Someone asked me what it felt like when I left fundamentalist Christianity. My response was that it was a process that took almost 40 years. Your journey out of fundamentalism doesn’t have to take that long. My prayer is that it moves as swiftly and as surely as possible. Read more
There is power in ritual language. But too many people try to grab that power and they mistake “foreign” (to themselves) for “inherently deep and meaningful” without thinking about what they're doing. They end up like the white folks who get Asian character tattoos that don’t say what they think they say. Read more
If the only role you can fill right now being a good ordinary Pagan, then that’s enough. But some of you can take on more, and some of you need to take on more, if only keep your mind off all the things you can’t control. Consider these six roles. Read more
Issue-driven movements won the right to vote for women and civil rights for African-Americans. Social change convinced the Supreme Court to recognize the right of same sex couples to marry. Bernie Sanders is gone from the race for U.S. President, but he remains in the Senate, and his mission remains in the hands of those who support it. Read more
Let’s treat our heroes with honor and dignity, but also with respect for the difficult things they have to tell us. Clap for them but then listen to them, and use what they tell us to make the world a better place. Read more
Numerous people have died recently while alone in quarantine. There are things we can do for them, and there are things we can do to make our own crossings easier, whenever they come. Read more
The three-part model the soul is popular because it’s familiar and because it’s useful. But ultimately it’s a psychological model. Psychology is not religion and religion is not psychology. This is an alternative that’s intended to begin a conversation, not to establish dogmatic beliefs. Read more
As someone who worships a Battle Goddess and a God of the Wild, I’m very sympathetic when deeply religious people tell me “this is what my God wants me to do.” But if your God tells you to do something that endangers thousands of vulnerable people, the proper response is “no.” Read more
For those of us who serve our Gods and our communities as clergy, the pandemic is dramatically increasing the need for our services at the same time it’s making it significantly harder for us to provide them. Here’s what I’m doing… or at least, what I’m trying to do. Read more
Cursing is the big hammer in the toolbox of the magician. You don’t need it often, and if you try to use it when you need a smaller tool you’ll just make things worse. But when you need it, you need it. Read more
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