The Pagan Sandbox
Take a moment to imagine a giant sandbox. In that sandbox are lots of small groups of children playing with various toys and having a myriad of adventures. In one corner there are some kids playing Avengers, and in another there are some playing with Batman, Wonder Woman, and Superman figures. Towards the middle of the sandbox Twilight Sparkle is having adventures with the other My Little Ponies. At the edge of the sandbox an ambitious group of children are building a giant sand castle, and … [Read More...]
Holier Than Thou Paganism
I often joke with my friends in ADF (a Druid group) that they are "fake Pagans." I don't mean it of course, but as a Wiccan I approach ritual differently than they do, and it's fun to talk about how we perceive the strengths and weaknesses of the two ideologies. I do the same thing with some of my Feri friends. We might disagree on matters of ritual or theology, but we'd never seriously question each others Paganism. I'm a big tent guy, and while I may not agree with atheist Pagans on … [Read More...]
Rock Stars Are the Next Gods
I've always been fascinated by early Christianity because it maps out the process of deification. Jesus was a real person who was eventually worshipped as a god and there's a pretty decent paper trail showing how it happened. It fascinates me because we don't have such things for figures like Orpheus and Heracles, gods who might have very well started out as people too. It's easy to trace the worship of a specific deity and chart how it spreads, it's even possible to pinpoint the location where … [Read More...]
Year Old Horns
Raise the Horns is a year old today and I find that pretty amazing. During these last 12 months I've managed to crank out over 100 articles nearly all by myself (Angus over at Ask Angus did help me out with one). I'm not saying I deserve a gold star for that, but I'm proud of it. If you have a blog at a place like Patheos Pagan you should probably utilize it, apparently I'm doing that. (I love the picture of me with a drum, but it's kind of dishonest since I'm not much of a drummer. Of … [Read More...]
Interview With an Atheist Pagan
For me, my relationship with the gods is what makes me a Contemporary Pagan. I've never understood Paganism without deity, even though I have many friends who lean that way. I thought it would be interesting to interview one of my "Atheist Pagan" friends in an attempt to better understand her way of thinking. Amy B. is one of my best friends out here in Northern California and is one of my favorite ritualists in the area. While I don't always agree with her on matters of theology, I have a lot … [Read More...]
Pagans on a Peninsula
This week I'm back in Michigan for a wedding and other assorted family obligations. It's not home in the sense that I grew up (or went to elementary or high school) there, but it's really where I came of age as a person and a Pagan. I participated in and led my first group rituals in Michigan, and while I was there I participated in Druid groups and was eventually initiated into British Traditional Witchcraft. I lived in Michigan for about fifteen years, fifteen great years where I got to figure … [Read More...]
The Light & Shade of Modern Paganism
This past weekend I went to see the band Blood Ceremony. They don't exactly live up to their name, but they are a doomy Black Sabbath-inspired metal band with lyrics full of references to black magick and Satan (there's also a flute in there too, but that's besides the point). With songs like My Demon Brother it's not something that most of my friends are going to run out and see with me, but I was completely in my element. Blood Ceremony is certainly not a Pagan band in the sense that they … [Read More...]
10 Tips for Large Group Ritual
I've lead a lot large group ritual over the last fifteen years and during that time have come up with a few tricks and tips for getting it right. Over and over again I've found that it's the little things that really make the difference. A lot of what's below seems like basic common sense stuff, but you'd be surprised how often it's forgotten by newcomers and adepts alike. Happy ritualing. 1. Make sure to give your ritual participants something to do. This is probably the most … [Read More...]
My Summer Weekend-Memorial Day
In the United States Memorial Day is generally seen as the start of Summer. Schools are close to letting out, vacation-time nears, and public pools open up. It may not be the Summer Solstice this weekend, but culturally it feels like Summer time, which for me means a three day weekend and even (probably) a break from writing and blogging. Several years ago I tried to get my on-line friends to engage in an exercise I called My Summer Weekend. I want to know what my friends are reading, … [Read More...]
Ray Manzarek (1939-2013)-Break on Through
Led Zeppelin will always be my favorite band, but the real Pagan rock and roll soundtrack was written by The Doors. The Dionysus/Jim Morrison comparisons are obvious (and I even do rituals based on them), but it was always a bit more than that. The Doors always captured that restless spirit that grips so many of us who dedicate our lives to mystery and madness. The Doors may not have been a Pagan band, but their music always encapsulated my own Pagan experience. Break on Through, Riders On … [Read More...]
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