There's concern in the United Kingdom in Dorset and surrounding counties about 20 horses that have mysteriously had plaited manes appearing over the last 3 months. This has been happening on nights of high wind and rain, with some owners believing that the wind is driving the horse manes into sorts of plaits or knots. At first some horse owners and the police thought this was a gypsy tagging trick, to mark horses for future theft. But the horses were not stolen. (Really getting that much gypsy horse crime these days, Constable?) Voices of reason in the local horse community mentioned that these plaits are normal in horses manes, and intentional plaiting is an urban myth. Then Dorset area police research came up with the idea that pagans are 'weaving' or using 'knot magic' with these horses! Continue reading →
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 Sacrifice of a young boar, Greece, 510 BC–500 BC. 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 →
 pool on the American River I've been leaving a formal offering at a pool on the American River for the last few years. Usually in September around Oshun's saints day, this year I went on 9-9-09. So I thought I would share my examples for leaving offerings outside in nature. Continue reading → |
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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. 
We had to take our son out of the local junior high and home school him for 1 1/2 years. It was a difficult decision, took an incredible amount of time and attention, but it worked out well for our child in the short and long term. Here are my thoughts about what works in home schooling, and how to promote a love of nature for pagans and non-pagans alike. I'm also passing on internet and book resources that were helpful to us.