Some small, quiet part of me called it a pilgrimage from the beginning. But only in the last month or so of planning did that part step forward so I could start calling it a pilgrimage for real,2 rather than “a trip” or “I guess it’s sort of like a pilgrimage, maybe?”
Read moreMy Pagan Values: Spiritual Autonomy
Here’s one of the first things I learned when I started learning and practicing the Reclaiming tradition:
I am my own authority, rooted in community.
Lemme me tell ya: that can be terrifying.
Read moreMy Pagan Values: Wholeness
I sometimes struggle to wrap my mind around the concept of wholeness. Yeah, I know, I chose it, but I can’t always articulate what I mean by it. Earth is a materially closed system. Everything that was, is, and will be on this planet is made of the same stuff, endlessly broken down and reassembled… Continue reading My Pagan Values: Wholeness
Read moreMy Pagan Values: Balance
Balance is dynamic. Staying upright on a bicycle at rest is very difficult. Even in a track stand, that seemingly motionless bike is often full of small motions that keep in in place. Balance isn’t a one-and-done state of being. It’s a constant process of awareness and adjustment.
Read moreThe Wheel of the Year: a review
With Lammas 2021 behind us, I’ve completed my yearlong experiment in minimalist rituals. How did it go? How do I want to proceed? tl;dr version: I loved it. I want to keep doing it.
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Pagan with a small “p”
For every gem of genuine ecological wisdom I have found in the Pagan community, there is a deluge of crystals and correspondences, divinities and divination apps, wizards and wishful thinking. Maybe it’s time to face up to the fact that, while I am spiritually and religiously “pagan” with a small-p, culturally I am not a capital-P “Pagan”.
The Atheist Persecution Complex
No, I’m sorry, but being “forced” to listen to a prayer in a Unitarian church is not oppression, especially in light of the serious, systemic, and pervasive oppression of people of color in our society.
10 Signs You’re Half-Assing Your Pagan Ritual
I have been fortunate to have attended some great Pagan rituals. But, gods know, I have suffered through a lot more rituals that were just terrible. A lot of you probably know what I’m talking about. I know fellow-Patheos blogger,…
The Wild Hunt for Justice: At the Intersection of Ritual and Protest
I was recently invited to the New Orleans Pagan Pride Day this year to lead the opening ritual. This was my attempt to bring together elements of Pagan ritual with elements of political protest. 
Lughna-say-what? What to Call This Pagan Holiday
The problem with the Pagan Wheel of the Year is that we are starting with a name, then working out what the day should mean from its etymology and history, and then trying to associate it with the season—which is completely backwards! We need to look at the season, work out what the holy day should mean, and then come up with an appropriate name. The year should turn the Wheel, not the other way around.