The Pagan Activist
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Disclaimer:
We at The Pagan Activist cannot vouch for the accuracy of the articles we list nor are we responsible for their content. All articles are here for informational purposes only, whether they are of educational or entertainment value.
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You can jump directly to the articles using these links or just scroll down.
Displayed next to the article name is the Origin Flag of each story.
June/July:
Thousands celebrate coming of National Eisteddfod 
The BBC Films Pagan Ceremonies in Iceland 
Tying the knot pagan style — at Stonehenge
Avebury solstice passes peacefully
Summer solstice celebration at Stonehenge draws record crowds 
Druids come out for solstice celebration 
Big police operation planned for Stonehenge summer solstice
Huge Pre-Stonehenge Complex Found via "Crop Circles"
Witch anger at Catholic club ban
The reasoning behind performing rituals 
Thousands expected at solstice
New Viking Settlements Found In North America
The sun wheel in ancient and modern Paganism
Rites of passage: growth and negotiations
Witch bottle' containing finger nails, hair and pins discovered
We also have articles from July 2006 - May 2009 (totalling 915) in our News Archives.
Thousands celebrate coming of National Eisteddfod:
EBBW Vale officially welcomed the coming of the National Eisteddfod at the weekend
with a proclamation ceremony in the town.
The week-long event comes to Gwent on July 31 2010 and Saturday marked the
beginning of the year-long countdown.
If you would like to read the rest of this article please go to the link above.
The BBC Films Pagan Ceremonies in Iceland:
A documentary film crew from the BBC attended two weddings, two naming
ceremonies and one coming-of-age ceremony undertaken by Ásatrúarfélagid,
the pagan society in Iceland, which honors the Norse gods, at Thingvellir
national park on Thursday.
If you would like to read the rest of this article and see the video please go to
the link above.
Vikings ‘invade’ Township:
http://www.niagarathisweek.com/news/communities/Wainfleet/article/264064
By Alison Brownlee
The four-day event had historically accurate Norse demonstrations, including cooking,
blacksmithing, fighting and pottery, all performed by professionals from Ontario, Texas,
Colorado and California.
“I wanted to have a more authentic rendering of Norse life,” said event coordinator Nesrin
Meral, who has spent years travelling the world to participate in Viking festivals. The
demonstrations covered multiple time periods and geographic locations in which the
Vikings existed, but mostly centred on AD 1000.
If you would like to read the rest of this article please go to the link above.
Pagans in the Military:
http://www.examiner.com/x-12870-Southeast-Michigan-Pagan-Examiner~y2009m6d24-Pagans-in-the-Military
By Patricia Deneen
For many people, especially those outside of Paganism, there is a lingering belief that all Pagans
are tree-hugging, pacifist and sometimes militantly anti-military. While this stereotype may fit some,
the contrary is also true. There are Pagans who not only support the armed forces but are active
members as well as veterans. And believe it or not, some of them are tree huggers too.
If you would like to read the rest of this article please go to the above link.
Tying the knot pagan style — at Stonehenge:
A NORTHAM couple have tied the knot in front of 36,500 people at the Summer
Solstice celebrations in Stonehenge.
Carl, 47 and Gigha Klinkenborg, 46, decided to have a Pagan wedding at the solstice
celebrations, which mark the longest day in the Northern Hemisphere.
If you would like to read the rest of this article please go to the above link.
Avebury solstice passes peacefully:
http://www.thisiswiltshire.co.uk/news/4449989.Avebury_solstice_passes_peacefully/
By Nigel Kerton
A mixture of time keeping technologies through the ages established when the sunrise
was due at Avebury this morning at the start of the longest day of the year.
A crowd of about 1,000 people, compared to an estimated 40,000 at Stonehenge --
gathered in the Avebury stone circles for the Summer Solstice celebrations.
If you would like to read the rest of this article please go to the link above.
Summer solstice celebration at Stonehenge draws record crowds:
http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2009/06/21/stonehenge-summer-solstice.html
Neo-Druids, New Age followers and partygoers drummed, danced or gyrated in
hula hoops to stay awake through the night, as more than 35,000 people greeted the
summer solstice Sunday at the ancient stone circle of Stonehenge in Britain.
