I agree with and support the Polytheist Day of Protest and Remembrance, but I would like to see more emphasis within it on the people killed by DAESH, as well. I note that the call to action includes “and all the other horrors Daesh have committed” but that seems like only a nod to the people they have killed. People are carriers of memory too: the Jews have a saying that “whoever saves a life, saves a world entire”. People have hopes, and... Read more
The diversity of contemporary Paganism can be a bit bewildering for newcomers and outsiders, but I think it is a good thing, because it caters to the variety of religious tastes and experiences. Read more
It is possible to be a monogamous polytheist, or a polyamorous monotheist. I am monogamous and polytheist. I regard being monogamous as similar to a sexual orientation. I always assumed that I was polyamorous and then discovered otherwise. I tried and failed to be polyamorous. I am definitely monogamous (and madly in love) and it is nothing to do with jealousy and everything to do with love. Read more
Why the question "are you a black witch or a white witch?" is such an unhelpful question. Read more
What is the relationship between Paganism(s) and politics? Some have argued that Paganism is not political. Some have criticised the political style and presentation of the emerging polytheist movement. Some are uncomfortable with the politics around consent culture, racism, gender, and sexuality in Paganism and polytheism. Read more
Different Pagan traditions celebrate different festivals. Wiccans, Druids, and many eclectic Pagans celebrate the eightfold Wheel of the Year. Other traditions have their own cycle of festivals, often specific to the locality and ethnic tradition they work within. Pagan festivals have rich and complex symbolism rooted in folklore and Nature. Read more
1. That Wiccan theology is diverse This one applies equally to Wiccans, polytheists, and everyone really. In Wicca, you can be a pantheist, a polytheist, an atheist, a duotheist, a monist, a Neoplatonist monotheist, a polymorphist, or all of them at once, and hardly anyone minds. Sable Aradia explains all about it in The Many Faces of Wiccan Divinity. 2. That there are many different types of Wicca and witchcraft, but not all witches are Wiccans There are many different types of... Read more
Religions are organic, they grow with and in culture – and if people rip the ideas out of context, they lose meaning and coherence. Religions are like languages – deeply embedded in culture and history; sometimes they have their own culture. Even religions that claim to be universally applicable arose at a particular time and place because of specific theological, philosophical, and spiritual concerns. Read more
Over recent years, there have been a number of controversies among Pagans which probably left a lot of newcomers to Paganism a bit baffled, especially when the terminology got a bit arcane. I think these controversies are interesting and illuminating because they raise important questions of who we are, how we relate to each other as a community and individually, what we hold sacred, and how we relate to deities and the world around us. Read more
Dowsing for Divinity
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Message of love for the Ásatrúarfélag
Dear Icelandic Pagan Association, I stand with you in your efforts to be allowed to conduct same-sex marriages, and to be inclusive of LGBTQIA people. I stand with you as you extend a welcome to people of any nationality and ethnicity. Read more