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British first: Pagan wins Halloween case

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For hundreds of years, Pagans have been persecuted by the law and people who didn’t understand their way of life and thus hated them for it. In 2013, British courts ruled in favor of a practicing Pagan against her employers with unfair dismissal, sexual and religious discrimination claims, receiving a total of £15,337.12. It is seen as the first ruling of this nature and a welcomed recognition for Pagans and their beliefs.

Karen Holland, aged 45, claimed that she was fired from the shop she was employed at in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, around Halloween after sharing her beliefs in Paganism. She went to the Feast of the Dead which is a traditional Pagan festival around Halloween. Once Gurnam Singh and Tarloch (brothers that owned the store) found out that she was a ‘witch’, they proceeded to ridicule her. They showed a clear disliking to the idea that she was a Pagan. Karen felt alienated by her bosses and shortly after Halloween, she was fired. Her bosses allegedly asked Karen if she rode around on a broom among other things, which they later denied saying. She said that she was made to feel that she had done something wrong just for following what she believed in.

Tarloch and Gurnam Singh claimed that she had been caught stealing a lottery ticket and magazine on camera, but later when asked to provide evidence, they said that they had deleted the footage. They denied ever ridiculing her about her beliefs, which they also couldn’t prove. Without the proper evidence for their case, the brothers could only deny what was being revealed in the tribunal.

The court ruled that Karen was to receive £6,145.44 for unfair dismissal and an additional £9,095.84 for charges of religious and sex discrimination. This ruling shows that all people, including Pagans, enjoy the same rights as everybody else.

The owners of the small shop say that the payout will put their business in jeopardy. They are challenging the court’s decision but without any evidence for their case, an overruling on the previous decision is unlikely.

It appears that Pagans across UK do not need to fear expressing their feelings about their religion as the law is firmly behind them and their rights as human beings.

In Pure Spirit

What do you make of the news? A step forward for religious equality or not?

Story: Daily Telegraph | Picture: Fixie Foo

Stunning Halloween visuals from Aer Lingus

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aer lingus

We’ll see a lot of Halloween marketing today. I don’t think this is a bad thing. It adds to the spirit and it is always good to see all sorts of companies jumping onto a pagan festival and giving it a boost.

A colleague shared this image from Aer Lingus and I just have to share. It reminded me that the Irish airline also flies to the States too.

The top 10 calorie burning scary movies

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Research from the University of Westminster shows that watching horror films can cause the body to burn calories.

The sudden fright / jump-scare scenes are the most effective and getting the body to respond as they increase the heart rate. Doctor Richard Macjenzie, who specialises in the study of cell metabolism at the university told The Guardian that;

“As the pulse quickens and blood pumps around the body faster, the body experiences a surge in adrenaline. It is this release of fast-acting adrenaline, produced during short bursts of intense stress (or in this case, brought on by fear), which is known to lower the appetite, increase the basal metabolic rate and ultimately burn a higher level of calories.”

This means that some horror movies are better at others when it comes to burning calories. As it happens The University of Westminster study looked at a number of movies and produced a top-ten.

The top 10 calorie burning horror films

  1. The Shining: 184 calories
  2. Jaws: 161 calories
  3. The Exorcist: 158 calories
  4. Alien: 152 calories
  5. Saw: 133 calories
  6. A Nightmare on Elm Street: 118 calories
  7. Paranormal Activity: 111 calories
  8. The Blair Witch Project: 105 calories
  9. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre: 107 calories
  10. [Rec]: 101 calories

In Pure Spirit

Have you seen any of those scary movies? Which others would you like to see the University test or will you be watching any this Halloween?

Polish Church warns of Halloween occult risk

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The Polish Press Agency is reporting that the archbishop of Szczecin-Kamien, of the Polish Catholic Church, will read out a letter at Sunday sermons that warns against the dangers of Halloween.

Demonic body tattoos for Halloween (via)

The archbishop is expected to say;

“This kind of fun, tempting children like candy, also poses the real possibility of great spiritual damage, even destroying spiritual life,”

The Church is believed to be concerned that Halloween promotes the occult and that modern Halloween includes rituals that contradict Church teaching and Christianity. One archbishop pointed out that the 31st of October celebrations were promoting paganism to young people.

