Third Parties, Choices, and Our Place In Paganism (and the World)

September 24, 2012 By
Not a Wiccan gathering.

Last Friday I was at a rally for Libertarian presidential candidate Gary Johnson. I was supposed to be the PNC photographer for Nels Linde, but my haphazard packing meant I packed my camera, but not my SD card or USB cord, and this camera is apparently finicky about cords. So the lovely pics I took are trapped on my camera, as if it were simply a high-tech ViewMaster. However I got to enjoy Murphey's Midnight Rounders (even though the sound guy couldn't seem to keep their mics on), watch the … [Read more...]

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Keeping Calm: Why I Prefer Tolerance

June 21, 2012 By

From what tiny scrap of info we have, it seems PSG made a poor judgement call. They have two women's only rituals this year, and one was run by a Dianic for cis-women only. Maybe if the timing of the two rituals had been switched it wouldn't have been such a big deal. I don't know. I'm not there. In all likelihood, neither are you. But this is the internet, and on the slightest rumor everyone gets their undies in a wad and goes ballistic. This seems to happen at every major Pagan event … [Read more...]

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Live Pagan Hangout: Active Tolerance

June 6, 2012 By

We're once again broadcasting what is essentially a 30 min weekly Pagan talk show on the web. If you can’t watch live (we can see your comments and questions during broadcast and respond to them) then never fear, it will be available on Youtube for your viewing convenience. I’ll be embedding the video here so you can open this page in a tab as a reminder to watch later. We’ll start at 11 AM EDT broadcasting every Wednesday, and here’s a timezone schedule so you don’t have to … [Read more...]

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Considering Michael York’s “Catastrophe”

May 6, 2012 By
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I awoke this morning intending to begin a series of meditations upon the Delphic Maxims. Not an easy task, but not nearly as difficult as what I'm about to write. As I began my morning routine of e-mail, rss feeds and social media I read Micheal York's guest post on The Wild Hunt. It's already received quite a reaction, and I'm going to do my best to respond thoughtfully to it because it touches on threads I have been silently weaving with for a long time. There is an End happening. Maybe … [Read more...]

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Polytheists, Neo-Pagans, and Other Religious Critters

April 8, 2012 By
Nefetari Temple

The least offensive thing on television as I sit down to write, my belly full of my roommates cat-head biscuits and sausage gravy, is The Song of Bernadette. So of course I'm listening to Jennifer Warnes singing Song for Bernadette. Maybe the song and film will bring me some kindness as I write today's post, which is a topic that can too quickly become harsh and unkind. I spend a significant number of my waking hours considering the Pagan community, it's limitless diversity, identifying … [Read more...]

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Missing PantheaCon and a Ritual of Exclusion

February 17, 2012 By
I just don't feel comfortable sharing sacred space with blue mugs.

The only thing worse than not attending an awesome event, is seeing all the posts from everyone who is attending on social media. PantheaCon is awesome. It's like a big diversity fair showcasing the full spectrum of the Pagan community. There are really fantastic classes, presentations, rituals, music and people.While I can't make it this year, I do look forward to attending next year, and seeing all the amazing people that I only run into on the West Coast. This year I know a lot of … [Read more...]

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When Hinduism Confuses and Frustrates Me

February 4, 2012 By
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Modern Pagans consider many religions to be our spiritual cousins: Shinto, Vodou, Santeria, First Nations religions, etc... One of our spiritual cousins, from our point of view, is Hinduism: a religious movement as diverse and fluid as our own Paganism. Some Hindus feel the same way towards us, as evidenced by the presence of the Hindu American Foundation at PantheaCon last year. One thing I recall vividly from observing the HAF panel last year is how Hinduism is taught as monotheism, but … [Read more...]

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The Irresistible Idea of Being One

January 12, 2012 By
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We are all made of star stuff. It's just a scientific fact. There is nothing in the universe that is foreign to the universe (as far as we know). Everything in the universe is made up of the same building blocks. But does it then follow that all things are One?   If anything is truly remarkable about the Universe, it is that such diversity exists within it. Just on our own planet, the countless species of plant and animal life is a little overwhelming. The uniqueness of life in all … [Read more...]

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A Brand-New Paganism

December 26, 2011 By
You may think we're all the same, but we're really quite different, and some of us have fabulous headdresses...

I spend a lot of time thinking about the differences between the many different traditions and forms of Paganism. It's a lot to think about! One of the differences that keeps popping up in conversations, and causing some crossed wires and deep pondering, is Paganism that is completely new and invented. Now, that's not a bad thing. Don't get me wrong. What you practice is your own business. But it's a very different strain of Paganism, and it's a thread that walks to the beat of its own … [Read more...]

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Spiritual Warfare Is Essentially Black Magic

July 25, 2011 By

Back in 2000, maybe early 2001, there was a big prayer warrior event aimed at Ephesus. They were praying against the Queen of Heaven, which to them represented Ashtoreth, the Whore of Babylon. As a young virginal devotee of Artemis, I saw it as a direct attack on Artemis of Ephesus. It wrenched my heart then, and makes me tear up remembering it. This isn't a new phenomenon but an organized and concerted effort: Queen of Heaven: Perhaps the most recent development has been Wagner's emphasis on … [Read more...]

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