Hills of the Horizon: An Introduction

June 18, 2013 By 1 Comment
The Egyptian twin-lion god Aker, with the hieroglyph for the horizon on his backs.

It seems worthwhile to open up my column with a bit of an explanation for its name. The concept of the horizon is one that is threaded through huge amounts of Egyptian liturgical poetry.  It appears in the oldest known texts, often in a context that seems to equate it with the spirit world, and persists throughout the span of ancient Egyptian religion.  The gods are seen going to, dwelling within, and rising from the horizon; the king, likewise; those who enter the spirit world are “pure … [Read more...]

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Making Light: All Religions are UPG

June 13, 2013 By 4 Comments
Insect

I regret that the title of this post will be upsetting to some, but this statement is not meant to belittle or demean any religion in particular or all religions in general. I'm a religious person myself and one who believes in the reality of the divine, but I'm also a scientist. Much of what I write about here stems from my own doubts and a struggle to reconcile these two aspects of my life. This is, in its essence, a story about how I worked through doubt for myself. The conversations … [Read more...]

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The Busy Witch: Hereditary Magic

June 11, 2013 By 1 Comment
Sewing Machine

When I was new to the Pagan path, I felt some jealousy toward people lucky enough to be born into a craft family. I’d hear about this or that grandmother’s spell, or a precious piece of herb lore preserved across generations, and then I’d look at my own trial and error practice and wonder if I were some kind of imposter. I know many people practice magic without the support of a hereditary craft culture, but that didn’t offer me a lot of comfort early on. I kept on with my practice, … [Read more...]

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Pagan Defining Moments

June 10, 2013 By Leave a Comment
Agora - Raphael, School of Athens, detail

Patheos asked its contributors to write about defining moments in their lives: As we look back on our lives, there have been specific moments in time that deeply impacted our future. Early in life, we make choices about schools, degrees, jobs and careers that set our future in motion. And then there are Moments where we move from our chosen path... It is in those moments that our future is determined and our faith is tested. Some of us are given remarkable second chances to change the course of … [Read more...]

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A Professional Priesthood?

June 7, 2013 By 1 Comment
Wendy Griffin

Periodically, the Pagan community gets caught up in a discussion about whether or not we should have professional clergy. This is significant in a religion where the Divine may manifest itself differently to each of us and we resist external religious authority. We often tend to argue about the topic of professionalization without defining our terms. Exactly what do we mean by professional and to whom would these professionals minister? We know we don’t want them ministering to our own … [Read more...]

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