It would be wonderful to have a Pagan temple in every city. Or perhaps many temples, representing many traditions. They would serve as centers of worship, focuses for worship (i.e. – statues and permanent altars), and gathering places for the community. More importantly, they would make tangible public statements that “we are here” and “we’re going to be here a long time.” While Pagans may never build another Parthenon, there are Pagan groups who are investing in buildings right now.... Read more

Star Foster at Patheos is thinking about temples again. Last September she talked about the Temple of Artemis and asked “Are temples an investment in our devotion?” My answer was that while buildings aren’t a necessity, they are tangible statements about the values and priorities of those who build them. Most importantly, temples are a concrete expression of multi-generational thinking. That’s something that’s mostly lacking in contemporary Western religions, from New Agers chasing the next peak experience to Evangelicals who... Read more

Yesterday I wrote about an initiation I helped plan and lead, an initiation that was written for a specific individual. Although all the participants were members of Denton CUUPS, this was not a “CUUPS initiation.” CUUPS is a UU covenant group, formed by and for Pagan-identified Unitarian Universalists. Unitarian Universalists have no creeds, much less fixed traditions that can be passed down through initiation like Gardnerian Wiccans or even like OBOD Druids. The idea of a “CUUPS initiation” borders on... Read more

Last night I had the honor of participating in the initiation and dedication of a remarkable young woman. It was a ritual that drew on a long heritage of religious and fraternal initiations, some of which I’ve experienced and some of which I’ve found in books and on the internet. But a lot of it – including all of the object lessons – were written for this particular person. Last year I wrote about the purposes of initiation, how to... Read more

Teo Bishop at Patheos’ “Bishop in the Grove” relates an incident where his husband suffered from what they both agreed was a psychic attack. This despite the fact that both of them are rather skeptical about such things. The story is interesting and the reader comments are good – I encourage you to go read both, particularly if you’re not familiar with these things. When I am asked how magic works I usually give a three-part answer. One part is... Read more

If you’re in the North Texas area next Saturday, please join us for our celebration of the Spring Equinox.  Click on the image for a larger version of the flyer. Read more

Contrary to what your well-meaning teachers told you, there is such a thing as a bad question. A good example of a bad question is last week’s topic for the Dallas Morning News’ “Texas Faith” interfaith panel of clergy and other spiritual leaders. Inspired by anti-environmental comments by Presidential candidate Rick Santorum, the Texas Faith panel was asked “Is man here to serve the Earth? Or is the Earth here to serve man?” For full context, here are the statements... Read more

by Photofarmer, via Wikimedia Commons crossposted with No Unsacred Place Spring is the season of faith. How’s that, you ask? You’re going to take some grain leftover from last Fall, bury it in the ground, and expect it to feed your family in the coming year. You’re going to trust the lives of yourself and your loved ones to some mysterious process you can’t see and can’t control. You’re going to invest countless hours of labor in planting and tending... Read more

UPDATE:  As of June 27, the camp is full and registration is closed.  So if you aren’t already registered, sorry.  ************************************************************ Last year I attended the OBOD East Coast Gathering and had a wonderful time. This year should be even better, with special guests OBOD Chosen Chief Philip Carr-Gomm, OBOD Scribe Stephanie Carr-Gomm, and AODA Grand Archdruid John Michael Greer. If you are a member of a Druid order, I strongly encourage you to attend. The setting is beautiful and... Read more

Star Foster at Patheos is delving into ancient philosophy – something I wish more Pagans would do. The Greeks and Romans are our cultural as well as spiritual ancestors and their ideas are more prevalent in our common society than many of us realize. Today Star asks one of the Big Questions: what is our purpose? She says: Most religions insist we don’t belong here. We’re trying to get back to where we came from. Redeem our fallen state or... Read more