Sacramental Eating

Last updated on: March 8, 2014 at 11:15 am By John Beckett

All of Nature is sacred. But sacred or not, life feeds on life. What is your relationship with the living things that die so you can continue to live? Is it a conscious relationship? Is it an honest relationship? Is it in line with your values? Read more

Not Her Priest

Last updated on: March 13, 2014 at 8:19 am By John Beckett

I wear many religious hats and fill many religious roles. One of them is priest. But in a polytheistic setting, not everyone needs to be a priest, and one need not be a priest of a deity to work with and for Her. Read more

A Pagan Watches Cosmos

Last updated on: March 13, 2014 at 8:29 am By John Beckett

The new Cosmos is beautiful and fascinating and I hope the whole country watches it. We need a greater appreciation for science and a greater respect for the findings of science. But I remain a polytheist and a pantheist, a Druid and a priest. Read more

The Pagan World in 2064

Last updated on: March 8, 2014 at 11:00 am By John Beckett

What will Paganism look like in 50 years? What we can build is limited only by our imaginations, but our imaginations are more limited than we like to think. Here’s what the Pagan world in 2064 will look like if things go reasonably well for us. Read more

Vampires Are Us

Last updated on: December 28, 2014 at 11:34 am By John Beckett

Margot Adler’s new book explores our fascination with vampires. I’ve been fascinated with vampires ever since I was rushing home from elementary school to watch Dark Shadows. Read more

A Rite of Sacrifice

Last updated on: March 3, 2014 at 10:01 pm By John Beckett

There are times we approach the Gods with what we’d like to give them, or with what we think they might like. And then there are times when they tell us exactly what they want. Read more

Unfortunate Effects of Joseph Campbell

Last updated on: December 30, 2014 at 8:37 pm By John Beckett

I’m very thankful for Joseph Campbell – he had just the right message at just the right time on my spiritual journey. But I think Campbell’s ideas are contributing to some of the current discord within Paganism. Read more

Nine Things I Think

Last updated on: February 27, 2014 at 5:32 pm By John Beckett

Nine Things I Think: odds and ends from Pantheacon, memorizing rituals vs. reading them, toning and chanting in rituals, a new CD from Amelia Hogan, the new season of Game of Thrones and more. Read more

Jailing Is Not Protecting

Last updated on: February 24, 2014 at 8:17 pm By John Beckett

It’s one thing to use the power of the law to discourage self-destructive behavior. It’s something very different to spend billions of dollars to throw people in jail because they want to get high. Read more