Leicester Pagan Alliance

 Campaigners are calling for a change in the law to make it a criminal offence to demonise a child, it is reported.

The move comes after police told the BBC that they were unable to charge an African pastor who accused children of witchcraft in this country.

Pastor Dieudonne Tukala was arrested on suspicion of inciting child cruelty last January following a joint investigation by the Today programme and Newsnight.

A BBC investigation broadcast last year connected Pastor Dieudonne Tukala to a case where a father branded his son with an iron because he believed the child was a witch.

It also spoke to other parents who said Tukala told them to send their children back to Africa where he could pray for them to die.

In an interview broadcast on Today and Newsnight on Thursday night, the Pastor denies having accused children of witchcraft or of having seen the boy who was branded with a steam iron.

So-called “child witches” have been murdered in some African countries.

The Metropolitan Police launched an inquiry, but after 10 months of investigation no charges have been brought. It is not against the law to accuse a child of witchcraft or to pray for a child to die.

Debbie Ariyo, director of the charity AFRUCA told Today: “You’re telling a child that you’ve been responsible for killing people, destroying people’s lives – that does actually constitute emotional abuse.”

Asked if religious leaders who accuse a child of witchcraft should face jail, Ms Ariyo said: “I think they should.”

guardian.co.uk

Robert Anton Wilson, co-author of The Illuminatus Trilogy and author of The Cosmic Trigger and other books, died on January 11, 2007. The final entry of his blog states:

Robert Anton Wilson Defies Medical Experts and leaves his body @4:50 AM on binary date 01/11.

RAW Memorial February 2007
date to be announced

GMT

Legend of Eclipse Types:
 
T – Total Solar Eclipse
A – Annular Solar Eclipse
H – Hybrid (Annular/Total)
P – Partial Solar Eclipse

t – Total Lunar Eclipse (Umbral)
p – Partial Lunar Eclipse (Umbral)
n – Penumbral Lunar Eclipse 

A new race for the moon is underway, with countries around the globe preparing to return man to the lunar surface for the first time since 1972.

India, the US, China, Russia, and even the UK are developing and finessing programmes for a moon landing. Many of these plans are in the early stages, but in its report ‘2006 Space Year in Review’ Ascend, the world’s leading provider of information and consultancy to the global aerospace industry, shows the race is clearly hotting up.

The UK is considering joining NASA’s current space exploration programme, Project Constellation on a bilateral basis. In 2006, NASA chose the Crew Exploration Vehicle for Project Constellation, selecting a design by Lockheed Martin. With a capsule design resembling the Apollo spacecraft, the craft, called the Orion, is a significant move for NASA away from shuttle-like vehicles.

In 2006, Russia also shelved its proposed mini-shuttle, preferring to concentrate efforts on capsule designs, which have lower development costs and can also be used for lunar missions. India effectively announced it was starting a manned programme when scientists asked for clearance to start work; a moon landing is their eventual aim.

Meanwhile, China underlined its good launch record in 2006. And while there were no manned flights, the Chinese, too, have the moon in their sights. Also waiting in the wings are the Japanese and Europeans; their respective space programmes may have been relatively quiet last year, but they are known to be monitoring events with interest.

“Well, you wait 35 years for a lunar mission, then a whole bunch turn up at once,” remarked Gehan Talwatte, Managing Director, Ascend. “All the countries involved are taking the new space race seriously, as recent events in China have shown. With so many trips to the moon in the pipeline they’ll all need to work together to avoid the potential for conflict. It’s a really exciting time, but it’s also something of a surprise that it’s taken as long as it has to reinvigorate our interest in visiting our nearest neighbour. There’s still a way to go before the countdown reaches zero on any of these plans but they’re all lined up on the start line, and the race is very much on.”

LONDON-(Business Wire)

The supermodel Naomi Campbell flew to Rio de Janeiro last week to meet with Tuca Franchini, a Father Saint of the Candomble sect, which worships African gods, after she was sentenced in New York to five days community service for assaulting her maid.

Franchini – who has been described as Naomi’s ’spiritual guide’ – revealed the catwalk queen has a “passionate” belief in the mystical faith.

He told Britain’s Mail On Sunday newspaper: “She’s got very interested in it. She does not practise is as a faith, but she listens when I tell her the history because she is passionately involved in the roots of our African culture.”

He insisted that the main purpose of Naomi’s visit to the city was to meet with the mayor to discuss becoming a goodwill ambassador.

The model’s spokeswoman has dismissed claims that she is seeking the help of Candomble spirits with anger management.

