PaganSquare.com - WitchesAndPagans.com PaganSquare is a community blog space where Pagans can discuss topics relevant to the life and spiritual practice of all Pagans.
Concerns rise about oxygen depletion in the world's oceans. A mysterious and weird animal from the distant past is identified. And what exactly does "natural food" mean? It's Earthy Thursday, our weekly segment on science and Earth-related news! All this and more for the Pagan News Beagle!
It wasn't intentional but very nearly all of our stories today involve food. Read about the revolution of "cutting meat," the development of the modern Japanese diet, and more in today's Earthy Thursday, our weekly segment on science and Earth-related news! All this and more for the Pagan News Beagle!
The Minoans revered the sea, and that makes perfect sense. After all, they lived on an island just south of Greece. Granted, it's a fairly large one as islands go: about 260 km (160 miles) long and 60 km (37 miles) wide.
Still, the weather on Crete has always been mediated by the sea. And the Minoans plied their trade, becoming the wealthiest merchants of their time, by sailing large ships around the Mediterranean and probably even out the Straits of Gibraltar, up the Atlantic coast of Europe.
...
Why would a Pagan want to talk about pancakes? Pancake day heralds the Christian Lenten fast. Where exactly Lent starts depends on when Easter is going to fall, which in turn depends on the moon because the date comes to us from the traditional Jewish calendar, which is lunar. Granted, most modern Pagans are always up for a bit of seasonal feasting, and pancake day is the kind of tradition we cheerfully borrow. But there is more to the pancake than meets the eye and it’s worth poking about in the whys and wherefores of this little feast, because it has much to tell us about our ancestors who lived closer to the land.
I was at the allotment yesterday. There were leeks to harvest, the last of the Jerusalem artichokes, and there’s still some kale. We’ll be planting potatoes soon. It’s been a mild winter so there’s more growing than usual. The grain harvest was months ago, the fruit you stored at the start of winter will run out, the root vegetables you stored will be running out. Even if you’re freezing and pickling and using all the modern storage methods, the last harvest is diminishing and there’s no sign of any decent new crops yet.
...
Welcome back to Earthy Thursday, our weekly segment on Earth and science-related news. This week we take a look at agriculture and the work that goes into it. How might we make meat more sustainable? Did the ancient Maya use permaculture? And could agave help make our food more drought resistant? All this and more for the Pagan News Beagle!
In her 2004 novel Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell, Susanna Clarke cites a proverb of her alternate-history 19th-century, Napoleonic Era England:
The priest plants wheat, the witch plants rye.
Clarke reads this as meaning that "Some people just can't agree on anything." But I think there's more to it than that.
In today's Pagan News Beagle Fiery Friday, we have stories of interest to activist Pagans and their allies: religion in politics (Americans want more); religion in schools (Pagans want less); FL Governor Rick Scott gets hammered on global warming; smart phones for food justice; and cattle farmers build a local food economy.
Do Americans want more religion in political life? According to this Pew Center survey, the answer is a resounding "yes."
...
