Romanian witches cast spells on government over income tax - Telegraph

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Romanian witches angry about having pay income tax for the first time hurled poisonous mandrake into the Danube River to cast spells on the president and government. The new tax law is part of the government's drive to collect more revenue and crack down on tax evasion in a country that is in recession. In the past, the less mainstream professions of witch, astrologer and fortune teller were not listed in the Romanian labour code, as were those of embalmer, valet and driving instructor. People who worked those jobs used their lack of registration to evade paying income tax. A witch at the Danube named Alisia called the new tax law "foolish." "What is there to tax, when we hardly earn anything?" she said, identifying herself with only one name as many Romanian witches do. On the Chitila River in southern Romania, other witches gathered around a fire Thursday and threw corn into an icy river to celebrate Epiphany. They praised the new government measure, saying it gives them official recognition. Witch Melissa Minca said she was "happy that we are legal," before chanting a spell to call for a good harvest, clutching a jar of charmed river water, a sprig of mistletoe and a candle. Under the new law, like any self-employed person, they will pay 16 per cent income tax and make contributions to health and pension programs.

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On the Chitila River in southern Romania, other witches gathered around a fire Thursday and threw corn into an icy river to celebrate Epiphany. They praised the new government measure, saying it gives them official recognition.

Cool.

F

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"Patriotism means being loyal to your country all the time and to its government when it deserves it."-- Mark Twain

"Inter arma silent Musae"--when the weapons speak, the muses fall silent.

An't nanum hearm deth, doth hwaet ye willath.

It is forbidden to kill; therefore all murderers are punished
unless they kill in large numbers and to the sound of trumpets. -Voltaire

Economic Left/Right: -3.88
Authoritarian/Libertarian: -4.36

Except why the fuck are they "celebrating" epiphany in the first place? You can make a case for chsitmas being the appropriation of a pagan date but not for epiphany; that's specifically christian and always has been.

It's syncretism gone made, I tell ya.

On this note, I had an amazingly illuminating conversation with a Jehovahs Witness the other day. Obviously I'm no more convinced, but I was intrigued by their rigorous logic. They take the view that anything external to the bible is pagan and to be excluded; which read lazily sounds like fundamentalism, but which in reality is very meticulous consistency. So, they don't do xmas precisely because it is an appropriated pagan festival, and regard those who do celbrate it, more or less correctly, as pagans.

I've castigated PnP for failing to understand his own religion but I have to grudgingly admit that I cannot apply this criticism to the JW's. But it annoys me just as much when non-christians are doing it, as in the above.

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It's syncretism gone made, I tell ya.

Except you are making a big assumption that these Witches are Pagans. They are actually Christians, Eastern Orthodoxy based so therefore Epiphany is a big deal.

Most "Witches" on the planet are actually Christians, most of them little old Catholic Ladies.

Which is why the whole Burning Times thing was so stupid and mostly a Mysoginistic power/land grab by the, male dominated political Church of the middle ages..

I am a Witch, a Wiccan and therefore Pagan one, but I share the same view of Magick that Witches of Monotheistic religious faiths such as Islam, Judaism and Christianity do, that one can 'make changes in reality in accordance with the will'. The symbolism and ritual used are different, but the Magick is the same

F

__________________
"Patriotism means being loyal to your country all the time and to its government when it deserves it."-- Mark Twain

"Inter arma silent Musae"--when the weapons speak, the muses fall silent.

An't nanum hearm deth, doth hwaet ye willath.

It is forbidden to kill; therefore all murderers are punished
unless they kill in large numbers and to the sound of trumpets. -Voltaire

Economic Left/Right: -3.88
Authoritarian/Libertarian: -4.36