Despite fears of trouble because of the record crowd, police said the annual party at
the mysterious monument was mostly peaceful, though about 30 people were arrested
on charges including drug offences, assault and drunk and disorderly conduct.
"It's the most magical place on the planet," said antique salesman Frank Somers, 43,
dressed in the robes of his Druid faith.
If you would like to read the rest of this article please go to the link above.
Druids come out for solstice celebration:
About 200 people are set to witness the symbolic death of the Sun when dusk
falls at Stonehenge Aotearoa near Carterton on Sunday.
Stonehenge Aotearoa manager and astronomer Richard Hall said the ancient
Celtic and Druidic Celebration of the Winter Solstice held on the shortest day
of the year on June 21 in the Southern Hemisphere is running for the third year
in a row at the Wairarapa site and will now become an annual event.
If you would like to read the rest of this article please go to the link above.
Big police operation planned for Stonehenge summer solstice:
Wiltshire force expect warm weather to draw large crowds and warns it will take
tough stand on drink and drugs
Steven Morris
A big police operation involving an unmanned drone, horses and drugs sniffer dogs
will be launched at Stonehenge tomorrow as huge crowds descend on the ancient
site for the summer solstice.
Because the celebrations fall over the weekend and fine weather is predicted, bigger
crowds than usual are expected and Wiltshire police have said they will clamp down
heavily on antisocial behaviour.
Restrictions are being placed on the amount of alcohol revellers can bring in and
police have said they will not tolerate illegal drug taking or unlawful raves.
If you would like to read the rest of this article please go to the link above.
Huge Pre-Stonehenge Complex Found via "Crop Circles":
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/06/090615-stonehenge-tombs-crop-circles.html
James Owen
Given away by strange, crop circle-like formations seen from the air, a huge prehistoric
ceremonial complex discovered in southern England has taken archaeologists by surprise.
A thousand years older than nearby Stonehenge, the site includes the remains of wooden
temples and two massive, 6,000-year-old tombs that are among "Britain's first
architecture," according to archaeologist Helen Wickstead, leader of the Damerham
Archaeology Project.
If you would like to read the rest of this article please go to the link above.
Witch anger at Catholic club ban:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/manchester/8107260.stm
A witches' coven leader has accused the Roman Catholic Church of prejudice after
her group was banned from a parish social club.
Sandra Davis, 61, high priestess of the Crystal Cauldron group, booked Our Lady's
club in Stockport, Greater Manchester for a Halloween Ball.
But when she tried to pay she was told the Diocese of Shrewsbury had decided the
pagan group could not use it.
If you would like to read the rest of this article please go to the link above.
The reasoning behind performing rituals:
By Patricia Deneen
People love to celebrate and create rituals and traditions around those celebrations.
Modern Paganism utilizes rituals for holy days, lunar observances, magic, and for
personal rites such as coming of age, initiations, and weddings. For some, the
word ritual will evoke images of some sinister practice being performed in a dark,
out of the way place in the woods. For others, ritual is one way to interact with
the divine in all things.
If you would like to read the rest of this article please go to the link above.
Thousands expected at solstice:
By Morwenna Blake
THE summer solstice is approaching and thousands of people are expected to
descend on Stonehenge to celebrate the dawn of the longest day of the year.
Last year more than 30,000 revellers turned up to mark the occasion and a
similar number is expected this year, as the Solstice again falls on a weekend.
Peter Carson, head of Stonehenge at English Heritage, said: “We are very
pleased to be welcoming people to Stonehenge once again to enjoy the
Summer Solstice.
If you would like to read the rest of this article please got to the link above.
New Viking Settlements Found In North America:
A second location of Norse settlement in North America has been found, showing
Viking settlers ventured farther west and into the continent than had been
previously believed.
The discovered remains of a 700-year-old Norse shelter were uncovered in a
previously-examined Nanook archeological site, 200 kilometers southwest of
Iqaluit in the Canadian territory of Nunavut. The location is also where the
now-extinct Dorset people once inhabited a stretch of Hudson Strait shoreline.
If you would like to read the rest of this article please got to the link above.