Of course, the Polish Church is partly right – Halloween does have its roots in “pagan” religions of Europe; but so does Easter and the current date for Christmas. Other Churches have expressed concern before and last year an American movement asked Should JesusWeen replace Halloween?.

In Poland the All Saints religious feast is popular but the American-born practice of carving pumpkins and dressing up is becoming increasingly common.

In Pure Spirit

Do you agree with the Church? Are there occult rituals in Halloween? Is it wrong? Should good Christians celebrate Halloween?

Via BBC.

Most Haunted to return in 2012?

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Most Haunted was one of the most popular ghost hunting TV shows in the UK. Many would credit it with creating the genre. It has been off the air for years however there have been some developments.

In 2011 Sky Living decided not to recommission Most Haunted but did give the rights to the brand back to Antix Productions. Antix is the company owned by Karl Beattie and Yvette Fielding.

Karl wrote;

“Hi Guys Just wanted to give you the official news. SkyLiving has decided not to re-commission MH which is sad news, however, we have been given our rights back, so we can go to other broadcasters with it. I think that a new home and better investigation techniques will move MH into the next phase making it bigger and better than ever. We are very excited about MH’s future, so onwards and upwards my paranormal friends. xx”

In 2011 Antix did not manage to push Most Haunted back on air. They did manage a DVD called Most Haunted: Christmas Spirits which included previously unseen footage. The DVD is an example of the sort of thing Antix can produce with the license for Most Haunted back in their control.

There had been an attempt to push out a Halloween episode out in the same year. One again Beattie gave comment;

“Unfortunately we didn’t have enough time to get a programme sorted for halloween, getting all the rights back took much longer than first thought. But we are back now, next year we will be looking to go bigger and better than ever before and we will take halloween back. We are about to sign a very exciting deal with a very large company to take Most Haunted to the next level. So watch this space. And thanks for all of your support and undying loyalty, which in this industry is a very rare thing indeed, thank you all it means so much.”

As things stand now Antix has a relationship with Lionsgate, who helped distribute the DVD, but no TV channel to air the show on.

In Pure Spirit

To keep up to date with Most Haunted news then Facebook communities like Most Haunted: The Next Generation are a good way to go. Diehard fans rush to surface the latest hint of news.

Do you want Most Haunted back on TV?

The Court Oak pub in Harborne and the Halloween ghost

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Ghost hunters have investigated The Court Oak pub in Harborne and recorded some of their efforts for YouTube.

The pub is not very old and was built as recently as 1932, however it is believed that the building stands on ground used for hangings in the 17th century. Lillian Campbell, pub manager, moved into the Court Oak in 2000 and now believes in ghosts. Current pub manager Anne Tyler also made the news this week by talking to the press about the local ghosts. In a further twist, one of the suggested spirits is most active around Halloween.

The Mirror reveals The Court Oak’s problem with a ghost called “Corky”. According to Nuala Gallagher, who works for Sizzling Pubs, Corky smashes wine bottles unless they’re of good quality.

“It isn’t so much things that go bump in the night as things going smash in the night at the Court Oak.

“People have spotted the figure of a man, aged about 60, behind the bar and the staff have felt his presence numerous times over the years.

“But it is Corky’s insistence on certain wines that set him apart as a spirit.

“It only ever happens at this time of year when Halloween is in sight. If the pub has a house wine that is not to his liking, he makes his feelings known by smashing bottle after bottle of it in the cellar until it is changed for a wine he approves of.”

Before this week’s story, Lillian Campbell had given permission to paranormal investigators to examine the pub. The group looked into the legend that a woman was tried and executed on the harge of infanticide. It is believed the woman was hanged even though she was innocent.

In Pure Spirit

Do you believe in a Halloween ghost that appears just in time to ensure customers of the pub get good wine?

Have you been to the Court Oak pub in Harborne? Did you sense anything odd about the building while you stayed there?

Should JesusWeen replace Halloween?

