News from the Nest
In Pictures: Pagan Pride Parade 2010
Fri, 08/06/2010 - 10:53pmNottingham's first Pagan Pride Parade took place on Sunday, 1 August 2010. It is the only event of its type outside of London.
Update: Accused Witch Pleads Guilty To Fraud, Leaves Lawyer In Ruins
Fri, 08/06/2010 - 10:53pmA Toronto lawyer caught out by a fraudster originally accused of practising witchcraft used his victim impact statement to rail against what he sees as the lax approach to white-collar crime in Canada. Noel Daley, an experienced criminal lawyer originally from Newfoundland, was in court last week to see Vishwantee Persaud plead guilty to four counts of fraud. Persaud fooled Daley into belie
Aurora Alert: The Sun Is Waking Up (w/ Video)
Thu, 08/05/2010 - 7:45pmSky viewers might get to enjoy some spectacular Northern Lights, or aurorae, tomorrow. After a long slumber, the Sun is waking up. Early Sunday morning, the Sun's surface erupted and blasted tons of plasma (ionized atoms) into interplanetary space. That plasma is headed our way, and when it arrives, it could create a spectacular light show. "This eruption is directed right at us, and is expecte
Celtic Tales Updated for Today's Drug and Thug Ireland (Book Review)
Thu, 08/05/2010 - 7:45pmAncient Celtic myths tell of vengeful thieves, backstabbing comrades, inebriated thugs, and wicked women. This collection brings characters inspired by these dubious role models into (mostly) todays Ireland. Their mobile phoning and pill-popping counterparts rely on criminal pursuits and the pursuit of criminals. The beer, the wanton women, and the chemicals may be more exotic in the retellings
A Warlock Washed By The Blood
Thu, 08/05/2010 - 7:45pmSteven Beaty was a self-professed warlock. As a Wiccan, he cast spells and had several dark demonic encounters. His trek to the dark side began in 2001 when his girlfriend had a miscarriage. "When it didnt work out and the baby was stillborn, I was completely crushed. I had no idea where to go, where to turn," Steven tells The 700 Club. "I couldnt think. All I could think about was how badl
Drink, Dance, Flirt And Fall In Love With The Earth
Thu, 08/05/2010 - 7:45pmI went to Oldcastle on Thursday evening, because the library was hosting a talk by Malachy Hand about Loughcrew, as part of the Le Chéile Festival. Loughcrew is the nearby megalithic burial ground dating back more than 3,000 years. The speaker was introduced, and the talk commenced. He focused particularly on Sliabh na Caillighe, or The Mountain of Witches, where, according to legend, thousands
Was Shakespeares Prospero Really 16th-Century Sorcerer Francis Stewart?
Thu, 08/05/2010 - 7:45pmWe dont have a Dan Brown blockbuster this summer. For readers who need a conspiracy-theory fix, heres the subversive history that connects The Da Vinci Code (the secret descendants of Jesus) with The Lost Symbol (the cult practices of Freemasonry). The secret knowledge is all right there in The Tempest, Shakespeares story of a marooned magician who conjures a shipwreck to confront and confound
Clergy Burnout
Thu, 08/05/2010 - 7:45pmThe findings have surfaced with ominous regularity over the last few years, and with little notice: Members of the clergy now suffer from obesity, hypertension and depression at rates higher than most Americans. In the last decade, their use of antidepressants has risen, while their life expectancy has fallen. Many would change jobs if they could. Public health experts who have led the studies
Elder Offers A Dose Of Preventative Medicine
Wed, 08/04/2010 - 8:35pmThe elder tree is in an honored class of plants reaching a legendary, supernatural status. European folklore surrounds elder with stories of its powers, rumors of it being the tree from which Judas hanged himself, and warnings to anyone who treats it disrespectfully, as it is a protector from evil and home to the fairies. Before harvesting any part of elder, the custom is to make an offering to
Behold The Mighty Power Of The Sunflower
Wed, 08/04/2010 - 8:35pmSunflowers constitute the worlds largest family of plants. In this context largest means total number of species. More than any moss or fern, any pea or pine, the sunflowers populate the world with diversity. In fact, the sunflower family alone outnumbers all the mosses and ferns combined or even all the peas and pines combined. The current best information divides the sunflower family in
Is The Tea-Party Movement Islamophobic?
