Danaan» Danaan - sacred nature

Rash of horse mane weaving in the UK- pagans?

D. — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 07:02:24 +0000

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 [...]

Animal sacrifice in the news...

D. — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 00:07:11 +0000

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, [...]

Paiwan people of Taiwan- spirit mediums

D. — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 20:35:30 +0000

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 [...]

Home schooling

D. — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 23:29:12 +0000

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 [...]

River offering

D. — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 05:50:08 +0000

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.

The pool is in an area of the canyon that is abused in an on-going basis by [...]

Pagan festival tips

D. — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 06:42:10 +0000

Pagan or alternative festivals can be fun. They can also fade away, just like other non-profit, volunteer-run group events. Having been involved in organizations and festivals in the past, here are suggestions for large pagan events. Included are tips for festival organization, volunteer issues, safety, and non-profit groups.

While not every group or event will want or need to use these tips, they are offered in the [...]

Ellinais – the Holy Association of Greek Ancient Religion Believers

D. — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 03:41:25 +0000

It’s estimated that there are thousands of Greeks worshiping the ancient Roman Gods. Following the documentary “I Still Worship Zeus (2004)" the Ellinais association was formed in 2005. In 2006 the Greek high court granted them status as a “cultural association based on religious grounds”. Ellinais believes in world peace, ecological awareness, and the right to education. (Beliefs common to pagan or polytheistic groups). One of their [...]

Music - damh the bard

D. — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 23:03:10 +0000

Damh the Bard (born Dave Smith) is a real gem in the folk music scene. Trained as a bard, poet, and storyteller in the Order of Bards, Ovates, and Druids (OBOD) he draws his inspiration from from the ancient myths and legends of the British Isles and Ireland. (And Damh hosts OBOD's DruidCast - the Druid Podcast.) His songs are simple, direct, grounded, very well played, and [...]

Pagan

D. — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 04:21:56 +0000

Pagan spirituality, resources, and thoughts [...]

Early ritual fertility beads (?) & Oldest Jewellery

D. — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 23:58:04 +0000

The color green is often used today in ritual jewelry to denote green nature. Did our ancestors do the same? See this BBC News article- First farmers made 'lucky beads' 16 June 2008

And for possibly the world's oldest (happens to be shell) jewelry: Study reveals 'oldest jewellery' 22, [...]