After a two month hiatus, Ruby Sara is back at her new blog: Onion Work. Looking forward to the her new forthcoming work: The Mama’s Gospel – A collection of works from Pagan Godspell as well as new poems and stories. TBA. Kore Evohe: Rites of Spring – The celebration of the return of the Kore and the blooming of the world. Written by Ruby Sara and Johnny Rapture. Ruby Sara is in my opinion one of the most original and... Read more
As I am sitting here struggling to breathe because of my allergies which have turned into a cold, and I thought of a poem by Robert Graves, one of my favorites: Poised in air between earth and paradise Paradise and earth, confess which pull Do you feel stronger? Is it of homesickness Or of passion? Would you rather be loyal or wise? How are these choices reconcilable? — Robert Graves, “An East Wind” The poem is about the conflict between... Read more
I’m sick. It’s my biannual, post-allergy season cold. The hard stuff last about 2 or 3 days, and then I have a week of messy aftereffects. I can recognize the signs much more quickly now. It seems appropriate that I would come down with this about a month after starting the Allergic Pagan blog. When I get sick, I try to remind myself that this is Nature reminding me of the down cycle. Time to tuck my head under the... Read more
Over at Patheos, two weeks after Star Foster lauded the praises of traditional initiatory Wicca, which included such points as “Hierarchy is good” and “Wicca-focused Wicca”, she now has raised the issue of Christian elements, like the Watchtowers, in traditional Wicca. This was followed by a second post asking whether Wicca is a Christian heresy, which has really drawn some attention, mine at least. In her latest post, Star writes: “It makes me reconsider my ideas regarding the rise of... Read more
[Revised 2/27/14] So here is my evening practice, which I do in front of my altar at home. My morning ritual is focused on the natural elements: air, sun, water, dirt. But my evening ritual is focused instead on inner archetypes. This makes sense to me since, in the morning I am preparing to head out into the external world, whereas at night, I am leaving that world for the inner world of dream. First, I have to explain how... Read more
The topic in the discussion group at my local UU Church today was prayer. As usual, it was all over the place and hard to follow. On my left was the Buddhist who told about an experience he had praying to a boddisattva that he does not believe in to help him find his way in an unfamiliar city, which was then answered by the sudden and inexplicable appearance of someone he actually knew, in a city of two and... Read more
Over at Patheos, Star Foster asks about people’s Craft/Spirit names. Here’s my response: I’ve always found the craft/spirit name thing to be off-putting, at least when it is used publicly (as opposed to being used only in magical/ritual practice). I admit, I’m a mainstreamer and I would like to see Paganism treated as a serious (albeit joyous) religion by the mainstream. And I think adopting the names of deities, or names that sound like our parents were hippies (even if... Read more
Over at Alison Leigh Lilly’s blog, Peace, Poesis, and Wild Holy Earth, she brings some wonderful insight to the question of Pagan (in her case Druid) identity: “As a religion, modern Druidry has grown up around the archetype of the Druid as the wise sage, the inspired poet, the bright-eyed seer and the lover of nature. That archetype of the Druid is the acorn from which the oak of Druidry as a religion grows and expands, reaching limbs in all... Read more
Over at Rev. Dr. Victoria Weinstein’s blog PeaceBang I posted a responses to her post, “Humanist Worship and the Arts”, in which she takes a crack at UU and Pagan UU aesthetics. Here’s my response: My introduction to Paganism was through a CUUPS (Covenant of UU Pagans) Wheel of the Year ceremony. It was only later that I learned that CUUPS rituals are considered by many Pagans to be some of the worst out there. And my experience has confirmed... Read more
There have been many writers I have encountered over the years that have had a transformative influence on my life: Annie Dillard (Pilgrim at Tinker Creek), Alan Watts (Behold the Spirit), Emerson (“Self-Reliance”), and Theodore Roszak (The Making of a Counterculture). But there has only been one author who I identified so closely with that I have been tempted to believe in reincarnation. I’ve never believed in reincarnation really. I mean, I think it may happen for some people, but... Read more
The Allergic Pagan
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