Pagans encounter the land beneath their feet
I stood on the corner of the street, waiting for a bus to take me from Seattle and saw a friend. It's been awhile since I'd seen them*, and I'd never been where I was about to go, so they were a welcome sight. After a brief embrace and a few words, we'd realized we were going to the same place, taking almost the same route.They'd never been either. Both of our first times."Were you at Mayday last year?"They nodded. "Yeah--last year was my political Beltaine, this year's my spi … [Read more...]
Over the past week I have been in Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Glasgow, Scotland; London, England; and now I am in Manchester, England. The rain has followed me everywhere. I can see by the news that each place has gotten sunny after I leave it, so the rain must be following me around like a lost puppy. But the rain isn't the only thing that seems to be following me around. Lately I've been dogged by wisps of deja vu every where I go.I'm not talking about the kind of deja vu where you sit … [Read more...]
On the second dark moon of January, a group of 9 gathered in my front garden. We sought uncharted territory; in fact, were willing to risk vulnerability to find it. The group of explorers met to carefully plan the expedition. We knew the journey might stretch every resource and tool we possessed, yet we were drawn to try--to dare. For there, in my front garden that night, was the first meeting of an advanced working group committed to discovering the Place specific spirituality of Central Tex … [Read more...]
This article is a reprisal of one of my first on Patheos. It's my "Top 10 Tips" for cultivating a sense of Place in an urban environment; a feat that did not come easy for me. I was reared on a family farm with hundreds of acres as my garden. I roamed barefoot from sun-up till sun-down, engaging in more risk-taking behavior than my parents would ever want to know about! Snake spoke to me, coyote sang his eerie song, and bobcat warned me about what happens when you meet Other, out past your be … [Read more...]
There was a time, not so long ago, when information was shared by word of mouth. Most of us were illiterate. That word has such a nasty taste in the mouth now, doesn’t it? It conjures all sorts of images, from gross ignorance to the cruel acts committed by those same ignorant individuals. I don’t like those conjurings, so I’m going to make-up my own reference phrase (which may have been thought of already by scholars who also ponder such things). Let’s begin again…There was a time, not … [Read more...]
In Ireland, the chthonic energy of decay is experienced as Crom Dubh, the dark, bent one who takes the grain under the ground. He was a sacrificial god heavily associated with Lughnasadh. In fact, while many Irish people may never have heard of the ‘festival of Lughnasadh’ (apart from the movie), they have certainly heard of Crom Dubh’s Day: Dé Domhnaigh Crum-Dubh. This is a day of pilgrimage to the high places: a custom maintained with the yearly climb of Croagh Patrick. More anciently, Cro … [Read more...]
Most U.S. witches live in cities. This probably holds true for most of the western world, since urbanization is on the rise and predicted to grow. I recently found myself back in an urban environment. Granted, Austin prides itself on its small town vibe, and funky eclecticism, but it’s no rural Ireland! The sounds I hear, and the other-than-human-persons I encounter, are different. Yet, they are still animate, and very eldritch.Since I plan for this to become a multi-part series, let me … [Read more...]
Follow Patheos on
Copyright 2008-2014, Patheos. All rights reserved. Terms of Service | Patheos Privacy Policy | Site developed by Avalon Consulting, LLC
Follow Patheos
Pagan: