3 Harmful Common Myths and 3 Better Alternatives

Last updated on: September 4, 2017 at 1:29 pm By John Beckett

We all have myths – stories that we live by. What are your myths? Do they help you live the kind of life you want to live? Or have they set you up for failure? Read more

Religion Is Not Just Mythology

Last updated on: September 12, 2017 at 1:07 am By John Beckett

The idea that religion is mythology is the bastard child of Protestantism and atheism. It rips sacred stories out of their animistic and theistic context and replants them in the academically acceptable ground of psychology and sociology. Read more

Initiation: Mad, Dead, or a Poet

Last updated on: September 7, 2017 at 11:05 am By John Beckett

An initiation doesn’t have to be brutal and bloody to be effective. But if there is no possibility of a negative outcome then there is no room for transformation. Read more

One Pagan’s Thoughts on What Comes After Death

Last updated on: August 31, 2017 at 4:14 pm By John Beckett

I’m a universalist at heart – whatever comes next will be good for everyone. The details will sort themselves out. But someone asked for my specific beliefs about the afterlife, so here they are. Read more

The Aftermath of the Eclipse – Small But Strange

Last updated on: August 26, 2017 at 9:57 am By John Beckett

I really wasn’t prepared for this eclipse. But it wasn’t a total loss, and things were mysteriously better after it passed. Read more

A Weekly Ritual of Focus and Protection

Last updated on: August 23, 2017 at 10:34 pm By John Beckett

While ethics compel us to respond to major events like Charlottesville, if we are always responding we allow others to dictate what we’re working on. This is a ritual to help you focus your attention on the bigger picture – on the work your Gods and ancestors have called you to do. Read more

Under the Ancient Oaks: Living a Good Life During Difficult Times

Last updated on: August 22, 2017 at 7:36 pm By John Beckett

Under the Ancient Oaks the video series, episode 3. What do we mean by living a good life in difficult times? It isn’t easy, but people have done it for thousands of years, and we can do it too. Read more

10 Things I Need To Say About Charlottesville

Last updated on: August 20, 2017 at 11:41 am By John Beckett

I’m not going to try to write a full analysis on Charlottesville, but there are several things I need to say, beginning with “to hell with Nazis.” Read more

Talking to Kids About Charlottesville

Last updated on: August 15, 2017 at 2:32 pm By John Beckett

Your response will not be perfect – mine certainly wasn’t. But that will pale in comparison to the fact that you refused to acquiesce to White Supremacy and Nazism with your silence and you said something. Read more

Religion and Bad Assumptions

Last updated on: August 13, 2017 at 2:57 pm By John Beckett

If we build our new religion on the foundational assumptions of our old religion, we will find that many of our religious problems come with us. Challenging what we’ve always been told is hard, and building a new foundation is harder. But we are up to the task, and we have each other to help along the way. Read more