Yule: Going Slowly In the Dark

Last updated on: December 21, 2017 at 4:07 pm By Tom Swiss

Here in the dark of the year even the weather invites us, demands of us, to slow down. To walk on an icy path without falling, you must go slowly. Read more

Thoughts On The Great American Sexual Harassment Phase Change Of 2017

Last updated on: December 10, 2017 at 8:12 pm By Tom Swiss

As some try to impose order on the inherently chaotic world of sex, romance, and gender relations, I feel upon me once again the urge to toss a few golden apples into the discussion. Read more

Nazis Are People, Too (As Much As We Want To Disown Them)

Last updated on: November 28, 2017 at 12:23 pm By Tom Swiss

If reportage like this seems to normalize race hatred, perhaps that should be a reminder that "normal" people can fall into it. Read more

I Get By With A Little Help From My Friends

Last updated on: November 16, 2017 at 12:04 am By Tom Swiss

One of the Three Treasures of Buddhism is the sangha, the community of seekers. Budo Zennists have dojo communities. Pagans have covens and groves and circles. Read more

Healing At Autumn Fires

Last updated on: November 13, 2017 at 1:19 am By Tom Swiss

Then I started dancing. And it became a ritual, the unloading of a million pounds of black weight from my heart into the Great Transformer. Read more

The Return Of The Son Of Random Wednesdays

Last updated on: November 2, 2017 at 1:10 am By Tom Swiss

It’s been a while since we’ve had a Random Wednesday post. But it’s Pagan New Year. And I’m entering a new phase in my life. So I’m bringing it back, along with a few other renewals and changes. We’ll also be catching up (or trying to) with our 52 Make-Up Challenge, more on that coming soon. Meanwhile, three short bits. (And five Internet points to the first commenter to identify what the title of this post is a reference to.)... Read more

Samhain: My Father Is Dead

Last updated on: October 30, 2017 at 12:10 am By Tom Swiss

My father's death puts me in a different relationship with my ancestors, and I will be contemplating that this Samhain. Read more

An Open Letter To Barry Manilow: Please Help My Mom

Last updated on: October 17, 2017 at 10:34 pm By Tom Swiss

Dear Mr. Manilow, The last thing my father did in his life was take my mother to see your September 16th show at the Turning Stone Casino. Read more

A Eulogy For My Father, Mark Swiss

Last updated on: September 25, 2017 at 6:58 pm By Tom Swiss

We have hopes about an afterlife. I guess some of us have fears -- Dad didn't, thank goodness. His God was love, and he knew that whatever comes after could never be something to fear. What do we really know for sure about what comes after? Well...sometime, long down the road, many years from now I hope, maybe I can tell you. But whatever the truth about that, the Buddha noticed something important about our life here. Read more

Life Is a Series of Dogs

Last updated on: September 26, 2017 at 11:53 am By Tom Swiss

If we love a dog, the odds are very good that they will die before we do, and we will suffer the pain of grief. But the same is true of all love. Read more