http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/wicca/ en-us Sun, 13 Dec 2009 15:30:38 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2406594/posts Fifteen-year-old Katarina Keen won't sing along to "Silent Night" or "Listen to the Stars," two Christian songs planned for her choir's upcoming Christmas concert at Borger High School. But she will sing "Jingle Bells" and "A Carol in Winter." Katarina and her family are Wiccan. The Borger High choirs have given a concert every December, with traditional religious Christmas songs, but this is the first time in director Johnny Miller's 23-year career that any Borger student had issues with the religious themes in the music, he said. A concert at 2:30 p.m. Sunday will feature a ninth- and 10th-grade choir... Amarillo Globe News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2406594/posts#comment Sun, 13 Dec 2009 15:30:38 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2375218/posts Real Witches Practice Samhain: Wicca on the Rise in U.S. More Americans Are Wiccan, and Will Celebrate Samhain, Not Halloween, Saturday By RUSSELL GOLDMAN Oct. 30, 2009— Patti Wigington is a soccer mom. She is the vice president of her local PTA. And she's a witch. This Saturday while her neighborhood outside Columbus, Ohio, is crawling with costumed witches in search of candy, Wigington and a group of other local witches will not be celebrating Halloween, but the new year festival Samhain, which also occurs Oct. 31. In her backyard, Wigington and six other local women who make up... AbcNews.Go.Com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2375218/posts#comment Sat, 31 Oct 2009 11:43:56 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2371422/posts Last Halloween, Gina Uberti took vacation days to celebrate the Wiccan new year in Salem, Massachusetts, the town infamously known for the witch trials of 1692 that ended with the hanging of 14 women. Less than a month after Uberti took part in the festivities of Samhain, one of the holiest days in the Wiccan calendar, she was fired from her job as a district sales manager for Bath & Body Works. Workforce Management http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2371422/posts#comment Mon, 26 Oct 2009 22:35:43 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2325519/posts Paganism and Witchcraft in Youth Culture Written by Crusade    Wednesday, August 26, 2009 Mrs. Linda Harvey Mrs. Linda Harvey is the founder of Mission: America, a non-profit organization whose purpose is to help in dealing with cultural issues such as feminism, homosexuality, education and New Age influences. She is the author of Not My Child—Contemporary Paganism and New Spirituality and her articles have appeared in USA Today and Whistleblower. Mrs. Harvey is a frequent guest on radio talk shows and has testified on legislation before the Ohio General Assembly on numerous occasions. Crusade: How would you define witchcraft?... Tradition Family and Property http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2325519/posts#comment Thu, 27 Aug 2009 10:01:13 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2264615/posts During the 17th century in England, someone urinated in a jar, added nail clippings, hair and pins, and buried it upside-down in Greenwich, where it was recently unearthed and identified by scientists as being the world's most complete known "witch bottle." This spell device, often meant to attract and trap negative energy, was particularly common from the 16th to the 17th centuries, so the discovery provides a unique insight into witchcraft beliefs of that period, according to a report published in the latest British Archaeology. Discovery News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2264615/posts#comment Thu, 4 Jun 2009 14:37:24 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2213683/posts Like many other soldiers who took part in the Gaza operation, Omer, 20, occasionally took a few moments to pray, but he did not pray to the Lord of Israel. Omer considers himself pagan, and has sworn allegiance to three ancient gods. During combat, he says they appeared before him, giving him strength during the most arduous moments. Omer is still in the army, and therefore refused to be interviewed for this story. Yet he did say he belongs to a religion whose goal is to revive worship of ancient gods. In an online Hebrew-language paganism forum, Omer's accounts of... Haaretz http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2213683/posts#comment Tue, 24 Mar 2009 20:03:00 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2185584/posts The Dark Backward: Demons in the Real World by Tom Hoopes    2/14/09     "The lunatic is on the grass."   