The Official newWitch Blog

The May 5 Washington Post featured Pagans who use rosaries or prayer beads as part of their regular worship practices. According to Meg Williams, a Pagan from Maine:

It makes me feel very connected to God…Going through this cycle of prayer, it switches your brain into recognizing that something holy is happening and God is with you.

Among the Pagan authorities quoted are Chas Clifton, Raven Kaldera and Christopher Penczak. Kudos to the Post for a well-researched, well-written, respectful and insightful article.

Every April 5, millions of Chinese people celebrate Qingming (”Clear and Bright”) Festival by tending the graves of their ancestors. Paper money and paper coins are left behind as an offering. Those who wish to ensure that their ancestors are especially prosperous can leave them replica bicycles, watches, sewing machines or even laptop computers. A mock Mercedes can be had for 4,000 yuan ($520) while a gazebo-sized imitation house goes for 30,000 yuan ($3,900).

Now some particularly devoted descendants are looking after their ancestors’ … other needs. A brisk trade has developed in paper Viagra(tm) and condoms, as well as paper female figurines.  Some say this is in poor taste: I suspect my ancestors would approve most heartily.

Bahucharaji, the patron deity of eunuchs in India’s Gujarat province, has a new devotee: a  transgendered Englishwoman named Pamela.  While residing in London, Pamela encountered a few Gujaratis who told her about Bahucharaji.  Intrigued, she went to the Internet and later had Bahucharaji’s image tattooed on her arm.

Today Pamela (also called “Prema” by Hindu devotees) resides in Bahucharaji’s temple in Becharaji, a town in northern Gujarat.  Clad in a saffron sari, she grants blessings to pilgrims, attends ceremonies and has become a strict vegetarian.  While she has inspired a bit of professional jealousy among some of the other eunuchs residing in the temple, the pilgrims accept her with no qualms.

Indiasnews has a fascinating article on Pamela: let’s hope she gets her visa renewed and is able to continue her work in the service of her goddess.

During Passover, observant Jews refrain from eating leavened bread or any food prepared from the five species of grain - wheat, barley, oats, spelt and rye - which can be used to make bread. Ashkenazic tradition also forbids rice, millet, corn and legumes (edible seeds) during this eight-day holiday.

This has led to some controversy among Rabbinical authorities, as they struggle with the question “are hemp seeds edible?” Israel’s Aleh Yarok (”Green Leaf”) party, is taking no chances. Said party spokeswoman Michelle Levine:

“We are warning our people not to eat anything with hemp products … on Pessah,” said party spokeswoman Michelle Levine. “We are considering announcing a ban on everything containing hemp just to be on the safe side. We are going with the rabbis on this. People should remove all cannabis and hemp from their homes.”

While your editor is not Jewish, sie is always happy to work toward interfaith relations. Hence, any observant Jews needing to get the hemp out of their house are free to “pass over” their extra cannabis this way: we will see that it is properly disposed of.