In a new post on her blog, author and teacher Thorn Coyle asks “are you harvesting what you expected?” I normally think of Lughnasadh as a time for thanksgiving. Samhain – and the secular New Year – is when I think about reviews. But there is value in taking frequent looks back. We set goals earlier in the year, we made plans – how are we doing? Are we where we thought we’d be? Are there triumphs we need to celebrate? Do we need to make course corrections and reset our feet on … [Read more...]

I posted this for Independence Day 2010 – I think it's time to post it again.  I wrote it for the Denton CUUPS "Lunar Eclipse Ritual for America" which we did as part of the Spells for Democracy project in 2004.  With everything going on now I think our country can use all the help it can get. Let us now invoke the Spirits of America, as we call upon those who have led and inspired us throughout history.We call upon the spirit of Benjamin Franklin. You who said “Those who would … [Read more...]

The response to Sunday’s post on some right-wing Christians’ plans for “spiritual warfare” has been strong. But it has not been unanimous. A few have expressed some legitimate concerns (including two Pagan bloggers I greatly respect, one here and the other here) and I’d like to address them.What’s wrong with a bunch of Christians praying for America? Absolutely nothing. But these particular Christians aren’t praying for America – they’re praying to establish a theocracy. … [Read more...]

Throughout history, when times have gotten tough, people have banded together in ever-tightening clans and blamed their problems on The Other: foreigners, Jews, heretics, witches…It is happening again. Times are tough, the future is uncertain and some in our society find it convenient to blame it all on Muslims, immigrants, gays, liberals, and of course, Pagans. On today’s Wild Hunt, Jason Pitzl-Waters shows two videos from groups who want to “take back” America and remake it in their … [Read more...]

Being an engineer is more than how I make my living – it’s part of who I am.  I’m never satisfied with simply knowing that something does work, I want to know how it works.  I read owners manuals and technical specifications.  I take things apart and put them back together.  For me the greatest question isn’t “why?” it’s “how?”So it should come as no surprise that I find theology fascinating.  Who are these gods and goddesses I’ve experienced?  … [Read more...]

The Pantheon blog on the Patheos Pagan Portal has a new essay by Laura Patsouris titled “Restoring Our Pre-Conquest Mind.” It blames the ills of the contemporary Western world on the conquest of tribal societies by Christians. This, she says, replaced sustainable tribal values and practices with the values of conquest and empire. Her solution is to join with existing indigenous cultures and “reclaim our pre-conquest mind.”Despite missing a few large facts (conflict and conquest have … [Read more...]

Seven books. Eight movies. Now it’s over – now I’ve read and seen them all. I first heard of Harry Potter when a young woman who worked for me said she was going to a release party for a children’s book. The young woman was quite immature and totally unprepared for the business world – thankfully, she quit before I had to fire her. In my mind “Harry Potter” was associated with “children’s book” and “silly girl who needs to grow up” – not a combination likely to get … [Read more...]

How much of our religion should we share? When should we talk about our spiritual practices and when should we keep silent? What is helpful to discuss and what is not?Via Chas Clifton’s Letter From Hardscrabble Creek comes this from Sarah Lawless, the “Witch of Forest Grove” who complains about “Oversharing Witches.” Recalling a recent dinner discussion with other Pagans, she says:We were all flabbergasted by oversharing witches who feel the need to tell everyone who their gods are, … [Read more...]

Here’s a link to an excellent essay on Huffington Post by Rabbi Eric H. Yoffie, President of the Union for Reform Judaism. Here is the gist of the piece:Americans are disenchanted with liberal religion because they crave religious passion, because they yearn for moments of religious ecstasy, and because they are disenchanted with religious institutions and leaders who spend too much time talking and who seem genuinely afraid of religious feeling.It is understandable that UUs and other … [Read more...]

I remember the thrill of finding money as a kid: on a sidewalk, in a parking lot, and in that little slice of the Otherworld – between the cushions of the couch. It was a surprise, it was fun, and for a kid whose piggybank (actually, a small red box with a tiny lock) usually held less than $10, finding even a nickel was a financial windfall. As I got older and got used to handling more money, the thrill got less and less. By the time I was out of college I wouldn’t stop for less than a … [Read more...]