Announcing a new on-line class from Under the Ancient Oaks: “The Call of Cernunnos” based on the devotional anthology The Book of Cernunnos. Registration is open now; the class begins January 16 and will run for five weeks. Details are in Module 0 on the Courses page. Read more
2025 will be a year of moving on. Your victories, your heartbreaks, your grand narratives may have been meaningful and helpful at one time but they no longer serve you. It’s time to move on – it’s time to create something new. Read more
The Top 10 posts of 2024 on Under the Ancient Oaks: re-enchanting the world, being a Pagan in a society that’s increasingly irreligious, and how to deal with a world where the political realities aren’t what we hoped they would be. Read more
I’m still here. 2024 turned out to be a very difficult year for me, but I kept blogging because I had something to say. These are the four best posts of this year that weren’t well-read. If you missed them the first time, I encourage you to read them now. Read more
Vampires, Tarot readers, and mediums. Exclusive girls’ schools where strange and mysterious things happen. Two looks at Victorian England and one look at Philadelphia in a near-dystopian future that may end up being reality. Here are the top five novels I read in 2024. Read more
The seasons are an astronomical phenomenon that can be predicted with precision. But a metaphorical winter begins on January 20 and we have no idea how cold it will get or how long it will last. How do we celebrate the solstice of this coming long winter? Read more
The stories of our ancestors tell of magicians who cursed kings and of kings who hunted witches because they feared their magic (I’m looking at you, James I). In practice, though, political magic is some of the most difficult magic there is. Read more
“To keep silence” is an important principle of magic. But some people are saying you should never talk about any magic. I think that’s taking things too far. Read more
Humans are like metals. We can absorb a few things, but push us past our limits and we break. But unlike metals, our resilience is not fixed. We can do things to increase our resilience. “Serpents of Circe” is a short guide to figure out where and how to start. Read more
Is there a spiritual war going on? The forces of Oppression and Conformity certainly think so. Whether we fight with swords or wands or pens or guitars is for us to decide. I made my choice – what is yours? Read more
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