Guest Post: Michael York responds to Peter Kreeft

Last updated on: September 13, 2011 at 9:54 am By Guest Contributor

Micheal York is a Pagan theologian, retired professor of Cultural Astronomy & Astrology at Bath Spa University, currently teaches at Cherry Hill Seminary, and author of Pagan Theology. Peter Kreeft is a Christian apologist, professor of philosophy at Boston College and King’s College, and author of Christianity for Modern Pagans. . Near the beginning of the article on “The New Paganism,”[1] we hear that “Paganism is simply the natural gravity of the human spirit, the line of least resistance, religion... Read more

Guest Post: Teo Bishop on Celebrating the Full Moon

Last updated on: September 12, 2011 at 10:44 am By Guest Contributor

Teo Bishop just joined Patheos! Be sure to check out his blog: Bishop In The Grove! The Moon went full on September 11th, 2011. The Moon was full, and Pagans gathered, and we celebrated the continuity of life, the rising and falling of the tides, the movement toward light, the realization of wholeness, and the slow, steady return to the darkness. Pagans celebrate. Pagans gather and make ourselves aware of the rhythms of the Earth, and the reliability of the... Read more

The Moon is Full of Secrets and Promises

Last updated on: September 12, 2011 at 8:54 am By Star Foster

Here on the east coast the moon was full early this morning. Though still full, she is no longer waxing, and tonight will be void of course when I step into circle. I find that comforting. When the moon is void of course, she presents two faces. On one, the one we most often consider, she tells us anything we undertake while she is void of course is apt to come to nothing. We work in vain, run in place... Read more

Pagans on 9/11

Last updated on: September 11, 2011 at 10:16 am By Star Foster

I don’t have anything wise or thought-provoking to say today. Plenty of people are waxing eloquent today. I’m simply thinking about how much has changed in 10 years. Regardless of the influence of 9/11, none of us are the same people we were a decade ago. On top of the inevitable changes time brings us, we have the changes 9/11 brought as well. Would the Pentacle Quest have happened without 9/11? Would Patrick Stewart be home with his wife Roberta... Read more

The Best 9/11 Memorial Ever

Last updated on: September 10, 2011 at 8:46 am By Star Foster

For once, Bono didn’t annoy me. I watched and I cried. It was a ritual well done. I’d forgotten about this until reminded by the good Deacon Greg Kandra: On the banner were projected the names of all those who had died on 9/11, just four months before. And the music continued, and it went on, Bono and U2 singing about a place “where the streets have no name.” And the banner kept growing, and the list kept getting longer. ... Read more

Remembering the Dead

Last updated on: September 9, 2011 at 1:11 pm By Star Foster

The dead are not unfamiliar to Pagans. Many of us work with our ancestors or work with other departed in our communities. When 9/11 happened, many of us connected with the departed from that tragedy. Anne Newkirk Niven, who edits SageWoman and Witches & Pagans, sent me a link to a blog post detailing one experience with the 9/11 dead that I found quite moving. Ocean writes about a post-9/11 trance experience: As I continued to study these individuals, I... Read more

The Gaian Tarot: A Review

Last updated on: September 8, 2011 at 7:25 am By Star Foster

I feel a bit funny about giving tarot reviews. I read the tarot pretty regularly, and I even once tried giving professional reading a go, with the result that I have a great deal of respect for those who do that exhausting work for a living. Yet, if you want to have a deep conversation about the Tower card, I’m not your gal. Reviewing tarot decks feels a bit like being asked to review fine wine when you have a... Read more

Going Mainstream

Last updated on: September 7, 2011 at 9:46 am By Star Foster

There’s been a lot of discussion about Paganism “going mainstream.” Should we go mainstream? Is it wrong to go mainstream? What do we lose by going mainstream? What do we gain by it? Gus DiZerega spoke about the danger of losing our edge as we go mainstream. One question I don’t hear often asked is can Paganism go mainstream? Do we even have the ability? Are we ready? Are we capable? The truth is, we have a lot of things... Read more

The Holiness of Summer’s End

Last updated on: September 6, 2011 at 8:42 am By Star Foster

The leaves are turning golden and scarlet. Not all of them, not yet. Just tiny flashes of splendor in the mountains. It catches your breath. It’s as if you’ve seen something mythic, magical, and holy peeking out at you from the dark woods. Harvest is my favorite season. The Lammas Tide wells up, then ebbs as the Hallows Tide washes in. Wrapped up in the busyness of heat and summer, we rush around until something catches our breath. Suddenly a... Read more

13 Songs of Labor

Last updated on: September 5, 2011 at 8:54 am By Star Foster

Weavers, blacksmiths, healers, farmers, warriors: the myths tell us the Gods toil as well. Here’s 13 songs in honor of Labor Day, for when labor we are like the Gods. 13. Working Man Blues By Merle Haggard 12. Union Maid by Old Crow Medicine Show Written by Woody Guthrie in response to a complaint that women were being ignored in labor music, it became one of his most popular labor tunes. 11. John Henry’s Hammer by Johnny Cash 10. Pick... Read more