The Wild Hunt (https://wildhunt.org/author/manny)
Manny Moreno (pro: he/él/lui) was born in Cuba and raised in the American South. He lives in South Florida and Nemi, Italy. He has been in the Pagan community for almost four decades. He is a Witch and was raised as a child of Oyá. He is encouraged by the Balance within the natural world and enjoys storms and the night. Manny is married and splits his free time between the Florida Swamps, the Atlantic Ocean, and the Alban Hills. He is also a beekeeper, orchid-grower, and builder of bat houses.
New research suggests the healing effects of forests may not come from tree scents alone. A study on essential oils found little measurable benefit, reinforcing growing evidence that immersion in living ecosystems, not bottled nature, may be what truly restores human well-being.
Pope Leo XIV’s first encyclical warns about artificial intelligence, exploitation, and dehumanizing systems — but beyond its Catholic framework, Magnifica Humanitas may also offer an unexpected invitation for interfaith cooperation around human dignity, ecology, labor, and shared ethical concerns.
A new neuroscience study found that virtual reality “flying” with wings altered how participants’ brains processed body imagery, suggesting immersive VR experiences may partially reshape the brain’s sense of embodiment, identity, and functional body representation.
At the White House-linked “Rededicate 250” rally in Washington, speakers and worship leaders promoted a biblically centered vision of America, drawing criticism from church-state advocates and raising questions about how that vision includes non-Christian communities.
A New Jersey lawsuit involving Wiccan religious accommodations in prison has drawn national attention, highlighting debates over inmate rights, transgender incarceration policy, and how conservative media frames minority religions such as Wicca.