The sun wheel in ancient and modern Paganism:
by Patricia Deneen
The sun wheel is a potent symbol of the cycles of the seasons including the concept
of death and rebirth. Several variations exist of this ancient symbol such as a circle
with a dot in the center and a circle divided into six parts.
If you would like to read the rest of this article please go to the link above.
Rites of passage ~ growth and negotiations:
By Murphy Pizza
Abbey graduated from high school this week; her own personal rite of passage markes a larger transition in her community.
Abbey's mother, Carol, is Pagan. Carol has raised her daughter in a Pagan way since Abbey was a small child. Abbey is one of a larger cohort of second generation Pagans coming of age, the first generation to be raised as Pagan. Margot Adler discussed in several editions of her classic journalistic history of contemporary Paganism, Drawing Down the Moon, the "religion of converts" phenomenon that marked Paganism even just a few years ago. Most Pagan-identified folk will tell you they were raised as something else -- Catholic, Protestant, Jewish -- and found Earth-reverent religion to be a much more fulfilling religious path compared to their old one.
If you would like to read the rest of this article please go to the link above.
Wendy Rule(s):
Singer-guitarist melds magic, nature, ritual in concert
http://www.news-journalonline.com/NewsJournalOnline/Entertainment/Headlines/entMUS01060509.htm
By Rick de Yampert
Australian singer-guitarist Wendy Rule says her music "is my main tool for connecting to the divine world of nature and magic. Many of my songs explore the nature of Goddess and God through the characters in the ancient mythologies of the Celts and Greeks."
And, she says on her Web site, "As a practicing witch, naturally my music is going to contain many references to, and explorations of, my spirituality."
If you would like to read the rest of this article please go to the link above.
Witch bottle' containing finger nails, hair and pins discovered:
By Richard Alleyne
A 17th century "witch bottle" used to rid the sick of evil spells has been found intact, containing finger nail clippings, hair and pins.
Around 200 witch bottles have been found in the past but this is thought to be the first time one with its contents intact has been discovered.
If you would like to read the rest of this article please go to the link above.
Midsummer magic:
http://www.stouffvilleonline.com/sfp/2009/06/midsummer-magic/
by Jill McWhinnie
Most of us think of June 21 as the first day of summer or the longest day of the year. For our ancestors, who lived close to nature in agrarian societies, it was a time to celebrate fertility, growth and abundance. It was also the time of the summer solstice.
Solstices occur twice a year, when the tilt of the earth’s axis is oriented directly towards or away from the sun, causing the sun to reach its northernmost and southernmost extremes. The name is derived from the Latin sol (sun) and sistere (to stand still), because at the solstices, the sun’s apparent movement north or south comes to a standstill. Midsummer Day has historically been celebrated on or about the time of the solstice in many societies all over the world.
If you would like to read the rest of this article please go to the link above.
The Road to Xibalba:
http://www.chronogram.com/issue/2009/6/Horoscopes/The-Road-to-Xibalba?page=1
by Eric Francis Coppolino
Lately, I am hearing the discussion about 2012 just about every day. The concept of this being an important year was introduced to popular culture by Jose Arguelles at the time of the Harmonic Convergence in 1987. His work is inspired by Mayan astrology, and in that system we experience a turnover in the calendar, which—so far as I have been able to discern, from the best source I have—reaches the date 13.0.0.0.0 on December 21, 2012.
That 13 at the front tells us that on the winter solstice of 2012, the 13th baktun will have ended. A baktun is 5,125 years, and five of them represent a “great cycle”—the precessional cycle of about 26,000 years. (Our scientists still cannot calculate an exact length of one precessional cycle.) This is one full wobble of the Earth’s axis, which makes the backdrop of the cosmos seem to slide along and which causes the astrological ages to change.
When you hear about the “Age of Aquarius,” that is a reference to precessional movement. There are no exact dates when these ages begin and end. Generally, when people talk about an astrological age, they are making reference to the position of the Sun on the first day of spring in the Northern Hemisphere. This will come about one day earlier every 70 years. However, a Mayan scholar and New Age author named John Major Jenkins has proposed that what we need to be looking at if we want to understand the Mayan system is not the first day of spring but rather the first day of winter—the position of the Sun at the Winter Solstice.
If you would like to read the rest of this article please go to the link above.
