February News

Posted by owner on February 22, 2010

Published items illustrating the growing impact of neopaganism and occult religion on Western culture.

Apprentice Opportunity

The San Francisco Chronicle carried the exciting news on February 20th. West Marin’s best known Shamanic priestess and witch, Cerridwen Fallingstar, is accepting applications for her Shamanic Apprenticeship program. If you’re desperate to pursue your inner witch, the paper says you can contact Cerridwen by email..

Left Coast to Milwaukee. Come in, Milwaukee.

OnMilwaukee.com, the city’s “Daily Magazine,” covered a visit by San Franscico’s Starhawk. Seems that Starhawk, who lives with her partner and friends in a little hut in the Sonoma Valley, has been invited by the First Unitarian Society to put on some Green workshops and conduct a few rituals in Milwaukee. Starhawk explains that “the goddess traditions say the Earth is sacred and alive and a living being, and to be healthy, vibrant people we need a connection to the natural world.” While in Milwaukee she’s also promoting her children’s book, “The Last Wild Witch.” When asked what she hoped her visit would accomplish in addition to creating advocates for the natural world, Starhawk explained, “we create ritual and sacred space and hopefully people walk away feeling like they had a lot of fun.”

Legal in Ireland

After a five year campaign Pagan weddings performed by a Druid are now recognized as legal in Ireland. Forty couples are reputedly ready to tie the knot in the ancient ceremony. However, Ray Sweeney, the coordinator of the Pagan Federation Ireland, plans to keep the weddings low key for fear of a “Christian backlash.”

Ritual Dance Restored

Under the influence of Quaker missionaries and the Russian Orthodox Church, traditional ritual dances were banned in remote Eskimo villages. Today they’re being revived in Inupiat Eskimo villages like Noorvik and Cup’ik. Mike Ulroan says he can’t imagine life without the traditional dances. “It’s just a way to make me feel happy,” he said. “With the movements we do, we push away bad spirits and keep away sickness.” Theresa John, a Yup’ik Eskimo and professor of Native studies at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks, blamed missionaries for “the destruction of their sacred traditions, including shamans, who were revered as spiritual leaders empowered by the creator with skills and tools to communicate with the spirit world to ensure the welfare of communities.” She states that dancing had nothing to do with devil worship.

Psychic protection and Paranormal Defense!

According to the ad that showed up on my computer February 21st, “Everyone involved in ghost hunting and paranormal research should use some kind of protection to prevent attachments, against psychic attacks, against low level or negative spirits, energy drain, emotional baggage and bringing something home with you.” The ad recommends a four hour, April 10th presentation at the GhostHunter Store in Mount Holly, NJ.

Personally, I recommend the defense against real “negative spirits” [demons] provided by the Armor of God. You can find out about that in Ephesians 6, or at one of my Freedom Workshops.

Psychology and Exorcism Don’t Mix?

Christian psychologist Edward Tynan was censured for professional misconduct by the Psychologist Tribunal of New South Wales. It seems he was treating two patient for DID [Dissociative Identity Disorder] with “inappropriate methods” such as “prayer, visualization, and reconstructing childhood events.” Tynan’s belief his clients were victims of satanic abuse by adults was dismissed as based on “documents best described as sinister, bizarre, sadistic and without scientific basis or psychological merit.” The
Tribunal then banned Tynan “from any alternative healing, psychological treatment and welfare.”

NOTE. The fact and symptoms of satanic ritual abuse are well established as a cause of DID. And prayer, visualization and reconstructing childhood events are often elements in the healing process. See Tom and Diane Hawkins’ outstanding books on this subject, reviewed earlier on Demondope.

Wicca Warning

Timed with Valentine’s Day, Lady Nylewind, a high priestess with the Billings Mountain Moon Circle pagan group, warned that casting love spells is considered immoral in her religion. “It’s really against the Wiccan religion to affect someone,” she warned. “You’re messing with someone else’s karma.” However, it’s OK to use spells to seek more love in your own life. Thus says the Great Falls Tribune (MO) in a timely Valentines Day article.

