Although in this case it's definitely soft polytheism/psychological pantheism: The Sydney problem, however, still needed solving. I approached her the other day and said, "Syd, you go to church on Sunday, right?""Yes.""Who do you pray to?""God," she said."One God, right? Then how can you say you believe in all those Greek gods?"She replied with her patented eye roll: "You don't understand about God." And she gave me understanding."When I am at the beach near the water, I … [Read more...]
Essential Pagan Books: My List (What’s Yours?)
May 31, 2012 by
Work In Progress [I started this and then realized it's going to take some time to finish it. I'll keep this on the blog as a permanent resource, and one that will likely evolve and change.]My friend David Dashifen Kees helped put together a list of essential Pagan books over on HuffPo Religion. You should go check it out.There are some good books on there to be sure, and authors I admire. But there's a problem with lists. One person's definitive list isn't going to seem definitive for … [Read more...]
Wicca Series: Books on “Advanced Wicca”?
January 28, 2011 by
Every Monday and Friday in January we will be asking people questions about Wicca. Want to weigh in? Find the next question at the bottom of this post! In such an experiential religion, is there such a thing as a book on “Advanced Wicca”? *Once again a reminder that everyone responding to this series is speaking for themselves and not for their tradition as a whole.* Callisto (Alexandrian tradition) responds: I suppose it depends on whom you ask. The … [Read more...]
America’s Nature Religion for Children
November 23, 2010 by
Long before I encountered Thoreau, Whitman or even Teddy Roosevelt, I discovered America's nature religion tradition in a children's book.I think I was 11 and my family was in a big toy store. My brother was all excited about some video game or action figure and we had been in the store awhile. I was getting bored and irritated. I was not a fan of shopping even then. In the store we came across this long bin of books on sale. It's was something like 2 for $5. My father told me I could pick out … [Read more...]
Harry Potter: Making Fantasy Cool Again
November 19, 2010 by
As a girl growing up in the 80's I was in fantasy genre heaven: She-Ra: Princess of Power, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, Willow, The Never Ending Story, Red Sonja, The Princess Bride, Conan, Excalibur, Clash of the Titans, The Beastmaster, Labyrinth and The Dark Crystal among many others. Waging epic battle against the tyranny of the annoying, younger brother was easy with such cunning, brave and resourceful role models.Then in the 90's we had....... Dragonheart and Ever After. Xena … [Read more...]
Kathy Nance on the Ouiet Heroism of Snape
November 17, 2010 by
The Harry Potter books and movies have been so successful precisely because they transcend religion.By drawing upon universal themes and archetypes, J.K. Rowling was able to create a world and a story that could be enjoyed regardless of a reader's religious point of view. It's the world of the folk tale, populated by characters we've all seen in the Brothers Grimm, Hans Christian Anderson, the Child Ballads. Harry, the orphan foundling. Lily Potter, the mother who sacrifices her own life to … [Read more...]
Harry Potter and Paganism
November 17, 2010 by
On our Facebook page we've been talking about Harry Potter and religion as the latest movie debuts this Friday. The discussion has been interesting because the Evangelical writers have a totally different perspective on Harry than I do. I don't see it as a story of compassion, sacrifice and love, although those are certainly elements. I see it as a Greek saga full of honor, integrity, courage, independence and the warrior virtues. I see more of the Nine Noble Virtues in Harry than I see the … [Read more...]
Pantheon Book Club: The Secret History of Rock ‘n’ Roll by Christopher Knowles
October 16, 2010 by
Music and religion go hand in hand. Maybe it's on a dance floor, moving to syncopated drums around a campfire or locked in your room transported by the sounds flowing from your headphones. At some point, you've probably had a religious experience that was fueled by music. No genre has exemplified the ecstatic power of music as rock 'n' roll. From Chuck Berry to The Beatles to The Ramones to The Cure to Green Day, rock music feeds our soul.It's no surprise then that Christopher Knowles was able … [Read more...]
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