Dowsing for Divinity
A ritual that celebrates coming out as a rite of passage, and welcomes the newly-identified LGBTQ person by introducing them to the ten queer spiritual roles identified by Christian de la Huerta. Read more
A ritual that celebrates coming out as a rite of passage, and welcomes the newly-identified LGBTQ person by introducing them to the ten queer spiritual roles identified by Christian de la Huerta. Read more
Christianity assumes that humans are the pinnacle of “creation” and that the world exists for our benefit. Atheists often turn this on its head and claim that the universe is hostile, but fail to notice that we are just one species among other species. The universe is neither 100% hostile, nor is it 100% benign. Read more
This is the video of my talk at Witchfest in Croydon, November 2014. The talk discusses expanding and deepening our understanding of the concepts of polarity and fertility, what tradition is and how it works, what we bring into circle (our whole self, or do we bring only our essence, and what does our essence include?) and how to make Wicca more LGBTQI-inclusive, with examples from rituals and from history. Read more
The subjugation and oppression of Black and brown people is part of the dominionist, capitalist, exploitative approach that says that the Earth is there to be exploited and subjugated, and so are other people. it is part of the worldview that claims that industrialisation and mechanisation will lead to increased human happiness, whereas in fact it has led to destruction of habitats, eradication of indigenous people and their life-ways, oppression, and alienation - and the view that any culture that does not buy into the myth of progress and the cult of consumerism is somehow more primitive and less civilised than the over-consuming West. I cannot see how any of this can ever be part of Paganism, and yet there are many Pagans posting racist comments on blog-posts about systemic racism, Ferguson, and the Black Lives Matter protests. Read more
The thing about equality is that it is not enough to say, in a vague and woolly manner, that you support equality for everyone, or that "all lives matter". Specific groups of people are being persecuted and killed in specific contexts, and there is a particular historical context for that persecution. That means that we have to understand the particular struggle in the particular context. That means we have to do the work to get involved; and to be good allies, we need to listen to the people who have been engaged in the struggle, and use our privilege to promote their voices and agendas, not talk over them and erase their voices. Ignoring the fact that Black people are being disproportionately targeted and killed is adding insult to injury. The reason we are focussing on the fact that Black lives matter right now is that there are large sections of society, most of them armed and dangerous, who seem not to agree. Read more
Why have we been silent? Read more
Among all the thoughtful and passionate voices I have encountered this year, here are ten I am especially grateful for at the moment, in no particular order. Read more
This week, we are pleased to once again host an original research article by Christopher Scott Thompson, exploring an alternative origin for the "maiden, mother, crone" Goddess theology that has been so influential in contemporary Paganism. Read more
Yesterday was a completely improvisatory performance, unfolding in real time, exploring the metaphor of elections and politics as sexy, as seduction, as the whole damntangle. Read more
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In
Je ne suis pas Charlie, because it is more complicated than that
The relationship between Islam and the West is complex and multi-faceted, and cannot be reduced to a simple binary of us versus them. Condemning the murderers does not mean you have to endorse everything that the victims did. Criticising the actions of the victims does not mean you endorse the actions of the murderers. Read more