It was an hour before midnight. Ten-year-old James was in his bedroom, alone, when he was suddenly gripped by terror. A Pink Floyd song rang out through the empty room. The radio turned on by itself.   "The lunatic is on the grass. The lunatic is in the hall."   James lay paralyzed, locked in that helpless state that is itself as terrifying as whatever causes it. He wanted to move or cry out but couldn't. So... Insidecatholic.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2185584/posts#comment Sat, 14 Feb 2009 15:20:41 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2140056/posts <p>They seemed such a normal couple - until they built a pagan stone circle in the garden...</p> <p>You'd think milkmen would be used to pre-dawn doorstep encounters with all manner of 'unconventional' folk, wouldn't you? Well, not in leafy Dorchester.</p> Daily Mail http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2140056/posts#comment Sat, 29 Nov 2008 18:28:34 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2120856/posts Are witches real? Of course they are. Are they skinny old women with green skin, pointy chins and warts on their noses, who cackle over cauldrons? Of course not. Do they attend an academy called “Hogwarts,” play a form of hockey on their broomsticks and battle mythical beasts? Is “Samantha,” a pretty middle-class suburban wife with magical powers and a gaggle of kooky and spooky family members, a witch? Of course not. All of that is an attempt to make us believe that there are not really such things as witches. National Catholic Register http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2120856/posts#comment Fri, 31 Oct 2008 16:54:16 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2067714/posts The report claims more than 50,000 women a year have deserted their congregations over the past two decades because they feel the church is not relevant to their lives. It says that instead young women are becoming attracted to the pagan religion Wicca, where females play a central role, which has grown in popularity after being featured positively in films, TV shows and books. The study comes amid ongoing controversy over the role of women in all Christian denominations. Last month its governing body voted to allow women to become bishops for the first time, having admitted them to the... Telegraph http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2067714/posts#comment Mon, 25 Aug 2008 17:36:39 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1949870/posts This looks like a good resource: When the day's news is about "witches," many Americans reflexively conjure up images of ugly, wicked hags from stories like "Snow White" and "The Wizard of Oz" – or more recently, the smiling "good witches" of Harry Potter books and films. But none of these fictional fantasies has anything to do with the real thing. The real thing – that is, the stunning phenomenon of more and more American housewives, students, professors, and even soldiers self-identifying as "witches" – is the topic of the January edition of WND's elite monthly Whistleblower magazine. Titled "WITCHCRAFT... http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1949870/posts#comment Mon, 7 Jan 2008 22:54:26 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1941135/posts GREEN BAY, Wis. -- A Wiccan pentacle has joined a controversial nativity scene at Green Bay's City Hall. The manger scene was put up by City Council President Chad Fradette, who wanted to defy an anti-religious group that was protesting another nativity scene in a nearby town. However, the Wiccans said that was an abuse of power and requested that the Wiccan symbol go up next to the nativity. "I want to see all those other faiths that we don't get an opportunity to see in Green Bay, Wis., because we are sometimes relegated to that," said Wiccan Kelly Winters.... WNBC.COM http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1941135/posts#comment Tue, 18 Dec 2007 13:09:38 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1932543/posts A nationwide manhunt is under way for a missing employee of an armored-carrier facility and his girlfriend after thieves stole more than $7 million dollars from the Ohio company earlier this week. Roger Lee Dillon, 22, of Youngstown, Ohio, is wanted for questioning by the FBI after not showing up for work at the Liberty, Ohio, after the robbery was committed. On the morning of Nov. 27, employees discovered the safes — containing $7 million in cash and checks — empty. The burglars also deactivated the alarm system and disabled a surveillance tape during the robbery. Special agent Scott Wilson,... not specified http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1932543/posts#comment Fri, 30 Nov 2007 00:59:53 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1914647/posts Bonnie Thompson's Hicksville house is bedecked with all kinds of witch decorations. There are witch-on-broomstick weather vanes staked in her flower beds and witch chimes dangling below her mailbox. Sitting atop the sill of her bay window are small iron cauldrons and witch figurines. But none of these objects is there because Halloween is coming. Thompson is a real witch, or wiccan to be more exact, who follows the concepts and rituals taught by Richard and Gypsy Ravish. The Salem, Mass., couple are head priest and priestess of the Temple of Nine Wells and initiated Thompson into wicca. As the... NYDAILYNEWS.