Pantheisticon: Sex, Gender, and the Green World

Last updated on: January 26, 2015 at 9:34 pm By Nicole Youngman

I’ve just finished transcribing the Pagan Spirit Gathering press conference from last month regarding Dianic rituals and the inclusion of transgendered people, and it’s gotten my plant-loving-feminist-sociologist brain spinning. It was a fascinating discussion to listen to so closely, and it got me thinking about parallels between human sex/gender/sexuality and the sexual strategies of trees and other plants. In many ways, our friends in the green world are more like us than we think, and they can give us some... Read more

Colorado Poets Slam Pat Robertson

Last updated on: June 3, 2013 at 12:56 pm By Star Foster

Sacred Body, Sacred Earth

Last updated on: June 3, 2013 at 12:56 pm By T. Thorn Coyle

Victor Anderson, one of my beloved teachers, enjoined us to neither coddle nor punish weakness. That is a difficult proposition. We make social contracts with one another all the time in attempts to not upset the status quo, and to let ourselves off the hook. Sometimes we rebel against that and go the opposite direction, into blaming or shaming. To work our will requires us dance to between these two, to treat ourselves and others with fierce compassion, to gently... Read more

Pantheisticon: Walking (with apologies to Thoreau)

Last updated on: January 26, 2015 at 9:35 pm By Nicole Youngman

A couple of summers ago I took my Environmental Sociology students (all three of them—hey, it was summer!) on an evening walk around the lovely park across the streetcar line from our university in uptown New Orleans. We had been talking about bioregionalism, a kind of environmentalism that focuses on the importance of developing a deep understanding of and relationship with the ecosystems that we’re embedded in wherever we happen to live. It’s a philosophy that overlaps well with my... Read more

Gateway Goddess: Poison Ivy Vengeance – A Trickster Teacher

Last updated on: June 3, 2013 at 12:57 pm By Kathy Kassab

Small farm girl, angry with her brothers. She knows how to get even. She gathers a large bunch of poison ivy and rubs it on their skin. Revenge. On them, and on her. “She got it worse than they did,” her father said. He laughed a little, that “Kids, what are you gonna do” kind of laugh. I’m sure the little girl whose father told me that story as I bought peaches from him at Soulard Market will be sure to show... Read more

Pantheisticon: Some Post-Solstice Musings

Last updated on: January 26, 2015 at 9:36 pm By Nicole Youngman

I used to be very puzzled when Pagans referred to the solstices as “midsummer” and “midwinter,” since our modern calendar quite clearly labels those days the “first day of summer” and “first day of winter.” “Mid-” and “first” seemed mutually exclusive; how can we be in the middle of something that’s just beginning? It’s one of those slightly bizarre moments when we have to untangle all the overlapping calendars and seasons in which we’re embedded in order to make sense... Read more

Naturalistic Traditions: All Things July

Last updated on: January 19, 2015 at 10:36 pm By B. T. Newberg

What can a naturalist celebrate in July? This post is part of Naturalistic Traditions, a column exploring naturalism in Pagan ways. This column will cover seasonal celebrations, historical and contemporary movements, and ritual practices. Natural cycles As the moon completes its monthly cycle, July 3rd will see a full moon, with the new moon on the 19th. Neopagan traditions There are no Solstices, Equinoxes, or Cross-quarters (High Days or Sabbats) that fall within this month, but attunement to the cycle... Read more

UPDATED: Damien Echols Has An Occult Tattoo

Last updated on: December 27, 2014 at 7:19 pm By Star Foster

Check it out here. Anyone want to try and translate the Theban? UPDATE: Damien translates, and describes his tattoos as talismans: These I designed myself – the talismans (points to tattoos). This is what I do, not something like portraits. I have four of these of my own design. Three on my arms and one on my chest. They’re designed for different purposes. This one, for example, is for protection, the Archangel Michael. This one is for success in all ventures.... Read more

The Spell of Making

Last updated on: June 3, 2013 at 12:39 pm By Adrian Monogue

I have been rereading one of my favorite books on the subject of crafting a ritual. The book is Blacksun’s Spell of Making. It is a wonderful book on ritual construction that gives you a very pragmatic approach to creating the basic structure or form of any ritual regardless of your religion. I recommend it as a worthwhile read for anyone who is interested in the subject. It is the inspiration for this post. In the beginning of the book it gives... Read more

Discrimination In Paganism

Last updated on: June 3, 2013 at 1:00 pm By Star Foster

On the Patheos Pagan FB page I posted a poll regarding discrimination after reading Patti Wigington’s post on racism in Paganism. It’s really awesome. You should read it. I’m not going to pretend online polls are good science, but I still found the results interesting. And as with any “add your own option” poll, I love the amount of useless snark and confusion that accompanies the serious answers. From what I can tell, everyone who answered that they had not... Read more