I’m home from a trip to Big Bend National Park. I’ve read more books and have more to say, but that will have to wait till after today’s Pagan Practice class. For now, study this picture. It’s so full of symbolism it should be a Tarot card. Read more

On vacation, blogging via iPhone. Gotta love technology, Brigid be praised! After all, what is technology but bigger and better smithcraft? I fInished the first of my vacation books: Why Religion Matters by Huston Smith. His basic argument is that a “traditional” (ie – theistic) worldview is more helpful to meaning-seeking humans than the modern or postmodern views. His preference for hierarchy is troubling and some of his criticism of science is flat-out wrong, but on the whole he makes... Read more

In response to the requests we had at our Introduction to Modern Pagan Religion class back in March, Denton CUUPS is beginning a series of five monthly classes on Intermediate Pagan Practice. The first will be Saturday, May 29. Click on the image for a larger version of the flyer. Read more

It is often said that people only see what they want to see. That’s frequently true, but I prefer to say that people only see what their ideas about the world will allow them to see. A few years ago when I was preparing to lead a book study of Willow Polson’s The Veil’s Edge (one of the few books available on advanced Pagan practice) I came across this quote by Clive Beck, Professor of Education at the University of... Read more

On the way to church yesterday, I saw a bumper sticker that said “if you aren’t outraged you aren’t paying attention.” No other stickers on the car, no indication if he was outraged from the left or from the right. This being Texas you’d assume from the right, but this was in Denton, so who knows. Regardless of which side of the political / religious / environmental / whatever debates you’re on, being outraged is a lousy way to go... Read more

As I was completing my first term as an officer of Denton CUUPS, I came to the realization that I needed some formal training. I had already learned much on my own and even more from working with others in CUUPS, but I needed structure and guidance to help develop a deeper, more effective spiritual practice. By that point I knew that Druidry was my path. Unfortunately, there were no Druid groves in the DFW area at the time (an... Read more

What does universalism mean in a Pagan setting? This is important to me because intuiting universalist beliefs was the first step I took away from the fundamentalist church of my childhood, and because more than a few people who are new to Paganism are coming from a similar background. In my May 2 blog post, I said “Universalism means everything is going to work out OK in the end, for everyone.” But how? The only thing we can say for... Read more

Richard Dawkins is a lousy philosopher, but he’s an awesome biologist. I’ve never been very passionate about evolution. 10th grade biology plus some extra-curricular science reading convinced me it was an accurate explanation for the development of life. That allowed me to check that box on my “things I need to know” list and move onto other subjects I found more engaging, such as engineering, religion, and abolishing the abomination that is the designated hitter. Over the past few years... Read more

Beltane was so much fun I had to do it again! Last night was our CUUPS Beltane Circle – a great time celebrating the beginning of Summer and working to bring more love into our lives. Ashley reads “The Flowers” by Robert Louis Stevenson. The Maypole Dance! The Beltane Procession. The Spiral Dance. Read more

A few pictures from our Beltane Circle last Saturday. We weren’t able to use the stone circle (the ground still needs a lot of work), but the campground always makes a beautiful ritual setting. Our main altar. John Beckett from Denton CUUPS and David Sparks from Temple Spiritualis Compassare. The Circle Dance gets going – dancing around the balefire to invoke the blessings of Beltane on our lives and our work. The circle dance concludes with a joyous shout! Read more