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1914647/posts#comment Mon, 22 Oct 2007 16:50:39 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1899177/posts No statutory rape charges filed even though man admitted sexual affair with 16-year-old girlfriend COEUR d'ALENE -- The 20-year-old man who admitted torching the Lake City Junior Academy might not spend a day in prison, but his underage girlfriend could spend 20 years there thanks to his testimony. Jason Howry pleaded guilty to first-degree arson as a part of a plea deal. He'll be sentenced on Nov. 8 in 1st District Court. Howry's 16-year-old girlfriend, Jacqueline Smith, is being charged as an adult. She's facing conspiracy to commit arson and first-degree arson charges. Her attorney, Doug Phelps, said plea bargain... The CDAPress.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1899177/posts#comment Wed, 19 Sep 2007 21:36:41 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1893450/posts A Spryfield witch says too much toil and trouble is forcing her out of town. For weeks, Shauna Cook, 37, said she's been targeted in her Spryfield home on Lavender Walk because she is a hedge-witch natural healer. Most recently, it was two of her pagan friends being attacked. Shortly after midnight on Friday, an 18-year-old woman and a 17-year-old boy were leaving Cook's house to catch the bus when four males approached them and asked where they were going. After they told them they were going back home, the boy was attacked. Two more people jumped into the fight,... Halifax Daily News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1893450/posts#comment Sun, 9 Sep 2007 13:23:05 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1891640/posts Wicca and similar groups are flourishing in America. They're also violating the biblical commandment against idolatry.My kids’ favorite baby-sitter assures me that she’s not a practicing witch, “though,” she says, “I do hang out with a lot of Wiccans.” There was the time, for instance, out on the Kitsap Peninsula, near Seattle, when she joined a group of witches for a “sky-clad” (that is, naked) romp in the woods, a May Day ritual. Having tossed off their clothes, the pagans ran around a maypole chanting in Gaelic. “The pole is a phallic symbol,” thirty-two-year-old Jenny helpfully explains. “They’re white... Beliefnet http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1891640/posts#comment Wed, 5 Sep 2007 20:43:28 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1890294/posts NOTTINGHAM, Md. - Elwood "Bunky" Bartlett says a New Age book store made it possible for him to become an overnight multimillionaire. He and his wife, Denise, were on their way to the shop where he occasionally teaches Wicca and Reiki (RAY'kee) healing when they stopped at a liquor store and bought two $5 Mega Millions tickets for Friday night's estimated $330 million jackpot. On Sunday, he said one ticket was a winner. "If it wasn't for this place I wouldn't have won the lottery," Bartlett said Sunday at Mystickal Voyage, the New Age shop. Four winning tickets to the... AP on Yahoo http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1890294/posts#comment Sun, 2 Sep 2007 21:19:30 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1882049/posts A Waukesha woman was arrested early Tuesday morning for disturbing neighbors by yelling witch chants around a bonfire she built 10-feet from her home, police Capt. Mike Babe said. Brenna K. Barney, 42, told police that they were infringing on her religious beliefs since she is a Wiccan and she was performing a ritual because of a new moon, Babe said. She said her name is Brenna Raven Moonfire. Criminal charges of resisting arrest and disorderly conduct were filed against Barney in Waukesha County Circuit Court. Police may also give Barney a ticket alleging negligent handling of burning materials, Babe... TMJ4-Milwaukee http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1882049/posts#comment Thu, 16 Aug 2007 14:52:13 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1861629/posts KOLKATA: India