Pagan Leadership

Last updated on: July 15, 2014 at 5:23 pm By John Beckett

Any movement will have leaders. As Pagans, let’s call out the bad ones, support the good ones, and imitate the great ones. Read more

Dinosaur Valley

Last updated on: July 13, 2014 at 6:01 pm By John Beckett

Earlier today a group from Denton CUUPS visited Dinosaur Valley State Park with two missions. One was to see the land and the dinosaur tracks and take lots of pictures. The second was to listen to the spirits of the land. Read more

A Meditation on Air

Last updated on: July 10, 2014 at 5:40 pm By John Beckett

The four elements are part of our wider Pagan culture and I think it’s worthwhile to revisit them occasionally. Today I’d like to ask you to join me in contemplating the element of Air. Read more

Paying Pagan Clergy – An Organic Approach

Last updated on: July 8, 2014 at 5:30 pm By John Beckett

The goals of Pagan priesthood are to serve the Gods, to mediate for the Gods, and to serve the community. Let’s focus on the ends and let the means sort themselves out. Read more

Exercising Your Will

Last updated on: July 6, 2014 at 11:53 am By John Beckett

If our beliefs mean something and if our religious experiences are more than a pleasant interaction of brain chemistry, then we have a calling to manifest the kind of world we say we value. Read more

Religious Freedom, Religious Bullying

Last updated on: July 2, 2014 at 6:47 pm By John Beckett

Making hard choices in support of your religious beliefs and values is a sign of spiritual maturity. Making easy choices for yourself and forcing hard choices on others is not. Read more

Showing Up

Last updated on: June 30, 2014 at 6:27 pm By John Beckett

Paganism is a new religion – we’re still trying to figure out who and what we want to be. Decisions are being made by those who show up. Read more

Serving Many Gods

Last updated on: June 28, 2014 at 10:00 am By John Beckett

Devotional polytheism isn’t an all or nothing thing. As with our human relationships, different relationships with different deities require different levels of commitment. Read more

Lessons From a First Ritual

Last updated on: June 23, 2014 at 7:20 pm By John Beckett

I wasn’t ready to lead a public ritual when I was asked to do it for the first time. Desire, reason, and the wisdom of my 9th grade history teacher helped me do it well. Read more

A Druid in the Marketplace of Religions

Last updated on: June 23, 2014 at 7:22 pm By John Beckett

I’ve been harmed by false certainty, so I try to make it clear what I know and what I believe – and when I’m guessing. I can’t tell you what to believe and what to do because I don’t know, and I wouldn’t take responsibility for your spiritual life if I could. But that doesn’t mean I have nothing to say to the Pagan community and to the wider world. Read more