She said: “Naomi has a lot of friends from various religions. She has a very strong belief system, but I don’t think she identifies herself with any one religion.

“It’s 100 per cent not true that she was consulting Mr Franchini because of what happened in New York. She flew to Rio to meet with the mayor about becoming a goodwill ambassador.”

We’ve entered the astrological time of Aquarius!

If you’re sun sign is in the sign of the Aquarian, you may exhibit the following main traits:

Unconventional
Humanitarian
Rebellious
Independent

Of course, it depends upon the rest of your birth chart, but most Aquarians have a taste for the unusual, both in themselves, other people, and experiences.  They are not necessarily wild and flamboyant, but rather wild and experimental in beliefs and ideas. Aquarians dislike predictability or stifling views. They’ll occasionally say or do something to shock others, or play devil’s advocate in an argument, all to keep others on their toes. Essentially, they want to push boundaries.

Many Aquarians, and those with prominent planets in Aquarius, will be the moral fighters of the world. They’ll take part in protests, petitions, and generally fighting the establishment for the sake of the little people. Their humanitarian streak runs deep and they can even give their lives over to the needs of the global community. On the less beneficial side, their wonderful ability to see the whole, can deny them intimate understanding of people themselves. This can mean a cold front towards the needs and emotions of individuals. They simply translate love better through large organisations and global movements.

Despite their unusual ideas and idealistic dreams, they’re actually realists. They typical Aquarian is fiercely logical and infinitely curious. Unfortunately, anyone fallen under the charms of an Aquarian – after all, their attention was so, well, attentive – might discover that their interest lies in the newness and difference of you, rather than you per se. Remember that ability for detachment hinted at above. This doesn’t mean they’re fickle, but pinning one down is a task in itself.

If you have an Aquarian child, stifling their creativity and sense of right to freedom will only fuel their rebellious streak.

The Aquarian month (starting from around the 20^th of January) means that we can all learn something from the sun’s flavour at this time.

The Aquarian sun shines down on us the abilities of independence, forward thinking and altruism. How will you bring these qualities into your life this month?

A Look at Candle Colors

White

A balance of all colors; Spiritual enlightenment, cleansing, clairvoyance, healing, truth seeking; Rituals involving lunar energy’ May be substituted for any color candle.

Yellow

Activity, Creativity, unity; brings power of concentration and imagination to a ritual; use in rituals where you wish to gain another’s confidence or persuade someone, or in rituals that require solar energy.

Gold

Fosters understanding and attracts the powers of cosmic influences; beneficial in rituals intended to bring about fast luck or money, or in rituals needing solar energy.

Pink

Promotes romance, friendship; standard color for rituals to draw affections; a color of femininity, honor, service, brings friendly, lively conversation to the dinner table.

Red

Health, passion, love, fertility, strength, courage, willpower; increases magnetism in rituals; draws Aries and Scorpio energy.

Silver

Removes negativity and encourages stability; helps develop psychic abilities; attracts the influence of the Mother Goddess.

Purple

Power, success, idealism, psychic manifestations; ideals for rituals to secure ambitions, independence, financial rewards, or to make contact with the spiritual other world; increases Neptune energy.

Magenta

Combination of red and violet that oscillates on a high frequency; energizes rituals where immediate action and high levels of power or spiritual healing are required.

Brown

Earthly, balanced color; for rituals of materiel increase; eliminates indecisiveness; improves powers of concentration, study, telepathy; increases financial success; locates objects that have been lost.

Indigo

Color of inertia; stops situations or people; use in rituals that require a deep meditational state; or in rituals that demand Saturn energy.

Royal Blue

Promotes laughter and joviality; color or loyalty; use to attract Jupiter energy, or whenever an influence needs to be increased.

Light Blue

Spiritual color; helpful in devotional or inspirational meditations; brings peace and tranquility to the home; radiates Aquarius energy; employ where a situation must be synthesized.

Blue

Primary spiritual color; for rituals to obtain wisdom, harmony, inner light, or peace; confers truth and guidance.

Emerald Green

Important component in Venusian rituals; attracts love, social delights, and fertility.

Dark Green

Color of ambition, greed, and jealousy; counteracts these influences in a ritual.

Green

Promotes prosperity, fertility, success; stimulates rituals for good luck, money, harmony, and rejuvenation.

Grey

Neutral color useful when pondering complex issues during meditation; in magic, this color often sparks confusion; it also negates or neutralizes a negative influence.

Black

Opens up the deeper levels of the unconscious; use in rituals to induce a deep meditational state, or to banish evil or negativity as in uncrossing rituals; attracts Saturn energy.