Samhain is close, October is hectic, my extended family experienced tragedy and I just got over being sick. At this moment I feel caught in a maelstrom: swept up, ground down and a little helpless. I’ve spoken before about the concentric rings of community I belong to. Right now with all the stress at this moment and all the various perspectives, personalities and dreams crashing about in the pan-Pagan communities it’s tempting to lose hope. It’s tempting to say “I... Read more
The crisp cool air of autumn is in the air, and with Halloween around the corner the airwaves are full of stories about vampires, werewolves, demons, ghosts and zombies (and oh how I have been waiting for AMC’s Walking Dead series). Of course the cultures that comprise the Northern Tradition were certainly known for their own stories. Even quintessential American literary classics like Washington Irving’s The Legend of Sleepy Hollow have their roots in Germanic folktales and beliefs. There is... Read more
I confess I hate Politics. I enjoy discussing politics with polite reasonable people, but I loathe Politics. As an American Pagan you can’t escape “Big P Politics” even if you want to. Not only do other religions insist on getting tangled up in the political process, every so often a candidate decides to attack us. Maybe it really doesn’t help that we hold our elections in early Nov, just after the lead up to Halloween. The Christine O’Donnell thing truly... Read more
There’s a great deal of focus around Samhain on honoring one’s ancestors, and honoring the dead in general. Whether we celebrate Samhain or Winternights, that’s what this holiday is all about, right? Well, yes….but ideally the celebrations that mark the end of October, should be the culmination of a year spent regularly and consistently interacting with the dead, honoring them, and recognizing their role in the continuing evolution of our spirituality. Honoring and interacting with the ancestors isn’t just a... Read more
I was surprised to get a message from someone this morning about a spirit that was giving them trouble. I’m not the best sort of person to ask on these things. I was once interested in paranormal stuff but I’m afraid I’m a bit of a stuff-shirt about it now. I stopped paying random spirits attention years ago and they don’t bother me now. My ancestors give me enough trouble without inviting more. This is the time of year for... Read more
I find it amusing that following the selection of Stephen Prothero’s God Is Not One some Christian writers have scurried to assure people that he doesn’t really mean that. Of course God is One! Prothero has said the question of whether God is one is a theological question that he can’t answer, but his book’s message is that not all religions are one. We are not all on the same journey headed towards the same goals. P. Sufenas Virius Lupus... Read more
Wired’s Autism Test Wired has an Autism test on their website. I found it when a friend took it and posted the results on Facebook. I decided to give it a whirl and was surprised by the results and intrigued by the questions. While the quiz isn’t a medical opinion or diagnosis tool, it does offer interesting insight into the reality of people with Autism and Asperger’s. Take a few minutes to take the quiz. I think you’ll find it... Read more
October, it seems, has been an interesting month for devotional work. This week has seen the release of the first devotional devoted entirely to Ereshkigal: the Sumerian Goddess of the Underworld. Janet Munin’s book, titled ‘Queen of the Great Below: An Anthology in Honor of Ereshkigal’ is an intense and beautifully written work of devotion, desire, and service in honor of a Goddess often overlooked by contemporary Pagans. To my knowledge, this is only the second contemporary devotional to any... Read more
A factoid that not many outside of the Asatru faith realize is that the term Asatru is entirely a recent invention. The ancient followers and believers of the old Gods of Germany, Scandinavia and Anglo-Saxon England did not have a name that they called their religion because their religious identity was simply part of their cultural identity. It wasn’t until Christianity encroached on these ancient polytheistic cultures that the term Heathen (used by the 4th Century Christian Goth Ulfilas in... Read more
The Secret of Kells is an absolutely charming film about the Book of Kells, Pangur Ban and the strange mythic interactions between Pagan and Christian Ireland. The story centers on Brendan, the nephew of the abbot of the monastery of Kells, who helps Aiden, the illuminator from Iona, work on the Book of Kells. In the process he is helped by the famous Pangur Ban and a mysterious forest girl named Ashley. It’s a children’s movie and the themes are... Read more
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