In ancient times (Greece and Egypt come to mind) ritual slaughter and animal sacrifice was one and the same. And while many religions have changed practice and now have different offerings to diety there still are traditions that perform ritual animal sacrifice. A series of recent news articles about animal sacrifice in the US (about Theodists, Orthodox Jews, Santeria) led me to look into this issue, with some interesting tangents along the way (Tongans in Texas, kashrut and halal dietary laws, and Supreme Court cases). Continue reading →
The Paiwan are an indigenous tribe of 70-80,000 in Taiwan. Past generations of Paiwan children went to Christian schools opened by missionaries because there were no schools in their villages, and fewer learned about their native tradition as a result. Faced with a reduction in their traditional shaman/mediums one woman has received government funding to start a class to train new spirit mediums. The teachers, elders in their 70s and 80s, are teaching chants, about their gods, and honoring the ancestors. Read more for articles, ritual videos, and art of the Paiwan people. Continue reading →
The largest hoard of Anglo-Saxon gold ever found has been discovered in Staffordshire County, England. 1500 objects made from various metals - 5kg of gold and 1.3kg of silver were found, and the quality of the workmanship is superb. It's said that studying this hoard will change what is known about 7th & early 8th century Anglo-Saxon England, including the complicated transition from paganism to Christianity. Continue reading →
After 4 years a gold colored tapestry has been made out of spider silk. I've put together articles on the tapestry, information on the golden silk orb spider, and on efforts to develop man-made spider silk. One of the latest attempts to make 'spider silk' fibers is with hagfish slime!Continue reading →
There was an interesting find at a long term dig in Britain last year. Touted as possibly being the grave of a druid circa CE 43, the group Honouring the Ancient Dead is asking for respectful treatment of these remains. There is also a link to a find in Israel of a 12,000 year old grave believed to be that of an ancient shaman.
For me and others the answer is- nature is sacred! We've found that a reverence for nature and respect for this world is vital, whether expressed simply as ‘Nature is good’, in a solo spiritual practice, or as part of a formal religious tradition. So spirit, science, and our interactions with nature are delved into on this site. Enjoy your time here, and may green blessings be yours!
Please join theWiccans, (neo)Pagans, Witches and fellows lending team on Kiva, a non-profit website that allows you to lend as little as $25 to a specific low-income entrepreneur across the globe. You can choose to have a loan show up in the team's collective portfolio, so our overall impact will grow! So far this group has loaned over $66,000!
The Paiwan are an indigenous tribe of 70-80,000 in Taiwan. Past generations of Paiwan children went to Christian schools opened by missionaries because there were no schools in their villages, and fewer learned about their native tradition as a result. Faced with a reduction in their traditional shaman/mediums one woman has received government funding to start a class to train new spirit mediums. The teachers, elders in their 70s and 80s, are teaching chants, about their gods, and honoring the ancestors. Read more for articles, ritual videos, and art of the Paiwan people. 
There was an interesting find at a long term dig in Britain last year. Touted as possibly being the grave of a druid circa CE 43, the group Honouring the Ancient Dead is asking for respectful treatment of these remains. There is also a link to a find in Israel of a 12,000 year old grave believed to be that of an ancient shaman.