Blog traffic has been good this year. Patheos management made some server upgrades and some improvements to search engine optimization that has more than made up for what we lost with the Facebook algorithm changes of mid-2016. On the other hand, I haven\u2019t had a post \u201cgo viral\u201d this year. In absolute numbers, all 10 posts in this 2017 list would have ranked higher than 4 but lower than 3 in the 2016 list.<\/p>\n
I find that fascinating, but I imagine most of you just want to see what\u2019s on this year\u2019s list. So here they are: the top 10 posts of 2017 on Under the Ancient Oaks.<\/p>\n
10. The Otherworld Needs to be Experienced, Not Escaped<\/strong><\/a> (October 2017). <\/strong>The Big Tent of Paganism is big enough for all kinds of beliefs. But when people who call themselves Pagans describe the land of the Gods and ancestors as \u201cescapism\u201d that demands a response.<\/p>\n I\u2019ve seen the Otherworld. I\u2019ve had first-hand experiences of Gods and spirits that are more real than anything in this world. Those experiences changed the way I see this world and the way I live in this world. My life is better for these experiences, and not in a small way.<\/p>\n 9. 7 Spiritual Practices for Difficult Times<\/strong><\/a> (May 2017). <\/strong>If we are consistent with spiritual practice when times are good, we will build a foundation that will support us when times are bad.<\/p>\n These are the spiritual practices that work for me in difficult times. They won\u2019t prevent bad things from happening \u2013 nothing will do that. They don\u2019t keep me from getting upset or stressed or stuck. But they help me regain my center faster and they help me respond to difficult times in the ways I want to respond.<\/p>\n 8. The Inspiration of Badass Park Rangers<\/strong><\/a> (January 2017). <\/strong>One of Trump\u2019s first acts was to ban government agencies from communicating with the public. He wants to control their message and suppress inconvenient facts. But the people at the EPA, FDA, NASA, and the National Park Service don\u2019t work for Trump \u2013 they work for us, and they decided to do their jobs anyway. They set up alternate twitter accounts and continued doing the work we pay them to do. And that started a Facebook meme:<\/p>\n First they came for the scientists\u2026<\/p>\n And the National Parks Services said, \u201clol, no\u201d and went rogue and we were all like \u201cI was not expecting the park rangers to lead the resistance, none of the dystopian novels I read prepared me for this but cool.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n You don\u2019t have be a hero. Just take inspiration from the badass park rangers and do whatever it is that you do best.<\/p>\n 7. Spiritual Treatment Is No Substitute For Mental Health Care<\/strong><\/a> (March 2017). <\/strong>Pagans like to think of ourselves as better educated, more open minded, and less judgmental than everybody else. But too many of us jump to wrong conclusions because they\u2019re nice and easy, or we reject mainstream treatments because they\u2019re part of the mainstream and we want to be countercultural. So we suffer needlessly and we commit spiritual malpractice by encouraging others to avoid necessary treatment.<\/p>\n Spiritual practice is no substitute for proper mental health care. This isn\u2019t a difference of opinion. This isn\u2019t a case of \u201cagree to disagree.\u201d This is a wrong and dangerous belief that I see too often in Pagan and alternative spirituality circles.<\/p>\n Spiritual treatment is no substitute for proper mental health care.<\/p>\n 6. When You Hear The Call of The Morrigan<\/strong><\/a> (July 2017). <\/strong>Of all the deities that are moving in our world, the Morrigan is perhaps the most active. Many people are hearing Her call. But what do you do when you hear it?<\/p>\n Begin a devotional practice. Read good books about Her. Reclaim your sovereignty \u2013 rule your own life and resist those who would control you for their own purposes. Find your place \u2013 the call of the Morrigan is almost always a call to service. Do the work She puts in front of you. Share your experiences \u2013 people are craving knowledge of Her. And stay with it \u2013 this is hard work in hard times, and it isn\u2019t going to be over any time soon.<\/p>\n There are many ways to respond. This is one way, but it\u2019s a way that\u2019s been shown to work.