To many modern Heathens, Brisingamen is Freya's beautiful necklace, made of gold or amber or gemstones, and gifted to her by four crafty dwarves. Her necklace is to the Lady as Thor's Hammer is to the Thunderer. The story of how Freya won Brisingamen has been told and retold many times, but there are some details that modern retellings have left out. Would you like to know more? Read more
See into the process of dealing with reactions to sharing spiritwork publicly as Melissa Hill talks about the profound and confounding meaning of being a priest in a pagan tradition. Read more
Of all the lines that divide the modern pagan community none may be so sharply defined as hexing. Read more
Land of the free, home of the brave. The star-spangled banner is supposed to be a symbol of that. But, it's not really a symbol of freedom for many. It was our flag when our founding fathers created this country and allowed slavery to continue legally. It was our flag when the indigenous people who lived on this land were persecuted, pushed off their land, and murdered. And, it was our flag when women didn't have the right to vote. Read more
Economist John Kay recently wrote a book on something called "obliquity." Essentially that complex goals require us to use indirect methods to achieve the goal. For instance, if you wanted stable reliable money from employment, you might get a computer science degree to augment that process. That is an indirect route to the goal. Read more
If you were to acquire a plot of land to live on for the rest of your days, would you leave it undeveloped? Allowing the birds and animals to wander freely, the sun and rain to surround and govern your day. Would you be content to huddle over the flame, exposed to the elements and the unfiltered gaze of your neighbors? Throughout the seasons and the years? Read more
I’ve seen this scenario play out on internet forums a few times now. A Pagan parent comes online and asks for advice, because their child is being proselytized by a schoolmate or authority figure. Many parents today take a “My child will find their way when they’re older” narrative to heart. But, by not welcoming our children fully into our beliefs, we leave them easy prey for the religious forces of society at large. Read more
One of the tricky bits for a lot of people about the reconstructionist paganisms is that they were, in their original formats, the religions of an entire community. And, unfortunately, the odds are that if you're specifically looking for a religious community comparable to what ancient people had, the answer is, "You don't." Read more
"Life holds the mirror up to Art," Wilde wrote, "and either reproduces some strange type imagined by painter or sculptor, or realises in fact what has been dreamed in fiction." In the case of Crowley, this statement of life’s imitation of art rings particularly true. Read more
At the turn of the century witchcraft and sorcery was as alive and well as it is today. And one of the most compelling forms it takes, is in coloured portraits of devils, fairies and spirits drawn by sorcerous women channelling visions. Read more
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