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Alternative Faiths

At LA’s DisclosureFest, a milieu of New Age mysticism, capitalism and conspiracy talk
By Sam Kestenbaum — June 23, 2022
LOS ANGELES (RNS) — The annual event is equal parts musical carnival, mystic be-in and merchandise swap meet.

Wiccan celebration of summer solstice is a reminder that change, as expressed in nature, is inevitable
By Helen A. Berger — June 17, 2022

Where the witches were men: A historian explains what magic looked like in early modern Russia
By Valerie Kivelson — June 15, 2022
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Tallying the dead is one thing, giving them names would take an ‘inexhaustible voice,’ as the ancient Greeks knew
By Joel Christensen — June 7, 2022
(The Conversation) — A scholar of Greek classics revisits the texts to bring lessons on how to honor the lives lost to the COVID-19 pandemic.

How to make a thousand witches with one Supreme Court decision
By Heather Greene — June 6, 2022
(RNS) — Magic has always been, in lore and in life, a tool of the oppressed.

SoulCycle’s Peoplehood offers a gig-economy cure for loneliness
By Tara Isabella Burton — June 4, 2022
(RNS) — Intimate connection for urban dwellers may be the modern answer to pandemic loneliness.

How the role and visibility of chaplains changed over the past century
By Wendy Cadge and Michael Skaggs — June 1, 2022
(The Conversation) — Chaplaincy emerged as a professional field in the mid-20th century. In the years since, their roles have evolved and they have also come to include many diverse religious traditions.

How a witch is using her grandmother’s Slavic magic to aid Ukraine’s war effort
By Emily McFarlan Miller — May 20, 2022
(RNS) — Madame Pamita's new book 'Baba Yaga's Book of Witchcraft' was released just after Russia's invasion of Ukraine — 'exactly at the time that it was so needed,' she said.

Satanic Temple follows ‘Judeo-Christian’ group’s SCOTUS win with flag request
By Heather Greene — May 6, 2022
(RNS) — The Satanic Temple's aim is to test whether the city's court-ordered acceptance of flags from religious groups includes a commitment to plurality. 

Pagans honor the Earth on May Day. But for many, nature is not enough.
By Heather Greene — May 2, 2022
(RNS) — Holidays such as Beltane can lead to a misunderstanding that all paganism is pantheism.

Mother’s Day gift guide: Something for everyone who mothers
By Emily McFarlan Miller — May 2, 2022
(RNS) — There are many thoughtful ways that individuals, churches and other houses of worship can celebrate those who do the work of mothering.

The climate crisis is increasingly a refugee crisis, faith resettlement groups say
By Emily McFarlan Miller — April 22, 2022
(RNS) — For more than 80 years, LIRS has helped resettle refugees — increasingly those refugees have been displaced due to climate disasters.

Weezer’s spiritual quartet of albums kicks off with beloved pagan chant
By Heather Greene — April 18, 2022
(RNS) — Weezer also plans to inject a distinct spiritual flavor into each EP and a broader religious narrative into the entire series.

Sacred hares, banished winter witches and pagan worship – the roots of Easter Bunny traditions are ancient
By Tok Thompson — April 14, 2022
(The Conversation) — A folklorist explains the prehistoric origins of the mythical Easter Bunny and why this longstanding cultural symbol keeps returning each spring.

‘We expect to win.’ Ayahuasca churches vow to remain as court case largely dismissed.
By Alejandra Molina — April 8, 2022
(RNS) — 'The DEA is attempting to close off all avenues for us to practice or engage in our spiritual practice,' said Scott Stanley, founder of the Arizona Yagé Assembly.
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