I ran across a CNN news story yesterday that really got me thinking. It spoke of the danger of the “Spiritual But Not Religious” movement creating self-centered, selfish people instead of creating community and promoting charity. Yesterday I raised the question “what if we get big and mainstream?” without actually exploring it. Today I’m wondering “if we get big and mainstream and are made up mostly of solitaries, what then?” because it suddenly seems like we’ve got a big ol’... Read more
Fire, is in and of itself an embodiment of polarity: creation and destruction, chaos and order. Fire can burn snuffing out life, destroying both homes and crops. Fire can be used to cook and prepare food, warm one against the cold of winter, used to craft the finest and delicate objects from handspun and blown glass, and used at the blacksmith’s forge in the creation of farming implements, cooking instruments, and weapons for the luck, well-being and good-fortune of the... Read more
I’ve got three things on my mind and while I have ample coffee I’m going to try to express my thoughts in a semi-orderly fashion. The first is something that I find weird in Paganism, yet it’s not really exclusive to us. We have a whole wealth of wise folks that influence our community that are unknown to the greater Pagan community. They are priestesses, priests, teachers and elders that never publish essays or frequent forums. They touch our lives... Read more
This is another suggestion for Family/Coven activities during the Summer Solstice ‘camp’- I call it ‘Hearing the Goddess talk.’ No I do not mean you must have a visitation, not deep meditation or breathing exercise, this is a straight forward ‘hands on’ approach. This activity is inspired through the visiting of many less than spectacular stone circles here in the UK and asking myself “Why build it here?” Many archaeologists will argue the theory of clan demonstrative territory demarcation but... Read more
Imagine yourself standing in a grove of trees on a warm, sunny June day. The sun is almost directly overhead and there is a buzz of excitement in the air belying the growing warmth of the day. All around you men and women stand gathered, nearly all dressed in puzzling garb. The men wear hand crafted tunics and trousers, many carefully embroidered with odd knot work designs and many have empty sheaths belted to their waists. The weapons lie carefully... Read more
Far too often, most of us who have come to some form of paganism came so through experiences from Christianity. Unfortunately, the issues that made us leave that religion behind us to find and embrace this new one follows us around like baggage sometimes. But sometimes we also need to remember that without the steps on the journey that led us to this path we may not have found it in the first place. A recent news article I stumbled... Read more
A simple ritual to create an ancestor altar. Read more
Midsummer Solstice Celebration This is the longest day, a day devoted to the Sun, a masculine day. The Goddess is heavily pregnant with the fruit of creation and just as Beltane was Her lusty celebration giving glory to fertility, now she is full and focused. This celebration marks the strength and power of the sun who is needed to continue nurturing and protecting, for the job of creation is not yet fulfilled and potentially volatile. This is masculinity at its... Read more
I was first initiated into a religious tradition when I was twelve years old. I underwent a symbolic death and rebirth, was ritually cleansed, and was recognized as a member of the spiritual family with a celebratory feast. That is to say, I joined the Baptist church. Since then I’ve undergone several more initiations: into a Taoist temple, by the Gods, into Feri, and when defending my MFA thesis. They vary in details, but the same elements tend to be... Read more
The Matrix is a metaphor I use frequently to talk about Gardnerian Initiation. There are three important parallels between the two: proactive choice despite ignorance of the outcome, trust in the team that is bringing you through to the other side, and an inability to unlearn or unremember that experience. Preparing a person for initiation is a difficult task. By definition, there’s no possible way to prove to someone that the Matrix exists without taking them out of it. Likewise,... Read more
PANTHEON
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In