Pagan Culture

For many Halloween is a time for fun and dressing up, but for others it has a greater significance - some believe it to be a time for tradition and celebration while others perceive it assomething altogether more sinister."Witches, beware.

Mummies, be gone. Halloween may be a celebration of all things creepy and macabre, but a growing number of US communities are shunning traditional ghoulish festivities, seen by some as tainted by associationwith paganism and the occult."

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A massive altar dedicated to an eastern cult deity has emerged during excavations of a Roman fort in northern England.

Weighing 1.5 tons, the four-foot high ornately carved stone relic, was unearthed at the Roman fort of Vindolanda, which was built by order of the Emperor Hadrian between 122-30 A.D.

The Romans built the defensive wall across the north of Britain from Carlisle to Newcastle-on-Tyne, to keep out invading armies from what is now Scotland.

What should have been part of the rampart mound near to the north gate of the fort has turned out to be an amazing religious shrine," said archaeologist Andrew Birley.

A jar and a shallow dish is depicted on one side of the altar, while the other side shows a god-like figure standing on the back of a bull, with a thunderbolt in one hand and a battle axe in the other.

Romans called this god Juppiter Dolichenus, but it was originally an ancient weather god, known to the Semitic peoples of the Middle East as Hadad and to the Hittites as Teshab.

It was in its war-like representation that the Anatolian god Juppiter of Doliche became a favorite deity among Roman soldiers.

Indeed, an inscription indicates that the altar was dedicated to the Dolichenus god by "Sulpicius Pudens, prefect of the Fourth Cohort of Gauls."

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A Roman mosaic floor filled with scenes depicting pagan rites and oriental gods has emerged from the ground of a Catholic church in Italy, archaeologists announced. The mosaic pavement, which measures 13 square meters (140 square feet) and dates to the fourth century A.D., was unearthed at a depth of about 4 meters (13 feet) below the the ground's surface during archaeological investigations in the crypt of the Cathedral of Reggio Emilia, in central-northern Italy."The size and design of themosaic pavement suggest that it formed the floor of a huge room.

We believe this was the residence of a wealthy Roman," Renata Curina, the archaeologist in charge of the dig, told Discovery News. The fact that depictions of pagan gods had lain for hundreds of years just a few meters under the cathedral doesn't come too much as a surprise, according to the archaeologist."The church was built on top of preexisting building structures. This is rather normal in Reggio Emilia. We can see that little care was taken of the mosaic floor, since pillars are built on top of it," Curina said. Made up of small tesserae -- tiny tiles -- of different materials, which include colored stones, glass cameos and golden leaves, the intricate mosaic floor features geometric designs of circles and squares with little figuresof dancers, flowers and birds such as magpies and peacocks. What makes the mosaic unique, however, are three large mythological scenes. "So far all scenes show naked figures. We are still trying to figure out their meaning. I believe that more clues might come to light as we continue to dig," Curina said. The scenes are rather unusual. One shows a naked man falling into someone's arms, another displays two naked figures -- a man and a woman -- wearing jewels. The woman holds a just caught fish, while the man holds two live ducks. Another extraordinary scene shows a naked man wearing an ivy crown and holding a lotus flower in his right hand. In his left hand, the mysterious character holds a lituus. This is a crooked cane which in ancient Rome was used by the augurs as a cultinstrument.......

The Rev. Kirk White sat Sunday under a huge tree on Legislative Mall, warning scores who sat in a circle on the ground around him that these are significant times for their faith. By caring for the earth and each other, promoting interfaith cooperation, giving individual service for others and championing the freedom of faith for all, he said, "We are changing the world, but we are tiny."They are pagans, dictionary-defined as those who are not Christian, Muslim or Jew, often recognizing multiple gods. That includes Wiccans, from a variety of nature-based traditions, which often use the pentagram, a star in acircle, as their symbol.Estimates of the faith's numbers range from about 200,000 nationwide to three times more than that, although there is no accurate state-by-state count, said White, a Vermont resident. And while many refuse to acknowledge their faith, he said, it has been recognized by the American Academy of Religion. Hundreds gathered Sunday for the Delmarva Pagan Pride Festival, being held for the sixth time and the first since organizers changed its name from the Dover Pagan Pride Day. Ivo Dominguez Jr., of Georgetown, said a committee plans the event each year, with the Bell, Book & Candle shop providing meeting space, a copier and aid, while the Assembly of the Sacred Wheel, a Wiccan tradition based in the mid-Atlantic states, lends backing as a certified nonprofitgroup. Traci Coleman of Dover, a Wiccan, helps "herd the cats," he said, and "every year, the event magically comes together." The festival began in Newark, skipped a couple of years and became annual a few years ago in Dover, he said.

While admission is free, donations were encouraged for area food banks. White, guest of honor and an author about magic, spells and rituals, considers himself a witch, Druid and pagan as well as a teacher, healer, magician, minister and more. Event organizers also say he has taught about various Wicca and witchcraft topics more than 25 years and founded pagan churches. White warned the crowd that pagans must be responsible because their faith became an acknowledged religion quickly, getting official recognition in only three years. Pagans cannot afford to haveuntrained couns......