Jennifer's Alternative Religions Blog October 2007 Archive

The Eye of Horus
Designed to resemble the eye of a falcon, this symbol is called the Eye of Ra or Eye of Horus represents the right eye of the Egyptian Falcon God Horus. ... Read More

Tuesday October 30, 2007 | permalink | comments (4)

WM3 News
New evidence has been submitted to a federal court in an attempt to vacate the 1993 conviction of Damien Echols. The evidence includes DNA that is not related to ... Read More

Tuesday October 30, 2007 | permalink | comments (0)

Medieval Wiccans
Usually, I find long-winded "histories" of the ancient Wiccans of yore quite frustrating...but this one is so bad, I just had to give in and laugh myself silly. This ... Read More

Monday October 29, 2007 | permalink | comments (10)

Too Much, or Not Enough?
It looks like the Catholic League are the first to turn their attention away from the Harry Potter series to about the Golden Compass, a movie adaptation of Philip ... Read More

Friday October 26, 2007 | permalink | comments (3)

Friday Links: Symbolism, Mysteries, Journeys
There's Something About Mary... The owner of a pebble claimed to bear the image of the Virgin Mary is still trying to auction it off; this time, for the ... Read More

Friday October 26, 2007 | permalink | comments (1)

Feast of Ochosi
To devotees of the Afro-Caribbean religion Santeria, today is the feast day of Ochosi. Ochosi is one of the major Orishas of the Santeria/Lukumi religion. Portrayed as a wild ... Read More

Thursday October 25, 2007 | permalink | comments (2)

The Way and its Power
The story of Lao Tzu and the Tao te Ching As the old story goes, the wise man Lao Tzu was once halted on his ... Read More

Thursday October 25, 2007 | permalink | comments (0)

Satanism, Teenagers' Favorite Religion
At least, according to this hysterically bad piece from the Catholic Register, which also claims that it's all the fault of CBS and (who else) Harry Potter.Related: Catholic School Bans ... Read More

Thursday October 25, 2007 | permalink | comments (1)

Another Groaner
Thanks to the Universioty Daily Kansan for informing us that Wicca (and its holidays) are far more ancient than Christianity- dating to 7500 BC, even. Or that an Esbat ... Read More

Thursday October 25, 2007 | permalink | comments (0)

Indiana Jones, Kabbalist?
Although I never would have looked at the Indiana Jones movie as kabbalistically themed, the author of this piece (an introduction to a kabbala class) has some interesting insights on ... Read More

Wednesday October 24, 2007 | permalink | comments (2)

Two Great Articles on Witchcraft
Two very well-written and insightful looks at witchcraft (the little "w" type) I've come a cross in my travels this week, from a folklorist and a cultural anthropologist, respectively.

Wednesday October 24, 2007 | permalink | comments (0)

Voodoo and Traditional Farming
For Grain.org, two Benin farmers describe the importance of traditional farming methods to their religion, and describe the ritual and celebratory uses of traditionally raised produce.

Tuesday October 23, 2007 | permalink | comments (0)

The Real life of Dracula
The true story of Vlad Tepes Dracul, the fifteenth century Romanian Prince who gave the word 'bloodthirsty' a whole new meaning. See also: Dracula Gallery

Tuesday October 23, 2007 | permalink | comments (0)

Walt Disney, Satanist
Apparently the eighties vintage "Disney is corrupting our youth with secret satanic symbols" variety of Satanic panic is still going strong. This preacher is amusingly earnest as he decries ... Read More

Monday October 22, 2007 | permalink | comments (1)

The Witches of Halloween
Not a WiccanMichel Porro/Getty Images It's October, close to Halloween, and we all know what that means- it's time to drag the ... Read More

Monday October 22, 2007 | permalink | comments (3)

Birth of the Bab
"It is better to guide one soul than to possess all that is on earth" ~ The Bab Today's date is significant in the Baha'i Faith, which celebrates the birth ... Read More

Saturday October 20, 2007 | permalink | comments (0)

