Thinking Blogger Meme

This is like when the flu is making the rounds at work, only, unlike the flu, it’s a pleasure to get this one…

We’ve been tagged with the Thinking Blogger meme by Sara Sutterfield Winn, of Pagan Godspell! Which is way cool, not only because it’s really nice to know somebody out there feels like they’re getting something useful out of reading this blog, but because we now get the chance to pass this particular bug along to five other blogs that make us think.

Slightly complicating that task is the fact that, of the Pagan bloggers whose words I cherish, a number have already contracted the “Intelliblogger bug,” and even if they’re not exactly immune, it doesn’t seem quite sporting to send it back upstream again. Happily, there are not only a number of Pagan blogs that have not yet been tagged that I think should be, but none of my favorite Quaker bloggers have come down with the honor yet, so I get to be the first to pass this meme in that direction. (How nifty is that?)

Here are the rules, as stated by Sara in her blog:

If you’ve been tagged, here’s how you play:

1. If, and only if, you get tagged, write a post with links to 5 blogs that make you think;
2. List to this post at The Thinking Blog so that people can find the exact origin of the meme;
3. Optional: Proudly display the ‘Thinking Blogger Award’.

Grok Earth! Pray without Ceasing!

(OK, the Grok Earth, pray without ceasing line isn’t really part of the meme… but I like the way it sounds, so I’m posting it here, too.)

It’s really difficult to limit myself to five and only five blogs that make me think, but here are five that definately do:
1. deo’s shadow
2. The Friendly Funnel
3. Executive Pagan
4. The Good Raised Up
5. reaching for the light

Ah, I look at this list, and I’ve left so many incredible bloggers off of it! But I think I could stay here deliberating till Lammas, and I still would be dissatisfied when I thought of the many wonderful blogs and bloggers out there. (It feels like there should be several whole new categories, just for those who leave thoughtful comments on others’ blogs, or thought-provoking blogs you just found, or…)

On the subject of other peoples blogs and blogging, observant readers may notice that I have changed how our public blogroll appears in the sidebar. I found I had come across some blogs whose Quaker-ness or Pagan-ness seemed like the least useful way to categorize them I could think of. So now, our blogroll contains just the most consistently thought-provoking and spiritually deepening writing I can find, and I don’t have to worry about the blogs that don’t fall neatly into categories. Since I think one of the main points of this blog is how hard it is to neatly categorize things of spirit, hopefully this system will be a little easier to follow, at least for me.

Oh, yes! As a proud mama, I’ll also put in a plug for my daughter’s blog, Endangered Species of One. She’s always been her own woman, as I think her recent post critiquing Paganism shows… but I am really grateful to have raised such a thoughtful and independent human being, full of integrity, passion, and humor.