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NJ Metaphysical Store Destroyed by Fire

2012-02-15T21:20:22Z

From Long Branch, NJ, we've gotten news that Sacred Circle, a popular metaphysical store, was destroyed by a fire on Monday. The fire apparently started in another tenant's space and spread, gutting the entire building, as well as several others.

Owners Adam Kane and Al Romao posted on the shop's Facebook page, We want to take this time to assure our community that although this physical space is gone, the community is still very much alive. We need a little time to regroup, talk to insurance companies, and figure out "where do we go from here". But then we will be putting word out to everyone and trying to keep you all in the loop. We will also be looking into continuing our classes either out of our home, or we have also had some generous offers from community members.

While no one was injured in the blaze, several animals were killed and a number of families have been left homeless after the fire. A fundraiser is being organized to help these folks out, because they lost everything. Donations are being accepted for household goods, clothing, and monetary contributions. For more information on how you can help, be sure to visit Brighten Up Brighton Avenue on Facebook.

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NJ Metaphysical Store Destroyed by Fire originally appeared on About.com Paganism / Wiccan on Wednesday, February 15th, 2012 at 21:20:22.

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Lord Athanor Crosses Over

2012-02-15T20:54:14Z

Lord Athanor, known by many members of the Pagan community for his work founding the Unicorn Tradition of Wicca with Lady Galadriel, has passed away. Athanor, whose mundane name was John Monogue, died on Monday.

His son Ash writes, Honor and celebrate him for all of the love, light, laughter, wit, wisdom, and magick he brought into your life by whatever means you think best. And when you are done celebrating him, hold tightly in your heart the fire of those things he stirred inside of you and carry them with you always. I know I will.

A memorial is planned for Sunday Feb 19th in Clarkston, GA. Speedy travels, Athanor, and may your ancestors be waiting for you on the other side.

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Lord Athanor Crosses Over originally appeared on About.com Paganism / Wiccan on Wednesday, February 15th, 2012 at 20:54:14.

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"Wicker Man" Pub for Sale

2012-02-15T20:27:49Z

If you're near Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, and you're in the market for a bit of prime real estate, the pub used in the original version of The Wicker Man is up for sale. The Ellangowan Hotel in Creetown doubled as the Green Man Pub in the film, and featured smokin' hot Britt Eklund pulling pints for guests on their way to sacrifices.

The film, which starred Christopher Lee and Edward Woodward, is a cult classic and has become pretty popular in the Pagan community. You can buy the hotel - pub included - for the reduced price of £200,000.

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"Wicker Man" Pub for Sale originally appeared on About.com Paganism / Wiccan on Wednesday, February 15th, 2012 at 20:27:49.

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Happy Valentine's Day!

2012-02-13T17:35:52Z

OK, so it may be a holiday named for a Christian saint, but it's still a fun day to show the people you love (and lust after) just how much you care about them. This entire month has long been associated with love and romance, going back to the days of early Rome. Back then, February was the month in which people celebrated Lupercalia, a festival honoring the birth of Romulus and Remus, the twin founders of the city. Part of the fun included a "love lottery". Although contemporary historians have questioned the existence of such activities, it's still a fascinating legend.

After Christianity moved in, the Pope Gelasius did away with Lupercalia around 500 c.e., denouncing it as an immoral Pagan practice -- go figure. However, love and romance couldn't be stopped, and so the pope declared St. Valentine to be the patron saint of lovers. Learn more about the legend of St. Valentine, and how he became famous here: Valentine's Day.

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Happy Valentine's Day! originally appeared on About.com Paganism / Wiccan on Monday, February 13th, 2012 at 17:35:52.

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Feb. 15: The Festival of Lupercalia

2012-02-13T15:37:14Z

In addition to being the month of Valentine's Day and Imbolc, February is the time of the annual Roman festival of Lupercalia. Started back when Rome was just a bunch of shepherds in huts on a hillside, Lupercalia became a fertility celebration that welcomed Spring each year, much like Imbolc does for us today. The festivities included animal sacrifice, running through the streets, and being whipped with blood-soaked hides. All of this was topped off with a love lottery, in which young men drew the names of ladies out of a jar. You can read more about this early version of Valentine's Day here: Lupercalia.

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Feb. 15: The Festival of Lupercalia originally appeared on About.com Paganism / Wiccan on Monday, February 13th, 2012 at 15:37:14.

