It is not reasonable to expect the new pope to reform his church in the ways those of us on the liberal side of the religious spectrum would prefer. But I still offer my best wishes to Pope Francis. Though I am quite happy as a Pagan, a Druid, and a Unitarian Universalist, I’ve always had a soft spot for the Catholic church. Read more
Were the religious experiences of our distant ancestors incomplete because they did not have language for interpretation? Or were they more complete because they were experienced with their whole beings and not forced into the limitations of language? And how does that tie into the importance of keeping silence? Read more
The Pagan Neoplatonists believed the gods were unchanging. The ancient stories and our own experience say they do change. But how do they change, and how can we avoid re-creating them in our own image? Read more
1700 years ago, Iamblichus wrote “extended practice of prayer nurtures our intellect, enlarges very greatly our soul’s receptivity to the gods, reveals to men the life of the gods, accustoms their eyes to the brightness of divine light, and gradually brings to perfection the capacity of our facilities for contact with the gods.” His ideas are still relevant to modern Pagans. Read more
Singer-songwriter Amanda Palmer has a TED talk describing her hyper-successful crowdfunding project. It’s titled “The Art of Asking.” She’s right – the art of asking is important. But if you want big help for your project, you also need passion, reciprocity and connection. Read more
My first impression was that Thorn Coyle had written a self-help book. Was I ever wrong! This is a manual for practical magic. Read more
There is great danger in transition zones, in times and places that are neither within nor without. But there is also great opportunity. Be aware of the risks and take advantage of the possibilities. Read more
Because theology is a speculative process dealing with highly subjective topics, we have great leeway in how we choose to construct our religious frameworks. We do not, however, have the leeway to construct a religious framework that violates the laws of Nature or contradicts established facts, and we should take great care in constructing a framework that contradicts the consensus of science, history or other academic disciplines. Read more
We are discrete beings living in a continuous universe, so our brains evolved to classify things into a few categories. This helps us deal with them quickly and easily. Boundaries make things predictable and manageable. Our challenge is to draw boundaries that are helpful to us, our community and the world. Read more
Many of the difficulties in both our mainstream society and in our Pagan community revolve around our refusal to accept that limits are not illusory nor do they apply only to other people. They are real, necessary and helpful. Dealing with them requires understanding the three types of limits and choosing the right approach for each. Read more
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In