Driving through Glenwood Canyon along the Colorado River, knowing that this beauty existed long before me and will continue to be long after I am gone, fosters in me a sense of gratitude for the brief but magnificent opportunity that is my life. These are experiences that are lost on my children. They are lost on them because they do not yet know how fleeting life is. They do not really know yet that they will someday die. Read more
I care because I'm a human being and I feel the pain of other human beings who have suffered isolation, discrimination, intolerance, and violence for loving the "wrong" people. Read more
The irony of being a Pagan with seasonal allergies symbolizes an essential conflict at the core of my psyche, a conflict between the desire for communion with nature on the one hand and the desire to transcend nature on the other. Read more
In my last post, I used Jason Mankey’s interview of self-described atheist Pagan Amy B. as an opportunity to introduce you to three other non-theistic Pagans, bloggers who described themselves variously as naturalistic, atheistic, non-deistic, and pantheistic, all of whom express a deep sense of reverence toward Pagan ritual. I was already thinking I should write a companion post highlighting some hard polytheists and deity-centered Pagans. Then I saw that Jason had written another post, entitled “Holier Than Thou Paganism”,... Read more
When saw that Jason Mankey interviewed atheist Pagan Amy B. at Raising the Horns, I was first excited, and then horrified. Personally, I tend to avoid the label “atheist Pagan” for the same reason that many non-theists avoid the term “atheist”. I’ve seen “atheist Pagan” used closely with “secular Pagan”, which does not describe me at all. But even though I don’t identify as one, there is much that I have in common with self-described atheist Pagans, including a commitment... Read more
Bid the invaders take the shoes from off their feet, for God is here within. — Emerson, “Self-Reliance” I’ve had an epiphany. For some time, I have struggled to understand why certain hard polytheists seem to feel threatened by the very presence of non-theists in the comments sections of their blogs. P. Sufenas Virius Lupus, for example, has been very clear that he considers it inappropriate for non-theistic Pagans come into his virtual space by commenting. Each time I have... Read more
Much wiser and cooler heads than mine have pointed out that my last post was fanning the flames. I had hoped to call certain parties to account for behavior I considered reproachable. But seriously, who do I think I am? In addition, my response could itself be construed as a personal attack. Worse, it could be mistaken representative of other humanistic or archetypal Pagans. I have long said that bloggers who have a significant following should be held to a... Read more
I’d hammer out danger I’d hammer out a warning I’d hammer out love between my brothers and my sisters All over this land — “If I Had a Hammer (The Hammer Song)” by Lee Hays and Pete Seeger Two things that I have learned in the latest Pagan-polytheist brouhaha over “pop culture Paganism” are: 1. Polytheism (like Paganism) is not a single or clearly defined entity. 2. I share common ground as a Self-centric and earth-centered Pagan with many polytheists.... Read more
The is my 250th post and I am celebrating! As I approach the second year anniversary of this blog in August, this blog had its busiest days ever in response to my posts “Against stupidity, the gods themselves contend in vain.” and “Hearing voices or talking to ourselves” with over 650 *views* and over 350 unique visitors in one day on May 31 and June 2. (That’s a lot for me.) I also recently received 500 likes! So I... Read more
All revelations are personal. That’s why all revelations are suspect. — Neil Gaiman, American Gods In my last post, I reviewed some of the recent controversy over the issue of so-called pop culture Paganism, and tried to make sense of the varying perspectives of those participating in the debate. I concluded that post by observing that both “sides” of the debate (polytheistic recons on one side, and a variety of non-recon polytheists, magickal Pagans, and archetypal Pagans on the other)... Read more
The Allergic Pagan
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