It's complicated, it always is, when we choose to be part of the solution on any issue. It's about bringing love into the dialogue. When I write about love, I am writing about that complicated driving force that accepts the challenge, that is sometimes angry, and is unmitigating. When we accept the challenge, love eventually does show. Read more
Black and brown lives, in the ideology of the West, are simply worth less than white lives. At all times, in every way. This attitude simmers, then erupts when a white person has the gall to treat black and brown lives as important. She’s seen as a traitor. How dare she prioritize “them” over “us.” Read more
We can read and study, but until rites and practices are integrated into real world living, they remain only words on someone else’s page. Read more
I refuse to let the fact that I'm at work stop me from making the holiday unique and special. I cannot change my surroundings, so instead I choose to change my perception of them, and set myself apart. That is my offering on this day of sacrifice. Read more
What does community mean to you? How does it show up in your life? What do you do to contribute to your community? How do you support your community, and how do you reach out when you need support? Read more
Family and ancestry are not limited by blood; the choices we make link us to traditions and generations, in spirit and in action. Although my direct knowledge of my bloodline is confined to those family members I’ve known in my lifetime, I’ve embraced the idea that my connections run as deep as time. This week, as we approach Halloween, I’m taking time to honor both my direct and spiritual ancestors; blood calls to blood, but heart and spirit form lasting bonds, too. I honor those who came before: I name them family. Read more
Sable Aradia concludes her series on depression and suicide in Paganism with some advice on suicide prevention. She also concludes her column "Seekers and Guides," and invites you to join her at her new Patheos blog "Between the Shadows." Read more
Looking beyond the Undead Tomato costumes and the candy corn, is there really something basic and important underlying Halloween that is largely unrecognized? Read more
Personally, I like my Halloween with green faced ‘witches’ and candy corn, trick or treating, and carved pumpkins. Oh, how I love candy corn and a jack-o-lantern! Sure, some of those items have folkloric history in pagan-based cultures, but I want to bob apples and throw lavish parties while eating candy corn till my stomach hurts. Read more
There are only so many prayers you can say for the dead before, like the dybbuk of Jewish legend, they begin to graft themselves onto you. Read more
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