A reader tipped us to this story this morning: seems the Olean pentacle display was installed after all, and lasted about a week before a resident backed over it with a pickup truck last night. Interestingly, police are investigating the incident as a possible hate crime.

Update: Reader Corinne sends us a link with a picture.

I think I would have assumed this would be accomplished first by an Atheist, but I just have to love the idea that it was a Raelian who convinced Federal officials to change the citizenship oath to exclude mentions of god. Raelians do not generally believe in gods, but aver that life was created on earth by an advanced extra-terrestrial civilization.

Many Asatruar reserve this date as a 'day of remembrance' for the Viking warrior poet Egil Skallagrimsson, who is to many the embodiment of the "Viking Ideal." Egil was a violent, often bloodthirsty pagan fighter, but also a healer, an accomplished poet, adventurer, and devoted family man who prized loyalty.

See also: Egil Skallagrimsson and the Viking Ideal, The Grave of Egil Skallagrimsson Found?

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Sufis worldwide will commemmorate the death of twelfth century Muslim mystic philosopher Abu al-Ghazzali today. Al Ghazzali, who is sometimes referred to as the "Thomas Aquinas of Islam," authored numerous important texts that helped shape Islamic philosophy, including The Incoherence of the Philosophers and The Alchemy of Happiness.

It's been a full moon all year, or at least it seems that way.

Creationists didn't fare too well. First, they picked the worst possible spokesperson. A Florida official is opposing state science standards on grounds they refuse to teach "alternate theories," by which I assume he means the Flying Spaghetti Monster...

Another creationist claims he was fired for his creationist beliefs and deserves compensation, even though he went to his boss beforehand to claim those same beliefs would prevent him from completing the job for which he had been hired. It's a bit like going to work for Nasa and insisting they accommodate flat-earth beliefs.

Creationists were possibly the least absurd, though. Summons issued to the Hindu deities Hanuman and Ram went unanswered, because the addresses were "incomplete," so thwe deities have now been ordered by a judge to make personal appearances in court.

A congregation who wished to replace their hideous church building with a nicer one found themselves unable, because their monstrosity is now a historic monstrosity. Don't like it, too bad- yiou'll be seeing it for a long, long time.

Who'd have guessed snake-handling as a religious practice makes foster agencies unhappy? All the same, it seems they ought to be allowed to worship as they please.

Mistletoe's standing as an icon of the winter holiday stems from very ancient beliefs. How did this rather ugly, poisonous plant became so popular? The answer lies in ancient sun worship, particularly of the Celtic Druids.

The mistletoe has several qualities that made it attractive to these tree revering ancient Celts. The Celtic Druids were skilled in herbal medicine and magic; mistletoe was by far the most sacred of their magical plants. It grew amongst the branches of the sacred trees, seemingly without sustenance. Having no roots, and thus no connection to the earth, it was considered the sacred plant of the sun.

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The Scotsman comes through with another interesting bit of local occult history. In this instance, it's all about Aleister Crowley's famous dwelling, Boleskine House, and its inevitible ties to Led Zeppelin. A little more melodramatic than usual, but still an interesting read.

Related: English Heretic's Black Plaques

"It is now the month of December, when the greatest part of the city is in a bustle. Loose reins are given to public dissipation; everywhere you may hear the sound of great preparations" Seneca

Along with all the griping going on about the so-called "War on Christmas," we've been seeing a lot of wagging fingers reminding us at every opportunity to remember the "Reason for the Season," and inevitably, these folks are referring to Jesus. The truth is, not very many of the traditions associated with Christmas are Christian- or have anything to do with the birth of Jesus.

The world's oldest and most universally popular holiday celebration has always centered around the winter solstice- marked by the ancients as the birthday of the sun- after which the days get progressively longer, warmer, and more temperate. In cold climates, this celebration was a very welcome break from the monotony of cramped quarters, lean meals, and frayed nerves. In ancient Rome, the largest holiday was the Saturnalia, in honor of the harvest god Saturn. Not many people today have even heard of Saturnalia, or know that most of their holiday customs are directly descended from that most ancient ancient holiday season.

Continued...

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In most parts of the world, Winter is cold and harsh; the Christmas tree, with its ornaments and twinkling lights, is a sign of warmth and gaity. The Christmas tree is such a popular symbol of the winter holiday that it has been adopted by people of many faiths all over the world. The custom of decorating an evergreen with lights and ornaments is ostensibly Christian, but its roots lie deep in the Pagan past.

Many ancient cultures perceived trees to be symbols of the universe, and trees were often associated with the many pagan solar deities whose birthdays were celebrated during the winter solstices. In ancient times, the survival of mankind was wholly dependent on the seasons, and solstice rituals encouraged the sun god's return to power. Evergreen trees in particular were seen as symbols of divinity and immortality, because they do not 'die' as other trees do. Thus, the return of the sun at the winter solstice was symbolized by the evergreen.*

In ancient Greece, the God Attis, the son/consort of the Mother Goddess Cybele, was believed to have died and been resurrected.** His birthday was celebrated on December 25th, and decorated evergreen trees were carried in processions in his honor.

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The town of Bishop Hill, Illinois, celebrates Christmas the really old-fashioned way, with a seven-foot tall, prank playing goat known as the Julbock, or "Yule goat," an ancient pagan Scandinavian gift-giver. Played by an anonymous resident, Bishop Hill's Julbock is a merrymaking prankster who preys on fellow residents. the Julbock is still a feature in Scandinavian holiday decorating; straw figurines representing the impish goat is ubiquitous in Sweden at Christmastime.

More Julbock fun: Gavle, Sweden, is home to the world's largest Julbock, who is also victim to random annual arson. You can even watch out for the inevitable on the live webcams provided by the citizens of Gavle.