Pagans.net Blogs

The First ‘Wicca 101′ Session - A Pagan’s Blog

According to an article, “The First ‘Wicca 101′ Session - A Pagan’s Blog” by Gus diZerega posted at BeliefNet,

We had our first Wicca 101 class last night, on Mabon, the Equinox.  Along with the Priestess who is co-teaching, we had five students: two with previous experience, the others without.  A sixth, also a newbie, will join us at our second meeting.  After that, the class will be closed.  It’s a nice size: big enough to have some coven type experiences later on and small enough for us to attend to every one individually.  Plus we fit comfortably into my living room.

(Read More at BeliefNet.)

New Age 101 - Brief history of the Celts, major precursors to New Age beliefs - Part 3

Examiner: “In the book ‘Celtic Magic’ by D.J. Conway, we are told that ‘The Celts were a very clean people, using soap long before the Romans did. The Celtic men and women of Britain sometimes wore swirling blue tattoos or paintings on their bodies. All Celts played lyres and harps, loved song, music, and recitation of legends and epic adventures. They used metal or ornamented natural horns for drinking.

Children took their mother’s name and daughters inherited her possessions. Virginity was not highly valued; twice the dowry was given for a woman previously married or with children. Abortion and choice or change of mate was a woman’s right.

Both sexes loved jewelry: brooches decorated with gold filigree, cuttlefish shell, garnets, lapis, and other stones; buckles of gold filigree and stones; pins and linked pins with animal-style decoration; necklaces of amber, granulation and chip carving. They wore torques, pendants, bracelets, pins and necklaces. The women sometimes sewed little bells on the fringed ends of their tunics. The elaborate intertwining of their artwork was a guard against the evil eye or curses.”

Keep reading at the Examiner

Witches’ school plans convention

Salem, MA: “A group claiming to be the world’s largest online school for witchcraft will hold its annual international conference here next month.

The three-day conference, titled ‘Pagans Taking Global Action,’ is scheduled for April 17-19 at the Hawthorne Hotel. It will include a discussion of the Pagan economy, a handfastings (Pagan wedding) demonstration and a keynote address by Christian Day, a Salem witch.

‘Salem isn’t just a Wiccan city, it’s the Wiccan capital of the world,’ said Ed Hubbard, the CEO of the Rossville, Ill., Witch School International, which reports a membership of 200,000 people in 74 countries studying online.

The group also plans to vote on whether to relocate its headquarters to downtown Salem. The move would include the relocation of Magick TV, an Internet television station broadcast on YouTube. Hubbard said he envisions a downtown TV studio that could broadcast such programs as the Pagan Nightly News.”

(Via SalemNews.com.)

University’s ‘quackery’ courses slammed

Lancashire Evening Post: “New science degrees in Chinese medicine on offer in Preston have been labelled ‘quackery’ by a senior lecturer at the city’s university.

From next month, the University of Central Lancashire will run the qualifications in herbal medicine and acupuncture in conjunction with the Northern College of Acupuncture.

But one member of staff has accused the university of running courses that would ’severely damage’ its reputation and have ‘no academic justification’.”

(Via Google News.)

Witchcraft on syllabus at Massey University - 13 Aug 2008 - NZ Herald: New Zealand National news

Witchcraft on syllabus at Massey University - 13 Aug 2008 - NZ Herald: New Zealand National news: “Spells, magical curses and voodoo dolls are all part of a new paper being offered at Massey University.

Magic and Witchcraft, is a 100-level extramural paper offered this semester at the university’s school of history, philosophy and classics.

Senior classics lecturer Gina Salapata said the 120 students enrolled in the paper studied the use of sorcery in the classical world, medieval and early modern times and in colonial Maori culture.”

(Via Google News.)