Wed, 08/04/2010 - 8:35pmThe current wave of anti-mosque protests around the country represents a new threat to the religious freedom of Muslims in America a threat directed not just at terrorists who act in the name of Islam, but at all Muslims and Islam itself. Incidents of discrimination and bias aimed at Muslim Americans have been rising since the 9/11 terrorist attacks. But anti-Muslim rhetoric has taken an omin
Local Atheists Say They 'Want A Seat At The Table'
Wed, 08/04/2010 - 8:35pmThe monthly social gathering of Charlotte Atheists and Agnostics is very much in progress on a recent Thursday night. Crowded into the downstairs section of a neighborhood bar and grill, about 70 members - all wearing buttons that spell out their first names, but not their last - chat away between sips of beer and wine. There's a lot to talk about. Their group's decision to put up a billboard
Will Heavy Metal Be A Religion On The Next UK Census?
Wed, 08/04/2010 - 8:35pmStanding in the palm court of a large central London hotel, to the accompaniment of a lightly plinking piano, Biff Byford, lead singer of 1980s heavy metal behemoths Saxon, is preaching to convert the non- ferrous among us to his cause. "Heavy metal is a tribal music and everyone is a member of the tribe," he explains. "The audience is very, very loyal especially the Germans. It's not like pop mu
Byron Ballard Loves Her Earth Religion, And Her Community
Wed, 08/04/2010 - 8:35pmOver the years, Byron Ballard has been a bookseller, writer, actor, PTA mom, pastry cook, theater manager, winemaker, community volunteer, administrative assistant, scenery painter and maker of jellies and jams to give as Christmas gifts. She's also a witch. And not just an ordinary witch, but a Wiccan high priestess. You'll find no warts on her nose, and the only use she has for a broom is
Protest Over Proposed Temecula Mosque
Tue, 08/03/2010 - 9:06pmA small group of protesters took over a patch of grass across from the Islamic Center of Temecula Valley on Friday for a vocal but relatively tame protest against a proposed mosque, though they were greatly outnumbered by supporters from area churches who were there to support the Islamic Center. The rally was held during the Islamic Center's Friday prayers and, at the urging of organizers, a f
ADL Opposes Ground Zero Mosque
Tue, 08/03/2010 - 9:06pmThe nation's leading Jewish civil rights group has come out against the planned mosque and Islamic community center near ground zero, saying more information is needed about funding for the project and the location is ''counterproductive to the healing process.'' The Anti-Defamation League said it rejects any opposition to the center based on bigotry and acknowledged that the group behind the p
Florida Church Plans Quran-Burning Event
Tue, 08/03/2010 - 9:06pmIn protest of what it calls a religion "of the devil," a nondenominational church in Gainesville, Florida, plans to host an "International Burn a Quran Day" on the ninth anniversary of the September 11, 2001, attacks. The Dove World Outreach Center says it is hosting the event to remember 9/11 victims and take a stand against Islam. With promotions on its website and Facebook page, it invites C
Lammas Celebrates First Harvest Of Fall Season
Tue, 08/03/2010 - 9:06pmHappy Lammas 2010!! The pagan holiday between the summer solstice, and the autumnal equinox has arrived, again. Lammas is marked from the sunset of August first, to the next day's sunset, as we move from days of all light, toward shorter days and longer nights. It is a season of endings and completion, a point between the free and easy times of summer, and the restrictions of winter. The
People Of Diverse Faiths Pursue A Lofty Goal In A Peace Hike Up Mt. Baldy
Tue, 08/03/2010 - 9:06pmThe mountain was supposed to impart energy to its pilgrims, but as he neared the top, Ashraf Carrim wasn't feeling it. Slumped on a boulder not far from the peak of Mt. Baldy, the Muslim imam from Torrance laughed when asked how he was faring on his hike. "Badly," he replied. A few feet away, the Rev. Jeffrey Utter of the United Church of Christ was girding himself for the final push. "I was na
Scalia: Supreme Court Should Not Be Moral Arbiters
Mon, 08/02/2010 - 8:50pmAntonin Scalia believes Supreme Court justices are all too often deciding the nation's morals from the bench. He thinks the nomination process has turned into "absurd political theater." And he has grown to loathe the "silly spectacle" surrounding State of the Union speeches. Scalia offered these insights and many others during an appearance in Montana this week that provided a unique glimpse i
