A Speculative Look at the Cycles of Magic and the Otherworld
In which I look at cyclical time, the Mayan calendar, planetary alignments, ice ages and interglacial periods, and our experiences of shredded Veils and Goblin Markets, and then try to come up with a speculative theory to explain it all. [Read more…]
Bargaining at the Goblin Market
Folklore tells us the Goblin Market is a place humans can rarely see, and if you can see it you’re better off pretending you can’t and moving on. But what do you do when the Goblin Market sets up shop across the street from your house? [Read more…]
Who Ya Gonna Believe, Me Or Your Lying Eyes?
There has never been a greater need to ignore what the mainstream culture tells you and to pay attention to what your senses – all your senses – tell you is happening. [Read more…]
Paganism and the Primacy of the Written Word
The written word is a useful servant, but Western culture has made it an arrogant master. If we are to become truly Pagan then the primacy of the written word must give way to the primacy of religious experience. [Read more…]
A Farewell to Normalcy
I want being a Pagan to become normal, in the way it was normal for an ancient Greek or Celt to honor their Gods and ancestors – it was something everyone did. But some of us are called to work that isn’t normal and will never be normal. [Read more…]
A Three-Fold Understanding of Magic
I came to a three-fold understanding of magic very early on my Pagan journey, and I’ve yet to find a better model for how magic works. Magic is the intercession of Gods and spirits, the manipulation of unseen forces, and psychological programming. [Read more…]
Summer Solstice – The Necessity of Trust
If there’s a lesson in the Summer Solstice, it’s that nothing worthwhile is entirely under our control. We do our part and then trust that Nature and the Gods will do theirs. And then get ready to do our next part when the harvest begins. [Read more…]
Fighting Words Are Not Free Speech
There is no right to not be offended and offensive speech is still free speech. But threatening, harassing, and hateful speech is verbal assault, and verbally assaulting someone who can’t fight back is the mark of a coward. [Read more…]
Differentiation is Good, Arrogance is Not
In matters of absolute religious truth, ultimately we don’t know and we can’t know. But that doesn’t mean we can know nothing about the Gods, and it doesn’t mean our debates about them are useless. [Read more…]
Playing the Grand Game When You’re Not A Great Power
This is not the future we wanted. Most of us simply want to live good and honorable lives and leave this world a little better than we found it. But we live in interesting times. We are on the board and a Grand Game is afoot, whether we like it or not. [Read more…]
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