For various reasons, we held our family summer solstice celebration during the daytime this year. Last year it was night time and I took advantage of the darkness. We danced around a fire wearing homemade masks (and likely terrified any neighbors who happened to see us.) I posted the outline of last year’s ritual here. This year, I decided to do something different. I made it much simpler and took advantage of the sunny day. Here’s the outline: Opening: “Sunny”... Read more
(Note: Sorry to everyone who got emailed the incomplete version of this post. My fingers moved too fast and it posted before it was ready.) Over at Patheos, Star Foster has written a great post about struggling with daily practice which she entitles “Slacker Paganism”. I am a big advocate of at least trying to maintain a daily spiritual practice. Star proposes a solution for the inevitable disappointment we all feel when we fail to live up to our own... Read more
For someone who considers himself “Jungian”, I don’t dream very often. Or rather, I don’t recall my dreams very often. When I do, they usually seem very significant. I woke up yesterday morning from a dream and I stumbled out of bed to find a pen and pad to write down the details. The dream I dreamed that my wife and I and many other people were under some kind of spell which compelled us to jump out of the... Read more
I’ve now posted all eight of my family seasonal celebrations: Winter Solstice (Yule) Myth: The Sun Child and Mother Night. Activity: We released lanterns with New Year’s wishes on the longest night. Lesson: In the darkest time of our lives, there is always hope. Mid-Winter (Brigid) Myth: Cerridwen’s Cauldron of Inspiration Activity: We melted snow with candles and washed our hands in the water. We burned pieces of paper on which we had written things we wanted to transform. Lesson:... Read more
Here’s my outline for my family summer solstice celebration: Prelude “Daemonos” by Daemonia Nymphe Introduction I begin: The Summer Solstice is the longest day of the year and the shortest night. The sun has grown to its full strength and summer begins. But it is also the day when the days begin to get shorter again. This day is called “Litha” by many Pagans. Litha is the name given to the solstice by the Anglo-Saxons, who are our ancestors. They... Read more
I came across this little gem of an essay and I wanted share it. It is attributed to Fiona MacLeod. “Fiona MacLeod” is a pseudonym of William Sharp (1855-1905). Sharp was a member of the Order of the Golden Dawn and an associate of Swinburne and of W. B. Yeats. Fiona, as it turns out, was more than a mere pseudonym for Sharp, and something close to an alternate personality. MacLeod begins the essay: “I know one who, asked by... Read more
Jason Mankey recently weighed in on the “atheist Pagan” controversy at his new blog “Raise the Horns”. By the way, I saw Jason at Pantheacon and he was easily one of the most interesting and entertaining speakers at the event. But I don’t want to talk about Jason’s post other than to say it is a good example of a response from a polytheistic perspective. And I don’t want to beat a dead ashvamedha either. But one one of the comments... Read more
1. That my soul is a dark forest. 2. That it is better to be whole than to be good. 3. That there are things in the world not of reason. Read more
The Mary-El Tarot is finally available for sale. I have been waiting about 10 years for this! This is one of the most beautiful decks I have every seen. I just ordered mine and can’t wait to get it. Here are some examples: Read more
Yesterday, Star Foster held a “Live Pagan Hangout” on the topic of “active tolerance” (a term which implies more than just “tolerating” someone) with Teo Bishop, Crystal Blanton, David Dashifen Kees, and Davd Salisbury. Although not mentioned, the event was in response to M.J. Lee’s post on Humanistic Paganism, “Why Do People Want Supernatural Gods?”. M.J., for her part, has tried to explain that she was responding to an earlier discussion in the comments section of another post on H.P.... Read more
The Allergic Pagan
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