Friday Links: Absurd Miscellany
Still waiting for that apology A group claiming to be the last remnant of the medieval order respond to the Vatican's publication of conveniently long-lost documents exonerating the knights, and they ... Read More

Friday October 19, 2007 | permalink | comments (0)

The Succubus
In the popular belief of the Middle Ages, the Succubus (Latin, 'to lie beneath') was ... Read More

Thursday October 18, 2007 | permalink | comments (2)

Satanic Rosary Scare
Bosnian Christian shops have reportedly sold hundreds of "Satanic" rosaries to unsuspecting customers. As this brief report claims, the shops believe that rosaries featuring pentagrams and upside-down crosses were ... Read More

Thursday October 18, 2007 | permalink | comments (5)

Net Nannies: No Pagans
Middle school students in a Massachusets school use the internet for schoolwork. Unfortunately, their internet is a smaller, restricted version of the one the rest of us has access ... Read More

Wednesday October 17, 2007 | permalink | comments (3)

Halloween Hysteria: Modern Neopagan Traditions, Satanism
One point often made in favor of eliminating Halloween celebrations from Christian homes is its adoption as a major holiday by modern Wiccans and other Neopagans, who are accused of ... Read More

Tuesday October 16, 2007 | permalink | comments (0)

Halloween Hysteria Lives On
The first of the annual moratoriums on black cat adoptions is official: George Doyle /Getty Images "like many shelters around the country, the Hillside ... Read More

Tuesday October 16, 2007 | permalink | comments (2)

Demon Fight Must Continue Without Funds
The UK's conservative party won't be battling Satanic fiends any time soon- at least not with the money left to them by businessman Branislav Kostic, whose will leaving $16 million ... Read More

Tuesday October 16, 2007 | permalink | comments (1)

Halloween Hysteria: Jack O' Lanterns
The ubiquitous Jack-o-lantern is often given a horrific origin by the hysterically minded. One fundamentalist author says about Jack o' Lanterns: "The candlelit pumpkin or skull... served as a beacon for ... Read More

Monday October 15, 2007 | permalink | comments (1)

The Hate Crime That Wasn't
Sadly, this was probably inevitable: a Massachusets man has found himself a news item, after decorating his yard for Halloween with a life-sized witch on a gallows-pole. It's typical ... Read More

Monday October 15, 2007 | permalink | comments (7)

Rogue Pamphlets
Here's a very odd story- it seems that the mayors of Dallas and San Francisco were both dismayed this week to find their faces and city seals attached to bogus ... Read More

Sunday October 14, 2007 | permalink | comments (1)

Halloween Hysteria: Trick or Treating
Trick-or-treating, the practice of dressing up in costumes and begging door to door for goodies, is largely an American adaptation of European masquerades and the late medieval Christian practice of ... Read More

Sunday October 14, 2007 | permalink | comments (0)

Templars
Seven hundred years ago today, King Philip Le Bel ("the Fair ") of France ordered the arrest of every member of the knights templar order arrested...and Friday the thirteenth ... Read More

Saturday October 13, 2007 | permalink | comments (1)

Halloween Hysteria: "Lord Samhain," Satan, and Muck-Olla
The Christian devil, who appears frequently in modern Halloween iconography, has no connection at all to any Celtic deities. Most of the more egregious Halloween bashing essays center on the ... Read More

Saturday October 13, 2007 | permalink | comments (2)

Halloween Hysteria: Ancient Celts & Druids
Relatively little is known about the ancient Celts, as they maintained no written histories. We can be reasonably certain that the fire festival known as Samhain was celebrated in the ... Read More

Friday October 12, 2007 | permalink | comments (0)

Friday Links: War on Halloween?
Of course Halloween is not on any endangered holiday list- in fact, it's more popular than it's ever been. It is plenty ironic, though, that the same would-be warriors ... Read More

Friday October 12, 2007 | permalink | comments (0)

The Evil Eye
Belief in the Evil Eye is quite ancient, and is still quite common in many parts of the world, especially in the Middle East and throughout the Mediterranean. The evil; ... Read More

