Dear Jasmine, I am wondering about The Rede and “Harm None”, and how it works with yourself. Is intentionally harming yourself with toxins (cigarettes, alcohol, pills) fall into the category of harm none? Sincerely, Pixie Dear Pixie, First off I will start by saying that I do not use the Rede in my practice. I have however put a lot of thought into that choice and its usage in Neo-Paganism and Wicca. I do feel that using the Rede is... Read more
I keep meaning to write something about Anthesteria or Thargelia or something relevant to this time of year, but I’ve been distracted. A few weeks ago, I found out that I’m pregnant and I’ve been occupied with that pretty much exclusively since. The housework is slipping big time, mostly due to the utter exhaustion that comes with the first trimester. It’s like pregnancy narcolepsy; if I sit still long enough, I fall asleep. I’m not eating like I usually do... Read more
What can a naturalist celebrate in April? 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 April falls between the Equinox and the upcoming Cross-quarter. Those in the Northern Hemisphere experience the coming of spring, while those in the Southern Hemisphere hail the autumn. April is therefore a month of balance between the forces of winter and summer, and a... Read more
For the last ten years* or so my wife and I have hosted what we fondly call “Pagan Easter Breakfast.” Pagan Easter Breakfast (or PEB) is exactly what it sounds like, it’s breakfast on Easter by and for Pagans. I’ve had a few Pagans accuse me of having a “secret Christian agenda” for hosting such a thing, at the same time some Christians have accused me of belittling their beliefs by serving hash-brown casserole so close to the Jewish Passover.... Read more
I’ll start with the assumption that the Druid path is not necessarily familiar to you. Many people have the image of beardy old guys in white robes, as being your standard Druid, perhaps poncing around at Stonehenge. But it’s a far more diverse and interesting tradition than that. It’s also hard to pin down. Druids can be atheists, agnostics, animists, polytheists and just about anything else you might imagine, including overlapping with all kinds of other traditions. Where does the... Read more
I hope every American gets to see this short but powerful video, maybe several times. From a Pagan perspective what is happening over the issue of the right wing “war on women” is really important. It is an attempt to dismiss the importance of the feminine in all its forms except the submissive and obedient housewife. No group has done more to transform Americans’ sense of the feminine as spiritually equal to the masculine as we have. No group has... Read more
Dear Jasmine, I am wondering about spell substitutions and how to best do them, especially when I do not have all the items on hand for a working? Thank you, Lovely Dear Lovely, I will warn you in advanced that my advice will probably not be what you were looking for in the way of an answer. I have a strict policy in regards to spells which is “If you have to ask for help you probably shouldn’t be doing... Read more
All across the country right now politicians are legislating health care willy-nilly. From the semi-reasonable to the patently absurd, many of these bills have some seriously twisted and harmful ideas about women’s health. Soraya Chemaly has an excellent post on HuffPo discussing this recent spate of legislation. “Boy, it’s crazy to think we used to settle questions of paternity by dunking a woman in water until she admitted she made it all up.” – Dr. Leo Spaceman, 30 Rock Doctors... Read more
Hypothetical situation: I work for a Greek polytheist. My boss believes in moderation in all things. My boss refuses to cover any weight-related medical condition through my insurance because they believe it is a result of my immorality. If I was moral according to my boss’ definition, then I would not be overweight. My boss chooses to make a religious exemption on my insurance for any procedure or treatment that might be related to my weight. Is this legal?... Read more
Dear Jasmine, I am a Muslim woman and I have recently felt a calling to expand my current faith to be more earth based and in tune with my feminine side, similar to paganism. I would say it’s how connected pagans are to nature that calls me. I want to connect and be in tuned with what is such an amazing and beautiful part of life. Nature makes me feel closer to the Truth. I have been hoping to figure... Read more
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