12 Steps Toward Decolonizing Irish American Paganism

Last updated on: August 31, 2018 at 3:48 am By Chris Godwin

Edit: I coincidentally was writing this the day my mom asked me not to wear a kilt to my sister’s wedding. These are continued thoughts of a decolonized pagan worldview. I practice Irish American Paganism. The Troubles or Na Trioblóidí(Pronounced Nuh Treebloidee) was the conflict between Ireland and Northern Ireland. The members of the Orange Order and the Williamites who represent Protestant Faith wear the color orange and march, though controversially, through Northern Ireland. The Famine in Ireland and the systematic repression... Read more

A General Overview of the Ancient Fire Religion

Last updated on: August 29, 2018 at 4:15 am By Chris Godwin

There’s not one worldview of the cosmos among ancient pagans. But, the first people to be called pagan were the people who spoke Indo-Europeans(IE) languages. And among the different IE there is a demonstrable single origin of their worldviews. That means the heart and ideology of the paganisms Greeks, Celts, Romans, Germans, Balts, Slavs, Indian, and Iranian stem from a root. These cultures are part of the same language family and their pre-christian religions are as linked as are their... Read more

The Way Ancient Pagans Made Offerings

Last updated on: August 29, 2018 at 6:05 pm By Chris Godwin

In what way can we tell how the ancients made offerings? Simply because their offering hordes have been discovered and written about by authors through time. Read more

Pagan Groups: Greater Ability Means More Responsibility

Last updated on: August 17, 2018 at 3:44 am By Chris Godwin

I believe in you. I believe in every reader. My faith that my words do wonders for people I will never touch carries me to continue. I believe in my grove. I believe in every member. My faith that my works do wonders for them carries me to continue. It takes a lot to start a pagan group. And it is not for the faint of heart. It takes strength commitment, and sometimes a level of madness. The reasons we... Read more

Considering the Ancestors

Last updated on: August 10, 2018 at 12:14 pm By Rev. Jean (Drum) Pagano

Considering my Ancestors I have been thinking about the Ancestors lately and how exactly they fit into my life. I have honoured the Ancestors for a number of years. My grandparents and aunts and uncles seemed the closest I could experience as Ancestors, other than the animal friends that are no longer in my life. I was one of the fortunate ones. At 96 and 92, I still had both of my parents. I called them my “greatest treasure”. My... Read more

5 Charms to the Morrigan

Last updated on: August 9, 2018 at 5:23 am By Chris Godwin

A Prayer of Thanks for Victory In the presence of the finnóg, A calm comes over me, For she arrives red-mouthed, Beak tipped with the blood of my enemies, Whom I’ve put asunder. May her cries be heard, Around the house no more, May she be satiated of conflict, Blood and bile, flesh and sinew, For she has measured our dán, And chosen the slain and victor. We give our thanks Glory Maker, To the ban-tuathaigh may our gratitude fly,... Read more

Symptoms of a Colonial Worldview In Your Paganism

Last updated on: August 29, 2018 at 6:04 pm By Chris Godwin

Last post we opened the question of decolonization. I was going to put a bunch of dichotomies on here but I decided to go with a different approach, I’m going to talk shortly about the symptoms of a colonial worldview in your pagan culture. Identity tied to Profession or Titles The first symptom of a colonized worldview is that identity comes from profession and titles. So many people in America today get devastated when they’re fired, because that is who... Read more

Are You a Colonial or an Indigenous Cultured Witch?

Last updated on: August 29, 2018 at 6:04 pm By Chris Godwin

Many people who claim to be drawn Celtic heritage have in fact internalized the colonizing culture’s attitudes toward Celtic civilization. They feel “safe“ dealing with aspects of the Celtic world that a certain elite in the colonies and culture has judged acceptably interesting – Celtic mythology, Celtic art, traditional music – but exclude elements that are disapproved of by the state, like language and the separate identity of living Celtic communities. English and French symbolize material and social success: Celtic... Read more

Pagans to Perform Ceremony at Austin’s 2018 PRIDE Interfaith Celebration

Last updated on: July 23, 2018 at 12:25 pm By Chris Godwin

I am proud to represent pagans, Gaels, and the LGBTQ+ communities at this year’s PRIDE Interfaith Celebration. Though I am not queer myself, and would prefer a queer leader of a congregation, I was sourced as a last resort as they couldn’t find any queer druids for the part. I never turn down an invite to appear and represent the pagan community. I’ve appeared on radio shows, cable access, at the local UU pulpit, in central texas for almost a... Read more

A Full Solitary Devotional Rite for Lughnasadh in August.

Last updated on: July 24, 2018 at 1:30 am By Chris Godwin

O Holy Ones, the land upholds me, the sea surrounds me, while the sky embraces me. And I stand in the center as a living fire. Let my work be done in beauty and truth. Read more