Friday October 12, 2007 | permalink | comments (0)

Faux Folklore
The Folk Nation Blog, which deals with mythology and folklore, has an interesting article on spurious folklore. I was initially drawn to it for its mention of the phenomenon ... Read More

Friday October 12, 2007 | permalink | comments (0)

The Mandaeans Get Noticed
A Mandaean Baptism in BaghdadMarco Di Lauro/Getty Images Years of war have decimated the world's last remaining ancient gnostic religion-since the beginning ... Read More

Friday October 12, 2007 | permalink | comments (0)

Halloween Hysteria
Halloween, or 'All Hallows' is easily the most controversial holiday celebrated in America. Spurred by rumors and religious hysteria, works of poor scholarship contend that Halloween is the day of ... Read More

Thursday October 11, 2007 | permalink | comments (1)

No Hogwarts for Durga?
Expensive Costume? Stuart Wilson / Getty Images A community group in Kolkata, India, is reportedly being sued by Warner Brothers and author ... Read More

Thursday October 11, 2007 | permalink | comments (0)

Symbols of the Day of the Dead (Día de los Muertos)
Tim Boyle / Getty Images The Day of the Dead is celebrated annually in Mexico on November 1st, coinciding with the Catholic observation ... Read More

Wednesday October 10, 2007 | permalink | comments (0)

Makers of "Left Behind" Game Threatening Bloggers?
Scott Olson / Getty Images A number of bloggers who critically reviewed and/or criticized the creepy video game "Left Behind: Eternal Forces" have received threatening notes from Left Behind games ... Read More

Tuesday October 9, 2007 | permalink | comments (10)

Woman Charged After Long Night of Flying...
Usually these odd witchcraft stories out of Africa are rare, but today's news brings yet another jawdropper from the Malawi press, this time relating the apparent conviction of a 37 ... Read More

Monday October 8, 2007 | permalink | comments (2)

Are the Templars Getting Their Apology?
While this may end up as the ultimate example of "consider the source," I'm fascinated by the idea that the Vatican is concerned enough to this day about their ... Read More

Monday October 8, 2007 | permalink | comments (1)

Friday Links: Crackpot Report
If 9/11 is not the appropriate time to salute the Devil, when is a good time for the horned salute? More Satan-signs from BushThings That Are Evil"Just because Wiccans ... Read More

Friday October 5, 2007 | permalink | comments (2)

Nobody Has Burned a Wiccan
I'll reiterate my past advice to reporters interested in writing features on Wicca: interview more than one practitioner, and never rely on one to speak for all, and don't be ... Read More

Friday October 5, 2007 | permalink | comments (0)

The Devil Didn't Make Him Do It
This is refreshing- a religious expert takes the stand to testify against a killer who claimed he murdered for his religion; sociology professor Lorne Dawson argued that the killer was ... Read More

Thursday October 4, 2007 | permalink | comments (0)

"Vodou Brooklyn"
Found via Blingdom of God, this nifty video slideshow is narrated by the photographer, who presents fantastic photos of a Voodoo ceremony, while she decribes the pracrtice of the religion ... Read More

Wednesday October 3, 2007 | permalink | comments (2)

Satanist on the Loose & Witches Congregate
As gullible as American reporters can be when it comes to religion, I don't think I've ever seen anything as pathetically comic as this drop-dead serious report of a self-professed ... Read More

Tuesday October 2, 2007 | permalink | comments (4)

The Goddess Quiz: Discover the Goddess in You
Llewelyn Worldwide Kris Waldherr is the creator of the new oracle deck, Goddess Inspiration Oracle, which provides women with eighty divine role models culled from thousands of goddesses who have been ... Read More

Tuesday October 2, 2007 | permalink | comments (1)

Sculpture Mystery with an Occult Angle? (Update)
This is interesting- BBC News reports that residents of Yorkshire awoke one August morning to find a dozen mysterious carved stone heads placed on their properties the previous night. ... Read More

Monday October 1, 2007 | permalink | comments (2)