Who Sets the Boundaries?

Last updated on: August 9, 2015 at 4:21 pm By John Beckett

A look around the Pagan world reveals a disproportionate number of people who have been marginalized and excluded by the boundary-makers of the mainstream society. And yet, these are the people the Many Gods have called to live by Their values and embody Their virtues in a world that desperately needs its values rearranged. Read more

You Can’t Practice Paganism While You Look Down Your Nose At It

Last updated on: December 19, 2015 at 3:26 pm By John Beckett

Paganism can restore our connections with the natural world, rebuild our ties with our communities, deepen our understanding of ourselves, and renew our relationships with the Gods – however we conceive of them. But it can do none of these things if we are more interested in looking respectable than in re-enchanting the world. Read more

Many Gods West

Last updated on: August 3, 2015 at 7:31 pm By John Beckett

What do you get when 180 polytheists gather to honor the Gods, ancestors, and spirits, and to share thoughts and practices on the best ways to deepen our devotion and service? You get an amazing weekend filled with learning, experience, and fellowship. Read more

Why I Am Still A Druid

Last updated on: July 25, 2015 at 3:12 pm By John Beckett

I belong to many religious movements and I serve in many capacities. But if you ask me to pick one primary religious identity, my heart and my head both say the same thing: I’m a Druid. Read more

Lammas Night

Last updated on: July 24, 2020 at 11:37 am By John Beckett

What sacrifices – of time, treasure, effort, convenience, or more – will you make to help build the kind of world we want to see? Because while we live in a hi-tech, post-modern world, some ancient truths remain. Sacrifice is necessary. Read more

The Universe Has No Plan And That’s OK

Last updated on: July 25, 2015 at 9:48 am By John Beckett

I don’t think the Universe has a plan, and in any case I can’t relate to a Universe that plans. But I can relate to the Old Gods. Read more

Nine Things I Think

Last updated on: August 5, 2015 at 6:23 pm By John Beckett

Nine Things I Think: CUUPS Revisioning, Many Gods West, a new Pagan blogger with some awesome photos, the return of football, Donald Trump, and more. Read more

Religious Diversity, Hospitality, and a Muslim Cemetery in Texas

Last updated on: July 22, 2015 at 7:00 pm By John Beckett

I like living in Texas, but I don’t like having to deal with those who won’t show basic human decency to others because of their religion. Read more

Lughnasadh – A Solitary Ritual

Last updated on: July 25, 2017 at 9:53 am By John Beckett

Many Pagans maintain solitary practices, and even if you work with a group, sometimes you can’t be with them on the holy days. Here’s a solitary ritual for Lughnasadh, to honor the Master of All Arts and to celebrate the arts in which we are skilled. Read more

What Are The Gods Up To?

Last updated on: July 19, 2015 at 8:00 am By John Beckett

Get a handful of polytheists together and sooner or later the conversation turns to “so, what are They up to?” Something is going on and we can’t help but wonder what it is – unquestioning faith is not a Pagan virtue. Read more