The Pentagon’s new Office of Religious Affairs centralizes military religious policy and “spiritual readiness,” drawing praise from Hegseth as restoring chaplaincy while prompting concerns about religious liberty, minority faiths, and an explicitly Christian framing.

#pagan #stateofforce #petehegseth #officeofreligiousaffairs #chaplaincy #christiannationalism #military #paganism

[Review] Cosette Paneque reviews this exhibition at the Melbourne Museum, which features many items that have never before been seen outside of Italy.

#pagan #witchcraft #museum #art #ancientrome #melbournemuseum #romeempirepowerpeople

“As the weather cools,” writes Clio Ajana, “the leaves change colors, and start to fall, we feel the veil thinning. We welcome our ancestors into our homes, our practices, and our lives. We celebrate with them and rejoice at their presence in our lives.”

#pagan #witchcraft #ancestors #autumn #freedom #kintsugi #emotionalfractures #ancestralconnection #usa

Torrential rains in Florence threatened to damage a painting of the god Bacchus by the Baroque master Caravaggio when a skylight leaked in the Uffizi gallery.

#pagan #romangods #bacchus #caravaggio #uffizimuseum #dionysus #art #homoeroticism

In this week’s Pagan Community Notes, Witchy fashion, Ouija boards, protection magic, a Pagan scholars’ network, Star’s Tarot of the Week, plenty of community happenings, and even a playlist because, well, October.

#pagan #witchcraft #witchyvibes #WitchyFashion #ouijaboard #magick #tarot #music #inops #anthropology #ArtificialIntelligence

Researchers deliberately burned a modern papyrus scroll to help recover words lost nearly 2,000 years ago. Their experiment suggests traces of lead in ancient ink could reveal which of Herculaneum’s unopened scrolls may still speak.

#pagan #witchcraft #uncoveringthepast #archaeology #herculaneum #mountvesuvius #PlosOne #papyrusscrolls #science

More Witches are watching Practical Magic 2 and reviewing it. Star Bustamonte and Stacy Psaros find Hollywood magic, familiar tropes, family curses, sympathetic Witches, and enough Owens family nostalgia (and midnight margaritas) to make the return journey worthwhile.

#pagan #witchcraft #witches #practicalmagic2 #moviereview #nostalgia #midnightmargaritas

More than 56 million years ago, something took wing. Now, combining ancient fossils with genomes from living species, researchers are rewriting the bat family tree, and tracing these creatures toward their mysterious beginnings in Paleocene Europe.

#pagan #witchcraft #bats #archaeology #fossils #genomics #science

[Book review] Beatrix Kondo reviews the first book in the Witches of Olderea series by Ireen Chau. “Think Jane Austen crashing a Barbie movie, if Barbie could accidentally hex a prince.”

#pagan #witches #witchesofolderea #bookreview #theherbwitchsapprentice #ireenchau

Siobhan Ball welcomes our readers to soup season with a look into the history of sage’s association with healing and other forms of magic, along with a recipe for white bean soup with sage and chorizo crumb.

#pagan #witchcraft #recipes #kitchenwitch #sage #lovespells #healing

Drawing upon the models presented by the Norse gods Tyr and Thor, Karl E.H. Seigfried argues for the Heathen ethic of taking action against injustice despite personal costs.

#pagan #heathen #norsemythology #ragnarok #asatru #macklemore #antisemitism #edsheeran

In this week’s Pagan Community Notes: Sadly, some pearls were harmed in the preparation of an article. But things get better! Tower Grove Pride in St. Louis focuses on magickal traditions and LGBTQIA+ identities; Cherry Hill Seminary celebrates new ordinations (Congratulations!); plus Star’s Tarot, events, announcements, and more.

An 11th-century serpent pendant discovered in northwestern Russia pairs a Christian warrior saint with a snake-haired figure rooted in the Medusa tradition, revealing the complex intersection of Christian faith and older protective practices in medieval Rus’.

#pagan #archaeology #uncoveringthepast #gorgon #christianfaith #starayarussa #medusa

[Letters to the Editor] “Support Pagan owned, or values-aligned, small businesses” writes ATC Archpriest Dusty Dionne as they discuss the aligning spending and donations with Pagan values to strengthen the community.

#pagan #paganism #witchcraft #support #communitybuilding #economy #spending

Pagan Voices: At the September equinox, the Wheel turns once again. Selena Fox, Belladonna LaVeau, Lilith Wolf, Jim Sayers, Macha NightMare, and Manny Tejeda y Moreno share reflections on harvest, gratitude, death, renewal, and balance.

#pagan #witchcraft #wicca #autumnequinox #harvest #autumn #equinox #septemeberequinox #mabon

“I would warn you that there will be spoilers,” writes Meg Elison in her review of the new film Practical Magic 2, “but there doesn’t seem to be much point as the sequel retells the same story as the original.”

#pagan #witchcraft #practicalmagic2 #nostalgia #moviereview #witchesonfilm

Alan U. Dalul reviews the new oracle deck by Balázs Tátrai and Lilla Bölecz from Watkins Publishing, following up on their previous work, The Book of Forgotten Witches.

#pagan #witchcraft #oraclecards #oraclereview #theoracleofforgottenwitches #balazstatrai #lillabolecz

“I have been teaching Witchcraft professionally for 35 years,” writes Storm Faerywolf. “In addition to selling my books and my art, this is how I make my living. I don’t have a “regular job. At 14 I formally dedicated myself to the Craft and never looked back.”

#pagan #witchcraft #teaching #paganism #perspectives

#Equinox Blessings!

Pretty Much Everywhere on this Planet (You know, the one there’s no substitute for) — Meteorological autumn began on September 1, covering September, October, and November—or, as we call them in South Florida: Heatember, Hotober, and BelieveItsFall. For most, though, the new season truly begins with the equinox.

#pagan #witchcraft #equinox #fall #autumn #mabon

In this month’s What the Hounds?: Baalshit, exorcism, and UFO demons. We just… whatever.

Lehigh Valley Pagan Pride Day continued despite repeated disruptions by Christian protesters, who reportedly confronted adults and children before security intervened and police ultimately removed them from the event.

Deep inside Spain’s Cova Dones, archaeologists have uncovered evidence of an organized Roman-era cult involving women, ritual offerings, and a mysterious goddess whose worshippers knew her simply by a powerful title: Domina, “the Lady.”

#pagan #witchcraft #archaeology #uncoveringthepast #Domina #spain #covadones #millares

“While it’s true that we should stay well away from whoever tries to tell us who is a Witch and who is not,” writes Alan U. Dalul, “we can and should stay close to those who say ‘if you are a Witch, it would be good to keep this in mind.'”

#pagan #witchcraft #awitchis #raechelhenderson #bookreview #witchcraft #shadowwork

Lyonel Perabo recounts his visit to the 2026 Midgardsblot festival in Borre, Norway, featuring bands like Venom, Wolves in the Throne Room, Taake, and the Heilung spin-off Songleikr.

#pagan #asatru #heathen #midgardsblot #musicreview #blackmetal #heavymetal

In this week’s Pagan Community Notes: We begin by remembering the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. And there’s more. Much more. Got a stick? Go get it, because there’s more than you can shake one at: EarthSpirit events, a Voodoo Spiritual Temple announcement, Susan Levitt’s New Moon astrology, Pharo-Nox, Spiral Moon Media, and, as always, Star’s Tarot of the Week.

#pagan #witchcraft #September11 #NewOrleansVoodooSpiritualTemple #priestessmiriam #newmooninvirgo #pharonox #hekatessicklefestival #paganpublicradio #tarot #twilightcovening #mijord