Pagan Invasion in New Zealand

It seems that that official statistics show thousands of New Zealanders “follow the pagan way of life.” [The last census showed over 1800 wiccans, spiritualists, and druids in NZ.] Organizers of a pagan festival to be held at Morrinsville say paganism is “so hot right now. We have school teachers, nurses, doctors, lawyers, police officers.” While admitting that some groups “address the dark side and form a relationship with it,” the organizers promised that nudity and Satan would be banned from the Feb 14,15 festival.

Mark of the Beast?

Virginia’s House of Delegates just passed a law forbidding companies to force their employees to be implanted with tracking devices. Virginia state Delegate Mark Cole, who proposed the law, expressed concern that the electronic implants might turn out to be the “mark of the beast” spoken of in the Book of Revelation. Not exactly news of the occult. But interesting.

Paranormal Home Inspections?

The Salem, Oregon News recently reported that OPHIR, the Occult & Paranormal House of Investigative Research in Salem, is offering a unique service. Their investigators will visit a house or piece of property and make sure that it is not “stigmatized” by the presence of real or rumored ghosts. The investigators pour through records to make sure no murders or other such events have taken place on the premises, and also offer a series of three on-site paranormal probes. While a fee is charged for the research, no fee is charged for the paranormal investigation itself. “That’s our passion,” says Berrnard Powell, OPHIR’s founder.

Speaking of Investigations

In Port Townsend, Washington, another group, PIHA, Pasranormal Investigations of Historic America, is probing the basement of the Palace Hotel, which is said to be haunted by “the Lady in Blue.” According to Robin Alexis, star of the local Mystic Radio talk show, the basement is filled with a host of ghosts. However, after she chanted in the basement one early February Friday night, Alexis claims there is “one less tortured soul” there. The investigation was given extensive coverage in the online Olympia Peninsula Daily News.

A Store to Believe In?

On February 7th the Philadelphia Enquirer featured Botanica Maria, a store that carries an eclectic supply of crucifixes, holy water, saints’ statues and magical candles and herbs for the practice of Santeria, a religion that promises healing and good luck that is common in Latino neighborhoods. The customers come “seeking money, prosperity, open roads,” says the store owner. The Episcopal vicar of a nearby church observes, “When people have something to believe in, they have a little hope in the future. To have good luck, and good things in this life.”

Pink Ouija Boards, No Less

According to a Fox News report on February 6th, Hasbro toys sells a hot pink ouija board targeting young girls’ sleepover parties. Hasbro has sold ouija boards since 1967, although company officials claim the $19.95 product is being “phased out.” The pink edition is available on Amazon.com for $33.99. While Christians have labeled Ouija a dangerous game that “opens up a person to spiritual attack,” the Toy Industry Association told Fox News that Ouija is just another game designed to bring “fun and excitement” to children.

Prejudice, or Just Zoaning?
The Carroll Country [GA] Board of Commissioners heard residents’ claim that the refusal of the Zoning board to issue a conditional-use permit for an “ecumenical pagan group” to use a 33 acre tract as a retreat was motivated by prejudice, not valid zoning concerns. The claim of the “Church of the Spiral Tree” [shades of Avitar!] was refuted by the Zoning board, that stated the denial was based on storage units that were being used as housing on the property. The Board voted 3 to 2 to deny the request.

Don’t Break Wiccan Pacts
In Everett, Washington, Eric Christensen was charged with the murder of Sherry Harlan. Seems Sherry entered into a “Wiccan Blood Oath” not to see Eric’s rival again. When she broke the oath, which was witnessed by another Wiccan, Eric stabbed her and dismembered her body.

Psychic Speed Dating
The Brits are at it again. Fill half a room with folks yearning for love, and the other half with psychics. Spend three minutes with the crystal ball [interpreted by one of the psychics, of course], and move on to the next crystal ball and seer. What you supposedly get is “individual insights into your future for love.” And you get 25 stations for one price! It’s supposedly rather expensive, but you do get a love spell thrown in. And if the one question you’re allowed at each station isn’t enough, you can sign up for 10 more minutes for only 10 Pounds-sterling. So if you’re ever visiting Liverpool England, you can go to the Thomas Hotel on Victoria Street the first Wednesday of every month for Psychic Speed Dating.