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Do you have an opinion on some of the more colourful Christian movements that come from the United States?

What’s your view on Halloween? Do you think it’s still a religious occasion or is it just a good time holiday? This picture, which is now doing the rounds on the web, may interest you. The JesusWeen movement is paying good money to ask the question; “Should JesusWeen replace Halloween?”

Of course, many historians will point out that this is perfectly normal. It is possible that both Easter and Christmas were originally pagan holidays that were usurped by Chrisitan missionaries looking to bring their religion to Northern Europe.

JesusWeen, also known as JesusWin, is a not-for-profit group that looks to help people. They publish Bibles and encourage people to volunteer. Their website is accessible to most browsers.

In Pure Spirit

Do you have any thoughts on JesusWeen?

Are they silly or scary? Are they well-meaning but missing the target or is this exactly what modern America needs?

Myths and meanings of the Harvest Moon

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In the Northern Hemisphere tonight there will be a Harvest Moon. This is the full moon that happens to be closest to the autumn equinox and is special as the time difference between moonrise and successive evenings is shorter than usual.

The Harvest Moon tends to be large and more colourful than other moons of the year. This is because of the tilt of the earth and reflections from the atmosphere.

The Harvest Moon gets its name from the extra light it gives farmers – which mean in times before electricity that they had even longer to harvest their crops. The Harvest Moon, however, has other names. It’s known often as the Wine Moon as it is through this is when grapes are plump and ready for collecting. It’s called the Singing Moon as the festivals held to mark it would involve signing – it is the last full moon before Halloween. The moon has been called the Elk Call Moon too. The native American tribes may call a Harvest Moon that rises in September the Full Corn Moon and some European people may refer to it as the Gypsy Moon. The Chinese call the moon the Chrysanthemum Moon because of the illusion of the colour change.

The Celts would use the Harvest Moon to mark the time before Samhain and considered it a blessing. It would be a time of crop collection but also of large parties; signing, dancing and drinking.

The Norse noted that the Harvest Moon was often the first full moon after the first frost of the winter seasons. They considered it to be the most powerful moon of the year and associated with the trickster god Loki.

6 Moon Superstitions

  1. An old Chinese superstition suggests that your ears may fall off if you point to a moon.
  2. It’s dangerous to sleep with the moon shining on your face
  3. Seeing a new moon for the first time on a Monday is lucky
  4. Go outside with an empty purse or wallet, under a full moon, say “full up” nine times and within a few days you will come into money
  5. A red moon is the sign of war
  6. If the first time you see a new moon in a month is by looking over your right shoulder it is lucky
  7. If you rub an injury on a horse with silver during the light of a full moon then it will recover

In Pure Spirit

Will you be watching the Harvest Moon tonight? What does it mean to you?

What is Féile na Marbh?

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The festival Féile na Marbh is Gaelic by tradition. In Scotland and Ireland, it has become bundled into Samhain.

The phrase “Féile na Marbh” is Irish for Festival of the Dead.

In the past the festival itself could have lasted up to three days; beginning at the end of October. As a result, Féile na Marbh can be described as being both Samhain (Oidhche Shamhna in Scots Gaelic) and All Souls’ Day as well. There alternative historical theories; with some suggesting that Féile na Marbh concluded at the end of October after a three-day festival.

It is widely accepted that bonfires are important for Féile na Marbh. One Irish custom begins with a ritual fire being lit atop of the Hill of Tlachtga. This signalled the lighting of fires across the country. Villagers would throw the bones of slaughtered cattle into the flames. Hence the word “bonfire” from the origin “bone fire”. Villages would then relight their home fires with a flame taken from the main village bonfire; thus bonding the whole village together.

Féile na Marbh is considered a time when the curtain between worlds is weak. A time when the words of the living and the dead are close. The practice of turnip carving comes from a Celtic attempt to frighten spirits off.

The tradition of guising is still strong in Scotland. Children dress up as the dead (once again in the attempt to ward off the dead) and visit neighbours.

In Pure Spirit

Is Féile na Marbh a day or festival that’s important to you? How do you plan to mark it this year?

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