has enlisted the follower of a global pagan witchcraft movement to help curb the country'' high female infanticide rate and end the neglect of the girl child, government said on Monday. Ipsita Roy Chakraverti, a Wiccan and a social activist, has been nominated by the Centre's National Commission for Minority Educational Institutions (NCMEI) to head a panel entrusted with the responsibility to improve the status of young girls, they said. About 10 million girls have been killed by their parents over the past 20 years, said government officials as female infanticide and foeticide. “This is a triumph for... DNA India http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1861629/posts#comment Fri, 6 Jul 2007 10:24:05 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1842223/posts Selena Fox, a Wiccan priestess and founder of Circle Sanctuary, arranges flowers May 20 in Barneveld around a new grave maker with the Wiccan pentacle for Nevada National Guard Sgt. Patrick Stewart who was killed in Afghanistan in 2005. A rather big deal has been made about the fact that on Memorial Day, the graves of military veterans who embraced Wicca, the nature-based religion founded on respect for the Earth, nature and the cycle of the seasons, were dedicated with government-issued markers etched with a symbol of their religion: the Wiccan pentacle. Certainly the Wiccans, whose legal fight finally forced... Capital Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1842223/posts#comment Thu, 31 May 2007 00:53:52 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1840804/posts Scotland's University of Edinburgh, after proposing a ban on Bibles and denying a Christian campus group the right to hold a conference on the immorality of homosexuality, has extended the welcome mat to the school's Pagan Society to hold its annual meeting on campus next month. The pagan conference will feature presentations on a variety of topics, including Magic and Witchcraft in the 21st Century, Pagan Parenting, Pagan Marriage, Pagan Symbolism and Practice and Ancient Greek magic. A workshop in tribal dance will be held at the university Student's Association. "It will be an opportunity for people to listen to... World Net Daily http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1840804/posts#comment Mon, 28 May 2007 06:28:37 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1822235/posts The Wiccan pentacle has been added to the list of emblems allowed in national cemeteries and on government-issued headstones of fallen soldiers, according to a settlement announced Monday. A settlement between the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and Wiccans adds the five-pointed star to the list of "emblems of belief" allowed on VA grave markers. Eleven families nationwide are waiting for grave markers with the pentacle, said Selena Fox, a Wiccan high priestess with Circle Sanctuary in Barneveld, Wisconsin, a plaintiff in the lawsuit. The settlement calls for the pentacle, whose five points represent earth, air, fire, water and spirit,... CNN http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1822235/posts#comment Mon, 23 Apr 2007 20:47:44 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1822270/posts Adherents to the neo-pagan cult Wicca soon will be permitted to place their symbol the pentacle -- a five-pointed star inscribed inside a circle -- on headstones in military cemeteries, US officials said Monday. After months of legal wrangling, the US Department of Veterans Affairs agreed to allow Wiccans to place the symbol on headstones, as do adherents to the Christian, Muslim and Jewish and other faiths. The policy change will go into effect in the next few months, officials said. "VA will be adding the pentacle to its list of approved emblems of belief that will be engraved on... AFP http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1822270/posts#comment Mon, 23 Apr 2007 21:45:32 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1789350/posts The Sacred Well Congregation, which has about 950 members across the country, prides itself on being an intellectual group. Ron Schaefer, a retired lieutenant colonel who flew F-4s and F-16s during a 26-year Air Force career, says Wicca "meshes perfectly with string theory." Dea Mikeworth, wife of an Army sergeant wounded by a roadside bomb in Iraq, says it reflects "archetypes in the collective unconscious." But Larsen is unabashed about the faith's central appeal. "You can't intellectually talk about witchcraft. You gotta show up," he says. "What Carl Jung, Joseph Campbell and a lot of us universalists think is, people... Free Internet Press http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1789350/posts#comment Thu, 22 Feb 2007 19:40:32 GMT