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Notes from the Cauldron: Weekly Roundup Feb 6 - 12

2012-02-13T08:14:20Z

Wondering what you might have missed this week at About Pagan/Wiccan? Well, there's all kinds of new content, a bunch of blog posts, updates to older articles, and tons of new reader submissions! Here's your round-up of everything from the past week in About Pagan/Wiccan:

New and Updated Articles and Features

How to Make Pagan Prayer Beads
Making Your Own Magical Tools
Celebrating Ritual in Limited Space
How to Dispose of Magical Tools

Blog Posts

Depp Options Film Rights on WM3 Story
Ireland's Saintly Women
Love Magic and Folklore
Fear and Loathing in Buncombe County
The Religious Right and the Battle for Public Schools

New Reader Submissions

Energy and Prayer Requests

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Notes from the Cauldron: Weekly Roundup Feb 6 - 12 originally appeared on About.com Paganism / Wiccan on Monday, February 13th, 2012 at 08:14:20.

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Depp Options Film Rights on WM3 Story

2012-02-11T12:32:42Z

Depp to produce film about
the West Memphis Three
Image © Charlie Gallay/Getty Images

Actor Johnny Depp is more than just a pretty face - he also happens to run his own production company, Infinitum Nihil, and he and production partner Christine Dembrowski have optioned film rights to the not-yet-published memoir of Damien Echols.

Depp has been a longtime supporter of Echols and the other two men known as the West Memphis Three, and a press release says he "will develop the narrative as a feature film with Echols and his wife Lorri Davis, who will be executive producers."

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Depp Options Film Rights on WM3 Story originally appeared on About.com Paganism / Wiccan on Saturday, February 11th, 2012 at 12:32:42.

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Ireland's Saintly Women

2012-02-11T12:22:18Z

There's a fascinating piece over at National Geographic about Celeste Ray, who has spent a significant amount of time studying Ireland's female saints, many of whom stem from early pre-Christian traditions. A year-long expedition allowed her to visit about 250 holy wells and sacred springs, places at which these women are still worshiped today.

While the saints themselves are Catholic today, their rituals have a decidedly Pagan flair. Offerings are left by devotees, and the entire process has a mystical quality about it.

Ray's project also focused on how these early saints fared during the Protestant reformation and earlier Anglo-Norman efforts to replace all female saints with the Virgin Mary. It's an interesting look at how traditions have managed to survive, albeit in different forms, throughout the centuries.

Like all NatGeo articles, the photos are spectacular as well, so be sure to scroll through the image wheel at the top of the article.

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Ireland's Saintly Women originally appeared on About.com Paganism / Wiccan on Saturday, February 11th, 2012 at 12:22:18.

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Love Magic and Folklore

2012-02-11T12:03:34Z

Valentine's Day is approaching, which means I get to eat a bucketload of candy hearts, but it also means my email box is flooding with "Help I need a luv spell" notes. While there are some magical traditions today that frown upon the use of any sort of romantic spellwork shenanigans, there are others that don't really have any rules against it. If you've decided your love life needs a little magical boost, be sure to read about the ethics of casting a love spell before you get started.

So, how does love magic work? There are a variety of methods, from poppets to herbs to crystals, and even deities who can be invoked for assistance. It's important to note that love magic is hardly new - in fact, it's been around for ages. Read about some of the best-known love magic folklore here.

Need to know more about the mechanics of love magic? Be sure to read All About Love Magic.

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Love Magic and Folklore originally appeared on About.com Paganism / Wiccan on Saturday, February 11th, 2012 at 12:03:34.

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Fear and Loathing in Buncombe County

2012-02-06T17:53:57Z

Just a quick update on the case of Ginger Strivelli, the Pagan mom who took on the Buncombe County School Board, after she challenged her son's school for passing out Bibles to students. You'll recall that Strivelli was told the school's policy allowed literature from any religion to be distributed, but when she showed up with a box of Pagan stuff, she was told that the policy was now "under review."

At any rate, a few nights ago Strivelli attended a school board meeting to share her input on the policy review procedure, and she was accompanied by the awesome Angela Pippinger of The Pagan Mom Blog. Angela live-Tweeted the whole thing, as well as blogging about it once she got home. Angela says, "I have often mentioned that I have not been subject to religious discrimination. Tonight I get to join the ranks of the many who have. And to be honest, I am glad I did. Sadistic? Yea. But I think that it's a learning lesson for me so that I can better help my community grow in interfaith. I have now experienced both sides."

Like Angela, and many of the readers here on this site, I've never experienced discrimination as a Pagan, even after ten years of living in the Bible Belt. And yet, reading Angela's account of that meeting, I could practically feel the hatred that must have been palpable in the room. I encourage all of you to read her narrative, to get an idea of what it was like for her, Ginger Strivelli, and Byron Ballard that night.

The Board of Education will meet again on March 1 to vote on the policy revisions.

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Fear and Loathing in Buncombe County originally appeared on About.com Paganism / Wiccan on Monday, February 6th, 2012 at 17:53:57.

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