleusis, celebrating the return of the goddess Persephone ... Read More

Monday September 17, 2007 | permalink | comments (0)

Vacchetta Tarot
We are very pleased to offer a new deck of Tarot cards for you to color, an antique Italian deck from Turin, Italy. Designed in 1893 by artist Giovanni ... Read More

Monday September 17, 2007 | permalink | comments (1)

"Dr." Dino Censors Critics
It's pretty fair to say Kent Hovind* doesn't like his critics, which are legion. It seems that lately he's taken to sending DMCA "takedown" notices accusing his critics ... Read More

Monday September 17, 2007 | permalink | comments (0)

The Thelemic Salutations
"Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law." -- Liber AL, I:40 "Love is the law, love under will." -- Liber AL, I:57 These are the salutations of Thelemite ... Read More

Friday September 14, 2007 | permalink | comments (1)

Henry Cornelius Agrippa
Today is the birth anniversary of Henry Cornelius Agrippa, the man who quite literally wroite the book on magic and the occult. Born in the same town as the ... Read More

Friday September 14, 2007 | permalink | comments (0)

Friday Links: Silly, Stupid, Gross
Was there a full moon? I haven't been outside much this week...but it seems that reason has been in somewhat short supply lately. For instance, the revelation that ... Read More

Friday September 14, 2007 | permalink | comments (0)

Do Deities Need Defending?
It seems there are unspoken rules of award show acceptance speeches: you can thank Jesus, or not thank Jesus, but you can't specifically exclude Jesus from your gratitude list. It ... Read More

Thursday September 13, 2007 | permalink | comments (8)

The Pentagon and the Apocalypse
We've been seeing a lot of stories lately about the Pentagon's overly cosy relationship with apocalyptically-minded evangelicals, but today's buzz is about a few even more disturbing than usual. ... Read More

Wednesday September 12, 2007 | permalink | comments (4)

Historia Discordia
Excerpt:Meet Kerry Thornley, the second Oswald. Kerry Thornley lived and died in obscurity. But while few people noticed, he invented one of the 20th century’s more influential religions, helped launch ’60s-style ... Read More

Tuesday September 11, 2007 | permalink | comments (0)

What's the Difference?
Here's a good example of what not to do with a religious story. A curious article in Saturday's Chronicle (although it appears to have originated with the LA Times) ... Read More

Monday September 10, 2007 | permalink | comments (0)

To Be Silent
SilenceLucien Levy-Dhurmer, 1895 "The concepts "To Dare, to Know, to Will and to Be Silent"1 are spoken of amongst modern Pagans (especially Wiccans who participate in coven activates). It is said ... Read More

Monday September 10, 2007 | permalink | comments (1)

King Arthur and the Cymry Heroes
The Celtic Britons called themselves the Cymry, which meant "fellow countrymen" in their Celtic tongue. Once Roman rule ended in Britain in about 410 A.D., a power vacuum developed, leading ... Read More

Saturday September 8, 2007 | permalink | comments (0)

Feast of Oshun
OshunCopyright Eric Lerner, used with permission Today is the feast Day of the Santeria/Yoruban Orisha Oshun, ruler of the 'sweet' waters and a goddess of love and passion. You can ... Read More

Saturday September 8, 2007 | permalink | comments (2)

Friday Links: The Culture War
You might remember the Brunswick County School Board of NC, that braintrust whose plan to allow Christian proselytising to students backfired so spectacularly. Now that their idea to pass ... Read More

Friday September 7, 2007 | permalink | comments (0)

Theosophy
In honor of the birthday of the Theosophical Society, founded by H. P. Blavatsky and Henry Steele Olcott, 1875: What is Theosophy? There were Theosophists before the Christian ... Read More

Friday September 7, 2007 | permalink | comments (0)

Tucker Carlson: Lottery is State Sponsored Satanism
MSNBC pundit Tucker Carlson and Willie Geist discuss Wiccan Mega Millions winner Bunky Bartlett: GEIST: Bunky is an accountant who also teaches Wicca, which is a nature based religion. ... Read More

Thursday September 6, 2007 | permalink | comments (0)

Unclear on the Concept?
David Klinghoffer has posted a strangely pointless essay on Beliefnet entitled Why the Bible Forbids Paganism. The essay describes various Neopagan ideas and rituals, and why he believes they ... Read More

Thursday September 6, 2007 | permalink | comments (1)

"A Real Live Satanist," Part Three
John Randall was a Satanist, the sort of Satanist one only ever encounters in evangelical "testimonies," who began his dark journey by playing with a ouija board, that well-known gateway ... Read More

Tuesday September 4, 2007 | permalink | comments (7)

"He Made a Bargain With the Multiple Gods"
When there are more than one, apparently it is perfectly acceptable for a reporter to describe them this way- even if the focus of the story is about the "muliple ... Read More

Monday September 3, 2007 | permalink | comments (2)

The Enigma of Coral Castle
"I have discovered the secrets of the pyramids, and have found out how the Egyptians and the ancient builders in Peru, Yucatan, and Asia, with only primitive tools, raised and ... Read More

Saturday September 1, 2007 | permalink | comments (0)