We just don’t like to be told what to do! Read more

         The content below is an important GUEST POSTfrom my friend Kat Heatherington, She stands as one of the most inspirational individuals I know, she is a poet, sometime artist, polyamorous, ecofeminist pagan. Her ideal life includes living in her intentional community, Sunflower River, gardening, reading a lot, laughing with friends, enjoying the ceremonies of daily living, and seeing the stars at night. Much of her current practice of paganism focuses on integrative body- and energy-work. She... Read more

There are times when following my own path demands deep self-reflection and acknowledgment of my complicity in a culture that does not support or proclaim the values that I hold dear. The recent discussions about “rape culture’ is one such moment. Insights can be difficult, spring from long ago behaviors and churn inside my wounded sense of identity. Much has been made recently about teaching boys to respect women, learn not to objectify and participate in a conscious effort to... Read more

Recently I was listening to a pod cast that delved into the naming of “Big Name Pagans” known to us all as BNP’s.  This experience rubbed me the wrong way and has been bubbling in my own personal cauldron of discontent for quite some time. The term is not helpful, it serves to disconnect some of our most productive community servants from the very communities they serve and has little meaning beyond creating unnecessary stratification in our community. Frankly, most... Read more

Global Indigeny, A Needed Ethic Communities engaging in progressive thought have been processing conversations about the danger of cultural appropriation of indigenous beliefs, practices and images for some time now. This process has brought many to a new understanding of indigenous issues.  Progress is a wonderful thing. As part of this learning process it has also become clear that indigenous populations and cultures often share an ethic of living sustainably, providing for the future and compassion towards the planet we... Read more

Warriors, an archetype that stirs the imagination, visions of sabers, battle, conquest, fighting the good fight and defending all we hold sacred.   The warrior ethic resonates deeply with those seeking to establish community. After all, the warriors have all the flashy adornments. As our sense of community evolves it is apparent that warriors of another type have come to defend and even establish what we hold sacred. These are the warriors of the plow, the spoon, the protest and activism. ... Read more

It is not often that I get excited about Pagan books. After years of reading books that mostly rehash concepts well known to the community, I often just give a glancing nod to new books, to busy engaging in my own path to read these publications. Recently two emerging writers, leaders and activists in our community have published new books. This is different! These two individuals represent where our community is going, long on activism, compassion, healing and real world... Read more

A Pagan Dream This post was going to start with my dream, an expression of what I would like to do with my life in support of my community, our planet and social justice. It strikes me that it is beyond my ability to achieve this dream, but I think it is important that it weighs so heavily on my mind. You see my dream is to be free, able to engage my few talents in advocacy for our community,... Read more

Over the past few weeks I have been thinking a lot about commitment and how the ethic of service has driven my life. Internally I am experiencing an intense urge for transition. For decades I have engaged in responding to disasters both nationally and across the world. This service has afforded me the opportunity to develop a deep understanding of how service and divinity are linked in ways that I would have never imagined. This urge for redefining of my... Read more

Over the past months I have been part of many conversations about building community infrastructure. These discussions often focus on our lack of ability as a community to come together in support of efforts that benefit the community as a whole but have a tenuous link to the interests of specific communities.  Our current tendency of supporting only that, which has a clear “local” benefit, limits our ability to achieve lasting infrastructure. What if the community were to establish a... Read more