The Allergic Pagan
My mission was infiltrate Paganism, discover the secret of its success, and work to destabilize it from within. Read more
My mission was infiltrate Paganism, discover the secret of its success, and work to destabilize it from within. Read more
Polytheists and Pagan Reconstructionist do not have an exclusive claim to the pagan past. While belief may have been the norm (as it is today) among ancient pagans, there were atheist pagans in antiquity. Read more
The best Pagan festival I went to this summer wasn't a Pagan festival at all. Read more
The Destiny is a unique concept among Pagan groups. The Destiny is important for the lessons it forces us to learn while we’re here on Earth, for the people it encourages us to become. It is important for the unity and purpose that it gives us here on Earth. And in the future, it offers us a kind of species adulthood and species immortality when we scatter to the stars. Read more
If you’re like me, growing up, the word “Black” was always spoken of in whispers in your family. It was like we were saying something taboo. We might feel more comfortable saying “African-American,” but not “Black.” The reason is that we were raised to believe that “colorblindness” was the ideal for whites. We were taught that we shouldn’t “see color.” And saying the word “Black” was an acknowledgment of the fact that we did “see color.” Read more
The myth of non-political Pagan spaces acts as a blindfold for the Pagan community -- especially those of us Pagans who are privileged. It perpetuates implicit racism, patriarchy, hetero- and cis-normativity -- all of which continue to exist in our Pagan spaces. And if we're not consciously and actively working to see it and deal with it, then we're passively helping to sweep it back under the rug. Read more
It is important to recognize God in our own image, our own reflection — especially if we are female, queer, persons of color — and our culture tells us we are somehow less than divine because of it. But for those of us who are white, or who are male, or who are heterosexual, or who are cis-gendered, it is even more important for us to recognize God in the faces of those who are different from us. Read more
Choosing to say "God" instead of "Goddess" allows us to speak about divinity separately from gender, while also allowing us to tap into all the power and possibility that has been associated with that word for centuries. I'm not suggesting we choose one over the other. I'm suggesting we embrace all of these words: "gods", "goddesses", "Goddess", and even "God", each of them with their unique potential and their unique limitations. We Pagans know something about the infinite diversity of the divine, and we need all of the linguistic resources at our disposal to express it. So let us reclaim "God" from the monotheists and the patriarchs. Let us make "God" Pagan again. Read more
In the interest of an inclusivity that is never really achieved, planners of public Pagan rituals often default to a "Wiccanate" ritual format that is familiar, but also tired. The lack of creativity and ritual innovation at many public Pagan events is largely responsible for the appellation "generic"; it is "generic" because it is bland and boring. This is what makes the phrase "generic Paganism" so offensive. Not all so-called "generic Pagans" are Wiccanate. Read more
Join us on Zoom on Saturday June 18 @ 6 pm ET/ 5pm CT/ 4pm MT/ 3pm PT for a Rite of Remembrance in honor of those who died in the Orlando massacre. Just follow this link: https://zoom.us/j/895295606 Read more
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