On April Fools 2010 I began working with Patheos, and added my first post to this blog. It has been an amazing adventure, and like all adventures, it has come to an end. Effective today I am stepping down as Managing Editor of the Pagan Portal at Patheos. I never wanted to be a Big Name Pagan. Never wanted to be the next Buckland or Starhawk. Never wanted to be asked to speak at festivals. Never wanted to see my name on a book published by Llewellyn or Weiser. When I started here at Patheos I … [Read more...]
My Hopes For The Future of Paganism
September 27, 2012 By
Long ago, Patheos did a series on the Future of Religion, including the Future of Paganism. It was fun. I miss doing series like that and sitting back to let other writers speak out. I didn't contribute to that series, but I'd like to contribute today. I don't have any predictions, or anything wise or brilliant to say. I just have my hopes and dreams and wishes. I hope Patheos Pagan keeps growing. I thought it was a good idea long before I ever considered being involved with Patheos, and … [Read more...]
Practical Polytheism: A Review of Devotio Antinoo
September 27, 2012 By
There are few people in the world that I admire more than P. Sufenas Virius Lupus. He is intelligent, kind, patient, a clear and thoughtful writer, and has been a source of unflagging support in my darkest hours. I am not in the habit of placing Pagans on pedestals, but if Sufenas weren't so tall already I might be tempted. It has taken me a long time to get around to reading his Devotio Antinoo. At over 500 pages it is a tome, so I set aside hours to devote to nothing else this week, and I … [Read more...]
Pagan Americana: Murphey’s Midnight Rounders
September 25, 2012 By
There are many Pagan musicians I love passionately: Damh the Bard, SJ Tucker, Emerald Rose, Celia, Wendy Rule, Kenny Klein, Spiral Rhythm, Gaia Consort/Bone Poets Orchestra, and many more. But if you ask me which Pagan band I'm most excited about right now, I will tell you it's Murphey's Midnight Rounders. Brad, Teresa and Bonnie are doing something pretty unique when it comes to Pagan music. Though they draw from many sources of inspiration, and are solidly folk-rock, the overall … [Read more...]
Being Negative Is Healthy; Or It’s Good To Be An Ass Sometimes
September 24, 2012 By
Despite how often I display it, or state it outright, people keep forgetting I'm an ass. I can be kind, generous, funny, grateful, compassionate, understanding, empathetic, and comforting, but that doesn't negate the fact that I am an ass. Some people talk about shadow-work and Left Hand Path in terms almost as nauseating and cloying as the love and light crowd, so I don't describe myself as embracing the dark and negative as wholesome. I just say I can be an ass. I don't think it's … [Read more...]
Third Parties, Choices, and Our Place In Paganism (and the World)
September 24, 2012 By
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...]
Learning New Steps To Dance
September 23, 2012 By
“Dance, when you're broken open. Dance, if you've torn the bandage off. Dance in the middle of the fighting. Dance in your blood. Dance when you're perfectly free.” ― Rumi Man, have I got a lot going on in my life now. Not only I am getting to learn a new city, but I'm job hunting, getting my feet wet with PNC-MN, realizing I have to have more than the two pairs of shoes I landed with, grieving for my hometown, worrying about winter, and then another big change that will be revealed … [Read more...]
Just Like The Christians: An Interview with the Emperor Julian
September 20, 2012 By
[In the midst of a large Pagan convention a time machine appears and within it stands Julian the Philosopher, the last pagan emperor of the Roman Empire. Equipped with a babelfish he begins conversing with with the convention organizers, who are a bit miffed he landed in the midst of the reiki workshop. Quickly they realize they have a unique opportunity, install him in front of a podium in an auditorium for modern Pagans to ask him questions.] So what was paganism like back in your time? In … [Read more...]
Mishap, Magic, Minneapolis and Mabon
September 20, 2012 By
Yesterday I got to my bus stop on time only for no bus to arrive. And then the next bus didn't arrive. I waited in the sun for over an hour in high heels with no bench before a bus arrived, driven by a man more interested in reading his newspaper than keeping an eye on what was happening around him. As soon as I found a familiar neighborhood I bolted off the bus and dove into a sandwich shop to collect myself and fight back tears. No matter what you do, you will have a setback that makes it … [Read more...]
Christians Acting Like Christians: Dissecting Tim Dalrymple’s Comments on Paganism
September 18, 2012 By
Tim Dalrymple is a good guy. If I were in the midst of paintball battle or organizing an interfaith event, I could do much worse than having Tim on my team. However, Tim is an evangelical Christian, and acts like one. His opinions and arguments are formed by Evangelical Christianity, and it also informs his actions. Which means in certain contexts, Tim is predictable. As am I. In a debate on same-sex marriage you could probably represent Tim and I with puppets repeating the "party line" of our … [Read more...]
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