Now that Paganism has been around for a while, we are in the process of trying to define where we all stand. On the fringes of one level of debate are the Atheist Pagans and the Hard Polytheists. Well, it's going to sound like a cop-out, but I am both. As people line up to take sides on this issue and much of the Pagan community is divided; I say, "Yes, and." How can you possibly believe that? you might ask me. The answer is in the special nature of humanity. Read more
On Imbolc in the Okanagan Valley, the signs of spring are all around us, if we just know where to look. The land awakens; the Lord returns from the Underworld and the Lady welcomes Him! Read more
I am a Flamekeeper. I keep a sacred flame for the Goddess Brighid, also known as Brid, as part of a worldwide sisterhood called the Daughters of the Flame. I've been a part of the order off and on for almost twenty years now, and we honour Her in all Her aspects: Pagan goddess, Christian saint, and Voodoo lwa. Read more
Imbolc falls quite close to the full moon this year. Regardless of tradition . . . we have a chance to take advantage of both energies to give our tools a magical "power-up." Read more
I've got an . . . interesting . . . relationship with Old Hornie. Call Him Herne, call Him Pan or Cernunnos, call Him the Devil or the Man in Black; he's been part of my practice since it started. Contrary to my usual tone in this blog, I'm not trying to defend an opinion nor offer any instruction. I just want you to see the beauty and majesty of my God through my eyes for a little while. Read more
Let's say you fire two electrons out of a box at the same time. If one spins upwards, the other must spin downwards. If you cause one to spin up, then the other, by default, will be forced to spin down. Now let's put one of these electrons on the moon and leave the other one on Earth. You would think that with such a distance separating the two, one would no longer be affected in any way by what you're done to the other. Well, you'd be wrong. Read more
I'm participating in the Pagan Experience blog project, and I registered this blog here as my participating blog. But I thought the nature of this week's writing prompt, "Personal Practice," was more suited to my blog at PaganSquare, 49 Degrees. So I'm linking the post here. Hope you enjoy it! Read more
Traditional witchcraft often argues its legitimacy by claiming superiority over Wicca. But they bear only surface similarities to one another, so why are we comparing the two at all? It seems to me that they are entirely different things, and comparing them isn't even like comparing apples and oranges; it's like comparing apples and . . . orangutans. Read more
Nietzche in his classic The Birth of Tragedy conceived of these two poles as opposite sides of human nature. The logical-reasoning side he named "Apollonian," referring to the god Apollo, whose worship was generally very reasoned and logic, formal and ceremonial. The intuitive-emotional side he named "Dionysian," referring to the god Dionysus, whose worship was emotional, intuitive, and characterized by frenzies and wild abandon. Both elements are human, spiritual needs. Understanding this balance is key in writing effective ritual. Read more
Our culture's current ideas about gender and sexuality are so dangerously messed up that they cause genuine psychological damage to those who do not fit the pigeonholes (like me.) But I don't see how it helps for us to just assign different roles based on gender. That's just refusing to confront the issue. Read more
Between the Shadows
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