<\/p>\n 5. It Ain\u2019t Necessarily So: Five Falsehoods in the Pagan Community<\/strong><\/a> (October 2017). <\/strong>In October there was a trend going around to write a blog post listing ideas that are popular in the Pagan community that aren\u2019t as true as we like to think. While some things aren\u2019t worth fighting over, it didn\u2019t take long for me to come up with five things I hear on a regular basis that are like fingernails on a chalkboard. Some of them are more half-truths than outright lies, but all of them are troublesome ideas that need to be challenged.<\/p>\n Religion isn\u2019t all about what you believe. Deep down all religions aren\u2019t the same. Interfering with other people\u2019s free will not only isn\u2019t the greatest sin, it\u2019s a regular and necessary occurrence. Everything is not sacred. And yes, sometimes we do need priests.<\/p>\n 4. The Call of the Morrigan is Louder and More Urgent<\/strong><\/a> (January 2017). <\/strong>Many of us have heard the call of the Morrigan over the past six years or so. Early this year that call got louder and even more demanding. The storm She warned us was coming is now here.<\/p>\n There are literal battles going on right now. There are metaphorical battles going on right now. There are metaphysical battles going on right now. For those of us who hear the call of the Morrigan, it\u2019s time to join them. Choose your weapon. And know the difference between the enemy and those who are fighting on your side in a different function or service.<\/p>\n Gather your gear. Buckle on your armor. Pick up your weapons. The order to engage is imminent.<\/em><\/p>\n 3. The Aesthetic of Witchcraft and the Return of Real Magic<\/strong><\/a> (November 2017). <\/strong>There have always been witches \u2013 people who use magic for unauthorized purposes. Today, those who feel threatened and excluded by those in power are attracted to the image of the witch and to the forms of witchcraft. And since there\u2019s no risk of being burned at the stake, more and more people are not only willing to visit the witch, but to call themselves witches \u2013 even though their witchcraft is mostly a fashion choice. This is upsetting some people for whom witchcraft is serious business.<\/p>\n But witchcraft survived literal witch hunters \u2013 it will survive this too. And the publicity is good. Those of us who practice real magic need to be concerned with welcoming and teaching those who want more from their witchcraft than a fashion trend.<\/p>\n 2. Why I\u2019m Not Participating in the Mass Binding of Donald Trump and What I\u2019m Doing Instead<\/strong><\/a> (February 2017). <\/strong>In his first month in office, Trump attacked refugees and immigrants, tried to silence scientists, removed federal protection for transgendered students, tried to silence the press, and appointed a cabinet dedicated to destroying public education, prioritizing economic exploitation over environmental protection, and ending net neutrality. It is no surprise that many witches and other magical practitioners decided to combine forces to oppose him.<\/p>\n But the group working that got the most publicity was poorly timed and even more poorly constructed. I declined to participate in it. But I\u2019m not sitting out \u2013 I\u2019m doing my own combination of magic and mundane action.<\/p>\n 1. The Re-emergence of the Fair Folk in the Ordinary World<\/strong><\/a> (March 2017). <\/strong>The Fair Folk never really went away. Perhaps they came into this world less often, but mainly we stopped noticing them. Now we\u2019re seeing them, hearing them, and feeling the impact of their presence on an increasingly frequent basis. We\u2019d best pay attention.<\/p>\n Not only was this the most widely read post of the year by a considerable margin, it generated a ton of comments, some on the blog and many more on Facebook. Some criticized my North American \/ Celtic-centric approach, while others suggested that the changes aren\u2019t with the Good Neighbors or with the Otherworld but within ourselves. Those criticisms have merit, and I addressed them in a follow-up post titled What\u2019s Changing: The World or Us?<\/a><\/p>\n Ultimately I don\u2019t know who\u2019s right or to what degree. But I do know our world is changing rapidly and not for the better. We need the help of all our allies, which means we need to be allies worthy of help. The Fair Folk are re-emerging in the ordinary world. Take the time to learn a thing or two about them so they will be more likely to see you as an honorable person who they can deal with honorably.<\/p>\n![\"Top](\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/243\/2017\/12\/Top-10-of-2017.jpg\")
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