To be Heathen is to be an animist, meaning that in addition to worshipping the Gods and Goddesses, we also honor our deceased ancestors as well as the land wights. But while most people coming to our religion have some concept of how to honor a deity… when it comes to honoring the ancestors they are stymied as to where to even begin to work with them. I find that a great place to begin is to set up an... Read more
A “festal virgin” describes being at the 30th annual Pagan Spirit Gathering! Read more
What a great thing it is, to live in a country founded on principles of freedom, especially religious freedom. Despite those who would rewrite history, the United States of America is “not in any sense founded on the Christian religion”: a statement approved by George Washington himself. In fact, many of the building blocks of early American government rest on solid Pagan foundations. Am I saying the Founding Fathers were Pagans? No, they were mostly Deists with a good sprinkling... Read more
Pagan Parenting holds many responsibilities, and I think one of the most important duties is to teach one’s children the virtues of Nature; for how can we use the craft without this knowledge; how can we heal ourselves and others, or know our totems if Mother Earth is alien to us. With the wonder of Nature unfurling through the year every parent should be readily using this as a tool for teaching their offspring the wonderment and virtue of creation.... Read more
“And ye shall be free from slavery; and as a sign that ye be really free, ye shall be naked in your rites; and ye shall dance, sing, feast, make music and love, all in Her praise.” – The Charge of the Goddess Sunday is Independence Day in the USA, a day to remember how we broke free from a foreign Empire to form a republic of the people, by the people and for the people. I’m lucky enough to... Read more
A bunny bounded from my path, flashing his white tail at me a few times. Then he sat under some brambles very still, head turned over his shoulder and ears cocked, to see if I was fooled. I wasn't, but I didn't let him know. I think seeing a rabbit on Midsummer morning must mean good luck. Read more
Service is hard. For those being called as god-servants, spirit-workers, mystics, shamans, even God-spouses and godatheow, teetering on that precipice, feeling the push to commit can be a terrifying experience. It’s all the more terrifying when one is ‘lawful prey’ to the God or Goddess in question (or multiple Deities—ain’t polytheism grand?) when one’s ‘acceptance and compliance’ is relative. I’ve belonged to Odin for close to twenty years and I can say without a doubt that this is an incredibly... Read more
Whenever anyone asks me about connecting with Deities, I tell them that the first thing they should do is get their spiritual house in order. A lot of people feel pulled into Deity work right away, when the first thing they should be focusing on is developing a strong relationship with their ancestors and with the spirits of the land on which they live. This is important because, if something goes amiss with your first forays into working with the... Read more
Please let this Summer Solstice 2010 with all the present pollution issues and political problems, serve to remind each and every member of humanity, no matter what faith or creed, that once not so long ago we all shared the same beliefs. We held a simple child-like wonderment of nature and sought the same answers from our Earth Mother. The archaeological record demonstrates that for over 30,000 years throughout the globe we held the same embrace of spirituality, a universal... Read more
I know the topic of same sex marriage has been discussed here before, but with the recent court case in California, I wanted to put in my proverbial two cents. On June 16, 2010, a federal court judge in California heard closing arguments in what could be a landmark case. Two couples, one gay, one lesbian, are suing the State of California, arguing that Proposition 8, which denies same sex couples the right to marriage, is a violation of the... Read more
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